A lone attack ball speeds across the potentially infinite expanse of space, heading toward a small planet known as Earth. While the small football-shaped spacecraft is carrying little more than a monkey-tailed infant, whose mind is at present being beamed orders for his task on this planet, it's purpose is sinister.

The infant being ferried across the stars is to destroy all humankind if left unchecked.

The problem with the Attack Ball craft was the hyperdrive only worked fine 9 out of 10 times, usually it would malfunction mid-trip and cause massive speed fluctuations. Such as on this occasion, where baby Kakarot's ship suddenly suffered a small malfunction which slowed the speed of his craft's hyperdrive by roughly 17.042%

While the difference seemed small, it was interesting just how far the planet could rotate in a small timespan.

Mr. Popo quietly tended his flowers and his birds in the cloudy heaven that was Kami's Lookout. From here, upon this floating palace, a person could watch over the entire planet and monitor events the world over. It was so high, that thin clouds occasionally skidded over the polished marble floors.

One would think this sort of place would be exciting and interesting, particularly with all the mystic chambers it held inside, but they would be wrong. Not that Popo cared, he quite liked being the groundskeeper on the sprawling lookout. Despite being, at present, the most powerful being on Earth the Genie didn't have an interest in combat.

The dark-skinned portly Genie paused his flower watering for a brief moment and glanced skyward. Wordlessly, stood up and walked several feet from his previous spot, whistling for his birds to join him.

The sky above the lookout, for the briefest of moments, was set ablaze with varying shades of orange and red as a craft reentered through the atmospheric layer.

A white metal sphere fell from the heavens and smashed into the polished floor of the lookout, creating a deep dent in the deck and utterly vaporising the surrounding palm trees from the sheer power behind the impact. When a gust from the landing his Popo, he tilted his head to one side while his birds squawked and flew around aimlessly. "Oh dear. More things to clean up."

There was a rhythmic click from within the main tower of the lookout which gradually grew louder and louder, until the wrinkled green body of Kami emerged with staff in hand. His white robe and blue cloak fluttered lazily in the breeze, and his wizened eyes came to rest on the strange ship at the other end of the lookout " , would you mind telling me what exactly that thing that crashed into my lookout is?" he asked, sounding almost bored.

Popo gave a small shrug and strolled over to the alien craft, one dark hand wiping dust off the red canopy. He seemed blissfully unaware of the heat currently radiating off the Attack Ball.

"It's a baby, Kami." Popo remarked from a quick peak into the ship. "A boy with a strange monkey tail by the look of it. Certainly not a human child." the genie added, turning around to gauge Kami's reaction.

Kami's eyes had widened slightly. A fugitive alien child, crashed to Earth...Just like he had, stuck at the end of the Earth without so much as a name. Wordlessly he approached and opened the hatch of the Attack Ball with his telekinesis, watching the monkey-tailed infant tumble out and bump his noggin against the canopy. The child immediately started bawling, causing Kami to wince as the notes hit his superhuman ears.

"Well...He has a set of lungs on him." Popo mused, rubbing his elf-like ears from the shrill noise. Kami quietly reached down to wipe the Saiyan infants tears away. However upon seeing the gnarled green hand, Kakarot promptly stopped crying and tried to bite down on Kami's finger which was promptly pulled back.

"Vicious to boot." Kami added, watching as the child started pouting from the finger withdrawal.

"What should we do with him?" Popo asked, glancing at his master, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Angry this child may have been, Kami could also sense great potential power in him. He needed to be kept in check, and Kami was unwilling to kill an innocent infant. And plus, Kami wouldn't want anyone else to suffer from the same alienated childhood he went through "We raise him. Mentor him. And in time, hopefully we learn his origins." Kami replied curtly.

Well, one thing was certain, life on the lookout was going to get far more interesting.

12 years later, Age 749.

Grandpa Gohan quietly whistled to himself as he carried two large tree trunks on his shoulders, walking up the winding mountain path that led to his small cabin on Mount Paozu. For a hunched, wrinkled old man,Gohan was among the strongest human beings on the planet, a master of martial arts and former student of the legendary Master Roshi. Now though, he lived a peaceful, isolated life on the massive Mount Paozu.

Little did he know how easily his peace would be broken.

Just as Gohan set the wood down, prepared to chop it to bits with his bare hands, he heard a rumbling winding up his narrow mountain path. The old man raised a brow and glanced over his hunched shoulders to see a car of all things coming up to his cabin, being driven by a young and rather pretty woman with turquoise hair behind the wheel. "Oh, hello there." he greeted with a small wave.

"Ah, hello sir." Bulma replied curtly, stepping from her Capsule Car with her dragon radar in one gloved hand. "It ah, might seem odd for a city girl to show up at your doorstep, but I was hoping to take your dragon ball from you." she said.

Gohan paled slightly, and blinked repeatedly "Ah...a dragon's what?" he asked, feeling that this girl was some sort of pervert. These city-slickers, so strange...

"Ah, no sir, it's nothing dirty like that..." Bulma replied, flushing in embarrassment. "The Dragon Balls are...well these things." Bulma said, opening a small bag and showing Gohan two orange spheres with stars engraved into their surfaces. The design was rather familiar to Gohan of course, but hes never heard them called Dragon Balls before.

"Oh, I see. Just a moment." Gohan replied, slowly walking into his small cabin and coming back out with his four-star Dragon Ball "I had no idea there were more of these things. What do you want them for?" he asked.

Bulma, at first, seemed reluctant to tell Gohan the true power of the magic spheres...but she could feel a kindness and honesty radiating fro the old man. Well, no harm in telling him "Well there are seven of these things scattered around the world. When brought together they summon a magic dragon who can grant any wish." the young woman explained. She showed off her dragon radar "I built this thing to track the unique energy of the balls, and when I gather all the balls I'm gonna wish for..." she grew rather flushed all of a sudden "I'm going to wish for the perfect boyfriend!"

'Teenagers...' Gohan thought to himself. Still he kept a respectful, calm facial expression "Well if these things are as powerful as you say, it wouldn't do to let you go unescorted." Gohan replied "I'm quite sure there are others who will come looking for them."

Bulma bit her lip...She hadn't thought about that. While she had weapons they were mainly for aggresive wildlife. "Sir, no offence, but you don't seem fit for fighting."

At this, Gohan smirked and the corners of his bushy moustache raised up "I see you have a gun on your hip. Shoot at me." Gohan said, his hands folded behind his back. Bulma raised a brow, shocked at the offer. "Go on. It won't harm me, I assure you." the elderly martial artist replied.

Bulma was hesitant at first, slowly drawing the pistol. She took aim, shut one eye and then fired.

She didn't even see Gohan's hand move. He kept that smile on his face, tightly gripping the bullet between two fingers, scant inches from his wrinkled face. Without missing a beat, Gohan flicked the bullet with his thumb and struck it into a nearby boulder with such force that it exploded into nought but dust on impact.

"I told you." Gohan replied, giving a small chuckle at Bulma's flabbergasted expression.

"Y-yeah um...I could really do with some help on my journey, so feel free to tag along." Bulma murmured, still trying to process what this seemingly kindly old man was capable of doing with zero effort.

"Very good." Gohan replied, walking off into the small hut behind him and emerging a short time later with a red poll strapped to his back "I'm not a fan of weapons, but this power pole here sure does come in handy in a pinch." Gohan remarked, climbing into the passenger seat beside Bulma.

"I'm Gohan by the way." the old man said, extending an aged hand out to Bulma, who promptly shook it "Bulma Briefs." the replied cheerily.

"Okay, let's go!" Bulma said, grinning as she revved the engine of her capsule car and took off down the winding mountain path, kicking off her first quest for the Dragon Balls.

A/N: Okay then, start of a new fic. I'll try to update this one often but if I'm honest unless this story becomes absurdly popular, I'll be focusing the majority of my writing focus on my other DBZ story, The Fall of Lord Frieza.

Now then, before anyone asks, this won't follow all of Dragon Ball. In the next chapter I'll touch on the King Piccolo saga giving background details on what has previously transpired in the new timeline shown here. After that though it'll be straight into Z with the arrival of Raditz.

Sooooo, keep on reading and I'll see y'all again soon!