[https://discord.gg/Cgxm3b8FyU]
I was locked in a swift exchange with Noru, fists clashing and kicks whipping through the air as we traded blows. Noru had quickly adjusted to his newfound strength, and for the first time, we were perfectly matched, at least when I held back to my base form. I had gotten much stronger in my base form now.
I smirked, parrying another strike aimed at my chest. "You're getting quicker," I acknowledged, shifting my weight to evade his follow-up punch. "Almost good enough to make me sweat."
Noru smiled, the intensity in his eyes betraying a Namekian warrior eager to prove himself. "Give me another month, Celera. You might actually have to try again."
I chuckled, feinting left before ducking low, driving a firm kick toward his ribs. He blocked just in time, sliding back slightly from the force. We paused, both breathing steadily but lightly, sizing each other up for the next attack.
"Celera!" Elder Moori's voice cut through our sparring session.
I relaxed, turning toward the elder as he hurried toward us. Noru stepped back, bowing respectfully, sensing that our match was abruptly over.
"Elder?" I questioned, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "It's time already?"
"Yes," Moori said calmly, though a touch of curiosity flickered in his eyes. "Porunga awaits. Your wishes can be granted."
Finally. I had spent months preparing for this moment. I gave Noru a nod. "We'll continue this later."
"I'll be waiting," Noru responded, folding his arms and giving me a slight smile.
I followed Moori toward the gathered Namekians, who had already assembled around the towering, muscular form of Porunga, who loomed above us, eyes glowing intensely as he awaited my wish. Moori turned toward me with a steady look.
"What is your wish?"
I exhaled deeply, steeling myself. "Porunga," I began clearly, there were a few things I needed to do, "send me to a few moments before Muezli's death at the hands of the Heeters, but keep the timeline intact and make sure I don't create a new one. With a way back once I'm done."
Porunga's deep voice rumbled through the air. "Your wish shall be granted."
Light flooded my vision, swallowing the scenery around me. A surge of energy enveloped my body, and the next second, I found myself standing in a completely different world, rugged terrain beneath my boots and thick tension hanging in the air.
Planet Cereal.
I sensed the shift instantly. Nearby, energy signatures flared, and I felt a spike of murderous intent. Without hesitation, I dashed forward, slicing through the air at blinding speed until I reached the scene unfolding ahead.
Muezli, Granolah, and Monaito stood cornered, trapped in a rocky canyon. The Heeters surrounded them, Elec front and center with a cold smirk on his face, aiming a blaster directly at Muezli.
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.
I blurred forward instantly, placing myself between them, my hand extended. The blast impacted my hand harmlessly, dissipating like mist. Elec's confident expression morphed into confusion, then alarm as his eyes met mine.
"What—?" Elec began, stunned.
"Who the hell are you?!" Macki shouted, raising her own weapon.
"Doesn't matter," I replied coolly, lowering my arms. "You won't live long enough to remember."
Gas surged forward first, ki erupting around him as he lunged. He was powerful, for their standards. To me, it was nothing. I caught him easily by the wrist, twisting sharply with a sickening crack. Gas cried out, his voice choked by pain and surprise. Without pause, I drove my fist straight into his chest, rupturing his heart instantly. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Oil let out a fierce roar, charging like a wild beast. I sidestepped him, delivering a clean chop to his neck, which ended up removing his head from his body. His massive form crashed heavily to the rocky earth.
"Oil! Gas!" Macki screamed, panic cracking her voice as she fired blindly. I ignored the useless blasts, closing the distance in a heartbeat. My fist punctured through her abdomen, the force killing her instantly. Her eyes widened in shock before fading completely.
Elec stumbled back, falling onto the ground, eyes wide with absolute terror. He scrambled away, raising a desperate hand. "Wait! Wait, please—I'll give you anything—wealth, power, influence—just spare me!"
I stared down coldly. "You have nothing worth my time."
With a flick of my wrist, a thin, precise beam of ki lanced through Elec's forehead. His pleading eyes glazed over instantly as he collapsed, utterly lifeless.
It was over. In mere moments, the Heeters lay dead at my feet.
I turned slowly to face Muezli, Granolah, and Monaito. They stared, utterly speechless, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Monaito trembled, clutching his staff protectively, while Muezli held young Granolah tightly, her breathing uneven.
"It's alright," I said calmly, keeping my voice gentle. "You're safe now."
"Who...who are you?" Monaito finally managed to ask, his voice shaky with astonishment and gratitude. "Why did you help us?"
I exhaled slowly, glancing sideways as another figure appeared in the corner of my vision. Bardock stood cautiously at the edge of the scene, his armor scuffed, clearly battle-weary from defending them earlier. He eyed me warily, brows furrowing like he recognized something familiar.
I held his gaze briefly, giving him a small nod. He didn't speak, but I caught the flicker of recognition, and he was smart enough not to question it.
"I'm Celera," I answered Monaito finally, turning back to them. "I've come to take you somewhere safe. All of you."
Muezli hesitated, squeezing Granolah's shoulders protectively. "But our home... the others..."
"I'll get them," I assured her, sensing faint life signatures nearby. "It'll be easier if you're not resisting, though."
Monaito nodded slowly, placing a hand on Muezli's shoulder reassuringly. "Trust her, Muezli. I sense... goodness, despite her methods."
I snorted lightly, smirking. "That's a first."
I quickly gathered any surviving Cerealians, swiftly but gently knocking them unconscious with precise applications of knocking. Grabbing them before they could get killed by some of the saiyans.
Soon, a small group of rescued survivors lay around me, sleeping peacefully. Monaito watched in wonder.
The sky shimmered nearby as the portal opened, exactly as planned. I exhaled with satisfaction. "Alright, everyone, through the portal. It's safe on the other side."
Muezli stepped forward, gazing at me cautiously. "Thank you, Celera. You saved us all."
I smiled faintly, nodding. "Don't mention it."
They stepped through, one by one, well, the three that could walk, the others I threw into the portal, until only Bardock remained, eyeing me thoughtfully. I turned toward him.
"Bardock," I said calmly.
He hesitated. "You should still be a chil—"
"Doesn't matter," I interrupted gently. "Keep fighting. Stay alive. I'll see you soon enough."
Confusion and suspicion briefly warred in his eyes, but slowly, acceptance followed. He nodded once before turning away and blasting off into the sky.
With everyone safely through, I stepped into the portal, feeling the rush of energy around me as I returned instantly to New Namek. Monaito stared at the lush greenery, the clear sky, and the gentle landscape in astonishment.
"This place..." he murmured, gripping his staff tightly. "It's beautiful."
Muezli stood protectively over Granolah, gazing around carefully. She relaxed slightly as she saw more of Monaito's people. "We owe you our lives."
I crossed my arms, smiling faintly. "Consider this a second chance."
Moori approached calmly, extending his arms in welcome. "Greetings, friends. Welcome to Namek."
I moved on to my second wish: "Porunga, send me to two minutes before Bardock's death in my original timeline, without creating a new one. With a way back once I'm done"—the light from the dragon washed over me. And then I was gone.
The moment the portal spat me out, the heat and pressure of the Saiyan homeworld slammed into me like an old memory. The skies were still blue, the air sharp and dry, and the scent—iron, smoke, sweat—was exactly as I remembered.
I landed quietly, boots kissing the dirt just outside one of the market sectors. The world still turned, blissfully unaware of the deathball that was to come. I didn't have long.
Saiyans milled about like usual, sparring in the streets or shouting at vendors, their scouters pinging left and right. Some men paused to eye me, and I could hear it—
"She's strong."
"Power level's over 3,000…"
"Damn, look at her tail—"
One dared to step up, flashing a grin. "Hey, what squad are you with, gorgeous? Never seen you around before."
I kept walking. No words. Just a flick of my ki—barely anything, really—but it made his scouter explode in a small spark, and the guy scrambled back.
"Shit—!"
I had no time to babysit bruised egos. My senses stretched out, tracing old energies. The Queen… not my queen anymore, but the one who once saved me. Brassica. It took a second to pick her out. Her energy was faint. She wasn't near the palace. Closer to the old training arena.
I rapidly flew towards her. My boots touched down behind the old arena, where I spotted her entering the armory alone, guards stationed lazily outside.
I waited until she stepped fully inside, then moved.
One flash step. A clean chop to the back of her neck. She dropped like a stone before she could even react.
"Sorry," I whispered, catching her before her body hit the floor. "But I promised I'd repay the favor."
I hoisted her over my shoulder and took off again. I could sense them, Gine, little me, Tato, and Hanasia. Just a few minutes from disappearing into the Toriko universe.
One mission left.
Bardock.
I shot skyward. The moment I broke atmosphere, the darkness of space bled into my view, and I saw it: the planet below, bright and blissful. And up here, far above it, the battlefield. Frieza's ship. Around it, the final remnants of his dead men, shattered debris.
And there, Bardock. Just him now. Floating, blood on his cheek, and a snarl frozen on his face as he stared down the growing ball of death in Frieza's hand.
I gritted my teeth, but I couldn't help but smile. "You stubborn old bastard…"
I blinked behind him. His aura didn't flare until the second I reached for him, classic Bardock. I had waited until the death ball had blocked Frieza's view of us. Bardock turned, wild-eyed, fist already swinging.
I caught it with one hand, meeting his glare.
"You?!"
"Later," I cut in. "You're done here."
He roared, trying to push through me. I sighed.
"Don't make me knock you out, old man."
"You don't get to decide how I die!" he snapped, headbutting me.
I didn't even flinch. "Not today."
I slammed my palm into his stomach. His body froze instantly, eyes wide in shock, before he crumpled like a sack of bricks.
"I love you like a damn father, but gods, you're hardheaded."
With both Bardock and Brassica now unconscious, one over each shoulder, I rocketed downward, folding space around me as I descended. The planet loomed closer. I could see the palace, the mountains. I landed hard near the canyon where I felt the other portal. The pressure above thickened, and Frieza's attack was already descending. He wasn't wasting time.
In the distance, Hanasia, Tato, Gine, and… little me. I didn't even look at the younger version of myself. She was already halfway through the portal.
I stepped through my own portal just as the first wave of heat from Frieza's Death Ball crashed into the planet.
The portal sealed behind me with a soft hiss.
I lay Bardock and Brassica gently on the grass beside the others. The Cerealian refugees stirred nearby, Monaito still helping settle them in. Noru approached quietly, looking between the unconscious Saiyans and me.
"You made it," he said.
"Of course I did." I crossed my arms, watching the sky.
I watched them both come to, Bardock first, groaning as he sat up, hand to his stomach where I'd knocked the wind out of him. Brassica stirred second.
Then her gaze hit me.
She sat up fast, muscle memory kicking in, her tail bristling with tension. "Where am I?" she barked, voice low and iron-edged. "Where's Vegeta? Where's my husband?!"
"Gone," I said flatly. "Along with the rest of the planet."
She blinked. "What…?"
"You're on New Namek. The old world's gone. Frieza destroyed it. And no, you're not dead. I pulled you out."
Her fist clenched tight enough to make her knuckles crack. "Why just me?" Her eyes burned into mine. "Why didn't you save them all? You had the power, didn't you?"
I didn't flinch. "I wasn't there for them. I was there for you and Bardock."
She growled and surged forward. I caught her punch mid-swing with one hand and sighed. "Stop."
Before she could say another word, I lifted my free hand and channeled a soft pulse of ki into her skull. Knocking, not to hurt her. Just to paralyze her for a moment. She froze, eyes wide.
"I told you. I owed you a favor."
Elder Moori approached then, calm as always. "She needs to see," I said. "Both of them do."
Bardock now sat on a rock nearby, arms crossed. He didn't say a word, but I could feel the tension pouring off him like heat from a fire. He wanted answers too.
"Monaito," I called. "Lend a hand."
The old Namekian nodded, understanding what I meant immediately. He stepped forward and placed his hand on Brassica's shoulder, another on Bardock's head.
"And you, Elder," I said, nodding to Moori. "Channel me."
Moori's hand touched my back, a soft glow passing from his palm into me as he touched Monaito's shoulder.
The world around us went silent as Namekian magic hummed softly in the air.
Then it started.
Everything I had lived through rushed from me into their minds. Well, the stuff from the Dragon Ball universe and Toriko universe.
The Toriko universe: vast, wild, alive. The gourmet beasts, the forests that pulsed with elemental energy. Mansam's crooked grin. Toriko's towering form. Zebra's reckless might. And Ichiryu, the one who called me dangerous and still let me stay. The place where Saiyans could grow and rebuild.
Then the flash of battles.
The flash of Gine's rise. The Queen. Gine, who cried for the dead and fought only when she had to. Gine, who looked at a broken people and still believed we could rebuild. Her voice echoing:
"We are not just warriors. We are more."
I showed them Vegeta too, alive, bitter, and barely changed. Raditz laughing with his mother again. Kakarot, no, Goku facing down Frieza on Namek.
"I am the hope of the universe…"
The words landed hard on Bardock. I felt his spine stiffen.
And I showed them myself. The deaths. The fights. The blood on my hands. The weight of it all.
I let it go. All of it.
When it ended, the air snapped back into place like reality had to catch up.
Brassica panted, sweat beading on her brow, face pale but hard. She stared at me.
"You think that makes up for letting the rest of us die?"
"No," I said. "But it's the truth."
She was silent for a long while. Then she looked to Bardock. "And you?"
He looked away.
"I saw it all," he muttered. "Gine, Kakarot, and Radizt's… they survived."
"They did," I said, voice soft.
"Vegeta?"
"Still alive. Still arrogant."
Brassica smiled...
"You're weak now," I told her, not as an insult, just a fact. "Your power level was impressive back then, but times have changed. The rest of the universe left you two behind."
"You think I care?" she spat.
"I think you will," I said. "When you meet Gine again."
That made her freeze.
"She's Queen now."