Tempest of the Tirani
The ship hovering in the void was massive, the size of a small moon. Shaped like an overgrown egg-sack, its bulbous form was colored a dirty greenish-brown, with blisters of weaponry unevenly spread around its ugly hull. The ship had no obvious means of mobility: no engines or propulsion systems of any sort jutted from its surface. Its only means of transport lied deep within the bowels of the ship itself, a savage merging of science, magic, and living beings. For within the area where the engine room would belong lay captured dozens of higher beings from other universes, gods who had been hardwired to the ship's systems by their cruel captors. Some were one of a kind, several others had their counterparts from other timelines in shackles nearby. Each was only a shade of their formal selves. Though most all of them were immortal, the contraptions to which their bodies and minds were linked to had drained them each almost entirely. Used by their kidnappers as a source of interdimensional travel, continuous use of their energy had left them all weak and demoralized. All, that is, save for one. Banira, an elfin god with pale skin and flowing blond hair, had not yet given in. He had been one of the first gods to fall, and knew his captors for who they really were. For years now, he had plotted his escape, had hoped the Tirani would encounter a world with beings as strong or stronger than they, so the god would have an army to build. For a long time now, the wires and contraptions connecting to his body had been defunct, a fact that was lost on the Tirani, both through their arrogance and the fact that they obtained a new batch of gods every trip they made. With his godly senses, Banira could ascertain that this universe was different. Here, there were beings that could stand up to the Tirani, and perhaps end their evil reign once and for all. But time was of the essence. Banira needed to make his escape, and soon. For the first time in decades, a warm sense of elation and anticipation surged through Banira, filling him with power he thought long faded, as well as a renewed sense of purpose. At last, he would see vengeance, and his mission in life would finally be fulfilled.
* * * *
Deep in the Antarctic, among hundreds of glacial mountains, the air burned with radiant power. A young African boy wearing a blue Gi screamed at the top of his lungs as white energy roared about his body, shimmering off the ice around him, making his Mohawk haircut wave as if caught in a harsh breeze. The force of the energy gathering around him crushed and melted the ice and snow around him, forming an ever-widening crater that gurgled and hissed with steam. Above him, watching patiently, a white aura of his own shimmering, Goku grinned in his usual way and fell haphazardly into a fighting stance. With a scream of rage, the young warrior took to the air and attacked Goku, his dark-skinned fists pumping, aiming for the saiyan's face. Goku deftly dodged the knuckles of his adversary, allowing the young warrior to hit only empty air. But the dauntless child was unfazed, and whirled around suddenly with a roundhouse kick that caught the older warrior square in the jaw. Hurting but proud, Goku allowed the force of the blow to send him spiraling downwards, crashing hard into a mountain of ice below. The young warrior did not let up, however, bringing his palms forward and firing a twin blast of purple ki from his stance above into the mountain where the saiyan's body lay imbedded. With a deafening explosion, the mountain practically evaporated, kicking up water and steam into the air, which promptly returned to ice and snow as the cold air touched it. But the boy knew for certain that the battle was not over yet. He fell into a stance not unlike that of a praying mantis, waiting for the older warrior to come rushing out of the steaming crater that once was a mountain. But instead, Goku appeared behind him with instantaneous movement, sending a hard kick to the boy's side. The youthful reincarnation of Majin Buu shrieked with pain and surprise, his body hitting the ground with such force that it actually drove him through the ice into the impossibly cold water below. Despite his great power, the young warrior, whose name was Uubu, instantly felt his body go numb and his vision going red. But instead of surrendering to this cold embrace, he focused his rage, the heat and fury of his power bubbling and churning the water around him. Above, Goku watched the water where Uubu had landed with concern, more for his ward than for himself. However, that proved to be a mistake, as a pillar of boiling liquid rocketed up from the aperture in the ice, inundating Goku completely and searing his skin. He quickly formed a thin protective bubble of translucent energy around him, and used a subtle movement of ki to dry off his blue uniform, but could not see through the steam. As he quickly prepared to use his energy to move away the water vapor, a yellow ball of ki struck him from behind and sent him reeling, right into the waiting arms of Uubu, who had redirected the energy ball to strike Goku just in that way. The surprised saiyan soon found fists driving into his unprepared body, pummeling soft tissue and bone alike. But Goku quickly regained his stature and kicked at his ward's midsection. Uubu saw the attack coming, however, and backflipped into the air, sending out invisible waves of ki that blew his mentor several meters away, into the side of a mountain once more. But this time, Goku teleported before Uubu had a chance to unleash another energy attack, and appeared above the young warrior, bringing his arms down, fists clasped together like he was swinging an axe, and sent Uubu straight down below. But this time, with great effort, Uubu halted his descent in midair, turned around, and unleashed multiple energy projectiles where Goku hovered. The saiyan engaged in evasive maneuvers, dasng this way and that with speed greater than the eye could follow. But Goku sson tired of dodging, and formed a spherical shield of translucent energy that deflected the brunt of the explosions. He then rocketed feet-first straight down, touched the ice with his left foot, and launched himself at the African boy. Uubu, surprised by this tactic, was unable to mount a defense in time to stop his mentor's fist from colliding with his jaw. He stumbled backwards, the taste of copper on his tongue.
Goku was not about to let up, however. He fired a red ball of energy at the young warrior with one fist. Though in pain, Uubu managed to catch the ball within his outstretched hands, but was not focused enough to stop it completely. Instead, the ball of energy pushed him along it's trajectory, making him slide slowly but surely across the snow towards a wall of ice behind. Uubu tensed his muscles and dug his heels in, but still could not gain the traction he needed to stop himself. With a strained cry of anger, he erupted once more with a crackling white aura, and both him and the ball slowed in their travels. Then, with another angry cry and flash of energy, he halted himself completely, and flung his arms skyward, sending the ball upward with them. The energy continued into orbit, and Uubu heaved a sigh of relief, a hesitation that cost him. Goku appeared at his side, kamehameha building, and unleashed the energy wave on the young warrior. Weakened as he was, the blast knocked him off his feet, and sent him tumbling into a wall of solid ice. His body aching with pain, Uubu struggled to get himself free of the icy embrace around him, to find Goku standing next to him, hand outstretched.
"Great job, Uubu; you're really coming along now."
The young warrior grunted. "But you didn't even have to transform to beat me this time."
Goku patted the boy on the head as he got to his feet. "Don't feel bad. It's what I've been trying to do recently. The old Kaioshin told me that the true key to power didn't reside in the super saiyan form. I think I can access most of its power without transforming now. Speaking of him, he and the young Kaioshin should be having lunch right now, and I'm starving. What do you say we pay them a visit?"
The young warrior nodded happily. "Sure!"
"Good." Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and concentrated. After a few seconds, he frowned. "Hm…that's odd."
"What is it, master Goku?"
"I can't sense the old Kaioshin on his planet. He must be concealing his ki or something. I can sense the after-aura of his power, though."
"Can you still get us to Kaioshin Kai?"
"I should, since I can sense a trace of his power there. Hang on." In a few seconds, Goku mumbled something incoherent, grabbed Uubu's shoulder with his free hand, and the two vanished in a flash of light.
They appeared mere moments later on Kaioshin Kai, a green planet with plenty of healthy vegetation and great scenery. "Old man!" Goku called out. "Kaioshin! Hello?!"
There was no response of any kind. Even the air seemed still.
"Maybe they went out for lunch," Uubu suggested hopefully.
"No," Goku replied, "something's very wrong here."
The ship hovering in the void was massive, the size of a small moon. Shaped like an overgrown egg-sack, its bulbous form was colored a dirty greenish-brown, with blisters of weaponry unevenly spread around its ugly hull. The ship had no obvious means of mobility: no engines or propulsion systems of any sort jutted from its surface. Its only means of transport lied deep within the bowels of the ship itself, a savage merging of science, magic, and living beings. For within the area where the engine room would belong lay captured dozens of higher beings from other universes, gods who had been hardwired to the ship's systems by their cruel captors. Some were one of a kind, several others had their counterparts from other timelines in shackles nearby. Each was only a shade of their formal selves. Though most all of them were immortal, the contraptions to which their bodies and minds were linked to had drained them each almost entirely. Used by their kidnappers as a source of interdimensional travel, continuous use of their energy had left them all weak and demoralized. All, that is, save for one. Banira, an elfin god with pale skin and flowing blond hair, had not yet given in. He had been one of the first gods to fall, and knew his captors for who they really were. For years now, he had plotted his escape, had hoped the Tirani would encounter a world with beings as strong or stronger than they, so the god would have an army to build. For a long time now, the wires and contraptions connecting to his body had been defunct, a fact that was lost on the Tirani, both through their arrogance and the fact that they obtained a new batch of gods every trip they made. With his godly senses, Banira could ascertain that this universe was different. Here, there were beings that could stand up to the Tirani, and perhaps end their evil reign once and for all. But time was of the essence. Banira needed to make his escape, and soon. For the first time in decades, a warm sense of elation and anticipation surged through Banira, filling him with power he thought long faded, as well as a renewed sense of purpose. At last, he would see vengeance, and his mission in life would finally be fulfilled.
* * * *
Deep in the Antarctic, among hundreds of glacial mountains, the air burned with radiant power. A young African boy wearing a blue Gi screamed at the top of his lungs as white energy roared about his body, shimmering off the ice around him, making his Mohawk haircut wave as if caught in a harsh breeze. The force of the energy gathering around him crushed and melted the ice and snow around him, forming an ever-widening crater that gurgled and hissed with steam. Above him, watching patiently, a white aura of his own shimmering, Goku grinned in his usual way and fell haphazardly into a fighting stance. With a scream of rage, the young warrior took to the air and attacked Goku, his dark-skinned fists pumping, aiming for the saiyan's face. Goku deftly dodged the knuckles of his adversary, allowing the young warrior to hit only empty air. But the dauntless child was unfazed, and whirled around suddenly with a roundhouse kick that caught the older warrior square in the jaw. Hurting but proud, Goku allowed the force of the blow to send him spiraling downwards, crashing hard into a mountain of ice below. The young warrior did not let up, however, bringing his palms forward and firing a twin blast of purple ki from his stance above into the mountain where the saiyan's body lay imbedded. With a deafening explosion, the mountain practically evaporated, kicking up water and steam into the air, which promptly returned to ice and snow as the cold air touched it. But the boy knew for certain that the battle was not over yet. He fell into a stance not unlike that of a praying mantis, waiting for the older warrior to come rushing out of the steaming crater that once was a mountain. But instead, Goku appeared behind him with instantaneous movement, sending a hard kick to the boy's side. The youthful reincarnation of Majin Buu shrieked with pain and surprise, his body hitting the ground with such force that it actually drove him through the ice into the impossibly cold water below. Despite his great power, the young warrior, whose name was Uubu, instantly felt his body go numb and his vision going red. But instead of surrendering to this cold embrace, he focused his rage, the heat and fury of his power bubbling and churning the water around him. Above, Goku watched the water where Uubu had landed with concern, more for his ward than for himself. However, that proved to be a mistake, as a pillar of boiling liquid rocketed up from the aperture in the ice, inundating Goku completely and searing his skin. He quickly formed a thin protective bubble of translucent energy around him, and used a subtle movement of ki to dry off his blue uniform, but could not see through the steam. As he quickly prepared to use his energy to move away the water vapor, a yellow ball of ki struck him from behind and sent him reeling, right into the waiting arms of Uubu, who had redirected the energy ball to strike Goku just in that way. The surprised saiyan soon found fists driving into his unprepared body, pummeling soft tissue and bone alike. But Goku quickly regained his stature and kicked at his ward's midsection. Uubu saw the attack coming, however, and backflipped into the air, sending out invisible waves of ki that blew his mentor several meters away, into the side of a mountain once more. But this time, Goku teleported before Uubu had a chance to unleash another energy attack, and appeared above the young warrior, bringing his arms down, fists clasped together like he was swinging an axe, and sent Uubu straight down below. But this time, with great effort, Uubu halted his descent in midair, turned around, and unleashed multiple energy projectiles where Goku hovered. The saiyan engaged in evasive maneuvers, dasng this way and that with speed greater than the eye could follow. But Goku sson tired of dodging, and formed a spherical shield of translucent energy that deflected the brunt of the explosions. He then rocketed feet-first straight down, touched the ice with his left foot, and launched himself at the African boy. Uubu, surprised by this tactic, was unable to mount a defense in time to stop his mentor's fist from colliding with his jaw. He stumbled backwards, the taste of copper on his tongue.
Goku was not about to let up, however. He fired a red ball of energy at the young warrior with one fist. Though in pain, Uubu managed to catch the ball within his outstretched hands, but was not focused enough to stop it completely. Instead, the ball of energy pushed him along it's trajectory, making him slide slowly but surely across the snow towards a wall of ice behind. Uubu tensed his muscles and dug his heels in, but still could not gain the traction he needed to stop himself. With a strained cry of anger, he erupted once more with a crackling white aura, and both him and the ball slowed in their travels. Then, with another angry cry and flash of energy, he halted himself completely, and flung his arms skyward, sending the ball upward with them. The energy continued into orbit, and Uubu heaved a sigh of relief, a hesitation that cost him. Goku appeared at his side, kamehameha building, and unleashed the energy wave on the young warrior. Weakened as he was, the blast knocked him off his feet, and sent him tumbling into a wall of solid ice. His body aching with pain, Uubu struggled to get himself free of the icy embrace around him, to find Goku standing next to him, hand outstretched.
"Great job, Uubu; you're really coming along now."
The young warrior grunted. "But you didn't even have to transform to beat me this time."
Goku patted the boy on the head as he got to his feet. "Don't feel bad. It's what I've been trying to do recently. The old Kaioshin told me that the true key to power didn't reside in the super saiyan form. I think I can access most of its power without transforming now. Speaking of him, he and the young Kaioshin should be having lunch right now, and I'm starving. What do you say we pay them a visit?"
The young warrior nodded happily. "Sure!"
"Good." Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and concentrated. After a few seconds, he frowned. "Hm…that's odd."
"What is it, master Goku?"
"I can't sense the old Kaioshin on his planet. He must be concealing his ki or something. I can sense the after-aura of his power, though."
"Can you still get us to Kaioshin Kai?"
"I should, since I can sense a trace of his power there. Hang on." In a few seconds, Goku mumbled something incoherent, grabbed Uubu's shoulder with his free hand, and the two vanished in a flash of light.
They appeared mere moments later on Kaioshin Kai, a green planet with plenty of healthy vegetation and great scenery. "Old man!" Goku called out. "Kaioshin! Hello?!"
There was no response of any kind. Even the air seemed still.
"Maybe they went out for lunch," Uubu suggested hopefully.
"No," Goku replied, "something's very wrong here."
