Chapter 19 - 

Korosu slowly walks across the rough ground, and pulls himself out of the crater, closely followed by his two acquaintances Bardock and Vegeta. The apparent leader of this small gang looks around enthusiastically, and then presses a few buttons on his scouter, looking around for life. It takes a while, but eventually it blinks a few times, signifying some weak presences around them, nothing to be concerned about. Upon closer examination though, Korosu realizes that not only are they around them, but they’re only a few meters from them. He desperately looks into the shrubbery and long green grass, frantically searching for the inhabitants of the planet who are seemingly hiding from them.

Vegeta notices that Korosu seems to be panicking slightly and looking around like an idiot, so he glances at the immediate surrounding area, thoroughly unimpressed by the planets appearance. Bardock joins in the hunt too, but like Vegeta he doesn’t really know what he is searching for, but continues to look all the same.

Korosu hears some movement from inside a nearby bush, and casually strolls over to it before dunking his hand in and pulling out whoever is inside. The resident of the overgrown shrub is only harmless squirrel. He laughs with the small mammal squirming in his hand, and is soon joined by Bardock who realizes what they became so jumpy about. Vegeta however merely grunts at their idiocy and begins to explore the planets surface himself. He uncovers no more than the others though, and turns to them with a rather annoyed expression on his face.

“There’s nothing here you morons!” he shouts rudely. Bardock and Korosu merely glare at him for being so obnoxious, and let their guard down. “Now are we going to find this Goku person or not?”

“Sure…this place though…Earth…it seems familiar…” Bardock responded before he and Korosu followed Vegeta into the unknown depths of the desert of this seemingly deserted planet.

“Wait” a voice said from behind Korosu. He turns to Bardock to see if it was he, but the Saiyan simply shrugs his shoulders, confusing the small group of aliens. “Over here” the voice said, making Korosu glance sideways to see a tall figure in a red GI, his facial expression incredibly serious. He has leaves and small twigs sticking to him showing that he’s been hiding in a tree or in a bush awaiting their arrival, and worried about whether they were hostile or not. The strangest thing is that his facial details are almost exactly identical to that of Bardock’s, only this character seems a big younger, and lacks the scar on his face. “State your business here” the person droned in a completely serious, and somehow intimidating voice. Korosu takes a scouter reading on his power level and sees that it is a mediocre six thousand.

“No wonder they were hiding, they have puny power levels compared to us” Korosu states. “We come seeking a man named Goku” Korosu said, but it seems that no one is paying any attention any more. Bardock and the newly revealed man are staring deeply into one another’s eyes, and Vegeta is comparing them in a puzzled way.

“Kakarotto?” Bardock asks. “That’s why this planet is familiar, Kakarotto, you were sent here as a child!”

“I am Goku, not Kakarotto”

“Hey Goku, that guy looks just like you” a fairly high-pitched voice came from down by the mans feet. “In fact…if I didn’t know better I’d think he is you!” he remarked, before revealing himself fully, showing his small torso, and bald head.

“What do you want from me?” Goku asked, ignoring the midget.

“We were asked to find you, and we have traveled all the way across the universe just to meet you. We were supposed to learn more techniques, and ask you to help us defeat Frieza, but it seems that you’re not powerful enough to be of any real use to us.” Korosu scoffed, seemingly careless of Goku’s feelings.

“Actually I’m compressing my true power,” the Earthling countered. “We can all do it. I am much more powerful than you think, in fact I’m slightly stronger than you are at the moment.”

“Prove it then Kakarotto” Bardock asked confidently.

“Alright, watch those reading things shoot up as I charge up” Goku smirked, before focusing all of his KI energy, and forming a blue aura around himself that keeps rising higher and higher. Eventually Goku notices the sheer looks of shock on everyone’s faces, and terminates the aura, completely canceling it out and making it disappear. He keeps his power level relatively high just to satisfy the new visitors as he gives a cocky grin.

“I stand corrected” Korosu gasps, overwhelmed by Goku’s power. “Please, I would be honored if you could train me and my companions.”

“I dunno, I’m not really much of a trainer myself but I know a few good ones who might help you improve your strength. I suppose I could teach you all a few of my basic techniques though.”

“Thank you Kakarotto” Bardock said kindly.

“Alright, this is getting annoying. Why do you keep calling me Kakarotto? I’m Goku!”

“Well…actually Goku…” the midget started to say guiltily.

“What is it Krillen?” Goku asked, revealing the bald head mans name.

“Master Roshi told me that when you were younger you were found by your adopted father Gohan.”

“I already knew that though...”

“Yeah, but what you probably can’t remember is that you were found near a space pod, and you used to be a vicious little guy, totally uncontrollable, right up until you hit your head really hard,” Krillen explained.

 “Kakarotto…I mean Goku, you are a Saiyan. As a child you were dispatched to conquer this planet, but when you hit your head you must have forgotten your mission.” Bardock elucidated. “You are my son Goku.”

“What?” Goku asked rhetorically. “How…why…but…” he stammered, unable to properly get the words out.

“Listen, is there anywhere we can go to talk, I’d like to catch up on all that I’ve missed of your life” Bardock asked considerately.

“Yeah, but first I need to know about this Frieza guy. You said you needed help to beat him, but you lot are all incredibly strong already, especially that guy over there” Goku said pointing to Vegeta.

“You want to know about Frieza eh?” Vegeta said, breaking his callous silence. “He is the most merciless being alive, he won’t hesitate to destroy entire civilizations and races. He has power beyond the pinnacle of your imagination! Frieza will destroy this whole entire planet soon, he’s already following us from what I can predict” the Saiyan prince sneered, making everyone look at him in horror, including Korosu and Bardock who has previously assumed that they’d escaped Frieza’s grasp for now. “Oh yes, I’d give him a week or so before he works out where we are.”

“Damn! How strong are we talking about? Couldn’t we all take him out with our combined power? There’s quite a few beings round here who have power levels that are approximately near mine.”

“Don’t be so naïve Kakarotto!” Vegeta shouted in a patronizing way. “He is stronger than me in his first form alone! I don’t know how many of these forms he has, but I know his power increases every time he transforms! We’d be slaughtered!”

“Ok, I understand. Krillen, take these two to Kami and ask him to train them” Goku said motioning towards Korosu and Vegeta.

“Kami? Are you sure Goku? I mean we don’t even know if we can trust them yet, let alone allow them to see Kami!” Krillen stammered.

“Don’t worry, if what they say is true then we’ll need their help. I can sense that they have no reason to attack us, and their hearts seem to be swaying towards good.”

“I’m going to talk to this guy who claims to be my Dad…erm…we haven’t all been introduced yet have we? This guy here is Krillen” Goku stated pointing towards his good friend the midget. “So who are all you?”

“I’m Korosu, this is Bardock, and…”

“And I’m prince Vegeta, a true Saiyan, unlike you I see.”

“Vegeta! Let’s not get into an argument now, we need to train as hard as we can before Frieza arrives” Korosu pleaded. “If we don’t all get on well, then we’re doomed as there wont be any team work between us will there?!”

“Think about it Korosu, where’s Kakarotto’s tail? If he was any sort of a Saiyan then he’d bare the sign of one!”

“I…I had my tail cut off when I was young. It caused too many problems apparently.” Goku said guiltily. “Am I a Saiyan then? An alien from outer space?”

“Yes, you’re from the planet Vegeta, you’re one of the four remaining true people of ours. Frieza blew up our planet and killed all of its inhabitants, but we were lucky enough to escape” Korosu explained.

“You fool! You’ve lost your ability to transform under a full moon!” Vegeta blurted out, still obviously bothered by Goku’s lack of a tail.

“What?” Goku asked, still confused about the whole concept of these new things being introduced to him.

“When a Saiyan looks up at a full moon he transforms into a giant, mighty ape, and you’ve been stupid enough to prevent that from happening!” Vegeta mocked.

“Look, Goku’s probably got lots of questions, and I have lots for him, so I’m going to go talk to him, Vegeta you and Korosu should go with his friend to this Kami character” Bardock said, trying to become the leading authority.

“Just what I was thinking” Korosu agreed. “Come on Vegeta, let’s go” Vegeta reluctantly immersed himself in his own blindingly white KI, shortly followed by Krillen and Korosu doing the same thing, as the three of them take off heading towards Kami, led by the small guy.