Chapter X: Unexpected Victory
Garuda stopped in midair. "I know I'm close," he said, "But this can't be. I don't sense Piccolo or 18… but there is an enormous power trying to hold his own against Nappa and Raditz. How could this be? I thought that Piccolo and 18 were the only defenders of the Earth?"
Fueled by determination and curiosity, Garuda sped over the final mountain to find himself flying straight towards his destination. Gritting his teeth, he took his whip into his hand and pushed himself onward; trying to make out what this mysterious force could be that was fighting against the two Saiyans.
All he could see were golden flashes of light, until they momentarily stopped. From this distance, Garuda could only make out three figures surrounded by golden aura. "Three with golden auras…?" he asked himself. "This third defender must be a… a Super Saiyan!"
However, it was clear that this Super Saiyan could not hold his own forever against two Super Saiyan 2s. "I don't care how strong he looks," Garuda concluded, "All I know is that he needs my help."
As he got very close to the battle, he saw the Super Saiyan get knocked out of the air and go flying towards the ground. The two Saiyans were about to go flying towards him, but Garuda impeded their progress.
The two evildoers stopped short in front of the guardian of the Temple of Shenron. "You!" Raditz exclaimed. "How did you get here?"
"That's not nearly important as the fact that I am here," Garuda concluded. "Now, who wants to die first?" he asked, cracking his whip.
"You're outnumbered, guardian," Raditz exampled. "There are two of us and only one of you, as last time. Only, this time…" he said, grinning, "This time, we'll finish you."
Garuda shook his head. "Your armor is gone. Now I can finish the job more easily." Just then, the mysterious Super Saiyan appeared beside him.
"I don't know who you are," he said to Garuda, "But you're on my side. Together, we'll take down these two. My name is Boxer, and I am of a royal Saiyan bloodline."
Garuda nodded. "The descendant of Vegeta, I see. I am Garuda, the guardian of the Temple of Shenron in the afterlife. I have come here to save the Earth from these two, and with your help, they should go down easily."
Nappa looked at him. "I wouldn't be so sure." But, as if on cue to prove him wrong, Garuda appeared behind him out of nowhere and cracked his whip onto Nappa's back, causing him to go spiraling and land in an undignified heap on the ground.
He then turned to Raditz. "Boxer, quick!" Garuda shouted. Without further encouragement, Boxer did a flying kick directly into Raditz's stomach, and in the moment that the Saiyan was stunned, Garuda cracked his whip and sent a surge of energy through it.
Garuda smiled. Raditz was trapped in an electrified whip hold, and the more he struggled, the worse the hold got. Every moment that he struggled, more and more electrical energy went surging through his body by the tens of thousands of volts. Raditz screamed wildly in pain and it was clear that he could no longer defend himself.
"Boxer, now!" Garuda cried. "Finish him off!"
Boxer nodded. "Kah…meh…" he cupped his hands, "Hah-me…" he focused his energy and aimed towards Raditz.
"No! Don't!" Raditz screamed.
"Ha…" Just then, Nappa came from out of nowhere and smashed him into the air, sending the energy blast astray… straight towards Garuda! The wide-eyed guardian was hit by a powerful Kamehameha Outburst and was sent spiraling to the ground. Boxer looked down in horror as he saw all three of his allies lying on the ground in pain.
"No…" he muttered, "Garuda was my last chance…" Boxer had put up a valiant effort, but it had all been in vain. His energy was sapped completely from the failed Kamehameha Wave and he felt emotionally defeated as well.
He sensed Raditz appearing behind him. "Better just make this quick," Boxer thought as Raditz smashed him into the ground far below. The young warrior lay there in pain, suffering, and feeling as though he had failed the Earth. Exhausted, his hair turned back to a blue bowl-cut and he stared upwards towards the two Super Saiyans. The beasts were laughing; laughing at the misfortune of his comrades and himself.
"No… we were so close…" Hot tears formed in Boxer's eyes. "It can't be…"
Raditz and Nappa landed in front of the owner of the Capsule Corporation. "Well, well!" Raditz said. "You put up a good effort, kid, but it's all over now. Too bad your pink friend didn't arrive sooner or else you surely would have won. Oh well; no use crying over spilt milk. And now, Nappa and I will destroy all of the miserable life forms on this planet, starting with you."
Boxer looked up to see energy gathering in Raditz's hand. This was really it. Boxer closed his eyes and prepared to be sucked into the Next Dimension…
There was a scream of pain, unlike any Boxer had ever heard before. But, the strangest thing was… it did not come from him. Boxer opened his eyes to find a strange man in a black robe, sunglasses, and a black skullcap standing in front of him, with his fist buried deep into Raditz's stomach.
"No… not you…" Raditz gazed into his eyes, through the sunglasses. "It can't be… you…"
"Times have changed, Raditz," the visitor responded. "Now, I think it's about time we sent you to the Next Dimension… for good! But first, you're going to tell me how you escaped."
"I'll tell you nothing!" Raditz spat at him. Little did this visitor know that Nappa was sneaking up behind him, ready to launch a powerful assault. Boxer was about to yell a warning, when all of a sudden, quicker than Boxer could possibly follow, Nappa was being held in the air, the visitor's foot buried into his stomach.
"How did you escape, Raditz?" the visitor repeated. "I don't have all day."
"Hey, I've got a better idea," Raditz smiled, blood streaming down his chin from deep within his throat. "How about you let us go and I won't be forced to reveal your identity?"
The visitor frowned. "Very well," he granted. "I'll let you go… to the Next Dimension! You've done this planet enough harm already!" He powered up his hand that was already inside of Raditz with energy and put his other hand back towards Nappa.
"No…" Raditz began to mouth the word as the visitor fired two enormous energy blasts in either direction. Boxer shielded his eyes from the blinding light as best he could. It was the second time he had witnessed a truly amazing display of energy attacks that day.
When he opened his eyes, Nappa and Raditz were gone. Only particles of dust remained in their place. Boxer opened his mouth to speak, but the visitor silenced him. "You look pretty banged up," he commented. "But I saw this battle telepathically… every second of it. You did phenomenally well."
"Th… thanks…" Boxer responded.
The visitor looked at him for a moment. "I am the Fighter Kai, sent here to stop Nappa and Raditz and send them back to the Home for Infinite Losers; the H.F.I.L. That is now done, but I'm afraid there is more to it than just those two. But… that's enough about that. Here; eat this." He produced a Senzu Bean from his pocket. Boxer recognized it as being the same kind of bean that saved 18's life earlier on.
The Fighter Kai flipped it into the air and Boxer caught it with his tongue. Instantaneously, his wounds were gone, but he felt more tired than ever. "You are weary," the Fighter Kai remarked. "Rest now. I'll take care of you and your friends."
Boxer sat back down on the ground and was fast asleep in minutes.
***
When he awoke, Boxer found himself back in his own bed. Upon his awakening, he felt completely rejuvenated. "The battle…" he asked himself, "Was it real? Or was it all just a dream?"
As if on cue, 18 opened the door and entered his room. "Boxer," she said, "We have guests. You may want to come downstairs."
With that, she left, and Boxer got out of bed, to find all of his clothes horribly blood and dirt-stained. Upon changing into a fresh pair of clothes, he made his way downstairs to find Piccolo, 18, and the Fighter Kai having tea together.
"Piccolo!" he exclaimed. "You're all right!"
Piccolo grinned. "Of course I'm all right," he reassured Boxer. "I've lived through worse. MUCH worse."
Boxer approached the Fighter Kai. "Fighter Kai, I cannot thank you enough. You saved our lives and probably that of all other life forms on the Earth."
"Against those two?" he asked, jokingly. "They would have done some damage, but you could have easily recovered in time to take them on."
Boxer took a seat, but immediately jumped up again. "Garuda!" he exclaimed. "Where is he?"
"Right here!" a voice called back. Garuda poked his head out from another room. "I'm just making some breakfast for everyone. How do you like your eggs, Boxer?"
"Oh…" he tried to think, not prepared for the kind of response that he got, "Just scrambled is fine for me I guess."
"Gotcha," Garuda acknowledged, and went back into the kitchen.
"Now, Boxer," the Fighter Kai said, resuming their conversation, "What you have done is truly extraordinary, and you have proved yourself as a worthy defender of the Earth, as well as a true Saiyan warrior. Turning Super Saiyan is no small feat, and especially not for someone with only a drop of Saiyan blood left within them, such as yourself."
"Now," he continued, "Getting to my point, 18, Piccolo, Garuda and I are going on a journey. Normally, no one can escape from the H.F.I.L. without the permission of the two overseers, Goz and Mez. Some mysterious force is at work here, as I know from previous experience with Nappa and Raditz that they would not have enough power to perform such a feat on their own. Why it wanted to enlist Nappa and Raditz and what it hoped to accomplish, I'm not sure, but that's what we're going to find out."
"Boxer," the Fighter Kai turned to him with a firm resolve in his tone. "You have proved yourself more than worthy, and with training, you can surpass Piccolo, 18, Garuda, even I in strength. There is something about you… I don't know what, but it is there, and it will help you. Somehow, I feel that whatever brought Nappa and Raditz forth from the H.F.I.L. is the same force that allows you to accomplish such magnificent feats. Boxer, will you join us?"
Boxer, taken aback by this statement, looked around the room. Garuda had just entered, holding a frying pan, wearing cooking mitts and an apron, but wore a devoutly serious expression nonetheless. Piccolo crossed his arms and looked stern as always. 18 smiled her half-smile and nodded. The Fighter Kai looked at him patiently.
"Fighter Kai," he said at last, after a long time of thought, "You're right. Whatever this force is, I know that it is connected to me, and I'm going to find out how and why. I will train hard and I will surpass anyone I have to in power in order to accomplish my goal."
The Fighter Kai smiled. "Good. You realize your destiny. That's always a good first step. Now, let me explain the mission on which you are about to partake. But first, Boxer, I think it is time that you met the one to whom you owe the favor of becoming a Super Saiyan."
"You mean Vegeta?" 18 asked. "This should be interesting.
"Indeed," said the Fighter Kai, and opened a viewing portal between the dimensions. "Whenever you're ready, Boxer, take my hand."
Taking a deep breath, Boxer extended his hand to grasp that of the Fighter Kai, and they were off.
End of the Fighter Kai Saga
