EPIC Side Story: Dragon Ball

Chapter 30: Gospel Truth

As he had no reason to keep it a secret, Vahn waved his hand to produce snacks and beverages for everyone before explaining everything he had told Bulma. This included the fact he was a God, the reason for his visit to Earth, and a basic outline of his powers.

Unsurprisingly, Cheelai wasn't too enthusiastic about the aforementioned revelations. Every culture had Gods they worshipped, but, more often than not, they were just scams made up by people with power to take advantage of those without. The proliferation of the Frieza Forces was the only proof most people needed to know there were such things as Gods. The tyrant had forced the leaders of innumerable religions to admit the truth before publically executing countless more just to illustrate the futility of placing your belief in beings that either didn't exist or were too powerless to act.

The real Gods were those with the power to dictate, control, and harvest the lives of others as their leisure…

A stark contrast to Cheelai's slightly hostile skepticism, Chi-Chi had reverted back to her fangirl mode. Her obsidian eyes glistened with the light of countless stars, and, if she hadn't made up her mind before, she had now. Rather, now that she knew that Vahn was a God, she 'understood' why he had decided to test her. If she couldn't even prove herself against other humans, how could she, a mere Princess from a tiny kingdom, hope to become the wife of a God…?

While Chi-Chi was cementing various thoughts within her mind, the look on her face appearing as though she was gazing at something impossibly distant, Cheelai had other questions she wanted answers to. Vahn hadn't explained why he had chosen her to be Broly's caretaker, so, in a sardonic, borderline vitriolic tone, she asked, "What does a supposed God need someone like me for? There's not anything special about me. Heck, even among the members of my own batch, I scored below average in pretty everything except piloting and marksmanship…"

Though her tone became somewhat melancholic towards the end, Cheelai managed to retain a bit of sharpness in her voice as she glared into Vahn's eyes. In response, the latter just smiled, his tone soft and resonating as he stated, "Everyone is special. Some people just need a bit of help finding out what makes them so. As for why I chose you…it's because you possess a quality that the Frieza Force doesn't test for…"

Furrowing her brows, Cheelai crossed her arms as a means to both comfort herself and appear confrontational as she asked, "Oh? And what, oh mighty God, might that be…?"

Cheating quite a bit by relying on Loi-chan and his ability to view any point in space and time, Vahn left Cheelai absolutely speechless as he created a three-dimensional projection that showed a much younger version of herself, beaten and bloodied, attempting to protect the other children from her batch of podlings. When she found out they were being shipped off to the frontlines, she stood up against their handlers, and, as a result, received numerous beatings for her attempts to both break free and let others escape.

"You have a strong will and a caring heart. It takes tremendous courage to stand against the people who will harm you. It takes exponentially more to stand against the people who harm others…"

Erasing the projection with a casual wave of his hand, Vahn took advantage of Cheelai's silence to continue, adding, "When I told you about how Broly was being mistreated, I could see the pain and anger reflected in your eyes. Now, even though you've only known each other a short while, I would be willing to bet that you would do everything you can to make sure he never has to suffer like that again…"

Demonstrating an ability he had only rarely made use of after his departure from the Nasuverse, Vahn made the Strings of Fate between Cheelai and Broly visible for all to see. He didn't include all of them, but, among the ones he had chosen, there was a luminous black string that radiated a pale green light connecting Broly's and Cheelai's hearts. This was a string representing a powerful desire to protect, and, while Cheelai may be unwilling to admit it, Broly's silence and the gentle expression on his face had spoken louder than any words he might have said…

"…"

Hearing Vahn dutifully reveal the meaning behind each string, the hateful expression on Cheelai's face eased into an introspective glower before finally settling on a conflicted pout. She refused to believe that Vahn was a God, but, seeing him demonstrate a plethora of abilities she couldn't even imagine prior to seeing with her own eyes, she couldn't exactly refute him. Instead, she asked one of the most prominent questions that remained in her mind, "Why don't you stop Frieza…?"

Ceasing his explanation on the Strings of Fate, Vahn dismissed them with a wave before surprising Cheelai by asking, "Why don't you…?"

Furrowing her brows, Cheelai's voice cracked slightly as she retorted, "If I had the power to stop Frieza, do you think I would be sitting here…!?"

Shaking his head, Vahn's expression turned visibly melancholic as he answered, "No…if you had the power to stop Frieza, you would probably be his replacement…"

Though Cheelai's anger had begun to fade during Vahn's explanation, it returned with a vengeance when she heard him compare her to a monster like Frieza. She immediately jumped to her feet, but, despite her efforts to flip the table, it remained firmly planted on the ground due to Vahn promptly placing his hand on its surface.

"Calm down."

With the pupils of her eyes contracting, Cheelai wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, but, as if her indignation had been imaginary, an indescribable sense of incongruency impacted her mind as she found herself calming down in an instant. For a brief moment, she couldn't even remember why she was angry in the first place…

Retracting the power of Authority from his voice, Vahn continued where he left off, explaining, "The reason I do not deal with Frieza is because several others have already been set on that path. If the Gods dealt with every problem that appeared, mortals would become increasingly dependent on us until we broke or they rebelled. To that end, the Gods choose champions and heroes to protect the people in their stead. Broly is one such example…his power and potential are so extreme that, with just a few years of training, there is nothing Frieza could do to stop him…"

Though she wanted to ask what he had done to make her calm, Vahn's mention of Broly caused Cheelai's face to morph into an expression of consternation as she muttered, "I get it…even if I'm a good person, possessing too much power would eventually corrupt me. Is that what you're trying to say…?"

Without waiting for Vahn to respond, Cheelai shifted her attention to Broly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes as she muttered, "It isn't right…like, I understand what you're trying to say, but it isn't right to force someone like Broly to fight a monster like Frieza…"

Speaking before Cheelai could continue on her tangent, Vahn hastily stated, "I mentioned Broly as an example. He isn't going to be the one to slay Frieza. I just wanted you to better understand the point I was trying to make. As for what that point was…even I'm not entirely sure. I just know that it isn't my destiny to defeat Frieza. If you'd like, however, it could be yours."

Blinking in surprise, Cheelai gave Vahn an 'are you an idiot?' kind of look before pointing out, "You just said I would become a tyrant if I was strong enough to defeat Frieza…"

Shaking his head, Vahn clarified, "No, I asked why you didn't stop Frieza and implied that you would be a tyrant if you possessed the power to do so. The missing piece of the puzzle is the method you use to obtain the power to defeat Frieza. If you were simply born with it, much like Frieza, it is pretty much guaranteed that you would become a tyrant. Inversely, if you start from the bottom and work your way up with the intention of defeating him for the sake of others, the odds of you becoming a tyrant are relatively slim."

Though she felt that Vahn had been unnecessarily vague, Cheelai returned to her seat with a plop before crossing her arms and asking, "You seriously expect me to believe that someone like me, a literal mass-produced podling, can defeat the Emperor of the Universe? I'm not sure how Gods are produced but you must have hit your head on the way out…"

Shrugging his shoulders, Vahn maintained a relaxed smile as he retorted, "That, my green-skinned friend, is the true reason you aren't able to defeat Frieza. You aren't even willing to try…"

Furrowing her brows, Cheelai was about to retort when Broly, silencing the entire table, said, "I will defeat Frieza…" in a soft yet resolute tone.

Taken aback by the young Saiyan's words, Cheelai found herself unable to find her own. As a result, Broly was able to continue, saying, "I don't know who this Frieza person is…but I can tell they're bad. If I can grow strong enough to defeat him…people won't have to suffer anymore…everyone can go back to being happy…"

Feeling as though the tiny Saiyan was gripping her heart, a layer of moisture spread across Cheelai's eyes. Broly currently resembled a little kid so it was impossible to imagine him fighting, much less defeating a monster like Frieza. She also couldn't imagine the kind of training someone would have to go through in order to get that strong. All she knew for certain was that it wouldn't be easy…you didn't obtain the power to defeat a tyrant without experiencing unimaginable suffering…

Speaking before Cheelai could even think to protest, Vahn stated, "That is a matter for the far, far future. For now, the most important thing the two of you can be doing is enjoying your lives to the fullest. You have both endured an extremely traumatic experience. Possessing a balanced mental state is one of the most important aspects to increasing your strength, so, if you're serious about defeating Frieza, focus on becoming happy first. Once you possess something worth fighting for, your power will grow by leaps and bounds…"

Taking advantage of the fact that Broly was seated next to him, Vahn punctuated his words by gently ruffling the young Saiyan's head. He wouldn't be able to do this for very long, so, before Broly shot up like a bamboo shoot near the end of Spring, Vahn intended to caress his head as much as possible. Intimacy was one of the reasons, but, more important than that, he was slowly unlocking the youth's unfathomable potential. This was an ability he had possessed even as far back as Danmachi, so, now that he existed in a world where Elder Namekians could literally draw out the potential contained within a person's 'soul', Vahn figured he might as well do the same…

…

…

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Chi-Chi is at 120% o_o…','Vahn speakin' the tru-true…','"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man…"')