The Saiyan of Namek
Chapter 27: Hyperbolic Time Chamber; Raijin and Piccolo
The shock of the Spaceship heading for Earth was only the least of the Z Fighters worries when Vegeta and Future-Trunks had returned to The Lookout following their battle with Perfect Cell.
True to his word; Raijin stomped across the perfectly tiled floors; drawing the eyes of everyone present as he raised his left fist, swinging his fist into Vegeta's face and knocking him to the floor.
Vegeta raised his gloved hand to massage his jawline; spitting a ball of saliva and blood to the floor; much to Mr Popo's dismay; "You'll pay for that!" Vegeta spoke, his voice hinted with his rising temper.
Raijin let off a huff; his staring eyes giving away his hatred for Vegeta; "How could you? How and why did you allow Cell to become Perfect?!".
Piccolo, Tien and Future-Trunks all stood behind Raijin; displaying their support for Raijin; banding against Vegeta and his selfish actions.
Vegeta was silent as he got back to his feet; brushing off a trickle of blood from a busted lip that Raijin had just moments ago given him, growling under his breath before speaking again; "I allowed Cell to become Perfect so I would have a worthy adversary; an opponent that would test my powers to their very limits; something none of you could ever do! Not even Kakarot!".
Tien and Piccolo remained stood beside Raijin; both clearing showing their mutual dislike for Vegeta; his hubris had brought this dire situation about.
Raijin hung his head; disappointed in Vegeta, "You complete and utter fool!" Raijin clenched his fists and powered up into a Super Saiyan; his blazing rage-fuelled aura whipping up a gust of wind.
Vegeta scowled at Raijin; being called a fool was an insult that he would not take; his muscles increasing in size as he transformed into the same enhanced form that he'd taken while fighting and beaten down Semiperfect-Cell, Super Vegeta's aura whipping up a much greater gust than Raijin.
Tien and Piccolo both took a step back; the extreme powers of Super Vegeta almost knocking them off The Lookout when two battle-worn; Super Saiyan stood in the doorway of The Lookout's Temple.
"Wow Gohan; it seems we came out at just the right time!" Goku spoke with his normal smile; acting just like he always did; only now he was constantly in the Super Saiyan state.
"Dad; I'm not sure that you should get involved" Gohan acted in his normal rational self; only he was just like Goku; a constant Super Saiyan.
Raijin powered down and out of his Super Saiyan Form; quickly forgetting all about Vegeta; "What… how…" Raijin struggled to speak; much too astounded by what he was seeing.
Piccolo stood in awe; sensing the immense power that Goku and Gohan radiated; their last hope standing before them with an uncertain degree of their full power or potential for their looming fights with Perfect Cell.
Tien stepped forward; patting Goku on the shoulder, just making sure he was real; smiling as he wordlessly stood face-to-face with his long-time friend and rival.
Goku nodded to each of his friends; "Piccolo; you did well to keep everyone safe and alive, Tien; you are a strong warrior, and Raijin… I knew you'd try to leave and fight Cell again, but you stayed here; if you didn't already have my respect; then now you can have my back anytime" Goku never stopped sliming as he spoke.
Gohan smiled happily as he watched and listened to his father commend their friends.
Bulma crossed over with a case in tow; loaded with new sets of Armour for everyone of the Saiyans to wear; "I made backup armour; just in case… I even made a new gi for you Raijin" Bulma gave a wink to Raijin; holding a duffel bag in her free hand.
"Vegeta; we need your expertise on this" Piccolo spoke, drawing everyone's attention to the Laptop; still showing the picture of the Spaceship entering the Solar System, "do you know anything about this Ship?"
Vegeta scoffed at the question; they all knew Frieza and King Cold were long dead, walking over and taking a look at the picture; Vegeta froze on the spot with his eyes widened.
"That Ship… there is only one person who could take over what's left The Frieza Force... and that one person is Cooler" Vegeta spoke; gaining everyone's attention yet again.
Bulma broke the stunned silence; her presence quickly becoming the centre of attention, "Ok then Vegeta, so who is this Cooler?"
Vegeta turned his glaring line of sight to Bulma; letting off a sigh as he began to speak, "He's Frieza's Brother… that is all I know abut him; I've never really met him".
Another moment of silence passed over the Z Fighters; the gravity of Vegeta's words seemingly putting further pressure on their collective shoulders.
"Great, just what we need… Frieza has a Brother; and Perfect Cell off doing god knows what" Tien crossed his legs as he sat down; his face contorting into a look of anger at their worsening situation.
Goku patted Tien's shoulders, "Let's not worry about Cooler right now; lets just focus on Cell" Goku's voice was normally always a source of comfort, but right now; Goku just seemed too confident.
"Goku… how can you say that? We've got two major threats here, one on the Planet and the other coming here in a matter of days!" Piccolo shouted; his eyes widened with frustration at Goku's blatant overconfidence.
Raijin watched as Goku and Gohan simply waved goodbye to everyone present at The Lookout; flying down to Korin's Tower just below The Lookout's range of view from the edge.
"Do you guys think that Goku can really beat Cell?" Raijin asked the group; earning only disgruntled growls and grunts from Piccolo, Vegeta and Tien.
Moments later everyone all heard Goku's shouts; the entire Lookout shook as everyone felt an enormously powerful energy rising from right below their very feet; Goku's energy was so powerful it shook the very heavens themselves; though not warping the skies like Perfect Cell's energy had done; but Goku's energy easily blew away any and all clouds that hung in the air obscuring the view of the world The Lookout so serenely overlooked.
"Well… does that answer your question" Tien muttered under his breath so that only Raijin, Future-Trunks and Piccolo would hear; taking note of Vegeta's astounded and furious expression.
Following Goku's demonstration of his new-found power as a Full Power Super Saiyan, Raijin and Piccolo nodded to each other; both calmly walking to the ornate wooden door and passed through into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to begin their own training.
Raijin looked around himself, taking in his surroundings; a pair of clock hands decorated the ceiling of the house; two opposing rooms sat on the left and right, to the left was a pantry; loaded full of food and water, while the right room contained two King-Size Beds and a separate Bathroom.
"Raijin; concentrate on what we're here to do" Piccolo barked; Mr Popo had given him a new and fresh undamaged purple gi as well as a new cloak and turban.
Raijin; still wearing the jeans and Capsule Corp t-shirt Bulma had given him, set down the duffel bag with his new training clothes inside; dropping the bag onto a bed before following Piccolo, stopping in awe of the blank white void that stretched on and on forever.
"Be careful as you go; the further away from the Temple; the denser the gravity and the more fiercely the environment will change, this realm will also play tricks on your mind" Piccolo explained; flexing his shoulders and cracking his neck.
Raijin brought a punch into his palm; following Piccolo off the tiled floors of the Temple; eyeing the gigantic hourglasses filled with green sand; a slow trail sinking from both, exactly one years' worth of sand marking how much time they had inside this dimension.
Before Raijin could react; Piccolo flew at him. Effortlessly backhanding him across the face and knocking Raijin to the floor.
"You let your guard down, that is unacceptable in a life-or-death battle" Piccolo scolded; "I thought Nail trained you better" Piccolo disturbingly spoke in Nail's voice as he scolded Raijin.
Raijin's eye lit up with an igniting fire; his aura changing from white to gold, rising to his feet and glared at Piccolo; "Nail may have united with you, but you are not Nail!".
Raijin completed his transformation into a Super Saiyan; his face contorted with rage and grief over the memory of his friend, his eyes widening as he quickly realised that Piccolo wanted him like this; to fight Raijin at his strongest.
Piccolo smiled as his power level shot up with his rising purple aura; his cape billowing behind him with the wind pressure their auras created when side-by-side, "Yes; that's the way, come at me at your most powerful; just as you would against Frieza, Cell and even Cooler".
Raijin and Piccolo charged at each other; their hands curled into fists, the two warriors exchanged a flurry of punches at each other; every punch creating an echo as their fists collided, Raijin and Piccolo both fighting each other in earnest; fighting to make each other stronger within the year they had.
The two warriors separated after hours of continuous punches, shaking their hands from their sore knuckles after so many punches; changing to kicks, Raijin and Piccolo threw kicks at each other only to have the other block the kick every time.
Raijin threw spin kicks, roundhouse kicks, heel drops, direct kicks and jumping kicks; Piccolo guarded and blocked every single time, though Piccolo always countered with the exact same kick Raijin had used only with more perfected skill; allowing Piccolo to kick through Raijin's guard and hit him every time.
"Raijin! strike with more intent; don't just flail about" Piccolo ordered as Raijin failed to land another roundhouse kick; Raijin bit down on his bottom lip, taking Piccolo's advice and putting a bigger spin and more power behind a spin kick, smiling at the kick broke through Piccolo's guard and knocked him back.
"That's better; for this entire year I am going to train you to fight Cell alongside us; and this Cooler too" Piccolo instructed; Raijin knew how good a teacher Piccolo was; having witnessed his training methods with Goku and Gohan during the three years before The Androids appeared.
"Alright; but there is something I should tell you first" Raijin spoke, Piccolo's interest clearly enticed.
Raijin sat cross-legged, Piccolo sitting down in the exact same fashion.
"Not long ago I had a vision; I was trying to figure out what to do when Vegeta first mentioned ascending to a new level of Super Saiyan… and in the vision I saw the paths that Vegeta and Future-Trunks had taken to those bulky forms… but there was another beyond a barrier" Raijin explained, mentioned three of the four forms he saw; deciding not to mention the last one.
Piccolo thought on the vision; touching his chin slightly as he thought, "This vision showed you the path that you should take; not what Vegeta and Future-Trunks did, you have to follow your own path" Piccolo summarized; smiling at Raijin for having shared this vision.
"We need to get you on this path; and combat will be the quickest way to do so for a Saiyan" Piccolo spoke, dropping his cloak and turban for their next fight.
Raijin flexed him arms and legs; dropping into his own combat stance, his knees part and bent; his arms raised to protect his face and his fingers in claw-like positions.
Piccolo grinned at Raijin's strong stance, Piccolo raised his arms; his hands either side of his head as two perfectly identical clones sprang from his body with use of the Multi-Form Technique; and began their fight.
The landscape of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber changed for their months-long battle; the blank-white void changing to a rolling tundra of ice, Raijin fought fiercely Piccolo and his clones for days and days; swapping and perfecting their punches and kicks; attacking and triggering multiple beam struggles, being hit with several Light Grenades and nearly killed by a multi-angle Special Beam Cannon.
One particular day Raijin worked on dodging by having Piccolo fire his Scatter Shot across the frozen landscape; the energy orbs careered past Raijin even when he dropped dodging them, Raijin looked around himself, the confusion quickly fading at each and every uncountable energy orb hung in the air around him; trapping him inside an unescapable cage.
"HELLZONE GRENADE!" Piccolo yelled; bringing his hands together and clenching his fists, the uncountable orbs shooting towards and exploding around Raijin's body; a black cloud surrounded the impact-zone as Piccolo's Ultimate Attack ended.
Piccolo watched and waited; waiting to see if Raijin was even still alive following the Hellzone Grenade.
A yell came from the black cloud; Raijin with his blazing Super Saiyan aura dropped out of the cloud and hit the icy ground with enough impact the crack and splinter the ice.
"Did you think you'd killed me?" Raijin asked as he rose back to his feet, his hands wiping blood off his face caused by a couple of cuts caused by Piccolo's nails during a recent round of punches.
Piccolo couldn't help but smile as Raijin survived the Hellzone Grenade; bringing his hands together and lacing his fingers for his next assault, "You've done well so far Raijin; but you've yet to ascend"
Raijin knew Piccolo was right; in the months they'd spent fighting, meditating and conversing; he had only increased his power levels; he was no closer to breaking that wall in his vision than he was when entering the dimension.
Another month passed by; Raijin had grown more perceptive and his fighting technique more refined; able to strike through defences and perceive weaknesses more easily, his clothes had been ruined to the point they barely covered his slim and muscular physic; changing into the new white gi that Bulma had packed.
Piccolo touched his chin as he often did when in deep thought; his eyes staring at Raijin; "it occurs to me that when you are a Super Saiyan; you power down when you finish fighting, I suggest you try to keep that transformation up for as long as possible" Piccolo explained; smiling as he came up with a new training plan.
"You mean… to become like Goku and Gohan?" Raijin spluttered; the realisation dawning on him that Piccolo figured out how Goku and Gohan both achieved their newfound powers.
"Yes, exactly like them… provided you have that potential" Piccolo spoke; his tone hinting at his belief in Raijin's potential for further growth, "Now; remember what it was like becoming a Super Saiyan for the first time; hold that memory and use it to fuel the flames of your power".
Raijin took a deep breath; visualising the moment, back on Namek with Goku and Frieza; the burning rage and grief he felt for the Namekian People, his body radiated with golden light as he changed; his black hair changed to gold and his eyes to bluish-green.
"Good; just like that… fight at your strongest for as long as possible" Piccolo smiled; his purple aura igniting with a fierce ferocity as he powered up his maximum, at the current moment; the maximum of their powers were almost equal although Piccolo was still a little stronger than Raijin.
Super Saiyan Raijin and Super Namekian Piccolo began a whole new fight; using their maximum powers forced the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to change environments, shifting from the Icy Tundra to Stormy Grasslands stretching out as far as the eye can see; thunder descending from a blackened sky.
Raijin and Piccolo fought as if they were bloodthirsty enemies; driving punch and kick into each other; knocking each other down with every hit, Piccolo and Raijin charged at each other, both throwing a perfect right hook and hitting each other in the jawline.
For Raijin staying in his transformed state was difficult; the power that flowed through his veins provided great strength and speed; so much so that holding the form for extended periods became easier as the weeks passed into months.
And finally, the green sand indicated that the year inside The Hyperbolic Time Chamber was finished; the clock that hung above the Temple rang with the sound of a gong.
"Well Raijin; its time we left" Piccolo spoke, his purple gi torn and tattered from hundreds of intense fights with Raijin.
The pair passed back through the ornate doorway back into their world; the white light that radiated through the doorway blinded those who stood in wait.
Standing in attendance was Mr Popo, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Vegeta and Future-Trunks; all but Vegeta standing in awe of Piccolo and Raijin's return.
Piccolo had grown immeasurable; his body simply radiated with power and newfound knowledge gained through deep meditation and conversing with the now Inner-Kami.
Raijin stepped out of the doorway second; a proud smile on his face as his white gi was torn and tattered just as Piccolo's way; only now his once-black hair and changed to the golden-white of a Full Power Super Saiyan.
