Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: My dear editor, Sparker, is also writing a Dragon Ball story: Dragon Ball Z – Darkness. Please go show her some love, because she's a great writer. :)

Chapter 110: Water of the Kaio-Spring

Long ago...

It was Hell. A planet wreathed in flames and debris. An endless sea of fire and death. As the vision of this hellish place slowly zoomed out, a bloodied hand reached out and screamed back towards the planet. "NO! TURLES!"

Back in the present...

A fist cracked into Bardock's face and sent him crashing back. The older Saiyan smashed into a nearby birdbath and smashed it into pieces. "Agh! Shit! What the hell?!"

Bardock groaned in annoyance and frustration as he sat up, wiping a trickle of blood from his busted lip. He glared up at his attacker, Android 18, and watched as she looked down on him. Bardock stood up and growled. "What the hell was that for?!"

Android 18 shrugged. "No reason."

She flipped her newly grown locks out of her face and turned away from Bardock. "No reason at all. Say, where's Vegeta?"

Bardock sighed and placed his hand over the slash wound that trailed across his chest. He hissed to himself. "Damn that smarts..."

Android 18 rolled her eyes. "Get over it. Compared to Krillin, you're in top shape."

In spite of his current mood, Bardock couldn't help but smirk. He looked over at the grievously injured Krillin, held tightly and safely in 18's arms. "Good for him..."

18 cocked her head. "What?!"

Bardock quickly clammed up and summoned a ki blast in his hand, slowly trailing it across the slash to stop the bleeding and sear it shut. With an angry shout, Bardock's Super Saiyan form flared back up and golden flames came flickering out. He looked over at 18 and nodded. She nodded back. And then, they both glared over at their opponents.

Gokua stumbled over to Zangya, gripping his aching crotch and falling to his knees. "Hey, Zangya..."

Zangya pushed herself up with a distressed groan, blood spurting from between her fingers from her shattered nose. She glared through her fingers at Android 18 and seethed at the blonde-haired Android. Gokua rolled his eyes. "Get over yourself and get up! We have work to do!"

It was silent and still for a moment, but then Zangya thrust her fist right into Gokua's gut, making the swordsman double over in pain. As Gokua groaned, Zangya removed her hand from her face, revealing a nose that was shattered and contorted out of place. Spitting a mouthful of blood out, Zangya reached up and gripped her hand around her nose, giving a sharp tug and adjusting it back into place with a loud crack. 18 cocked her head. "That was quick. You used to doing that sort of thing? Your allies seem like the type to make you used to that..."

Zangya snarled. "I'm going to tear your head off, bitch!"

Gokua got back to his feet with a sneer. "Fine. Let the women keep to themselves. I'd rather not dirty my hands with inferior blood anyway..."

Bardock rolled his eyes. "I'm not a fan of that partner of yours, but calling her inferior to you makes you look like a real dumbass, ya know that?"

Gokua snapped. "Shut the hell up! I'm a warrior, she's a spring maiden! Of course, I'm better than her! And I'll prove that by shredding you to pieces, you chimp!"

Ignoring Gokua, Bardock looked over at 18. "Hey, 18, I hope you've been training. I'm not kidding. That woman is a lot stronger than she's been letting on. I-"

18 held a hand up to Bardock's face and marched forward, gently setting Krillin under a shady tree as she walked. "I haven't just been sitting around the past seven months. You worry about the little boy and his silly knife. I'm going to break that skank over my knee."

Bardock held up his hand. "But-"

18 glared back at him, her icy-blue eyes practically glowing. Bardock flinched back, but then sighed. "Fine. Have it your way. Let's just get this over with quick. These dumb kids are pissing me off..."

Bardock and 18 stepped forward, as did Zangya and Gokua. The four warriors got right in each other's faces and glared. And then all four of the shouted at once. Gokua's power was easily the weakest of the four, but still quite strong. Zangya and Bardock's power output was as a much larger level, shredding the ground. And, while 18 had no discernable energy signature, the pressure she was putting off almost exceeded the pressure Bardock was. It was clear that 18 wasn't lying, these past seven months had been quite productive for her indeed.

With the showing off done, the fighting was underway once more. Zangya and 18 clashed and tightly locked up with one another, both of them looking to be out for blood. Gokua swung his Ressho right at Bardock's head, but the Saiyan blocked the blade by stalling the broad-side with his forearm. Gokua flinched. Bardock sneered. "I told you I'm getting sick of you, Kogu. You shoulda run off when you had the chance!"

Over with Tien and Chiaotzu...

Chiaotzu watched on in quiet, fearful awe as Tien and Bido continued to brawl across the desert. Bido was a massive force, a mound of rippling muscle and immense size that made Tien look quite small in comparison. Bido cocked his head, stroking his chin. "Damn..."

Tien, meanwhile, looked quite ragged. The three-eyed warrior was covered in welts and bruises. His right eye was completely swollen shut and he was running on fumes. And yet, despite all of that, Bido could see a fire burning within Tien's soul. Despite his clear disadvantage, Tien was dead-set on not only finishing this fight, but winning it as well. Bido chuckled. "Such gusto~ Most men in your place would be weeping for their lives by now!"

Tien gritted his teeth. "Weeping for my life would imply that I'm scared you'll kill me..."

In spite of his fatigue, Tien took on a rock-solid stance. "Now shut your mouth and fight me!"

The jewels on Bido's gloves, Donteki and Gaisho, burned with bright red light. Bido laugh out loud. "I couldn't agree more!"

Bido lunged forward, drawing his fist back and shooting forward a massive punch. Tien roared in response. "KAIOKEN TIMES 70!"

The three-eyed warrior narrowly dodged back, avoiding a decapitating punch and lunged in for an attack of his own. But, in spite of his meathead persona, Bido was no slouch in technique either. The warrior adopted the stance of a skilled boxer, his feet never leaving the ground as he skillfully dodged around all of Tien's Kaioken-enhanced blows. Listening carefully, Bido heard snap after snap echoing from beneath Tien's skin. He chuckled. "That technique of yours is pretty cool. You learned it from the Lesser Kai of the North, right?"

Tien flinched and Bido took advantage, delivering a left hook to Tien's jaw and smashing him down into the sand. Tien's Kaioken dispersed for a brief moment, but he quickly made it rage back to life. The three-eyed warrior delivered a kick to Bido's chest, using it to create distance between himself and the brute. He glared at Bido. "How in the hell do you know King Kai?!"

Bido snorted. "King Kai, eh? Such arrogance. All of the Gods are simply too arrogant for their own good..."

Tien was confused. "What?!"

Bido shrugged. "I am simply saying...who is one that pisses off of the side of a planet the size of a marble to be calling himself a king? You or I could crush him effortlessly, and yet he grants himself a title that place him so high above the likes of us. It's pathetic!"

Tien snarled and leapt forward, returning a left hook of his own to the brutes jaw and smashing Bido off of his feet. Bido crashed hard onto his back with a cackle. "Oh, I see...you have become convinced that this 'King Kai' of yours is a friend? Do you not like my harsh words towards him?"

Bido sat up with a smile and a chipped tooth. He reached up and rest his jaw with a loud snap. "I will give you some advice that you can take to the afterlife. The Gods are both uncaring and incompetent. Do not think for a moment that your lives matter to them over their own, personal quibbles..."

Tien sneered. "What do you know? A devil like you would never be allowed such an honor as to train with King Kai..."

Bido laughed. "You are correct. I have never lowered myself to sparring with that oaf. But...believe you me, my cohorts and I are quite familiar with the failings of the Gods. If you knew the true state of this Universe 7, you would vomit..."

Tien took on a fighting stance. "Universe...7?"

Bido chuckled. "Forgive my ramblings. I do not mean to distract from the point of what we are doing here. I need not poison such a hard-hitting fight with empty rhetoric. I am quite enjoying both giving and receiving a beating on this scorching sand~"

Quite perceptive, Tien smirked. "Just a big guy following orders and having fun along the way?"

Bido laughed. "I try to leave the philosophy to Master Bojack. Though, I do not disagree with what he's had to say all along! May the Zeta Sword spill holy blood, and all~"

The brute smashed his fists together. "But, enough of that! I want to fight you at full strength! So, why don't you quit pretending this is your limit and hit me with all you have?!"

Tien gasped. Bido smirked. "I knew it. You are holding back. That's not fair, you know? You should always show a foe the true respect of fighting with your all~"

The three-eyed warrior frowned, closing his eyes and seeing the backs of warriors like Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and even Gohan walking so far ahead of him. Tien's eyes snapped back open and he shook his head. "Not a chance. I've been saving that for a bigger fish. If I were forced to use it against the likes of you...then I would have to admit to myself that I'm not ready to stand with them as an equal..."

Bido laughed. "Now I see why you are so close with that Lesser Kai. You are just as arrogant as he is!"

Tien sneered. Bido continued. "A bigger fish? Please. For a small fry like you, every opponent that steps up is a shark with fangs bared!"

The three-eyed warriors narrowed his eyes at Bido, tightening his stance as the hulking brute charged. "You will show me that power or you will be crushed!"

Over with Gohan and Piccolo...

Bujin rapidly retreated back, launching a barrage of ki bolts at Piccolo, who calmly and clinically deflected each one to the side with minimal effort. Not fearing any real form of retaliation, Piccolo's stance was all attack as he charged at Bujin and landed a heavy kick into the imp's gut, sending him crashing hard into a pile of carnival machinery. As the dust cleared and Bujin coughed and hacked, Piccolo landed. "Are we done with this pointless game?"

Bujin snarled. "You talk as if I, one of Master Bojack's chosen, should fear you!"

Piccolo was a bit taken aback at first. But then, he smirked. "If you're one of the chosen...then standards must really be lacking."

Bujin flinched. "What?!"

Piccolo's smirk quickly spread into a wide, malicious grin. "This world knows me as the Demon King. And I really don't like you! So, I think I might show you Hell!"

As Piccolo furiously charged at him, Bujin just as furiously retreated back. The little imp was panicking in his mind. This foe was nothing like his last one. Piccolo sped up even more, quickly closing the gap between himself and Bujin, and delivered a vicious knee to the imp's gut. Bujin was instantly winded, but was given no room to breathe as Piccolo seized him by the collar and violently thrust him down to the ground below. Bujin shakily got up and yelped as he dodged, barely avoiding an oncoming ki blast. "Th-This man has no qualms about killing me..."

Piccolo appeared behind Bujin in a flash. "I do not."

And then, the Namekian delivered a brutal kick to the Galaxy Solider that sent him flying forward and crashing through a cotton-candy stand. Sticky and out of breath, Bujin tried to push himself up, only for Piccolo's hand to suddenly and roughly grip around his mouth.

Piccolo had stretched his arm out, grabbing his foe and harshly heaving him into the air and smashing him into the concrete. Bujin pushed himself up again, coughing and spitting blood. Piccolo loomed over him. "Release Gohan of his trance."

Bujin gritted his teeth. But then, he smirked. He had just thought of an easy way out of all of this. Turning over, the imp smirked up at Piccolo and cackled. "You want him to be free of his current trance? Well, allow me to inform you of something. That trance I've placed him under can only be undone by myself. If you were to kill me, then he'd be stuck that way forever~!"

Bujin cackled, thinking that his lie had caught Piccolo off-guard. Sneakily, the imp prepared an invisible ki blast in his palm. Piccolo was finished!

At least...that was the thought until Piccolo responded. "Liar."

Bujin flinched with an almighty gasp. "Wh-What?!"

Piccolo glowered down at Bujin. He reached up and tugged one of his ears. "I'm calling you a liar. I'm a Namekian, fool. I can hear your heartbeat. A heartbeat that sped up quite a bit when you said that killing you would trap Gohan forever."

Bujin was stunned. His falsehood so easily dismantled; the imp tried to appeal to Piccolo's personal attachments. "Y-You clearly care about that boy. Are...are you willing to take that risk?! What if he really was trapped forever?!"

Once again, Piccolo's response was blunt. "We have two sets of Dragon Balls, each with different capabilities. And a personal relationship with one of the highest Gods in the hierarchy. There's nothing a pathetic idiot like you could do that we couldn't fix."

The Namekian took a step forward, making Bujin shudder in fear. Piccolo had a look on his face that screamed "imminent threat". "But that doesn't matter. Because like I said, you are lying through your teeth."

Bujin was horrified at Piccolo's coolheadedness and ultra-calculative personality. Panicking once more, the imp thrust his hand forward and fired his invisible blast at Piccolo's chest. "PSYCHO JAVELIN!"

But Piccolo was much faster on the draw. He thrust his finger forward and fired a ki beam right through Bujin's palm and into his shoulder. Bujin squealed in pain and Piccolo continued his advance. Thinking quickly, Bujin slapped his uninjured palm against the ground and shouted. "PSYCHO THREADS!"

In a flash, multiple thin strings of ki shot up from the ground and bound Piccolo tight. With his foe restrained, Bujin took to the air and retreated as fast as he could. Once he was a safe distance back, Bujin thrust his palm at Piccolo. "Let's try this again, fool! PSYCHO JAV-"

Piccolo's eyes flashed and a pair of beams shot up at Bujin, The energy beams pierced into the little imp's throat and blood erupted from his mouth. Bujin fell to his knees, critically wounded, and it only took a moment after the Psycho Threads broke before Piccolo was right on top of him. Piccolo tightly gripped his fingers into a fist, making each knuckle pop individually. "Now, I make my demand only once more: release Gohan of that trance I might allow your soul to simply go to the relief of Hell. Otherwise, I'll make sure you spend the rest of eternity in painful torment that only a demon can deliver!"

Bujin gripped his bleeding throat. He knew that he was out of options here. If he were to use Seishintekikutsu to trap Piccolo, that would give him relief...but it would also release the much stronger Gohan from his trance. Hearing a clink, Bujin glanced down and saw the satchel containing his blessing hanging from his waist. Bujin's lower lip shook. Would he dare use that and risk the wrath of Master Bojack?

Meanwhile, over with Gohan...

The chain around Gohan's neck snapped, slithering from around the boy's neck like a dead snake and thudding against the ground. Spike the Devilman gave Gohan's shoulder a ginger shake and he gasped. "Come now, boy, wake up! You cannot allow yourself to be trapped by such a wicked creature! Not a kind-hearted innocent such as yourself!"

Spike shook Gohan again. "Wake up, I say!"

In Gohan's head...

Gohan stared down at the ground in confusion. He certainly recognized the voice that was speaking to him, but the form was throwing him off. On the ground, at Gohan's feet, a faceless macaque composed entirely of surging black energy was firmly sat down. Gohan cocked his head. "Y-You're...you're...Cumber?"

The macaque shrugged, a light chuckle emanating from it. "In a sense, I guess I am. Yes."

With no decorum, the monkey reached down to scratch its crotch and mumbled to itself. "Goddammit...you have no idea how much I wish this actually did anything. I've had an itch down there forever..."

Gohan leaned in. "Wh-What?"

Suddenly, the macaque shouted. "I SAID MY BALLS ITCH!"

The echoing roar of Cumber's voice boomed out across the entire gray landscape. Gohan gasped in shock and fell back onto his butt with his eyes quite wide. Cumber groaned and waved the boy off. "Sorry. Didn't mean to shout like that. Sorry. It's the little things that drive you nuts, ya know?"

Nervously, Gohan nodded. "R-Right..."

The apparent-Cumber sighed. "So... why the hell are you conscious within your own subconscious? Isn't that, like, a jumbo shrimp type thing...?"

Gohan held up his index finger. "An oxymoron?"

Cumber's voice became annoyed. "WHAT'D YOU CALL ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT?!"

Gohan flinched once more and Cumber sighed again. "Sorry, sorry. I yelled again. Shouldn't yell at kids..."

Gohan looked around. "This is...my subconscious?"

Cumber nodded. "Yeah. That lesser meat you were fighting did it. Fighting with half-assed tricks like that. Makes me wanna crush his goddamned head..."

Gohan glanced over at the macaque. "Meat, huh? You called Cell meat as well..."

Cumber chuckled. "It just fits my philosophy, ya know? The weak are meat that the strong eat..."

Things fell silent, but Cumber could feel eyes trained on him. He turned his attention to Gohan and cocked his head. "You know, Fight Buddy, you should be more worried. That little prick is probably shopping out some way for his weak ass to be able to kill you right now..."

Gohan smiled. "I'm not too worried about that. When I was fighting him, I felt a certain someone's energy rushing my way. Whatever is going on in the conscious world, I'm more than safe as long as he has my back~"

Cumber was silent for a while, but then he chuckled. "Such a refreshingly naïve outlook on things..."

Gohan frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cumber waved him off again. "Nothing. Nothing important. Not taking that trip down memory lane..."

Things fell silent again. And then, his curiosity peaked, Gohan started to ask questions.

"Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm Cumber."

"But who actually are you...?"

"Cumber. Next question."

"Are you really a Saiyan?"

"Yeah."

"Wh-Where are you, then?"

"Same place as you. In your head."

"But where actually are you?"

"Not important."

"Well then, why are you in my head?"

"You're my Fight Buddy. I'm always here."

Gohan paused for a moment. But then, his face turned bright red. "A-Always?! Even when I-"

Cumber shook his head. "Bathroom breaks, bath-time, and other personal moments are times I go to another Fight Buddy's head. I'm not tryin' to spy on you."

Another pause. Then Gohan spoke again. "...other Fight Buddies?"

Cumber nodded. "Yeah. I have three at the moment. You, another guy...though he's kinda dull...and my oldest Fight Buddy. Though, she and I haven't talked much lately..."

Gohan frowned. "You sound hurt..."

Cumber shrugged. "Eh, she has her life. Not gonna bother her if she doesn't wanna be bothered."

Gohan smiled. "You seem like such a nice, understanding guy..."

Cumber chuckled. "I try~"

Gohan swallowed a lump in his throat. "But you feel so evil. Even more evil than Frieza. Wh-Why is that...?"

Cumber laughed out loud. "Cumber, the Evil Saiyan! That's what they always called me!"

Gohan frowned. "And you just accept that?"

Cumber shrugged. "I hate liars. So, I refuse to be dishonest, even if the truth might piss people off~"

Gohan and Cumber stared at one another. And then Cumber spoke again. "My turn for questions now...do you not trust me?"

Gohan responded bluntly. "Unsure."

Slowly and quite deliberately, the little, black macaque reached up to its expressionless face. It plunged a finger through its skin beneath the ear and dragged it through all the way to the opposite ear, leaving a massive, gnarly smile spread across. "You don't trust this face~?"

Gohan shuddered at that sickening grin. Cumber sighed and, as quickly as the smirk was torn into his flesh, it fused back together and vanished. But then, Gohan spoke. "You...comforted me."

Cumber flinched. "What?"

Gohan smiled with his genuine, innocent smile. "When my world felt like it was going to break. Wh-When my head felt like it was splitting in two...you comforted me. And, at that moment, I... didn't feel any ulterior motives from you."

Cumber chuckled. "Oh, really?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. I mean...you're evil. No doubt about it. But, at the same time, I don't see you as an enemy. I... really don't know what to make of you. Is that...naive too?"

Cumber cackled. "Definitely."

The Evil Saiyan sighed. "But it's a nostalgic kind of naivety. Before all of this multiversal foolishness started..."

Another long silence. And then, Cumber groaned and scratched the back of his head. "Well. It's been a nice chat. Should probably get you outta here so that you can help out those friends of yours. You've got a long fight ahead of you and, unfortunately, I ain't able to help this time..."

Cumber chuckled. "I...uh...pushed my limits a bit too hard when we were fighting that other piece of meat. I'm kinda tired and our link ain't nearly strong enough to support me in that way yet..."

Gohan looked so confused by all of this. He glanced over at Cumber again and Cumber looked up at him again. Finally, Gohan posed one last question. "Y-You've made it clear that you're able to pick who you become Fight Buddies with. So, uh, why...why me?"

Cumber fell silent again. But then, he sighed. "Well...I guess...it's because you don't smell like my brother..."

Gohan cocked his head. "Your brother?"

Cumber climbed up Gohan's shirt and drew his fist back. "A story for another time~"

And then he punched Gohan square in the center of the face.

Back with Piccolo...

Suddenly, to the surprise of Spike the Devilman, Gohan's consciousness returned and his power flared. Spike fell onto his butt and Gohan reached up, rubbing his nose and feeling tangible pain from being struck. He mumbled to himself. "Okay...that wasn't a hallucination..."

Looking up, Gohan saw Bujin knelt down at Piccolo's mercy. "Mr. Piccolo..."

But then, Gohan saw Bujin's jewel, embedded in his head, start to glow bright red and his eyes went wide. Without hesitation, the boy rushed into the air. Bujin lifted his head up and prepared to activate Seishintekikutsu, but was stopped from doing so by a sharp kick to the face.

As Bujin went flying, Piccolo looked down and saw his student now wide awake. "Gohan!"

Gohan smiled. "Hey, Mr. Piccolo! Thanks for having my back~"

Off to the side, Bujin recovered from the sudden kick and gasped as Gohan and Piccolo both locked their gazes on him. It was quite clear that neither was very amused with Bujin's schemes. It was also quite clear that, with both of them awake, Bujin was very much on borrowed time.

As they both began to fly towards him, Bujin was panicking more than ever before. It was evident and clear as day, they were going to kill him. The boy might not have a desire to spill blood, but his merciless guardian was more than willing to accept the burden. Bujin's teeth chattered. "No... this can't be how Bujin's story ends..."

Very quickly, faster than his brain could process, Bujin thrust his hand into his satchel and pulled out what appeared to be an orbicular flask of water. Gohan and Piccolo both paused, looking confused. In that moment, Bujin screamed at the top of his lungs and telekinetically froze the two warriors with his Seishintekikutsu. Tears of fear in his eyes, Bujin pulled the cap from his flask and raised it high into the air. "Master Bojack, please be merciful!"

Back with Tien and Chiaotzu...

Tien leapt over a sharp right jab from Bido and landed on the bruiser's fist, driving a furious knee into Bido's face. Bido fell back and, with all of his strength, Tien stomped down and drove the brute into the sand. Tien drew his fist back and shouted. "HYAAH!"

Bido jerked his head out of the way and forced himself up, bucking Tien into the air and catching as he fell with a solid blow to the jaw. Tien tried to get him back with a quick kick, but Bido caught him by the ankle, heaving him into the air and punching the three-eyed fighter square in the face.

Tien flipped in the air, but Bido stopped his momentum with a brutal blow to the ribs, driving his fist into Tien's side and causing blood to erupt from the warrior's mouth. Thoroughly stunned, Tien was defenseless as Bido drew his fist back. "Try this one on for size~"

Bido reared back as hard as he could and threw a wild haymaker right at Tien. "ARHAT FIST!"

Reacting quickly. Tien let his Kaioken power flare up once more. He dodged out of the way of Bido's punch, letting the shockwave fly into the distance and smash a mountain apart. And then, with all of his strength, Tien launched a savage strike at Bido's shoulder that blasted his shoulder out of socket and even made the skin fissure. Bido skidded back and Tien landed with a thud, gasping for breath.

Bido chuckled as he watched Tien writhe in pain. "You really are fighting tooth-and-nail to not use that hidden power of yours on me, huh?"

The brute clenched his injured shoulder and chuckled. Tien had a grim, tired smirk on his face. "What's it going to take to keep you down, you big gorilla?"

Bido laughed, his grin sadistic and boastful. "Your best! Nothing less!"

Tien didn't respond. Bido sighed. "So, you are not going to give me the honor, eh? Well then...I suppose it's time to force it~"

Bido reached into a satchel hanging off of his belt and pulled out an orbicular flask. He held the bottle high above his gaping, open mouth and began to squeeze it so hard that cracks started to spread. "Master Bojack will probably kill me for this, or maybe the boost will allow me to surpass him~ Who knows?! But what is life without the spice of being risky!"

Back with Bardock and 18...

With her arms blocking her face, Zangya was sent flying back through a tree. The massive oak exploded into chunks and clattered to the ground as Zangya sat up. Marching forward, Android 18 was a woman on a mission. She had gained a few scuffs and scratches from her ongoing war with Zangya, but it was clear who the alpha in this entanglement was. 18 spoke with venom in her voice. "I don't know what pisses me off more: you doing what you did to Krillin, or the fact that you are genuinely so pathetic."

Zangya snarled. 18 glowered down at her. "He's better than this. You must have taken advantage of his better nature in some way."

Zangya screeched. "Shut your mouth!"

The blue-skinned woman threw a punch, but 18 easily dodged back. Each of Zangya's punches whizzed by the nimble Android until, having had enough of the pathetic display, 18 grabbed Zangya's fist and tossed the woman over her shoulder. Zangya crashed into the ground hard, bouncing back up, and was sent flying into a nearby rose bush with a harsh kick from 18. 18 smirked and tried to put her leg down, but flinched when it wouldn't budge. The Android looked down and was surprised to see Zangya's hair entangled all-throughout the various straps and spikes of her boots. Moving faster than 18 could react, Zangya's hair wove around her ankles and wrists and, with a harsh snap, left her trapped and dangling midair in a strict hogtie.

As 18 struggled, a red light suddenly began to shine across from her. Zangya had stood up, a wicked smirk on her face. She pulled off a rose that was stuck onto her cheek and incinerated it. "Eat this, you arrogant cow! BEAUTY TRIGGER!"

The blast launched and, tightly bound as she was, 18 seemingly had no defense. She took the blast head on and it exploded, leaving 18 singed and dazed, smoke pouring from her mouth as she hung limply in Zangya's grip. Zangya chuckled and licked a trickle of blood off of her lips. "Exquisite~"

She walked forward and grabbed a handful of 18's hair, yanking her head up and taking a good look at her face. "I'll give that ugly, bald gremlin this much...he sure knows how to pick 'em~"

With a cruel smirk, Zangya slightly puckered her lips. The ki charging inside Zangya's mouth was shining out bright. She brought her lips closer to 18's and chuckled. "I call this my Sealing Mark~! I'll send you to Hell marked with a-"

Forming an energy barrier around her head, Android 18 furiously headbutted Zangya right in the mouth. The blue-skinned warrior fell back, her hair releasing 18's limbs. Quick as a flash, 18 shot her hand forward and wrapped it around Zangya's throat, driving her into the ground. And then, before Zangya could react, 18 punched her in the face hard enough that the ground beneath her head cracked and splintered. 18's eyes were cold and furious. "Sorry. You aren't my type."

18 leapt back off of Zangya and the temptress quickly got to her knees. "That was a dirty-"

18 lunged forward and punted Zangya right in the jaw, sending her flying back once more. The Android extended her hand out and glared as she charged a blast. "Stellar Magnum!"

A ki-blast that shined as bright as a star formed in 18's hand and she sent a volley of dozens of blasts shooting towards Zangya. The Galaxy Soldier had no time to react as the dozens of blasts collided into her at once, causing a continuous explosion that rumbled across the entire rose garden. With her foe briefly dispatched, 18 pulled off her hoodie and looked at the heart-shaped chestnut on the chest. She tossed it to the side, revealing a sleeveless, open-back black top. 18 cracked her knuckles and spat a bit of blood off to the side. "Get up! We aren't done here yet! I haven't spent the past months training my ass off just for a pathetic bimbo like you to be my gold watch! You'd better have something more for me than this!"

18 charged another blast. "Well, get up and-"

*shank*

18's eyes went wide and she let loose a sharp gasp, falling to her knees as a bitter, cold feeling began to send shocking waves of pain up her entire side. Shuddering with pain, 18 looked down towards her hip and saw a terrible sight. An icy dagger was jabbed deep into her side, her blood trickling down it and freezing in place. She grunted and grabbed the dagger, trying to pull it out but immediately feeling it grow further into her. 18 gasped and tried to let it go, but hissed in pain as an entire layer of skin came tearing off. "What the hell...?!"

Zangya's voice rang out. "The God...the God of this Universe is an uncreative, lazy fool. But that has its perks. Because he is so...uninspired, so many species in creation share the same build and structure..."

Wreathed by water, Zangya step out of the rubble and smirked. "Makes it really easy to stab a kidney in a pinch~"

Android 18 coughed, blood erupting from behind her clenched teeth. She snarled. "I thought your power was your hair..."

Zangya flipped her hair aside. "I've had Kosatsu since the day I was born, you dumb blonde. I honed it over time, but it is a power that's been with me since the beginning. Unlike my dull counterpart, however, I wasn't given the luxury of stopping there..."

The blue-skinned warrior smashed her knee into 18's face, knocking her to the ground. Zangya splayed her arms out, sucking the moisture out of the surrounding planet life and causing several cones of water to swirl out of the nearby fountain. "I am the Spring Maiden of Hera! Where my Kosatsu fell short against you, my affinity for water shall drown you to death!"

With purpose, 18 pushed herself back up. She and Zangya glared into one another's eyes. And then, without flinching, Android 18 smashed her fist through the tendril of ice rammed into her side. Zangya chuckled. "Don't we love pretending we're tough~? Just cry out! Having a frozen knife embedded into such a sensitive place must be ag-"

Android 18 charged forward and threw a punch. She and Zangya's fists met and a massive shockwave blasted out. The Android snarled. "I'm not going to let the likes of you beat me! Stab every organ in my body, I'm still going to pulverize you!"

Zangya cocked her head. "Oh so?!"

With a flick of her wrist, Zangya sent a tsunami's worth of the water in her control spiraling into the air and launching at 18's back. 18 didn't flinch. She threw up her hand behind her, without even looking, and formed a barrier sturdy enough that the water deflected around it. And then, moving quickly, 18 balled that hand into a fist and cracked Zangya upside the head.

Zangya stumbled to the side, but was not beaten. With a snarl, she summoned a massive ball of water in front of her. She roared. "JUNO NEEDLE!"

The blue-skinned warrior slapped her open palm against the water orb and sent a hail of needles flying. Android 18 braced herself, gripping her fists tight and surrounding them both with energy barriers. She charged into the oncoming needles, full throttle, and batted them away as she did. 18 and Zangya both screamed in one another's faces, and then clashed with a massive explosion.

As the women fought, Bardock watched on with a mixture of concern and annoyance on his face, but with a subtle twinge of pride in his voice. "Damn. Those barriers are holding up a lot better than before. Not bad, Laz, not bad."

The tip of Ressho came crashing down towards the back of Bardock's head and the warrior sighed. He caught the blade without looking and, in the same motion, shot his foot back and sent Gokua flying with a harsh kick to the gut. Bardock turned and threw Ressho back at Gokua, just barely missing the warriors head in the process.

Gokua was taken aback at first, but then he grabbed Ressho by the hilt and held it tightly in both hands. Gokua's broken fingers twitched, but he let loose a focused snarl of rage and anger. "Quit looking at the damned women and pay attention! A real warrior is trying to engage you!"

Bardock opened his mouth to say something, but then just groaned and buried his face in his hand. "And you wonder why I keep calling you a kid. You sound like an insecure teenager out to prove he can hang with the grown-ups. I don't care if you're as old as you say you are, you're a dumb brat and every second I have to waste on you is only serving to make my mood worse..."

Gokua snarled. "If that's the case, then why don't you move to kill me?! Huh?!"

Bardock scratched the back of his head and yawned. "Gine said I'm not supposed to kill hopeless idiots just because they piss me off..."

Gokua screamed with rage and lunged at Bardock, going for another swing of his sword. Bardock responded by lunging forward as well. He punched Gokua in the face, causing the warrior to fly back. But then he caught Gokua by the shirt, yanking him forward and punching him in the face hard enough that the shirt shredded apart. Gokua went flying back again, but then Bardock caught him by the headband, yanking him forward and punching him in the face a third time.

With no fabric other than his pants left on his body, Gokua was allowed to crash to the ground this time, Ressho clattering on the rocks next to him. He coughed and blood shot out from his crushed-in face. Bardock cocked his head and groaned. "This feels like bullying..."

But then, to Bardock's surprise, Android 18 came sliding onto the scene. The Android was bloodied, but certainly not beaten. She held two buzzing Destructo-Discs over her head and had a look of cold calculation on her face. Bardock called out to her. "Hey, 18! How are things going?"

18 snapped back into reality and glared over at Bardock. "Idiot!"

With a flick of her wrist, she sent a Destructo-Disc flying right at Bardock. The older Saiyan gasped in shock and just barely caught the deadly attack. He shouted at his fighting partner. "What the hell was that?! You almost cut me in half! What's-"

An overly loud racket suddenly overtook Bardock's voice. It was a combination of two sounds: drizzling and sizzling. Bardock turned his head and gasped, seeing a massive rainstorm heading right towards him and 18. And, upon closer look, this deluge was not only pounding the ground, but melting everything in its wake. Rocks, metal, plant-life, etc. Everything died under the downpour of this deadly deluge. Quickly getting the hint and following 18's lead, Bardock pumped his own energy into the Destructo-Disc to spread it out. Bardock and 18 both used the ki discs as makeshift umbrellas, holding them above their heads to block away the deadly drizzle. Bardock called over to 18. "What the hell is going on?!"

18 called back. "You were right. This woman is on a whole different level from the embarrassment that you were forced to fight!"

Bardock and 18 both glared up into the air and Zangya hovered towards them. Her hydrokinetic powers on full display, Zangya glared down at the two warriors beneath her. 18 continued to speak. "She can control water! She can control what state it's in, as well as additional factors such as pH balance. She's lowered the pH balance to such a degree in the water she's controlling that she's basically raining acid down on our heads!"

As the two of them stood there, in the middle of Zangya's acid typhoon, the caustic rain finally reached Gokua. The effect was immediate as the acid ate through the warrior's boot and began to scald his skin. Gokua yelped in pain, grabbing Ressho and leaping into the air.

He glared over at his partner with an annoyed expression. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Zangya?! You could have melted me!"

Zangya sneered. "And yet, the world still curses me with your voice..."

Gokua growled under his breath. "What?!"

Zangya glared back at him. "We can argue later! This is the perfect opportunity! They're sitting ducks, Gokua!"

Gokua glanced down at their foes. Zangya called over to him. "Charge as much energy as you can into Ressho! You can drop an energy slash down onto them from up here and crush them both in one go!"

It took a minute for Gokua to fully comprehend what Zangya was saying, but the warrior gave a wicked smirk. "Not half bad a plan, Zangya. Maybe you aren't so useless after all~"

Zangya sneered, growling under her breath. "And once you kill them, I'm gonna kill you and make sure that Bojack knows the other two did it..."

On the ground...

Bardock and Android 18 were both trying to wait out the rain. The acid pooled at their feet and both warriors flinched as the soles of their shoes began to sizzle. Bardock chuckled. "What a shame. I can only imagine that you put a lot of effort into stealing those boots..."

The two of them, trying to escape the acid, lifted their feet and hovered in the air. 18 rolled her eyes. "I didn't steal a thing. I have more money than you could ever hope to make, you dumb hick."

Before that conversation could continue, the two warriors caught onto something with their ki sense. Both of them looked up, peering through the semi-transparent Destructo-Discs above their heads and made out the vague shape of Gokua's Ressho, glowing bright red. 18 sighed. "They're going to try and take us out in one shot. If that slash were to hit how they want it to, we'd be left to melt in the rain..."

Bardock nodded. "Krillin safe?"

18 smirked. "The moment she started this; I threw up an energy barrier around him. Two is my limit though. At least without them becoming too fragile."

Bardock glanced over at her. "Two? Where's the other?"

18 cringed. "Formed around the massive spike digging into my side. If I were to remove that one, she'd be able to make that water expand. Or turn it into acid. Either way, that'd be curtains for me. Wouldn't that be a lame way to go out after finally coming back?"

Bardock chuckled. "You're one tough bitch, you know that? You remind me so much of Fasha..."

18 smiled, shaking her head. "I still don't know who that is..."

Feeling Gokua's energy swell, Bardock looked around. The acid rain wasn't letting up. He watched with a disturbed look on his face as the caustic liquid melted the flesh from the bones of Pamput's corpse. Bardock sighed. "So, what's the plan here? Do we have one, or should we go for a good, old-fashioned suicide pact?"

18 grunted, trying to stifle a cough. A trickle of blood ran out of her mouth and down her face. "I guess a part of what I thought up is suicide..."

Bardock's face immediately became serious. "What do you mean?"

Android 18 adopted a confident smile. "Strong chance this is gonna kill me...but that's what the Dragon Balls are for, right?"

Up in the air...

Zangya impatiently glared over at Gokua. "Aren't you done yet?!"

Gokua sneered. "Be patient! The Galaxy Glaive is my best attack! I need time to charge it up if you want to have the devastating effect you desire!"

Zangya opened her mouth again to say something rude, but then something immediately caught her attention. A very familiar bit of water was suddenly back in the purview of her control. She sadistically glanced down at the Destructo-Discs covering Bardock and 18's heads and cackled. "Aw~ Did we lose focus...? A shame..."

And then, with a rapid flick of her wrist, Zangya made the icy spike embedded in 18's side expand forward. A sickening, wet pop echoed out and 18 screamed in agony as a small pond of blood pooled at her feet. 18 seemed to buckle and Zangya chuckled, her attention entirely wrapped. "Now I get to watch you melt and-"

Gokua suddenly called out. "Zangya! Move your head!"

Zangya jerked her head out of the way just in time to avoid having it sliced off by an oncoming Destructo-Disc. She glared down, blood dripping down her cheek, at her assailant. Before she could properly see the look on his face, Bardock took to the air and blast straight up towards Zangya and Gokua, shooting through the acidic rain like a comet.

Gokua cackled. "What an idiot! The flesh is going to melt right off of him!"

Zangya, meanwhile, was more cautious. She looked closely and gasped once it dawned on her what was going on. Bardock was streaking through the acid rain so quickly not due to foolishness, but due to the fact that he was completely protected from an instant death. The barrier that was protecting 18's guts hadn't disappeared due to negligence; it had been transferred. And the newly safeguarded Bardock was coming right at them both with a determined, murderous look in his eye. Zangya snarled. "Dammit! It was a sacrifice play!"

Moving quickly, Zangya used her Kosatsu to wrap and entangle Bardock in her hair. Once he was restrained tight, Zangya lifted him high up. "Gokua! Forget the initial plan! Just cut this guy in half right now and then we'll kill her down on the ground together!"

Gokua's grin spread from ear-to-ear. He held his sword to the side and began to rush right towards Bardock for the big swing. "Finally, you're speaking some sense!"

Zangya shot a wicked smile up at Bardock. "Sorry, Saiyan ape, you lose~!"

Bardock smirked. "That's where you're wrong, brat..."

Zangya's smile faded. Bardock smirked at her. "I heard what you yelled. That we did a sacrifice play to try and stop you. And I just wanted to tell you that ain't the case~"

The blue-skinned warrior sneered. "What does that mean?"

Bardock chuckled. "What I'm trying to say is this...we're some proud, hard-headed sons-a-bitches on this here Earth. And our pride won't let us do sacrifice plays without good cause! You dumbasses aren't worth giving one of our lives for! You've screwed yourself, Zangya!"

Zangya growled. "I still don't get what you're talking about!"

Bardock sighed. "Then I'll put it simply. We bet that you wouldn't allow the water you control to harm any part of you in any way. And we were right..."

The older Saiyan pointed up at the massive tent that Zangya's hair was creating over all of them. Bardock winked. "Thanks for the umbrella, lady~"

Zangya's eyes went wide and she flinched in shock with an almighty gasp. Right behind her, a familiar shape appeared. Wreathed in shadow, this returning opponent's eyes shined with a cold, blue luster. The barrier protecting Bardock vanished, shattering to pieces.

Zangya turned just in time to see a furious Android 18 right behind her, her entire leg now sealed within an energy barrier. The dull end of the ice spike that Zangya had thrust into 18 was sticking out of her left hip. The bloodied tip was jutting out of 18's lower stomach. But the fighter didn't care. She swung her leg at Zangya like a metallic whip, colliding it against her neck with enough force to shatter through solid titanium. Zangya's head bobbed to the side like a speed bag and she started to go flying, releasing Bardock from her hold in the process.

Gokua, shocked at what he was seeing, tried to stop his attack mid-swing, but it was too late. 18 grabbed Zangya by the end of her hair, heaving her around in the air and tossing her directly at Gokua's Ressho. The swordsman managed to divert the direction of the blade just a bit, but it still did the damage desired by the heroic fighters. Zangya slid down the side of the blade, cutting a massive gash along her hips. The blue-skinned female let loose a wheeze of utter agony. Gokua could do no more than react in shock as, quick as a bolt of lightning, Android 18 shot forward and kneed him in the face.

And then, with both Galaxy Soldiers stunned in the air, Bardock was left with the perfect opening to launch the finishing blow. Forming a triangle with both hands, not unlike the diamond that Tien normally formed to do the Tri-Beam, Bardock fired off his blast. "SUPER RAVAGER CANNON!"

Fired pointblank, the energy blast crashed into both Zangya and Gokua, rocketing them to the ground and high speed and smashing them both harshly through it. A massive crater expanded out that sent all of the puddles of acid from Zangya's attack splashing away and utterly dispersed her storm clouds. Bardock and Android 18 both hovered in the air, looking down on their shattered opponents lying in the debris. They had won.

And so, in victory, Android 18 extended her hand out and aimed it directly at the both of them. She glanced over at the tree she had placed Krillin under, seeing it untouched, and then turned her attention back to Gokua and Zangya. "Let's kill these losers and head back to the mainland..."

But then, before Android 18 could fire her attack, Bardock suddenly grabbed her wrist. 18, a bit shocked, glared over at him. "What are you doing?! You're not pulling a Goku, are you?!"

Bardock sneered at the implication. "Hell no. I didn't even want to spare you dumb brats. I just..."

The older Saiyan paused, that flaming hellscape appearing in the back of his mind again. He shook his head. "They said something that I need to clarify before we get rid of them. I... I can't let them die until they tell me what I wanna know..."

18 cocked her head. "Is this about Turles?"

Bardock gasped. "H-How did you-"

18 held up her hand. "I overheard them saying it as I was rushing in. They said that word and you just fell apart..."

Bardock cringed. "I was just...caught off guard. I never expected to hear anyone say that name to me again. E-Even Gine doesn't talk about him..."

18 sighed and nodded. "Fine. But we need to hurry it up, okay? I do have a massive icicle impaling me all the way through..."

Bardock nodded back. "Right."

18 grabbed his tail. "And I'm sticking close to you, okay? If either of those two try any funny business, I'm going to blast them both straight to Hell. Understood?"

Bardock nodded again. "Understood. And... thanks, 18."

The two warriors began to descend. Bardock turned to his companion. "So, you heard them say that as you were rushing in, huh? You must have pretty good hearing..."

18 nodded. "Yep. Really good. So, let me warn you...if you ever call me 'Laz' again, I'm going to shatter your kneecaps like a box of lightbulbs. Understood?"

Bardock cringed in shock, seeing a look of deadly seriousness in her chilling, blue eyes. He nodded. "O-Once again, understood. Crystal clear, m-ma'am..."

Meanwhile, as the two warriors of Earth descended, both Zangya and Gokua struggled to sit up. The two of them were beaten and battered and in quite a lot of pain. Zangya gripped her split side and gurgled as she felt blood running out of her like a sieve. Gokua tightly gripped Ressho, seeing Bardock and 18 begin their approach. "Wh-What do we do now?!"

Zangya's nose wrinkled in frustration and rage. "You're a dumbass, Gokua. What else do we have at our disposal?!"

The female warrior reached into her satchel and pulled out an orbicular flask of water. Gokua yelped. "The Kaio-Spring Water?! What the hell are you think-"

A blast fired into Gokua's mouth, blasting his tongue apart and making him cry out in pain. Zangya snarled. "Shut. Your. Goddamned mouth. And LISTEN to me..."

Gokua was properly cowed. Zangya gripped her bottle tight. "Whether we die at the hands of these two right now, or Bojack kills us for wasting this damned water, we're going to die either way! So, we might as well kill these two that have so thoroughly embarrassed us, right?!"

Gokua kept his hand gripped over his mouth, but he pulled out his own flask. He looked at the water and then up at Zangya. And then, his gaze hardened. Gokua nodded and Zangya gave a sinister chuckle. "Finally, we agree on something..."

As Bardock and 18 were right on top of them, Gokua and Zangya each popped open their flasks, pouring the water from within into their mouths and swallowing every last drop. 18 flinched. "What the hell? Did they both just drink water?"

Bardock, meanwhile, stopped dead in his tracks. Much more experienced with ki-sense than Android 18, the older Saiyan could immediately tell that something had just changed in a bad way. "Oh, what the hell is this?!"

On the Galaxy Soldier's Ship...

Iryokago was at a loss as he stared at the various viewing screens in front of him. "How can this be?! How is this possible?!"

He looked to the various screen showing the ordeals spreading across Gyosan Mane Island. He caught full view of Android 16, Yamcha, Gine, Chi-Chi, Launch, Android 17, and even Mr. Satan tearing into their troops and leaving them strewn out and defeated like they were nothing!

And then, there was the sight of their four strongest warriors already being forced to use the Sacred Water of the Kaio-Spring?! Iryokago groaned and slammed his staff onto the floor. "What the hell is going on with this planet?!"

"I think I have the easy explanation, old man."

Iryokago turned and gasped. "M-Master Bojack?!"

His face and chest still wrapped in bandages, Bojack leaned forward and caught sight of the various warriors defending against the onslaught of his men. He gave a dark chuckle. "Another side effect of laziness by those in the heavenly realms..."

Bojack shrugged. "When we looked into it, the entry on this Planet from the Kaio-Index told us it would be the perfect place to hide. Easy to invade and easy to subjugate. And yet, there are more high-power levels on this planet than it was ever projected to have..."

His harsh gray eyes glaring out from beneath the bandages, Bojack took special notice of Bardock and Piccolo. "Or, perhaps, this was providence, Iryokago. A Saiyan that looks just like Turles...and a Namekian with the same nasty disposition as Slug..."

Bojack let loose a sinister chuckle. "I'm getting that itch, Iryokago. My bloodlust is higher than ever. I'm starting to remember that it has been so long... since I've snapped someone's neck~!"

Iryokago tried to keep his leader at bay. "Please, Master Bojack, we still aren't sure exactly how you'll be effected by what that traitorous scum Turles did to you. And our cause needs you alive if we are ever to get our true desire! You are the only person worthy to complete our mission!"

Bojack glared down at Iryokago with his dispassionate, hateful eyes and Iryokago shuddered with fear. But then, the blue-skinned brute chuckled. "You worry too much, old man..."

As Iryokago sighed with relief, Bojack simply stalked back across the room. He took a seat in his captain's chair and stared at the screens. "I do believe I'll partake of this show, for now..."

Bojack pressed his fist to his cheek, slouching in his chair beneath a massive, carved statue of a brutal display. This statue, a massive carving of Bojack gripping an ornate sword with some pointy-eared, mohawked elf impaled on it, cast a shadow over the entire room. A shadow that only grew in size as Bojack's aura began to flare. Bojack chuckled and spoke. "The Execution of the Pretender Kai will come to pass...but I'm afraid that two of my dear lieutenants will never even return to this ship..."

All across Gyosan Mane Island...

The four lieutenants of the Galaxy Soldiers all began to undertake a monstrous transformation. With the water of the Kaio-Spring still fresh on their lips, the four warriors could only roar with triumph as their wounds sizzled and faded away and their bodies began to swell.

Their radiant, blue skin rapidly shifted to a sickly, light green. Their flowing orange hair became savage and blood-red. And the jewels from their various weapons shined brighter than ever before. Bido, Zangya, Gokua, and Bujin's power swelled higher and higher, rapidly reaching the same levels of strength comparable to Cell when he fought Goku.

Tien, Android 18, Bardock, Piccolo, and Gohan all gasped at the sudden, overwhelming power of their foes. And then, their foes quickly locked onto them!

Bido charged into Tien with the speed and force of a runaway bus!

Bujin's psychic powers spread out to such a degree that the landscape around him began to warp and violently twist into various gnarled states!

Gokua's Ressho began to glow and buzz with an intense light as he rushed towards Bardock!

And Zangya's hair swarmed out, rapidly engulfing Android 18!

The Galaxy Soldiers were back with a vengeance, and this time they we going to slaughter their foes for good!