Going Native: Rewritten: Homecoming 4.4 (ch. 21) (Patreon)

It was something of a logical leap on my part, but my conclusion that Titles had the Tree of Might wasn't just because he had been connected to it in the movie that he starred in. Evidence had been staring me right in the face during my brief foray into the Forest for a month and some change, but I never thought anything of it. Because why would I?

The Forest was filled with giant trees so big that redwoods aspired to become them when they grew up. They were almost comically large. But, in the very heart of the Forest, there was one tree that dominated them all. A tree so massive that it could be measured in miles, with roots that were larger than skyscrapers, and at the very base of the tree had been every kind of skeleton that I could think of. 

I had never really thought about it until I found myself flying forward towards the Forest I had left behind years ago. There were a lot of things that I could be doing at the moment, but I was still reeling from the revelation. Turles got his hands on a Tree of Might Seed. I was certain of it and I just needed that one scrap of proof to confirm it. And from there… 

There was no telling, honestly. Turles was completely out of it, carried off to a Healing Pod, where his body would be restored, and his leg reattached. However, I didn’t think for a second that King Vegeta was saving Turles out of any kindness in his heart. Or even because of our competition. Just as he wanted the Kaioken, and was incorporating my methods of growing stronger into Saiyan society…

He was looking to do the same for Turles methods. For better or worse, Turles had found a way to get strong fast. In the same amount of time it had taken Vegeta’s power level to get from a hundred thousand to sixteen million, Turles had gone from two thousand  to twenty-one million. What's more, Evil Ki had somehow been able to keep pace with the Kaioken. That was something that was going to be of great interest to King Vegeta. 

The Saiyans were bad enough as things were, but if the Saiyan Empire began harvesting the Tree of Might… The thought made my stomach clench, and that was why I was blasting straight for the great tree that utterly dominated the Forest. I could sense the thousands of Saiyans below me as I flew through the air, all of them huddling up in whatever homes they had carved out for themselves. 

It was fascinating to see, honestly. I could sense that they had expanded the cave system that Raditz had found. There were more tree houses dotted about. A larger community had sprung up around the watering hole that we bathed in. But that was true throughout the Forest. Whereas before, there were spread out sporadic tribes of a dozen or less, now there were concentrated communities that numbered in the hundreds. Thousands, even. 

Part of me really wanted to slow down a bit. Swing by and see how things had developed in the years since I was here, but it felt like I just didn’t have the time. Maybe there would be time later, before I left, but for now…

I arrived at the massive tree, and this time, I looked up at it with eyes full of suspicion. Yup. That was one big ass tree. A suspiciously big ass tree. But… if it was a Tree of Might, then shouldn’t the planet have been devoured by it? I frowned deeply, crossing my arms, and I did my best to recall what I could of the movie I had last seen a decade before I became a Saiyan. Which, honestly, wasn’t a lot. 

The highlights of the movie stood out to me -- the Turles reveal, Gohan going Oozaru, Yamcha getting yeeted…

“The soil,” I muttered, flying down to a familiar sight. It was the basin where Turles and I fought for the first time. The bones were still there, and I could see traces of our fight with broken rib bones and a deep groove in a skull. “Earth was the ideal place to grow it because of the soil.” While here… they were called the Wastes for a reason. The soil was utter crap, and mostly sand and stone. 

I had thought it was weird there had been a rainforest so close to the Wastes back when I lived here, but I had just shrugged my shoulders at it. It was an alien planet. What did I know about anything? I hadn’t bothered to think any deeper, but if I had, then I might have seen this coming. 

Flying straight into the grove that Turles used to take tribute in, I was instead greeted by a bone statue. I'm not sure who that was, but I’m glad that the kids were getting creative. It was healthy to have hobbies other than fighting. I also saw that there was a lot of writing etched into the bones that filled the cavern, but they weren’t what I was looking for. 

“H-Hey! Who are you?!” I heard a young voice shout up at me, their tone telling me that they were afraid but were desperately trying not to be. I glanced over, and I was immediately rocked where I floated, instantly recognizing the speaker even if I had only seen them once while they floated in an incubation tube. 

Goku- Kakarot flew up nearby; his hands clenched into fists as he eyed me uncertainly. His undersuit was mostly in tatters while his tail was flickering behind him like a cat about to pounce. He was ready to fight and his apprehension only seemed to grow the more that I looked at him. And I was looking at him not only with surprise at his presence but outright confusion. 

According to Gine, it had been two years since Kakarot was sent to the Wilds. He could have been deposited at any spot on the planet, so I hadn’t exactly held out hope that he had ended up with my tribe. But, not only did it seem that he did, but in the two years since… he had become more than strong enough to graduate even with the new cap. His power level was over seven thousand. Why was he still- oh.

King Vegeta. Seriously, that guy apparently had it out for Bardock and his family. First, sending Raditz to the Wilds when he was born Low-Class, then keeping Kakarot here past graduation? 

“Yo! Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. My name is Tarble,” I introduced myself with a smile and a wave, which instantly put Kakarot at ease. 

“Oh! Nicetameetcha’!” Kakarot replied, offering a wide grin. “What are you doin’ here, though? Ya looked like ya were lookin’ for something.” Wow. That was an accent. 

“Yeah, I am,” I admitted. “You haven’t seen something like a chamber around here or something, right? Maybe a secret passageway?” I asked, glancing around at the cavern that was carved out of the tree. Only for Kakarot to suddenly be on guard again. 

“You mean the secret chamber only for Forest Kings to enter?! No! I don’t know anything about that,” Kakarot blurted, settling into a fighting stance.

Wow. “That so? So, it’s not over… there?” I asked, slowly making a pointing gesture around the room as I watched Kakarot’s expression. Sure enough, the moment I actually pointed at the ‘secret’ entrance, he started to panic. He should never be allowed to play poker. “Right. Thanks,” I said, starting to fly over. 

“There’s no way I’d let you steal our secret knowledge!” Kakarot exclaimed, racing towards me with a fist raised. I let it impact my palm, bending it slightly so that I didn’t accidentally break his wrist, before leaning my head out of the way of a kick, then the second that followed with a sharp spin. 

Kakarot’s eyes widened before a massive grin split his face, “You’re strong!” He acknowledged, completely undeterred, as he dove back in with a high knee to my face, followed by a flurry of punches that I dodged effortlessly. Despite my anxiety, I couldn’t stop a grin from tugging at my lips. I had done a lot since I woke up in this new life, but there really was something special about throwing hands with the main character of one of my favorite series. 

He had potential. And I didn’t doubt for a second that he was the strongest around, even if I couldn’t sense ki. His growth, however, was being stifled by being kept here. Though, I’m not sure he minded as his smile only grew as he met a stone wall of defense, every attack dodged or blocked. 

Then, gently, I gave him a love tap in the stomach that knocked him back, clutching at his stomach. But, even then, he grinned away. “You’re way too strong! Wait- are you a Saiyan warrior?! Are you here to pick me up?!”

Ah… “Yeah, I am,” I decided. Screw King Vegeta and whatever plan he had. I didn’t know why he was keeping Kakarot here, and frankly, I didn’t care to know. Whatever it was, I was perfectly happy kicking it over and ruining whatever he intended. “I’m a High-Class warrior. I’m actually squadmates with your brother, Raditz.”

“Awesome!” Kakarot exclaimed, fist-pumping. “I was running out of strong fighters to face,” he admitted with an exaggerated shiver. Then he blinked, “So… you aren’t here to steal our secret knowledge?”

What secret knowledge? “Nah. There’s just something I need to check out in the secret chamber itself. If anything, I can add to it,” I remarked, curious what this ‘secret knowledge’ would look like. That hadn’t been a thing during my time leading the tribe. 

“Oh, were you a Forest King or something?” Kakarot asked me as he gestured for me to follow him. The massive skull had piles of bones towards the back of the throat, but with a gesture, Kakarot moved them to the side. In doing so, he revealed a passageway that led down. 

“Or something,” I answered, flying down. It was a somewhat long trip of about a minute, but when we arrived, there was no doubt about it in my mind. There was a large open cavern at the bottom of the passage, and when I looked up…

I saw a very familiar fruit. There were dozens of them, though most of them were dark brown. Only a single one had the same reddish hue that I recalled from the movie. My hands clenched into fists the moment that I saw it, and it took everything that I had to not blast the fruit to pieces. Along with the whole tree. 

The worst part was that I was almost certain I knew exactly how this mess had narrowly avoided disaster, as well as how it happened in the first place. For Nursery Planets, the Saiyans tossed whatever apex predators and wildlife they could find to give the kids a challenge. So, a Saiyan thoughtlessly dropped a Tree of Might seed on Planet Vegeta. 

Only the stone was too dense, and the soil was too poor for it to get the kind of growth that we saw in the movie. Instead, it was doing something else, I think. It was seeding the ground, creating a forest that would help it expand its roots until it reached a point of Planet Vegeta that didn’t absolutely suck. I’m not sure how long it had been at it, but my bet was hundreds of years. 

With a small Destructo Disk, I sent it at the ripe fruit and brought it over with ki. Kakarot looked at me questioningly as I split the fruit open, seeing white flesh and-

Senzu Beans.

“Hm,” I hummed, my jaw tightening. I wasn’t as surprised as I thought I would be. It had been some time ago, but I read a theory that the Tower of Korin was actually a Tree of Might that had been tamed, much like a bonsai tree. The Senzu Beans, in turn, were its seeds taught to gather ki from the planet in a much more controlled manner, which was how they could restore ki and people’s health so naturally. Or, in darker interpretations of the theory, the life force of people dying across the world was sucked up by the Tree of Might to produce it's seeds, which were then given to the Z Warriors as needed. 

That did complicate things a bit because it meant that I probably shouldn’t carelessly destroy the Tree of Might. Actually, I should, but I should take some seeds with me first so I can start up my long-awaited Senzu Bean farm. 

“... are you going to eat that?” Kakarot questioned, pointing at the fruit. I glanced down at it for a moment before I shrugged. First, I carved out the core that had the seeds, much like an apple, before I tossed the rest to Kakarot. 

“Thanks! You’re a good guy, Tarble,” he decided, stuffing the two halves of the fruit into his mouth at once. He chewed mindlessly, barely aware of his power level increasing. It wasn’t much -- a three-hundred-point boost, bringing him to about 7,600pl. 

“Thanks! Those things sure are tasty! Though they don’t get as ripe as fast as they used to,” Kakarot muttered, wiping juice off his chin. That, if I had to guess, was because there were fewer kids dying within the range of the forest. Less nourishment for the soil to absorb. “Whoa- what is that?!”

The that in question was a clasp at the tip of my tail that I dropped the Senzu seeds into. Turns out bags of holding were pretty easy to make, even if I hadn’t replicated the feat with ki yet. “It’s a magic clasp. It holds my stuff for me,” I said, sending another small Destructo Disk to the other fruits. Ripe or not, they had seeds. If I wasn’t going to destroy the tree, then at least I could delay King Vegeta getting his hands on any if Turles cracked and spilled the source of his strength. 

Which I’m not sure he would, honestly. Unlike Raditz, Turles was pretty in line with his canon character, and that included egotistical narcissism and delusions of grandeur. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that Turles was plotting to take the crown from King Vegeta. And I really doubted that he’d be willing to surrender the ace up his sleeve so easily. 

“Can I have one?” Kakarot asked, and I just smiled ever so slightly. 

“Why not?” I replied with a shrug, glancing over his way, and it was only with the fruits dealt with that I noticed the writing carved into the walls. Down the large roots that made the walls, I saw familiar names. Okarot. Mayze. 

There were about fifteen names listed on the roots, with each one having a description underneath their name. Kakarot was all too happy to explain when he saw my interest. “Those are the techniques of the Forest Kings that came before me! They created them all by themselves, and then they left them behind for me to learn. And I guess since I'm becoming a warrior…” 

He walked over to a root and began to carve into it. While he was doing that, I read the other techniques. They were solid enough. Nothing particularly revolutionary, though it seemed Mayze had created a prototype for the Tyrant Lancer -- a counter move that drove my friends to frothing levels of rage in Xenoverse 2. 

When Kakarot was done, I was interested to see that he created something similar to the Hellzone Grenade. “There! Pretty good, right?” 

“It's not bad,” I agreed. “What about the other territories? Do they do this?” 

“You bet! We all add to the Codex! The Sea, Sky, Mountains, and Desert Kings all have their own versions of this.” Not bad. That wasn't bad at all. “Were you from before Boss? Is that why you didn't add to the list?” 

… I didn't even want to know. 

“You could say that,” I admitted. “I had challenged the Forest King of the time, but by the time the fight ended, both of us had become warriors.” Kakarot made a noise of awe at that.

“Then you should add something to the wall! He should too!” Kakarot said, and I had to resist snorting at the idea of Turles sharing knowledge. I didn't think he'd be up for that. Though, I did like the idea. 

“That's a good idea,” I said, approaching one of the roots. There were a number of techniques that I could use, but… I found myself inscribing one in particular. Kakarot looked over my shoulder the entire time as I wrote out the technique before he uttered its name. 

“The Kamehameha?” He voiced, sounding interested. “It sounds strong.” 

“It's simple,” I admitted. Surprisingly so really. Of all the techniques that I had recreated, the Kamehameha was one of the simplest -- compression, then release. “But it's reliable, and it scales well the stronger you get.” 

I liked this a lot better than what King Vegeta was doing. I understood the value of the Kaioken. Before the time of Super Saiyans, it was the technique. The one that changed the nature of the game. But, while I understood it and the appeal of having such a powerful technique in your back pocket, what rubbed me wrong about it was him making sure that only the royal family had access to it. It felt cheap, even if I understood that it was a smart move by King Vegeta. 

That feeling was solidified when Kakarot cupped his hands to the side and mimed what would be his signature technique in another life. 

“Do you have anything to do before we head out?” I asked him, making Kakarot's eyes widen dramatically as he trusted his cupped hands out. 

“I gotta find another Forest King! Hold on! Stay right here!” Kakarot blurted, moving with a frenzied panic as he scrambled up the secret passageway. I chuckled as he went, idly curious about the whole procedure… but I think there was a better use of my time. I looked over the various techniques of the Forest Kings that came after me before I made some adjustments. Little tweaks that would up their power and viability.

As I sensed Kakarot flying about, I trailed after him to the various settlements that he was looking at, informing them that he was finally being taken as a warrior after a full year of being the Forest King. I slipped by the fanfare unnoticed in the excitement, seeing the settlements and the Codex that they had compiled. What was once a seed planted in the dirt had blossomed into something wonderful. 

So, I couldn't stop myself from adding to it here and there. Gardening tips that I had picked up along the way, or lessons that I learned from Master Ulf, Guru, or plain ol’ experience. 

The whole encounter with King Vegeta and Turles had left a real foul taste in my mouth, but that was being washed away with a feeling of pride. I had absolutely no clue what I had been setting into motion years ago. I had been completely in over my head and, honestly, I still was -- but I was glad I did it as I followed Kakarot to inform each settlement across the Forest, the Mountain, the islands in the Sea, the vast sands of the Desert, and everywhere in between that the Forest King position was now open, and to send their best warriors to fight in out for the crown. 

I never would have imagined this would be the result of my almost whimsical decision years ago, and I was proud of what everyone who inherited that work had turned it into in the years since. 

“That should be everyone,” Kakarot muttered to himself, once more returning to the big tree. 

“Ready to go then?” I asked, making Kakarot flinch, having missed my shadowing him completely. 

“Er…” Kakarot started, looking back down at the tree. I could see the cogs moving in his head before he offered a slow deliberate nod. “Yeah. I think so,” he answered, offering me a boyish grin. He seemed to come to grips that he would be leaving his home for the first time. 

So, I patted him on the back. “Then follow me. I'll take you to meet your family,” I said, looking off in the direction of towards the city and I realized that would be more true than I expected as I sensed a vaguely familiar ki signature approaching the planet. It was vastly stronger than I last sensed it, but it still felt the same. 

I made sure to slow down for Kakarot as we headed for the city, and the closer we got, the more I found myself barraged with questions about it, about being a warrior, and if it meant he was going to fight strong people. I answered to the best of my ability, zeroing in on the ki signatures of my team, all of which were back at Gine's house. Kakarot followed me to the balcony, touching down as I slid the door open to find that the home was quite crowded. 

Bardock and his team were seated at a table, with Raditz seemingly in the middle of a reenactment of our recent fight while the others pitched in. Gine was carrying platters of food piled high, which came to a crash as it slipped from her fingers the moment she saw who was behind me. It brought everyone's attention to her, then to us when they saw what she was staring at.

Kakarot looked at everyone in the room, seemingly unbothered by the stares, before his gaze settled on Gine. He perked up, “I remember you! You used to talk to me in the incubation pod!” 

That was the straw that broke the camels back because Gine darted forward, scooping Kakarot in her arms and trying to hug the life out of him. With moderate success, might I add. Raditz kinda locked up, looking over at me, and I gave him a nod. As if the hairstyle could be any less of a confirmation. He floated over to get a look at his younger brother, who was already turning blue from the rib crushing hug. 

Bardock watched the scene with a guarded expression, his gaze flickering to me for a moment. I spoke in a low voice as I approached. 

“He's strong enough to be a warrior twice over almost, but King Vegeta was leaving him in the Wilds. I don't know what you did to piss him off so much, but he's targeting your family,” I told him and there was a flicker of something in his eyes. 

“King Vegeta? Not father?” Bardock remarked in a low voice, and I was glad the others were distracted by the reunion. 

“I like Vegeta alright. King Vegeta can yank his own tail,” I said with a small shrug. 

I watched as tension started to bleed out Bardock as he heard that. His gaze lingered on me for a moment before it flickered to Gine, who had tears in her eyes as she presented Kakarot to Raditz. “Is that offer to join up still open?” 

“Course,” I confirmed with a nod. While gaining five powerful Saiyans was a boon, I was mostly happy that the family would reunite in earnest. No double kill by Piccolo during Kakarot and Raditz’s first meeting. No tearful farewells by Gine and Bardock as they sent Kakarot away to save his life from Frieza's wrath. And no Kakarot being completely ignorant of his Saiyan heritage because of a bad fall and a bump on the head. 

My gaze slid over to Caulifla, who I saw watching the reunion with that same complicated expression. “Do we need to break his legs?” I asked her, the who wasn't really a question. 

Caulifla jolted a bit, realizing she had been caught, before she offered a wane smile. “Too late. Already broke ‘em,” Caulifla admitted, telling me the reunion with Resno hadn't gone how she wanted. I was less surprised than I wanted to be. In the end, Bardock and Gine were the strange ones. They had something that was only seen in the royal family, and given that I had no idea who my mother was, even that wasn't a traditional family.

Then, in an effort to change the subject, she punched me in the shoulder, “You won your fight, right?” 

“As if there was any doubt,” I replied, letting her. “The rest of you?” 

“Course we did! Those guys were strong but… hm… kinda weak? They were like how you feel after big jumps in power, where you just don't know how to use your new strength yet?” She noticed it, too then? “They were fun to beat up, at least!” 

That was a silver lining, I guess. I would call my last fight with Turles a draw, avenging the beatdown he gave me when we first entered the forest. So, the scoreboard was 1-1-1 as far as I was concerned. The next bout would be the tiebreaker, and I fully intended to win that one as well. 

“What now, Boss?” Cabba asked, looking at me, making Dende perk up. 

“Are we leaving Planet Vegeta?” He asked, sounding vaguely hopeful. Which I understood. Honestly, Planet Vegeta and the Saiyan race really weren’t the best introduction to the wider galaxy. 

“We have about a week left for the retrofit to finish,” I said, making Dende deflate a little bit. “And for the last of the recruits to trickle in. I’ve also been instructed to teach Lil Vegeta the Kaioken, but I fleeced King Vegeta for it,” I elaborated, grinning a bit. 

That earned a side long glance from Bardock, “So, you don’t need my money anymore?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow in my direction while Kakarot gasped for breath when the hug ended. It was a little amusing because Kakarot was easily three times stronger than Gine. “Meaning you can pay me back for that ‘Red Sun’ technique, huh?”

Drat. I had hoped we wouldn’t see each other for a year or two so he mellow out a bit about the whole ‘selling his technique back to him’ thing. 

“Well…” I started, trying to quickly think of a way that would let me keep the money without pissing him off. “I mean, technically speaking, you paid more for the secret of the Kryptonians than the technique itself…” That got a smirk out of Bardock, and I couldn’t say I liked the look of it. 

“In that case, Tarble, I have a secret to sell right back to you,” he remarked dryly before reaching up to his head and plucking a few hairs. I had absolutely no clue what he was doing until he flicked the hairs away, and materializing from them were three other Bardocks. The strangled gasp that escaped my throat sounded like a dying cat, and Caulifla found it absolutely hilarious, slapping the table with tears in her eyes. Same for the rest of Bardock’s team while Kakarot seemed stupified by the technique.

The Multi-Form technique. 

This… this bitch created the Multi-Form! Before me! I had been working on the technique for years. I mean, it wasn’t a one-for-one to the Multi-Form -- Tien didn’t have any hair to speak of -- but the principle was the same, and that’s what mattered. The three clones seemed functional, fully realized, and independent.

DNA. Was that what I was missing? Some kind of connection to the soul, maybe? Oh, I’m pissed. I just couldn’t tell who I was more pissed at -- Bardock for stealing my technique again or myself for not figuring it out sooner. 

While I was in the middle of seething, Kakarot approached Bardock. Or one of the clones. I’m not sure I even cared at this point. His gaze flickered between them, his eyes uncertain. “Why do you look like me?! Quit it!” 

To that, Bardock snorted as he dismissed the clones with a wave of his hand, the hair they were built around burning up. “Got it backward, kid. You look like me,” Bardock corrected, looking down at Kakarot, whose jaw dropped at the revelation. His dark eyes flickered to Gine, then to Raditz, then back to Kakarot before he reached out with a hand and rubbed his head, much to Kakarot’s ire. 

And try as he might, he couldn’t entirely hide the smile tugging at his lips.

…

“I see. So this is the Kaioken… very well. I shall never use this technique again,” Vegeta decided, the aura of red flickering away and extinguished like tossing a pot of water on an open flame. I blinked at him, seated upon an outcropping of stone deep in the Wastes where not even animals tread. 

“Kinda defeats the purpose of me teaching it to you,” I felt compelled to point out, cocking an eyebrow in Vegeta's direction. To that, Vegeta scoffed dismissively. 

“I simply have no need for it. I'll create a much better version,” Vegeta declared, his ki signature shrinking down to his base power level. 

Twenty million. 

I literally had no clue how he was doing it. No clue at all. But, in the odd week since the fight, Vegeta had not only jumped up an additional four million pl, but he got the hang of the Kaioken in days. It was kind of ridiculous- actually, there was no ‘kind of’ about it. It was outright ridiculous, especially when he didn't seem to have some kind of cheat code like the Tree of Might hidden up his sleeve. 

So, frankly, when he declared he was going to make the Kaioken 2.0? I was more than inclined to believe him. 

“Well, I taught it to ya’. Can't force you to use it. But be sure to tell King Vegeta that I followed up on my end of the bargain, so he had better not back out of his.” 

“Father,” Vegeta corrected, crossing his arms at me and wearing a scowl. 

“Yours. Not mine,” I refuted evenly, making Vegeta's scowl intensify. “Hate to say it, Veg, but that ship has sailed.” 

“I don’t understand your reluctance to take your rightful place amongst the family,” Vegeta growled at me. He was frustrated, a little angry, but that was his general baseline. Beyond that, he was more exasperated than anything. “But you have adequately proven your resolve in the matter. And with your pathetic sentimental methods of training combined with the Kaioken… I suppose you aren't likely to get yourself killed.” 

I chuckled, “I'll take the compliment in the spirit that it's given.” 

“You have assembled an army. What planets do you intend to conquer? It had better not be in Sector two thousand five hundred and three -- that's my next assignment,” Vegeta said, shooting a glare my way like I was encroaching on his territory. 

“Nah -- I'm not conquering any planets,” I informed him, making Vegeta's eyes bug out. “I might buy some, eventually. If only for the novelty,” I admitted. The idea of giving the PTO money made me want to start coughing up blood, but I couldn't deny the appeal. The housing market in my last life never allowed me to buy a home, so it felt perfectly fair to overcompensate in this life by buying planets. And there were apparently a whole bunch of cheap ones over in Sector 2814. 

They were the boonies as far as the galaxy was concerned, but I was apparently going to live for a few thousand years if not longer. It felt like I had the time to workshop things a bit over there. 

“Then… what? What do you need an army for if you aren't going to conquer in the name of the Saiyan Empire?” Vegeta asked, a hand going to the bridge of his nose, sounding like he was indulging me after he thought I said something particularly stupid. 

“Mercenary company,” I answered easily. “I'd rather be getting paid to defend planets from conquering armies than conquering them and selling the natives. Plus, I've been deputized by a member of the Galactic Patrol. It'd be a real bad look for me if I go around and start conquering planets.” 

Vegeta grimaced as if he had bitten into something sour, “I don't understand you, Tarble.” He confessed, like it was some great secret. “How can you be so… insaiyan? We are warriors. Conquerors. The galaxy shall yield to us, and it shall only be the first that submits to our eternal rule! And instead of embracing your Saiyan blood, you… you… I don't even know what to call it!” 

In face of his anger, I laughed, and that just seemed to set him off. “You don't even realize it, do you?! You should have killed me, you fool!” The laughter died in my throat, but Vegeta continued. “That was your chance to become the heir to the Saiyan Empire! Perhaps you could have even slain Father in his shock, and you would have been King! Tens of thousands of star systems, billions of Saiyans and countless slaves would have answered to you! And instead, you taught me the technique that you could have used to kill me!” 

That… was a path I could have gone down, I acknowledged. When they first received me upon my return to Planet Vegeta, I could have gone x20 and killed them both. It would have been a bit risky, but with the element of surprise and magic on my side? It was possible.  

“Yeah, maybe, but that's stupid,” I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. “I don't want to kill you. Or become King. Honestly, it sounds like a colossal pain in the tail.” 

Vegeta pointed at me, “That! That right there! You don't want to kill me?!” He said, uttering the words with the severity of a bad diagnosis. “Why?” 

“Because you saw me off when I left Planet Vegeta for the first time. And you went out of your way to teach me how to control the Oozaru transformation,” I answered with a small shrug. Vegeta was pricklier than a cactus with a dash of narcissism and neurosis, but I found myself growing rather fond of him. 

Because he cared. He would deny it to his last breath, and he would be offended if anyone ever called it out. He had absolutely no idea how to express it either. But, still, he cared.

For all that he had done and all the things he shall continue to do, that mattered the most to me. 

“Tha- that was because no one else was available,” Vegeta denied with reddening cheeks. He was such a tsundere. 

“Uh-huh.” 

“It's true!” 

“I believe you. That was the sound of me believing you,” I reassured him with my lips twitching upward. Vegeta looked embarrassed and like he was about to deal with that by strangling the life out of me, but instead, he looked away sharply and crossed his arms. As if to deny himself the temptation. 

He tsked underneath his breath, “Why are you so strange, brother? If you aren't using your strength to aim for the crown, then what use is it?” 

There was nothing I could say to Vegeta to make him understand. It had taken a decade and several people dying for DBZ Vegeta to acknowledge that he felt anything for another living being. While this Vegeta hadn't gone through a fraction of what I suspected DBZ Vegeta had, at the core, they were still the same person. It was why I could read him like a book. So, there was no combination of words in the universe that would get through that thick skull of his. 

But that didn't mean I wouldn't try. “The next planet that you visit, Vegeta -- I want you to find a quiet spot. Someplace nice, like under the shade of a tree, or in a garden. Someplace that's untouched by whatever war you bring to that planet. And then I want you to relax there.” 

“Relax?” You'd think I told him to chew off his own tongue with his reaction. “For what purpose?” 

“For no purpose,” I said with an amused huff. “You're going to hate it, honestly. You're going to get pissed off and irritated, feeling like you're wasting your time. But I want you to try and drink in whatever sight you find in and try to appreciate it. Then, I want you to take something from that planet you find interesting -- a plant, an animal, fish, or whatever. Something living. And I want you to tend to it.” 

My lips curled at his increasing confusion. “It's going to die. You'll forget to take care of it provided that you don't cop out and order someone else to do it for you. And that's fine. You'll probably dismiss its death as the thing's own fault for being weak. But, when it happens again? And again? You'll start to wonder if it's your fault that they keep dying. You'll look into it to discover why, if only to sate your own curiosity. Then, you'll tend to another just to prove to yourself that you can. And you'll succeed.” 

Vegeta stared at me for a moment, working his jaw. “I don't understand,” he admitted. 

“You don't. But, I think you will one day,” I told him with a shrug. “For me, fighting is fun. Power is useful because it allows me to protect the things that I hold dear. But it's not everything. As much as I enjoy a good fight that forces me past my limits, I enjoy a quiet day tending my garden with a cup of tea just as much.” 

I'm not sure if he would ever get to that point. But, I think he would at least try. If only to prove me wrong. And, maybe, that'll be enough. 

‘Boss, we're ready,’ Cabba said in my mind, making me sigh as I pushed myself up from the rock I sat on. 

“And it looks like it's time for me to head out, Vegeta,” I said, patting myself down. 

“Hmph. Don't die, fool,” Vegeta said, turning away sharply. Seriously, what a tsundere. 

“Right back at ya,” I returned, giving him a wave bye before I started flying up. It took everything that I had to not start laughing when I sensed Vegeta following behind me in the distance, deciding to see me off as I headed to the Capital once more. 

And it was there that I sensed my army. Ten thousand Saiyans, all gathered up on the outskirts of the city -- all of them gathered up in a rough crowd divided by types. Among them, I could sense my team, Bardock's, and his family. 

They all looked up at me, and I couldn't say I liked being the center of so much attention. Especially when their faces wore expressions of awe, their eyes shining with expectations that I definitely wouldn't live up to. Looking at them all, I realized that the crowd was bigger than I had been prepared for, but also smaller. Ten thousand was an easy number to think, but seeing them all gathered up like this….

One thousand of them were members of the Support-Class. Technicians, engineers, scientists, and doctors. Probably more than I needed, but better safe than sorry. The rest were Low-Class Saiyans, all nine thousand and some change. Some, like Okarot, Ginge, and Mayze were fast approaching Mid-Class, but the majority were in the 5-10k range for power levels. Making them even stronger than we were when we saved Tamaran. 

In the next few years, provided they follow a similar path to us, the vast majority of them would be High-Class Saiyans in as little as three years. Greatly expanding the jobs they could take solo, which would bring in more resources, and we could expand. 

Lowering myself down to the crowd, I looked at them all and I could tell that they were expecting something from me. A speech, I guess. I didn't exactly have one prepared, but… 

“Most of you weren't there for it when the tribe was formally made,” I announced to the crowd of Saiyans, all of whom perked up. Even Vegeta did, from his hiding spot in the distance. “So, I'm hoping that this speech will have a little more weight to it since Turles won't fly in and kick my butt like he did then.” 

I took a breath and spoke clearly, “All of you were thrown into the Wilds because you weren't born with a high enough power level. You were deemed weak, and thus you had to prove yourself. I am here to tell you that this was not the case, as there is no such thing as a weak Saiyan!” The budding confusion was nipped in the bud as the Saiyans perked up, responding well to the praise. 

“There are only Saiyans that have not been taught or enabled to realize their potential,” I continued, speaking loudly. “That is what you will accomplish by joining me. You will be taught and enabled until you find your limits, and then you'll be pushed until you shatter them! In a year's time, it is a promise that everyone here will be Mid-Class! Provided of course… that King Vegeta doesn't get scared and raise the bar again!” 

The reaction was about what I expected. The Saiyans cheered and all but had stars in their eyes. Even Bardock seemed impressed. 

“It is my goal to make you all the best possible versions of yourselves. So, we will be following the philosophy I created in earnest -- Work hard, study well, and eat and sleep plenty!” I continued, earning a thunderous roar from the crowd. I glanced down to see the others smiling up at me, approving as well. 

I still didn't know how I felt about what Dendan said. Yamoshi's will sounded like a heavy burden that I didn't know if I really wanted to pick up. So, instead, I decided to do what I could. Whether that was enough, or if it was doomed to failure… the results would be what they would be. 

So long as I did what I could… that would be enough for me. 

But thoughts of saving the Saiyan race from itself was for another time. Today? 

Today I set forth into the galaxy once more to see all that it had to offer.