Chapter 14

Return of the Warriors

"And that's the whole story" Eighteen said. She was worried about her family, and the rest of the Z Senshi as well. Chi Chi, beaten. Marron, ki burns, bruises, minor sprains. Krillin, exhaustion, exposure, concussion. And Bulma had just collapsed from a shock from "Frieza's magic remote" as Krillin called it. This was not good. They needed to get there, soon.

Goku punched furiously at the glacier he had been working on, cleaving large chunks off with each blow, throwing a kick or two in as well.

"Hit, hit, kick, hit, kick, kick" Olibru said as they hit the glaciers

"Chi Chi" Goku growled, hitting more furiously

"Bulma" Vegeta growled, debating on whether or not to simply ki blast the glacier to kingdom come and go after Bulma right now. He decided he would wait, and simply add a few more hits to Frieza's punishment. He'd been listing ways he would punish Frieza and his family, and high on the list were gouging out his eyeballs and dissolving them in his own stomach acid, then since he would still be alive he would stuff his head through a paper shredder, and it only goes downhill from there.

Goku looked over at the hideous smile that had covered Vegeta's face.

"Vegeta, when we get there, we show no mercy, we don't play favorites, anyone we even imagine was involved in this we destroy. Forgive no one. This planet is going to be a horrible lesson" Goku growled. Olibru stopped counting. Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks stopped punching. Goku went on punching and kicking as if Olibru hadn't stopped.

Vegeta gave a savage grin and went back to punching with renewed vigor. Goten and Trunks copied the savage grin, their own thoughts swirling of the punishment they would impose upon those who dared torment their loved ones. Gohan's look of shock turned into a look of understanding, and then into a look of intense focus and anger as he returned to pounding the glacier.

They all began adding kiais as they hit the ice, each blow more intense than the last, each strike cleaving off a bigger chunk of ice than the last. Suddenly, in a blast of light and explosion, Goku burst into Super Saiyan, his rage finally peaking and his power level rising with it. He was the first in the chain, then Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks in that order burst into Super Saiyan

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!" They all struck the glacier and with the amount of combined force from the Saiyan powerhouses, the glacier conceded and burst into ice crystals, the shards flying in every direction.

Goku growled and kept going, the ice shards falling and causing small pricks on his body, but he wasn't aware of it as his aura expanded and his hair lengthened, sparks running around him. He reached level two.

He looked to see Vegeta's power had leveled off around the same area as his, and Trunks and Goten had also reached level two. The only one still going was Gohan. Gohan was at level two, but he hadn't stopped yet. His eyes were closed, and his hands were at his sides as he yelled. Goku realized he was tapping into his mystic power. His golden aura turned white, and when he opened his eyes, Goku saw that his pupils had disappeared.

"HA!" his aura exploded, knocking the ice shards that were still falling away, and blowing the ice on the ground out of the area. His aura brushed Goku briefly and he shuddered at the rage and sadness in it, but the aura quickly receded as Gohan brought it under control. Goku realized Gohan's power far surpassed him and the other Saiyans. Goku shuddered with delight and fear at the fate that would certainly befall the ice-jins.

elsewhere

Yamcha grunted as Eighteen dully counted off numbers as he squatted with the enormous boulder on his bare shoulders. His now long and shaggy hair, the way it was when he was in the desert, was matted with sweat. He had been training since the early morning, and hadn't even had time to shave (which was something he hadn't had to do before), and thus had a five o clock shadow. He remembered the beginning of his training day with a slight chuckle.

Yamcha yawned and rubbed his eyes, sighing in delight at the fresh pine smell his cabin held. He was in a mountainous region, and had constructed a cabin only the night before. The mountains had always made him feel comfortable, the only place he was more at home at was in the desert. He quickly bathed and dressed, preparing to go out and capture his breakfast. He ran a hand through his hair which had grown during his time in the planet. He remembered how he had felt when he had literally been spit up out of the water by the planet when it was through removing the toxins from his body. He had felt so healthy and strong he had thought he was ready to face Frieza. Then he'd tried to take a step and his legs had given out, showing how not ready he was. He reached for his sword which was leaning against the wall, when a hand suddenly burst through the wall, followed by a beautiful blonde face.

"Time to train!" Eighteen snarled, grabbing him by the front of the shirt. She pulled him through the wall and threw him onto the ground, not giving him time to adjust and get back to his feet before attacking, making him feel like he was fighting for his life.

Although Yamcha could laugh at it now, he had felt like he had been hit by a bus afterwards. He sensed she was holding back, and something told him if she HAD fought him at full force he would have died. Which is why he was training. He'd had enough of feeling like a throwaway character. Even though he knew Puar was alive, and even though he knew he'd be rescuing her soon, he couldn't help thinking about next time. Next time it might be real. He couldn't let himself be caught unawares and unprepared again. He remembered how he had been when he'd been spit up on the shore by the camp.

The sea churned as the Z Senshi talked amongst themselves, getting ready for their day. There was a loud, grumbling sound and everyone looked at Goku.

"What? It wasn't MY stomach" he said. A hole seemed to open in the water, and Yamcha went flying from it, yelling and hitting the ground with a thud.

"Ooh" he groaned, sitting up. He blinked and his eyes seemed to adjust, then he grinned.

"Alright!" he yelled "I feel GREAT! Better than I have in a LONG time! I feel like I could take on FRIEZA and win!" he stood to his feet and took a step forward, and his knees gave out, causing him to fall unceremoniously onto his face.

"Yes, well as it stands right now, you, dear boy, probably couldn't take on a potato bug and win" East Kai said. The group laughed and he groaned.

That was at the beginning. Now, he was a lot stronger. And now, he would train, he would get stronger, and he would be ready.

His muscles protested as he squatted once again, and he hissed between his teeth.

"You're going to have to go longer than this without getting tired if you want to get stronger at all" Eighteen said, not losing count. He growled. There was this thing about her that let her get under everyone's skin, perhaps it was her cold, indifferent attitude. Whatever it was, he wasn't immune, though there was a method to her madness. He remembered what she had told him earlier.

"Oh, come on, I haven't even had breakfast" Yamcha whined, dodging her blows and retaliating with a few of his own.

"You can have breakfast AFTER morning training" she growled "You don't expect to save Puar from becoming a hat or a muff by resting do you?" His eyes widened and she landed a punch squarely on his jaw

"Hah, you're pathetic, so easily distracted" she said "You're not even worth my" she was cut off by his fist connecting squarely to her jaw, and she was knocked backwards several feet.

"I won't allow it" his head was down and his fist was still in the punching postion.

'He's - I see, so you're that close huh?' she thought "And what do you intend to do? Stand around and talk about how horrible things are? Admit it, you're worthless in a fight. You may have been considered strong once, you may even be considered strong by the weakling humans my daughter is stronger than, but in a fight you're worthless" she sensed his power level rising and his hands were clenched into fists so tightly blood was running down.

"You're only good to provide a distraction and then be rescued by the Saiyans. In the end, you just let everyone down. You-"

"Shut up" he said quietly. She smirked and opened her mouth to talk again "Just shut UP!" he yelled. A gentle glow was surrounding his body.

"I may have been useless before, but never again. I won't let my friends down, I won't. Never AGAIN!" his aura exploded, first white, then turning a blood red. Jets of fiery electricity were rushing around his body and his eyes had lost their pupils. His hair had broken out of the band holding it and was blowing through the air as if by a wind. He had ascended to Super Chikyu-Jin. Eighteen stepped back from him, a smirk on her lips. He gave a feral grin and lowered into a stance she recognized. One she had seen Goku use. He growled and disappeared, seeming to reappear right in front of her and delivered a fierce kick to her gut, following up with a back fist to the side of her head. She went flying and he disappeared and reappeared under her, delivering several spinning kicks to her back, sending her up into the air, where he reappeared and locking his hands together, ramming them into her stomach, sending her flying into her own personal crater. She was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness when she saw him looking down on her, and she cursed slightly.

'They TOLD me not to let my guard down, but I didn't listen, and now this'

Yamcha looked down on her, his eyes cold and lifeless, then a spark seemed to enter them. His pupils returned, and he looked down at her with a look of shock. His aura disappeared and he gulped.

"Sorry about that" he said, holding out a hand to help her up. She took it, shaking her head in an attempt to chase away the weariness enveloping her. He grinned sheepishly, then sighed.

"That was good" Eighteen said

"Yeah, but it was obvious I was getting mad, WHY did you do that?"

"How else was I supposed to get you to release your power?" Eighteen asked

"Wait, you KNEW that was going to happen?"

"For the most part" Eighteen replied 'Though I may have underestimated how angry he would become' she added silently. Yamcha scooped her up into a hug and her eyes widened in shock. Before she could respond, he had released her

"Thanks" he said. She smiled slightly. She could see why Krillin had chosen to befriend him.

Yamcha growled at the thoughts of what Eighteen had told him. He would NOT let his friends down. He would get stronger. He WOULDN'T let Puar become a muff . He gripped the stone tighter and growled, his ki shooting up. The stone burst under his hands and the pieces shot in every direction. Eighteen caught one right in front of her face.

"You need to control yourself, that's the sixth boulder you've broken"

"Sorry" he said, grinning sheepishly. She sighed.

"Take a break, eat something, then we're going to meet the others" she said. He nodded and jogged off into the forest.

'He's getting stronger, I sense they all are. It won't be long now'