Dragon Ball: Mori's tales

Mori stood in front of Vegeta as the two prepared to board the training vessel. "This ship has everything we need—enough food, supplies, everything to last five years if we want," Mori said, watching Vegeta's reaction.

Vegeta scoffed, unimpressed. "Five years? I'll be done with this in no time." Without another word, he strode inside, with Mori following close behind.

Once on board, Mori took the controls, setting a course for an uninhabited planet with the conditions they'd need—twice Earth's gravity and an ever-present moon. "It'll take us five days to get there," Mori explained, "but we'll make those days count."

The two Saiyans wasted no time, jumping into their training regimen as soon as they were en route. Mori had the gravity chamber set to 450x Earth's gravity, a crushing force that would have made any other fighter collapse. But both he and Vegeta pushed through the pain, their muscles screaming as they fought against the relentless pull, each day bringing them closer to the limits of their strength.

Finally, after five grueling days, they arrived. The ship landed on the barren, rocky terrain of the uninhabited planet. Mori and Vegeta exited the vessel and immediately felt the planet's heavier gravity pressing down on them. Vegeta scanned the surroundings, the weight of the atmosphere nothing compared to what he'd endured on the ship.

Mori looked over at him. "Aren't you Saiyans naturally stronger with a tail?" he asked.

Vegeta's expression soured. "Yes, we are. But once my tail was cut off on Earth, it refused to grow back."

Mori smirked mischievously. "Well, let's see if we can do something about that." He stepped toward Vegeta, whose instincts immediately warned him to back away.

"Mori, what are you—" Vegeta began, but before he could retreat, Mori pounced, pinning him to the ground. Vegeta struggled as Mori pressed his hand against the small of his back, applying steady, excruciating force. Vegeta clenched his teeth as the pain intensified, his pride warring with the agony. After ten relentless minutes, a small stub of a tail began to emerge.

Finally, Mori released Vegeta, who stood, breathing heavily and seething with fury. "What do you think you're doing?! I should crush you—" Vegeta's hand moved to his lower back, and his words died as he felt the small, familiar fuzz of his tail.

Mori teleported behind him and, before Vegeta could react, grabbed the stub. Locking Vegeta in place with a ki barrier, Mori began pulling, encouraging the tail to grow to its full length. Vegeta yelled in anger and pain, but after several minutes, the tail was fully restored. Mori released him and stepped back, satisfied with his work.

Vegeta looked down at the furry brown tail, stunned. "What's the point of this, Mori?" he demanded, regaining his composure.

Mori shrugged. "You said it yourself. Saiyans are naturally stronger with their tails, so we're going to use that advantage. We'll train to near-death, over and over, and once you unlock Super Saiyan, we'll take things to a whole new level."

The next two months passed in a rigorous cycle of training and recovery, pushing their limits as far as they could go. Each day brought Vegeta closer to the edge of his power, and on the final day of the second month, the breakthrough came. Driven by his frustration and desire to surpass the others, Vegeta exploded into a brilliant golden aura, his muscles surging with newfound strength.

"At last," Vegeta said with a fierce, triumphant grin, "I've done it!"

Eight more months went by, and Mori and Vegeta continued their training in brutal repetition, eating, training, and recovering. Mori introduced an ambitious idea: testing whether Vegeta could stack Super Saiyan on top of his Oozaru form. Although they initially failed, they set it aside and explored other methods. After many trials, they attempted to channel the primal power of the Great Ape while retaining Vegeta's natural form.

In the eighth month, while sparring with Mori, Vegeta was knocked into the ground. Mori smirked, taunting, "What happened, Vegeta? Some 'prince' you are. A low-class Saiyan unlocked the legend first, defeated Frieza, and then some other nobody followed. You're being left in the dust."

Enraged, Vegeta released a massive beam of ki into the sky, floating up with his hair spiked and black, his eyes an intense green. He glared down at Mori, his voice distorted with the primal tone of the Oozaru. "You'll regret those words, you pathetic worm!"

Mori's eyes lit up in excitement. It had worked. Vegeta had accessed the Wrath State—a partial transformation that retained some of the Great Ape's power in his base form. Although weaker than Super Saiyan, it was a powerful addition. Vegeta's control, however, was shaky, and he began firing ki blasts wildly, his rage making him unpredictable.

Sighing, Mori teleported behind Vegeta and struck his neck, knocking him out cold. When Vegeta woke, Mori explained what he'd achieved. Vegeta scoffed at the name Mori had given it, "Wrath State," but he had to admit the power it granted was promising.

After training for a full year together, Mori and Vegeta stood on the threshold of new heights. Mori sensed the threat that was fast approaching and decided it was time for some solo training. "It's one year until the androids arrive. I'm going off on my own to push myself further."

Vegeta nodded, understanding the need for independence. Mori gathered capsules filled with supplies and some Senzu beans before taking off, blasting into space with a solemn expression. There was a planet he had discovered in his travels that teemed with wild, untamed beasts, and he'd judged it too dangerous before. But now, it seemed like the perfect test.

After a few hours, Mori entered the South Galaxy and landed on the deadly planet, the air thick with the growls of monstrous creatures lurking in every shadow. This would be his battleground for the year to come, and he intended to use every ounce of Zenkai potential he had.

One year passed in a blur of battles and survival, with Mori enduring relentless attacks from beasts that pushed him to his limits. He let himself come close to the edge, each injury healing stronger than before. Day after day, his power grew.

When the year had ended, Mori stood in the midst of a field littered with the bodies of slain beasts. His appearance had changed, reflecting the grueling training he had endured: he now stood at 6'3" with long, wild brown hair, a rugged beard, and a scar running down his left eye. His shirtless body was covered in countless small scars, his pants tattered, and his boots worn from a year of combat.

Mori popped a Senzu bean, his injuries healing instantly, and closed his eyes, reaching out for the familiar energy signatures of his friends. He locked onto their ki and teleported, appearing in the middle of what looked like a battlefield.

The first sight that greeted him was Goku lying on the ground, bruised and exhausted, while Vegeta stood nearby, kicking him over to Piccolo, who was with Gohan, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha. Mori looked around and spotted two unfamiliar figures—a tall, elderly man and a round, white figure with cold, unfeeling eyes. Mori's eyes narrowed as he realized these had to be the androids they'd trained for all this time.

Vegeta was already taunting the fat android, swaggering forward with a dangerous grin. Mori observed the battlefield with a grim look, anticipation brewing within him.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "it's time to see just how far we've all come."