"Come on, baby! Move faster!" Krillin shouted as his pod carried him through one of the weirdest acid trips of all time. "Go! Go! Go!"
The instant the four rocket shuttles entered the tunnels and began snaking their way through them at high speed, the four contenders from the preliminaries were immediately thrown into a massive hallway of simulators and monitors. The projectors all around them bombarded the unsuspecting fighters with animations and CGI of all shapes and sizes. At first the competitors found themselves in a world reminiscent of the movie Tron, where a giant whale came out of an ocean of code and seemingly knocked Krillin's pod for a loop. But all of that changed seconds later when all four shuttles split up and blasted off towards different areas of the island.
Gohan's pod took a trip through a recreation of the solar system, moments before it went crashing through a series of digital barriers one after the other before ejecting him into a world of purple clouds and giant toys. The half-Saiyan laughed in delight as his car spiraled through the air, before crashing headlong into an enormous plush teddy bear with a missing eye. The impact slowed him right down, eventually spitting him back out and depositing the youngster on top of a collection of enormous balloons.
Doskoi's pod took him through a collection of nauseating twists and turns like a drill bit, his surroundings bursting all around him like fireworks. After passing through the computer simulation, his pod then leapt out of the cave and went skipping across a row of sand dunes like a stone. Moments later, his pod came to a screeching halt on a steep incline, dropping him off at the base of an enormous hill. Hearing the distinct sound of sand particles pelting against his window, the man shook his head of the insane rollercoaster ride before deciding to get himself out of his cramped seating arrangement.
Trunks's trip down the rabbit hole was a little bit tamer than the others. Flying through a kaleidoscope of brilliant patterns and colors, the lavender haired hybrid was able to enjoy the splendor of his animated universe, minutes before his pod shot out an enormous lake and over an immaculate field of forests and flowers. The young man was given an awesome ten second view of the sparkling scenery before his pod skidded across the water's surface and came to a gentle stop in the shallows.
Krillin's landing however was not so gentle. After his pod was flung out of the tunnel, it went bouncing from wall to wall like a ball in a pinball machine. When it struck a ledge, it crashed into a river of lava and started to sink. Once the craft was almost completely submerged, Krillin busted out of it with a cry of terror and his head on fire. Leaping onto the sweltering soil of the volcanic field he'd ended up in, the man hurriedly patted out his head and breathed a sigh of relief once his scalp had been extinguished.
"Woo… that was a close one…" the short fighter said.
XXX
Upon exiting his car, Trunks quickly leapt onto dry land and casually wandered over to a nearby stream. His legs pushing their way through the long grass, the man peered over the side to see a couple of fish swim through the gently flowing creek, followed closely by a dragonfly that landed on an overhanging reed.
Narrowing his eyes, the man looked up and took in his surroundings.
"Okay… battle zone, huh? Are we supposed to fight or have a picnic?" Trunks panned across the majestic landscape, taking note of the fields of flowers stretching out before him and the enormous spire he could see in the distance. It was there the adult demi-Saiyan figured he had to go next, but first had to traverse this place, locate his opponent for that stage of the competition and battle him in order to proceed. "Geez. What an odd tournament."
The flora was a nice touch, even though it was completely and utterly pointless.
XXX
Bounding through the hellish environment that was his battle zone, Krillin leapt around the many pillars and cliffs laid out in his path. Eventually finding a clearing with pools of lava bubbling away around him, the man then came to a sudden halt when he saw the silhouette of a figure appear behind a cloud of smoke. The sight and the emergence of the figure's presence had the short fighter brace himself and instinctively widen his stance.
"You must be my opponent!" Receiving no response at first, the monk smiled and, setting a casual pace, began to stroll forward. "My name is Krillin. Perhaps you've heard of me. I'm a great fighter-slash-hero from earth." Ah yes. Introductions. It'd been a while since he'd done one of these. As he ambled closer, the wall of fumes began to clear, and his would-be adversary started to emerge from the thick haze. "You'd do well to stay on your guard as I've already conquered the mighty Piccolo today. You might even say that I'm… on a… winning… strea-" The man then suddenly tapered off.
The moment he drew close enough to see his opponent, Krillin felt all the blood rush up to his face as well as to another part of his body. There, standing on top of a ledge, he saw a beautiful, blue-skinned young woman with a curvaceous figure, long, curly orange hair that fanned out around her and grew down her back, blue eyes, and pointy ears. She was also wearing a strange uniform consisting of a white vest, baggy pants with gold buckles, a gold pointy necklace, earrings, a blue, halter-style undershirt, black pull-on sleeves, a purple sash, and yellow and black boots.
While her outlandish and almost mercenary like appearance came as a big surprise to Krillin, there was another aspect about her that instantly had the Z-fighter's attention.
"You're a girl?! Space chicks are hot!" Okay, not the most eloquent thing to come out of his mouth, but certainly the most logical.
Had she been somebody else, a guy for example, the short fighter wouldn't have paid her that much mind. However, the fact that she was breathtakingly gorgeous and was throwing him a disarmingly beautiful smile, there was no way the poor man could ignore her.
Gulping when he saw her brush some hair out of her face, Krillin continued. "Now… don't tempt me with your beauty. I have a tournament to win!"
Giving a cute giggle, the girl closed her eyes, brought her hands out widely and crossed them over her face. The moment she did so, the Z-fighter suddenly sensed her ki skyrocket and her hair stand on end, like it was being propelled by a wind that just wasn't there. Then, without warning…
Krillin was seemingly struck down by an assault from all sides. A kick to the side of his head knocked the martial artist askew, followed immediately by a left cross that cocked his head around and a knee to the abdomen that lifted him several feet off the ground. Then, flicking her hair back playfully, the blue-skinned woman elbowed the fighter into the ground and kicked him across the clearing into a nearby mountain of rock.
The resulting impact nearly buried Krillin under a pile of stone and as soon as his body hit the floor, his attacker landed as well. Smiling victoriously, the woman powered down and her hair dropped to its previous position draped behind her back.
Attempting to pick himself up, the thoroughly beaten and bruised Krillin forced a smile, "I… think she likes me." Moments later, he fainted, his face planting the ash covered floor with a dull thud.
XXX
Up in the stadium, the crowd of spectators was literally shocked into silence by the swift and sudden defeat the first alien had been able to deal her opponent.
Panning around, the roaming, automated camera was able to capture the entire scuffle, and was now hovering over Krillin's battered body while his foe stopped beside him. The result had Chi-Chi and Bulma stare in shock and bewilderment, but neither one of them could match the surprise reflected on Oolong and Master Roshi's faces.
"K-Krillin," the pig murmured, he, Chiaotzu, Puar and the turtle hermit watching quietly while the words 'Eliminated' appeared on Krillin's screen, seconds before fading to black.
"What happened?" was the first question to escape Chiaotzu's lips.
The whole fight had happened so fast. He swore he'd missed something.
XXX
Now making his way towards the enormous tower he could see sitting on the horizon across the desert, Doskoi was making cracking progress. In spite of the scorching heat bathing his immense girth and wafting off of the sand underneath his feet, the man remained perfectly unfazed by the close to unbearable conditions enveloping him. Being a martial artist and a warrior in his own right, the wrestler knew he had to remain calm and collected, even in the face of great adversity.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop the sweat from squeezing out of the pores all over his body as he ambled across the sand dunes, the heat reaching him physically even if his mind didn't register to his surroundings. The man soldiered on, regardless of the invisible obstacle.
Leaving deep footprints in his wake, the man started making his way down another steep slope. However, just as Doskoi was about to reach another incline, the big man failed to notice a sinkhole open up behind him and a hand stick up out of the ground. It was only when he felt a presence appear behind him did he actually respond and spun around.
"Who goes there?!"
The second he did so, the sumo wrestler felt a hand clamp over his throat and his body get lifted off of the ground. Gasping in horror, Doskoi began kicking and thrashing about wildly to try and shake himself out of the vice now crushing down on his windpipe. Exclamations of shock muffled by a lack of air, the poor human male continued to beat at the arm holding him several feet off the floor until, after a full minute of fruitless struggling, Doskoi breathed his last.
Body going limp, the sumo wrestler was then unceremoniously dropped to the ground and the assailant responsible for his swift demise turned towards the camera hovering behind him.
XXX
The audience gasped in horror when they saw the alien contender turn to face them. As soon as he did, instead of seeing the friendly, painted face of one of the intergalactic competitors they were promised, the spectators got the shock of their lives when they saw a blue skinned monster of a man with pointy ears, an orange Mohawk, beard, a purple vest, golden earrings and a wicked grin glare towards the lens.
People left and right immediately rose out of their seats in fear and, when the camera panned down to the lifeless Doskoi at his feet, the crowd started to scream.
"Murderer!"
"He killed one of the competitors!"
"Doskoi's dead!"
"What the hell is this?!"
Questions flew in from all sides uncontested and with the appearance of the two new alien competitors to the event hanging in the air people immediately began to realize that something terrible has happened. Chi-Chi and Bulma recognized the danger, as did Baby Trunks, who started to whimper in his mother's arms while she held him close to her cest.
The woman tasked with protecting him made certain to cover her son's eyes so that he didn't see the 'thing' that was now leering at the camera.
Videl on the other hand, who was observing the monitor intently, narrowed her once startled gaze into a glare as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face.
"W-Who the hell is that?" the girl asked herself, jaw clenching as she looked upon the face of a man who was definitely not one of her father's students in costume. "What the heck's going on here?" Her thoughts were soon drowned out by the cries and exclamations of the thousands of people in the coliseum.
The commotion became so bad in fact that the screams managed to filter out of the dome and enter the courtyards sitting outside the structure, which quickly drew the attention of Tien and Yamcha who, only moments ago, had been enjoying a couple of drinks following their decisive defeats in the opening stages of the tournament
Heads perking up, their eyes quickly trained towards the stadium.
"What was that?" a baffled Yamcha asked.
XXX
Wandering through the checkered landscape of giant toys and oversized bedroom antiquities, Gohan gleefully admired the off-colored weirdness and oddity of his surroundings. While it certainly wasn't the most extravagant of settings he could have landed in for sure, it certainly was the most interesting.
Hopping over a large pile of plush animals and building blocks, the young Saiyan then had his gaze drawn skywards when he spotted a couple of balloons floating down towards him.
Feeling curious, Gohan reached up and poked one. The thin sheen making up the inflated ball of air popped the moment his finger made contact, drawing a playful laugh from the young hybrid. "Cool."
His joy was short-lived however.
Spotting a shadow underneath him, the demi-Saiyan's eyes widened in alarm before his gaze shot upwards. The moment he looked, the young fighter had but a split second to leap out of the way before an enormous alphabet block came crashing into the ground where he'd been standing, splitting the floor with its impact.
"Gah! What the?"
Yelping in surprise, the raven haired boy began back flipping across his playground wilderness as more and more enormous toys came cascading down around him. Every impact was marked by an earthshaking tremor and a cloud of smoke, a process that continued on for several seconds until the young warrior landed atop a windup robot directly in front of an enormous, analogue clock with golden rims.
Taking a defensive stance, Gohan then spotted the cause for the sudden rain of toys. Eyes narrowing seriously, the demi-Saiyan spotted a strangely dressed, little blue man wearing golden jewelry, white slacks, a red jacket with golden buckles, and a purple turban, float down from the ceiling above to leer at him.
The person suspending themselves upside-down in front of the young warrior puzzled Gohan at first. But then, just as they were facing each other down, the gold pieces on the person's uniform suddenly started to glow a hot yellow and, upon throwing his hands forward, the alien began producing an orange demonic aura from his body.
Sensing something foul, the demi-Saiyan then jumped when he heard the hands of the clock behind him spin wildly before flying off of their host like rockets, prompting the boy to take evasive action. Jumping back a few hundred feet, Gohan assumed a horse riding stance atop a large drum and, with a yell of effort, fired up his ki. His blue aura exploded around him just in time to form a barrier, which blocked the two giant clock hands attempting to skewer him from both sides. His energy shield filed them down to nothing before he dropped it moments later.
Hearing his opponent give an impish giggle, the raven haired Saiyan held a hand out to him in alarm. "Hey! What are you trying to do? Kill me?" the young hybrid asked.
The blue skinned man snickered once again and held out his hands, "You catch on really quick, speck." With a quiet yell, red energy and electricity began zapping off of his body, the bolts chopping away at their surroundings in a storm.
Recoiling in surprise, Gohan then watched on as the cheerful toy wonderland surrounding him melted away, revealing a densely forested area with gigantic mushrooms growing all around him. As soon as the landscape's transformation was complete, the half-Saiyan quickly realized he must've been trapped inside of an illusion and quickly threw his game face on.
Gohan fixed his best glare upon the man still suspended upside-down in front of him.
"Alright. You've got my attention." The young half-Saiyan then assumed a fighting stance. "Who are you?"
The little alien snickered, "I am Bujin. And now… you're going to die!" A split second later, a current of lightning shot out of his forehead and flew towards his opponent, who managed to avoid it by leaping into the air.
The explosion that followed almost took out the entire mountain behind him.
XXX
As the crowds in the stadium started to flee, terrified at the sight of the aliens now popping up all over the monitors, X.S Cash and his family remained held up in their skybox. Watching the chaos unfolding down below, the billionaire magnate clenched his fists and shook his head, completely baffled by what he was witnessing.
"This is getting out of hand," his wife spoke up from behind, squatting down to comfort their frightened son.
"What a fiasco!" Mr. Cash shouted, spittle flying from his mouth as he rounded on his assistant. "I want an explanation for this immediately!"
The man with the slicked back hair and suit pointed at the television screen in front of him, "These are not the fighters that were scheduled!" He then turned to his boss anxiously. "I've never seen these creatures in my life! They're supposed to be friendly extraterrestrials. Hercule's boys dressed up in costumes! I wouldn't book something like this. These things are the real deal!"
"Gah! We have to do something to bring this back under control!" With the defeat of one of the finalists and the death of another, the wealthiest man in the world quickly realized that there was only one man capable of stopping these monsters and rounded on the guards he had stationed at the door. "Where is Mr. Satan?! We need the Champ out here, on the double!"
As the men up in the penthouse began scurrying about like headless chickens, down in the sea of horrified spectators, Yamcha and Tien nudged their way through the masses and into the crowded arena. Stopping for a moment to look up at the monitors, where they spotted the fallen Doskoi and saw Gohan engaging a third alien across his battle zone, the two men quickly leapt up onto the pyramid and into the two new pods that'd been stationed there.
Once the cockpits were closed, the two warriors shot off at high speed down the tracks and disappeared into the tunnels.
XXX
Strolling through the field of wild flowers, aware of the roving camera following close behind and watching his every action, Trunks continued his slow trek across the battle zone until a series of chipmunk-like squeaks drew him to a stop. Crouching down in the long grass to investigate the sound, the young man smiled at the small, pink creature that appeared from the vegetation to greet him. Fluffy, cute, with a pair of antenna sticking up out of its head, it was an animal the time traveling warrior had never seen before.
The critter came up to sniff him. But just as Trunks was reaching out to give it a pet, it darted out of sight. At the exact same time, the demi-Saiyan's senses picked up something dangerous and fast moving, a sensation that drew the man's attention over his shoulder.
A red light appearing behind him, the lavender haired Saiyan leapt out of the way in time to avoid a ball of fiery red energy, which punched an enormous crater in the spot he'd been kneeling. Landing out of range, Trunks dropped into a stance and fixed his gaze in the direction the attack had come from.
Spotting a distant oak, the demi-Saiyan quickly made out a large, blue-skinned man with pointy ears, orange spiky hair, and wearing a purple headband, yellow boots, black jacket and jewelry lying contentedly across a branch with his hand pointed towards him. He was also armed with a large sword, a sight that set off several alarm bells in Trunks's head.
Upon looking the swashbuckling newcomer over, the half-Saiyan snarled and decided to give his attacker a piece of his mind.
"Watch where you point that thing, I might get the wrong idea! We may be fighting but this is still a tournament! No killing allowed!" the time-traveler snapped.
Scoffing, the blue-skinned assailant suddenly sprang out of the tree and, in a blur of motion, appeared directly above Trunks. With a roar, the attacker threw a right cross straight down at the demi-Saiyan, only to see the boy slip around it and counter with an immediate three-quarter uppercut from behind. However, the second the lavender haired fighter let his attack fly, he suddenly had his arm caught by his strangely dressed target who, after trapping the stunned Trunks, picked him up and shoulder-tossed him across the field.
Managing to course correct, Trunks landed on both his feet and slid across the ground to a stop. He then looked up in shock, "Whoa! What the hell are you?!"
Charging at his target, the blue warrior threw a flying spin kick that Trunks ducked and responded with a right back kick, which his opponent quickly checked. In a flash, the half-Saiyan then leapt at the man with a roundhouse kick, only for the swordsman to slip under it and switch places, before the hybrid came back at him with a yell and a jumping knee to the face. In a flash, the orange-haired fighter managed to block the knee with a quick draw of his sword, a blow that impacted against the shaft of metal with a resounding clang.
When both fighters glared at one another, the grinning outsider chuckled, "Someone not to be trifled with, boy!" He then threw Trunks off of him and, unsheathing his weapon completely and bringing it up with both hands, sliced across at his target with a decapitating strike.
Dodging at the last second so that only a couple strands of his hair were shaved off, the demi-Saiyan backed pedaled. He then leapt into the air to avoid another slash from his opponent, before landing and dashing off in another direction in time to dodge a third thrust. Once the brief exchange was over, both warriors then began sprinting alongside one another across the field of flowers, a trek which eventually led them into the shallows of the lake.
Cackling, the orange haired alien sprinted ahead and cut his opponent off, leading to the two of them squaring off knee deep in water.
Trunks, taking a defensive position, took a moment to analyze the sword his opponent was wielding. While its design was elegant and its size was definitely impressive; the weapon, for all its gold plating and decorations, didn't have a cutting edge. In fact, the sword functioned more like an epee than a saber, which explained why he didn't slice his leg open when he rammed his knee into it.
Upon sizing one another up, the alien pirate gave the young man a smirk and slid his weapon back into its scabbard. Once his weapon was sheathed, the man tensed, balled his fists, and began focusing his energy, which took the form of all the gold pieces of jewelry on him lighting up like torches. Gritting his teeth, the alien began what Trunks suspected was a very painful transformation as all of the muscles on his body began to inflate and the ki around him began to generate ripples across the water. A few moments of intense concentration later, the warrior then threw his arms up and gave a howl, a blast of energy producing a funnel of water that twisted around him.
When the vortex settled back into the lake seconds later, the alien reappeared, only… he wasn't blue anymore. That much was obvious on first glance.
Not only had the guy's entire frame bulked up, but the transformation had also turned his hair blood red, shredded his black jacket, leaving a red sash across his chest, and caused his ki to jump several levels. The sight of the now hulking swashbuckler had Trunks recoil in shock.
"Who the heck is this guy?"
The now significantly larger alien grinned, "Introductions. I am Gokuha. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The time traveling warrior frowned back at him defiantly, "Trunks. And that's all you're getting out of me, pal!"
OOO
(Otherworld)
For the spectators in the other dimension, things had gone off to a great start for them. Sitting cinema style on the chairs positioned in front of the television in a semi-circle, King Kai, Goku, Bubbles and Gregory were able to watch all of the preliminaries comfortably without a single break in the schedule. With drinks and food in hand, the four of them were practically hanging off of the edges of their seats with every moment that past, almost like they were watching a football game, making bets on who would beat who and rooting for their team, which just so happened to be the Z-Fighters.
Things really picked up after the opening rounds when it moved into the quarter finals, where Gohan, Trunks, Krillin, Tien and Piccolo were able to put on a fantastic show. Not so much Krillin and Piccolo, but Tien's battle with Trunks was certainly enjoyable to watch. The man really held his own against the time traveling half-Saiyan and showed that with enough training and dedication, even somebody like him could trade blows with a Super Saiyan. Goku was proud, and even gave a cheer when he saw his son kick his opponent two kilometers out of the ring.
Everything was going splendidly for their side. However, when the competition moved over to Battle Island II and the competitors were sent into their separate fields, that's when things suddenly took a turn for the worst.
While Goku and King Kai were baffled by Krillin's defeat at the hands of his alien opponent, they became completely stumped when they not only saw another one of the aliens strangle his opponent to death, but then two others that, after introducing themselves to their opposites, began exchanging blows evenly with the two most powerful fighters in the tournament and the world.
Looking at the television screen, the four observers could see just how hard both Gohan and Trunks were being pushed by their foes, which had every single one of them sweating bullets.
"H-Hey. What's going on down there?" the Saiyan father asked while shaking his head in bewilderment. "Those guys are super strong. Who the heck are they?"
Immediately sensing danger, King Kai swiftly leapt out of his chair and rushed over to the side of the mountain's cliff. Stopping at the side, he reached out with his antenna and honed in on earth's signature where, after several seconds of searching, he looked up in horror.
"Oh no!"
OOO
(The Central Battle Zone)
A series of explosions racked the buildings of the city outskirts making up the exterior section of the final battle zone. Smoke and debris flying up into the air and following a straight line, like a flameless napalm strike had just been mounted against the town, the hotel at the edge of the river suddenly collapsed in on itself when Gokuha came blasting out of its walls with Trunks's head in his grip.
Rocketing up into the air, the green-skinned alien let out a cry of war as he then took the hapless demi-Saiyan and dove towards a nearby bridge, plowing his opponent's face straight into its road. Destroying the causeway, the pair then disappeared underneath the water in a series of depth-charge like splashes, which the alien continued to drag his opponent through for several seconds. Moments later, the lavender haired warrior managed to free himself from the titan's grip and shot out of the river, leaping across the rooftops of the city and beginning to dive back down to ground level feet first.
While in the middle of his descent however, the building in front of Trunks shuddered violently, before the hulking form of Gokuha came bursting out of its wall and clothes lined the unsuspecting Saiyan in the neck, sending him through several more buildings. When the lavender haired warrior exploded out the side of the fifth one, Gokuha seemingly teleported above him and kicked the man towards the ground, sending him bouncing along the main street. Trunks's form eventually rolled to a painful stop, leaving the man splayed out on his front and groaning in pain.
Landing several feet behind the boy, the smirking alien approached him, drawing his sword and pointing its tip at the Z-fighter's back.
"You're beaten. Surrender!" The man was confident at his victory.
Waiting for a response, Gokuha watched as his opponent started to push himself up, struggling to get onto his hands and knees. His smile fading, the alien then spat and, taking his sword up into a two-handed grip, gritted his teeth and roared, "FINE!" He then thrust straight down at the hapless fighter, aiming to impale him.
Sensing the attack, Trunks's eyes widened and he powered up, his golden aura exploding around him when he jumped to Super Saiyan almost instantaneously. The second he did so, he spun around and parried the incoming blade with his arm, locking the pair in a heated grappling match. Caught completely by surprise, Gokuha then began trying to force his weapon through his foe, while his opponent bit and held his ground with all the strength he could muster.
Their energy blasting off of them in waves, Trunks snarled, "Never underestimate a Super Saiyan, punk!" And with that, the blade pressing against his forearm shattered, sending the tip of it spiraling into a wall.
Stunned, Gokuha was just about to pull away when, in the blink of an eye, the golden haired warrior in front of him plowed his fist straight through his chest like a lance.
His fist exploding out the other end, Trunks held his position while his opponent spewed up blood and hunched over the smaller warrior's shoulder in shock. Body quivering for several moments with a few choking sounds escaping the swordsman's gaping mouth, the time traveling Saiyan then ripped his arm out of the warrior's chest and allowed him to tip over. The alien's body crashed to the ground with a dull thud, where he lay dead.
As Trunks stood there, catching his breath and looking down at his defeated opponent, wondering where in the world he'd come from, the demi-Saiyan then sensed a second presence appear. Gasping at the enormous flux of ki, the boy spun around, only to have his vision blinded by the blue tail end of a coat, before he was unceremoniously kicked in the face.
The force of the blow was so immense, it not only caused a shockwave that split the ground, it also knocked Trunks out in an instant, his body hitting the ground hard.
OOO
(Meanwhile – Capsule Corp)
Bolting upright from his bed, Vegeta gave a gasp of shock when he sensed something amiss in the air.
Having subconsciously been keeping an eye on the Intergalactic Tournament taking place many miles away with his senses, the man was able to monitor the progress of all the competition's major players; namely the Z-fighters. Things had been going well to this point, until he felt his son's ki skyrocket and plummet in the span of a few seconds, before being completely overshadowed by an energy level that was not only enormous, but incredibly foul.
"T-Trunks?"
That was no ordinary energy level. That was something else.
Something dangerous.
Gritting his teeth, the man turned towards his son's sword, which he could see propped up against the wall.
"Something's wrong."
OOO
While dodging the rain of car-sized boulders being thrown at him by his unusually powerful foe, Gohan attempted to put some distance between him and his adversary. However, just as he was preparing to up the ante a little and give his enemy a taste of his real power, a flash of ki suddenly rushed through his head in the direction of another battle zone, stopping the demi-Saiyan for but a moment.
It was unreal. The energy level was so massive and so potent that it was impossible for the young warrior to miss.
Gasping, Gohan's eyes snapped over his shoulder, "Who's there?" Reaching out with his senses, he noticed seconds later that Trunks' energy level had dropped considerably, telling the boy that his friend had been taken out.
Clenching his fists, the fighter quickly glanced back at Bujin, whom he saw float down from above atop an enormous rock, surrounded by a malicious orange aura. The little alien giggled when he too picked up the issue plaguing his young opponent.
After several seconds of consideration of both his foe and the foreign ki signature over the horizon, Gohan made the critical decision to dispense of this fight and to go help his friends.
Levitating off of the ground, the spiky haired warrior then turned in midair and took off towards the other battle zones at full speed. Sensing his opponent flying after him, Gohan made sure to keep one eye on him and the other eye straight ahead, as he then began tracking down whatever the hell had taken out Trunks.
"Don't worry guys! I'm coming!"
OOO
(Otherworld)
"Earth is in grave danger!" King Kai spoke, glancing back at Goku to see that he, Bubbles and Gregory had also gotten to their feet. After the events they'd just witnessed, it was impossible for any of them to remain seated.
The spiky haired Saiyan stepped forward anxiously, "From what?"
"You mean who. Bojack," the blue-skinned overseer of the Northern Quadrant replied cryptically.
Gulping at the nervous glance the man gave him, Goku pressed on, "B-Bojack? Who's that?"
"A dark demon of the worst sort; psychotic, unstable… filled with malice and rage. Long ago, he tried to destroy every galaxy within the Dormideous Sector and attempted to conquer the core star systems between the four quadrants," King Kai informed, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head as he filled Goku in on what he didn't know about this new enemy. "He and his gang rampaged across the galaxy, wrecking everything in their path."
"Sounds like King Piccolo," Goku remarked, thinking back to his encounter with the evil Namekian all those years ago.
King Kai nodded, "Yes, but far more powerful… even stronger than Cell when you first fought him." The trainer then looked gravely over the horizon of Snake Way and watched as the sky seemingly darkened as he slowly recounted his story. "He has an insatiable appetite for genocide, even going so far as to wipe out the entire population of his home planet. Now, just like the Saiyans, he and his group are some of the only remaining Hera-seijin's left in the universe. Over ten thousand years ago, we took it upon ourselves to stop him. All four of us kais worked together and sealed Bojack within a star at the edge of the Northern Quadrant."
"He's trapped in a star?" Goku asked in amazement.
This question had King Kai pace around, before looking back at the Saiyan uneasily, "Not anymore. You set him free when you destroyed my planet in your battle against Cell. The four point seal was broken and allowed Bojack and his gang to escape. Now he's returned to finish what he started… to conquer the universe." The man's glasses flashed as he then looked up once again, this time with fear evident on his face, "And it looks like his first target is planet earth."
In spite of this grave news, Goku was unshaken. In fact, a smile broke out on his face as he regarded his trainer's information with confidence, "Then he's already defeated. My son will stop him."
OOO
(Back on Earth)
Exiting his battle zone into another, Gohan soon found himself flying over a desolate landscape of ancient ruins and rundown buildings almost reminiscent of Ancient Greece. Ignoring the impressive layout of the field, the oddly colored sky above and the powerful alien following close behind, the young half-Saiyan gritted his teeth as he sensed he was finally approaching the point where he could sense the other powerful ki signatures.
"Krillin. Trunks…"
It wasn't long before he arrived at a ruined mansion with a central courtyard. Suspending himself in the air, the demi-Saiyan spotted the unmistakable forms of Trunks and Krillin lying in an untidy heap in the middle of the quad. Concerned for their wellbeing, Gohan super speeded down to them and skidded to a stop directly beside their bodies, where he quickly began checking for signs of life.
Relieved when he sensed that they were still alive, the boy began to gently shake them, "Trunks. Wake up." He then patted the short fighter lying beneath the unconscious time-traveler, "Come on, Krillin."
Just as he was in the process of trying to rouse them from their slumbers, the boy sensed the presence of his opponent land behind him. Glancing over his shoulder to see the short, turban wearing Bujin grinning at him, the boy then looked up towards a nearby balcony to see two more figures standing there. On the left he saw a beautiful young woman with curly orange hair and on the right a large alien of the same species with a Mohawk and a vest. Both of them were staring down at him and both of them had smug smiles in play.
"So much energy," Gohan thought, a bead of sweat running down the side of his head. "Their power levels are in the same league as mine." To be more precise, they were about as strong as those Cell Juniors that'd attacked and tormented his friends, only less concentrated, making it difficult to get an exact reading.
This pretty much told the Saiyan that these guys were no longer afraid of hiding.
The tall alien with the goatee and punk-rocker hair style grinned, "Hey kid. This is a nice planet you've got here."
"Very picturesque… and so filled with life," the woman spoke up, sitting down on one of the railings and flicking her hair back elegantly. "Are you the guardian of this sector?"
Frowning, the half-Saiyan stood up, "That depends on who's asking."
The boy then became aware of the sound of chains jangling and footsteps approaching, which drew his glare towards the doorway standing between the two invaders. Eyeing it suspiciously, Gohan's expression slowly transformed into one of shock when, from out of the shadows of the dilapidated building, he saw another alien emerge. Dressed in a long blue trench coat with golden buckles, a black top, white pants, red sash and boots, with a bandana holding down his bushy orange hair, the newcomer was also embroidered with jewelry and had a hideous scar running across his face. While slightly shorter than the alien on his left, the man was no less the most imposing of the group.
A chuckle escaped the alien's lips, "I think that would be me, boy."
His grin wasn't just the most menacing of his entourage, but Gohan could sense nothing but bad mojo coming off of him too. Clenching his fists, the demi-Saiyan held his ground beside his two unconscious comrades.
"His energy is amazing," the boy murmured while narrowing his eyes. "Incredible. This one… his power level is even greater than Cell's when I first fought him."
Just as he was beginning to square off against the alien boss and his cohorts, two pods suddenly flew overhead and from them, Tien and Yamcha descended to the ground. Landing on either side of Gohan, the two adult males glare across at the creatures responsible for taking out their teammates.
"You murderers," Tien snarled, unable to stop the beads of sweat that appeared on his head, "You killed the intergalactic fighters."
Snickering, the turban wearing alien got down to one knee and placed a hand over his chest, at the same time his other two companions did as well.
"Those so called 'fighters' were trespassing. Earth belongs to my master now," Bujin chirped, a statement that drew an arrogant chuckle from the group's leader up high.
Gohan's frown deepened, "Oh yeah?"
"Not while we're still breathing," Yamcha shot back, prompting the two aliens flanking their boss to rise to their feet and come to his defense.
The big one raised his hand and gestured grandly to the earthlings, "Master Bojack has no equal. He has journeyed across this far-reaching universe uncontested and undefeated."
"Many powerful warriors have fallen before the might of our master," the woman continued without skipping a beat. "All those who've dared to challenge his will have ended up crushed underneath his heel and turned to ash."
"Master is not patient. You would be wise to stand down," Bujin exclaimed from behind, drawing the trio's attention towards the short alien. When they looked at him, they saw the little cretin grin, "Or better yet… kneel."
"We'll pass thanks!" Yamcha shouted as both he and Tien dropped into fighting forms.
Their stances prompting the trio of alien bodyguards to change their tune, the two Z-fighters quickly picked their targets. Once they were selected, the pair took off and went in for the attack.
It happened in an instant. Faster than any adversary had ever dealt with him before, the second Tien chased after Bujin through the ruins of the building, he ended up struck from behind and kicked into a wall by his pintsized opponent, where he was buried under a heavy pile of rubble. Yamcha fared no better against his quarry either, attempting to strike out at the woman and instead wound up getting cut down from all sides and slide-kicked across the ground, where he found himself skidding into the pile to join Trunks and Krillin.
In less than three seconds, it was over.
Gohan, shocked at how handily the aliens had dispatched his friends, looked down at the fallen Yamcha and then across at Tien. Seeing the two of them lying in unconscious wrecks where they had fallen, the young half-Saiyan clenched his fists in anger and glared up towards the still smirking Bojack.
His charcoal eyes locking with the murderous ones of the alien conqueror, Gohan felt his anger swell.
"Bring it," Gohan said as golden beams of light began shooting up from the ground around him before his body was lit up by a golden aura, which spiked up his hair, flashed it gold and turned his eyes teal.
Sensing the demi-Saiyan's ki climb to an incredible level had Bojack raise an eyebrow. "Interesting." After taking a moment to gauge the youngster's power, the demon then turned his attention to his subordinates, "Zangya, Bujin, Bido… take him…"
Smiling as each of their names were spoken in turn, the orange haired aliens then leapt from their master's flanks and flew at the young Super Saiyan from all sides. Responding to their sudden maneuvers, Gohan blasted backwards in the form of a yellow blur and elbowed an approaching Bujin in the face, smashing him through the ruined building's wall. Upon dispersing of his first foe, Gohan then sprang into the air and flew through the upper part of the barrier while at the same time being pursued by the other two.
Chasing the half-Saiyan through the hole and into the air above the village, the large Bido let out a yell and threw a left hook at the boy. Gohan caught the punch and, after grabbing the man's forearm, used the brute's momentum to spin him around and throw him back through the wall he'd come, taking out what was left of it.
Avoiding her teammate, who smashed into the ground along with a shower of rubble, Zangya picked up speed and rocketed towards her foe with a smile.
Taking aim, Gohan threw his hands forward and with a gutsy yell, fired a large blue ball of energy towards the approaching woman.
Responding to the threat, Zangya gritted her teeth and smacked the attack away with a shout, sending the ball of energy curling through the air before it detonated half a kilometer away, wiping out an entire block of the rundown city. Upon which she then flew up at the demi-Saiyan and opened up on him with a flurry of attacks, the pair beginning a fierce exchange of machinegun blows that they parried and executed at lightning speed.
Feeling the ground tremor from the colossal explosion, Bido took that as his cue and, marking his target, crossed his arms over his chest and threw them forward. With a mighty bellow, he unleashed a torrent of thin red energy beams from his fingers, which homed in on their target.
Throwing a kick and blocking a punishing left hook from her opponent, the fiercely battling Zangya smirked when she sensed her teammate's attack approaching from behind. Disengaging in time to avoid her opponent's roundhouse kick, the woman straightened up, folded her arms across her chest and, with a playful giggle, twirled in a graceful backward maneuver, her hair bellowing like a cape as the barrage of red beams curled around her lithe form and flew towards her opponent. With a shout, Gohan cocked his fist back and smacked all of the beams away, causing them to fly past him and slam into an invisible barrier.
When they exploded, they punched an enormous hole through the wall dividing their battle zone from another, the fragments of sky breaking away to reveal a secondary city.
The trio of aliens quickly forming up behind one another, Zangya and her team then scattered and flew at Gohan from all sides. Unable to mark a target in time, the blonde crossed both his arms over his face and took the three simultaneous punches all at once, a loud shockwave ringing out that rattled the entire stadium. The aliens ended up tackling the boy and slamming him straight through another camouflaged barrier directly behind him, pushing him into the central city battle zone Trunks had defeated Gokuha earlier.
Flying into the open, Gohan managed to throw his three attackers off of him and continued flying backwards in a hasty retreat, positioning himself over the downtown area several hundred feet below. Eyes darting about, he watched his opponents fly into formation once again and, one after the other, make a B-line straight for his position. Responding in kind, the half-Saiyan charged, ducking the chop Zangya threw at him, slamming his hands down on Bido's head when he swung in with an over flourished right overhand and flipping over him, and leaping over the flying kick Bujin followed with immediately afterwards. Soon he'd passed right by all three of them and flew off, forcing the aliens that'd overshot their target to course correct and fly after him.
Gaining enough distance, Gohan turned in midair and slowed, allowing the trio to catch up for a third time. Now that he'd adjusted for their speed and combinations, he was ready for them.
Marking the boy, Bujin, Bido and Zangya closed in on him from his right, left and front respectively, and once they were in range, they attacked. Without even blinking, Gohan blocked the chop from his right, the hook from his left, and checked the kick from the front, the blows slamming into him one after the other with concussive force. Their attacks stopped, the trio looked up at the boy's unflinching gaze in shock, before the demi-Saiyan threw his arms out and blasted them away with a shockwave and a yell, scattering them throughout the city's airspace.
Managing to stop themselves, the three mercenary aliens glared back at their opponent, whom they saw was eyeing each of them carefully.
Zangya smirked in surprise, "My, my. This one knows how to fight."
Responding to the remark, Gohan threw his arms and legs out and powered up, his golden aura exploding around him and pulsing at a high frequency. After gathering enough energy, the half-Saiyan took aim and fired three simultaneous golden blasts at his opponents, the attacks flying at the trio at high speed. Zangya responded quickly and backhanded the shot away, causing it to collide with a distant hotel complex and disintegrating the building in a massive, dome shaped explosion. Bujin effectively kicked his away and sent it into the streets, leveling a block of flats, while Bido took his against a cross-arm block and dispelled it with a yell.
However, the moment he looked back at his group's target, the big alien suddenly saw the boy right in front of him and flying at him with a kick. Before he could even gasp, Gohan slammed his leg right into the alien's chest, causing spit to fly out of Bido's mouth.
It seemed like a clean hit. But as it turned out, despite the speed and force of the attack the invader had in fact, at the very last second, managed to catch the boy's extended leg with his hand and, grinning roguishly, wrapped an arm around the boy's body and began to crush the kid against his chest. He pressed the kid's leg in at the same time, squashing him in from both directions.
Yelping when the man began to apply unwarranted pressure on him, Gohan slammed both hands into the guy's shoulders to push him away. But then, sensing danger, the boy's eyes snapped over his shoulder to see Bujin flying right at his head with a kick of his own.
"Hold still!"
With a shout of surprise, Gohan threw his body back and swayed under the kick, which ended up slamming Bido in the face and knocking the brute back. The unintended blow managed to free the Super Saiyan from his opponent's hold and allowed the boy to drop altitude, while the star struck Bido fumed.
"Watch it, you moron!"
Bujin freaked out and waved at his teammate apologetically, "Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't aiming for you!"
While Gohan glared up at the two bickering aliens, he suddenly sensed another incoming attack and spun around. Reacting quickly, he threw his hands up just in time to catch the red blast thrown at him by Zangya, which slowly began to push him down to the roof of one of the apartment buildings far below. As the stream of angry red energy continued to painfully grind into his palms, causing excess sparks to fly off in all directions, the Super Saiyan hybrid gave a loud growl and, with a shout of effort, hurled the blast skywards, straight up towards Bujin and Bido.
When the two comrades finally returned their attention to their quarry, the duo had to take immediate action to avoid their teammate's deflected attack, which tore right past them like a missile. The second they dodged it, it nosedived and struck a distant clock tower, nuking the entire block in the form of a red, exploding sphere, reducing all the buildings within the kilometer blast radius to ash.
As the trembling earth and explosion faded, Gohan took a defensive stance and held his ground, watching as Zangya and Bujin dropped down from the sky to land on either side of him. The moment they did, they began attacking him in a blur of movement, fists and kicks flying at him from both sides and forcing the young Super Saiyan to dodge and block. He did well in parrying a majority of the attacks, even retaliating with a few elbows and shots of his own, forcing them to back off.
While he fought on, Gohan's eyes caught sight of Bido circling him and his opponents from a distance, obviously looking for an opening. Eventually, after a solid streak of successfully fending off his two attackers, the blonde ended up taking a knee to the stomach from his opportunistic female adversary. The blow was able to lift him into the air long enough for Bujin to drive a hammer blow into his back, which sent him into the roof of the hotel and crashing through every single floor on the way down. He ended up slamming into ground a second later, but not before blasting out every single window and causing the entire interior of the structure to implode.
Smirking, both Zangya and Bujin retreated, allowing Bido to take position above the smoking complex. Bringing his hand up, the large alien fighter then produced a pinkish red energy sphere above his palm, which crackled and pulsed when he fed ki into it. Once it'd achieved form and stability, he hurled it straight down into the building, watching it plough through every floor before detonating.
A red, dome-like explosion engulfed the entire neighborhood, practically nuking the entire city while the three aliens responsible for the destruction hovered safely out of reach. Watching the attack burn away and an enormous smoking crater two kilometers wide emerge from the blast, the group then saw a golden flash shoot out from the ground outside of the crater, dart down the streets and stop out in the open.
"Tough little runt." Clicking his tongue in annoyance at having missed, Bido dove after the half-Saiyan, followed closely by his two companions.