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The sky darkened bit by bit, heavy black clouds pressing down as thunder rolled in waves. The heavens looked apocalyptic, the kind of storm that made the world itself seem on edge.
In the forest, the wind howled wildly, thrashing trees and bending grass flat against the ground.
Then, after that ominous buildup, rain came crashing down—thick, violent, relentless—flooding everything in sight.
Inside a quiet valley, Harry, Gine, and Celari huddled in their spaceship, waiting out the storm.
This planet's tempests weren't anything like the ones on normal worlds. Here, when it rained, it was like the sky itself was dumping oceans. The downpour was so intense it was hard to believe the ship's hull could really take it.
If Harry hadn't been sure the vessel could endure, he'd have launched straight into orbit already.
Inside the ship, he stared out through the viewport at the storm-ravaged world. His thoughts wandered, drifting with the rain.
Hours slipped by. The rain eventually softened into a drizzle. Harry stretched, ready to step out for a breath of fresh air—when his scouter suddenly blinked with a new signal.
A transmission—from the Frieza Force.
And the message made his heart stop.
Planet Vegeta… destroyed.
The words hit harder than thunder. For a moment, Harry just froze, staring blankly at the message.
"…So it's finally happened."
He muttered the words softly, almost to himself.
Ever since they'd set foot on Planet Oyune—no, ever since the day they'd left Planet Vegeta—he'd been waiting for this moment. Counting the days. Running the numbers.
He'd prepared for so long that he'd almost grown numb to it.
I wonder if Bardock… really died in the explosion.The thought slipped in unbidden, dragging his mind toward that half-remembered legend.
If Bardock had died with the planet, Harry had already decided—he'd use the Dragon Balls to bring him back.
But if the legend was true—if Bardock had somehow been thrown into the past, to fight as a Super Saiyan in another time—then that was different. That was destiny, and Harry wouldn't try to change it.
As those thoughts spiraled, the cabin door hissed open. Gine and Celari burst out of their quarters, both looking pale and shaken.
Clearly, they'd just seen the same message.
"Harry! You saw it too, right? Planet Vegeta—it's gone! They say it was hit by a massive meteor—exploded completely!" Gine's voice trembled, her tone sharp with panic.
Her whole body was shaking. You could hear the fear in her voice—the disbelief, the dread.
Of course she was worried about Bardock.
She'd felt something strange that day they left the planet. A quiet, uneasy premonition. Now that feeling had become reality, and it crushed her.
Her face had gone ghost white, sweat beading down her temples. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her breath unsteady.
Just as Harry had expected, Gine's emotions were about to boil over.
"I got the same message," he said quietly. "But, Aunt Gine—please, don't panic. If this news is true, then what's done is done. We can't lose control now. What we can do is be grateful—because Uncle Bardock's warning was right. Thanks to him, we're alive."
"Wait—Harry! You and Uncle Bardock knew this might happen?" Celari blurted out, her voice rising. "Why didn't you tell me?"
It was half accusation, half heartbreak.
Even though she was only five, Celari wasn't a baby. She understood enough to feel betrayed.
It was like being the only one in the family left in the dark while everyone else shared a terrible secret. Anyone would feel like an outsider.
"That's my fault," Harry admitted. "I didn't want to worry you. And honestly, nothing had happened for so long—I thought maybe I was overthinking it."
He said it gently, partly to calm Celari, but mostly to soothe Gine.
Celari could be comforted with reason. Gine was another matter.
If he showed even a hint of certainty or guilt, she'd blame him—or worse, blame herself.
Better to make it sound uncertain, like no one could've known for sure.
That way, she wouldn't spiral. And he could keep the plan intact.
"I just… can't believe it," Gine whispered, voice trembling. "Harry, tell me Bardock's going to be okay. Please—just tell me that."
She was forcing deep breaths, trying to keep herself from breaking down. She needed something—anything—to hold on to.
And in that moment, she regretted letting Harry modify the scouters. He'd stripped out the communication functions for safety. Now they couldn't even send a message—only receive them.
"I'm sure Uncle Bardock had everything planned," Harry said softly. "Besides, he left the planet before we did. He was off on a mission, remember? It's too soon for that mission to be over."
It was a gentle lie, but a necessary one.
He didn't know if Bardock was alive or not. But Gine didn't need the truth yet.
Her breathing steadied. A little.
That small flicker of hope would have to be enough for now.
"I get how you feel, Aunt Gine," Harry went on. "And I know you probably want to go back, to see for yourself—but we can't. Bardock told me before we left: no matter what happens, we don't return. Not unless he comes for us first.
"If we go back now, we're walking right into Frieza's trap. I'm almost sure that 'meteor' story is just a cover. Frieza did this. If we show up, we're next."
His voice grew firm, cutting off her hesitation before it could grow.
They couldn't throw away Bardock's sacrifice. Not now.
"B-but…" Gine's body trembled again. She couldn't deny he was right—but her heart refused to accept it.
"Harry," Celari whispered, eyes wide and glassy, "if we can't go back… and Planet Vegeta's really gone… then we don't have a home anymore, do we?"
Harry looked at her for a long moment. Then he sighed and smiled faintly.
"No. You're wrong. As long as we're together—wherever we are—that's home."
His words were quiet but steady, carrying a warmth that eased the air around them.
He understood that feeling all too well—the ache of losing the only world you ever called home.
Just like him.
No matter how many years had passed, his real home would always be that distant world called Earth.
Even five years on Planet Vegeta hadn't changed that truth.
"..."
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