~ At the Same Time: Guru's Training Field ~
Gohan sat just outside the training field, his chin resting on his knees as he watched Krillin enthusiastically test his newfound power. He sensed Mr. Piccolo standing silently beside him, arms crossed, almost like a sentinel. Over the past year, Gohan had grown accustomed to this and now found it reassuring.
At the moment, it was just the two of them, the absolute perfect opportunity. Gohan glanced at Piccolo surreptitiously, gathering his thoughts.
"So, Mr. Piccolo," Gohan began, his voice trembling slightly with nerves but growing firmer as he continued. "Back then, during Mr. Nappa's attack, you stood in front of me and shielded me, even though that attack could have killed you. Why did you do that?"
Piccolo stiffened slightly as Gohan's gaze met his, a flicker of an unknown emotion crossing his features before he quickly masked it. He averted his eyes, breaking eye contact with Gohan.
"Don't read too much into it," he said gruffly, his tone intentionally dismissive. "It didn't mean as much as you think it did."
Gohan tilted his head, studying Piccolo intently. After spending so much time with his mentor, he liked to think he understood Piccolo better than anyone else. He knew better than to always take Piccolo's words at face value, knowing that his mentor had his own pride to uphold.
"I doubt that," Gohan mouthed silently, a small knowing smile forming. He knew oh so clearly that Piccolo was downplaying the significance of his protective act. Why? Because Gohan knew Piccolo well enough to know that his mentor would never take action accidentally.
"Dad was right, deep down, you aren't evil at all," Gohan stated with conviction.
Piccolo's head whipped around in surprise at Gohan's words. He stared at the young Saiyan hybrid, taken aback.
Gohan met Piccolo's gaze head-on, maintaining an unblinking stare. He could see Piccolo growing uncomfortable with the extended eye contact, but he remained resolute, wanting to convey all his understanding and respect through his eyes alone.
Piccolo coughed and slowly, almost reluctantly, turned away, suddenly finding the distant hills on the horizon particularly captivating.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Gohan smirking triumphantly.
Gohan abruptly stood up and rushed over to Piccolo, wrapping his arms around the Namekian in a bear hug. "It's okay, Mr. Piccolo," he mumbled unintelligibly into Piccolo's side. "You don't have to say anything, I know."
Piccolo stiffened, caught off guard by the sudden display of affection. His instincts urged him to pull away, but he couldn't bring himself to push the young Saiyan back. He remained tense, but, as Gohan continued to hold him tightly, Piccolo gradually felt tension ease from his muscles. He awkwardly patted Gohan on the head a few times, unsure how to properly display affection.
Given his origins and reputation, he was rather unfamiliar with the concept in general.
Suddenly, a cough broke the moment. Startled, Gohan released Piccolo and turned around as if he had been caught staying up late by his mom. Behind them stood Nail, accompanied by Mushin, who clung to Nail's shoulder like a little monkey.
Neither Piccolo nor Gohan had sensed their approach. Despite knowing they could no longer detect other Namekians' Ki signatures, they were still not used to the sudden loss of the sense they had always depended on.
Mushin, always curious and full of energy, waved enthusiastically at Gohan and Piccolo. "Hi, Gohan! Hi, Piccolo!" he chirped.
Gohan waved back, still feeling awkward. Piccolo, on the other hand, ignored the greeting, instead staring at Nail challengingly.
"Seems like I interrupted something," Nail smirked mockingly at Piccolo, feeling like he had struck gold. He finally found some ammunition to use against this disrespectful Namekian who knew nothing–and wanted to know nothing–of his own culture. That had irked him from their very first meeting.
But this wasn't the time for petty grudges.
"Lord Guru needs to speak to everyone, so we need to get moving," Nail announced firmly, giving Piccolo a pointed look while adjusting Mushin on his shoulder to ensure the young Namekian wouldn't slip and fall.
Piccolo met Nail's gaze unflinchingly, his own eyes narrowing in response to Nail's confrontational stare. A subtle tension arose, electricity seemingly crackling between them as their eyes locked in a silent standoff.
Gohan looked rather surprised at the hostility. He glanced between Piccolo and Nail, trying to understand the tension between the two Namekians.
After assembling with Krillin, the group returned to Guru's residence. Ajax, who had been quietly waiting with Dende and Bulma, joined them. As they entered the chamber where Guru awaited, the ancient Namekian elder regarded them with a serene expression, his eyes seemingly penetrating the depths of their souls.
"Warriors from Earth," Guru began, his voice resonating. "The power you have received originates from the hidden potential and strength that you are already capable of achieving with your current physical limits, yet have not, for one reason or another. In the days ahead, your strength will continue to grow until your bodies reach a new equilibrium."
"Woah, you mean we can get even stronger?" Krillin blurted out eagerly, his eyes widening with anticipation. He quickly winced as Nail shot him a glare for the interruption.
"Correct. Those of you with bodies capable of handling greater power received more of it," Guru replied patiently, casting a discreet glance at Ajax. He then gestured to quell Nail's irritation over Krillin's interruption. "But that is not the main reason I have summoned you here. Dreadful enemies are approaching Namek—enemies we must rely on you to defeat."
Guru was, of course, referring to the approaching Ginyu Force. He did not doubt that Frieza would deploy his elite warriors given the setbacks he faced thus far. For now, this knowledge was limited to only Ajax and himself.
"Even worse than Frieza?!" Krillin couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief once more.
This time, Nail sharply punched him in the shoulder, shooting him a deadly glare. Krillin winced, rubbing his shoulder ruefully as he recoiled under Nail's gaze, muttering apologies.
Guru chuckled softly, amused by the spectacle. "Certainly not. If that were the case, it would be more prudent to discuss gathering the Dragon Balls and evacuating the planet," Guru paused to allow his audience to regain calm. "I was instead referring to his elites."
However, fate, as capricious as ever, chose that precise moment to intervene with its infamous weapon: Murphy's Law. As always, the universal principle that "anything that can go wrong, will go wrong" activated with impeccable timing.
Guru suddenly jerked in his seat, his usually serene demeanor shattered in an instant. He froze, his wrinkled eyes widening in alarm and shock. The abruptness of his movement drew everyone's attention like iron dust to a magnet, the room falling into unease as they observed the elder Namekian's intense reaction.
"That's– that's impossible!" Guru's voice was like thunder, shattering the eerie silence and jolting everyone else.
The atmosphere within the room became palpably tense. All eyes were fixed on Guru as his expression cycled through shock, disbelief, confusion, and then settled into deep solemnity.
Ajax, standing among the gathered group, stiffened at Guru's display of shock. Now that he knew Guru possessed complete knowledge of the canon, he realized that whatever had caused the Grand Elder to react so violently was far from normal—it must be an anomaly.
"Lord Guru, what exactly..." Nail began cautiously, unnerved like the rest. His question trailed off, unfinished, as he awaited Guru to collect himself and offer some clarity.
"Things are about to become extremely complicated," Guru stated solemnly, his mouth set in a small frown. He paused, taking a breath before continuing. "Slug is on his way to Namek. Judging from the resonance I sensed, I anticipate him reaching Namek's atmosphere within a day."
Ajax nearly cursed aloud. Who was Slug? He was an enemy nearly on par with a fucking Super Saiyan! At least, he had been after regaining his youth with the Dragon Balls.
If Slug was indeed en route to Namek, then their already precarious situation had escalated to a completely new level of "oh fuck".
Ajax clenched his fists involuntarily, his mind racing through the implications. The slight silver lining was that he believed the Slug currently heading to Namek likely hadn't regained his youth yet with the Dragon Balls, making it reasonably safe to assume he wasn't yet a Super Saiyan-level threat.
That being said, even in his aged state, Slug was an opponent they were ill-prepared to take on at the moment.
As Guru elaborated on Slug's identity to the group, Ajax's focus sharpened. He absorbed Guru's info dump almost mechanically, his focus filtering out everything except Nail, Mushin, and Dende's confusion regarding Slug's status as another survivor of the cataclysm. However, Ajax dismissed their surprise; of course, Slug had survived—if he hadn't, he would be dead.
However, like a hook sinking into flesh, another detail from Guru's initial exclamation had caught Ajax's attention. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Ajax stepped forward, completely serious.
"Elder Guru, earlier you used the word 'impossible.' Why did you use that to describe Slug's return?" Ajax refused to believe it was merely a figure of speech.
Guru met Ajax's gaze evenly. "Because I had exiled him from Namek, cursed never to return—"
Ajax opened his mouth, counterargument at the ready, but before he could speak, Guru continued, his next words striking Ajax like a bolt of lightning.
"—using the Dragon Balls."
Ajax's mouth snapped shut in shock, his counterargument scattering like leaves in the wind.
…what did Guru just fucking say? He used the Dragon Balls?!
That changed everything, Ajax realized with a sinking feeling. If Porunga himself had been summoned to enforce Slug's exile and ensure he could never return to Namek, then Slug's imminent arrival was extremely troubling. Just how had Slug managed to bypass–or worse, nullify–the wish that had banished him? What loophole had he exploited to defy the decree imposed by the Dragon Balls?
The power of the Dragon Balls was nearly absolute... wasn't it?
The issue was that Ajax didn't have the answers. Despite all the knowledge he had accumulated as a fan, including information up to the end of the Tournament of Power, there was no inkling of an explanation for how this could be accomplished. It felt like a foundational law of his understanding of the Dragon Ball universe had been shattered right before his eyes.
Ajax glanced at Guru, seeking reassurance or insight, but instead found only deep concern. Seeing Guru, the very creator of the Dragon Balls, uncertain and troubled, had sent a chill running down Ajax's spine.
"Tch," Piccolo interjected with a sound of annoyance. "So, how powerful is this Slug right now? Stronger than Frieza?"
Everyone else nodded in agreement, indicating they had been wondering the same thing. They turned expectantly to Guru, who shook his head.
"At his peak a millennia ago, undoubtedly so, but now, it's unlikely."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the group, though among them, only Ajax grasped the full truth behind Guru's words—they referred not to Frieza in his current state, but to the formidable might of Frieza's fourth and final form. He sure as hell wished Slug was weaker than Frieza's initial form.
"We can't afford to confront him directly. Dealing with Slug is beyond our capability, especially not when Frieza is lurking just around the corner," Ajax asserted firmly, his hands clasped under his chin as he swiftly adjusted his plan to accommodate the new threat. "We need to orchestrate a scenario where they fight and exhaust each other's strength."
Facing Slug and Frieza simultaneously was straight-up impossible.
"That would be the optimal outcome," Guru agreed. "At this point, both will pursue the Dragon Balls and will naturally clash, even without our intervention. However, Slug's presence also means we can no longer entrust Escagor and Tsuno with the Dragon Balls."
Thoughts flying, Ajax immediately connected the dots, "Because Slug has methods to bypass your magic or detect the Dragon Balls directly?"
Guru nodded gravely.
"Exactly. But I still have ways of shielding them from his detection–if I possess them. This means that retrieving the scattered Dragon Balls still in our possession is of utmost importance. I'll inform Escagor and Tsuno of the situation and have them send the Dragon Balls to me."
"So, our task is to run interference then? To counter any elite warriors Frieza might deploy?" Ajax inquired.
Guru paused, considering the proposal. After a moment of thought, he shook his head slowly and gave Ajax a knowing look.
"Only in dire emergencies. I prefer for all of you to remain here. Each of you is important, and there will be more adversaries in the future that will require your attention. I shall deal with Slug. Frieza remains your primary concern."
Ajax nodded. He crossed his arms and lowered his head in thought, the wheels within his mind already churning out strategies for the battles to come.
During this rapid exchange, the rest of the group flicked their eyes between Guru and Ajax back and forth as they spoke.
"So, who died and appointed you the leader?" Piccolo finally seized the opportunity to voice his skepticism, leveling a sharp look at Ajax.
Ajax appeared rather surprised by the question and responded with an amused shrug. Hadn't this guy been happily following his plans since like–forever?
With a nonchalant gesture, Ajax blandly pointed his finger toward Guru, who sat quietly in his throne chair. The implication was clear: if Piccolo had any objections, he should talk to that dude over there.
Before Piccolo could press further, Nail interjected sternly, clearly displeased himself. "Do you have an issue with the Grand Elder's plan?"
"What's your problem? He's not my elder, so I'm not beholden to his every word," Piccolo snapped back sharply, his temper rising in response to Nail's persistence.
"What's my problem? You're my problem, and that's the problem!"
Regrettably, their argument escalated despite attempts to intervene and mediate. After considerable strife and a few black eyes, they eventually settled on a tentative plan.