The Definition of Pride
By Moonraker One
Note: Kelietya comes from my other story, The Ward.
For billions of years, there have been Saiyans that were far beyond the rest of their species. These were the Saiyans that, through much training, achieved oneness of the soul and a higher level of existence. They were even greater than the Super Saiyans of legend, having achieved Holy Saiyan status. With their newfound power, they grew to be far less evil than their normal, lesser counterparts. Over time, however, they had such ability that they were no longer accepted among their own kind. They were still allowed to live amongst their own people until Emperor Kilmar the third, who had the lot of them banded together and exterminated. He succeeded in eliminating the Saiyans that were even beyond the Super Saiyan status. Or did he…
Chapter one – Two Saiyans, A Namek, and bunch of Low-Levels
Such a wonderful life, Goku had. Despite all the evil he'd faced, he still was able to love his family and continue his ordinary existence on the little blue planet called Earth. He had friends, allies, and a nice place to live. He couldn't dream of what he'd do if he had to leave it all behind. He snapped out of his little daydream just in time to dodge a fist from Piccolo, who frowned in disgust at his battle partner's sudden lax.
"Why aren't you fighting?" Piccolo asked, demandingly. "I thought you serious about your training!"
Goku shook his head. "It's not that," Goku replied. "I just can't stop thinking about how lucky of a guy I am to be able to live a peaceful life. Some people aren't given such luck."
Piccolo let out a sigh. "That's true, Goku," he said, frustrated. "But I think your mind right now is supposed to be on this little bout we have going here!"
"Yeah, I guess so."
Even as he took up stance again, Goku couldn't take his mind off of the thought he'd been having for a while now. It was the thought that something or someone was coming, and he couldn't put the idea aside. It was like a dog nagging him to be taken outside; he couldn't keep ignoring it like he had been. But he couldn't feel any strange ki, so what could be awaiting him? He simply waited for it, hoping whatever it was, it would be friendly.
That afternoon, he seemed distant and very quiet at the dinner table, which was extremely unlike him. He was usually the first to dive into his food, shoveling it deep into his mouth, but today he just pecked at it. Chi-Chi was the first to notice, and the first to become concerned.
"Goku!?" she said, partially a shriek. "I know something's wrong. Tell me right now what it is!"
Good old Chi-Chi. Sometimes her abruptness and overreaction can help. Like now, to bring his words out easier.
"If I told you, I doubt you'd believe me," he replied.
"You're getting sick aren't you?!" she yelled. "WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE TOLD ME YOU WERE DYING!?"
"ENOUGH!" he screeched, amazing even himself that he was capable of yelling at his wife. "I am NOT dying!"
Hearing his sudden outburst, she sat down and began to speak quietly. "What's the matter, then?"
He slightly shook his head. "I…I just don't know how to put this," he said, thinking of his words very carefully. "I just feel like…I haven't accomplished something in my life. Something for ME."
She raised an eyebrow in confusion; this is from the kid who once went from day to day not concerned about tomorrow? This was her husband, who saved the world countless times before? How could he ever have to "accomplish" something to feel complete in his life?
"You don't mean you're leaving me," she said, causing him to look up. She could tell the look on his face seemed to say, "I'm not going there."
He raised an eyebrow of his own. "Why the hell would I do something like that?!" he exclaimed, his voice carrying slightly. "I love you! I just need to do something."
"What would you need to do?"
Her question caused him to smile jokingly. "That's the stupid part," he replied. "I don't have a darn clue." His words came to confuse even him; he'd always had everything he'd ever need. He had something that most people never get: a nice home, a loving wife, and two wonderful sons. Feeling obligated by her facial expressions, he quickly ate his food then left the table. He took off his GI and went up stairs for a shower. After removing his clothes and letting the mildly warm water run over him, he stared at the patterns of light refractions for what seemed like hours, all the while contemplating his existence. He'd saved what seemed to be trillions of people over the years; what could anyone need to prove after all of that? Even he didn't quite understand.
Sleep, the only thing that he thought could ease the storm on his mind, seemed to come very difficultly. Even with his love next to him, he couldn't catch the zz's he needed. Sensing a problem, Chi-Chi touched his cheek.
"You've always been the voice of reason," she said, a hint of worry audible in her tone. "What bug have you caught now?"
He shook his head and got out of bed. He quickly donned his orange and blue GI, and exited through the window. "I'll be back soon, Chi-Chi," he reassured her. Upon his flight into the distance, she herself sat up in bed. Just like her husband, a billion worries on her mind, all of them related to how his mind was and what exactly was wrong with him. He was the LAST person who would cheat on her, so what could possibly be wrong with him? It was overwhelming the condition he was in; she didn't know how she'd live if he decided she couldn't make him happy anymore.
In the air, he felt an uneasy calmness, one that didn't usually come. Also, he felt a strange ki in the air; it felt exactly like Vegeta's except, it seemed…milder. He'd never felt it before. Vegeta's ki was always angry and drawn. Now it felt as though he was trying to signal someone-possibly Goku himself-as if they were the only person on Earth he wanted to be in the presence of. Not willing to displease, Goku flew at top speed to Vegeta's location.
"I thought you'd get here, Kakarot," he said in response to Goku's sudden arrival. "I could tell you were worried about something."
Goku sat down on the rock next to the Saiyan Prince. "I just don't know, Vegeta, but I can't help but feel…like I need to finish something," Goku explained.
Vegeta smirked. "Yup," he replied. "I've definitely felt that feeling."
Goku turned to him suddenly. "So, how do you handle it?"
Vegeta looked back at the third-class. "I keep telling myself it's no better than this anywhere else," he explained. "I say that this is the life everyone dreams of, and nobody wants."
Goku, as was his perpetual state, was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Think about it, Kakarot," he replied. "Everyone wants a wife and kids, but no one wants the hassles."
Goku looked down. "They've never been hassles to me," was the reply. "I've always been happy. How come I'm not now?"
"Sorry, our time's up," Vegeta said, mimicking the movements of a professional counselor. He then flew away.
"Oh thank you much, Vegeta!" Goku sarcastically replied. He should have known that Vegeta wasn't going to get much more into detail than that, but for some reason he had hoped he would. He figured that the Saiyan prince knew exactly what was going through his own head enough so that he could help Goku out a bit, but why would the arrogant prince do such a thing? Nope. It was destined not to happen.
He really didn't know what was destined to happen. He looked up and thought he saw a slight disturbance in the air, but shook it off as his imagination. Even though he didn't know why he was feeling the way he was, he headed back home to probably not sleep the whole night through, but still had to try. He knew how much his wife was used to overreaction, so he would have to try his best to act normal, hopefully to get his wife to yell at him and thus forget all about his problem.
"Is everything going to schedule?" asked Kelietya, angry at her servants' lack of desire to work. "You know I don't tolerate slow workers."
Her commander ran up to the base of the small staircase leading to her seat. He put his fist in front of his heart in the typical salute fashion. "I…I'm sorry, ma'am!" he said, an audible worry on his voice. "I hold myself personally accountable for the holdup!"
One quick finger movement and she blasted his right arm off. "I want action! NOW!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. They, who previously had been slacking off, quickly got to attention and began working much faster.
"This is how I like my servants," she replied. Her commander smiled and walked out of the chamber, where he rapidly regenerated his arm. As he walked towards the main engine room, he pondered how he came to serve Kelietya. He had been the Great Elder's personal guardian back on his home planet of Namek, before she showed up and brought him aboard. It's not that he hated serving her, it was just that she became demanding. He probably would never understand why, but she was nice and cheery and then progress slowed down and she got pissed very easily.
Once he reached the main engine room, he looked over at the workers furiously working to land the spaceship while still keeping it cloaked. The cloaking device was a marvel of interstellar travel; with it you could be stronger than a super Saiyan and no one could sense you because the ship and everything in it was completely cloaked. He scanned the progress of the workers as he strolled by them; it was his job to make sure everyone was doing their job just as they were supposed to. He was amazed by the level of teamwork among the servants; these were beings that were so different from anyone around them, yet they worked together and were friends and it was just incredible. Not since leaving Namek had he experienced such a degree of brotherhood.
"Commander Teneko!" a voice over the loudspeaker announced. "Report to the general's chamber immediately!"
Ah, it was Kelietya again. She always needed him for something; he just didn't know what it was this time. Not wanting to displease a Saiyan, he ran as quickly as he could to the main quarters he had just left. Inside, Kelietya was finishing off the last bit of her kerbango and stood up from her seat.
"Now we're ready to disengage the cloaking mechanism and exit to the planet," she explained. "Prepare a reconnaissance fleet to search the planet for dangers."
He placed his hand in front of his heart for the salute. "Yes, ma'am!" he replied, standing at attention.
What a beautiful morning it had been. Goku got up with the sunlight, and was in the lake for his breakfast. He had been feeling a bit weird the night before, but obviously a good night's rest did him a world of good; he no longer felt the need to ponder his existence. It was quite incredible; one night of rest healed a mental wound that was nagging at him. The surroundings about him were all the fulfillment he'd ever need.
It was like a pop. In an instant, right as he was about to grab a fish, he felt a bunch of new ki signatures pop out of nowhere. It seemed strange to him, but ki signs don't pop out of midair; he should have felt them as they approached the planet. Either they literally materialized from thin air, or they were suddenly created. And being the experienced warrior he was, he was banking on the former. On his way to the new ki, he saw all of his allies approach him.
"You feel it too?" asked a nervous Krillin. "They seem huge, and they just came from nowhere!"
Goku nodded. "I know," he replied. "Ki doesn't just pop up that quickly. Even if they teleported, we should have felt them as they were coming."
"Just make sure you leave them to me!" demanded an angry Vegeta, in typical Prince style. "If there's a fight, let me take care of it."
"I'm sure you'll get your chance," Goku said, rolling his eyes sarcastically. Honestly, he couldn't understand how Vegeta could be so eager that he wouldn't feel how powerful they are.
One by one, the Z senshi arrived at the site of the spaceship as it rapidly appeared from behind an invisible field of energy. A rather large staircase descended from the open door of the ship-the ship, which was easily big enough to house an entire species about a million strong-allowing a few thousand soldiers to flock from the ship. Behind them were two medium-level Pekorian warriors, directly in front of a rather powerful looking Namek.
Goku stood in front of the z senshi. "What do you want with our planet?" he said in a demanding tone.
The Namek proceeded down the staircase, the soldiers stepping to the side as he walked. "We want nothing with your planet," he replied. "We have no business with Earth. We only want any Saiyans on this planet to come with us and witness the rebirth of the mighty Saiyan empire."
Vegeta stomped forward, angrily approaching the Namekian. "How would YOU know about the mighty Saiyan empire, Namek?" he boomed.
"Do not challenge me, Prince Vegeta," he warned. "Or you will find that I am a Super Namek. I am even beyond your level of power."
Vegeta leaned back a bit, taken by surprise that a being of Namek would know his name. "Where'd you learn my name?"
"From my master," was Teneko's reply. "She's taught me everything I need to know about Saiyans."
Vegeta smirked. "Who's your master!?" he said, a tone of disbelief in his voice.
A voice descending from the ship replied, "I am."
Vegeta's eyes grew wide as he saw the female descending from the ship. She had Raditz's hair except it was dark blue; could she really be who he was thinking?
"C…Colonel Kelietya!?" He shrieked nervously.
"General Kelietya," she corrected. "I could have taken the throne of the Saiyan Empire if I wanted to, but the laws prevented me from trying. When your father learned how powerful I was, he promoted me."
"I was told he killed you," Vegeta replied.
"Tried," she corrected again. "He couldn't kill someone who was thirty thousand at their weakest."
"You're gonna rebuild the mighty Saiyan empire!?" he scoffed, hoping to catch her off-guard.
She turned to Teneko. "See if he's worthy of being our leader," she ordered. He nodded and faced his opponent, who was more than willing to fight. Instantly, Vegeta charged up to Super Saiyan and hurled a fist at Teneko. The Namek lifted his hand and effortlessly caught the fist in midair. Vegeta was not ready for the Namek not to be killed instantly. Teneko threw a fist of his own at the Saiyan, blasting him back at least past Goku. Goku himself was impressed; Teneko had instantly gone from normal power to intense battle-level power, and blocked a punch, all in less than a nanosecond. It was something he was barely capable of, even.
Kelietya sighed, disgusted. "Unworthy of leading such a mighty empire," she said of Vegeta's lack of ability. "If you can't beat a Super Namek, how do you expect to defeat a Holy Saiyan such as myself?"
Vegeta glared at her angrily. "How DARE you!?" He shrieked. "I was born of royal blood!"
She rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I care?!" she replied. "Is that supposed to make me automatically obey you?"
Goku, who had witnessed the entire short-lived battle, stepped forward. "So, what you're doing is looking for someone to lead your new Saiyan empire?" he asked, hoping to get her to explain her true intentions.
She looked at him expectantly. "So, you think you are worthy of leading my new, invincible empire?" she replied, sizing up his skill as she stood.
"I've never been a leader," he responded. "I just want to see how good of a fighter you are."
Kelietya scoffed as she listened to his words. "Me!?" she exclaimed. "You want to see how good I am?!"
Teneko stepped forward. "I'll take this one on," he reassured her. "If he wants to lead our empire, he'll have to get through me."
Goku was no idiot; he knew exactly how powerful Teneko was even before the Namek knew himself. Instantly, he charged up to Super Saiyan two, making sure his power was at its maximum for that state. The Namekian charged him at top speed, taking Goku by surprise even at this level of power. A well-placed foot almost landed itself across the Saiyan's face as he quickly moved to deliver an uppercut to the Namekian's chest. The fist was blocked an inch from its destination just in time for the Namek to receive a kick to the side of the head. It only startled him enough to give Goku time for an attack. Sensing an opening, he delivered twelve punches to the chest and face in furious succession. Goku then attempted a finishing blow to the face, which Teneko threw to the side with a burst of ki from his mouth. He quickly landed an upward punch to Goku's gut, forcing the powerful Earth Saiyan backwards.
"You're awesome," Goku said, spitting some blood out.
Teneko replied, "You're the second most powerful Saiyan I've ever fought, next to Kelietya." Teneko knew what he was saying. He'd fought Saiyans that were incredibly powerful, but this one was more intense than they were. In all his four hundred years, he'd never fought someone so powerful. He quickly regenerated the damage to his ribs, then continued the assault.
Goku's eyes widened as a flying kick slammed with the force of a comet straight into his chest, nearly shattering his ribs. He could easily feel that at least two of his ribs were cracked, and this was only the first part of the attack. The second included a sweep kick that had Goku falling on his back, but before he could hit the ground, he was sent upwards with a powerful upward kick. As he sailed upward, his flight was abruptly cancelled by a swift downward axe-handle smash that sent him plummeting in the opposite direction. Everyone in the immediate vicinity shielded themselves from the flying dirt and debris from his impact with the ground.
Teneko smiled as his foe stood up. "I can't believe you survived that," he said, "but I don't think you have much more left."
Goku winced and forced a teasing smile through the pain. "Oh, I think you'd be surprised," he replied.
With a sudden yell and a burst of power, he managed to reach his near-apex of power; Super Saiyan three. His increase in ability caught Teneko completely off-guard. The Namek was not expecting such a drastic increase in power from a Saiyan whose ribs he knew were suffering from the kick he gave. Goku turned to his opponent and hurled a knee at Teneko's stomach with all of his might, expecting to send the Namek warrior far with a blow to the gut. Instead, he found Teneko to be struggling with all his might to hold back the knee, which he was managing with both hands. Amazed that Teneko still had enough power to block the knee shot, Goku was caught defenseless for a half-second, just enough of a break to allow the Namek to dodge another fist sent his way. Another shot sent to his chin was much faster, however, and Teneko found himself with a cracked jaw. Goku whirled around and delivered a roundhouse to Teneko's head, sending him sailing backward, just stopping barely short of hitting the ship.
He tried to dodge another knee to the chest, but it landed perfectly and broke all of his ribs in a neat pattern. Goku let up as a small pulse of blood came shooting from the Namekian's injured mouth. Believing the fight was over, Goku backed up, but kept his power up.
Teneko rapidly regenerated the injuries he suffered and said, "You are truly a Saiyan worthy of ruling our empire, but this fight isn't over yet." With that, he hastily took off the amulet dangling from a necklace draped around his neck. Sensing a possible power increase, Goku flew forward, hoping to catch the Namek before he could get stronger. It was, however, too late. A single scream later and Teneko was at least twenty million higher in power.
Goku found himself the victim of a single upward punch to the gut, which drove all the wind out of the mighty Super Saiyan three. Completely in disbelief that he could be defeated at Super Saiyan three, Goku tried to ponder how he could lose, just as he fell unconsciously to the ground. Teneko brushed himself off, then powered down by putting the necklace back on. He grimaced as the amulet forcefully lowered his power back down to what it was before the fight with Goku. Kelietya smiled menacingly as she lifted the unconscious Saiyan onto her shoulders.
"What do you think of Kakarot?" she asked her commander. "Was this his best?"
Teneko shook his head worriedly. "No. I could tell he was capable of at least Super Saiyan four, possibly S.S.4 max power," he replied.
She raised an eyebrow. "Then…how did you defeat him?" she asked, thinking his words made no sense.
He smiled. "I caught him before he could power up to his max," Teneko replied proudly.
When Goku woke up he was inside of a room. The room was bright and inviting-looking, with décor and everything you wouldn't expect in an alien spaceship. His typical clothes were repaired from his battle with Kelietya's commander, and all of his friends were there. None of them appeared worried, and all of them appeared to be in good condition.
"W…where am I?" Goku asked, his blurry vision coming back into clarity.
Krillin smiled as he helped his friend to his feet. "We're in Kelietya's spaceship," he replied. "We decided that if you were going, we were going with you."
Vegeta had one thing on his mind. "Kakarot!" He screeched. "How could YOU of all Saiyans lose to a Namek?!" From the seat next to him, Piccolo slapped Vegeta on the side of the head and shot him an evil look.
Goku smiled good-humoredly. "He got to me before I could hit Super Saiyan four," was Goku's humored response.
The large metal door slid open, the commander's large Namekian presence behind it. Teneko was big AND powerful. Usually, big means a lack in speed. Goku, however, knew better; just because the Namek was bigger than Piccolo and twice as muscular, didn't mean he was slow. He shot the commander a look of eagerness for a rematch, which was responded to by a similar look back at him.
"How are you doing, people of Earth?" asked Teneko. "General Kelietya has asked me to inform you that we are on our way to Planet Saiya."
Vegeta popped up. On his face was a look of complete shock. "Y…You found planet SAIYA!?" he announced.
"Yes, we have," replied Teneko. "It is official. We are going to restart the Saiyan empire on the planet that Saiyans were created on before they left."
After saying that, Teneko turned to exit the room, before Goku stopped him.
"Teneko," he asked, "you seem older than you look. How old are you?"
"About four hundred years," replied the young-looking old Namek. "Give or take ten."
Goku was impressed again. "H…how do you stay young?"
"You'll find out yourself, Kakarot," he responded. "The secret is that Kelietya is able to give people eternal youth." Having said that, he shut the door behind him, hoping that once they got to Saiya they'd have a rematch.