Awakening! The Forgotten Saiyan

Frieza was dead.

The sky of Namek was collapsing. Lava surged from fissures in the crust, staining the twilight of the entire planet a doomsday crimson. Two golden figures hovered side-by-side above the churning sea of magma, their Super Saiyan hair whipping wildly in the scorching shockwaves.

"Talos," Goku turned his head, the lingering heat of their recent battle still flickering in his emerald Super Saiyan eyes. "We actually did it."

"We did." Talos looked down at his clenched right fist, golden ki still burning between his knuckles.

A line of text that had never appeared before flickered on his system panel—

"Ding—Legendary achievement unlocked: 'Dual Super Saiyan: Godslayer'."

He closed the panel and extended his fist toward Goku. Their knuckles tapped together in mid-air, a spray of tiny electric arcs exploding from the point of contact.

Talos suddenly smiled. "Kakarot, do you want to hear a story?"

"What kind of story?"

"The story of two Saiyan infants who were launched to the same planet on the same day."

Goku blinked, then grinned. It was the same smile he had worn twelve years ago when they first met on Mount Paozu.

"Tell me."

Talos looked toward the disintegrating planet in the distance, his memories flooding back like a tide.

Age 737, Planet Vegeta.

The launch bay of the spaceport was brightly lit. Hundreds of spherical pods were lined up neatly, like rows of bullets waiting to be fired. Technicians operated consoles with blank expressions, stuffing infants into pods, setting coordinates, and hitting the launch keys.

No one knew that three years later, Frieza would reduce this planet to cosmic dust with a single finger.

And no one knew that among this batch of infants, there were three anomalies. One was Kakarot, at the far left of the holding bay, the future strongest warrior in the universe. Another was Broly, in the center, the Legendary Super Saiyan.

And the third—

In a corner at the far right of the bay, inside an unremarkable oval pod, an infant who had been born only three days prior suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ding—Strongest Saiyan Cultivation System activated."

"Host identity confirmed: Talos, low-class Saiyan warrior, serial number 0372."

"Binding successful."

Talos froze for three seconds. He had transmigrated, and he'd brought a system with him. His infant brain made his thoughts sluggish, but it was enough to understand the situation—the hum of the pod's engine, the crying of infants in other chambers, and the translucent blue screen before his eyes.

"Ding—Detected that host's base power level is only 1. Initiating emergency protection. Newbie gift pack of 100 points issued."

"System, what can I exchange for right now?"

The shop panel expanded, displaying five basic skills: Ki Sense (50 points), Basic Ki Blast (30 points), Flight (pre-requisite, 20 points), Healing Factor (Primary, 80 points), and Combat Instinct Enhancement (60 points).

"Exchange for Ki Sense and Basic Ki Blast. Keep the remaining 20 points."

"Ding—Exchange successful."

Two warm currents surged into his body simultaneously. The first gathered between his brows, like opening a third eye; the flow of energy inside the pod became crystal clear. The second sank into his dantian, tracing a distinct path for ki circulation.

Then the system chimed again: "Detected that host has proactively planned a growth path during extreme infancy, triggering hidden reward—Passive skill 'Ki Control'. Control efficiency increased by 300%, perception range expanded by 200%."

Talos closed his eyes and extended his perception outside the pod. Several kilometers away, in another pod, an infant with a power level of 2 was fast asleep.

Kakarot. My brother.

"System, preview the future."

This was a hidden function he had discovered while exchanging skills—the system could simulate future battles based on current data. Although it was only a simulation, every frame was terrifyingly real.

"Ding—Preview initiated. Target: Frieza Final Form."

The light screen before him shifted abruptly.

He saw a dark red planet, a disc-shaped spacecraft, and a figure sitting on a hovering throne—purple and white skin, scarlet eyes, and a pair of pitch-black curved horns on his head. Frieza.

"A bug with a power level of only ten thousand dares to stand before me?" Frieza's voice in the simulation was still enough to chill one to the bone.

Then, the version of him in the vision moved.

The golden ki of a Super Saiyan erupted, slamming a fist into Frieza's crossed-arm guard. The shockwave tore a jagged hole in the hull of the spacecraft, and Frieza's body was sent flying like a cannonball.

"This is the power you will possess in the future," the system's voice sounded as the image faded. "But whether you truly reach it depends on the host's own choices."

Talos slowly opened his eyes, his infant heart beating steadily and powerfully in his chest. He looked through the porthole at the approaching blue planet.

Wait for me, Kakarot.

The pod sailed through the sea of stars for a full year. Talos spent every hour in consciousness training—his infant body couldn't move, but the system allowed him to control the flow of ki with his mind.

On the night of the full moon, he nearly died. Moonlight spilled in through the porthole, and his Saiyan bloodline instantly went berserk; his heart hammered wildly, and his body began to swell uncontrollably. The system intervened in an emergency, exhausting his last 20 points to suppress the Great Ape transformation. He lay in the pod, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. This was the curse of the Saiyans, but it was also a gift. Once he was strong enough to master it, this ability would become his sharpest blade.

The day his pod entered the solar system, the system popped up a notification: "Approaching target planet's atmosphere. Newbie mission 'Survive and reach the target planet' is nearing completion."

BOOM!

The pod smashed into a primeval forest, the impact collapsing the ground into a deep crater. The hatch popped open, and the sunlight made him squint.

"Ding—Newbie mission complete. Reward: Base power level +100, passive skill 'Battle Gene Awakening'. Current power level: 101."

"Main quest updated: Survive until age 12. Reward: Base power level +5000, skills 'Afterimage Technique', 'Flight', 'Solar Flare', and special item 'Senzu Bean ×3'."

101 power level. Master Roshi had only been a little over one hundred when he fought Demon King Piccolo. But for the enemies of the future—Raditz, Vegeta, Frieza—this power level wasn't even a starting point.

Talos crawled out of the spaceship, his bare feet touching the dirt. The scent of the primeval forest rushed toward him, and the roar of beasts echoed from afar. He sensed a flow of ki—a few kilometers away, steady and gentle, carrying the refinement unique to a martial artist.

An Earthling martial artist. A master living in seclusion on this planet.

Just as he was about to head in that direction, a low growl erupted from the jungle behind him. A saber-toothed tiger over four meters tall emerged from the brush, its eyes flashing with hungry green light, its drool sizzling as it hit the ground with a corrosive hiss.

Talos turned around and looked at the giant beast.

"Ding—Optional battle triggered: Defeat or drive away the mutated saber-toothed tiger. Reward: Power Level +30, passive skill 'Intimidation'."

The saber-toothed tiger lunged. Its four-meter-tall body soared into the air, both claws swinging toward the top of Talos's head with enough force to shatter rock.

Talos didn't dodge. He raised his right hand, fingers splayed, as the ki within him condensed into a blue, fist-sized sphere of light in his palm—a Ki Blast. The sphere shot from his hand, dragging a blue tail of flame as it slammed into the tiger's chest.

The beast's roar cut off abruptly. Its massive body was blasted away, snapping three large trees before it came to a stop. It struggled to stand, but the charred, blackened wound on its chest made even breathing a tremor-inducing ordeal. The saber-toothed tiger whimpered, tucked its tail, and fled into the depths of the dense forest, never daring to look back.

"Ding—Battle complete. Power Level +30, learned passive skill 'Intimidation': Generates psychological suppression against enemies with a lower power level than the host."

Talos lowered his hand. He walked over to one of the snapped trees and pressed his hand against the rough bark. This tree had lived for at least two hundred years, but in the face of absolute power, two hundred years was as fragile as paper. This was the law of the Dragon Ball world—power is everything.

But it was not his law.

He turned and walked toward the direction of the martial artist's ki, his infant footsteps small but resolute.

Above the dense forest of Mount Paozu, a full moon began to rise. At the same time, in a forest on the other side of the planet, an identical spaceship crashed into the ground. An infant named Kakarot was scooped up from the ruins by an old man. The old man looked down at the furry tail of the infant in his arms and smiled kindly.

Master Roshi woke up in the dead of night. He sat up abruptly, too hurried to put on his sunglasses, and ran barefoot to the shore. The sea was calm as usual, moonlight dancing on the waves; everything seemed normal. But he could feel it—something had arrived from beyond the distant horizon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers to the west, deep within a dark forest, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened within the cracks of a seal. That was Demon King Piccolo. The demon king, sealed for three hundred years, sensed a change—not a loosening of the seal, but a migration in the patterns of ki on this planet that he could not comprehend. Something powerful was descending.

Twelve years later.

Age 749, east side of Mount Paozu.

Talos stood beneath a waterfall, his torso bare, his twelve-year-old body gleaming with a bronze luster in the morning light. Twelve years had passed, and the infant who had crawled out of the spaceship had grown into a youth with delicate features but sharp, piercing eyes.

"Ding—Status Panel:

Host: Talos | Age: 12 | Bloodline: Low-class Saiyan (Bloodline Fragment 2/3) | Base Power Level: 5600 | Passive Skills: Ki Control (Max), Battle Gene Awakening (Max), Great Ape Resistance (Max), Intimidation | Active Skills: Flight, Ki Blast, Afterimage Strike, Solar Flare, Multi-Form Technique | System Points: 4200 | Emotion Points: 12400"

A power level of 5,600. Twelve years ago he had only 1; twelve years later, it had increased 5,600-fold. But it wasn't enough. Raditz was 1,500, Vegeta 18,000, Frieza's first form 530,000—his current power couldn't compare to a single finger of Frieza.

"System, Kakarot's location."

"Ding—Son Goku is currently located on the south side of Mount Paozu. Base Power Level: 140. Detected that Son Gohan passed away two years ago; the target is living alone."

It was time to go see Goku. Twelve years of waiting, all for this day.

Talos leaped into the air, his Flight carrying him over the sprawling forests of Mount Paozu. Sunlight pierced through the layers of leaves, casting light upon him as his brown tail swayed slightly in the wind. The distance of five hundred kilometers was but a moment at his speed, and he soon spotted the humble wooden house on the mountainside.

A young boy wearing blue cloth clothes with a tail wrapped around his waist was punching a tree stump, blow after blow. Each punch sent wood chips flying.

Talos descended from the sky, suppressed his ki, and landed on the soft forest floor.

"Your ki is huge!" Goku turned his head, his innocent eyes devoid of any wariness, filled only with pure curiosity. "You have a tail, too!"

"My name is Talos."

"I'm Son Goku! Did you come here to fight me?"

Talos looked down at the small boy who only reached his chest. Kakarot, his brother, the future strongest warrior. He reached out his hand, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Not to fight. To teach you."

"Teach me what?"

"To teach you how to become strong. Strong enough to protect this planet, and protect everyone you want to protect."

Goku's eyes lit up, and his tail wagged happily behind him.

"Okay!"

Talos placed his hand on Goku's head. The gesture reminded him of the preview vision he had seen inside the spaceship twelve years ago—two golden figures floating side by side above a collapsing planet. That scene wasn't a dream. It was the future he had been striving for every single day for the past twelve years. And now, the story officially began.

On a distant island, Master Roshi stood at the door of Kame House, gazing toward Mount Paozu. He sensed two faint but exceptionally similar flows of ki. Something was awakening—not evil, but a more ancient, more powerful force. He took off his sunglasses and wiped the lenses with the hem of his shirt.

"Interesting," the old man muttered to himself. "Saiyan tails; haven't seen those in a long time."

He put his sunglasses back on and turned to walk inside.

"Let's have something good to eat today."

Master Roshi had a premonition—these two long-tailed children would appear before him soon.

At the site of Demon King Piccolo's seal, the crack was widening at a speed visible to the naked eye.