Dragonball Z/Tenchi Muyo
Rebirth of Rage
Disclaimers -
1. All characters of Dragon Ball and Tenchi Muyo belong to the creators.
2. This fanfic belongs to me.
3. E-mail all comments, flames, questions, ECT... to nateshannon@hotmail.com
4. This fanfic takes place after Vegeta becomes a Super Saiyan but before the Androids show up.
As for Tenchi, unless they create OAV 3, this takes place right after the OAV of Tenchi.
5. This is an action/adventure and humor fanfic, and is rated 14A for language.
6. If you read it, please review it!
Chapter 11 - Zyroko's Mistake
Goddamn it was the only thing running through Piccolo's mind. Even as he
ran blindly through the maze Clay had made he still said it aloud.
"God fucking damn it!"
Now that him and the others were separated, Zyroko could much more easily
pick them off. The Namek felt his way around the narrow and twisting
corridors, trying to find the others.
Why should he be so blind now? The room wasn't that big. Tenchi and Ryoko's
ki signatures should be fairly easy to detect. But then, what was it Clay
had said...
"...ki resistent walls..."
Of course, that would block out the others kis. And, Piccolo's best ki
attacks would most likely be deflected and end up killing him! This would
certainly make things quite a bit more difficult...
Piccolo's feet rang against the floor. Despite the confined walls, his foot
steps seemed to echo all around him. He turned a corner...
Dead end. Fuck!
Piccolo stopped, catching his breath and listening to the ambient sounds
around him.
The sounds of whirring fans, sparking lights, all of the other things one
would probably hear in a spaceship. The distant hum of the engines roared
in the background...
No other sounds. If Zyroko was running around in this maze too, Piccolo
should be able to hear him coming.
.......
Still nothing. A bead of sweat drips down past Piccolo's cheek. With a quick
movement he wipes it off. He listens again...
.......
A computer beeps off from somewhere inside the ship. Piccolo sighed.
Wherever Zyroko was, he wasn't here. Perhaps he thinks he can't beat me...
But then the truth dawned on him. Of all of the three warriors here, Piccolo
was the most experienced. Even with Ryoko's newfound Super Saiyan powers,
and Tenchi's potential, Piccolo was still the strongest of all of them. Why
go to him? Obviously Clay was using this maze to keep Piccolo away from the
others. Which meant...
"Oh god!"
Piccolo took off, sprinting down the corridor full wind. His boots pounded
the metal floor, ringing out aloud the echoing pounding of his footsteps.
Zyroko wasn't after him now because if he absorbed the others, then Piccolo
would represent a much less threat. Damn it!
Piccolo sped up, rushing by the monotonous twists and turns, only hoping he
could find Tenchi and Ryoko before Zyroko could.
**********
"Excellent. Both Vegeta and Goku seem stable now."
"That's easy for you to say Washu. After you left it was Sasami, Noboyuki,
myself, and even Mihoshi who kept them alive!"
Washu, who had emerged from her lab moments before, walked over to the two
Saiyans lying next to eachother. "Sorry about that Ayeka. I had some
important matters to look over. Thanks for keeping these two alive. Without
them I don't know if we have the brute power to take on Clay."
Ayeka was a little surprised by this. "What do you mean? Tenchi, Piccolo,
and Ryoko left to..."
Washu readjusted a bandage on Vegeta's head. "Don't you understand? Zyroko
is a lot more powerful than you think. The form you saw in the wastelands
was far from what I think Clay envisioned him to be. When Zyroko does absorb
whatever persons he wants, based on certain criteria, he will reach his
Ultimate form. With that said I don't think even Tenchi will have much of a
chance."
Ayeka looked skeptical. "And these two will?"
Washu looked with a bit of vehemence towards the ignorant princess. "Yes.
They are Super Saiyans. Does that name even register a thought to you? Super
Saiyans are the most powerful beings ever created! When these two fought
eachother, a misplaced beam could have easily destroyed the planet. Weren't
you paying attention?"
"Well, after Yamcha left, I left too so..."
"Then don't speak of things you can't understand. This matter is serious.
These two represent the strongest fighting force in the known universe. We
have to rely on their brilliant super power. Trust me, the two battered men
you see before you are the strongest beings that have existed in millennia."
Ayeka helped Washu with the bandaging. "Sorry, Washu. I had no idea... How
did you find this out?"
Washu tied a not on a final, brand new white linen bandage on Goku. "You
must remember that I am a scientist. Although it may be eons since my
Academy days, I still have all of the notes from that time. I was able to
relook at the 'Saiyan' notes I took a while back, and understood that the
true depth of a Saiyan is beyond all comprehension."
Bulma walked in with Yosho behind her. "Tell me about. Even I was a bit
frazzled by the scientific jargon."
Washu smiled without even turning her back to face Bulma. "He he, you're a
bit right. I must admit that the diagnosis of Saiyan blood protein is not
the most interesting subject, but it got the point across didn't it?"
Bulma sat down next to Vegeta, and placed a warm hand on the Saiyan prince.
"True. So these guys are in the clear?"
Sasami nodded. "Yeppers. It took a while, and a lot of bandaging, but we all
we able to keep these two guys alive!"
Noboyuki got up and went to the sink to wash his blood red stained hands.
"Phew, what a job that was. Trust me, I'm not the medical type here."
Ayeka giggled. "Hehe, I think we've all known that for some time!"
*creak*....*slam!*
Bulma looked over to see Chi-Chi walk in. The human did not look at all
happy.
"What's wrong Chi-Chi?"
She stomped through the house and sat down, pouting. "I'm still upset about
Gohan leaving. You know he shouldn't be off on his own like that!"
Bulma rolled her eyes. "Chi-Chi, Gohan's not the little boy you knew years
ago. He's grown up. I think he can take care of himself."
Mihoshi nodded. "You have that right. Why, he's old enough to go out with
ME! Hehehe."
Chi-Chi obviously didn't see that Mihoshi was sarcastic, for the Saiyan wife
was on top of Mihoshi, strangling her.
"You take that back! You...you...you blond bimbo!!"
Mihoshi tried to gasp out a reply. "Hike am berry forry!!"
Bulma and Ayeka jumped on Chi-Chi, while Sasami attempted to wrest Mihoshi
in the opposite direction.
Bulma held Chi-Chi by her arms, while Ayeka got her kicking legs. Mihoshi
was freed.
"Let go of me! Did you hear what she said of my Gohan?!"
Bulma dodged Chi-Chi's flailing arms. "Chi-Chi! You must calm down! Geez,
can't you take a joke?!"
Ayeka struggled with her feet. As Chi-Chi reared back for another bout of
kicking and screaming, her right foot sailed straight into Ayeka's lower
jaw.
"Owwwwwch!!!"
Fluttered with a new sense of pain, Ayeka dropped her half of Chi-Chi,
which, unfortunately, was held a bit higher than that of Bulma's. While it
all seemed to happen very slowly to the three, to the rest of the group
Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Ayeka all came crashing down. The only way they knew
how.
*CCCCRRRRRRASSSSHHH!!!!*
"Uhhh..."
Sasami, despite her sister being upside down, giggled at the site.
"Hehehe...you three should really grow up!"
Ayeka was on top, her dress very distraught and thrown about. She brushed
hair from out of her eyes.
"Umm...what happened?"
With a sharp thrust she was thrown yet again, tumbling off the pile onto
the hard floor. An even angrier Chi-Chi kicked herself upright.
"Now see what you did! My hair is a complete mess!"
A disgruntled voice mumbled out from beneath Chi-Chi. "Trust me, if you
don't get off of me soon you will have a lot more problems on your hands
than just your hair."
Chi-Chi looked down. A very mean spirited Bulma looked back up. Chi-Chi,
with sweat drop on her head, quickly replied kindly to Bulma.
"Oh, uh, Bulma. Boy, me and Ayeka there must have been pretty heavy on you
eh? Um, sorry about that!"
Bulma did not look all too pleased. "For starters, you could get off me
right now!!!"
With a rather abrupt push and shove, Bulma threw Chi-Chi off of her,
allowing her to land on the recovering Ayeka.
*thud!!!*
Both Chi-Chi's and Ayeka's eyes were replaced by little swirling lines. The
two, once again, in a heap.
Yosho looked at the scene before him. A bunch of giggling, klutzy girls and
a few simple-minded men. These was the generation that was to save the
world. Hardly seemed so...
And yet, in spite of it all, he chuckled.
**********
Ryoko rounded a corner, only to be greeted by yet another blank, metallic
wall. Damn.
She backtracked, attempting to find the way she came, and to take the other
branch.
Running down the corridors, she could only think of what Zyroko could do to
her and the others. First off, he could absorb them, pushing his own evil
power even higher. He could maim or even kill them. That was about it for
their possible outcomes. Only the more reason to run faster.
Her arms pumping, legs churning, she came back to her original junction,
coming round the final curve.
Damn it.
Instead of having 3 paths, one being the corridor she was on, the one being
the 2nd choice she had to go, and the 3rd being the way she had come in the
first place, there were now 6 paths, all twirling in a hexagonal
configuration.
Damn that Clay. He must be changing this maze around as we run around,
ensuring that we don't run into eachother. And if he make it so that we
really can't escape, he must be making it all the easier for Zyroko to move
about.
Shit. That means that wherever Zyroko was, he must be near his target.
She listened to the background noise around her. Besides the usual ship
sounds one would expect to find, well, on a ship, there was nothing else.
But then, that would make sense.
Why go after the strongest members to absorb them? They could much easier
avoid those beam things that Washu said must have been for absorbing. Who
would I go after if I were Zyroko?
She stopped, and seriously thought about. Well, of all of the possibilities,
I would choose, she thought....
"Oh god..."
She sprinted off, randomly picking one of the paths before her.
If she were Zyroko, she'd go and absorb one of the weaker ones, making the
stronger ones all the more easier...
"Tenchi..."
She ran on.
**********
Tenchi Masaki was worried. Even more so than when Ryoko first escaped from
her crypt. Even more so than when Kagato was battling the gang, and nearly
won. Even more so than Ryoko's kidnapping by the demented Dr. Clay, who was
their enemy, once again.
Tenchi was worried because in all of his endeavors, he had been a team with
the others. Either it was Tsunami, Ryoko, or Ayeka, there was always some
back up. He didn't like being alone. The whole burden on himself.
But it wasn't that he was afraid. Oh no, far from that. Tenchi was, however,
afraid of failure. Now that he had gotten to know people like Son Goku and
Piccolo, things had changed.
Even as he ran full wind down these same old damn corridors, he knew
everything that had changed. Goku had taught him how to control his ki;
Piccolo had taught him how to make the best use of it. Certainly a long way
from his days at school, hehe.
Tenchi slowed down as he came to a corner, sliding his body up to it. Ever
so slowly he peered out from the corner, looking to what it hid.
A dead end. No Zyroko. No more passages. Damn.
He walked into the dead end, looking to see if it was really dead. Perhaps
there was a vent or something he fly up to.
He stopped. The dead end was actually a lot bigger than he thought. A lot
bigger as he entered it even further. Some kind of alcove, he guessed. Fair
sized one too. He could fit his house in here and then some.
He said aloud, "Why in the world would Clay need to make a tight tunnel in
a maze turn a corner and then open up into this?"
"Because, young fool, the bigger the space, the better the battlegrounds!!"
Tenchi shriveled at the voice, and even before he turned around, he knew
whom it must be.
The young Masaki turned around, at the entrance to this wide-open dead end,
and also his only exit.
A tall man, roughly over 7 feet tall, with baggy white pants, metallic
boots, a red karate gi top, and wild, spiky black hair was standing in the
doorway, blocking his exit and trapping Tenchi in.
Tenchi bunched his fists up like twin shot puts. So, this was him....Zyroko.
Zyroko let out a sly smile. "Frustrating isn't it? To know that every move
you made, every action you took, every thought in your head played right
into my father's plan."
Tenchi cocked his head and barked bark, "So, the whole thing was a ploy? The
seemingly endless tunnels, the cryogenic chamber, the layout of this
generator room, even the shifting of the passageways. All of it went right
to your scheme?"
Zyroko began stepped forward, his metallic boot impacting the floor with a
loud clunk. As he moved away from the opening, Tenchi saw something very
quick shift around the edges of the wall. For a second, it seemed as if the
lines and metallic decorations of the corridor were moving, giving an
undulation effect to the doorway.
As he looked closer, beyond the approaching Zyroko, he saw that it was
indeed moving. The whole surface of the wall shimmered and flowed, as if it
were standing liquid. Then, to Tenchi's utter surprised, the wall acted even
more like liquid, for both sides seemed to melt and flow towards eachother.
He understood at once. It was closing.
Within a few seconds the narrow doorway from the wide-open dead end to the
rest of the maze was closed off. The liquid look to the walls disappeared,
making them seem solid again. It had happened so fast, Tenchi didn't think
that it could have gone on for more than a second.
"Amazing shit, isn't it?"
Tenchi turned back to his more immediate problem. "I guess so. So that's the
agent that has been keeping us all confused, right?"
Zyroko was less than 10 meters away. "Quite correct. Some sort of compound
that uses properties of cryogens, and I believe even some bacteria have
something to do with it. Help speed up the process. It was no problem
closing off the passageways as you pasted by them. Hell, that tunnel made by
Piccolo could've been easily closed off, but we wanted you to come to this
place."
Tenchi began backing up. "And why is that?"
Zyroko, amused by Tenchi's attempts of staying away, pressed on. "This room
has the most space, and therefore is the ideal location for my father's maze
to be put up. And once we had sufficient room and had you all in the right
places...bam! The threesome isn't together no more."
Tenchi was only about 10 feet from the opposite wall. "I see. With each of
us blocked off, you could more easily absorb each one of us, starting with
me and moving up to Ryoko and then Piccolo."
*clang!* Zyroko's boot made another rythmatic pound on the floor. "I am
impressed with your deduction abilities Tenchi. Although you are wrong with
one thing, hehe."
Tenchi was only 5 feet from the wall. "And that is?"
"Should I tell you? It's not like you can do anything about it, hehe. You
are all alone here. No one to help you. There can't be any possible way for
you to interfere. You see, I would not absorb Ryoko after you. Oh no. She is
the whole key to all of this. Piccolo would have to be next. Every time I
absorb a person, I gain all of their abilities, and if I absorb anyone with
Jurain, Namek, or Saiyan DNA within them, I gain the abilities of that
particular species. I am set up to be the ultimate being, you see. Once I
activate all 4 of my components, I will become Ultimate Zyroko, the most
powerful entity in creation! Unfortunately, in order to become that, I have
absorb people in a certain order. And the last person that must be absorbed
is Ryoko. When my cells break down her DNA, granted I have the Saiyan,
Namek, and Jurain cells activated by absorbing people with those DNA in
them, her Mass gene will be incorporated into me. Once that happens it will
be like a spark plug to an engine, and my Ultimate body transformation will
commence!"
Tenchi felt the wall come into contact with his back. He was trapped. "So
that is the plan eh? Absorbing certain people and gaining their DNA
abilities. But are you compatible with all types of DNA? What will Yamcha's
human DNA do to your little system you have?"
Zyroko suddenly became much more stricken, his face becoming a menacing
sneer. "That's none of your fucking business boy. I think you've heard
enough. You end right here and now. Are you prepared to become a part of the
Ultimate Zyroko?"
Tenchi brought his head up, looking the abomination only 15 feet away from
him right in the eye. "You sure do seem sure of yourself. You know, I did
defeat Kagato, and even stopped a black hole from swallowing up my friends.
You think I'm going to be a cake walk?"
Zyroko was amused. "You want to go? Hehe, its fun squashing guys who don't
know they have no chance. You want to scuffle a bit before your become part
of the Ultimate being? Then go young fool."
Tenchi smiled. "As you wish."
Tenchi spread out his feet wide, and placed his arms out straight. He began
powering up.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"
First, the ground around him began to shake slightly, the liquid-solid metal
shimmering under his feet. Tenchi's forhead glowed, and the 3-pronged symbol
of the Jurain knight appeared. His ki continued to build.
"Hiyaaaaahhahhah!!!!"
They appeared. First the one in the middle, then the left and right ones.
The 3 of them glowed a luminescent white, and were translucent. The
Light hawk Wings...
Tenchi thrust his arms forward, making them face the two upper wings. Within
a flash those two wings shot towards Tenchi, riding along his arms. As they
passed Tenchi's body, his battle armor would be replaced over his own
generic armor. The pink white uniform stood full dress as the wings
correlated into Tenchi's whole body.
With the armor and shield on, the 3rd wing came up, in Tenchi's center.
Reaching out with his right, armored hand, Tenchi grabbed the wing. As he
did so the Light hawk Wings flashed and became a sword, standing tall. It
was
the most feared of all swords, tall, brilliant, strong, and light. It was
the ultimate weapon. Or at least Tenchi thought so...
Zyroko was even more amused. "This is your power boy? I've seen more action
in a retirement home. You got nothing! Although, it is impressive to see
that
you've reached full power without becoming angry."
Tenchi shifted his shiny white sword, causing a light to pass by Zyroko's
face. "You underestimate me. I defeated Kagato, remember? I am far from
helpless."
"Hahhah! You base your fight on Kagato to me?! You really are a fool!"
"Huh?"
Zyroko raised his arm, opening and closing his fist. "You see, Kagato being
compared to me is like a pigeon compared to an eagle. Kagato is lower than
shit next to my power. You thought that characters like Kagato could muster
up power like mine?! Ha! I laugh at the statement!"
Tenchi gripped his sword. "You sure are confident of yourself. How about
testing your boasts?"
Zyroko spread his feet wide. His black hair waved from an updraft of
ventilation air. He cracked a smile.
"Have it your way kid. Show me what you got!"
Tenchi did not hesitate. Upon hearing Zyroko utter those sounds, he charged
up his ki. A luminescent bright light emitted from him, and thanks to
Piccolo and Goku's brief trainings, Tenchi was able to gather all of his ki
quickly. The Jurain hybrid raised his sword high, the hilt glistening from
an overhead light.
"Take this!!!!"
He charged. Tenchi flung his body forward, hurtling at Zyroko at a fantastic
rate. He advanced upon the giant, so close he could almost smell his breath.
When he was less than a few feet away from Zyroko, hr brought his sword
back...
*SWISH!*
Tenchi's sowrd sliced through the air, a deadly wind of death to all it
touched. The gleaming white sword appeared as a blur, cutting through the
air. Tenchi knew what he was aiming for; a diagonal cut across Zyroko's
chest. Zyroko saw the sword coming. And yet, he smiled.
Tenchi's foot hit the ground hard, skidding. His body rolled forward, and
with his cat like reflexes Tenchi managed to bounce back up. He looked
around. What had happened?
He stood up, and looked around. He had been running....his ki had been very
high...he approached Zyroko...he brought the sword back...and took a swing.
Then Zyroko was gone, and Tenchi's sword hit nothing. Then he had to skid to
stop. What had happened to Zyroko?
"Nice attack kid. I nearly felt some wind from that!"
Tenchi rotated his body sharply, and looked up to the source of the voice.
Above him, in the metallic ceiling, was Zyroko. The Brolly-like monster was
unscathed, his body touched not one bit by the Masaki's sword.
Tenchi yelled up to him. "Hey! Just how did you do that?! I didn't even see
you move a muscle! Did you use some sort of teleportation? Answer me!"
Zyroko floated down to the floor, his boots making a loud clank as they hit.
Zyroko spoke:
"Young fool. Do not question what you do not understand. That was no
teleportation. Your movement was so slow, that I saw it a mile away. Sheesh,
my grandma, if I had one, could move a hell of a lot faster than you could.
And that was not some teleportation you stupid brat. The technique is called
Zanzoken. It's when you move so fast in a short distance that you appear to
leave an after image of yourself as you move. Even the weakest of the weak
know it. Maybe that explains you!"
Tenchi gritted his teeth. With a quick left turn of his head he spat on the
ground.
"Just who do you think you are Zyroko? I'll slice you to pieces!"
Tenchi kneeled down and coiled up his muscles, ready to pounce. Zyroko
sighed.
"Try again, if it pleases you."
And Tenchi did once again. The Jurain sprung off, becoming an Jurain
cannonball. Aimed directly at Zyroko!
"AAAAAAAHHHIIIYYYAHHH!!!"
*swish!*
Tenchi's sword was brought back and swung. But alas, Zyroko dodged it easily
with a deft hop.
Tenchi yelled and tried again, lunging at Zyroko once again. His aura
billowing around him, Tenchi hurled his body at Zyroko. And also once again,
Tenchi's sword hand brought its package back...
*swash!*
Moving with frightening speed and accuracy, Tenchi's Jurain sword only hit
air once again. Zyroko had sidestepped the blade yet again. Tenchi turned
his face and screamed at the man-made creature.
"Just how are you DOING THIS!?!"
*swish!* *swash!* *slice!*
Tenchi's sword cut through the air like an angry hornet, ready to sting. He
made wide, smooth, fast arcs with the weapon. The sword was moving so fast
back and forth, it appeared only as a white blur in front of Tenchi's body.
*swish!* *swash!* *slice!*
Yet, despite Tenchi's excellent sword playing skills and swings, Zyroko was
repeatedly, deftly, and easily dodging each slice with no amount of effort
what so ever. As Tenchi's sword came down again and again, both parties
could tell the attacks were coming slower. Tenchi was tiring.
By the time Zyroko had dodged the 30th swing, Tenchi was nearly gasping for
breath. He swung his sword one more time...and dropped. His heavy sword fell
from his hands, landing on the floor with a clang.
Tenchi fell to his knees, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. His sword
gleamed a few feet in front of him.
"How *breath* could he *breath* dodge those *breath* attacks?"
Zyroko was about 10 feet away. Staring down at the exhausted warrior, he
spat in disgust.
"You call yourself a fighter? A person fit to defend the planet Earth? You
sicken me. If this is your true, full power, then this match was over before
it started."
Sweat drops dripping down his face with a rythmatic drip, Tenchi looked up.
He stared at Zyroko, the first being to ever come face to face with his
light hawk wings and not be harmed in anyway. Damn him...
Tenchi struggled to his feet, grabbing his white sword as he got up. He
straightened himself out, and wiped his forehead from the dampness. If he
fails here...if he allows Zyroko to beat him...then he will have...
...failed.
"No..."
Zyroko eyes lit up. "I see you still have some life in you. What was that
you said?"
Tenchi gripped the hilt of his sword, veins bulging underneath his full
armor.
"No...I will not fail."
Zyroko took a few steps forward, going towards Tenchi. "Excellent. It seems
you still will be able to get some fun out of before I absorb you."
Tenchi brought his sword tip up, raising the massive blade in the air.
"Zyroko! Hear me now! I am Tenchi Masaki! I have cleaned up pond scum that
is higher than you are! I will not...cannot allow you to harm the Earth! As
long as there is breath in my lungs...I will always stand to defend the
innocent against the likes of YOU!!!"
Zyroko stopped walking forward, sensing Tenchi's ki grow. "What...?"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Tenchi's bright white aura erupted and burned around his body, making his
light hawk armor undulate in it. Tenchi's muscles groaned and tightened,
increasing their size. With a push of pure frenzy and hope, Tenchi shot
forward like a bullet. Even faster than before, his sword was brought back
faster than lightning.
Zyroko could only utter "What the f..." before Tenchi was over him.
The giant Light hawk Wing sword of Tenchi Masaki, that which had served him
well, was raised high above his head. Tenchi, in mid air, shifted his weight
so that when his sword dropped down, it would drop right on Zyroko's head!
Zyroko, even with the extreme quickness of the power up and charge, was still unmoved.
He smiled...the same, crooked, sly smile.
Like the atom bomb on Hiroshima, Tenchi's sword fell. It plunged downward,
going at beyond even Tenchi's comprehendible powers. It raced towards Zyroko's head...
*SHA-HINK!!!!!!!!!!!*
************
A green, scaly hand patted down one of the walls in the corridors of Shunga II.
Piccolo was frustrated, even more so than he had ever been. He long ago
figured out that Clay must be remanipulating the walls within the maze. He
had also tried Ryoko's method. Clay must be cutting me off from either
Tenchi or Ryoko, thought Piccolo.
He felt the surface of the wall. Despite his keen Namek senses, even Piccolo
could not sense anything special about the wall. It was if the walls
rearranging before had been done by, well, magic.
Piccolo quickly charged up a small, dense ki blast. Taking a step back, he
let the thumbnail size energy ball sail towards the wall. Once it hit, a
bluish anti-ki barrier shot up, absorbing the attack. Just as it had done
every other time he tried a strong, ki technique on these fucking walls.
He just could not put his finger on it. Somehow these walls were changing,
and it was not by mechanical switches of any kind. He had already spent
nearly 10 minutes "listening" to these accursed walls. It was if they were
as silent as a still night. Nearly no sound had come from within them. It
was if they were not mechanical at all...
Wait a minute...perhaps...
Well, in a situation like this, one would be wise to be open to all possibilities.
Perhaps these walls are...biological. I mean, it's doable, right? Reasoning
with his own mind had already proven useful several times. Let's ses...
I need to rescue the others.
Then go rescue them.
But I can't. These walls are in my way.
Walk around the walls.
Can't do that either. It's a maze.
Find the exit.
Tried. Dr. Clay is changing the walls every time I take a turn.
Change the walls yourself.
How? They are ki resistent. I can't blast them.
Open them up somehow.
How? I mean, they look mechanical, but don't really act mechanical. They are
very strange walls.
Well, look, if they're not mechanical, then what else could they be?
Biological of course.
And all biological materials react to stimulus, correct?
Yes...
Give the wall a stimulus!
But...will it work?
Don't know until you try.
Don't know until you try...
As he stood before the strange walls closing him in within the reactor room
of the Shunga II, those words still echoed in his mind.
Don't know until you try.
"Well, here goes nothing. Let's see...what are the stimulai? Sounds,
telepathy, heat..."
Heat. I guess I can try that.
Piccolo pressed his hand on the wall, the palm facing directly on the face
of the surface. Using quick concentration with his mind, Piccolo began to
build his ki up. Not all around his body, but up in his arm.
The ki swelled all around it, making the green appendage glow green.
Then...he concentrated that ki into his lower arm...making the glow of ki
illuminate even more.
Then came his hand, and the stored up surged around his hand, making it
unable to be seen through the intense light.
The area of the wall the hand was on began to get warmer. Not as hot as a ki
blast, but not as cold as, say, boiling water. A nice hot hand, if you will.
Immediately Piccolo felt a change in the wall beneath his hand. As the heat
built and grew stronger, the wall appeared to shimmer and become softer. The
grayish metal became black, and as Piccolo's hand grew hotter and hotter, he
could feel the wall beginning to give away underneath his hand.
He stepped away. Interesting...the heat had not been as strong or hot as a
ki attack, but instead had used some ki just to heat the wall up a lot. That
way, the resistent ki barriers had not kicked in. And the wall had
definitely changed. Instead of the uniform metal designs before, the wall was all
scrambled, looking liquid almost. Perhaps...
He stuck a finger out, extending it towards the melting wall. It probed the
blackened material, and Piccolo found it to be very soft. Like water, even
though it looked like thick, molten metal.
He brought his hand away, to see that the material did not travel with him.
His hand was not wet, even though it had felt like dipping his hand in cold
water...
But hadn't he heated the wall up to an extreme temperature? What kind of
material is heated up, and as a result cools down?
Piccolo shook his head. This type of thing was more or less for Bulma or
Washu. He did not have the instruments nor the desire to figure out what
made these strange, biological walls tick. If it is biological, perhaps
microorganisms are involved. Bacteria, perhaps. Bacteria are sensitive to
heat...
Whatever the case, what Piccolo did know was that heat made the walls easy
to pass through. His finger had done it easily enough. Maybe...if he kept
his aura low...just high enough to generate heat...
"Hiiiiiyah!!"
Being careful not to raise his ki too high, Piccolo allowed his aura to burn
around him. His body glowed white-green, giving off a lot of heat. But...not
enough heat to classify the aura as ki energy.
Perfect. Time to give my little hypothesis to the test.
Piccolo stepped forward, placing his foot in the air. He hung there a
second, wondering the possible outcomes of what could happened if he tried
to step through the wall...
"Ah to hell with this."
He stepped forward, and into the wall. It passed through, as if he was
walking through a wall of water.
So that was the key. Raise your ki high enough to "melt" the wall material,
but not so high to set off the anti-ki barrier that went up when the walls
touched the wall. Now that he knew the perfect level of ki, Piccolo could
move through the walls as he pleased.
Not even Clay could've thought that Piccolo could've found the perfect
temperature for the walls. Which was great for Piccolo.
Piccolo stepped forward again, and his body was enclosed within the liquidly
materials his glowing body was passing through.
"Here I come guys!"
**********
The room was dark. When Tenchi's sword had struck Zyroko, a wave was emitted
out. All of the surrounding lights either burnt out or were very dim. It was
like a earthquake had been bottled up in that room...
Emergency lighting clicked in, rushing power to the back up lightings. First
one light came on, bathing the room in a low light. Then another lamp came
on, and another.
As the room became more and more lighted, shapes appeared. First, a shiny,
white rod came into place. As more light comes on, the white rod becomes
better to see. It is Tenchi's sword, suspended in midair.
More lights buzz on. The room is now mostly lit. At the bottom of the sword,
at the hilt, Tenchi's hands appear, followed by his arms and then his body.
Soon, his whole body and sword are illuminated.
Tenchi strains and strains. "What is this? Why can't I move this sword
down?!"
He strains some more. "Or up either?! It's stuck!"
"Wait for the lights young fool, and you'll see."
Tenchi gasped out. "What the...?!"
The last of the lights came on. Everything was as it had been before Tenchi
struck. He was in midair, his sword held in front as if it had been swinging
down. Only this time a little ways from the tip, two strong, big fingers
held the sword.
Zyroko grinned. "Was that your best? Sorry to disappoint you. Then again,
you've disappointed me as well."
Tenchi could not believe his eyes. He had put his full power and then some
into that strike. Yet, that very strike had been blocked, and caught, by
only two fingers from Zyroko's right hand. Tenchi was fully straining
against Zyroko's two fingered grip on his blade, and Zyroko was unphased.
The behemoth had counteracted Tenchi's best attack so far with only two of
his fingers. How could ANYONE do that?!
Zyroko didn't seem to happy about his rather easy block of the sword. "You
really are scum. You come here, to my father's ship, boasting about how
you'll avenge that, or how you'll save this. Where has that talk gotten you
now? It's gotten you nothing but shit, brat. And here's proof. You just put
forth your best and most powerful move, correct? And I blocked and caught it
with only two fingers. Do you realize what that means?"
Tenchi tried with all his might to wrest the sword from Zyroko. "And what's
that?"
Zyroko's grin turned into a sinister frown. "It means that I have more power
in my fingers than you do in your whole body. You never had a chance against
me! I tire of playing with you. I need your strengths, as little as they may
be to my own power, it will aid me in my fights against Piccolo and Ryoko.
So... ...you will relinquish your body to me now!"
Tenchi ground his teeth together. "If I refuse? If I balk against being
absorb into a monster like you?"
Zyroko said nothing. The muscle bound giant stood there holding the sword.
With his right hand holding the sword, Zyroko's left arm and hand was free.
And taking good use of that advantage, Zyroko reared back his left arm,
veins bulging, and let it shoot forward. Tenchi would later recount that he
had no recollection of how fast the punch had come and gone, only the next
moment he was flying through the air, like a falcon through the air.
*BAM!!*
With a reverberating crash and thud, Tenchi's body slammed into the wall
behind him. It indented a couple inches, molding around Tenchi's outline. He
hung there for a minute, and then gravity took its toll.
Tenchi's body fell, landing on the floor. The boy did not move.
Zyroko was moving, closing in on Tenchi. At first, it looked as if Tenchi
was dead. His body was still.
But then there was some movement. Tenchi's left wrist began to curl and
twist around. His fingers open and closed. Then a ragged breath escaped
from his lungs, and Tenchi was awake. He pushed his body up by his elbows,
allowing him to raise his head.
"Bleeeahhh!!!"
Tenchi vomited blood, spilling the hot liquid all over the floor and his
armor. Zyroko stood over him.
"How...could...you...I....never....felt...so....much...pain..."
Zyroko reached down and grabbed Tenchi by his hair. He raised the boy high
up above the ground; Tenchi's feet dangling several feet from the floor.
"You impressed eh? Now you can experience TRUE power!"
He let Tenchi fall. As the boy fell, Zyroko reared back another powerhouse
punch.
*Ka-pow!*
Tenchi was punched in the stomach, Zyroko's fist burying itself deep in the
soft flesh. The boy was flown backwards, looking as if he was going to hit
the wall again.
But as he got within a few feet of the wall, Zyroko zanzokens directly in
his path. As the evil giant materialized, he shot out his right leg and
shifting his weight on his left leg, to allow the right to kick out harder.
The right foot of his metallic boot drove into the floor for a few seconds,
before rising into the air like a missile. And that missile was aimed
directly
at the fastly approaching Tenchi...
*POW!!!!!*
With a loud, echoing, horrifying crash, Zyroko's heavy metal boot, which had
been flying at an tremendous speed, connected HARD with Tenchi. Right
in-between his legs.
Tenchi's eyes grew as big as saucers. "Oh...my...g-god..."
He hung there a moment, held up by Zyroko's boot. But then he fell, like a
rock. He smashed into the floor, and immediately doubled up in pain.
"AHHH!! My. my...balls!!! You asshole! You crushed my balls!"
Seeing Tenchi's extreme comfort only made Zyroko that much more happy. "I
see the results of my kick are good. Is something the matter? Oh I see. You
were forced to prematurely say goodbye to your two best friends, and I'm not
talking about those other fools who are looking for you! Hahahhahaha!!!"
A deep, red stain was beginning to appear at Tenchi's groin. "*coughs* You
bastard! If you think...that a little move by you will keep me down...you
have another thing coming *coughs*"
A river of blood was now dripping from in-between Tenchi's legs. Zyroko
could
only shake his head. "Young fool. I warned you about this. I see that the
new generation these days aren't as bright as they used to be. Even that
pervert Yosho would've given up!"
Despite the pain, Tenchi managed to sit upright somewhat. "You...bastard.
Don't you dare...say things...about my...grandfather..."
*BAM!*
Not giving the wounded Tenchi a chance to finish, Zyroko leapt forward and
dealt the boy another powerful hit to his neck.
"Umph!!" Tenchi grunted out, as he was struck to the side again.
Zyroko zanzokened in Tenchi's fall path once again, and reared back another
punch. Tenchi saw it coming. Hell, every thought in his head said "Move!"
Yet, he could not.
*SMACK!!*
With a strong right jab from Zyroko, Tenchi was sent going in the opposite
direction, landing sharply on his back.
"Uhhhh..."
Zyroko took the air. "Hahahhaha!!! This is funnier than any video game!"
Tenchi was lying on his back, still dazed. Zyroko centered the boy under him
in the air, and then plummeted at him. Metal boots first.
*BOOM!*
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Zyroko's boots buried themselves deep in Tenchi's stomach, and as they did a
few squirts of blood shot out from underneath them as the organs and bones
underneath the boots were crushed even more. Zyroko, laughing insanely, took
to the air again, and this time dropped right down on Tenchi's chest.
*BAMM!!*
The walls all around the two fighters shook and rumbled to each hit of
Zyroko. Tenchi was kicked, stomped, punched, and, in all trueness of the
term, was getting his ass kicked. As Zyroko delivered another hard cross to
Tenchi's jaw, a sharp sound issued, signaling to Zyroko that he had broken
Tenchi's jaw. Zyroko thought: Hehehe, another one bites the dust. Only a few
hundred more to break!
Tenchi fell to the ground after that punch, and did not get up. He lay there
still, motionless. His heartbeat slowed, his pulsed was short. And as Zyroko
neat over him to make sure the boy was not dead, it became clear that he
was no unconscious.
The perfect and easiest time for absorption, Zyroko thought evilly.
Taking a few steps back from the broken body of Tenchi, Zyroko spread his
feet wide. With a quick flurry of instant ki raising he allowed his aura to
build somewhat, making a white flame burn around his outline. His muscles
bulged, his veins popped. It was time.
"AB-SOR...!!!!"
In mid sentence Zyroko's words were cut short. There was a silence for a
moment, and then Zyroko fell to his knees, gasping in pain. He grappled at
his neck, staunching a blood flow that was coming out of his neck now.
"What the fuck...who did that?! I was about to absorb the brat!"
Zyroko looked to his left, then his right. There was no one in sight. He
looked behind...
Out of the wall behind of Zyroko, a green, scaly hand was extending itself
out. A single smoking finger was pointed at Zyroko, precisely at where his
neck had been right when he was about to absorb Tenchi. Connected to that
scaly hand was a long green arm, with pink patches of flesh exposed.
And to Zyroko's surprise and slight horror, the arm extended outward more,
and the body the arm was attached to came out with it.
Piccolo stood there, in full battle gi, and ready for action. As he stepped
through the wall, it closed up behind him. As Piccolo looked at the bloody,
beaten up body of Tenchi, Zyroko could tell the Namek was not too happy.
"You seem a little puffed, Piccolo. What's wrong? Heheh..."
Piccolo was steadfast. "You know perfectly well what's wrong you stupid
little shit. What you did to that boy over there is through. You face me
now."
"So you decided to halt my absorbtion with a quick ki blast from your
finger? Really, I think my neck will sting for a little while after that!"
Piccolo wasn't moved. "Just shut up, will you? All you need to understand is
that I'm your opponent. I will bring you down."
Zyroko responded, "I see...you want to wait a sec for that though?"
Piccolo smiled. "What? For you to absorb Tenchi? I doubt it. You afraid
you're too weak now to challenge me?"
"Quite the opposite. I could easily mop the floor with you. It's just that
since I will absorb all of you in the long run, it would be easier just to
get the down and out fighters out of the equation."
"Some excuse that is. I think you're just scared you might lose. Why in the
world did you beat up Tenchi like that? Afraid absorbing him might prove
difficult?"
Despite what he was saying, both of the fighters knew that Piccolo was
right. Zyroko didn't show it though. "That's BS Piccolo. Think of my beating
up Tenchi as chewing food before you swallow it. Unless he's properly
beaten, it would prove only slightly harder to absorb him. Besides, it's
always fun to see the look on someone's face when they are experiencing true
pain."
Piccolo resisted himself from lunging at Zyroko. "You...bastard. I will put
an end to your evil reign even if it costs my life!"
Despite a nagging doubt in the back of his mind, Zyroko stepped forward,
challenging Piccolo. "Well, Namek, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. You
want to start something? And even at my incomplete level I will crush you. I
guarantee it."
Piccolo was silent. With a slow, clean movement he grasped his heavy
training hat and cape. With a flick of his right hand, the hat came off,
landing on the floor with a loud *clunk!* With the same momentum of his left
hand, his lofty cape came off to land on the other side, connecting with the
floor so hard that an indent was almost made. Piccolo was now in full,
outweighed down battle gi. The Namek was ready to bring it on.
Zyroko saw that Piccolo was not joking. "Alright. Have it your way. Don't
say I didn't warn you, dumbass."
Zyroko began to step forward, approaching Piccolo. Piccolo did not move an
inch. He was riveted to his spot, staring coldly at Zyroko. At first, it
looked like the silent Namek was going to do nothing about the approaching
giant. Would he just let the much bigger guy walk all over him?
"As you wish.", spoke the steadfast Piccolo.
Before Zyroko could finish his 4th step forward, Piccolo was off, raising
his ki to its full potential and rocketing off. He sailed through the air
like a glowing bullet, and Zyroko could barely blink once before Piccolo's
extended arms careened into his gut.
*BAM!*
"He-Umph! Uhh...."
With such high velocity Piccolo's fist had sunk easily 4 inches into
Zyroko's stomach. And as Piccolo extracted his fists, he could tell the
quick charge had been effective.
Zyroko doubled over, kneeling down on the ground. He grappled at his
stomach,
throwing up a little blood. The blood seeped down his chest, staining
Yamcha's gi.
"What the fuck...? What...happened...?"
Zyroko looked up, but as he did so the quick image of a green fist coming at
him blurred all of his vision, and things became black for a while. Piccolo
had dealt a huge punch to Zyroko's jaw, sending the muscle man tumbling head
over foot.
Zyroko rolled a few feet, before grasping the metal floor with his big
hands. Even though his fingers left deep ski marks, Zyroko managed to stop
himself. He could only sit there breathing hard, scarcely believing what had
just happened.
Zyroko stood up, managing the sore spots in his stomach and face. "That was
quite the low shot, Piccolo. I will make sure that a cheap hit like those
two won't happen again!"
Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And How do you propose to do that?"
Zyroko, thinking about Tenchi, said out loud. "Well, just let me reach my
full power. Then you'll be sorry!"
Piccolo laughed a bit. "Your full power...what a joke. I can sense your full
power, even from here. It lies dormant in your cells, waiting to be
awakened. Yet, I know, and I'm sure you know, that you cannon become the
Ultimate Zyroko on your own. Oh no. That's what the whole absorbtion thing
was about, right?"
Zyroko felt needles in his neck. "What...? Um, I don't know what your
talking about, Namek. I can reach my full power whenever I wanted to! Just
wait and see!"
Zyroko was thinking: Tenchi? Where is that knocked out kid? I need him to
beat this green freak. Zyroko looked side to side, searching for the limp
image of Tenchi's body.
"Looking for Tenchi Masaki eh? Well, I hope that it interests you that I
moved him."
Zyroko spun around. "What?! Why the hell did you do that?"
Piccolo could only smile further. "What? Is it a problem? I thought you said
you didn't need to absorb him. Were you...lying? I wouldn't worry about
Tenchi though. He's safe. It was quite easy to take a few seconds while you
were "resting" from those "low blows" earlier."
Zyroko was turning white. Piccolo knew that he needed Tenchi to beat him.
But with Tenchi gone, things were starting to look a little bad for him.
Zyroko HAD to find that Masaki boy.
Zyroko blurted out, "Piccolo! Beating me now would not be a fair fight, am I
right? You'd only be fighting a small part of my infinite power. How
impartial is that? Come on. Tell me where Tenchi is now!"
Piccolo wasn't smiling anymore. "Zyroko, you've hurt enough people for once.
The evil intentions of you and your father will be stopped right here and
now. I do give a damn about fairness. I am the evil half of the Kami of this
planet, I don't okay by the rules. I play to win. And this case, you lose.
Game over. I am going to seen you to Emna right here and NOW!!!"
Piccolo's rippling aura fired up once more. The Namek began to push his
extended ki level to heights even he had not yet had to shown off. As he
did so, the biometal walls around the alcove began to crack and shake. A
couple lights exploded in a shower of sparks. Piccolo was going to take no
mercy on Zyroko.
As Zyroko stood, staring at the powerful Namek before him, he realized his
mistake. He should have absorbed Tenchi sooner! Now this asshole was going
to ruin it all for him. How would he get out of this one? He had to find
that boy...
"Zyroko...here me now! In this place, the Shunga II, you DIE!!!!"
And with that, Piccolo shot off at the Tenchi searching Zyroko, prepared to
finish what Tenchi had tried to start.
NEXT TIME ON DRAGONBALL Z AND TENCHI MUYO:
"Hi, this is Goku. On the next exciting episode of DBZ/TM, Piccolo will go
all out to try to kill that menace, Zyroko. Ouch...that's got to hurt. I'm
not sure if Zyroko will be able to site down for a while after that one. But
watch out Piccolo, Zyroko is pure evil and clever. He probably has a few
tricks up his sleeves. But then, where's Ryoko? Will her new Super Saiyan
powers become a big role anytime soon? You'd better believe it. Find all out
in the next exciting episode of Dragonball Z and Tenchi Muyo!"
Chapter 12 - The confidence, the shock, and the training
Ryoko: It's unquestionably a heart pounding episode!
Glad to see I got this chapter up sooner than chapter 10. Sorry about all of
that guys. I've been VERY busy. Future chapters should be coming up much
quicker, as chapters should be getting more and more concise. But hey, this
is no concise fanfic. I plan on about 10 more chapters, going into the 20's
for this fanfic. This is a true saga, and I would want nothing less. Hope
all of you like ROR as much as I do! Stay tuned for the next chapter!