This is the beginning of the rewrite of "Left Behind"! In this chapter, there won't be much story development and instead, I'll be trying to set Raditz's personality as much as I can right now as well as another character's.
The universe is infinite, always stretching on and on, never ending. That is the magic of it, the endless possibilities. Galaxies, black holes, stars, planets, civilizations. You can always find that one thing you were looking for in it. This is a tale that shall not be forgotten to the dust of time, a tale about a man trying to find what he wants, and a man who fights to keep what he has.
A small trail of light was seen across a random galaxy today, the cause of it was unknown to any of the ones lucky enough to be bestowed upon its beauty. The reason, however, was far less impressive, yet at the same time, far more impressive than they would think. The rainbow of white light was following a spherical object. Said object possessed white paintings covering its surface, with a dark red tint to the front window, allowing the internal walls of the ship to be seen. Inside it, was a man.
The man possessed an abnormal amount of hair, becoming easy to see a lion mane on the man's head. The clothes he wore were nothing short of strange. On the upper half of his body, the man had a black-colored armor with brown details on the shoulder pads, along with gauntlets with the same color pattern as his armor. On the lower part of his body, he wore boots also black in color but possessing white details at the tips of each side.
"Landing on Planet Meat in 1 minute." – A metallic voice made itself heard to the man inside the pod. The man who had his eyes closed up until now, opened them. His cold, emotion-less black eyes searched the small sphere he was inside, trying to find any thing different or wrong with it. He slowly closed them again after making sure that everything was normal, well, as much as it could be to him.
Outside the pod, a huge round body could be seen from miles away. The planet was red in color, with a few hints of green, confirming the existence of flora and fauna in it. A naked eye could notice that the white sphere was making its way to the red giant. The pod then started to catch on fire, symbolizing the ball's entrance on the planet's atmosphere.
"Landing on Planet Meat in 30 seconds." – The long-haired man heard the A.I of his ship speak again. The man was happy to show his distaste for the lifeless voice of his ship with a frown. The interior of the pod started to tremble, alerting the man of his arrival on the red giant. The long-haired man raised his hand, touching a white device in his ear. He slowly pressed a button on the device, and it displayed, in a green transparent glass in front of his eyes, random numbers.
"Show own power level." – The man spoke to what appeared to be the strange glasses he wore, and the numbers shifted, displaying to him what he asked.
"1.300, huh?" – He said, this time to himself, and closed his eyes to deepen in his own thoughts. Then the pod crashed.
The hollowed winds flew through the rocks of the tallest mountain of Planet Meat. The red skies served to add further contrast to the eternal symbol this rocky formation would always represent. There, right at the top of the mountain, stood a Meatin. The inhabitant of the giant mountain lived alone, without interruptions to his training and growth as a warrior. He was raised as the guardian of the planet, training and increasing his power ever since his childhood. Peace reigned on Meat for decades, at least until the visions came.
Months ago, the fortune teller of Meat stuttered in lunatic hysteria about a man, a man that would bring ruin to all Meatin kind. Without stopping to even sleep, the Meatin trained for 8 months in preparation to bring down the destroyer of their world. Today was the day that would decide his fate, the fate of his race, and the fate of his enemy. So there he stood, Shiken, the strongest Meatin.
The ship has landed on planet Meat, and it wasn't a safe landing. It has crashed right into the ground, bursting into tiny pieces of archaic technology. The man that was once inside the ship, however, not only survived the crash but also came out of it unharmed. He coughed as he slowly crawled out of the crater his pod caused. As he finally reached the neutral grounds of the planet he visited, he slowly stood up and analyzed his environments.
"Well, let's get to business!" – He happily shouted as he once again pressed the button in his device, this time asking to search for the highest power on this planet. The dust and scratches that covered his armor went unnoticed as he wore a bored expression, clearly showing his disinterest for the situation he met himself in. A few seconds went by and he muttered in annoyance.
"I really need to upgrade my scouter once I get back." – Frustration was his mood for a minute until excitement arrived. The number 1.100 was displayed in his scouter, making the man release a wide grin. He released a laugh, allowing a hint of insanity to surface his battle hardened features.
"It appears to me that I'll get a challenge out of this." – His body trembled with excitement and his waist relaxed, allowing a brown and furry appendage to slowly fall, stopping on the same height as his knees. He slowly walked towards the general direction of the power level until he stopped himself. The man sighed and he pressed the button on his scouter again, a moment passed and a voice greeted him.
"What is it, monkey?" – The voice showed its annoyance with the man, who in return, snapped at the voice in anger.
"Shut up if you like to live! Now if you don't want me to re-arrange your face when I see you, send another pod to planet Meat. Mine blew up on landing." – The man finished his threat and waited for an answer, only to be received with silence. He smiled to himself, it was good to terrorize people into submission. He decided to add on to the conversation.
"If I don't see a pod here after I'm done with this dawn planet, I'll have your head. Got it?" – He threatened the voice once again, this time demanding a reply. He heard a long sigh through the other side of the transmission, and later a reply.
"Yes, sir." – The man finished the transmission and scowled in frustration. He hoped that his opponent would be a good challenge for him, just remembering that an enemy of equal footing to him existed made his blood boil in lust for violence. He quickly jumped, ascending a few meters above the ground, but he didn't fall.
He stayed in the sky instead, hovering above the sands of the desert that his pod crashed in. The man then disappeared, moving so fast that his figure became a blur of black and brown colors. His movement pattern was described as going on a straight line, towards his prey.
A Meatin sat down on the peak of a mountain, patiently waiting, almost as if he was watching a movie that required every single bit of his attention. He kept his lavender eyes closed because he couldn't stop seeing the image he created in his mind. His bright red skin gained a weak tint of pink to contrast the blood-red colors of the sky. He wore wraps because his simplicity would help him in his journey to better himself. Then he opened his eyes, he wouldn't see his enemy if he didn't.
"May I know your name, worm?" – The hovering man asked his opponent with a mocking tone. As an answer, Shiken stood up, putting the weight of his body on his legs and turned his eyes to the man. For now, the Meatin decided to play along with the man's game.
"My name is Shiken." – The red monk spoke in a reserved tone, refusing to reveal too much information to his enemy. The highest noise on the peak of the mountain was the strong curtains of the wind that created what sounded like the loudest silence of the entire universe. No man spoke in that moment of neutrality. The long-haired man started his monologue.
"Look, I know your kind..." – He moved his hands to mock Shiken's personality.
"You're not a hero. If you were, we would be fighting ever since I arrived here, so you clearly are not looking for a fight." – The unknown warrior finished the sentence and Shiken just stayed silenced. He could feel the man's energy, and it was higher than him. He needed to save his energy for when he truly needed it.
"But... Unfortunately for you, I came here for business. That means even you aren't safe from my wrath!" – The man shouted in pure bloodlust and quickly entered a fighting stance, demonstrating that the time for talk was done. Shiken, however, desired to know one thing before the incoming massacre.
"If I am going to die like you say, then give me your name." – The red monk crouched, positioning his arms in front of his legs. He quickly did a quick scan of his enemy's fighting style and smiled.
"Full of holes. If I play my cards right, he's easily beaten."
"You're right, it wouldn't be honorous to die without knowing the name of your assassin. So let me enlighten you. My name is Raditz, and I am a Saiyan warrior!" – Raditz became a blur of colors as he rushed Shiken, who jumped towards the long-haired warrior.
A shockwave burst into the sky as their hands clasped into each other. Both fighters tried to push the other with their hands, however, none of them managed to even move an inch. Shiken delivered a quick knee blow to Raditz's chest, who retaliated with a headbutt. The attack caused Shiken to be hurled towards the ground, but the red monk managed to get a hold of his balance before the impact. Raditz rushed him again in an attempt to punch Shiken, who in response leaped behind. The fist of the long-haired warrior touched the ground and caused cracks to show up at the peak of the mountain.
Shiken took the opportunity and shot an energy beam towards Raditz, who didn't react in time. The area around them was filled with smoke and the smell of fire. Shiken was still in a fighting stance since he could sense his enemy's energy signal easily. The Meatin quickly thought of a way he could defeat the Saiyan warrior.
"He is stronger than me, but he has absolutely no skill. He fights like a brute, so his attack pattern is gonna be predictable. I have to find his blind spots and take advantage of them if I want to save my planet." – His train of thought was interrupted as he blocked a heavy hit from the Saiyan warrior, being pushed into the sky from the impact. Raditz capitalized this moment and jumped towards Shiken, starting a barrage of punches and kicks. The red monk slowly managed to block most of Raditz's punches, but he wasn't ready for the next blow. Raditz quickly ascended further into the sky and blasted him with hundreds of ki spheres.
Raditz didn't wait for the smoke to clear as he prepared another blast, this time focusing even more energy. A purple sphere of plasma was forming in Raditz's left hand and the moment he saw Shiken's ruby-red skin, he shouted.
"Take this, Saturday Crush!" – A ball of plasma rocketed towards the smoke curtain and exploded in a blinding flash of pink electricity. A wide smile made its way to Raditz's face as he waited patiently.
'Beep!' – Raditz jumped and covered himself in a purple flash of light. He quickly moved towards the stones around the mountain and blasted them one by one.
"You really thought you could hide from me?!" – He found Shiken behind one shattered stone that fell from the top of the mountain and rushed him. Shiken jumped and rushed him as well. A clash ensued and the warriors were in a physical clash.
A punch to the gut, a quick jab to the face, roundhouse kicks were being repeated through the battle of resolves as the two warriors figured each other. The red monk delivered an uppercut to Raditz, who in return, delivered a heavy blow to Shiken's stomach. Shiken couldn't keep his balance and spit blood, falling from the sky. The Meatin fell on the cold hard ground, causing dust to spread all over the area. Raditz slowly descended as well, panting from exhaustion. The Saiyan warrior still managed to crack a smile and said.
"I'm disappointed right now. I expected a challenge and you can't give it to me."- Raditz finished the sentence wearing an arrogant scowl.
"I-Incredible... How can someone without skill in martial arts do this kind of damage to me? It's like he knows every move I make!" – Shiken slowly got up, his body begging for him to simply give up. The red monk needed to be completely calm if he wanted to defeat this foe, so he did what he always did when he was in this kind of situation. He closed his eyes and meditated. This didn't make his enemy happy, as expected.
A vein popped in Raditz's head as he shouted.
"Don't you dare ignore me!" – The Saiyan blasted towards the red vermin, rage blinding his sense of reason. Raditz was a few inches from mutilating Shiken when suddenly he hesitated.
'Beep!' – Raditz halted and leaped into the sky, avoiding the small blast of ki that left Shiken's hand. He fell on his knees with a triumphant smile on his face. Raditz laughed in mockery of his enemy's cowardly attempt at saving his planet.
"Pathetic! Did you expect this to work with me?!" – The Saiyan stopped his gloating and noticed something. Shiken was smiling. That single fact caused Raditz to form a frown in his head. He slowly approached the crouching alien and glared at him for a few seconds.
"Why are you smiling? Did you go insane from all those concussions?" – The curiosity quickly transformed into confusion as his enemy started to chuckle. The Meatin opened his eyes, which surprisingly were closed all this time, and said between laughter and pants.
"I-It's because... I figured y-you out!" – Shiken finished his successful attempt at annoying Raditz. The long-haired warrior closed in and held the red monk by the neck using one hand. The right hand of Raditz focused on preparing yet another blast of energy, this time with the intent of finishing the fight. As much as Raditz wanted, his curiosity got the best of him so he asked.
"What do you mean, you figured me out?" – Shiken answered with only gasps and choking, much to Raditz's wrath. Then came the noise.
'Vruumm!' – A sphere of light traveled from behind Raditz, aiming for his head and this time, it was too fast for the Saiyan warrior to stop. The blast crashed right in his white device, exploding it into tiny pieces. The impact was so big that Raditz let go of Shiken, who wore a smile of relief.
"ARGH! Son of a bitch!" – Raditz screamed in pain while Shiken stood up and entered a fighting stance still laughing. The armored fighter took a few seconds to recover from the shock, which gave the red monk some time to talk.
"That strange device of yours warned you of my location and when I would attack, displaying your inability to sense ki. Now I have this match in the bag, Raditz." – The Meatin now slowly walked up to Raditz, and in a quick motion, punched him. The long-haired warrior fell on the ground, giving Shiken a chance to continue his assault.
Shiken delivered a swift kick to Raditz's back, launching him into the sky. Bones shattered as Shiken delivered an uppercut to Raditz's torso, carrying him further and further into the sky. The screams of the Saiyan warrior went unheard as Shiken kept pushing him, and they reached a point in height where the skies have darkened and oxygen became scarce.
Raditz gasped for air as his body was being slowly frozen. He looked in the eyes of Shiken, waiting for it to come. His death was arriving. He closed his eyes and screamed as he felt pain. The vacuum of space hasn't allowed the sound of crushing bones to be heard as Shiken delivered a hard kick to Raditz's chest, breaking his ribs and launching the Saiyan warrior back into the ground at speeds superior to Mach 1.
The warrior became a blur of colors as he reached the mountain once again, completely destroying it as he crashed into the ground. Rocks were hurled and water fell as the mountain that was the place of peace for Shiken was turned into ruins of rocky formations. Right at the center of all the destruction, was a bloodied, crippled and bruised Raditz.
Shiken slowly descended into the ground, observing the destruction he indirectly caused. As his feets touched the ground, he noticed the giant crater Raditz caused. The Meatin approached the border of the hole and looked at the bottom of it, seeing the bloodied figure of the Saiyan warrior he defeated. He then jumped into the hole with energy forming in his right hand.
The deeper he went, the brighter the sphere of light became, illuminating the entire trip to the bottom of the hole. His bruised feet touched the ground and he turned his eyes to the mangled figure of his rival, whose the chances of survival were thin. Shiken pointed his right arm at Raditz, carrying the blast of plasma with it.
The energy never left his arm as he never shot. He just stood there, watching the armored fighter slowly come to his senses. For some reason, his hand refused to shoot his enemy. Perhaps it was his exhaustion? Or perhaps respect for Raditz? His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the voice of his beaten foe.
"Go... a-ahead... Finish... it." – Raditz stuttered with his weakened voice, giving Shiken a pleading look. Shiken however, was met with confusion and asked in return.
"Why should I kill you?" – The red monk asked as he got in a sitting position, starting to engage in the conversation. The reply he got was expected, to say the least.
"B-Because I wou-would have done it in y-your place..." – Shiken maintained a stoic expression, suppressing his amused emotions and answered.
"You still haven't done anything wrong on this planet to deserve death." – Raditz shook his head in laughter, since he couldn't move any other bone in his body, and replied with difficulty.
"I may not have killed anyone on your planet, but billions have died at my hands." – They would have kept talking for a few more minutes before Raditz' eventual death, however, fate would not allow it, as they heard the sound of the wind, rocks being shattered, and a metallic noise. Shiken looked to the sky in confusion while Raditz's widened his eyes. The Meatin noticed this and asked him.
"Is it a familiar sound?" – Raditz then answered with a smile and a sentence.
"It appears to me that the people back at the base sent me the backup ship. It won't be useful to me now that I'm dying, however." – The red monk scratched his chin with his hand as he was lost in his thoughts. For some mystical reason, he didn't want to kill the man in the crater with him. It was said in the prophecy that this Saiyan would be the destroyer of planet Meat, but he stopped the threat. Was there a reason for him to die now? The Meatin got up then as he snapped out of his trance.
Raditz awaited for what he was expecting, but instead, he was being lifted by Shiken. The Meatin put the Saiyan on his back and slowly flew towards the exit of the crater, letting the wind touch the bruised warriors again. Confusion transformed into shock in Raditz's mind as he saw Shiken carrying him towards the source of the noise, the backup ship.
The pod was similar to the one that was destroyed on arrival, with the same red glass on the front. This confirmed it for Raditz, he was being saved whether he liked it or not. Shiken then asked him.
"How do you open it?" – Raditz was too shocked to properly answer the question, however, a word did come out of his mouth. The voice came in a calm yet high tone, displaying the long-haired warrior's surprise.
"Why?" – It didn't take long for the Saiyan to have his answer.
"I... I don't know. Now mind telling me how does it open?" – Raditz then explained the situation for his rival.
"The doors are automatic on this one, just get me close to it." – The Meatin then crouched and carefully put Raditz on the ground, making sure not to give him any more severe wounds. The white ball then opened up a hatch while Raditz crawled inside of it. He then turned around as he sat in a comfortable position. A frown made its way to Raditz's face as he assured Shiken.
"This isn't over, Meatin. Make sure to remember that because I will be back." – The red monk only scowled at his rival, annoying Raditz to an extent. The pod started its retreat protocols and started to ascend into the sky.
The warriors looked at each other through the red windows of the circular mechanism one last time, before their fates were sealed forever. The pod then ignited at incredible speed, further adding a gap to their distances. Raditz relaxed his muscles as he slowly closed his eyes and murmured to himself.
"This is not... over..." – The sentence wasn't finished, however, as the Saiyan warrior entered deep sleep. Unknown to Radiz, this single defeat at the hands of Shiken would change his fate, the fate of Shiken and the fate of all of the known universe.
So, what did you think of this first chapter?
