Raditz marvels at his scouter.
5,000, he thinks. How can it be 5,000? Only a Saiyan could have gotten that strong in such a short time, but I've never heard of an increase this dramatic before. It can't possibly be Kakarot. There's no way.
Raditz shakes his head.
What am I worried about? He's heading straight for Vegeta like a moth to a flame. Besides, I have my own pest problem to deal with.
He turns to Tien.
"So bug eyes, what are you planning to do with a power level of just 830?"
Tien scowls from all three eyes. Raditz grins.
"Actually, I should be thanking you. I got a little carried away. You see, I'm supposed to ask that guy about the Dragon Balls. But now that you're here, maybe I can have a little fun after all."
An aura bursts from Tien, and he blitzes through the air into combat. He crosses his arms in front of himself just before making impact.
Raditz prepares to strike, but Tien plants his feet and darts sideways at the last second. Raditz follows the movement with his head. A second shape blurs at the edges of his vision.
His head snaps back to find a second Tien right in his face. A foot catches under his chin, and he flips backward. The first Tien joins in to begin a tag team pummel. After a few hits, Raditz expands his energy outward in a forceful gust. Both Tiens are blown back.
"You swarming cockroaches are really pissing me off!" he says.
His scouter tells him both opponents have half the power level of the original.
"But I don't care how many times you insects multiply, I'll squash every one of you."
He drives ahead and clamps a hand down on one of the Tien's foreheads. Smoke explodes from between his fingers as a ki blast erupts at point blank range. The target falls away as the other tries to catch him off guard. Raditz blocks a punch and counters with a heel to the doppelganger's chest.
He turns to the first Tien who poses with fingers pointing to the sides of his face. White light builds in his core and spreads rapidly through his body before streaming out of every pore. The flash punches both of Raditz's sockets, knocking out his sight.
While Raditz grabs at his eyes, the two Tiens move together and merge. He bends at the knees and tucks his elbows at his sides. A spring of ki fills his body to replenish his energies. While his opponent still groans in pain, he dashes in with a barrage of blows.
After a sense shattering strike to the side of the head, Raditz gives up trying to defend himself and flies off in a random direction. Yamcha intercepts him with a double palm slap to his chest, rocketing him at a steep angle back to the ground.
Yamcha drops down beside Tien.
"Stand down Yamcha," he says. "You need to rest up for now."
"No way. It's going to take everything we've got."
Tien nods.
Yamcha smiles.
They face Raditz who emerges from the ground he smashed into. He swears under his breath as he climbs out of a small crater.
Tien lifts off the ground and smoothly glides in to flank Raditz from the side. Yamcha charges straight at the enemy, engaging him first. Howling fists and feet snap at the Raditz's guard.
When Raditz finds an opening to counterstrike, Tien jumps in to keep him on the defensive. Yamcha fades back as they scuffle. The exchange is quick with Raditz gaining an opportunity to land a punishing blow. Before he can, the eye on Tien's forehead glows with a yellow light. A piercing beam fires forth and catches Raditz between his own eyes.
Raditz stumbles back into his bushy hair as Yamcha comes in for another turn. Yamcha tucks his left shoulder under Raditz's armpit and clasps his hands on either side of the foe's elbow. He twists his body and lifts Raditz using the limb for leverage. The motion hoists Raditz over his back. Yamcha slams him flat on his stomach, knocking away a cloud of dust.
With his adversary prone, Yamcha drops onto the exposed back for a grappling maneuver. He gets Raditz in a full nelson and peels him off the ground. Tien sprouts an extra arm from both shoulders and charges forth. He delivers a relentless beating of stabbing punches and elbows and hammering palm slaps and karate chops.
Raditz manages to lift one foot and stomp Tien in the chest. He uses the momentum to smash the back of his skull into Yamcha's nose. His arms rip free with a huge spin of the torso. He quickly forms two ki orbs and shoots both opponents. The blast knocks them back allowing Raditz to retreat for some breathing room.
Yamcha rushes in again but a sharp hotness grazes his shoulder. He backs off. Raditz aims two trigger fingers at both enemies, ready to fire more sniper shots.
###
"I was hoping the great Kakarot could offer more of a challenge than the rest of your pitiful fighters, but at just 5,000, you're still no match for me.
"It's not often I get to fight another Saiyan warrior, though. Too bad it has to be a lower class wretch. Oh well I can't exactly afford to be choosy."
Goku crouches and balls his fists as Vegeta runs his mouth. He squeezes his eyes shut to look within himself for the rest of his power. He grabs hold of it and pulls. It floods forth like the plug of a drain ripping open.
The ground begins to shake. Fractures spiderweb out from beneath him. Small chunks of it break free to fly upward, defying gravity itself. Soon a sandstorm of debris is rising as the rocks break apart from the power pulsing over them.
"Aaarrrggghhh!"
Vegeta gapes at his scouter as the number rises. It rushes past 6,000, then 7,000. It approaches and surpasses even 8,000 before slowing down.
Goku settles into a calm position, and the tremoring earth stills. The levitating stones hang for a moment before raining down. His narrowed eyes fixate on his opponent.
A power level over 8,000, thinks Vegeta. That's absurd! No low class runt should be able to achieve the strength of an elite in just a year's time.
Goku readies his stance by turning sideways and leaning forward. His right elbow brushes his knee.
Vegeta spreads his feet and enters a slight squat. His left hand rises to his face and claws forward while his right arm remains bent at the elbow, lagging slightly behind him.
They both sense out the right moment to strike. A full second passes. They launch themselves at one another.
They go blow for blow. Every strike meets a block. Back and forth they trade one for one. Vegeta moves with scrappy haste while Goku flows gracefully from one movement to the next.
This guy is even stronger than I imagined, thinks Goku.
How can he keep up with me? thinks Vegeta. It's like every attack has the full weight of his power behind it.
Goku's stern gaze maddens him. Fear should cloud this low class Saiyan's eyes. But they remain steady and focused. And that is when he notices it. Barely but unmistakable. The corners of Goku's lips curled up just a bit.
He's enjoying this! He wants this! thinks Vegeta. His entire world is about to be conquered and all he's worried about is our fight. I guess he's more of a Saiyan than I gave him credit for. But a true Saiyan should bow to his Prince!
His aura flares outward, and the two combatants break apart.
A heated breeze blows over Goku.
Woah, he thinks. He's getting serious now.
Black clouds roll in, overcasting the sky. Lightning flashes within their shadows. Bright pulses radiate from Vegeta's body. A green sphere shimmers around him.
Wind roars in Goku's ears.
"Wow. He's raising the amount of active ki he can use at once. Incredible. He's on an entirely different level than the last guy we fought."
An electric aura sparks around Vegeta. Arcs lash from it, vaporizing anything sticking up from the ground and burning it to ashes. Vegeta throws his hands upward and a concussive force expands rapidly outward.
Goku and Piccolo brace while Gohan grabs Piccolo's leg. The storm clouds race away as quickly as they arrived.
Vegeta's eyes flick at Goku. He instantly travels along the path of his gaze. His head smacks Goku in the chest, splaying him into the air. Vegeta rushes up beside the foe and hammers an elbow straight down into Goku's abdomen. As his adversary bounces hard off the ground, Vegeta twirls in place and stabs his pointed boot just below Goku's ribs, launching him upward and away.
Goku cartwheels in the air to regain his balance. A glaring heat awaits him. He barely pulls himself aside as a flaming ball burns across his skin while ripping through his gi. He lands with the shirt now hanging from his left shoulder exposing a singed pectoral and underarm. Laughter fills his ears.
"What's the matter Kakarot? Can't keep up?"
Goku rubs a finger beneath his nose.
"Heh, heh. I'm in more over my head than I thought. Alright then. Here we go!"
He puffs out his chest and clenches his fists at his sides.
Vegeta raises his eyebrows as his scouter starts to tick up.
"What's this? His power dropped a few hundred points below 8,000 and now it's returning to its maximum. What! It's racing to 9,000… Now, passing eleven."
The higher the scouter screams, the lower Goku crouches. His muscles inflate and his skin reddens. The aura surrounding him ignites. Deep red flames burn using his body as fuel. The heat emanating from him sends rising air currents ruffling through Vegeta's hair and armor. Sweat forms on his skin as veins bulge up. The ki inside him that usually surges forth like water instead boils to steam and rushes out.
The scouter shoots over 12,000, and Goku takes off like a bullet.
Vegeta instinctively raises his left arm in front of his body. A rock hard fist punches it just above the elbow. Goku sees his adversary wince with a closed eye and gritted teeth. He swings in a shin to strike the same spot.
Vegeta catches the ankle with his other hand and spins to release a chopping attack with the ridge of his palm. It goes for the neck, but Goku slips behind him. He wraps his arms around Vegeta's waist. Goku bends his back to suplex his opponent's head into the ground.
Vegeta plants his hands and curls his abs to break free. He reverse somersaults to his feet. His hands clamp together over his head and strike down upon the backward bending Goku.
Goku twists sideways, avoiding the hit. It smashes the ground while Goku lands on all four. He sweeps a leg through Vegeta's stance. His graceful motion ends with him on his back as Vegeta drops to his. Goku transitions the momentum of his leg to roll back onto his hands and shoulders. He springs to a standing position while raising one foot above his head. The heel drops as an axe kick to crush Vegeta. The Prince flips over just in time to dodge and pushes himself up to his feet.
They begin another furious bout. Their lungs heave, and Goku's furious aura sputters. He drops low and lashes out with a kick. Vegeta flicks his foot back to avoid getting knocked down again. Before he can counterattack, Goku pushes off his back foot to crush a knee in Vegeta's diaphragm. The adversary staggers backward.
Goku does not pursue the clash. Every one of his muscle fibers throb with pain. They twitch sporadically. The fiery aura fizzles out.
Vegeta cradles his ribs and holds back the urge to vomit. His scouter informs him that Goku's power drops to barely above 7,000.
This can't be, he thinks. How can he raise his power to match my own?
Goku feels the sweat evaporating from his overheated form. The torment racking his body reminds him of the suffering he endured during the fight with Piccolo, but this one is just getting started.
"I guess I'm going to have to attempt a full double to actually overwhelm this guy," he says. "That's not good. My stamina is going to keep dipping after every use and going higher will burn through it that much faster. Oh well, don't have a choice. Here he comes again.
"Heyahhh!"
Goku ignites his ki once more as the red aura returns.
"Kaioken … times two!"
Pain explodes along his nervous system as power is pushed from his center to his extremities. Vegeta rushes in despite his scouter going ballistic.
Goku streaks up and over an attempted punch from his opponent. He makes an oblong loop as he comes down hard with both legs for a dropkick to Vegeta's back. The armor cracks beneath the impact as his adversary flies off.
Vegeta rebounds off a giant boulder high into the air to regain his balance, but the human fireball hurtling towards him offers no time to react. Goku punches Vegeta across the face. Before he can fly off again, Goku grabs his ankle and drags him back for a second punch to the same spot.
This time the fist drives Vegeta straight down. Goku rushes after with one eye closing from the pain while the other squints. He lifts his knee in front of himself and slams it dead center into Vegeta's gut, pinning him to the earth. The armor splinters again as Vegeta gargles stomach acid and bile. Goku pushes off, and Vegeta turns over on his side holding his stomach.
Goku's tender muscles spasm with pulsating agony and shrink to take their normal shape and size as the excess ki dissipates and no longer threatens to explode from within. A humid fog of evaporating sweat clings to his clothes and skin. His body, still trying to cool from the last use of the technique, now swelters from the inside. The heat cannot leave fast enough, and he suffocates trying to pull in fresh air.
Vegeta glares through his scouter lens. Goku's power reads 5,124. Grunts and saliva seethe through his teeth.
"How can this pauper's power keep finding new heights while I, the Prince of Saiyans, erode away? I will not be made a fool of. Kakarot will kneel at my feet before this day is done!"
He clambers to a standing position. He stalks towards Goku despite needing to drag his feet. His eyes squint through the blurry vision as he presses on with his wobbly gait.
Goku shuffles his feet along the ground. They never leave it as he inches backward. He inhales deeply, but the warm air does nothing to cool his insides. He grits his teeth and hopes Vegeta hurts worse than he does.
###
Nappa stampedes upon Krillin with thunderous, tromping boots. A deep roar thickens the veins of his neck.
Krillin clenches his whole body to squeeze out every last drop of passive ki. By the time he attains all of it, the wall of muscle is two steps from trampling him. He braces for impact.
Nappa seizes and slows for a fraction of a second. Krillin recognizes the interference of his teammate and lands an easy uppercut. The back of Nappa's head cracks against his spine, and he stumbles back.
Krillin leaps to a safe distance while Nappa realigns his neck. The muscles and tendons burn as they slide into place. Blood red vessels pulse in his eyes.
"You dirty little cheater. When I get my hands on you—"
His stomach gurgles and his arms wrap around it.
Krillin charges in, confidence burning bright. He flips over Nappa's head while weaving between some punches. He drops headfirst down the backside of his opponent while charging a blast. Nappa turns around to find himself staring down a Kamehameha. He makes to block and dodge all at once. Nausea ravages his body as the blast consumes him.
Nappa lands in a tumble until he slides to a stop on his stomach. He endures the nausea and regains his feet.
Krillin notices a rock lifting off the ground behind Nappa. Then Chiaotzu's voice sounds in his mind.
Do you see that floating rock? Point at it.
Krillin does as he is told despite feeling ridiculous. Nappa squints his eyes and peeks in the direction of the gesture.
Now fling your finger so it points at the Saiyan!
The command startles Krillin, and he swings his entire arm. The rock zips through the air and collides with Nappa's cheek. It crumbles to dust as it sends ripples across the skin of his face. His jaw and bottom lip stretch wide in a circular path as the momentum of the stone transfers to them. When the reverberations stop, his vision settles.
He shakes his head and brushes powder from his face.
"He has psychic powers now? Where did that come from all of a sudden?"
Krillin points and flicks fingers from both hands while flying into melee combat. A storm of fists, feet, and rocks batter Nappa from every side. Between his speed and Chiaotzu's help, Krillin is untouchable by any counter attempts.
After getting off the ground from a third beating, Nappa's fuming rage finally boils over.
"I'm done with this!"
He stomps one foot forward and thrusts his left fist up in front of his face. A primal battlecry bellows from within. Two arcs of yellow electricity wrap around his chest. They blink in and out as more and more bolts join in with each phase. Soon they coil down his arms and legs. His body glows with a solid outline of sunlight.
He watches the infectious red line rise towards his shoulder like a thermometer under intense heat. It traces the deep crease between his bicep and tricep.
Chiaotzu's voice pops into Krillin's head.
I'm losing hold of my psychic grip on him. He's raising his kinetic ki way beyond what I can influence. His next attack is going to be huge. You need to get out of there!
Krillin lets his eyes dart to Chiaotzu's hiding place. His comrade shakes his head. He gulps and refocuses on the empowering adversary. The usual airy aura around Nappa condenses to his skin and runs like water across his body. While the volume does not change, the density increases dramatically. Krillin feels it pulling down on him like gravity.
Nappa blazes forward, arms swinging hard. His giant left fist eclipses Krillin's torso. Krillin's limbs and head collapse around the edges. His ribs strangle his heart and lungs.
Nappa hisses as the blow pinches against his puffy hand. He pushes through to lift Krillin high on his knuckles. With a hop, Nappa's other forearm smashes down into Krillin's back.
Krillin slams against the ground and bounces off it. His chin splits open from the impact. As he rises back up, Nappa's knee drives hard into his gut. He skips three times across the dirt before rolling to a stop.
Krillin hears heavy feet tromping towards him. Despite fear pumping adrenaline into him, his aching muscles and bones do not move.
Nappa laughs as he approaches.
"And now I'll bury you beneath my boot where you belong."
He raises a foot above knee height. Something moves behind him. He turns but sees nothing. A soft thump bumps his back.
"What the?"
He tries to push his chin over the shoulder to look straight down his neck. He finds a bouncing red pom-pom attached to a hat.
"So there was someone hiding around that my scouter must have missed on the way in. It seemed strange the other guy didn't use those weird powers earlier in the fight. So it must have been you. Well I'm always happy to deal out a little revenge."
He reaches one hand over his shoulder and the other around his side. His fingertips brush at Chiaotzu's scalp and ankle. Nappa seesaws his arms trying to get one to reach far enough, but neither can grab Chiaotzu's tiny frame.
A white light glows behind him. The spot he cannot reach warms enough to burn his skin through the armor.
"Hey now. What are you trying to do there little fella? I can't be responsible for what happens to ya."
Nappa searches for a rocky formation and turns his back to it. He shoots backward and rams his whole body through the structure. Cuts and bruises cover Chiaotzu, but he refuses to let go. Nappa flies high looking for another mountainous structure to repeat the process. Finding one with spiky pillars, he faces his back to it and drives down as hard as he can.
Chiaotzu loses track of the cool wind rushing around him during the descent as his body goes numb. His aura becomes an ethereal blue quickly fleeing from his body.
Nappa notices ghostly streaks of air filled with twinkling dust surround him.
"Oh no you don't you little punk," he says. "You're not taking me with you."
He pushes himself even faster towards the pointed rocks.
The words are muffled upon Chiaotzu's ears as the rest of his senses shut down. Though they fail him, a new sensation overtakes him. He feels at one with the world, no longer divided and separate from it. His life force thins and stretches outward passing through the ki of everything it contacts along the way. Thoughts and feelings of others briefly touch his mind before being replaced by the next wave of them.
Tien, thinks Chiaotzu. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, but I studied the Kikoho.
Tien's presence flowers in his mind.
Chiaotzu? What are you talking about? That technique takes years to learn. You can't possibly be able to do it. You should be focusing on the battle not talking to me.
I know, but this is the last time I'll be able to speak to you. I hope you're not mad at me. The Kikoho is just as dangerous as you told me it was. I've only learned to tap into my own life energy but not how to project it yet. Still, I think I can finish this guy off.
That's crazy talk, Chiaotzu. You can't go through with it or your body will be blown apart. You'll kill yourself!
… I know Tien. But this guy is too strong. If I don't stop him here, then he'll just come after you and the rest of our friends. I can't let that happen. Please don't be mad.
Of course I'm not mad. You don't have to do this. There's another way. Just stop what you're doing, and we'll figure something out.
I'm sorry.
"You stop it right now!" says Tien.
Yamcha turns to see Tien completely unfocused on their fight. He senses out in the direction he stares. Chiaotzu's life force seems to grow in power and yet fade in vitality at the same time.
Live on my friend, goodbye.
"Chiaotzu!"
A bright light blinks on the horizon.
"CHIAOTZU!"
Author's Note 3/20/21: As the battle takes its toll, our heroes continue to fight for their lives and the survival of their loved ones. Find out what happens next time in Dragon Ball Ki, In the Wake of Death.
Thanks for reading, especially to those who have been favoriting and following this series between chapter posts. I honestly don't know how you manage to find it when it's not on the front page, but I'm happy to have you with us. Take care until the next one!