EPIC Side Story: Dragon Ball

Though the conversation preceding dinner was pretty tense, the mood qualitatively improved by the time everyone had finished eating. The only person who was even remotely upset after the fact was Chi-Chi, who, despite having to restrain herself from licking her plate clean, lamented the fact that Vahn was the one who prepared it.In Chi-Chi's mind, the wife was supposed to do all the cooking. When she heard that cooking was one of Vahn's favorite hobbies, it was like a meteor had crashed into her mind. In its wake, many of the preconceived notions she had formed in regards to gender roles had been eliminated. A few of the more deeply rooted ones managed to persist, but, with years between Chi-Chi and graduation, Vahn was pretty confident he could eliminate the rest.With this in mind, Vahn politely refused Chi-Chi's offers to take a bath and subsequently share a bed together. This left her feeling more than a little dispirited, so, after discussing the matter with Sarina, he spent a few hours helping her redecorate her room in accordance with her preferences before punctuating the evening by gifting her a bookcase filled with every textbook she would be assigned while attending school in West City. In her mind, this was his way of telling her to do her best, so, while she was still bothered by the fact he had refused to let her 'practice' behaving as his wife, she went to sleep in high spirits.........Waking from the dormant state he used as a substitute for sleep, Vahn's intent locked onto the presence that had appeared in Broly's room. In the very next moment, both it and he appeared high in the sky above the manor as he said, "The Eastern Supreme Kai...I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but you don't teleport into someone's house at 2 AM if you have good intentions..."Furrowing his brows in response to Vahn's words, the Eastern Supreme Kai, a petite man standing at 160cm in height and possessing purple skin, elf-like ears, and a white mohawk said, "That child is an unimaginable danger to this planet. He cannot be allowed to stay here..."Resisting the urge to grab and tug the youthful-looking Kai's ears, a challenging smile developed across Vahn's face as he uttered an, "Oh~?" before following it by asking, "And where would you take him...?"Not liking the fact he couldn't even sense Vahn's power, the Eastern Supreme Kai, Shin, swallowed the lump forming in his throat before answering, "I will take him to the Supreme World of the Kais. There, even if he rampages, he will not be able to cause harm..."Surprised by the notion that Shin was essentially stating he would be taking Broly away to raise him, Vahn's anger began to recede as he shook his head and said, "Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Besides, so long as I'm here, Broly isn't a danger to anyone. Your worry, while understandable, is unnecessary."With a hint of a sneer on his face, Shin was about to inform Vahn that he was dealing with powers far beyond his understanding. Before he could utter so much as a single syllable, however, he found himself back on the Sacred World of the Kai, a thin piece of parchment unfurling in front of his face that read, 'The next time you enter my home unannounced, you better bring Beerus.'Reading the piece of paper, Shin's golden-brown eyes widened to the point they nearly resembled saucers. This caused the elderly, red-skinned man who had appeared next to him to ask, "Lord Shin? Is everything alright?"Grabbing the piece of paper before the red-skinned man could peruse its contents, Shin answered, "No, Kibito. Everything is perfectly fine. Thank you for asking..."Though the expression on Shin's face told him that everything was 'not' fine, Kibito simply nodded his head, saying, "Very good." before following it up by asking, "Would my Lord like some tea? Your complexion is somewhat pale."Laughing nervously, Shin promptly incinerated the piece of paper concealed behind his back before answering, "That would be lovely..." in an audibly disconcerted tone.........Returning to bed, Vahn informed Sarina that everything was okay before cradling her in his arms until she fell back asleep. At the same time, he used his intent to continue observing Shin before briefly shifting it to the planet occupied by Beerus, the cat-like God of Destruction resembling an ancient Egyptian Deity.Unsurprisingly, Beerus was still asleep atop his floating bed while Whis, the blue-skinned, white-haired Angel that served as both his attendant and Martial Arts Master, enjoyed a game of chess with the Oracle Fish, a blue, eel-like creature suspended in a tank of green liquid. Neither of them noticed his presence, so, after observing the board state and determining that the Oracle Fish was going to win, Vahn decided to play it extra safe by sneaking a peek at the Gods of Destruction from other Universes.Fortunately, while he was somewhat surprised to find the furry, fox-like God of Destruction, Liqueur in the middle of a date, Vahn didn't find anything amiss with the other Universes. At the very least, there was nothing of note going on with their Supreme Kais or Gods of Destruction.Feeling a little better, Vahn set the matter of Shin appearing in his home aside and decided to get some rest. He didn't actually need it, but, for the sake of suspense, it was better for him to at least enter a dormant state via the Mantra of Eternity. If he stayed awake all night, he was bound to keep tabs on Shin and periodically check what other persons of interest were up to. He had already erred pretty big time in this regard, as, shortly after his discussion with Sarina regarding potential harem members, he ended up checking in to see how Caulifla and Kale were doing.At the present moment, Caulifla was just under nine months old. She was growing quickly due to her Saiyan biology, but, unlike the Saiyans of Universe 7, she was aging naturally rather than inside of an incubation pod. As for Kale, she hadn't even been born yet. As a result, Vahn ended up finding his intent in a rather strange place. Specifically, one of her mother's ovaries...Though he was intimately familiar with the female anatomy, Vahn had never experienced being inside of someone's ovary. Well, he had, just not in a super literal, fully conscious sense...Fortunately, the experience wasn't too awkward. It gave Vahn the opportunity to cure an illness that had been plaguing Kale's mother for years and also taught him that his intent could scale down to whatever he was trying to view. He confirmed this by focusing his intent on a single atop of helium, and, as a result, he found himself in a microcosm where protons resembled stars and electrons were comparable to planets.As interesting as the experience had been, the discovery that most fascinated Vahn was the fact that a handful of Saiyans in Universe 6 still had their tails. He didn't know if this was because of his effect on the timeline but Caulifla, her mother, grandmother, and several other females Saiyans within her village still had their tails. It gave the women who possessed them a wild and untamed aura, and, as far as he could tell, it seemed to distinguish them as warriors among their forest-dwelling tribe.Though he was eagerly looking forward to seeing what the matured Caulifla looked like with a tail, Vahn followed the discovery by forbidding himself from prying into the Saiyaness's life unless their paths crossed naturally. There was a very real possibility the Tournament of Power would never take place, so, unless Sarina specifically asked him to take her to Universe 6, Vahn concluded that it was for the best if he just allows fate to take its course. It was bad enough that he was seriously looking forward to the growth of a girl still wearing cloth diapers.........While Vahn was both looking forward to and lamenting the future, Goku was in a remarkably similar state after he, and everyone else, had consumed poisonous pufferfish meat. Not only had it tasted terrible compared to the food he had eaten while staying with Vahn, but, even after using the toilet ten times, he still had to go every twenty to thirty minutes.As bad as this sounded, it was nothing compared to the state everyone else was in. Goku's Saiyan biology had gifted him with an iron stomach, so, while he had one of the most extreme cases of diarrhea he had ever experienced, he could still move around pretty easily. Everyone else had been rendered unable to move, so, in between relieving himself, Goku had been helping to take care of the others. This included a noseless boy with a shaven head and a strange, paradoxically kind yet violent woman whose hair changed between blonde and dark blue each time she sneezed.Though Vahn had explained the differences between men and women to Goku, the latter still had a bit of trouble internalizing the info. As a result, he couldn't help curiously eyeing the woman's body whenever he was wiping away her sweat and checking her butts for poop. He found it strange that she seemed to pee from her front butt, but, as it had to come from somewhere, Goku supposed it made sense for it to come from there rather than the back.Unfortunately, while the blue-haired version of the woman named Launch didn't seem to mind his curiosity, the blonde-haired version immediately pulled out a machine gun, seemingly out of thin air, to try and shoot him. Her sluggishness allowed Goku to disarm her with relative ease, but, even though he was trying to help her, she ended up growling at him like an angry dog until he left the room.With Launch behaving aggressively for several hours, Goku was unspeakably confused when she became completely docile and asked him to take her to the bath. There, she asked him to wash her body, dry her off, and fix her clothes before ultimately asking him to carry her back to bed without so much as a single threat to his life. This drastically increased Goku's confusion, but, recalling how Bulma would go from happy to angry faster than the wind could change directions, he ultimately arrived at the conclusion that it was a trait all girls shared.........Rising early the following morning, Vahn allowed Sarina to sleep in as he made the rounds to wake up Chi-Chi, Broly, and Cheelai. The latter took a bit of effort to wake up, but, once he told her that breakfast would only be served for an hour, she quickly found the motivation to get up and brush her teeth before teaching Broly to do the same.As that was going on, Vahn had a wry smile on his face as Chi-Chi stood atop a stool and watched him cooking like an unblinking owl. She was too prideful to ask him to teach her how to cook, so, after receiving his permission to watch, that is exactly what she did.Unfortunately, as sharp as her mind appeared to be, Chi-Chi's complete lack of experience in the kitchen wasn't doing her any favors. Her lack of superhuman senses also made it impossible for her to follow Vahn's movements with a kitchen knife, so, while it was a relatively simple matter for her to remember all the ingredients used, she wasn't sure how to prepare them or control the heat of the stove. Thus, after a few minutes had passed, she ended up sneaking glances at Vahn rather than paying attention to what he was preparing.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Playing with fire...','Vahn is constantly learning new things (O ^ O;)...','Front butt xD...')

With Sarina entering the dining room near the end of breakfast, Vahn waited for her to sit down before buttering her a piece of toast and saying, "The new semester starts in twenty days. Do you intend to train until then or do you just want to relax and enjoy the rest of your vacation? You don't have the option of dropping out once you start attending class so this is, technically speaking, your last vacation until December."Accepting the piece of toast with a faint smile and a polite, "Thanks..." Sarina briefly considered her response before saying, "I think I want to train. It will be a lot easier to keep at it once school starts if it's already a part of my daily routine."Nodding his head in approval, Vahn was about to ask Chi-Chi a similar question when the latter beat him to the punch, saying, "If you're talking about practicing martial arts, I'd like to participate. I may be small, but I am the daughter of the Ox-King. I can hold my own in a fight."Since he was literally about to ask if she wanted to participate, Vahn had no reason to deny Chi-Chi's request. Instead, he offered an approving nod before shifting his gaze to Broly and Cheelai, saying, "I want the two of you to just focus on relaxing these next couple of weeks. Since you won't be attending class, there will be plenty of time for you to train once you become acclimated to this world."Though he was a little disheartened, Broly didn't hesitate to nod his head in understanding. This was immediately noticed by Cheelai, who, having recovered quite a bit since the previous night's revelations, asked, "We can still watch, right?"Understanding exactly what the green-skinned beauty had in mind, a faint smile developed across Vahn's face as he answered, "Of course. Just don't sneak off somewhat to try and emulate what I'm teaching. I won't be too upset if you do but it'll cause quite a number of issues if either of you gets injured..."Realizing she had been seen through, Cheelai awkwardly scratched her cheek with a wry smile on her face. She had done a lot of thinking the previous night, so, while she doubted she could ever become as strong as someone like Frieza, she figured she might as well give it a try. Broly was too kind to be pitted against such a monster. If she could bear the burden in his stead and undo some of the damage wrought by Frieza and his forces, that is exactly what she would do.........With Broly and Cheelai observing from atop a large stone, the former sitting in the latter's lap, Vahn cast several layers of protection and a rapid regeneration spell on Sarina and Chi-Chi before having them stand across from each other. The former was wearing little more than her Aegis and a pair of exceptionally durable sneakers while the latter, unsurprisingly, donned her bikini armor, boomerang helmet, fire-resistant cape, amplifying gloves, and shock-absorbent boots.Though spiritual and mental cultivation were equally important when it came to increasing Ki, the most prominent forces at play within the Actualized World of Dragon Ball was something Da Vinci referred to as the 'Steel Sharpens Steel' Principle. It basically meant that the fastest way to increase your strength was to fight against someone who was equally as powerful, if not more powerful than yourself. The actual Laws at play dealt with things like War, Conflict, Rivalry, Progress, and even Fate, but, as interesting as the specifics were, the most important takeaway was that you could drastically increase your rate of growth by fighting progressively more powerful opponents."Begin...!"Hearing Vahn's shout, Chi-Chi pointed the index and middle fingers of both hands towards the gem seated at the front of her helmet as she shouted, "Emerium Beam...!". Vahn had told her not to hold anything back as Sarina was apparently more than eighty times more powerful. This was something Chi-Chi refused to believe, but, not wanting to accuse Vahn of lying, she immediately opened with her most powerful attack, a laser beam that could even disintegrate the body of a Tyrannosaurus in less than three seconds.To Chi-Chi's surprise, Sarina's body simply disappeared from the trajectory of the beam the moment she called out her attack. In the very next moment, she felt a heavy impact to her side, the air in her lungs being forced out as Sarina's kick impacted her kidney.It turns out that raising both your hands to fire a laser beam left your body completely unguarded...Having never battled against a serious opponent or suffered a single injury in her entire life, Chi-Chi didn't immediately rise to her feet. Instead, she pushed herself to a seated position, tears building in her obsidian-black eyes as she held her side and complained, "You didn't...have to hit...so hard..." in a sobbing tone.With an incredulous look on her face, Sarina looked at Chi-Chi as though she were an idiot, saying, "You just fired a disintegrating laser at me and you're complaining about receiving a simple kick...?"Unable to refute Sarina's words, an indignant pout formed on Chi-Chi's face as she climbed to her feet and did her best to restrain her sniffling. Then, demonstrating she wasn't completely hopeless, she crouched down, elbows and shoulders tucked in to protect her sides as she raised her fingers towards the gem on her helmet.........After watching Sarina one-sidedly trounce Chi-Chi for the better part of an hour, Vahn eventually stepped in to stop the fight, saying, "Okay. Now that you've both had the opportunity to warm up, your next opponent will be me. I want you to come at me with the intent to kill. If you don't, even a direct hit won't be able to deal any damage."Though Chi-Chi wanted to protest fighting against her future husband, the words got caught in her throat when she witnessed Sarina launch a flying kick towards Vahn's head at a much faster speed than when they were fighting. In spite of this, Vahn was able to effortlessly deflect the blow with the back of his hand, his starting position remaining unchanged as he swept Sarina back several tens of meters with a simple wave.Undaunted by the failed attack, a hazy blue aura exuded from Sarina's body as she exploded forth with enough force to generate a large plume of dust as she instantaneously accelerated faster than the speed of sound. Then, to the shock and awe of both Chi-Chi and Cheelai, shockwaves exuded from the point of contact every time Vahn casually deflected one of Sarina's meteoric punches and kicks...Witnessing the almost incomprehensible display of power, Chi-Chi finally accepted that Sarina was a lot stronger than her. Instead of being upset by this, however, a resolute look gradually developed across her face as she balled her hands into fists and charged forward at a much slower speed than her newly acquired rival.........While Sarina and Chi-Chi were hard at work trying to increase their strength, Bulma was beginning to feel exasperated as every attempt she and her father had made to penetrate and take a sample of the Model Tiamat's hull had proved ineffective. They had tried everything from acids to creating a plasma cutter capable of outputting temperatures exceeding 60,000 Centigrade. When that failed, they even attempted the brute-force tactic of firing a reinforced tungsten rod at it using a railgun, but, other than creating a peculiar blue ripple at the point of contact, nothing else happened.Feeling a similar degree of exasperation as his daughter, Dr. Brief, a short, bespectacled man with pale-blue hair and a large mustache, remarked, "It really is fascinating. If I hadn't seen it for myself, I never would have believed such a durable material existed. If we could figure out how to recreate it, we could completely revolutionize the construction industry. And don't even get me started on the possible military applications..."Though Dr. Brief's words made it sound as though he only cared about money, it was actually quite the opposite. If it wasn't required to purchase materials and finance his research, he wouldn't even bother with it. The only three things he cared about in life were his family, accumulating knowledge, and smoking. Becoming the richest and most influential man in the world had merely been a means to an end. After all, he sure as hell wasn't going to let some government tell him what he could and couldn't research...Groaning in response to her father's words, Bulma banged her forehead on her workbench before asking, "You think I don't know that...?" in a pouty, clearly frustrated tone.Understanding the futility of trying to reason with his daughter, Dr. Brief lit up another cigarette before inhaling a deep breath and releasing a large plume of smoke. At the same time, he stared up at the Model Tiamat with a weary yet determined look on his aged face. Bulma had deflected time and again when he asked where the rather fierce-looking machine came from, but, regardless of its origin, he was determined to uncover its secrets.With that in mind, Dr. Brief gave his daughter a gentle pat on the back before departing the lab to take a fifteen-minute break. He had modified his body so that something as inconvenient as sleep was unnecessary but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a moment of peace and quiet. The interior of his house had been converted to a miniature wildlife preserve for that express purpose, so, after twenty-seven straight out of trying to breach the Model Tiamet's hull, he figured it was time to take a break...Hearing the door shut behind her father, an exasperated sigh escaped from Bulma's throat as she raised her head to stare at the 18m tall mechanical dragon. She didn't want to admit it, but she was starting to believe Vahn's words about it being impossible to reverse engineer. There were no flaws in its structure even when she looked at it under an electron microscope. To make matters worse, it blocked any and all means to scan its interior. If she didn't know it had a cockpit, she would assume the interior was empty based on the readings she got ultrasound and x-rays...Realizing that she wasn't going to be able to one-up Vahn by taking apart the Model Tiamat, Bulma rose to her feet before stretching her body until a series of satisfying pops emanated from her back. She had only slept for six hours ever since she stormed off, and, unlike her father, she wasn't all that comfortable with modifying her body. She would consider it when she was older, but, for the time being, she was comfortable with the capabilities she was born with.Reaching into the pocket of her bright orange boiler suit, Bulma pulled out a cigarette of her own before lighting it up and walking over to the Model Tiamat. In response, it immediately bent down to present its hand, as, despite her efforts to try and disassemble it, the onboard AI didn't mind. Its only concern was that Bulma had been registered as its pilot, so, unless Vahn revoked her access, it would comply in accordance with its programming.Taking advantage of the fact that the interior of the Model Tiamat was more comfortable than most beds, Bulma reclined in the pilot's seat before kicking her feet up on the analog command console. Then, despite pretending as if she didn't care, she activated the long-range sensors using a mental command before smiling as a three-dimensional projection of the area surrounding Vahn's recently established manor was generated in ultra-high definition.Though she did her best to restrain the urge, Bulma couldn't help wondering what Vahn was up to, so, whenever her father took a break, she would sneak a peek. She had even spied on the previous night's dinner, as, despite telling him she was busy, the only thing on her plate right now was trying to disassemble the Model Tiamat. As for why she didn't just fly over and participate...Bulma wasn't entirely sure herself. She just felt he should be the one to come visit her rather than him expecting her to come and visit him.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cheelai is a good person...','Always guard your body xD...','Bulma isn't a bad person. She's just exceptionally self-centered...')

After recovering from her shock over the revelation there were places where the Frieza influence hadn't reached, Cheelai asked the question at the forefront of her mind, specifically, "Wait, if the people of Earth don't know about Frieza, how do you? In fact, what, exactly, are you? I've heard of people with the ability to teleport but I've never heard of anyone with the power to teleport others from other planets. Like, how did you even know I was on Frieza Planet 297?"As he had no reason to keep it a secret, Vahn waved his hand to produce snacks and beverages for everyone before explaining everything he had told Bulma. This included the fact he was a God, the reason for his visit to Earth, and a basic outline of his powers.Unsurprisingly, Cheelai wasn't too enthusiastic about the aforementioned revelations. Every culture had Gods they worshipped, but, more often than not, they were just scams made up by people with power to take advantage of those without. The proliferation of the Frieza Forces was the only proof most people needed to know there were such things as Gods. The tyrant had forced the leaders of innumerable religions to admit the truth before publically executing countless more just to illustrate the futility of placing your belief in beings that either didn't exist or were too powerless to act.The real Gods were those with the power to dictate, control, and harvest the lives of others as their leisure...A stark contrast to Cheelai's slightly hostile skepticism, Chi-Chi had reverted back to her fangirl mode. Her obsidian eyes glistened with the light of countless stars, and, if she hadn't made up her mind before, she had now. Rather, now that she knew that Vahn was a God, she 'understood' why he had decided to test her. If she couldn't even prove herself against other humans, how could she, a mere Princess from a tiny kingdom, hope to become the wife of a God...?While Chi-Chi was cementing various thoughts within her mind, the look on her face appearing as though she was gazing at something impossibly distant, Cheelai had other questions she wanted answers to. Vahn hadn't explained why he had chosen her to be Broly's caretaker, so, in a sardonic, borderline vitriolic tone, she asked, "What does a supposed God need someone like me for? There's not anything special about me. Heck, even among the members of my own batch, I scored below average in pretty everything except piloting and marksmanship..."Though her tone became somewhat melancholic towards the end, Cheelai managed to retain a bit of sharpness in her voice as she glared into Vahn's eyes. In response, the latter just smiled, his tone soft and resonating as he stated, "Everyone is special. Some people just need a bit of help finding out what makes them so. As for why I chose you...it's because you possess a quality that the Frieza Force doesn't test for..."Furrowing her brows, Cheelai crossed her arms as a means to both comfort herself and appear confrontational as she asked, "Oh? And what, oh mighty God, might that be...?"Cheating quite a bit by relying on Loi-chan and his ability to view any point in space and time, Vahn left Cheelai absolutely speechless as he created a three-dimensional projection that showed a much younger version of herself, beaten and bloodied, attempting to protect the other children from her batch of podlings. When she found out they were being shipped off to the frontlines, she stood up against their handlers, and, as a result, received numerous beatings for her attempts to both break free and let others escape."You have a strong will and a caring heart. It takes tremendous courage to stand against the people who will harm you. It takes exponentially more to stand against the people who harm others..."Erasing the projection with a casual wave of his hand, Vahn took advantage of Cheelai's silence to continue, adding, "When I told you about how Broly was being mistreated, I could see the pain and anger reflected in your eyes. Now, even though you've only known each other a short while, I would be willing to bet that you would do everything you can to make sure he never has to suffer like that again..."Demonstrating an ability he had only rarely made use of after his departure from the Nasuverse, Vahn made the Strings of Fate between Cheelai and Broly visible for all to see. He didn't include all of them, but, among the ones he had chosen, there was a luminous black string that radiated a pale green light connecting Broly's and Cheelai's hearts. This was a string representing a powerful desire to protect, and, while Cheelai may be unwilling to admit it, Broly's silence and the gentle expression on his face had spoken louder than any words he might have said..."..."Hearing Vahn dutifully reveal the meaning behind each string, the hateful expression on Cheelai's face eased into an introspective glower before finally settling on a conflicted pout. She refused to believe that Vahn was a God, but, seeing him demonstrate a plethora of abilities she couldn't even imagine prior to seeing with her own eyes, she couldn't exactly refute him. Instead, she asked one of the most prominent questions that remained in her mind, "Why don't you stop Frieza...?"Ceasing his explanation on the Strings of Fate, Vahn dismissed them with a wave before surprising Cheelai by asking, "Why don't you...?"Furrowing her brows, Cheelai's voice cracked slightly as she retorted, "If I had the power to stop Frieza, do you think I would be sitting here...!?"Shaking his head, Vahn's expression turned visibly melancholic as he answered, "No...if you had the power to stop Frieza, you would probably be his replacement..."Though Cheelai's anger had begun to fade during Vahn's explanation, it returned with a vengeance when she heard him compare her to a monster like Frieza. She immediately jumped to her feet, but, despite her efforts to flip the table, it remained firmly planted on the ground due to Vahn promptly placing his hand on its surface."Calm down."With the pupils of her eyes contracting, Cheelai wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, but, as if her indignation had been imaginary, an indescribable sense of incongruency impacted her mind as she found herself calming down in an instant. For a brief moment, she couldn't even remember why she was angry in the first place...Retracting the power of Authority from his voice, Vahn continued where he left off, explaining, "The reason I do not deal with Frieza is because several others have already been set on that path. If the Gods dealt with every problem that appeared, mortals would become increasingly dependent on us until we broke or they rebelled. To that end, the Gods choose champions and heroes to protect the people in their stead. Broly is one such example...his power and potential are so extreme that, with just a few years of training, there is nothing Frieza could do to stop him..."Though she wanted to ask what he had done to make her calm, Vahn's mention of Broly caused Cheelai's face to morph into an expression of consternation as she muttered, "I get it...even if I'm a good person, possessing too much power would eventually corrupt me. Is that what you're trying to say...?"Without waiting for Vahn to respond, Cheelai shifted her attention to Broly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes as she muttered, "It isn't right...like, I understand what you're trying to say, but it isn't right to force someone like Broly to fight a monster like Frieza..."Speaking before Cheelai could continue on her tangent, Vahn hastily stated, "I mentioned Broly as an example. He isn't going to be the one to slay Frieza. I just wanted you to better understand the point I was trying to make. As for what that point was...even I'm not entirely sure. I just know that it isn't my destiny to defeat Frieza. If you'd like, however, it could be yours."Blinking in surprise, Cheelai gave Vahn an 'are you an idiot?' kind of look before pointing out, "You just said I would become a tyrant if I was strong enough to defeat Frieza..."Shaking his head, Vahn clarified, "No, I asked why you didn't stop Frieza and implied that you would be a tyrant if you possessed the power to do so. The missing piece of the puzzle is the method you use to obtain the power to defeat Frieza. If you were simply born with it, much like Frieza, it is pretty much guaranteed that you would become a tyrant. Inversely, if you start from the bottom and work your way up with the intention of defeating him for the sake of others, the odds of you becoming a tyrant are relatively slim."Though she felt that Vahn had been unnecessarily vague, Cheelai returned to her seat with a plop before crossing her arms and asking, "You seriously expect me to believe that someone like me, a literal mass-produced podling, can defeat the Emperor of the Universe? I'm not sure how Gods are produced but you must have hit your head on the way out..."Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn maintained a relaxed smile as he retorted, "That, my green-skinned friend, is the true reason you aren't able to defeat Frieza. You aren't even willing to try..."Furrowing her brows, Cheelai was about to retort when Broly, silencing the entire table, said, "I will defeat Frieza..." in a soft yet resolute tone.Taken aback by the young Saiyan's words, Cheelai found herself unable to find her own. As a result, Broly was able to continue, saying, "I don't know who this Frieza person is...but I can tell they're bad. If I can grow strong enough to defeat him...people won't have to suffer anymore...everyone can go back to being happy..."Feeling as though the tiny Saiyan was gripping her heart, a layer of moisture spread across Cheelai's eyes. Broly currently resembled a little kid so it was impossible to imagine him fighting, much less defeating a monster like Frieza. She also couldn't imagine the kind of training someone would have to go through in order to get that strong. All she knew for certain was that it wouldn't be easy...you didn't obtain the power to defeat a tyrant without experiencing unimaginable suffering...Speaking before Cheelai could even think to protest, Vahn stated, "That is a matter for the far, far future. For now, the most important thing the two of you can be doing is enjoying your lives to the fullest. You have both endured an extremely traumatic experience. Possessing a balanced mental state is one of the most important aspects to increasing your strength, so, if you're serious about defeating Frieza, focus on becoming happy first. Once you possess something worth fighting for, your power will grow by leaps and bounds..."Taking advantage of the fact that Broly was seated next to him, Vahn punctuated his words by gently ruffling the young Saiyan's head. He wouldn't be able to do this for very long, so, before Broly shot up like a bamboo shoot near the end of Spring, Vahn intended to caress his head as much as possible. Intimacy was one of the reasons, but, more important than that, he was slowly unlocking the youth's unfathomable potential. This was an ability he had possessed even as far back as Danmachi, so, now that he existed in a world where Elder Namekians could literally draw out the potential contained within a person's 'soul', Vahn figured he might as well do the same.........(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chi-Chi is at 120% o_o...','Vahn speakin' the tru-true...','"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man..."')

Chapter 31: Awareness