The Tree of Might was gone, not through brute-force annihilation, but through a surgical, cosmic-level act of reversal. Rhode's control over energy was so absolute he could disintegrate its structure while coaxing out and releasing the stolen life force it contained—a feat of precision that defied the imagination of every warrior present.
He had done this partly for King Kai, partly for the Earth itself, and partly as a quiet act of reciprocity. After all, he'd pocketed a few of the Tree's fruits for study. Returning the planet's stolen vitality seemed only fair.
But for Turles, this act of "fairness" was the ultimate desecration.
"BASTARD!"
It happened too fast. The shock hadn't even registered before his source of godhood, his path to usurping Frieza and ruling the cosmos, was reduced to a beautiful, fading shower of light. His heart didn't just break; it felt incinerated.
Earth had been the perfect garden. With its fruits, he could have challenged Frieza! He could have been free! He could have been a true king!
And it was all stolen by this smiling, infuriating stranger.
Blinded by incandescent rage, Turles attacked. He became a screaming comet of hatred, aiming to tear Rhode apart with his bare, fruit-enhanced hands.
Rhode didn't dodge. He simply raised his arm, clenched his fist with a casual, almost lazy motion, and threw a punch.
It wasn't fast. It wasn't flashy.
But the space between them folded. Turles felt an entire universe of pressure slam into him before Rhode's fist was even halfway extended. In that infinitesimal moment, the delusion of his hundreds of thousands of battle power evaporated. The gap wasn't a canyon; it was the distance between a speck of dust and a collapsing star.
"FRIEZA... IS UP TO YOU NOW!"
It was a final, desperate curse, an obsession hurled into the void. His dream of challenging the Emperor was now a ghost's burden to pass on.
BANG.
There was no dramatic collision. Turles's form simply dissolved under the tidal wave of force, atomized into nothingness. No explosion, no lingering ki. Just... silence, where a tyrant had stood.
"Frieza, huh?" Rhode murmured, lowering his fist. He felt a flicker of something—not pity, but a recognition of a shared starting point. Another Saiyan who'd chafed under the Cold Force's boot. Well, I hope your next incarnation finds a better path.
As for this timeline's Frieza? That was a problem for its own Son Goku. Rhode had no doubt the tyrant would meet his fated end here.
He turned. Goku was approaching, supported by Krillin, his jaw practically on the floor. The shock on his face was total. The enemy who had shrugged off a 10x Kaio-Ken Kamehameha had been... erased. With a single, effortless punch.
Following the shock came a brilliant, blazing excitement. A stronger Saiyan! The concept was electric.
"Sorry," Goku said, his voice filled with genuine remorse as he stopped before Rhode. "I... I misunderstood you before." Krillin's hurried explanation had painted a very different picture.
"It's fine," Rhode waved it off. He had what he needed. A few more techniques to learn, and he would begin the delicate work of finding his way back home. The brief time-stop he'd mastered and his heightened node-sense were keys, but navigating the infinite branches of the multiverse to find his specific "main" timeline was another challenge entirely.
"Rhode," Goku said, his eyes sparkling with that pure, unadulterated thirst for the heights of power. "Can you... show me? Your real power?"
"Of course," Rhode agreed easily. To Goku, it was a glimpse of a mountain peak. To Rhode, it was just stating a fact. He was a passing storm in this world's sky.
Buzz-buzz-buzz~
The whine of an engine cut through the post-battle quiet. A Capsule Corp airship descended, and out stepped Bulma, followed by the familiar, motley crew of Oolong, Puar, and Chiaotzu.
Rhode's gaze landed on Oolong and Puar, and his eyes, for the first time, lit up with a different kind of interest—the spark of a collector who just found a missing piece. Transformation Technique.
In his own world, he'd never encountered these two. He'd completely overlooked this seemingly frivolous, yet upon consideration, incredibly versatile and useful ability. It wasn't about power; it was about utility, about deception, about options. And Rhode was in the business of collecting options.
"Great! You're all safe! You guys are amazing!" Bulma chirped as she hurried over with Oolong, Puar, and Chiaotzu in tow, her face beaming with relief that the Earth-threatening crisis had been averted.
"Haha, it was nothing," Goku laughed, scratching the back of his head in that familiar, endearing gesture. A flush of genuine embarrassment colored his cheeks. "To be honest... we mostly have Rhode to thank for fixing this mess." He gestured toward the tall, composed Saiyan.
"Rhode?" Bulma's gaze followed Goku's point. Her eyes widened, and a brilliant, appreciative smile spread across her face. "Wow! So handsome!"
Ahem. Yamcha, standing nearby, suddenly found the air very dusty and coughed several times into his fist, his expression sour.
Rhode, utterly unruffled by the compliment, simply smiled back at her. "Heh. I am Rhode. It's interesting to see the 'you' of this world all grown up."
"The 'me' of this world?" Bulma tilted her head, curiosity piqued.
"I came here... by accident. The Bulma in my world is still a little kid. And quite the handful!" Rhode chuckled, a fond, almost paternal warmth in his eyes as he gestured to indicate a child's height. "A real firecracker."
"Oh? So we're close?" Bulma's eyes sparkled with new interest, and she took a subtle step closer.
Rhode nodded. "You could say that. In my world, the little lady is something of a disciple of mine."
"A disciple?" Bulma was genuinely surprised, but then she grinned. "Well, that makes sense if I'm just a kid there!"
The brief, surreal conversation about alternate-reality selves ended as Bulma, ever practical, held up a capsule and popped it open. Out tumbled the seven Dragon Balls. "I already gathered them! Let's wish back everyone who died because of those aliens!"
The ritual was performed, Shenron's majestic form granting the wish, restoring life to the innocent victims of Turles's rampage. Peace, fragile and earned, settled over the battered planet.
As the last echoes of the dragon's power faded, Goku was immediately at Rhode's side again, his eyes burning with undimmed fervor. "Rhode! Now that everything's settled, let's find a good spot! Please, I really want to see your true strength!" His voice was a mix of reverence and the pure, uncomplicated excitement of a martial artist who had just glimpsed a whole new horizon.
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