While Trunks and Tarble led a detachment of elite fighters to pacify the Demon Star, Jeice and Burter worked to restore order within the Alliance. A collective sigh of relief washed over the populace as a sense of stability returned. It was then that Raditz and the unified Saiyans reappeared, their immense energy signatures startling everyone.
"Lord Raditz! You've returned!" Trunks exclaimed, his surprise quickly turning to confusion. "And… what happened to everyone?" He stared, bewildered, at the fused Saiyans.
They were recognizable, yet fundamentally changed. Pepara or maybe Zucara, for instance, now possessed a captivating blend of gentle grace and fierce intensity, her features sharpened with a heroic edge that made her stunning figure all the more formidable. It was as if two distinct souls now resided in a single, perfected form. Not only was their appearance unsettling, but their power levels now vastly surpassed his own.
Raditz offered a faint, satisfied smile. "The result of the fusion technique. Not bad, is it?"
"Not bad" was a colossal understatement. It was Trunks's first time witnessing the effects of fusion, and the explosive power it granted left him speechless with admiration. A sense of awe rippled through the Alliance headquarters, stoking their own ambitions for greater power.
The Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa, appeared and quickly explained the situation to Trunks, preparing to bring him back to the Time Nest. The fabric of spacetime was becoming increasingly fragile, and Trunks's strength was desperately needed.
"It's time to go, Trunks," Raditz said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "A new temporal fissure has opened, and they need your help."
"I understand. I won't let you down," Trunks nodded, his expression grimly determined. "And thank you, Raditz, for your guidance. This experience pushed me to a new level. I promise I'll be even stronger the next time we meet." He clutched the sword his father had given him and shot a final glance toward Vegeta.
Their eyes met, a silent and electric exchange. Vegeta turned his head away almost instantly, but not before raising a hand and giving a subtle thumbs-up. A knowing smile touched Trunks's lips as he joined Chronoa.
"Raditz, I'll be in touch," she said, tossing him a new 'V' shaped badge. With a flash of kaleidoscopic light, a swirling vortex of temporal energy enveloped her and Trunks, pulling them into a channel that stretched toward an unknown destination. Raditz secured the badge to his uniform and gave a final nod as they vanished.
With the enemy defeated and Trunks returned to his duty, a sense of normalcy began to settle. The Alliance headquarters was already buzzing with orderly repair and reconstruction efforts. Everything was returning to its proper course. Raditz gathered the remaining warriors and, after a brief stop at the Galactic Tournament arena, teleported them all to the familiar blue-green marble of Earth.
They materialized on the Lookout to a scene of utter devastation. The entire platform was a wreck of craters and shattered marble. The air, thin at this altitude, was thick with the lingering scent of gunpowder. Standing calmly amidst the destruction was Piccolo, radiating a horrifying level of power.
"What… what in the world happened here?" someone stammered, eyes wide with disbelief.
"Piccolo!" Vegeta's heart hammered against his ribs. To see yet another warrior achieve such a dramatic leap in strength was a blow to his pride. "How is this possible?"
Goku, ever the optimist, just grinned. "Whoa, Piccolo! Did you break through your limits, too? That's awesome!"
While the others marveled at Piccolo's newfound power, Raditz's eyes scanned the area, noting a key absence: Kami, the Guardian of Earth. That, combined with Piccolo's incredible power surge, told him everything he needed to know. The two had become one again.
"You're finally back," Piccolo said, his voice a calm, deep baritone as he opened his eyes.
"What's going on? Are you still Piccolo?" Vegeta demanded, unable to contain himself. "How did you get this strong all of a sudden?" It was the question on everyone's mind. They had resorted to a unique fusion technique to gain their power, but Piccolo had seemingly grown stronger out of thin air. How could they accept that?
Piccolo answered simply, "I have reunited with the Guardian."
"Reunited? It can't be that simple!" Vegeta snarled, clenching his fists.
"The Guardian and Piccolo were originally one being," Raditz explained. "They've merely returned to their true self. The only problem is, if that's the case… the Dragon Balls are gone."
A small smile touched Piccolo's lips. "On that, Raditz, you are mistaken."
He swept aside his white cape, revealing Mr. Popo and two young Namekians emerging from the inner sanctum. Dende and Cargo, both clad in divine robes with the character for "God" inscribed on their chests, held matching scepters.
Two Guardians? Raditz thought, momentarily stunned. He had to admit, that was an unexpected solution.
"So the Dragon Balls are still active?"
"No. They were used by Garlic Jr."
Piccolo shook his head and recounted the tale of the demon's vengeful return. Tights scribbled furiously, her reporter's instincts firing on all cylinders. In turn, Raditz detailed the chaos at the Galactic Tournament, and as the two sides exchanged information, Towa's sprawling, insidious plan finally came into focus.
No one had imagined that a battle spanning the universe would reach all the way to Earth. Had Piccolo not remained behind, the consequences would have been catastrophic. The realization only deepened their shared disgust for the denizens of the Demon Realm.
With Earth's Dragon Balls inert, their only hope of restoring the Saiyan homeworld lay with New Namek. All eyes turned to Raditz, awaiting his decision.
"If the Dragon Balls have been used, then we'll just have to make new ones," Raditz declared, scooping Rukon into his arms. "Son, how would you like to create a dragon?"
"A Dragon? Yes! I want to!" Rukon cheered, bouncing with excitement. He had no idea what a dragon was, but the name alone sounded like a grand adventure.
"Rukon?" The others stared, dumbfounded. He was Raditz's son, but surely creating a dragon was beyond the abilities of a child.
Raditz merely smiled. With a flicker of movement, he vanished and reappeared moments later, having retrieved the seven fragments of the Super Dragon Balls from King Kai's world. The shards had been polished into perfect spheres, each slightly larger than a Namekian Dragon Ball. As the seven orbs, crafted from the most sacred materials in the cosmos, hovered before them, a collective gasp went through the crowd. Even the androids, who knew of their existence, couldn't help but swallow nervously at the sight of their true, immense forms.
"I also brought some sacred soil from the Realm of the Kais. It will be the perfect vessel for the dragon's power," Raditz announced, setting down a large bag of soft, mixed earth. He had Mr. Popo prepare a large tray.
Then, Raditz and Rukon sat on the floor and began to shape the clay. Raditz's mind guided the process, his telekinesis molding the clay with exquisite precision. Every detail, down to the individual scales he etched with a fingernail, was rendered with lifelike accuracy. Rukon, meanwhile, was simply having fun, squishing the clay into a fat, worm-like body and smearing mud all over his face.
The sacred task soon devolved into a playful mud fight between father and son, their laughter echoing across the Lookout. The others watched, speechless. Are they creating a dragon or just playing in the mud?
After nearly two hours, the new Shenron was complete. The formless tail Rukon had slapped together was now a vivid, powerful appendage under Raditz's skillful touch. The earthen-colored dragon stood majestically on its tray, now protected by a glass cover, exuding an aura of innate majesty.
"Incredible. It looks just like Shenron."
"Similar to Earth's dragon, but not quite the same."
"What's next? Do we just summon it?" Goten and young Trunks pushed forward, their faces pressed against the glass in wonder.
Raditz knelt beside his son, gesturing from the Dragon Balls to the clay model. "Go on, Rukon. Connect the power of the Dragon Balls to the Dragon. You must gain the approval of the Dragon God."
Rukon raised one small hand toward the glowing orbs and the other toward the clay dragon. A strange, magical energy began to emanate from his body, and a brilliant light enveloped him, the Dragon Balls, and the model, binding them together in its radiance. The ancient Namekian elders must have received the Dragon God's blessing in this very way.
"I hear someone talking to me!" Rukon cried out in surprise. "He said... something strange."
The language of the gods! Having spent time in the God of Destruction's realm, Raditz had studied the ancient tongue and instantly recognized the phrase. "Come forth…."
The Dragon God Zalama was bestowing the incantation upon Rukon—a clear sign of his approval.
The light intensified, growing brighter and more vast. The seven Dragon Balls began to hum and vibrate, then soared into the sky, ascending in a glorious, spiraling dance. Their combined light formed a beam that shot toward the heavens, passing through the circle they created to reveal a dazzling splendor. For a fleeting moment, the silhouette of the new dragon appeared within the light before vanishing into the void.
The seven Dragon Balls then scattered, streaking across the sky in seven different directions like meteors splitting the heavens.
"Go!" Raditz yelled.
Instantly, seven Saiyans shot into the air, each returning moments later with a Dragon Ball cradled in their arms. The orbs pulsed with an orange-red light, their translucent surfaces refracting a brilliant glow from the gilded stars suspended within.