The air inside Planet Vegeta's royal incubation complex moved through filtered vents with a constant low metallic hum. The structure stood beneath the capital spire, built from dark alloy plates and reinforced crystal panels that glowed with pale green light.
Rows of incubation pods lined the chamber walls in perfect symmetry, each filled with nutrient gel and softly pulsing energy monitors. Saiyan infants floated inside, tails drifting slowly in the liquid, tiny fists clenching on instinct.
Armed Saiyan attendants walked the corridors in black combat armor trimmed with bronze plates, scouters folded over their left eyes. Each carried a handheld power reader — a rectangular device with a circular lens and fluctuating number display.
One soldier moved with bored routine, scanning each pod.
The reader chirped steadily.
"12… 9… 22… 18…"
Saiyan Soldier - "Low-class batch again."
He stepped forward to the next pod.
The device screamed.
The screen spiked violently — numbers climbing like Crazy.
**5,000**
The soldier froze.
Saiyan Soldier - "What?"
Inside the pod floated a spiky-haired infant with unusually dense muscle tone even at birth. His hair already stood upward in rigid black spikes instead of the usual soft infant fuzz. His brow was set in a natural frown, eyes squeezed shut —
The soldier tapped the reader.
It recalibrated.
Still read **5,000**.
Saiyan Soldier - "That's impossible."
The infant suddenly opened his eyes and screamed.
The pod fluid vibrated.
The reading doubled.
**10,000**
The device overheated and shut off.
The soldier stepped back.
Saiyan Soldier - "That's Above Royal-class combat output."
He turned sharply and checked the adjacent pod.
Another infant — larger frame, heavier bone structure, wild hair pattern — floated with calm breathing.
Scan.
**5,000 — rising — 9,800 — 10,200**
Saiyan Soldier - "…Two of them."
He swapped to a backup reader from his belt. He walked the entire chamber again, scanning every pod twice.
All numbers normal.
Except those two.
He activated his scouter communicator.
Saiyan Soldier - "Command, this is Nest Sector Three. I have two anomaly readings exceeding elite-class thresholds. Requesting royal notification."
Static — then response.
Royal Guard - "Stand by. Do not remove subjects."
Minutes later the chamber doors split open with a hydraulic hiss.
King Vegeta entered surrounded by armored royal guards. His cape flowed behind him in heavy crimson cloth, battle armor polished black and gold. His expression held immediate irritation — until he saw the readings himself.
He scanned the first infant.
**10,000**
His eye narrowed.
He scanned the second.
**10,200**
Prince Vegeta, carried behind by a nurse pod, registered **2,000** — exceptional for a royal infant — yet clearly lower.
King Vegeta spoke quietly.
King Vegeta - "Identify lineage."
Technician - "First subject — Bardock's offspring. Low-class warrior line."
King Vegeta's jaw tightened.
Technician - "Second — Paragus's son."
The king's scouter lens glowed brighter as he rescanned both.
King Vegeta - "Mutation pattern detected. Cellular density abnormal. Ki pressure unstable."
The first infant — Goku — kicked inside the pod. The liquid rippled outward like struck water.
King Vegeta stepped back half a pace.
His gaze hardened.
King Vegeta - "Remove Paragus's child immediately. Exile unit."
The guard saluted.
King Vegeta turned to Goku's pod and watched the infant stare back at him with intense, aware eyes.
King Vegeta - "And this one…"
He hesitated — calculating risk.
King Vegeta - "Schedule off-world deployment. Remote planet. No combat civilization."
Technician - "Designation?"
King Vegeta - "Earth."
He turned away.
King Vegeta - "No two monsters will grow under my son's sky."
---
Bardock stood on a landing platform overlooking the lower city — armor scarred, headband tied tight, blood stains dried into the cloth. A medical drone finished sealing a wound across his shoulder. His scouter beeped with a priority summons.
He entered the royal intake chamber minutes later.
His eyes went straight to the pod.
Spiky hair. Fierce eyes.
His son.
Bardock crossed his arms.
Bardock - "What's the problem."
Technician - "Power mutation, Spiked to like 10,000 Power level."
He showed the reading.
Bardock didn't react outwardly — but his tail stiffened.
Bardock - "So he's strong."
King Vegeta entered behind him.
King Vegeta - "He is dangerous."
Bardock turned.
King Vegeta - "He leaves the planet tonight."
Bardock - "You're sending away a kid."
King Vegeta - "I'm removing a threat."
Bardock stepped closer to the glass.
The infant stared at him — unblinking.
Bardock spoke low.
Bardock - "He'll survive."
King Vegeta - "Sure, But will you without him?."
Bardock gave a half grin.
Bardock - "I think this Place is too small for him, He is clearly born for Better things."
---
Launch Bay 12 opened to the night sky — red clouds rolling over the volcanic horizon. Saiyan pods stood ready on magnetic rails. One already launched — Broly's — streaking into deep space toward Vampa.
Goku's pod locked into place.
Bardock stood beside it alone now, unauthorized but unchallenged.
He placed his palm against the pod shell.
Bardock - "Show the universe what you're capable of."
The infant kicked — cracking a stress line across the pod interior casing. Warning lights flickered.
Bardock laughed once.
Bardock - "Yeah. You're mine."
He keyed the launch.
The pod roared upward into the red sky.
---
The journey took weeks.
The pod tore through Earth's atmosphere as a burning meteor and slammed into a forested mountain valley. Trees exploded outward from the impact crater. Smoke rose through shattered stone.
The pod door burst open.
The infant crawled out — already standing — already scanning his surroundings with predatory awareness beyond any normal child.
Moonlight hit his eyes.
They reflected red for a moment — then faded.
---
Grandpa Gohan climbed the ridge at dawn, staff in hand, robes tied with rope belt, white beard flowing over his chest. He stopped at the crater edge.
The child stood in the center, naked, uninjured, staring directly at him without fear.
Gohan stepped down slowly.
Grandpa Gohan - "Well now… you fell from the sky."
The infant growled — low and territorial.
Gohan smiled gently.
Grandpa Gohan - "Good lungs."
He wrapped the child in his cloak despite resistance and carried him home through the forest trails.
---
Gohan's house stood on a cliffside above a river bend — wood walls, stone chimney, prayer charms hanging from the doorway. Inside — simple bed, kettle, training mats, scroll shelves.
The child refused milk.
He bit the cup.
He broke the wood table leg with a kick.
He watched every movement like a fighter sizing an opponent.
Gohan observed quietly for days.
Grandpa Gohan - "You're no ordinary child."
The boy responded with a headbutt that cracked the wall beam.
Gohan laughed.
Grandpa Gohan - "Good. I was getting bored of living alone."
Training began immediately — not martial arts, but discipline.
Breathing.
Stillness.
Focus drills.
The child resisted every instruction with aggression — yet learned instantly when give a reward of food.
He slept lightly, waking at every sound.
He showed **Saiyan warrior instinct**
Gohan crafted him clothes from thick mountain cloth — blue wrap shirt, white rope belt, brown boots, wrist ties.
The tail he wrapped daily.
Grandpa Gohan - "Control begins with restraint, If you Don't hold yourself back you might kill someone."
The boy snarled every time.
---
Months later — storm season.
Rain hammered the roof.
Thunder rolled across the valley.
Gohan and the boy — now stronger, faster, more coordinated — practiced stance work inside.
The child's movements mirrored Bardock's combat posture — aggressive forward lean, tight guard, explosive step drive — without ever being taught it.
Gohan noticed.
Grandpa Gohan - "Your body remembers a adult Man that had hundreds of battles."
Lightning flashed through the window.
The boy looked up.
The full moon broke through the clouds.
His pupils expanded.
Ki pressure detonated outward — blowing open the house doors.
Gohan turned sharply.
Grandpa Gohan - "No—"
The transformation began.
Goku's body swelled with violent force as the transformation triggered. Bones expanded, muscles layered outward, fur burst across his skin. His roar tore through the valley like a shockwave. The Great Ape form towered above the treeline, eyes burning red, breath steaming in the rain.
But this time Grandpa Gohan moved instantly.
He had trained for months under constant tension, always alert to the child's abnormal ki pressure. The moment the form expanded, Gohan was already in motion.
Grandpa Gohan dashed across a falling beam, staff spinning once — then slicing down with a sharpened ki edge.
Grandpa Gohan - "Forgive me, boy!"
The tail severed clean.
The Oozaru froze mid-roar. The massive body destabilized and collapsed inward, shrinking rapidly. Fur receded. Bones compressed.
Goku landed on all fours.
He did not stand like a person.
He moved like a predator (Still about 3 meters tall with him slowly turning to normal)— low stance, fingers clawed into the mud, eyes scanning, breathing sharp. His speed burst forward in a zigzag blur that outran the next lightning strike across the valley.
He circled Gohan three times in less than a second.
Grandpa Gohan lowered his staff slowly.
Grandpa Gohan - "Easy… easy…"
Goku lunged — not to attack — but to test distance, like a wolf pup measuring threat.
Then the feral tension drained out of him. The moon slipped behind clouds. The ki pressure vanished.
Goku blinked.
His posture loosened.
He looked down at his hands, confused.
Grandpa Gohan smiled in relief — then looked down.
A jagged wooden beam from the shattered roof had pierced straight through his chest during the Oozaru shockwave collapse. Blood soaked his robes.
Grandpa Gohan staggered once.
Grandpa Gohan - "…Ah. So that's how it is."
He fell to his knees.
Goku tilted his head, not understanding — then rushed forward and grabbed him.
Goku - "Old man — get up."
No response.
Goku shook him harder.
Goku - "Get up!"
When the body stayed still, the boy's face twisted. His voice cracked. He cried with raw, confused grief.
The storm rolled on above the valley.
---
Years Pass
Goku grew alone.
He kept the house repaired with rough carpentry. He hunted with precision. He trained daily using Gohan's notes and broken equipment. His fighting style sharpened into direct, efficient brutality — short strikes, bone-breaking throws, zero wasted time.
His clothes changed with growth:
* Dark blue sleeveless gi made from reinforced mountain cloth
* Brown belt rope tied twice around the waist
* Wrist wraps always tight
* Tail stump scar visible but healed
* Hair wilder than ever — thick, upward spikes like black iron
His body developed early — dense muscle, hardened frame, constant combat readiness. His face kept Bardock's stern lines more than a child's softness.
He spoke clearly now — short sentences, direct tone.
Animals avoided his territory.
Engines roared through the forest trail — foreign sound, mechanical, loud.
Goku stood from his river training stance and turned.
A compact capsule car burst through brush and skidded sideways, stopping near the clearing. Steam hissed from the hood.
The door opened.
Bulma stepped out — city clothes dusty from travel: pink scarf, fitted jacket, utility belt full of capsule cases, boots splashed with mud. Blue hair cut straight at the shoulders, eyes sharp with irritation.
Bulma - "Stupid radar signal dragged me into the middle of nowhere…"
She looked up.
Goku stood ten meters away, watching without blinking.
Bulma reached into her belt and pulled a pistol.
Bulma - "Don't come closer!"
She fired.
The shots struck his chest and shoulder.
Metal flattened and dropped to the ground.
Goku didn't flinch.
He looked down at the bullets, then back at her.
Goku - "What are you?."
Bulma stared.
Bulma - "…What are you?"
Goku walked forward casually.
Goku - "You're loud. Like thunder box."
Bulma fired again — empty click.
Goku took the pistol gently from her hand, inspected it, crushed it flat, and handed it back.
Goku - "Is this some kind of toy."
Bulma's fear cracked into disbelief — then laughter.
Bulma - "Okay, mountain guy — you're coming with me."
She pulled out the Dragon Radar and showed the glowing dot.
Bulma - "I'm looking for the Dragon Balls. Wish-granting relics."
Goku reached into his pouch and pulled out the four-star Dragon Ball. It gleamed in the light.
Bulma gasped.
Bulma - "You HAVE one!"
Goku - "Grandpa's treasure."
Bulma leaned closer, studying him with playful curiosity now instead of fear. She tried a flirty pose out of habit — exaggerated and theatrical.
Goku looked once, understood the intent immediately, and raised an eyebrow.
Goku - "That trick is for distraction."
Bulma blinked — then burst out laughing.
Bulma - "You're not what I expected at all."
Goku shrugged.
Goku - "We hunt your stones. Then you leave."
Bulma grinned.
Bulma - "Deal."
He stepped into the passenger side without hesitation.