To Go Even Further Beyond (Dragon Ball Z)

Who am I?

Am I Jordan? A gifted young man that squandered his talents, content to laze his life away and pursue his meager interests? A man whom detested effort if it wasn't advantageous to him in some way or form. Someone who always looked for a short cut to goals he set for himself. A man that knew his biggest faults, but was too lazy to change after the way he had to turn his entire life style around years previously due to an illness.

Or am I Goku? A happy go lucky teenager always on the search for more training and stronger opponents. A naive boy who saved the world already at a mere thirteen years of age and would someday go on to become the greatest protector of his universe.

Or could I be Kakarot? A young saiyan toddler who never got the chance to live his life. Jettisoned away from everything he knew, from his mother, father and older brother in order for his life to be saved. Only for that life to be cut short with a harsh fall and painful injury to the head, resulting in the birth of the one known as Goku?

...Ah, I suppose this one would be best, wouldn't it? But for now I think I'll just rest my eyes a bit and enjoy the pleasant haze of darkness around me.

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"Doll, it's time to wake up now." A soft, pleasant voice roused me from my slumber, "The Earth needs your assistance."

I blinked my eyes open groggily, spots appearing in my vision. The darkness I'd been submerged in for so long slipped away and light invaded my vision. When the spots faded away, I saw him standing above me. My creator I suppose? Mr. Popo staring down at me with wide, unblinking genial eyes. In a way, it almost felt surreal to see him standing before me. I have three separate sets of memories and one of those sets believes the black genie and the universe he comes from to be nothing more than fiction.

I should be even less real than him and the others. There was a reason he called me Doll after all.

I stood up from where I found myself laying, a soft white quilted bed situated in the middle of a bright stone walled room, one small window with no window allowing a soft light to trickle in and alight the room. The stiffness I felt in my body was almost unbearable, how long had I been laid upon that bed? The last I remember was that I was put to sleep after the original finished his training with me and went on his journey to the past. Still, I scowled at the attendant of Kami, "Don't call me a doll." I near snarled.

Aggressive of me. A byproduct of my choice I'm sure, of who I would become when the three sets of memories collided within my head.

"Oh my!" Popo gasped, taking a step back in what seemed to be surprise at my tone, "How extraordinary, you seem to have already developed sentience immediately upon awakening!"

Sentience. Meaning I'm alive right? Why though? The memories I inherited tell me that my existence should have faded after Son Goku completed his training with Kami. "Why do I live?" I asked Popo, cutting straight to the point.

"Odd, you're very much different from Goku despite being a perfect copy of him," Popo pointed out before smiling at me, "To answer your question though, once Goku completed his training Kami tasked me with collecting the dragon balls and bestowing true life upon you in case the day ever came when the Earth would need a hero once more, I just didn't think you'd need to be awakened so soon."

He's right this is odd. I can understand keeping me around for that reason, but why would I be needed when Goku was around? I can see where time differed and my existence remained. I have memories of training with Goku as his opponent off and on for for around a year, although I was only awakened for fighting him and remember only hearing Popo comment on it being a year just before I was put back to sleep for the last time.

Either Goku lost to Piccolo at the World Martial Arts tournament or something along those lines has occurred and Goku is dead. It must be early on to a degree though, because with my current strength by time the Saiyan Saga was finished I would be twice as weak as even the likes of Chiaotzu and Yajirobe. I felt my lips pull up into an angry snarl, as I am now I'm complete fodder to even a Saibaman. Shameful, simply shameful. My father would be so ashamed of my weakness, even mother was stronger than me and she wasn't even a warrior like myself.

I'm maybe around a quarter the power of a Saibaman. Son Goku was estimated to have a power level of around 260 when he fought King Piccolo. Comparing my strength to the memories I have of that fight, I should be around the 350 mark by estimating my current power with the strength I had then, but I'll need a scouter to measure it fully.

"Now that I have answered your question," Popo spoke up breaking me from my thoughts, "What should I call you, or shall I give you a name?"

"There's no need," I replied stretching the kinks out of my body, "You can just call me Kakarot."

Popo gasped again and I had to hide a smirk that threatened to split my face. That reaction alone told me enough. And from the six powers I feel on the lookout, all weaker than my own and one I recognized as Kami I know when I am exactly in the timeline.

I chose to become Kakarot. I couldn't be Goku, for he already existed and I refused to play second fiddle to him. I couldn't be Jordan either despite the massive amount of information I gained thanks to his memories, people would question where the name came from. It was just simply much easier to be Kakarot than either of the other two and I'm perfectly fine with being Kakarot.

"You know my Saiyan name," I pointed out in lieu of his reaction, "But while I've gained the memories the original lost, it's unlikely he ever did. So what's going on?" I prodded.

"Remarkable, it didn't even occur to me during your creation that you would even retain the memories he lost," the genie said, "As for what happened, your brother Raditz came and a fight broke out between Goku and him. Both were killed during the battle and now two more, much stronger saiyan's are coming and will arrive within a year's time."

A memory flashed before my vision. One of the few I have from the gestation period I had during my time on Planet Vegeta. A smiling boy with a lion's mane of spiky black hair, gesturing wildly and boasting happily about his power level, 517, and he'd been chosen to form a squad with Prince Vegeta himself. A happy declaration that he would be sure to help me become just as strong when I was finally allowed to leave the pod I was kept in during my infantile years.

I clenched my fists and banished the memory. Rage built in my chest and I had to let loose a calming deep breath from my nose and delve deep into the meditation techniques I learned through the original to stop my ki from fluctuating outwards and destroying my surroundings. I cannot allow sentiment to cloud my judgment, especially when Jordan's memories showed me how Raditz turned out in the end, that caring brother was long gone far before he ever fought the original and Piccolo.

Instead;

"Hoh? Goku must have gotten a lot stronger then, " I said as if impressed, "Raditz had a power level over five hundred by the time he was seven years old. With all the years he's had he must have been closing in on father's strength." I cannot allow any of my future knowledge to be shone, I need to keep their suspicions off of me.

"I am unsure of how strong this father you claim is," Popo replied, "But the information myself and Kami received tells us that the strength Raditz displayed had a numerical value of 1,500."

I had to stop myself from sneering. Sure Raditz spent most of his time on missions and in stasis, but he was seven years older than the original, nearing his thirties and he hadn't even tripled his power in all that time. The warrior in me was disappointed in him, especially because I know how simple it is for a saiyan to grow stronger.

"Hmph," I snorted, "He must have slacked off for years on end."

"You talk like that, but he was still much stronger than you are now." Popo input.

I snorted, "Not for long," I turned on my heel and began to make my way out of the room, "Now come Mr. Popo, I suppose I should meet with the others before getting down to training." Left unsaid was the fact that I won't be training with them. They won't be able to keep up with what I'm planning right now, especially if Korin has a good stock of Sensu Beans.