SHONEN ALLIANCE
CHAPTER 11
Duel to the Death
POWER OF THE PRINCESS
Goku looked at the severed Dordan. "I kinda feel sorry for him, but I guess he brought it on himself," he declared.
"You realize he tried to kill you, right," Clare responded.
"That's true, but still," Goku replied, "I'm not really fond of killing unless I have to, so I still can't help but feel sorry for him."
"Well at any rate, I'm hungry. Let's go back to the palace already," Luffy responded.
"Right," Kakashi responded, "most of us have injuries that we need to tend to as well."
"No… wait…" Dordan's voice cried out weakly.
"You're still alive," Miria responded, "guess I ought to fix that."
"No… please! Have mercy on me," Dordan replied.
"Mercy?" Miria replied, "you've got to be kidding me…."
"Leave him be, Miria," Goku interrupted, "you're lucky I'm here. If I were anyone else, you'd be dead right now. However, that isn't really my style. Crawl off somewhere and hide. I don't really care what you do from here. Just remember, this is a one time deal. If we ever fight again, you won't be extended the same mercy." Having said his piece, Goku turned and continued to walk. Miria hesitated for a moment, then turned and followed along with the others.
"Goku, I hope you know what you're doing," Clare said as they walked away.
"If you don't learn anything else from me Clare, I hope you learn this," Goku replied, "mindless killing isn't strength, it's actually the opposite. That's what separates us from those we fight. If we had just killed him there, we'd be no better then he is. He's not a threat to us in his current state."
"I hope you… uh," Clare began but cut off. She slumped forward and dropped to her knees. She gripped at her back and screamed with pain. Goku quickly realized why. Her back had been severely burned! Goku turned back to the downed Dordan. He had somehow reattached his legs and was pointing his hand at the party. Goku clenched his teeth.
"Let this be a lesson to you on the concept of mercy. It's only use is in getting you killed," Dordan declared slyly.
"No! You fool! I gave you the chance to walk away and you blew it! You won't get another one!" Goku shouted.
"Careful who you call fool, Goku. I'm not the one who turned my back on my enemy allowing him to attack one of my comrades. Now, who's the bigger fool?" Dordan asked.
"Grrr… take Clare back to the castle and give her a senzu bean!" Goku ordered looking back at Naruto and the others, "I'll be along as soon as I can."
"I'm fine," Clare declared rising to her knees.
"Clare, take it easy," Teresa ordered, "his electricity does more damage to your body then you may realize."
"Clare's not the only one who should think twice about challenging this guy again," Miria declared looking up at Goku, "remember, to many more of those electrical attacks and your heart won't be able to keep going.
"Maybe not, but he's not getting away with that," Goku declared firmly.
"No he will not," a voice declared from behind them all. The team turned to see Princess Teresa standing behind them.
"Teresa? What are you doing here?" Goku asked.
"Apparently I got brought back from the dead and tricked into doing the dirty work of an intergalactic mad man. Where have you been?" Teresa of the Faint Smile replied.
"Huh, not you I meant the other Teresa," Goku replied quickly.
"The other Teresa?"
"Ah man! This just got really confusing!" Naruto shouted scratching his head.
"Claymore Teresa and Princess Teresa. They even look similar! How do we tell them apart?" Luffy asked.
"Princess! You have guts showing your face outside of your pathetic palace!" Dordan declared, "are you prepared to join your accursed mother?"
"Dordan eh?" Princess Teresa replied, "I thought I smelled a rat. I was concerned for my knight's well being so I decided to come and check on things. Apparently, I was right to worry," she continued looking down at the injured Clare. "I suppose just this one time I can do things a little backwards and the Princess can protect the Knight." Having said that Teresa stepped through the group and faced Dordan. "All of you stay out of this," Teresa ordered looking back at Goku and his friends, "I forbid any of you from interfering."
"You forbid them from interfering, do you Princess?" Dordan mocked, "you must be really desperate to join your precious mom…" He didn't get to finish his insult. Teresa disappeared from view for a moment and reappeared in front of him, kneeing him in the face and knocking him flying backwards.
"As for you, if you talk about my mother again I will make sure you suffer greatly before you die," Princess Teresa declared coldly as her silver hair turned yellow and her silver eyes turned blue.
"Transforming into a Super Sayin are we?" Dordan declared pulling himself off the ground, "it won't do you any good!" he shouted rushing at Teresa. He attacked with a fierce lightning enhanced punch but as his attack moved close to Teresa, she suddenly vanished! Dordan stumbled several steps before realizing what had happened. Confused her searched the entire battle field for signs of his opponent. His gaze fell upon Goku who pointed up at the sky. Dordan looked up but there was no one there! Instead, Teresa exploded out of the ground beneath him, catching him with a powerful uppercut to the chin and knocking him back onto his back! Dordan looked up in terror as Teresa stood over him. She jumped back and held assumed a fighting stance as Dordan jumped to his feet and charged back at her! Charging her fists with Ki energy, Teresa began deflecting Dordan's lightning enhanced attacks. After defending against 5 attacks, she went back on the offensive slamming her Ki charged fist into Dordan's stomach. Then kicked him in the face knocking him flying back first into the wall of a nearby building. Teresa cracked her knuckles then reassumed her battle stance waiting for Dordan's next move. A flash of lightning erupted from the building sailing along the ground and kicking up a dust cloud. The lightning stopped just before it hit Teresa and Dordan erupted from the dust cloud with a ball of lightning clenched in his fist. He slammed the lightning forward and pierced Teresa's chest!
"I got you!" he shouted triumphantly, "now die!" His eyes widened with terror, as the Teresa he'd struck faded away, "no! An after image!" he shouted as Teresa kicked him in the back from above, knocking him flat into the ground.
"Don't tell me that's all you've got," Teresa said as though she were bored. Dordan shouted with rage as rose quickly striking with a ferocious lightening strike aimed for Teresa's head. Just as he moved the dust cloud from before overtook the two hiding them from Goku and the other's view.
"What happened?" Clare asked weakly, "I can't see!"
As the dust cleared the first thing that became visible was blood, splattered on the ground then a silhouette of the two warriors. Through the smoke it appeared that Dordan had gone straight through Teresa's head! Then the dust cleared. Dordan's eyes were wide with terror in dismay. Teresa glared at him. The attack had grazed her right cheek leaving a bloody scratch, but the bulk of the attack had hit wide to the right passing over her right shoulder.
"That was your last try," Teresa declared falling backwards. She planted her hand into the ground and kicked up knocking Dordan high into the sky! Dordan tried to recover, but before he could, Teresa appeared above him. "Hero's barrage!" she shouted punching him in the stomach. As he flew towards the ground she flew down after him, getting between him and the ground and raising her leg up. Dordan's back crashed down onto Teresa's foot, causing him to bend backwards. Dordan coughed up blood from the impact, but Teresa wasn't done yet. Leaping above Dordan as he dropped the final few feet to the ground, she spun around and kicked him, knocking him into the ground hard. She landed on her feet and raised her hand to the sky. A silver ball of energy appeared in it. "Be gone!" she shouted throwing the ball into Dordan. The blast exploded, completely disintegrating Dordan.
"Whoa," Goku said, "that was pretty impressive."
"Uh I don't get it. If you're all that strong, why do you need knights?" Naruto asked. He got his answer as Teresa fell to her knees struggling to catch her breath. After a few moments she arose back to her feet and approached her comrades.
"My body isn't strong enough to handle the levels of power it's able to produce. My mother said that something happened when I was born that offset the balance of power between my physical body and my Ki energy. Using my Super Sayin form increases the strain even more. If I did to much or remained Super Sayin for too long, it could kill me," Teresa revealed brushing a stray hair away from her eyes.
"Makes sense, I guess," Naruto replied.
"Teresa," Clare spoke up.
"Yes Clare," both Teresas replied.
"Uhhh, I told you this is confusing. If that Teresa is coming with us we gotta think of a way to keep these two separate," Naruto declared pointing at the Claymore Teresa.
"I got it!" Luffy spoke up, "we'll just call the one with the silver eyes Silver Eyed Teresa!"
"Uh you idiot they both have silver eyes!" Naruto shouted.
"Will you two shut up! You're giving me a headache!" Clare shouted punching them both in the head and knocking them off their feet.
"Yikes, I didn't know Clare had it in her," Goku said laughing. The others couldn't help but laugh as well.
"If you must you may refer to me as Princess Teresa," Princess Teresa declared, "but only if the other Teresa is around as well."
"I don't mind being referred to by my nickname if you have to," the Claymore Teresa declared, "it's Teresa of the Faint Smile."
"That's a bit of a mouthful," Naruto declared sitting up.
"I'll just call you Smiling Teresa," Luffy declared smiling broadly.
"GRRRRRR," Clare growled trying hard to maintain her composure, "Princess Teresa."
"Yes Clare," Princess Teresa replied.
"I am sorry, but I must ask you to reconsider your selection for your knight," Clare insisted.
"Whatever for?" Teresa asked though she didn't look as surprised as she was trying to sound.
"I… I just think it would be best for everyone," Clare declared unwilling to look Teresa in the eye.
"If this is about what happened before, then forget about it! That wasn't your fault!" Naruto shouted.
"Then whose fault was it Naruto!" Clare responded, "I put everyone's lives in jeopardy, I betrayed my comrades, I let everyone down, and I almost got you and Goku killed! Which of that wasn't my fault!"
"None of it was your fault," Teresa of the Faint Smile declared, "I'm the one who deceived you. If what happened is anyone's fault, it is mine."
"Whether you told me or not doesn't excuse what I did," Clare declared, "I have to take responsibility for what I've done. I should have been more careful. I acted foolishly and childishly. That is why, Princess, I must ask you to reconsider your selection for your knight."
"Uhh, I'd like to vote against this," Kakashi whispered quietly. Miria overheard him and chuckled softly.
"What do you have to say Teresa?" Goku asked.
"Which one?" Naruto asked.
"Clare, you have asked me to reconsider my selection for knight. I have done so. It is true that you have made a mistake, but you have admitted to it and I know that you are ready to do whatever you must to make up for those mistakes. Despite your mistakes, your actions have proven now even more so that you are deserving of the title of Knight. That is why, Clare, I stand by my decision. The only warrior worthy to be my knight is the Claymore known as Clare," Princess Teresa declared.
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, "you tell her Princess!"
"What?" was all Clare could manage to say.
"There is more to being a warrior then just being strong," Goku declared.
"That's right. A warrior must also be willing to admit when he has made a mistake and to do what he can to fix it. Clare, your decisions today were rash and foolish. They resulted in near fatal injuries to two of your comrades and less severe injuries to almost all of them. However, your friends have forgiven you and you have learned from that mistake. I would have to be the worst Princess in the galaxy to not be willing to forgive you as well," Princess Teresa declared. Clare reached up and quickly wiped a tear from her eye. She hoped no one had seen it. She looked up at Teresa of the Faint Smile. Teresa smiled and nodded at her as though she agreed entirely with what Princess Teresa had said. She looked around at Goku, Ichigo, Naruto, and Luffy, her fellow knights.
"I promise, I won't let any of you down again," Clare declared dropping to her knees.
"I'm hungry," Luffy declared.
"I think we can just about assume that," Naruto declared. Clare smiled.
"You know, I'm hungry to," she said smiling.
"Hah! Looks like Clare's sided with me," Luffy declared sticking his tongue out at Naruto.
"Why you!" Naruto shouted, "keep it up and I'll deck you!"
"Go ahead, I'm made of rubber so it won't even hurt," Luffy declared still sticking his tongue out.
"I think you two get along a little to well," Goku declared.
"How do you figure? Looks like they're at each others throat to me," Ichigo replied.
"You just have to understand Naruto," Kakashi declared smiling.
"The same goes for Luffy," Zoro declared, "those two are so much alike it's almost scary.
"They're both still annoying," Clare declared standing up. She felt a hand placed on her shoulder and looked back to see Miria standing behind her.
"Congratulations, you've earned it," Miria declared walking past her.
"What do you mean?" Clare asked.
"Alright, let's go home and get some food!" Luffy shouted as the triumphant warriors headed for the castle.
….
Far away, in his own palace, the Dark One sat upon his throne. As he was sitting, a puppet slowly descended from the ceiling.
"So Dordan failed did he?" the puppet asked, "I told you we didn't need him master."
"Do not disturb me with your stupid tricks Dano. What do you want!" the Dark One demanded.
"Let me deal with the interlopers, my Lord. I am so itching to be able to play a game with someone," the puppet responded.
"I trust you have a plan then," the Dark One declared.
"Of course my Lord. They won't know what hit them. I doubt they'll last more then an hour playing with my dolls."
"Very well then, Dano the Puppet Master, I leave the warriors in your hands."