Episode Six
'Oozaru Rampage!'
The night sky was beautiful and black, storm clouds obscured the stars and the pale green moon above. Konpeito sat at the mouth of a cave with the others who had sought refuge from the storm.
It was clearing now and they would return to their evening hunt. There were two separate hunting parties from two different villages sharing the cave, none of them enjoyed the harsh rains.
There was no fire, it only attracted the larger predators. The hunters sought out fair game to bring back to their village, but they had no illusions of being safe in the woods at night. Luckily the caves were naturally warm so no fire was needed. Konpeito suspected their ancestors enjoyed the caves for that reason but living in villages protected by strong walls had kept them far safer.
In addition to providing shelter from the storm the cave was a good opportunity to hear stories from their neighbors, meet new friends or check up on old rivals.
Konpeito watched as the pale green moon emerged and the storm clouds receded. The hunter smiled and turned to the cave's inhabitants, "Storm's cleared. Resume the hunt?"
Hunt leaders from both villages trundled over to the cave entrance and peered out. The leader from the other village shuddered and called back, "Stay in, it's still too wet and cold."
The leader of Konpeito's hunt, a grizzled elder named Bingtang seemed about to say the same when one of the younger hunters cried, "What's that?"
Both leaders peered out and looked around, "What? Where?" Bingtang asked.
"The moon!" Konpeito realized, looking up at it.
Five shooting stars lanced across the moon like streaks of white against the soft green. They danced for a moment, moving together in a V formation until one of them broke away suddenly.
It tumbled towards the ground in a blaze of flame as the other four struck off for some distant place. Konpeito heard many cries of astonishment as the star slammed into the forest not far from them.
There was an explosion and flames, Konpeito turned to the elders helplessly hoping that they would know what to do but both just stared in open mouth shock.
For a time nothing happened, and then there was a roar like nothing Konpeito had ever heard in the forest before. The hunter felt fear griping both hearts and almost refused when Bingtang shouted, "We have to go!"
"But the sky falls!" One of the other village's young hunters cried.
"The forest burns!" Another added.
Bingtang snarled, "If those flames are left unchecked our villages can be caught in the flames!"
Konpeito frowned when the roar sounded again.
"That's no knife tail." Konpeito warned the elder.
The elder of the other village put a hand on Bingtang's shoulder and said, "My hunters and I will support you, cousin. Take heart young ones, nothing will threaten our numbers."
Konpeito shuddered when the roar sounded a third time, but knew the elders were right.
The flames had to be stopped and no predator would threaten so many Iwatian hunters. Even if the deadly knife tails did emerge they would have the numbers to stop them.
Still . . . "Knife tails will be attracted to the light of the flames." Konpeito warned the elders.
"Nothing will threaten our numbers." Bingtang repeated the other elder's words.
Konpeito took a deep breath, shuddered then nodded and stepped out into the night.
The Iwatian hunters gripped their spears and ran into the night. They had excellent night vision, but they didn't need it with the fires of the trees.
The blood chilling roar sounded again, Konpeito ran on at the head of the party. The young hunter saw something ahead that was unlike anything ever witnessed in the forests of their world.
It was massive and covered in fur. It had a long snout full of sharp teeth and huge hands with black claws.
It saw them. Konpeito wasn't sure how it knew to look, but it saw them. Its massive red eyes seemed to lock with Konpeito's and the hunter's strides stopped.
The beast roared, it opened its mouth and a beam of blinding light began to build in its mouth.
Bingtang knocked the younger hunter aside in time to avoid a knife tail that was charging for the big beast.
The knife tail was a large six legged monster with hooves on its four back legs, and sharp pincers on its front two legs. It had a long whip-tail that ended in a sharp bony knife. Like the Iwatians it had a hard exoskeleton covered in hardened nubs, and its small porcine head was perched on a downward sloped neck to make feeding easier. It liked feeding on Iwatians.
Just one might not have been a threat to so many hunters, but they were pack hunters known to travel in groups of up to a dozen. They were dangerous and surprisingly stealthy for something as large as a hut. Even the hunters' ability to sense life energy didn't always work with the knife tails until it was too late.
But there was no missing the sheer volume of energy from the blast of heat that devastated the monster, its size proving irrelevant as it simply disintegrated.
"The fires!" Bingtang ordered, "Put out the fires!"
Bingtang led by example, thrusting one thick arm towards a burning tree. A strong wind seemed to blow the flames into Bingtang's outstretched hands. Konpeito began to do the same.
The screech of knife tails rang in the forest answered by the roar of the big beast.
Konpeito saw the monster lift one of the knife tails by its tail and hurl it impossibly far.
The hunter turned to Bingtang and asked the elder, "What do we do about that thing when the flames are gone?"
Bingtang didn't have an answer, Konpeito wasn't really surprised. The big beast was all but sporting with the knife tail monsters.
It seemed to have a thick black and purple carapace that the blades of the knife tails weren't able to pierce. Konpeito saw it sweep one of the monsters away with its long thick furry tail.
"At least it seems interested in the knife tails," Konpeito mumbled quietly and wondered what it could be.
Was it some predator of theirs? Was that why it had started so many fires? There was so much of the deep forests that the Iwatians didn't know or explore, could this just be a part of their world they had never encountered before?
Or had it come because of the falling star? Was it some ancient evil woken by a tear of the gods fallen to ground?
Konpeito might never know, all that the young hunter could do was focus on sucking up the flames. Doing so made the Iwatians feel more energized, more alive and it made the whole world seem to speed up as the heat energy they stored supercharged them.
The battle of giants raged in the background as Konpeito and the other hunters worked to put an end to the flames, a goal not aided by the monster's tendency to create more with its mouth blasts.
But with over two score hunters working they did start to make progress and as the flames of the fires died down the remaining knife tails seemed to be rethinking their battle with the great furred beast.
Konpeito had been separated from Bingtang and was still putting out fires when the fighting began to come to an end.
Most of the knife tails had either fled or been destroyed but there was one left that seemed determined to slay or be slain itself.
The fires were almost gone but an eerie blue glow was illuminating the damaged portion of the forest.
Konpeito watched as the huge furred beast battled the final knife tail. Konpeito was full of energy from absorbing so much heat and fire and the young hunter knew there would be no stopping something that hunted and killed knife tails once it finished with its prey.
And Konpeito knew it would try to kill them next.
So the hunter turned on the big beast and blasted it with every ounce of stored up fire energy.
The blast hit the big beast and it lurched forward. Konpeito thought it must be slain until it turned around, pure rage in its eyes. It roared with fury and then fell to its knees.
But it was not Konpeito's blast that had wounded it. The Iwatian hunter could see the surviving knife tail had bitten down on the beast's tail.
The big beast swept its arm back, roaring in pain as the knife tail bit down harder.
It swept its bladed tail out and cut into the beast's palm. Konpeito saw disgusting red blood as the greater monster howled in pain and rage.
Their eyes met again and this time Konpeito saw what could have been surprise. The hunter felt a strange satisfaction.
Not so scary now, are you?
The knife tail hacked into the beast's tail, severing it.
"Bring it down!" Bingtang roared, Konpeito ducked as several heat blasts tore into the two monsters, vaporizing both the big beast and the Knife Tail.
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"You killed them both?" Karuto asked.
"Well . . ." Konpeito hesitated.
"You fought with a Saiyan monster and killed it?" the little master demanded.
Konpeito shuddered a negative response, "We thought so at the time, but the blasts weren't enough to slay that demon. Still at first when the smoke cleared all we saw was a blue light coming from a crater in the ground."
"The pod's landing spot," the tiny alien overlord said to itself, "the blue light was probably one of those artificial moons they make, my papa told me about that once, they use them to transform into the Oozaru, that's the big beast you mentioned. Though it's odd that it happened in the crater, usually they launch them into the sky."
Konpeito said, "I didn't know that. But I don't know what it has to do with anything . . . my lord."
"Nothing I suppose." Karuto admitted. "It's just weird. So what happened next?"
Konpeito was about to continue the story when a larger overlord stood in the doorway and said, "Next we dock with Alpha Station, little cousin."
This one was the one they called the Commander, it was the second in command if Konpeito was correct and it was strong. Stronger than even the big beast had been despite being a fraction of its size. Konpeito bowed to this new overlord as Karuto said, "The new recruit was just telling me about the Saiyan attack on that world we conquered."
"We? Who's 'we', you weren't there." The Commander smirked. Despite being the same species it had a mouth with black colored lips and matching bands going from its eyes to its chin, unlike Karuto who seemed to have a chitinous mask over its face like the one they called the Captain.
It made their expressions difficult to read, assuming that Konpeito could accurately read alien expressions at all. Even so, though the Commander's words were rude its expression seemed playful, and Karuto didn't seem upset. The expression was less playful when the Commander turned to Konpeito and said, "As for you soldier, no shore leave but you will be getting off. You and your kind will be escorted to the reeducation level by Damson. He's my second and his shore leave doesn't begin until you're delivered so I wouldn't make him wait if I were you."
The Iwatian nodded to the Commander who in turn folded its arms, turned to Karuto and said, "Captain Kalt wants us ready to disembark. He thinks you'll want to know the Frieza's Fist is docked with the station."
The tiny Arcosian raced out of the room crying in excitement, "Daddy's ship! Daddy's ship!"
The Commander smirked and left as well leaving Konpeito to trundle out of the room alone.
The Iwatian elder thought of that time so long ago, thought of the demons that had tore a path of destruction across the world. It had been devastating but it hadn't exterminated their race the way that these other demons had.
So why had master Karuto seemed so . . . anxious about them?
Reeducation eh? Konpeito thought, stepping into the corridor and heading for the exit to find Damson and the other survivors waiting.
You'll soon find this old knife tail has no trouble learning new tricks. And I'll learn soon enough why you thought the Sky Demons were a threat to you when they're so much weaker. Once I know that, I'll make you pay for what you did, even if it takes my last breath.
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The roar of the crowd was almost deafening as the first day of the Golden Warrior Martial Arts Tournament neared a close. Due to the sheer number of competitors even after qualifiers it hadn't been realistic to finish the tournament in a single day. Because the object was to find the best students rather than just the strongest overall fighter they had began the tournament with more than double the usual entries and after three elimination rounds the crowd of entries was thinning but it had been a long day and they would still need tomorrow to finish up.
Luckily one of the first orders of business for the restoration of West City had been to build a sports and entertainment arena. Roshi had been told it was important for public morale, but it had worked out nicely for their purposes.
"If there's anything that makes me think of the old team more than a Martial Arts Tournament I can't imagine what it would be." Bulma sighed wistfully.
"They certainly bring back memories." Master Roshi agreed as he watched the fighters in the arena ring. "Of course I don't recall always getting to sit in such lavish seats. What do you think, Trunks?" Roshi asked, nudging the youngster who was watching the fights intensely.
"The Royal Box is quite nice." Trunks said without looking away from the two fighters in the arena, "It was very kind of the King to let us use it, but I wonder where he is. I thought he'd be here."
"He's probably runnin' the country." Roshi suggested.
"Do you see any standouts?" Bulma asked them.
"I think I've seen a few." Trunks said.
"You're not thinking of that kid with the spiky black hair are you?" Master Roshi asked.
Trunks finally looked away from the fight in confusion, "What? Which one? That's almost half the fighters in this tournament!"
Master Roshi smiled and Trunks realized that getting him to look away had been the joke. He smiled and stifled a chuckle before turning back to the fight, "Well I know I'm being a bit intense about it but it's important."
"It is, but you should try to seem more relaxed." Master Roshi said. "For example this fight the blond guy, what's his name again? Bacon? There's no need to show that much interest, he's got it in the bag."
"It's Bocan, and I know." Trunks said, "But he doesn't just end the fight. Why is that?"
Bulma watched the fight for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe because he doesn't want to hit a woman?"
"No, that girl Rhyce has come this far in the tournament and Bocan knows he can't advance any further unless he's willing to hit a girl." Trunks said.
"He's not finishing it because he knows he's won." Master Roshi said simply. "He knows he'll move on to the next round but he's giving her a chance to show you what she can do before he knocks her out of the contest."
"He didn't do that with his other two opponents," Bulma pointed out, "I remember he beat them quickly."
"They were both entirely the wrong kind of fighter." Trunks told her and Roshi was glad to hear him say it, "Rhyce isn't though, she's fast and strong but can definitely still stand to learn a thing or two. She's not full of herself."
"And she's not backing down against a superior opponent, she's trying to play his confidence against him and get him to make a mistake." Master Roshi said. Trunks nodded and Roshi decided to test him a bit, "I think Rhyce would be a good pick, but Bocan might be too overconfident."
"I don't know," Trunks said, "he's confident but he's not selfish. He wants her to give the best showing she can, and he recognizes her potential. That's a good trait and the fact that he's already an accomplished fighter doesn't mean he's not going to be able to learn anything."
Roshi nodded, "I thought so too, I was just testing you."
"Yeah right." Bulma teased.
Trunks smiled and said, "I know."
"So both their names?" Bulma asked.
"They're definitely worth considering." Trunks said.
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Gurein sighed as he watched his sister battle. Rhyce had never known how or when to back down from a fight. It was obvious that Bocan had her beat, he was nearly a foot taller than her and had a far superior reach with both his arms and legs, he was faster and he was more experienced.
Rhyce had struggled through both of her earlier fights but Bocan had taken out both his previous opponents with one blow meaning that he had lots of energy left for this third round battle.
Gurein didn't like to think that his sister would be eliminated in round three, he knew Rhyce probably hated the idea even more than he did, but she'd been unlucky to run into a fighter like this so quickly.
"You shouldn't worry about her," A gentle voice from behind told him, "she's giving a very good showing you know."
Gurein turned around to regard a fairly short well muscled fighter with a shaved head and cleft chin. He wore thick glasses and rather casual street clothes, not really the sort he'd expect to see on a fighter in a tournament.
"I can't help but worry about her." Gurein admitted.
"Of that I have no doubt. She's your sister, isn't she?" The fighter asked and Gurein nodded. The smaller man said, "Just remember what they told us at the start of the tournament: losing doesn't disqualify you from becoming one of Master Trunks' students. You just have to give a good account of yourself and I'd say she's done that. If I were a mentor I'd train her anyway."
Gurein frowned. He'd watched Rhyce fight hundreds of times, to him her flaws were obvious and he knew the reason for each one. She was swinging too hard because she was getting tired and wanted to 'make it count', she couldn't help telegraphing her kicks because she was angry.
He regarded the stranger again and asked, "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"I'm Kodva." The shorter man said, "I'm going to be your fourth round fight tomorrow."
Ah, that explains the outfit; he's already changed out of his proper clothing, Gurein reasoned. "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise, and good luck to you tomorrow, win or lose." Kodva said. He tilted his head towards the arena, "You know I fought Bocan before in a different tournament. He doesn't toy with his opponents unless he likes them. You know, thinks they're actually a good fight."
"You think that's what he's doing?" Gurein asked.
"I know it is, he toyed with me and let me tell you I was a good fight." Kodva smiled.
Gurein smiled back in spite of himself and his worry for his sister's chances, "I guess I'll see tomorrow. Still, he defeated his other opponents so quickly it almost seems like he's just mocking my sister."
Kodva put his hands in his pockets and said, "Well I don't know him that well personally so maybe he is. But he definitely never struck me that way, he's a gifted fighter I think he just tries to prolong fights against worthwhile opponents. He'll usually let them run until the last few seconds then finish them the way he finished those first two: in one blow."
Gurein sighed. I might have to fight him in the finals tomorrow, he realized. He asked Kodva, "Have you ever seen Bocan lose?"
"Once." Kodva said with a bright smile, his eyes twinkling behind his glasses, "It was really early after the Androids were defeated when the underground martial arts circuit he fought in was daring to rear its head again. I wasn't a competitor yet, I was just one of the monks that helped organize it. Back then he used to give opponents that impressed him one free shot."
Gurein snorted, "I'm guessing someone taught him the folly of that."
"A woman named Pastel," Kodva said, "she knocked him clear out of the ring with a single punch. He stopped giving out the free hits after that."
Gurein managed a smile at that, he turned back just in time to see Bocan suddenly strike.
He sprang forward as Rhyce tried a high kick. The taller fighter caught her foot and pushed it upwards to knock her off balance.
Rhyce fell backwards but kicked out with her other leg, for a moment she was standing on her hands with her back turned to him as she tried to bring her legs down again, but that was when Bocan struck kicking her in the back and sending her tumbling out of the ring.
The crowd went wild and Gurein shook his head and sighed. The announcer declared Bocan the winner and Gurein expected his sister to throw a tantrum or at the very least threaten her opponent but to his surprise Rhyce sprang up, dusted herself off, forced an awkward bow to her opponent and came back without a word.
"Are you all right?" Gurein asked.
"I don't know . . . I just hope I did good enough." Rhyce told him. "Once I realized he was just toying with me I tried to show off everything I had, I just hope it was enough."
"Ah. That's why you didn't back down." Gurein said smiling.
"Of course! I'm not fighting for prize money or even to win, I'm fighting to become Master Trunks' student!" Rhyce told him, "Did you forget, big brother?"
Gurein was relieved, "No, not at all." He told her. "I just thought you'd lose your temper."
"I did that too for a bit," Rhyce admitted, "I kept thinking I might land a good hit if I could get him into some kind of false sense of security and then surprise him, you know? But he was always one step ahead and it did make me mad. But I tried to keep my eye on the prize and that made it a little easier. I just hope it was enough.
"Me too." Gurein told her, he regarded Bocan as the tall man came came back to the waiting area and the two next combatants rushed out for their turn. With long shaggy blond hair and a somewhat scraggy beard Bocan actually made Gurein think of a young lion.
He smiled at them and said to Rhyce, "It was a good fight. I hope we get the chance to do it again sometime."
"Oh any time anywhere, you just name the place!" Rhyce scowled at him.
"I'm thinking Capsule Corp. HQ once we're training under Master Trunks. Good luck." Bocan said.
Gurein nodded to him, Kodva waved but Rhyce just scoffed and was about to say something that was probably horribly rude but Gurein lightly patted her head and she glowered for a moment before saying, "Good luck to you too, I hope you do well."
"Very good." Gurein told her.
His sister gave him an extremely irritated look for a moment then hissed, "Avenge me!"
Gurein rolled his eyes, "We'll see."
To Be Continued . . .
On the Next Episode of Dragon Ball COED . . . Captain Kalt and his nephews attend a meeting of many high ranking members of the Clan, including Admiral Frigus who gives them a new and unexpected assignment.