Dragon Ball Z: Paradise Found

The Friend Of My Rival's Enemy

"It's too bad that Vegeta has to leave before we had one more fight..." Goku rustled the back of his spiky hair as he looked at the Saiyan king ascending the mechanical escalator rolling up to the spaceship. One amongst dozens that Bulma offered the Saiyans for their successful and comfortable return to their home planet.

The king turned and looked down, but he didn't gift his last icy stare to his rival, who expressed his grievances but instead he glared down at Bulma. Chayote turned to her mentor with confusion, wondering what that may have been about. That Bulma waved her hand farewell with a cheerful smile bogged Chayote's mind almost as much as the object of Vegeta's focus before his departure from Planet Earth.

"It was nice of Bulma-san to give the Saiyans all these spaceships just so they could get back home..." Gohan looked up at the marvelous and dirt-cheap product of Bulma's engineering that would soon enough put Capsule Corps back on the map in terms of influence and income in the industry.

"Of course she would do that. Wouldn't you want to get rid of them as fast as possible?" Krillin nudged Gohan with his elbow while squinting his eyes. Even though little Gohan widened his smile a tad, he didn't reply to that with either an expression of relief that the brutish Saiyans were leaving Planet Earth alone at last or a scolding that Krillin would be such a poor host.

"Well, I disassembled the vessels they came here with for both parts and blueprints for future productions. It only felt suitable. Plus, I didn't want Vegeta to throw a fit..." Bulma replied, looking far more upbeat than normal. She didn't express gripes with her memories of Vegeta prancing about the Capsule Corps complex demanding favors and items as if Bulma and her family owed them to him or bossing her around like she was his maid. That would have been Bulma's usual reaction. Chayote had long become used to that and thought she knew this characterization to be immovably true and yet...

An ear-raking shriek slashed through the membranes of everyone's eardrums. When Vegeta's cocky voice filled the yard as the Saiyan king spoke through the speaker, some visitors seeing the Saiyans off settled on the fact that they actually preferred this cacophonous, shrieking static to Vegeta's orderly yet vexing demeanor.

"I'll expect you to make good on your promise to fix my planet. Also, do not meddle with Saiyan affairs anymore. As long as you stay in your own corner of the universe and don't get in my way, we'll leave you alone too." Vegeta didn't speak for too long, nor did he become sentimental when saying his farewells. The royal spaceship that he boarded, one in no way different from the handful of others hosting the rest of the revived Saiyan race, kicked off the ground with bouncy and thin mechanical legs as jets of pushing thrusters propelled them upward.

"Jeez, didn't even say goodbye, that jerk..." Bulma chuckled to herself, pouting her lips and crossing her arms, though Chayote hadn't seen the woman do it so playfully rather as a sign of actual grievance.

"Good riddance," Piccolo concluded, closing his eyes. "Now the Earth can return to peace. How it was before this entire Saiyan mess kicked off."

"You mean with you gunning out to kill Goku and take over the world?" Krillin jested, leaning in on Piccolo's side.

"You idiot! That was Piccolo, not me!" the Super Namekian clenched his fist with a furious hiss. "I only respond to the name of Piccolo not to make too big of a mess of things!"

"I guess some things will be different..." Goku showed his teeth in a smirk while relaxing to the autumnal breeze in the air. "Oh well, it just can't be helped. Piccolo, you're crazy strong again after coming back to life, right? Let's fight again some time for fun."

"Fine. I'll have no problem with toughening up Earth's line of defense in case Frieza ever shows up again. Just because someone didn't bother taking out the trash properly the first time." Piccolo turned his bitter eyes away from Goku in discontent.