A mountain of boulders trembled and rocks and dust fell in a giant cloud-ring of dirt. Rezan panted, crawling out of her coffin of earth, and lay on her side totally wasted. She laughed load and crude and almost ridiculous. She had won. The mighty Rezan had won and conquered all. Her laughter filled the valley and made Goku's ears ring.

The mountain next to her shook and crumbled as a white light shot from its center. Niy stood up, the shadow of her body the only distinguishing thing from the white light that blazed and connected the earth to the sky. The rocks that once covered Niy shot from her surroundings and pelted Rezan until she was bloody and bruised and her left arm was broken. Rezan shouted in pain, and she struggled into a standing position. Rezan couldn't fail. She wouldn't lose. Rezan would fight to the end. Rezan raised her right arm and clenched it into action.

The black figure of Niy pointed at Rezan. "You think you can force a place greater than this world," a hollow voice said.

Goku peered from behind the rock and gaped. He had felt this power before. This was Earth, and it now had a voice- Niy was its Champion.

The figure's eyes flamed eerily into a sparkling white. "I am this world," the voice echoed mightily around Rezan's struggling body, "and you are part of me whether you like it or not." The shadow's eyes flashed and Rezan's eyes glowed with the same white light. With one last cry of pain and rebellion, Rezan fell face first into the earth, body convulsing.

The white light around Niy dissipated and Niy clutched herself, feeling frozen. She fell, but managed to stagger to a sitting position. Her body convulsed in panic and she couldn't stop shivering. For all of her strength, Niy could never be sure again of whom she was.

* * *

"Again, do it again," Piccolo growled at Mia. "Fighting is not a dance; it is your only chance to survive!" He went to punch the Relian that was ¾ his size and she twirled out of his way with her open wings, her light weight, and a grace all Relians were born with.

She stared him in the eye and her lips slightly formed into a frown. "I am not dancing, I am fighting Piccolo." He went to kick her in her stomach but she lightly side-stepped it and did a cartwheel to avoid his attack.

"Quit backing away and fight like your existence actually means something!" Piccolo flipped and used his nails to tear rips into Mia's grey leathery wings. She yelled in pain and looked ferociously at Piccolo, glaring into his eyes.

"That's it, use your anger, take the offensive," Piccolo said while he sank into his fighting pose and made a motion with his hand. "Bring it on," he hissed.

Mia sucked in a deep breath and let her voice loose. A siren of pure sound waves exploded from her mouth and Piccolo hurriedly covered his sensitive ears. He yelled, trying to block out her voice with his, and he felt slight warmth from his blood dribble onto his hands and down the rest of his face. The force of the sound knocked him back and through a temple wall. Mia, out of air, stopped her screaming and took in a quick breath as she shot after Piccolo. She went to strike her talons into his eyes, but he caught both of her wrists with both of his hands.

"When Relians' wings are torn they don't heal correctly," she spat at him, making sure to get in his face. "The tears leave hideous scars and the wings never work at the same efficiency. Would you like that to happen, to say, your ears?"

Piccolo grunted, tightened his grip, and swung Mia against a wall. Her body smacked against and slumped to the ground. Piccolo stood up and smiled.

"Go right ahead and try bat-ling, what we Nameks can't fix we can cut off and regenerate."

Mia lurched herself to her feet, not feeling at all like doing the graceful flips she did before. "What Relians can't beat one second," she mumbled lowly, "We adapt to the next." Mia's head jerked upwards and she moaned in pain as her wings began to tremble, and shrink as her back seemed to absorb them into her body. Piccolo watched in surprise as she grew to meet his height and her wings totally disappeared.

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "You made yourself to be my equal."

Mia smiled, thinking she had made a right move.

"You are a fool," Piccolo, growled. Mia's mouth opened in surprise. "You must strive to make your advantages stronger than your opponents!" He slapped Mia across her cheek and knocked a wind out of her with a punch to her gut. "I know how I fight," he shouted at her as he kicked her out onto the tiled floor of Kami's temple. "And I know my weaknesses," he snarled, digging his claws into her lilac skin. She cried out sharply in pain. "And I know how to make them my strengths," he stated, choking Mia with the strong grip of his hand around her neck. "But the most important thing," Piccolo said in a lowered tone as he let Mia's limp body hang from his outstretched arm, "Is that I know when and when not to use them." And with that he released Mia's quivering form and let her take a shaky breath.

"But isn't it. isn't it weak. isn't it wrong. isn't it a failure. to let your enemy live," Mia gasped, clutching her aching throat.

The Namek smiled evilly and replied with confidence, "Sometimes death is too kind of a gift to give. Why do you think I let Goku live? Because I'm his friend?!" Piccolo laughed heartily.

Mia looked up at the Namek's face and set a solid expression on her face. She would beat him. She would beat him. Once she knew his secrets, she would win. Yes, she would win. For Niy's sake, she would win.