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Chapter Text

"Last time on Dragon Ball Super; The grand struggle against the diabolical and corrupt Queen of the Demon Realm, Ursa, had at last reached its awaited climax, preventing a war and preserving the peace. With their mission bestowed by the Supreme Kais completed, our heroes resume living their lives on Earth to the fullest. However, this peace is to be interrupted, for the return of an old friend shall be the signal of a new, incoming danger. One of the Earth's greatest threats makes its debut… now!"

–A Message from Across the Stars!!–

–Prepare for the Invasion of Revenge Embodied–

•EARTH – THE LOOKOUT•

•Mr. Popo: "I believe we should have kept him banned from using the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after destroying it a third time."

•Dende: "I know you do, Mr. Popo, but giving him another chance can't hurt. Sometimes I think the Earth would be history by now if Goku was still the only one defending it, so keeping any of them from a means of getting stronger doesn't sit right with me. I kinda felt bad, despite, you know…"

•Mr. Popo: "Hm."

•Dende: "Anyways, I reinforced the Chamber with Piccolo to try to get it to withstand their immense powers. If, by chance, Vegeta does destroy the Chamber from the inside again, the damage should at least be minimized."

•HYPERBOLIC TIME CHAMBER•

Vegeta stands in the middle of the dimensional void that is the mysterious Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Having taken in days, weeks, a full year's worth of stress, strain and other forms of harsh conditions, Vegeta proceeds in training his body under the Chamber's heat, lack of oxygen, concept of time and many horrible environmental changes, from the atmosphere and terrain's transformations into deadly, volcanic wastelands,

to cold, frozen, ice age-surpassing landscapes that could instantly freeze a person in ice as soon as their foot touches the void's floor.

•Vegeta: "Ggh-Rrrghh…! (Let's see how much this place can withstand!)"

*RRRRRRRRRR*

•Mr. Popo: "Huuh??"

•Dende: "Wh-whoaa-!!"

Mr. Popo and Dende stumble as the entire Lookout quakes from Vegeta's power bubbling up within him. The quaking is stronger than ever this time, like the very sky around them trembles with it all.

•Vegeta: "RRRRRRGGGHHHH- DAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH…!!!"

*BWHOOOO-*

*BRURR*

•Mr. Popo: "Oh!?"

•Dende: "Wagh…!!"

Mr. Popo topples backwards as one large jolt hits the Lookout. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber still stands.

*CREEEK*

Moments later, Vegeta emerges from the Chamber, his armor and tights worn and torn.

•Dende: "Phew… Glad it held up. Do you need me to heal you, Vegeta?"

•Vegeta: "That won't be necessary. I'll be taking my leave now."

*WHOOO*

Vegeta takes off.

•Dende: "…Knowing Vegeta… Please remind me to reenforce the Chamber with Piccolo further."

•EARTH: SON RESIDENCE•

While Vegeta narrowly and unintentionally avoids a possible ass whooping from Mr. Popo, we have Goku, Goten, Chichi and a visiting Gohan, Videl and baby Pan who recently finished eating some of Chichi's cooking. While Goten and Pan play inside and Videl and Chichi wash the dirty dishes together, Goku and Gohan have a light sparring match outside, one not too high in the skies above.

*TEKTEKTEKTEKTEK*

A flurry of punches and kicks thrown at each other, by each other, all of them being either dodged or blocked.

•Goku: "HRAAH…!!"

Goku swings a swift left kick. Gohan dodges by jumping upwards.

*FWHOOO*

*SWOOSH*

Gohan puts his hand in Goku's face.

*WHICH*

•Gohan: "DAAH…!!"

*SHWHOOO*

He fires an invisible ki blast while thrusting his hand, damaging Goku and launching him towards the ground.

•Goku: "WAAAH…!!"

*WIUUU*

*SHUU*

As Goku descends, he breaks his fall and jumps forwards, towards his son.

*WHOOO*

•Goku: "HAAAH…!!"

*KRAAOW*

•Gohan: "Oough-dugh…!!"

Upon swiftly launching towards Gohan, Goku rams into his stomach, headfirst. After Gohan moves back, the two lift themselves up and speak to each other, grinning.

•Goku: "You've improved quite nicely, Gohan. I'm impressed."

•Gohan: "I sure hope so. I don't plan on taking things easy anymore. I have a family to protect. And also… I wanna make you proud."

•Goku: "That isn't necessary, Gohan, cause I'm always proud of you."

•Gohan: "Hm…"

Gohan smiles in gladness.

*SHIIII*

•Gohan: "Hu-?"

Goku and Gohan look up at the sky suddenly. A faint ki is approaching Earth at high speed, entering the atmosphere.

•Goku: "I sense it too. And it feels… kinda familiar…"

•Gohan: "Y-Yeah… Dad, I think it's headed for…!"

•EARTH: CAPSULE CORP•

Vegeta, who is outside, cleaned up and recovered, looks behind him, and upwards to the sky. He senses it too, the presence.

•Vegeta: "Huh?"

•Bulma: "What's wrong, Vegeta?"

•Vegeta: "(Peculiar… No, wait, is this…?)"

*DING*

A tiny light glimmers in the daytime sky as an object enters the atmosphere.

•Vegeta: "-Ah-!"

He realizes.

•Vegeta: "Look out!!"

•Bulma: "GAAAHH…!!"

*CRAASH-PRARR*

Vegeta tackles his wife, saving her life from the hurdling Space Pod and shielding her body from the impact. It lands near Capsule Corp's biggest building, but still causes quite some collateral damage, most notably the iconic crater they make on impact. Meanwhile, in the distance above West City, Goku and Gohan notice the scene while sustaining their path.

•Gohan: "Dad, did you see that!?"

•Goku: "I did! It came from Capsule Corp! Let's go!"

•Gohan: "Right!"

*WHOOCH*

*WHOOCH*

Goku and Gohan emit their auras and presume flying at higher speed.

*BWHOOOOO*

As the dust clears up, Vegeta looks up at the pod, then stands and moves in front of Bulma, who's also stood up, protecting her.

•Bulma: "Wh-Who could that be? One of Frieza's men?"

•Vegeta: "No."

•Bulma: "Eh?"

•Vegeta: "(This ki. There's no mistake.)

Suddenly, Vegeta hears a voice in the distance. It's Goku.

•Goku: "Heyyy…!! Vegeta!!"

•Bulma: "Goku! Gohan!"

*WHOOICH*

*WHOOICH*

Goku and Gohan land.

*TAK*

*TAK*

•Gohan: "Are you all alright?"

•Bulma: "I… can't exactly say yet…"

Bulma looks back to the scene as Vegeta walks up to the pod, who then rubs some dirt off the red-tinted window with his hand before looking through it and into the interior.

*RUB* *RUB*

He cannot believe it.

•Vegeta: "I-It's you…!"

The wife of Vegeta's younger brother, Tarble, Gure. She is… injured.

•CAPSULE CORP GROUNDS – LIVING FACILITY•

Gure lays on a bed, tucked and asleep. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Bulma sit in the room, concerned and filled with questions. Bulma sits by the harmed Gure, watching over her.

•Bulma: "My dad's looking at the pod in one of the labs. I just don't get it. What could have happened?"

•Gohan: "You've got me. I'm just as stumped as you are."

•Vegeta: "…"

•Goku: "Whatever the case, Gure was definitely caught up in some kind of trouble. But I can't imagine what. I doubt it was Frieza."

*BANG*

Vegeta punches the wall, upset.

•Vegeta: "Tarble, you fool. Where did you go?"

•Bulma: "Vegeta…"

Suddenly, the door opens. It's Dr. Briefs, Bulma's father.

•Briefs: "I'm still looking into the pod, but I found something I thought you might want to see."

Dr. Briefs gives Vegeta a small, black box. He walks away and returns to the lab. Vegeta looks at it for a moment and finds a button, pressing it. A recording plays. It's Tarble's voice!

•Tarble: "{Vegeta. By the time you hear this, I will already be dead. I don't have much time, so I'll make this quick: The Saiyan Hunter, Bota, has returned. He attacked our planet, killing many. He wasn't just after me, either, but Gure, too… Because she's a month pregnant with our half-Saiyan child. Once I'm dead, Bota will come to Earth next for Gure and the last of the Saiyans. You will have three days until he arrives. I've got to go now, he's close. Goodbye, my brother. Please… protect my beloved family!}"

It ends there.

•Vegeta: "D… Damnit…!"

•Goku: "Vegeta, who's this 'Saiyan Hunter'? Do you know?"

•Vegeta: "Yeah. He was an occurring problem we had during and before my time in the Frieza Force. Nobody knew where this 'Bota' character came from, but one thing was for certain: He hates Saiyans. Where that hate stems from is unknown, too. He would either hunt down Saiyan Squads to wipe them out, warn civilizations of incoming invasion forces and help them build a resistance, or even shoot down pods carrying infiltration babies."

•Bulma: "That's horrible…"

•Goku: "'Infiltration… babies'?"

•Vegeta: "When a Saiyan is born with a low power level, they're sent to other planets to conquer by looking at the full moon. Just like you, Kakarot. I think your brother, Raditz, explained it to you. Of course, it was all Frieza's Father's idea, since he respected the Saiyans' strength instead of fearing them. We wound up agreeing there was no room for weaklings."

•Gohan: "Did you ever cross paths with him?"

•Vegeta: "You could say that. Nappa, Raditz and I weren't the only surviving Saiyans prior to Planet Vegeta's destruction, besides Broly and Kakarot. In fact there were two others. During a mission, we were ambushed by Bota. Two out of the five of us were killed without a trace, but the fight kept going and Bota escaped after I injured him. We had to forfeit the mission. Not only that, he was able to escape Frieza's sight as well, and it wouldn't be the first time, either. I've never seen somebody be able to vanish off of that bastard's radar so well for so long. Hm. At one point I almost wanted to ask what his secret was."

•Gohan: "So he's not just strong, he's smart and fueled by a hate for Saiyans, too, and from what I can tell, he shows no remorse for his actions, so long as a Saiyan is involved. I hope I'm wrong, but I think we've only heard a fraction of what this guy is. I've got a really bad feeling about this…"

•Vegeta: "(As do I… Bulma, Bulla, Trunks, and Gure… I must keep you safe.)"

•Goku: "Y'know, this is where I'd say how excited I'm getting, but for once, I'm trying to suppress it. The room just feels so grim right now. Heheh!"

Vegeta smirks.

•Vegeta: "Heh, it's alright, Kakarot, there's no need to try and contain such a key trait that makes us Saiyan warriors. Besides…"

His smirk vanishes.

•Vegeta: "We have three days until Bota shows up, don't we? Let's make the most if it."

•Gohan: "You're right. We need to start training now. Will you guys be heading into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"

•Goku: "Yep! Think you can keep up with the two of us for three years?"

•Bulma: "I'll stay here by Gure. If she's really pregnant, I doubt a Senzu Bean would work the same, so when you get to the Lookout, please send Dende my way. For now, I'll warn the others, tell them to standby in case things go south for you guys and contact Jaco. Maybe he or the Galactic Patrol know something about a 'Saiyan Hunter Bota'.

•Vegeta: "See to it that you do – Contacting him doesn't sound like such a bad idea. As for warning Kakarot's friends, they're probably all out of their league in this Saiyan matter, but you should probably know that the situation is so dire I don't care either way. We may need to throw everything at what's coming."

•Bulma: "(Vegeta almost sounds… worried?)"

Everyone else in the room (minus Gure, of course, since she's lights out right now) notices this in Vegeta, too. Nevertheless, they must move on and proceed, not contemplate. Goku places his two fingers on his forehead.

•Goku: "Alright guys, grab onto me. That means you too, Vege-"

*PAT*

To Goku's surprise, Vegeta grabs Goku's shoulder without hesitation. Goku's smile wipes away.

•Vegeta: "…Let's just get this over with, Kakarot."

•Goku: "…Hm."

 

Goku nods with a serious yet concerned face.

*THWIIP*

They vanish via Goku's Instant Transmission. Bulma is left there by Gure's side.

•Bulma: "(Vegeta… No matter how much of a tough act you put on, I can tell: You're angry and heartbroken over the loss of your brother. And you will do whatever it takes to protect what little family you have left. Especially Tarble's unborn child.)"

•Gure: "Tar… ble…"

Gure speaks softly in her sleep, making a somewhat distraught face and she slowly starts shedding tears. As Bulma looks down at her, she takes her small, white hand, comforting and calming Gure as the tear runs down her cheek.

•Bulma: "(You can deny it all you want but I know. And that state of mind you get into sometimes puts all my doubts to rest. Even if not entirely, you still give me hope…)"

•SPACE: BOTA'S SHIP – LESS THAN THREE DAYS FROM EARTH•

The Saiyan Hunter, Bota, sits in his cockpit seat. With the coordinates set and the ship on autopilot, Bota remains seated as he starts to think.

—FLASHBACK—

•Tarble: "Then you should know this: Those other Saiyans are far more powerful than our imaginations could possibly comprehend! I should know, I was there when they used a mere fraction of what they can do! They were up against opponents who had surpassed Frieza's most elite warriors long ago… And one of them happens to be my older brother, the crown Prince himself, Vegeta IV!"

——————————

•Bota: "(It's not often a Saiyan boasts about another's strength. How strong have these Saiyans gotten since I mistook the Hunt to be over?)"

Bota grips his chair's arm rest tighter, then makes a fist.

•Bota: "I can't believed I missed some. Whatever, so long as I've got my numbers right, now. Once I've liberated Earth from the Saiyans' oppressive presence, I will head for Planet Vampa, which I've saved for last. I swear… They will pay…"

•Bota: "…Unforgivable…! Absolutely unforgivable!"

•GALACTIC PATROL HQ•

After the loss of 'Agent’ Merus, who turned out to be an Angel in training suppressing his powers to blend in with mortals so to learn more about them, the Galactic Patrol has been especially busy as of late, doubling their efforts in seizing criminals and bolstering their numbers. However, their most important task bestowed upon them by the Galactic King himself, right now, is to select as many Elite Patrolmen as possible in the hopes of making up for their top agent's absence. Agent Jaco is passing by, when suddenly…

•Irico: "Agent Jaco! A Miss 'Tights' is on the phone asking for you!"

•Jaco: "Tights? I wonder what she wants… Take over for me for a moment, 'kay?"

As Irico and Jaco swap places, Jaco is about to realize he's going to hear a voice that makes him 'uneasy'.

•Jaco: "Hey, Tights!"

•Bulma: "Hiii, Jaco~!"

Bulma says so sarcastically.

•Jaco: "B-BULMA!?!? WH-WHAT DO YOU WANT??"

•Bulma: "Oh, quit freaking out like a baby, Jaco! I have something pretty important to talk about with you and I wasn't gonna take the chance that you’d come up with some excuse to not speak with me so you could run off!"

•Jaco: "O… Ok then. Fair point. What's up?"

•Bulma: "I wanted to know if you have anything on a certain someone, a, uh, 'Saiyan Hunter Bota'.”

That name alone sent a fearful chill down Jaco's spine. What could Bulma possibly want to know about such a person?

•Jaco: "Uhh-"

•Bulma: "-And before you do, don't say you don't know anything and hang up."

•Jaco: "-I wasn't gonna."

•Bulma: "Uh-huh, right…"

Jaco looks around himself to see if anybody is nearby to start eavesdropping. He returns to the phone.

•Jaco: "Bulma, you don't fully realize who you're asking about, do you? Listen up, as an Elite, I have access to some pretty heavy intel, but I wouldn’t exactly call what I’m about to tell you being for the feint of heart: The Galactic Patrol doesn't know much about him, but what little information we do have on him makes me shake in my boots – And I don’t admit this lightly; Bota is a professional hunter who's scary-powerful, a fanatic driven by this strong, boundless hatred for Saiyans. From what we know, he’s willing to murder innocents, not just anybody who’s nuts enough to stand in his way. He'll destroy an entire city just for not looking at a Saiyan funny. The Galactic Patrol had gone after him once before because of those innocents he’d dragged in his wake, but showed those poor Agents sent to apprehend him no mercy, going as far as to send the commander’s head back to us in a box to give us a message not to point our blasters in his direction. Dialogue picked up by their radios gave us a glimpse of what happened: He called those innocents he killed 'sinners', said they were 'influenced by the evil of Saiyans' cause they didn't mind there was a Saiyan among them. If I recall correctly, I think he suggested the Saiyan he killed was married and had a young child, that he obliterated them, but he came off like he was doing them some kind of favor. Since then, we’ve avoided Bota just as much as the Frieza Force, though unlike the Frieza Force, this is just one person, so we've been able to safely obtain what little intel we have now because of that little factor."

Bulma is filled with fear at this point yet cannot completely grasp on exactly why this is the case. She's trying to keep her shaking under control, closing her hand into a fist.

•Bulma: "J… Jaco. What are the chances that some of your intel might be… inaccurate?"

•Jaco: "Well, honestly, intel like this can especially be imperfect sometimes, you’ve got me there: Some things could be exaggerated, yet some of what we’ve got could be worse. This isn’t somebody you can just sneak up on from behind with an Earth cream pie."

•Bulma: "(What's the matter with me? I feel so… scared.)"

•Jaco: "Bulma… Don't tell me you're asking about the Saiyan Hunter because…!?"

Bulma just smiles nervously and softly.

•Bulma: "I'm sorry, Jaco. Don't worry, everything's alright."

•Jaco: "Bulma…?"

Suddenly, a fellow Patrolman peers his head into the room, calling for Jaco, whom he answers after putting the phone piece off his head and covering the voice end.

•Patrolman: "Agent Jaco! We require your assistance."

•Jaco: "Y-Yes! I'll be there in a moment."

As the Galactic Patrol Agent leaves, Jaco returns to his phone call.

•Bulma: "I guess you really were busy when I called. You should get back to what you were doing. I'm sure it's important. Thanks for the info, and, uh, everything else, I guess. Later, Jaco."

•Jaco: "W-Wait a mi-"

*BOOP*

She hung up. Jaco puts his phone back, then returns to his duties… with a bitter taste in his mouth.

•Bulma: "(A person who not only lives for killing Saiyans, but also isn't afraid of getting his hands sullied with the blood of those around them. Vegeta… Please be ready, because this is going to be a tough battle. I don’t know why, but I get this feeling there's a chance we won't all make it out of this alive.)"

•HYPERBOLIC TIME CHAMBER•

While Bulma awaits Dende, Goku, Vegeta and Gohan resume their three years of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. A three-way battle, Super Saiyan God Goku VS. Super Saiyan God Vegeta VS. Ultimate Gohan.

*TEKTEKTEKTEKTEK*

•Goku: "YIIAAH…!!"

*BRAK*

During a clash of rapid punches and kicks against Vegeta, Goku is able to land a strong knee blow to Vegeta's stomach.

•Vegeta: "Ooaugh!"

•Goku: "DAH!"

*POWW*

Next he throws a punch at Vegeta's face, knocking him backwards.

•Vegeta: "GAGH!"

•Gohan: "HAA…!"

*KAOW*

Gohan charges forward as he lands another punch at Vegeta's face.

*GRIP*

*WOOSH*

Then he grabs him by the leg, swings and throws him at Goku, where Vegeta hits him back first.

*TOSS*

*KPAT*

•Goku: “Augh…!”

•Vegeta: “Gugh!”

*GRRGGG*

Gohan swiftly charges a Kamehameha blast and fires.

•Gohan: “HA…!!”

*FWHOOOO*

Then Goku quickdraws a Kamehameha alongside Vegeta, who quickdraws a Galick Gun. A ki clash ensues.

•Goku, Vegeta: “HAAAA…!!”

*FWHAOOOH*

*KRAACH-BWOOORRRRRRR*

They clash for a moment, but then the beam struggle collapses as Goku, Vegeta and Gohan charge in and launch a barrage of punches and kicks at each other. It’s a three way clash, 1v1v1.

*KAAK-TEKTEKTEKTEKTEKTEK*

•Goku: “HIYAYAYADEDA…!!”

•Vegeta: “ORADADADADADA…!!”

•Gohan: “DADADADADADAGH…!!”

Blows being dealt, blocked and dodged at astonishing speeds! These fighters are relentless!

•Goku: “HIYAAH!!”

•Vegeta: “GRAAGH!!”

•Gohan: “TAAA!!”

*PRAAKK*

*PRAAKK*

*PRAAKK*

Goku punches Gohan in the face, Gohan punches Vegeta in the face and Vegeta punches Goku in the face! All at once, all with strong, shockwave-creating force. Exhausted and hurt, Goku, Vegeta and Gohan fall to the floor as they lay on their backs, panting, with Goku having a big grin on his face.

•Goku: “…Ok guys… *pant* Let’s take a break.”

Moments later, the trio relax by the Chamber’s entrance in their base forms, with Gohan stretching on the void floor, Vegeta sitting on the steps and Goku sitting on the entrance’s floor behind Vegeta.

•Goku: “Man, training in the Time Chamber with Vegeta is one thing, but Gohan, adding you into the mix just makes the experience here a whole lot funner! You and Goten’s growth are pretty unusual when undergoing training, but because of that, I can’t wait to see how you’ll be once we’re finished in three years.”

•Gohan: “Thanks, Dad. To be honest, I’m kind of curious myself. You’re right about me and Goten having an unusual sense of growth when training to get stronger. I would suggest it’s probably from us being Half Saiyan, but I haven’t noticed anything unusual-like about Trunks’s growth. Well, other than being born able to turn Super Saiyan.”

•Vegeta: “Tch! Trust me, Trunks is growing, and he has lots of untapped potential. Don’t forget, he’s MY son, and for that, he is of royal blood.”

Goku stands back up and beside his son.

•Goku: “Y’know, Vegeta, I’ve noticed you’ve been acting… weird lately. What’s up with that?”

•Vegeta: “Shut up.”

•Gohan: “I’ve noticed, too. Even before Dad used Instant Transmission to bring us to the Lookout, you’ve been acting a little odd. What’s the matter?”

•Vegeta: “…”

The Saiyan Prince stands up.

•Vegeta: “…Break’s over. Let’s get back to training.”

•Gohan: “…Alright.”

Gohan shrugs it off, but can’t fully shake off his concern.

•Vegeta: “Oh. And one last thing.”

•Goku: “Huh?”

•Vegeta: “A warning in advanced: Don’t brother asking that question again. I’ll be dodging it each time for these three years.”

•Gohan: “Yes sir.”

•Vegeta: “HAAAAAAAA…!!!”

*BWHOOOSH*

*FWOOOO*

Vegeta transforms, blowing a strong wind at the surrounding area with him at the center. Gohan and Goku put their arm(s) up to block it, with Gohan closing one of his eyes. Vegeta has gone Super Saiyan Blue. He turns his head somewhat to look behind himself, at Goku.

•Vegeta: “Kakarot, let’s see if we can’t activate god ki within Gohan. The space in ‘this’ Hyperbolic Time Chamber isn’t as intense as the one Whis sent us to, but it’s still the same kind of realm. I’m sure we can probably spark something. I know it’s a long shot but it won’t affect our original purpose for being here.”

•Goku: “Yeah, you’re right! You’re as sharp as ever, Vegeta, aren’tcha?”

•Vegeta: “Hmph. I’m just not an idiot like you.”

•Gohan: “God ki? Like what you two have?”

Vegeta turns to Gohan.

•Vegeta: “Kakarot mentioned something you said before the Tournament.”

•Vegeta: “I didn’t really like the idea at first, it was almost as if you were discarding your Saiyan heritage.”

•Gohan: “Vegeta, I-“

•Vegeta: “-But then I realized the territory you decided to tread down was an uncharted one. You may find yourself achieving great power. Your power up you gained from the Old Kai may be compatible with god ki, and I’m going to see if we can get you some. Besides, we need more strength if we’re going to defeat Bota.”

 

Gohan thinks.

•Gohan: “Hmmm… Ok, Vegeta, I’ll give it a shot.”

Goku grins eagerly with excitement.

•Goku: “HNG…!!”

*BWHOOOSH*

He goes Super Saiyan Blue, too.

•Goku: “Oh, man, this is getting me excited! Back to training!”

•EARTH: THREE DAYS LATER•