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WHOOOOSH!
The wind blew softly through the Lookout, carrying with it the aroma of sacred incense and... something more. Something that smelled of change, of destiny unfolding like an ancient scroll being opened.
THUD! THUD! CRASH!
One by one, the warriors arrived at the sacred floating platform. Each landing was like a different musical note in the symphony that was preparing to play.
Ethan stood at the edge of the Lookout, looking at the spaceship parked a few meters below. Radika's ship looked like a metal tear crying through space, and now it belonged to Earth.
"So..." – Bulma said, circling around the spacecraft with that gleam in her eyes she always had when she saw new technology. "This beauty is mine now?"
"Technically, it belongs to the planet" – Ethan smiled. "But you're the only person I trust not to turn this into a weapon of mass destruction."
"Who, me?" – Bulma put her hand to her chest, feigning offense. "I would never do such a thing!"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Her detector started beeping, and she looked at the screen with a smile that would make a mad scientist feel envious.
"Well, maybe I'll make some... improvements."
FWOOM! CRASH!
Krillin landed on the platform like a bald bullet, rolling a few meters before managing to stop.
"Man!" – he shouted, getting up and shaking off the dust. "Flying still isn't my strong suit!"
Right behind him, Tien descended with the grace of a dancer, his three eyes scanning the area with military efficiency.
"Ethan" – he waved. "I got your message. What's this situation you mentioned?"
WHOMP!
Yamcha appeared in a cloud of dust, landing much less elegantly than Tien. The guy still had that soap opera heartthrob face, but now there was something more in his eyes. Determination, maybe.
"Hey, everyone!" – he waved. "It's been so long! And what's this about an alien invasion?"
SPLASH!
Master Roshi arrived on his giant turtle, which landed gently on the Lookout's surface as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"My disciples!" – the old man shouted, jumping from the shell with agility that defied age. "So good to see everyone together again!"
Ethan looked around, seeing all the familiar faces gathered. It was strange, he thought. A few months ago, half these people barely knew each other. Now... now they were family.
"Where are Mr. Popo and Kami?" – Gina asked, who was sitting on one of the edges with Goku Jr. sleeping in her lap.
DING! DONG!
As if he had heard the question, Mr. Popo appeared at the palace entrance, that eternal smile on his face.
"Kami is... busy" – he said, his voice carrying a tone of barely disguised amusement. "He's trying a new... technique."
CRACK! BOOM! FLASH!
From inside the palace came the sound of energy being manipulated, followed by an orange light that made all the windows glow.
"Let me guess" – Piccolo Jr. said from the corner where he was leaning, an ironic smile on his lips. "He's trying to turn Orange too?"
"Could be" – Mr. Popo maintained his smile. "Could be that he's been a little... competitive lately."
RUMBLE... CRASH!
More sounds came from the palace, and this time you could hear a frustrated voice shouting something about "impossible transformations" and "wounded pride."
"Well" – Ethan clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention. "Since we're all here, let's get to what matters."
He gestured to Radika, who was sitting on the ground with an expression that mixed shame with distrust. The Saiyan warrior had been quiet since agreeing to help, but still looked at everyone as if expecting an ambush.
"Everyone, this is Radika. Gina's older sister, and our new... Saiyan affairs consultant."
"Consultant" – Radika murmured. "And I hate this planet."
"The feeling is mutual, dear" – Bulma said cheerfully. "But you'll get used to it."
Radika sighed and stood up. "Well, since I'm here anyway... you're screwed."
SILENCE...
The silence that followed was heavy as molten lead.
"Thanks for the optimism" – Yamcha said sarcastically.
"It's not pessimism, it's realism" – Radika crossed her arms. "In about a year, two Saiyan warriors are going to arrive here. And they're so much stronger than me that it's like comparing an ant to an elephant."
"How much stronger?" – Tien asked, always straight to the point.
"Nappa has a battle power of about 4,000. Vegita..." – she stopped, as if the name was difficult to pronounce. "Vegita has 18,000."
GULP!
Krillin swallowed hard. "Eighteen thousand? But you said you had 5,000!"
"Exactly" – Radika confirmed. "You think defeating me was impressive? To Vegita, I'm an annoying insect."
Ethan scratched his chin, thoughtful. "Well, technically speaking..."
"Technically speaking, we can turn Super Saiyan" – Gina interrupted him. "And that multiplies our power by 50."
"Not counting Super Saiyan God" – Fasha added.
"And Ultra Instinct" – Piccolo Jr. mentioned casually.
Radika looked at all of them as if they had spoken in an alien language. "What the hell are these transformations?"
"Things you don't have" – Ethan smiled. "And that's why we have nothing to worry about."
That's when Towa shot THAT look at him.
It was a look that said several things at once. Things like "you're being arrogant," "you're forgetting some important variables," and "if you keep talking nonsense I'm going to hit you."
Ethan pretended not to see it.
"The point is" – he continued, "that even if Vegita and Nappa arrive here with all the pomp and circumstance, we have resources they can't even dream of."
"Resources like what?" – Master Roshi asked.
"Well, for starters, we have the element of surprise. They think they're going to find a planet of weak humans. They're going to get quite a shock when they discover there are Saiyans here."
"And then?" – Yamcha insisted.
"Then we improvise" – Ethan shrugged.
Towa made a face that clearly said "I TOLD YOU SO."
CRASH! BOOM! FLASH!
More sounds came from the palace, followed by shouting in language that probably wasn't appropriate for children.
"Should someone help Kami?" – Chi-Chi suggested.
"No" – Mr. Popo shook his head. "He needs to figure it out himself. It's a matter of... pride."
RUMBLE...
Suddenly, a different presence made itself felt. It wasn't malevolent, but it was... intense. As if someone very powerful had just awakened from a deep sleep.
"Did you guys feel that?" – Piccolo Jr. asked, getting into alert position.
"I felt it" – Ethan frowned. "But it's not a hostile presence. It's..."
FLASH! BOOM!
A golden light exploded from the palace, followed by triumphant laughter.
"I DID IT!" – Kami's voice echoed throughout the Lookout. "I DID IT!"
Mr. Popo smiled even wider. "Here we go."
The palace door opened, and Kami appeared. But it wasn't the same Kami as before. His skin had gained orange tones, and a powerful aura pulsed around him like controlled fire.
"Orange Kami" – Piccolo Jr. murmured, a mixture of pride and exasperation in his voice. "Of course he managed it."
Kami looked at everyone with a smile that radiated satisfaction. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to access the same power that Piccolo Jr. developed."
"Congratulations" – Ethan said sincerely. "Now we have two Orange Namekians on the team."
"Three, actually" – a new voice said from the shadows.
Everyone turned to see Nail emerging from behind one of the columns, his skin also glowing with orange tones.
"Nail!" – Kami exclaimed. "You did it too!"
"Couldn't let you two have all the fun" – the Namekian warrior smiled.
Radika looked at all this display of power and shook her head. "You're completely crazy. You know that, right?"
"We've heard that before" – Ethan laughed. "And everything turned out fine."
But while everyone celebrated the new transformations and made optimistic plans, Towa continued looking at him with that worried expression.
Because she knew something that Ethan had apparently forgotten in his excitement.
The universe was a very big place. And when you started shining too brightly, other things noticed. Things that might be better left sleeping.
Out in deep space, in dimensions that shouldn't exist, certain ancient entities began to stir. And in a golden ship lost among the stars, a frozen emperor smiled upon sensing the new powers awakening on Earth.
The snowball had started rolling downhill.
And it was getting bigger and bigger.