An Unexpected Variable

"Gives you a whole new perspective, does it not?" The King asked as he placed a hand on Vegeta's shoulder and motioned towards the massive explosions that could be seen on the planet's surface. "This is what it means to be King, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked down at dying planet with a blank gaze before his mouth formed a small smile.

I roll my eyes at the father and son duo as I quietly watched the carnage myself. This was boring. Watching from up here when I could be down there fighting with them.

Sure, it wouldn't be a challenge, but it would be a nice change of pace from listening to the King's drivel.

"You think dad is doing alright?" Raditz asked as he sat down beside me.

Broly took a note from Raditz and also sat down beside me on the other side. I glance at the two boys for a brief moment before looking back down at the planet.

"He's not down there yet. He messaged me earlier on the Scouter and said that his team was assigned to the second wave." I told him.

Raditz nodded his head before his gaze also lowered to the planet below.

"Hey, Zyleth... Your mom is pregnant, right? Is it a baby boy or girl?" Broly asked.

I turn to him with a raised eyebrow. Broly has been very inquisitive about Gine ever since we left. Always asking me how she is and how she's doing after I talk to her on the Scouter.

It didn't take long for me to put two and two together. Considering that Paragus nor Broly have ever mentioned his mother, I'd have to assume that Gine is the only mother figure he knows.

Well, it was either that or he had a crush on her, but I doubt that.

"It's a boy." I told him.

"How do you know? Mom doesn't even know yet." Raditz said as he looked at me with a baffled expression.

I smirked at him before turning my gaze back down towards the planet.

"It's just a feeling I have."

The battle below raged on for a while before King Vegeta finally gave word for the second wave of Saiyans to engage. While significantly smaller than the initial wave, this wave was considerably stronger. It wasn't all that shocking.

After all, it did mostly consist of Elite and High class Saiyans.

The last ship to leave for the planet had the highest set of power levels, which were obviously the members of Team Bardock.

"Good luck, father..." I muttered softly into my Scouter.

The King smirked a bit and scoffed at my words. "Do not worry about Bardock. He is an excellent warrior."

"I don't need to be told that. I know it better than anyone." I told the King, keeping an eye on my father's ship as it made its descent.

The King's gaze hardened for a moment at my less than respectful tone before turning away towards the planet. About ten minutes had passed without any signs of a set back.

"Seems everything is going smoothly." The King smirked. "I expected these worms to put up more of a fight."

"You just had to jinx it..." I muttered.

He turned to me with narrowed eye but before he could retort, an alert came from his Scouter.

"What the--?!"

"What? What is it, father?" Vegeta asked with a calm expression that held a small semblance of panic.

"Absolutely not! If you use the power of the Great Ape, you could destroy everything in the castle!" King Vegeta yelled at whoever was on the other end of the Scouter. "I do not care! Find a way to win without it!"

The entire exchange caused me to raise an eyebrow. There was an enemy powerful enough that someone needed to go into the Great Ape?

"What's happening?" Vegeta asked.

"A unexpected variable." The King replied while gritting his teeth. "A being with a high power level has appeared near the castle."

I turned and looked at him, my face tense with an indescribable feeling. Did he just say that a threat showed up near the castle?

"Who was that on the other end?" I asked as I stood up.

"Excuse me?" King Vegeta narrowed his eyes at me once more.

"The person you were talking to on the other end of your Scouter just now... Who was it...?"

"Don't worry about that. Worry about yourself in the-- UURRRAAAGGHH!"

Before the King could finish that sentence, I blitzed over with blinding speed and buried my fist into his gut, causing him to fall to his knees in pain.

"What are you doing?! That is the King of--"

My head snapped over to Vegeta with a heated glare, causing his to step back in fright.

I turn my gaze back towards the hunched over King and ask him again, "Who was it?"

"Insolent child... You will be punished for--"

My left hand turns to a fist and hits him square in the liver, causing him to lose all of the air in his lungs.

"WHO?!" I yelled as I raised my fist in the air, ready to hit him again.

The King struggled to regain his breath before finally coughing out, "B-Bardock..."

My eyes widen before I quickly surround myself in a Ki sphere and fly towards the planet.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Eleven Minutes Ago.]

"You ready?" Tora asked as he watched Bardock adjust his arm wraps.

"Let's get it done." Bardock responded with a nod.

Bardock, Tora, Fasha, Shugesh, and Borgos all headed towards the cargo hold and proceeded to embark on a small ship. They all strapped themselves in and waited for the pilot.

"Everyone in?" The Saiyan piloting the small vessel asked.

Bardock gave the man a simple nod, causing him to shut the door to the cockpit and start up the ship. The ship started to hover before suddenly taking off towards the planet.

As he was thinking about the upcoming battle, Bardock heard the familiar voice of his son coming through his Scouter.

[Good luck, father.]

Hearing this, Bardock gave a unnoticeable smile before he quickly turned his focus back towards the mission.

"You guys think we'll be seeing the runts once we get down there?" Shugesh asked with a smirk.

"Possibly. I doubt he would've gotten placed in the first wave." Tora replied, nudging Bardock in the arm with his elbow. "So how's it feel, Bardock?"

"How's what feel?" Bardock asked.

"You know, to have a kid who everyone's calling the Legendary Super Saiyan?" Tora replied with a teasing tone.

Bardock's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at Tora's tone. But now that he was thinking about it, it filled him full of pride, but it also scared the shit out of him at the same time.

It wasn't Zyleth's strength that scared him, it was every Saiyan father's dream to have their son surpass them.

It was Zyleth's future that frightened him.

It was no secret that King Vegeta was using him as a weapon to kill Frieza. Anyone with two brain cells could've put that together. But what if he couldn't?

As much as he hated the thought of downplaying his own son's strength, he knows Frieza's strength was something so monstrous that it outclassed other monsters. And while Zyleth did defeat Nappa and could even defeat Bardock himself just as easily, there was no doubt in Bardock's mind that Frieza could make them all look like insignificant bugs.

"Hey, Vegeta to Bardock? You in there?" Tora asked, waving his hand in Bardock's face.

"Hmm? What?" Bardock asked as he was snapped out of his own head.

"You didn't answer my question. How's it feel?"

Bardock looked at Taro for a moment before looking away with a scoff. "It feels like you should get focused on what's about to happen."

As he said that, the ship had entered through the planet's atmosphere and had opened the door to the outside.

"Everybody out!" The pilot exclaimed.

The five Saiyans all collectively stood up and jumped out of the ship, falling to the ground and landing with five loud booms.

"So where's this castle supposed to be? I don't see it?" Shugesh asked as he looked around.

Borgos tapped his shoulder, grabbing Shugesh's attention before pointing behind them towards the large castle in the distance.

"Oh."

As they were about to head to the castle, more Saiyan ships had descended from the sky and dropped off more Saiyan warriors to the battlefield close to the castle.

"Spread out and kill anything that isn't a Saiyan!" Bardock ordered before flying towards the castle.

"Right!" The members of his team sounded off before

As they flew, other Saiyan teams saw them flying towards the castle and quickly followed suit. Despite blasting away at couple of fleeing groups, there really wasn't much activity going on outside the castle.

Even where they approached the main gate, there was no one guarding the outside.

"Something's not right." Bardock said, grabbing the attention of everyone around him.

"What do you mean?" Fasha asked.

A Saiyan from another group scoffed and stepped towards the gate. "If you're afraid then why don't you go back to the ship and cry for mommy."

As the Saiyan raised his hand to blast open the gate, the hair on the back of Bardock's neck stood up on end.

"Wait, don't--"

Before he could even warn him, the Saiyan who was about to blow the gate was suddenly blasted himself and turned into dust.

Even though it had already killed one, the blast had didn't give any sign of stopping, plowing through towards the rest of the Saiyans. The surrounding Saiyans immediately jumped back and dodged out the way of the blast.

The blast continued until it had gone over the horizon, setting off a massive explosion of light green energy.

"Only one? It seems I'm losing my touch." A deep and gruff voice sounded off.

Before the smoke could dissipate, Bardock immediately pressed the side of his Scouter and scanned the power level of the alien inhabitant through the smoke.

5,000...

7,000...

10,000...

14,000...

22,000...

Poof...

The Scouter had blown up into pieces...