Chapter 15
“And so Yamoshi planned to bring a new Super Saiyan into existence,” the Trampled Innocence explained.
Goku found himself staring at a new planet. It was a complete desert with several rock formations like plateaus and towers of stones. He found the Saiyans living in villages domed houses made of some purple metal.
As the Saiyans roamed about the town, Goku could tell something was off. They all sported frowns with none in his line of sight appearing happy. Most walked with a hunched over, humiliated gesture. Each Saiyan was looking at the ground as they walked, whether carrying water, picking crops or building new abodes.
“The remaining Saiyans were thoroughly humiliated by their defeat of the most soft-hearted of their kind,” the Trampled Innocence explained. “Not only were there very few in number but Yamoshi also killed the strongest of their race. The Saiyans were neutered in their ability to fight.”
Goku found the scene around him changed again and he now found himself staring at a large city. Skyscrapers, shopping malls and bakeries surrounded him. Creatures that looked human except for the occasionally odd hair color of bright green or magenta walked in and out of them. Most looked blissfully happy and laughing until a loud alarm rang throughout the city.
“What was worse was the few Saiyans that remained were forced to flee to Vegeta,” the Trampled Innocence said. “A planet that was already inhabited by a mostly peaceful and isolationist race called the Tuffles.”
The members of the alien race split into two groups: those that fled the city and those that decided to fight. Of the half that chose to defend the city, they disappeared into certain buildings before exiting with large blasters. After leaving the weapon stockpile the Tuffles took to the skies to confront their enemies.
Goku found that those advancing upon them were Saiyan warriors. He felt pity for the alien race that shared the planet with the Saiyans as hundreds flocked to the city. However, once the Tuffles confronted them in midair with loaded blasters, the battle was almost over.
Upon firing, the Saiyans began dropping like flies. The well-formed rows of monkey-tailed invaders broke as each were shot multiple times with bolts of plasma. By the time the remainder of the army physically confronted the Tuffles, less than a third of the Saiyans were left alive.
Occasionally the Saiyans would kill a Tuffle with a single punch or blast of qi, but most that did were then shot down by another barrage of blaster shots. After witnessing most of their brethren effortlessly gunned down, most Saiyans fled within minutes after the battle began. The majority of the fighting Tuffles cheered after defeating their enemy before returning to the city they lived in.
“They were so weak that the superior technology of the Tuffles easily trounced any battle the Saiyans were engaged in,” the Trampled Innocence explained. “To us, this was a huge victory in humiliating possibly the most violent race to ever exist. And so, throughout the years, we attempted to bring a new Super Saiyan into existence. We knew we shouldn’t try immediately as the longer we waited, the more innocent people would be killed by murderous thugs and tyrants, thus fueling the legendary warrior’s power.”
The memory then transitioned back to the Saiyan village. However, he wasn’t looking at adult Saiyans as much as his focus was on a child in the middle of the village. The child sported a few hair spikes that circled around his head, sort of like a palm tree.
He was ripping apart a spider web that had caught a blue ladybug that was still squirming in its silk fetters. The spider web was anchored to both the ground as well as to the wall of a Saiyan abode. After freeing the ladybug he tossed the small insect into the air where it flew up toward the sky.
“That was Artiko,” the Trampled Innocence said. “The first of the pure-hearted Saiyans born since Yamoshi. We had high hopes he would finally be the Saiyan who’d destroy all evil in the universe and replace them with pure races.”
After Artiko freed the bug, a large shadow loomed over him. The child turned around to find an obese Saiyan with a mustache glaring down at him. Before the child could react, the fat Saiyan grabbed the boy’s neck and left leg and held him above his head. The child squirmed in his grasp before he pulled Artiko’s body apart.
With a thoroughly blood curdling scream, the boy’s head and left leg were ripped from the remainder of his flesh before being thrown onto the ground. This caught the attention of some Saiyans as they turned to the fat man. He turned back, glaring at them.
“He was soft-hearted,” he said. “Like Salada’s son. He would have destroyed us.”
With a nod and not a single word, every other Saiyan turned back to what they were doing.
“And from that day forward we were aware of the fatal error of our existence,” the Trampled Innocence explained. “The species we had the strongest connection to and could influence the most easily were also the ones most drunk on the reserves of power offered by the Realm of Souls. Our next attempt at bringing about a Super Saiyan was our most unproductive one yet.”
The scenery around Goku shifted once again. He heard a baby screaming, similar to how Gohan was when he was born. He found a Saiyan adult looming over a Saiyan mother who was lying on the bed and had just given birth.
The woman smiled happily as the newly born Saiyan looked up at the one holding him, its arms outstretched. The father scowled angrily at the child and threw him to the ground. As the child squirmed on the ground, the adult Saiyan blasted him with a beam of qi. The mother screamed in distress as she sat up.
“No!” she cried. “Why did you do that?!”
“Most Saiyan babies are violent and unruly when they are born,” he said. “And I have never seen a Saiyan baby act that kind. I couldn’t take the chance of another Super Saiyan being created.”
“No!” the Saiyan mother shouted. “No, I-!”
She shut up as her husband pointed his outstretched palm at her, gathering qi in it.
“And I cannot allow anyone who would threaten the glorious Saiyan race with such troublesome children,” he said. “Goodbye, you traitor.”
She was shot through the right breast with the beam of qi before falling back to her bed. Her face was a mask of pain and terror, her youthful beauty distorted by the misery of her last moments. Blood poured from her corpse to dampen the bed. Goku shook his head in anger.
“No!” he shouted. “No! How could he?!”
“Such is the nature of Saiyans,” the Trampled Innocence said. “You should know this by now. Other pure-hearted Saiyans we brought into existence were luckier than that child though.”
Goku was taken to another memory of another young, pure-hearted Saiyan. The young girl was carrying two enormous pails of water to three Tuffles that were lost in the barren wasteland of Planet Vegeta. All four of them stood on a large plateau with each adult Tuffle looking haggard and tired.
“Still,” the Trampled Innocence said. “We did not stop creating pure-hearted Saiyans, hopeful that one day a new Super Saiyan would take the reins of power and revolutionize this universe. Eggapala was our next attempt.”
As they gulped down the water, the female Saiyan began fiddling with the curls of her black hair, looking rather anxious. After the three drank and thanked her before flying off, to which she smiled and waved back. Goku then was given a bird’s eye view of the wasteland to find a Saiyan older than the teenage girl but still rather young was hiding at the bottom of the plateau and glaring up. With the Saiyan girl now resting atop the plateau, he rushed back off to his home village.
The scenery changed again, this time with the long-haired Saiyan girl fleeing for her life, bleeding from each of her limbs and sporting a burn wound in her side. It was obvious she was being chased and her pursuers had nearly killed her. Tears streamed down her face as she landed near a somewhat small, triangular spaceship. It was hidden between three towers of rocks that were in close proximity to one another with another large stone atop all three.
This made the ship well hidden from both a bird’s eye view and from a ground level. It was only visible if walking directly to the left of the tall rock towers. After pressing on its metal wall, the door opened for her and she quickly rushed to the control panel. After the door closed and the coordinates were set, the ship slid out to the left of the tight confines of the stone structure before shooting into the atmosphere.
By the time the Saiyans wishing to kill Eggapala had arrived to the tight space between the rock formations, she had already entered space. The three grown warriors scowled in discontent after realizing she had got away. They glared up at the glimmer of her silver ship before leaving.
“At least we’ll never see her again,” one Saiyan commented.
“And they never did,” the Trampled Innocence said. “Eggapala found love on another planet, had children and never once returned to Planet Vegeta. She became a pacifist who loved the beauty of nature as well as a culinary expert.”
“Good for her,” Goku said.
“NO!” the Trampled Innocence cried. “Not good at all! After living a life of peace, she never experienced the heartbreaking anger that triggers the Super Saiyan transformation! A pure hearted person would never destroy the vast majority of all life in the universe unless they were filled with unspeakable despair and rage. This quagmire of conditions meant it would be difficult to fulfill the conditions of a Super Saiyan.”
“And was that when you brought me into this world?” Goku asked.
“Not yet,” they said. “You see, the legend of the Super Saiyan was passed down from one generation of Saiyans to another. They all wished to hold the power of one who ascended but we would never confer upon them the power of a Super Saiyan. The Saiyans who witnessed Yamoshi’s rampage instructed that every Saiyan that showed even a little kindness was to be killed on the spot, lest another destroyer come along and humiliate their pride once again.”
“So then what did you do?” Goku asked.
“We waited,” they answered.
Goku watched the Saiyans in the village grow in greater and greater numbers over the years. Their hunched over, dour expressions grew more devious and sinister. He could sense not so much their power levels but their evil energy increase.
He was shown the memory of a young Saiyan boy with curly black hair petting a red rabbit with wings. He was in the middle of the desert and sat crossed legged in the barren wasteland, leaning against a tower of rocks. Just as the rabbit fell asleep in his lap, a Saiyan quickly landed in front of him after flying in midair. At his belt was a large knife.
The curly headed boy flinched in fear, the winged rabbit awakening in sudden surprise. The adult Saiyan landing in front of him looked similar to the boy, his hair the same but longer. He glared at the boy as the rabbit fled from his lap in fear before the adult caught it.
“I thought I told you to go hunting,” he said as he gripped the small animal by the ears. “Not play with your prey, Guace.”
“Guace was our third attempt at a Super Saiyan,” the Trampled Innocence said. “By this point, the wrath of the Super Saiyan was so long ago that many Saiyans regarded it as a legend. With this superstition, we thought the rule of killing the soft-hearted of their kind would be made more lax amongst the Saiyans.”
“Father!” the boy cried. “I-I-I was just-”
With his other hand, the boy was picked up by the scruff of his neck and held up to his parent’s face.
“I had suspected you were like this,” his father said. “But now it was confirmed. Boy, I know that many don’t believe in the myth of the destroyer of our homeworld but…”
He threw the boy to the ground, Guace’s expression cast with horror.
“I do,” he said. “I certainly do. My grandfather remembered the looks of horror his ancestors had just from telling the story and even they did not see the destruction. He could only imagine what the Saiyans who experienced the obliteration of our homeworld saw.”
He then took the knife from his side and tossed it to the ground in front of Guace. He held the squirming animal up to the child’s face, the young boy shaking his head in dismay. This only made his father scream at him in anger.
“You will do it or I will kill you!” he said. “Butcher this piece of meat or die yourself…and be roasted by your mother on an open fire.”
Guace picked up the knife by the handle and quickly slashed the winged rabbit wide open. The creature twitched a little before going limp. Guace’s father flung it to the ground before slapping the boy against the rock formation. As he slid down against the boulders, Goku recognized the Trampled Innocence’s voice whispering to the young Saiyan.
“It is time,” they said. “Take our power.”
The boy’s eyes went wide, his body shaking nervously. He clung tight to the rock formation, weeping. As tears streamed down his face, he gave his answer.
“No,” he said. “Not if it means killing that many people.”
And then their presence was gone. Guace’s father picked him up again and flew back to their village. The scene changed after they left.
Guace was far older at this time and flying toward a Tuffle city with several other Saiyans. He and his father flew side by side as they descended upon the city full of armed Tuffles. Explosions of plasma rifles and qi blast commenced upon them seeing each other. Guace himself beheaded a female soldier before punching a hole through a male Tuffle. He laughed as he dodged the plasma projectiles shot at him.
“Guace became another ruthless Saiyan,” the Trampled Innocence said. “Just as his father was and his father before him.”
Goku watched as the fully grown Saiyan now shot multiple bolts of qi at the tanks the Tuffles used. The Tuffle manning the tank fled just as Guace’s attack burnt the machine to a crisp. The Saiyans around him laughed as a new wave of Tuffle reinforcements raced towards them.
“It was then that we realized that even if we created a perfect person, or race, they could still be contaminated by the evil of those around them,” the Trampled Innocence stated. “It made our predicament of trying to bring about the next Super Saiyan even more difficult.”
Goku watched as the newly armed Tuffles fired upon the Saiyans in front of them. Guace and the remaining Saiyans flew towards them, the adult male Saiyan dodging most of the projectiles until one shot through his right shoulder. After falling to the ground he was then riddled with plasma bolt after plasma bolt until he let out one last scream of pain before going limp.
“And in the time we attempted to bring a Super Saiyan into existence,” the Trampled Innocence spoke. “Another problem manifested.”
The memory transitioned so that he saw multiple planets in the galaxy at once. The planets were being darkened by black clouds that swirled across their atmosphere. Goku could sense that among those suffering were Namekians.
“The Majin of the Womb of Evil could sense the good of the species Yamoshi birthed,” they said. “So, they used their influence to cause climate disasters to wipe out all races with completely pure hearts.”
“So that’s how Kami and Piccolo arrived on Earth,” Goku said. “They were fleeing the destruction brought by the Majins.”
“Yes,” the Trampled Innocence said. “When Buu said that he had been fighting against us for a long time, he meant that the Majins were using their subtle influence against our subtle influence. The Womb of Evil and the Trampled Innocence may not make very visible changes to the universe, but when we do make changes…they rival even the will of the Kais. We were disappointed to learn the Majins did this to many of the species we created.”
“That’s horrible,” Goku said. “To think how many innocents died.”
“It was worse than that,” the Trampled Innocence stated. “The Majins sought to pervert the creations of the Super Saiyan to create a new race that would propagate more Majins. They wanted new Namekians to be as cold-hearted and evil as Saiyans.”
“So that’s how King Piccolo was born!” Goku said. “The Majins infected Kami’s heart while on Earth!”
“Yes,” they answered. “While humans are not as bad as Saiyans, they opened doors to influence him negatively, so he separated the portion of his body and soul infected by Majin manipulation from his original body to create King Piccolo. Things were only growing more dire for us.”
The scene then changed again. The Saiyans were fleeing from the Tuffles’ weapons as the latter chased the former down. The Tuffles spared no one as they raced through the villages, gunning down women and children alike. With only a handful of Saiyans surviving the destruction of their village, the Tuffles cheered in victory.
“And what was worse was that the Saiyans were close to being wiped out by the Tuffles,” the Trampled Innocence said. “And as much as we hated them, we could not allow the Saiyans to die until the universe was cleansed of all evil.”
The scenery around Goku transitioned into a memory several years later. Someone that looked much like Vegeta but with a beard had several Saiyans standing behind him as they overlooked a Tuffle city. He was a little confused before finding a full moon visible in the night sky. Goku’s mouth opened in a silent scream.
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“So we did what we could to extend the Saiyans’ existence,” they said. “Until the Super Saiyan of legend would manifest.”
The Saiyans grew into Great Apes in mere moments. After transforming, their army of giant gorillas rushed to the Tuffle civilization. The enemy alien race attempted to gather their firearms but were quickly stomped to death before they could shoot. Blasts of qi shot from the Great Apes’ mouths to blow away the buildings of the Tuffles.
The memory Goku watched flash forward a few hours in the same night where he saw more Saiyan apes obliterating the Tuffle civilization. Only a few thousand Saiyans were able to destroy the entirety of the Tuffle race. By morning, any Tuffle that had not fled to outer space was dead, their towns lying in ruins.
“You did this?!” Goku shouted. “You destroyed the Tuffles! But-But I thought you were allies of all that were good!”
“We are,” the Trampled Innocence said. “But sometimes, for the greater good, sacrifices must be made. The Tuffles were quickly making better and better weapons over the course of the next few centuries. The Saiyans had their backs to the wall and were nearly wiped out by the Tuffles. As much as we hated the Saiyans, we knew the only chance we had for cleansing the universe of all evil was a Super Saiyan.”
“So you couldn’t afford for them to kill the Saiyan race,” Goku said. “And as a result, you let the Saiyans destroy the Tuffles.”
“Planet Vegeta rarely experiences full moons,” the Trampled Innocence replied. “So using our cosmic influence, we brought one into existence.”
“How much power do you have?!” Goku asked.
“Our influence on the physical is not very strong,” they said. “We usually need vessels to operate in the mortal realm. However, we were able to bring a moon from another solar system into the orbit of Planet Vegeta. The process was slow but it allowed the Saiyans to live another day.”
“The Saiyans were vile and disgusting,” Goku said. “The idea you chose to destroy another race far better than them…it’s hypocritical!”
“We continued to try,” the Trampled Innocence said. “It was all a means to an end to permanently ridding the universe of evil.”
The memory then transitioned from the destruction of the Tuffles to several years later. Goku was shocked to find a familiar, if child-aged, face out in the barren desert. A young Vegeta was bandaging the leg of another Saiyan child. He smiled rather happily as the equally aged girl cried in pain, the girl with short black hair holding the limb he was wrapping in cloth.
“It was my fault we got into this mess,” the girl said. “I-I should have asked my father before going out to hunt. The fanged birds here are fierce.”
“It’s okay,” Vegeta said as he smiled. “I’m the stronger of the two of us. It’s my fault for not protecting you…”
The girl smiled back at him.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“What?!” Goku cried. “Is that really Vegeta?! It can’t be…can it?!”
“It is,” the Trampled Innocence replied. “Yamoshi decided to try bringing a pure hearted Saiyan into this world again. Our last attempts to bring a Super Saiyan into existence was birthing pure hearted souls to the commoners of the Saiyan race. The numbers of innocent souls killed throughout the galaxy had grown and now we became strong enough to bring two pure-hearted Saiyans into this world at once. Yamoshi suggested not only bringing a pure hearted soul into the royal family of Saiyans but two at once. And thus Prince Vegeta and Patata were born.”
“But how come Vegeta turned out the way he is now?” Goku asked.
After he was done tending to the girl’s wounds, three Saiyans appeared out from the sky. Vegeta and the young girl looked up to find the Saiyan that looked like Vegeta with a beard, a Saiyan Goku didn’t recognize, and another he did. Nappa, but younger and with hair.
“F-Father!” Vegeta said.
“What are you doing out here?” King Vegeta asked. “I thought you had battle practice today. You’re not skipping out on sparring, are you?”
“No, father!” Vegeta said. “It was just that…well…”
He looked over to his friend he had treated for wounds.
“My friend, Patata, wanted to prove to Nappa her competency,” he said. “By hunting a fanged bird and bringing it back!”
“Fanged birds are difficult for a young Saiyan to take down,” Nappa said. “I’m impressed my daughter would do that…only, you were also supposed to be training today.”
“Father!” Patata said as she stood up. “I merely wished to make you proud, father! To prove my worth! It was supposed to be a surprise.”
He merely glared at her before groaning in displeasure, a gesture that brought tears to the girl’s eyes.
“Then why were you with her, Vegeta?” the king asked.
“Well…” he said. “Patata…Patata insisted she go alone but…but when I found out my best friend was going to the wilderness to take on an animal as dangerous as the fanged bird…I wanted to go with her to make sure she was safe.”
“Yes,” Patata said. “You see, your majesty…Prince Vegeta is my best. He goes wherever I do…he treats me as his own sister. I…I think he is the most loyal soldier in the Saiyan race for how many times he’s helped me out. I…I am honored to know him.”
Nappa and King Vegeta then turned to look at each other, a certain understanding coming over them. As soon as the former turned back to look at the children, Nappa then rushed toward his daughter to grip her by the hair and slam her into the ground. Patata screamed in pain as Vegeta attempted to rush to her aid before his father sent him skidding across the ground with a qi blast.
Just as the young girl attempted to stand up, Nappa stood over his daughter as she screamed in terror. With a single qi blast from his extended palm, he vaporized her. The prince, just now attempting to stand up, looked on at the scene while quivering in fear.
“I have no use for a weak-hearted daughter,” Nappa said. “You were dead weight to our race.”
“Patata!” Vegeta screamed.
“Vegeta!” Goku screamed.
His father rushed forward and planted his boot firmly in Vegeta’s face. He fell to the ground, holding his head in pain before the king picked him up. The king stared at his son before spitting in his eye.
“Do you not remember the time honored tradition of killing the soft-hearted and kind of our race?” King Vegeta stated. “If we don’t then they’re defective genetics will spread throughout the rest of our race and weaken it.”
He threw Vegeta to the ground, stomping on his neck.
“Wait…!” Goku said. “I-I thought they killed kind Saiyans for fear of the Super Saiyan!”
“Not by this point in history,” the Trampled Innocence replied. “The Super Saiyan destroyed Planet Vegeta and the majority of the Saiyan race a thousand years ago. It had faded into legend with most Saiyans not sure if it ever existed. At this point, the killing of kind Saiyans had become a separate cultural custom of the race from the belief in a Saiyan that would wipe out their kind.”
“Really?” Goku asked. “They…they separated the two beliefs?”
“Yes,” the Trampled Innocence replied. “Most Saiyans aspired to be the Super Saiyan, wishing to live up to the legend of the greatest warrior in the universe. Watch for yourself.”
King Vegeta glared at his son.
“You know I suspected some of this,” he said. “But I thought it was just you being a child. Now…Now I suspect something more.”
The young Saiyan shook his head, shaking in fear.
“If you were anyone but my son,” King Vegeta said. “I would have you slaughtered on the spot like I did your little girlfriend. I will train you not to be weak.”
The scene transitioned from the desert to within the palace of Saiyan royalty. There, Goku saw three adult Saiyans beating on Vegeta. Nappa was among them and Vegeta was developing fist prints on his skin from the punches. King Vegeta stood watching the display of brutality while wearing a scouter.
His body was covered in deep, bloody wounds that only further drained him. Vegeta continued to fight back against his training partners but every attempt to dodge or deflect a punch only resulted in the prince getting further hurt. At some point he fell to the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood.
Vegeta weakly raised his head, looking up to his father with pity. The king merely scowled at his son, clearly disappointed. The prince wailed in misery, tears flowing down his face to mix with the blood from open wounds.
“FATHER!” he shouted. “FATHER! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! ANY FURTHER AND I…I WILL DIE!”
The king shook his head.
“Then I have no use for you,” King Vegeta said. “I have no use for a Saiyan who cannot fight. You are dead weight as you are. If you do not show any aptitude for battle…I will merely sire another heir who will.”
Vegeta’s mouth continued to gape open in a silent scream. However, as his body quivered in physical and emotional agony, a bright aura surrounded him. Just as the Saiyans attempted to stomp on Vegeta again, the prince let out a deafening scream. The king’s eyes went wide as the reading on his power level went up.
All three adult Saiyans were blown off their feet by the tumultuous aura he was producing. After the three Saiyans hit the floor and Vegeta was screaming in rage, one quickly stood up and rushed the prince. The Saiyan child blasted a hole right through his chest, killing him instantly.
The other two Saiyans advanced upon the prince at top speed but the prince weaved around their punches before kicking one of them in the head. Before he could crash to the ground, Vegeta punched the man in the gut, piercing his armor and making him cough up blood. As his lifeless body fell to the ground, Nappa attempted to fight Vegeta in one-on-one combat.
He traded blows with Nappa with surprising efficiency, the speed almost matching the adult Saiyan’s. Just as Nappa managed to land a good blow on the prince’s face, Vegeta punched Nappa in the face as well. Just as Nappa fell to the floor, trying to regain momentum, the prince was already charging a qi beam.
From the prince’s hands a blast of yellow light blasted Nappa, in the chest, knocking him into the opposite wall. The large Saiyan warrior groaned in pain as held his wounded chest, the Saiyan prince desperately trying to catch his breath. He attempted to stay on his feet before King Vegeta broke the silence.
“Hmmm,” he said. “Your power level shot up far higher than Yam and Cucum in that last moment and almost reached Nappa’s. Not bad. Now tell me…does the thrill of killing excite you?”
Vegeta looked at him in a delirious state, his body swaying.
“Honestly…” he said. “Yes. The feeling of taking life…I’ve never felt more alive.”
King Vegeta laughed.
“Good,” he said.
Vegeta smiled before falling to the ground, fainted. The scene changed again where the father and son were shooting qi beams into a species of red winged aliens. They were laughing in unison as they fell to their attacks.
In the next memory, Goku witnessed King and Prince Vegeta being given large sums of gold for their efforts. They were presented by Zarbon and Dodoria while Freeza sat on a throne. After that memory he was immediately transitioned into the Realm of Souls again. The white silhouette of Yamoshi was scratching his chin, obviously contemplative.
“Your latest attempt at a Super Saiyan just made another tyrant,” the Trampled Innocence said. “There are more of us now than ever due to Freeza’s evil deeds. So many of us have been killed by his thugs. If we could merely attach to another host, he would be unfathomably stronger than you were as a Super Saiyan.”
“Do you not think I know that?!” Yamoshi shouted. “I have done everything I could to bring about another pure hearted Saiyan…! EVERYTHING! And every opportunity just slips through our grasp.”
He shook his head.
“If only there was a way to secure a pure hearted Saiyan’s life once he was old enough to…” Yamoshi said. “To be used for our purposes.”
“Then why don’t you take the next pure hearted Saiyan out of Saiyans while he is still young?” the Trampled Innocence asked. “That way he’ll be out of danger of Saiyan cruelty before reaching adulthood.”
“Yes but if he’s out of his parents’ protection then who will give him protection while he’s young and weak?” Yamoshi said. “We can only influence the physical world so much so we can’t rely upon ourselves to protect him from everything.”
“Well you need to think of something fast,” the Trampled Innocence said. “Remember, for some reason, Freeza’s family are becoming afraid of the Saiyans. They believe the Super Saiyan legend might be real and fear their transformation into Great Apes.”
“That’s true,” Yamoshi replied. “We have little time to produce a new Super Saiyan…and we have to get it right before Freeza’s paranoia gets the better of him.”
“We must remove the child from Saiyan influence from the youngest age possible,” the Trampled Innocence said. “There is no other way.”
“I agree,” Yamoshi said. “He needs to leave Planet Vegeta as soon as possible before the filthy Saiyans can taint his pure heart.”
“So we should give him the highest power level possible,” the Trampled Innocence replied. “So that even as a baby he will not need protection.”
“I…” he said. “I got it!”
“What did you think of?” the Trampled Innocence asked.
“No,” he said. “I say we give him the lowest power level possible.”
“What?!” the Trampled Innocence screamed. “But you were the one citing the safety concerns of the Saiyan! How will he survive on his own without a high power level?!”
“Simple,” Yamoshi said. “We send him to a planet among the weakest in the universe.”
“Do you mean how Saiyans send their weakest babies to planets to conquer them?” the Trampled Innocence asked.
“Yes!” Yamoshi stated. “We make him so weak the Saiyans will be forced to rid themselves of him!”
“Yes…” the Trampled Innocence said. “That does make sense. Used to, before Freeza took control of the Saiyan race, the Saiyans would abandon any children they thought of as weak. But now under the Planetary Trade Organization, they send their weak babies to planets full of weak inhabitants in hopes they’ll grow up and kill them off.”
“Yes!” Yamoshi stated. “We will birth a pure hearted Saiyan with a power level so low they’ll have to send him away!”
“No!” the Trampled Innocence said. “That won’t work!”
“Why not?” Yamoshi asked.
“Saiyan babies are often unruly and violent upon birth!” they said. “Saiyans born with a pure-heart do not act out as much compared to their evil brethren! How do you know that he won’t turn out like that one Saiyan baby killed not even a minute after leaving his mother’s womb? We can not afford any plan that could fail even a little!”
“I’m trying to think…” Yamoshi said.
He shook his head as his tail wiggled a little.
“Could it be possible…?” he asked. “To change the Saiyan’s disposition after leaving Planet Vegeta?”
“Possibly,” the Trampled Innocence said. “But only while they are still very young. We can only change a Saiyan’s nature while they are still babies.”
“I think that’s doable,” the Saiyan said. “Only…what planet will we whisper into their ears to jettison him to?”
“Earth!” the Trampled Innocence stated. “That is where the son of Katas is! The Namekian has become guardian of the Earth and can potentially aid the future Super Saiyan by guarding him against evil. He can aid in mentoring the Saiyan so he is not corrupted by any evil.”
“And we’ll direct his spaceship to land amongst the kindest people on Earth,” Yamoshi said. “A man named Gohan who has no children of his own.”
“Then…” Yamoshi said. “We have our plan.”
“And so you finally came into existence,” the Trampled Innocence said. “Goku.”
Goku then saw a baby version of himself in a Saiyan spaceship. From the glass exterior, he saw his child self whine loudly before jettisoning off into space. And the scene around him shifted to a giant ball of qi destroying Planet Vegeta, the small Saiyan leaving as it combusted.
The scene shifted yet again so that was looking at Cooler and his three strongest soldiers. The monitor in Cooler’s ship showed Goku in his ship flying through space, the frost demon’s gaze locked onto the sight. His men discussed what they should do as they zoomed in on its interior.
His henchmen talked of intercepting the Saiyan ship. Through the Trampled Innocence’s power, Goku could read Cooler’s mind to find the frost demon was thinking of destroying the ship. But just as he decided to destroy it, a voice whispered something into his mind.
“Surely destroying a Saiyan child is beneath you? You don’t want to give the impression you’re scared of such a dust mite, do you?”
And Cooler ordered his men to not intercept.
“That…” Goku said. “That was you. You convinced Cooler not to take me out when he had the chance.”
“Of course,” the Trampled Innocence said. “Our means of physical interaction with the mortal realm may be limited but our powers of suggestion are very potent.”
The memory shifted again with Grandpa Gohan taking him from his spaceship and caring for him. Just as Master Roshi told him, the Saiyan baby kicked and screamed, fighting the old man every step of the way. However, just as Gohan was carrying the baby in a basket on his back while trekking up a mountain, a strong gust of wind pushed against Gohan. The baby who was attempting to crawl out of the basket was flung from the container and fell far below into the waterfall. Goku saw his babyself hit his head on the way down.
“And that was our means of changing you,” they said. “Before you became Earth’s guardian.”
A montage of Goku’s life on Earth played out before him. Meeting Bulma, defeating Pilaf, training with Roshi and Krillin and defeating King Piccolo and his son passed through his mind within a second. He was then staring at a more recent memory.
Krillin was holding Yajirobe’s sword over a wounded and scarred Vegeta. The hatred in Krillin’s eyes was palpable and visceral. Goku had never seen so much rage in his best friend.
“We attempted to have you become a Super Saiyan during your battle with Vegeta on Earth,” the Trampled Innocence said. “But you were not enraged enough to kill. With your resistance to end life and Vegeta’s cruel nature, we were at a new impasse: getting one of you to transform. So rather than rely solely upon you, Goku, we thought about giving ample opportunity for both of you to transform.”
“But I thought you said Vegeta was thoroughly evil!” Goku said. “What makes you wish to give him the power of a Super Saiyan?!”
“The fact that Vegeta was still bitter over Patata’s death,” they answered. “Do you not remember what he said to Nappa before killing him? I have no use for a paralyzed Saiyan? You are dead weight? Vegeta secretly hated his race for killing his best friend while at the same time wishing to become the penultimate member of his race to please his father. Since Patata was the only member of the Saiyans Vegeta missed, it meant there was a chance of redeeming him.”
Goku watched as Krillin loom over Vegeta before he could hear the Trampled Innocence’s whisper once again.
“Are you really going to let the man who gave you the most exhilarating match of your life die?” they asked Goku. “Are you really going to let such a rare and precious specimen die?”
Goku shouted in surprise.
“I remember thinking that and telling…!” he said. “Telling Krillin not to kill Vegeta because I wanted to fight him again!”
He shook his head, unable to believe what he just saw.
“That…” he said. “That was you?!”
“Indeed,” the Trampled Innocence said. “We wished to ensure a backup Super Saiyan in case one was unable to transform. We knew Vegeta, you and Freeza would arrive on Namek eventually and that it was our best chance of a Super Saiyan finally arriving after one-thousand years.”
Goku then saw Vegeta fighting many unfamiliar foes. In less than a minute, he saw the Saiyan prince killing a purple-fish faced creature, a fat pink man and a blue skinned alien who could transform from a handsome hunk into a dangerous monster. It then transitioned from that to him fighting the Ginyu Force alongside Gohan and Krillin.
“Seeing as how Vegeta was once pure of heart,” the Trampled Innocence said. “We attempted to cultivate his redemption. Beings of pure heart like your son and best friend were our best chance of doing that. We did our best to empower Vegeta just enough to win against every foe he encountered except Freeza. By the time he locked horns with Freeza, we gave up on giving him our power.”
“And so…?” Goku said. “I came along. And met all the requirements.”
“Precisely,” the Trampled Innocence said. “It took quite a bit of time but we finally created a Super Saiyan.”
“My entire existence…” Goku said. “I thought I was living my to the fullest of my own will…my thoughts my own, my ambitions my own. But in reality…”
He shook his head.
“I was just your puppet,” he said. “Whose strings you pulled every step of the way.”
“Exactly,” the Trampled Innocence answered. “You have no freewill after all. Merely an instrument in our game against the Majins and the evil that produced them. And now you rule the Realm of Souls.”
The memories disappeared and Goku now found himself back in the Soul Realm. His body was perfectly white and he even had a Saiyan tail. He looked down at his hands, disappointed.
“So…” the Trampled Innocence said. “What is your first act as ruler of the afterlife? To destroy more evil races? To cultivate the prosperity of good ones? To bring about the next Super Saiyan to replace you? With the great number of us that have joined the Trampled Innocence due to Freeza’s massacres you have far, far more power than Yamoshi ever had. So, what’ll it be?”
Goku shook his head and sighed.
“I…” he said. “I would like to tell my friends and family goodbye.”
He could feel the trillions of souls composing the Trampled Innocence to sigh, some slightly angered at this request. Goku felt he had offended them too greatly for them to allow this desire to be met. But they soon gave in to his offer.
“So be it,” they answered.