Ten: Death Battle! The Test of Saiyan Might!
Arame sat alone in the middle of the rocky field, meditating. She could feel the energies around her, but they were miniscule. The lizard scrambling over the rock to the right. The birds that were flying by just overhead. Even the energies of the shrub grass all around her.
She focused her energy at her center again and let it leave her outward and upward. Then she focused on keeping it contained.
Arame felt them as they arrived, one by one.
First was Goten and Gohan. They had come together and stood off to the right.
"Nice to see you again, Gohan," said Arame. "It may be the last time we speak."
"I'm aware," Gohan replied.
Next came Vegeta and Trunks. To Vegeta, Arame said, "It was an honor training with you, Prince Vegeta." Her eyes were still closed. Vegeta harrumphed his acknowledgement.
Finally, Goku arrived.
At last, Arame opened her eyes, still seated on the rocky ground with her fingers interlocked before her. "I appreciate you all coming on such short notice." She paused. "You all know why we're here..."
She stood up. "In my short time on this planet, I've gotten to know each one of you. You've grown on me, and I would love to see our relationships continue to grow." She steeled herself. "But I know there is a very real chance that I won't survive this. Of all the Saiyans gathered here, only I am not a Super Saiyan. Today that changes." She paused again. "Either I become a Super Saiyan...or there will be one less Saiyan on this planet."
Vegeta flashed into Super Saiyan, followed by Trunks and Goten.
"No holding back," Gohan said as he too went Super Saiyan.
"It's time you prove you're worthy of the title of Saiyan warrior, Arame," Vegeta growled.
At last, Goku joined the others in their golden states. "Arame. If you get to Otherworld...tell King Yemma I sent you. It might earn you some points."
Arame smiled grimly. She closed her eyes, inhaled slowly, and focused her Ki inwardly.
Then she exhaled sharply, eyes going wide. BEGIN!
All at once, five Super Saiyans rushed at her. In that moment, everything seemed frozen.
'You know, Arame...I've always thought that you had the spirit of a true warrior.' Mizuna's voice echoed across her distant memory. 'You aren't like other Saiyans. You understand that battle is not only the purest expression of strength, but of heart. And most importantly, you know when to fight...not simply how. Carry that spirit forward. Maybe one day, you'll be the legendary Super Saiyan.'
Arame saw Mizuna's smile again, though the memory had lain dormant for years.
Arame exploded her Ki, and rushed out to meet her fellow Saiyans in combat. This is for you, mother!
Across the world, earthquakes could be felt. Glass cracked and shattered miles away and numerous towns and cities suffered power outages. The clouds all dissipated from the blue sky, and the sea echoed with the intensity of the energy being dispersed. The power could be seen glowing on the horizon for miles around, and for a moment the world stood still.
Videl looked up at the sky, holding her six-year-old daughter Pan. "Arame..." she said as she looked skyward. "You can do this."
High up on the lookout, Dende, Mr. Popo, and Piccolo watched the location where the battle was being held with intense scrutiny.
"She really might die?" Dende asked.
"It's her intention to either get to the Super Saiyan level, or die trying," replied Piccolo. "She's a Saiyan to the bitter end."
Bulma was at Capsule Corporation biting her nails in anticipation and anxiety. And she was on her fifth cigarette.
"Armey! It's Armey!" Bulla was exclaiming as she watched the sky itself rippling out the window. Bulma could feel the vibrations in the walls of the building, however small they were.
"Hang in there," muttered Bulma.
Across the world, Chi-chi was dicing tomatoes as she saw the horizon lighting up and felt the ground quaking. She groaned in dismay. "Oh what is Goku getting up to now? Goten?" No answer. She looked around. "Goten?!"
The battle was beyond chaotic. There were no words to describe this clash of Saiyans.
Arame traded blows with Gohan for a moment before being knocked away toward Goten. She righted herself and met his strike with a parry, and a kick. He countered that and sent her flipping away.
Vegeta and Trunks caught her with rapid bursts of Ki energy.
Arame guarded herself with her own energy field, and erupted her Ki with a yell. She focused it inwardly once more, quieting her power and going into an almost meditative state, even as she fought with everything she had.
"This is all you can muster?" Vegeta yelled as he knocked her sideways.
She sent a wave of Ki back at him, but he wasn't there. He was waiting for her across the way. She readied to meet his strike, but Goku slammed her out of left field.
"If you don't break your limit, you know what'll happen!" Goku yelled to her. "Push higher!"
Arame kept herself still. Her energy was pulsing. Inward push, outward flow, as though her Ki was breathing. It was a rhythmic sequence, and as she traded blows with these Super Saiyans, she pushed her limits time and again.
Every time her energy flowed outward, there was more of it. She was growing in power each time, and the battle evolved.
"IF I DIE, THEN I WAS NEVER WORTHY OF BIRTH!" She yelled in anger. Her Ki exploded again.
She rushed Trunks, and for a moment, she was able to keep up with his strikes. But a joint attack from Goku and Gohan put an end to that. Arame went flying back, smoldering. Her orange gi was becoming blackened, it was shredded in more than a few places, and she was sporting plenty of cuts and bruises.
Arame was bleeding from multiple wounds, but she refused to stay down. Saiyans have no limits! I will not die here!
Vegeta readied his hands up high. "GALICK..."
Goku and Goten readied Kamehamehas near him.
Gohan raised his hands together. "MASENKO..."
Trunks even readied his own version of Vegeta's Galick Gun.
Arame planted her feet firmly into the ground and readied herself. She was beaten and exhausted, and as she compressed her energy once more, she knew that this was her last chance. Body, don't let me down!
Five waves of Ki energy from various attacks all came flying at her at once. She caught them all, and the force was beyond intense.
"THIS IS THE END OF THE LINE!" Vegeta yelled. "EITHER YOU BREAK YOUR LIMIT, OR YOU DIE!"
Arame pushed as hard as she could against the onslaught of power. No matter how hard she pushed, it kept driving her back.
At last, just as Arame was about to give out, her body responded.
Her energy expanded outward and upward as it had before, and once more the wellspring of energy was felt. Sparking energy ran along her hands as she struggled, then down her torso, her legs, and back up again.
Arame's hair began to spark as well. It flashed once, then again, and finally, with an almighty eruption of pure power...
Arame the Super Saiyan was born.
With a great heaving force, she pushed the energy skyward. The other Saiyans observed with careful scrutiny what was before them, because they'd never felt a Super Saiyan like this before.
Though her hair was golden, Arame's aura was a mixture of white and gold. Her body was still sparking with electricity like an SSJ grade two, and she showed no emotion on her face. She looked up at them blankly.
Then she observed her own body. Her face betrayed no emotion even then. Not even surprise, which took everyone by surprise.
Suddenly, she vanished. Only to appear right in front of Trunks and send him crashing to the ground with a strike so fast it couldn't be followed.
He looked up at her from below. She nodded at him.
Then Arame looked at everyone else again. "Now it's a real fight."
Though Trunks rejoined the battle, he and Goten were removed quite quickly. Though she was on the level of a grade one Super Saiyan, Arame was fighting with the power of a grade two. The stamina drain was lessened as well, and this was mainly due to Arame's unique style of transformation.
Instead of an angry burst of power borne upon blinding rage, Arame had found her power through focusing her will and expanding her energy. In this way, she had found a more stable transformation. She was the equivalent of a Pure Super Saiyan. A more focused version of the original.
Though genetics may have also had a role to play, as each Saiyan was unique in their own right.
Goku and Vegeta both pushed themselves to Super Saiyan 2, but were still no match for Arame's power as she pushed herself higher still. And still she showed no emotion.
Vegeta struggled against her strength. "What...power is this?"
His face was pure anger.
Hers was blank and expressionless. "I don't know," she said, her tone as stony as her face. "I can't force my anger, and my body responds faster than I expected."
They un-clashed, and Vegeta rushed her again. This time, Arame was able to break through his guard and send him to the ground as well.
Goku watched her and smirked. "You've done it. I didn't imagine that kind of power existed." He focused his own energy and forced himself to SSJ3. She was inwardly surprised to see his hair lengthen and his eyebrows vanish, but again she couldn't force her face to respond. It was almost as if she'd lost control of her bodies emotional responses.
"Interesting," she said blankly. "You can push yourself even further beyond (*) the level of a normal Super Saiyan."
They ran together in a powerful clash of energy. Interestingly enough, these two Saiyans were evenly matched, and the energy they were putting off was beyond incredible.
Come on, Arame, she told herself. Crack a fucking smile! Why can't I move my damn face muscles except to talk?
"I'm beyond impressed," Goku told her, his tone different. It was closer to her own in its blankness. "It seems you have a power similar to a Super Saiyan Three at your disposal, but you're only at a grade two now, aren't you?"
"I'm uncertain," she replied. "I'm simply allowing my power to flow naturally, Kakarot."
"Well then," said Goku. "Let's see how high you can go."
Suddenly, the aura around Goku changed to red, and his energy signature vanished. His body flashed brightly, and when Arame could see him again he looked thinner and younger than before.
Goku smiled. "This is a form called a Super Saiyan God. It channels the power of Divine Ki, which puts me leagues ahead of a mortal warrior. See if you can keep up with this."
This time, Arame was being pushed back. The power of the Super Saiyan God was unreal, and it was fast. She was being hammered with such force that she felt her arms going numb.
At last, Arame's guard was broken. Goku beat her down with everything he had and sent her to the ground.
Arame rose as Goku was preparing a final Kamehameha as a finishing move.
Time to give it one last push, Arame.
She readied her hands in a familiar style. "Ka-me-ha-me...ha!" The blue energy burst forth from her hand in a great wave as Goku fired the same at her.
The blasts met in the air as the two Saiyans struggled against one another.
As she struggled, Arame suddenly found her composure weakening. She went slowly from a blank face to one that was twitching. Then she her mouth cracked open in a grimace, her teeth bared. Her eyes sharpened, her brow lowered, and the angry Saiyan glare forced itself onto her countenance as she opened her mouth in a guttural roar.
Suddenly, there was another flash of blue behind Goku's wave. The energy was intense and his beam became overwhelming. Arame barely had time to brace herself before its power blasted around her and glanced off the Earth's surface.
Arame was still on her feet, but her legs were shaky. Suddenly, the golden glow left her body, and her muscles gave out.
Goten came over to her and laughed. "That was intense, Arame. You did it!"
Arame looked up at Goten and smiled. "Yeah..."
Then she passed out.
-End of Part Seven-