Following Rhode's gaze, the vista that unfolded below was not the familiar continents. Dominating a vast swath of the planet's surface was a gargantuan, monstrous tree. Its trunk was thicker than mountains, its branches blotting out the sky, its roots likely delving deep into the planet's mantle. An aura of overwhelming, vampiric vitality pulsed from it—the unmistakable signature of the Tree of Might.
Turles.
The name surfaced instantly, accompanied by the image of a Saiyan with Goku's face but a cruel smirk and sun-darkened skin. The fruit-thief. The cosmic parasite.
So, I've landed in that movie's timeline, Rhode mused. A parallel branch where Earth's warriors, while battered, still stood, and the conflict had taken this specific, arboreal turn. This wasn't the canon invasion by Vegeta and Nappa; this was a different kind of Saiyan blight.
The information—a childhood memory of a film—was just a flicker in his mind, quickly dismissed. This was no movie. This was a real world, with real people suffering as the planet's life was siphoned into that grotesque tree to produce its "divine" fruit.
His focus narrowed to the Tree and to Turles, whose violent ki signature flared near its base. The Tree of Might fruit was legendary, said to grant immense power. Yet, Rhode felt only disgust. Power gained by devouring the life essence of a world and its inhabitants? It was a parasitic shortcut, likely addictive, and born of genocide. He would never consume such a thing.
But... as a biological specimen, as a source of genetic data, it was priceless. A few fruits, some seeds—perfect material for the reformed Dr. Gero's research. That was a resource worth collecting.
As for Turles himself... Rhode's senses assessed the Saiyan's power. Around 30,000 battle power before fruit consumption. A level Rhode could have crushed even before his journey to Namek. Now, with power in the tens of millions, Turles was less than an insect, even gorged on the tree's bounty.
Having made his assessments, Rhode turned back to the stunned guardian and his attendant. "Kami," he said, his voice calm and clear. "I am Rhode. I come from... another stream of time. But I am, in essence, a child of Earth. Seeing it in crisis, I cannot stand idly by."
He offered a brief, respectful nod upwards, through the atmospheric layers, directly towards a specific point in the cosmic network—the tiny planet of King Kai. He sensed the deity's observation and sent a pulse of pure, non-threatening intent.
On King Kai's planet, the plump, blue-skinned Kaioshin jolted, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. "Sharp! Unbelievably sharp!" he muttered, unnerved. In all his millennia of observing the living through his spiritual network, no one had ever looked back and pinpointed him so effortlessly. The implications of a time-traveler, one with such staggering power and awareness, made the Turles crisis suddenly seem like a minor squabble.
Back on the Lookout, Rhode gave Kami and Mr. Popo a final, reassuring smile. "You two carry on with your vigil. I'll go down and... take a look."
He vanished.
On the ravaged Earth below, the battle was a chaotic scramble. Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Piccolo fought desperately against Turles's armored henchmen. The air was thick with the scent of ozone and crushed vegetation.
Near the titanic roots of the Tree, in a cave illuminated by its hellish glow, a different struggle was taking place. Gohan, transformed into a raging Great Ape by the light of the full moon (or some artificial substitute), had been a mindless engine of destruction. But the sudden appearance of Icarus, the small, loyal dragon, had pierced the beast's fury. A flicker of the boy's consciousness had surfaced within the ape's red eyes.
And that flicker of consciousness, that spark of Gohan's gentle heart, now focused not on his friends, but on the source of all this pain—the smug Saiyan laughing as he plucked another glowing fruit from the monstrous tree. The Great Ape's head turned, a low, earth-shaking growl emanating from its throat, its gaze now locked solely on Turles.
"Fool! Do you really think you can defeat me?"
Turles sneered at the Great Ape's clumsy, rage-driven lunge. He easily dodged, floating into the air with contemptuous ease. So much for recruiting the traitor's whelp, he thought, watching the beast leap after him. His hands clapped together, and a buzzing, razor-sharp ring of energy—a technique similar to the Kienzan—materialized between his palms.
"Die!"
If he couldn't have the brat, he'd erase him. With a roar, Turles hurled the disc of annihilation at the Great Ape's massive chest.
"Gohan! No!!"
Goku arrived in a burst of speed, his own Kienzan already forming in his hand. He flung it, aiming not at Turles, but at the Great Ape's tail—the only way to save his son.
But before his attack could connect, a figure blurred into existence right beside the towering ape. A hand shot out, grabbed a handful of the ape's coarse fur, and then both the figure and the Great Ape vanished.
Tear!
BOOM!
Goku's Kienzan shot through the empty space where the ape had been and collided perfectly with Turles's energy ring. The superior technique won out, slicing Turles's attack in two, triggering a violent, blinding explosion that shook the canyon.
Ignoring the blast, Goku's senses frantically searched for his son's ki. He found it, stable and close, and shot toward the source like a golden arrow.
"Gohan!"
He burst out of the cave's mouth and onto a nearby hill. There, he saw his son, small and naked, held securely in the arms of a tall, unfamiliar Saiyan. Goku lunged forward, ready to fight.
"Easy. The little guy is fine. Just unconscious," Rhode said, his voice calm and authoritative. To preempt any rash action, he gently tossed the sleeping Gohan toward his father.
Goku caught him, his panic subsiding as he felt the steady rhythm of his son's breath and ki. Only then did he properly look at the stranger. The black, spiky hair, the muscular build, and most tellingly, the tail coiled at his waist.
"You... you're a Saiyan too?" Goku asked, his guard still up, confusion warring with a flicker of kinship.
Before Rhode could answer, the air crackled. Turles descended, landing a short distance away, his surprise evident. A wide, predatory grin spread across his face.
"How interesting! I didn't expect to find more of our kind surviving!" Turles's eyes flicked between Goku and Rhode, his earlier irritation replaced by avaricious delight. "Kakarot. And you, stranger. I'm feeling generous. Swear allegiance to me, and I will still consider you comrades."
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