Dragon Ball Z: Paradise Found

Quality Father and Son Time

The brilliant sparkles of crystal-clear water reflected the dying sunlight in a ruby crimson while Chayote and Goku flew their way across the gulf between the two parts of the continent, heading straight to the heart of West City. Their fateful encounter with Android 21 was just a few blinks away, having in mind that traveling now was significantly easier, compared to the problematic aerial conflicts they ran into when Puri's army was still in peak efficiency and tightening their iron grip around the entire world.

"Someone's coming..." Chayote's stare sharpened as she picked up a familiar Ki signature headed on a collision course toward them from West City. While the Ki signature must have always been there, it was only because it sparked vivid activity now that it had become so easy to pick up on.

"Yeah," Goku nodded, becoming serious all of a sudden.

"That Ki... Kakarot," Chayote turned to her traveling companion.

"Yeah," Goku repeated with a nod. "When he reaches us, keep going. I'll handle my old man."

"Are you sure? The fight against Dr. Puri is as much yours as it is mine. She wants revenge against you just as much as she does against me. I may have handled the Red Ribbons, but you devastated the Rainbow Brigade. Plus, it's her that exploited your father's pain, so I'll understand if..." Chayote began drifting into long-winded excuses.

"You heard Bulma. She said not to waste any time and move as fast as we can. Crash into Puri. I'll handle my dad," Goku repeated himself. Just as Bardock made itself apparent by coming into a sudden halt in front of the pair.

Dr. Puri truly went to work on the Masked Saiyan. His buff physique was still apparent, yet he wore a skin-tight black bodysuit that hid away any modifications that Dr. Puri may have done on his body internally. Bardock wore a cumbersome alteration in the usual Saiyan armor. A black and golden one with a large neck decoration. The most striking difference from how the Saiyan was before was his mask that obscured the clear view of his face entirely, leaving just a mystery of a black, cross-shaped shroud from which two red lights gleamed.

"Bardock..." Chayote muttered out, feeling bad for what the Saiyan resigned himself to in order to take control over his own fate and that of his family. Or, at least, what he thought would let him do that thing.

"What are you waiting for, Chayote? Go!" Goku scolded the female Saiyan with a clenched fist. Chayote couldn't recall the last time she heard the oaf she wanted to employ in order to conquer the universe together as part of Frieza's Army this infuriated.

Still, he had a point. Chayote pulled in her knees and placed her arms by her sides, preparing for a quick dash. Just when Chayote burst with an aura of transparent Ki, the Masked Saiyan took a glide sideways to block her path, but Goku shot in from the side with a flying kick and swatted him aside by forcing Bardock to absorb the attack with a blocking motion. After the cross-shaped block of his arms moved down, Chayote was gone and the father and son were left alone to settle their differences.

"It's horrible what Puri did to you, dad," Goku's face shifted in disgust and desperation. "But we'll fix it. Bulma's the smartest person I know and she's got some weird space station thing now. If that doesn't work, we can always ask the Divine Dragon to fix this."

The Masked Saiyan sold his son's word with complete silence. Staring ahead with the two red, unblinking dots of light shining with intense focus straight on his son. Like a treasure hunter that has found the gemstone he has sought for and hunted his entire life, it didn't seem like there was any force in the known universe that would make the Masked Saiyan look away from his son now that the two reunited.

"Why? Why'd you do that, dad? Why'd you let Puri do this to you?" Goku called out, moving past the spite on his face and letting go of it. The Saiyan called out to his father like one of his own. All he received in return was a flying kick to the front of his face.