The stars exploded in a brilliance of fireworks. A legendary moment in history was being rewritten here. Bardock had now become a hero on Planet Plant.
He had also begun to gradually adapt to life on this planet. At this point, he had come to accept the reality: he had been sent a thousand years into the past, and returning to Planet Vegeta in his own time was no longer possible.
Now, all he could do was survive here and perhaps, just maybe, he might find another way.
Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, a year went by.
During this year, Bardock transformed into a Super Saiyan. His power began to break through certain limits, and it kept rising. It reached a point where even Bardock himself had no idea just how strong he had become.
Then, one day, he was, as usual, training his body in the mountains behind his home. Beside him was young Bely, holding a towel and some food for him.
But at that very moment,
"Whoosh!"
An illusory tide swept across the world, and in the next instant, an ethereal river suddenly appeared in the sky. The sudden disturbance immediately alarmed Bardock, and his expression grew tense.
Then his face changed dramatically.
"Bely, get out of here now!" Bardock spoke sternly, his expression filled with vigilance.
He felt an overwhelming sense of pressure and an intense aura radiating from the illusory river above, something far more terrifying than Frieza… no, it was even more terrifying than the space pirate named Chilled, whom he had fought a year ago.
"Bardock Oji San, be careful!" Bely nodded quickly as he spoke. He knew that staying here would only hinder Bardock, so he swiftly retreated.
Meanwhile, the illusory river began to expand, enveloping the entire world.
Then it fully materialized on Planet Plant.
"Boom! Rumble!"
Planet Plant shook violently and within the tremors, the river surged with massive waves. And then, at last, it crossed through time and space.
From the illusion, Jiang Chen's figure stepped into reality.
When Bardock saw the figure atop the time-streaming river, he couldn't help but pause slightly in surprise.
"A Saiyan?" Bardock was astonished. The first thing he noticed was the brown tail behind Jiang Chen. In the entire Seventh Universe, there was only one race with a human appearance and a brown tail: the Saiyans.
He never expected that even after traveling a thousand years into the past, he would encounter another Saiyan.
But before the shock could fully settle in, Bardock's eyes widened even further. Because in that moment, the figure in the sky gave him an indescribably familiar feeling.
A shadow flitted through time and space, flickering, appearing, and disappearing.
For Jiang Chen, decades had already passed. But for Bardock, not even two years had gone by. Although Jiang Chen's appearance had changed quite a bit, there were still faint traces of how he looked as a child.
"Bardock Oji San!!" From mid-air, Jiang Chen descended slowly, and his cheerful voice echoed through the air.
That familiar voice, that familiar expression, instantly caused Bardock's pupils, which had just contracted, to widen again.
"You… you are--? Aspara?" Bardock's voice trembled with disbelief, and the words slipped out almost instinctively.
"It's me, Bardock Oji San!" Jiang Chen replied with a smile on his face. As he looked at Bardock in front of him, his heart stirred slightly. He could now clearly sense the immense battle power emanating from Bardock, which was already well into the millions.
It was clear that Bardock had already defeated the space pirate Chilled and had likely undergone the Super Saiyan transformation.
Otherwise, such a power level would've been impossible.
"It really is you? Aspara!" Bardock's eyes lit up as he spoke, and he couldn't contain his excitement and quickly walked over, scanning Jiang Chen up and down with awe and joy.
"Bardock Oji San, I'm so glad to see you safe." Jiang Chen smiled and gave Bardock a heartfelt hug.
The two then walked off to sit down together. But as soon as they did, Bardock couldn't help but ask,
"How did you--"
The question lingered, hesitant and unsure, and Jiang Chen noticed the look and smiled knowingly.
"Bardock Oji San, you're wondering why I've grown up, and how I ended up here too, right?" He asked directly, seeing the hesitation in Bardock's eyes.
"Exactly. This place seems to be Planet Vegeta from over a thousand years ago. How did you get here?" Bardock nodded, curiosity written across his face.
"Bardock Oji San, it's a long story." Jiang Chen sighed softly, then began speaking slowly.
"Even though not much time has passed for you here, decades have gone by in the future. On the very day you disappeared… Planet Vegeta was destroyed." Jiang Chen recounted the events following Bardock's disappearance in detail.
"Damn it! That Bastard Frieza!!" When Bardock heard that Planet Vegeta had been destroyed, his face darkened with rage.
Though Jiang Chen and even Kakarrot had little emotional attachment to Planet Vegeta, Bardock did. After all, he had spent decades of his life there. Hearing of its destruction, fury burned within him, and a golden aura slowly began to radiate from his body.
But then, when he heard Jiang Chen mention that Gine had been saved using the Dragon Balls, Bardock finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Namek, huh… I had suspected back when I was on Planet Shiriel that Namek might have Dragon Balls too. I never thought it'd actually be true."
"Thank you, Aspara."
The anger slowly receded from Bardock's expression, replaced by a deep sense of gratitude and reflection.
"Bardock Oji San, you're too polite! Later on, I also brought Raditz over, and after that, we settled down and began training on the same planet where Goku, that is, Kakarrot, was living. Oh, and Frieza… Bardock Oji San, you don't need to worry about him anymore, he's already been dealt with by me." Jiang Chen said with a smile, then briefly summarized what had happened.
"You dealt with him? Aspara, are you serious?" Bardock's eyes widened when he heard that Frieza had been dealt with. He knew firsthand just how terrifying Frieza was.
Sure, to his current self, maybe Frieza wasn't as overwhelming, but back then, for the Saiyans of that era, Frieza had been an insurmountable force.
"Yes. And not just Frieza, even his brother Cooler was taken down by Kakarrot." Jiang Chen continued, still smiling.
The words stunned Bardock even further.
"Kakarrot…?"
He muttered to himself in disbelief, his expression dazed. One image after another flashed through Bardock's mind, visions of Kakarrot's future. He had once struggled to believe those visions were real. But now, Jiang Chen's words were confirming that they had become reality.
His heart was filled with awe and disbelief.
(To Be Continued…)
This novel is finished and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395