Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

Written by: Feraligreater328 and StevenBodner

Edited by: StevenBodner and SparkerLightning

A/N: There's a certain scene in this chapter involving Toma and Bardock. The reason this chapter took so long is because of that scene. I detest putting out an inferior product, so I chose to wait until I could get the tone and wording of that moment exactly right. I hope you enjoy it~

Also, I posted the first couple chapters of my first Dynasty spin-off short! I hope you read that too, I'm excited to see what people think! :3

Chapter 122: The Power Ball Incident

Within the Starchian Base...

As Toma, Fasha, and Turles lead the way in their search for Cassava, Raiti and Zaacro watched their backs with ill intent. The two "Saiyans" both chuckled to themselves as they continued their little act. This was going to be a good meal for them

Meanwhile, Turles, Fasha, and Toma all shot each other knowing looks. They were young, but these three were no mere group of idiots. They knew that these two new Saiyans in their midst were imposters. But they were playing it smart. They knew that they needed to keep the charade going, if only until they could find Cassava. Cassava would suss out what was going on here as soon as she got her hands on these two.

Turles chuckled. "You guys are going to love Cassava! He's a great leader!"

Raiti nodded. "I am sure we will. He sounds fantastic!"

Zaacro laughed. "A man among men!"

Turles nodded back. "Yup. He sure is~"

The one-armed Saiyan turned his attention back forward and frowned. "He sure is..."

This was a massive base that Turles, Toma, and Fasha found themselves trekking through. With two imposters so oblivious that they didn't even know the gender on one of the most famous Saiyans in the entire army. It was a dangerous game they were playing, but they just had to keep up the act a bit longer until they could find Cassava and Bardock.

In another part of the Starchian Base...

Panbukin's face was stretched into an annoyed sneer. He turned to Totepo, who was carrying Gine on his shoulder, and spoke. "Hey, big guy..."

Totepo nodded. He heard it too, the gentle creaking of footsteps right behind them. Someone thought they were being clever. Gently, the hulking brute set Gine onto the ground. And then, he turned and smashed the floorboard with his fist. The entire floor erupted up and their stalker came shooting from the rupturing debris. Gine took one look at the thing and screamed in shock. It was a massive creature with prehensile fingers. It had glowing yellow eyes and a maroon-shaded carapace that made it appear almost insectoid in nature. The monster chuckled and spoke in a booming voice. "Tremble, stinking apes! For I am the great Pithaya! Hunter of Saiyans!"

Panbukin snapped right back. "I'll make sure to write that on your tombstone!"

The hefty Saiyan tossed a ki blast at Pithaya, but the monster simply slapped it into a wall. He charged at Panbukin and tackled into him, forcing the Saiyan to slide back. Gine was shaking with fear, trembling and whimpering as she watched one of her bigger protectors struggle. A massive hand suddenly clamped down onto her head and she looked up, expecting the worst. However, it was merely Totepo giving her a reassuring pat. The silent giant smiled down at her, and then he looked up and released a snarling shout.

Totepo shoved Panbukin out of the way and crashed into Pithaya, smashing him backwards and into a wall. Pithaya cackled. "Oh, I've found some strong food~"

He summoned a blast of his own and fired it at the ceiling, collapsing the hallway behind him and preventing the Saiyans retreat. "How would you too like to be cooked?!"

Panbukin chuckled. "I'm partial to extra crispy! Tell me, is that shell of yours edible?!"

Pithaya flinched as Panbukin came back in, slinging a blast into his face as Totepo held the monster still. Panbukin landed atop the beast and plowed him to the ground with a chuckle. "You seem to have made a bit of an error, punk! You ain't trapped us in here with you, you've trapped yourself in here with us! Right, Totepo?!"

Totepo roared and used his massive strength to heave them both into the air. Once they were high enough, Panbukin shot a massive blast that sent Pithaya crashing into the ceiling. Panbukin fell to the ground and quickly hopped to his feet, firing a second blast that drove Pithaya even deeper into the steel hanging high above.

With a moment's peace, Panbukin turned. "You ain't gotta cry, Lil' Gine! Totepo and I can handle this asshole! You just provide assistance from the sidelines like always, kay?!"

Gine sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. "O-Okay. I can do that..."

Panbukin and Totepo both nodded and then glared up at their foe. Pithaya seemed unconscious at first, but then his eyes snapped open and he shot a boiling stream of liquid from his mouth. The two Saiyans leapt back and watched as the stream hit the ground, immediately melted a massive hole through the crumpled steel.

Pithaya landed, picking up a glob of melted steel and shoving it into his mouth. "I hate chewing. Liquid food is the best food~"

Panbukin rushed in. "Guess you won't be missing your teeth, then!"

He took a swing at Pithaya's face, but the monster dodged back. Panbukin growled under his breath and summoned another blast into his hand, launching it towards Pithaya with killing intent. Pithaya smirked, flipping forward and taking the blast onto his shell-coated back. He landed with nary a scratch on himself and chuckled. "That was barely a tickle! My shell will give you hell, you Saiyan f-"

Totepo leapt over Panbukin, wielding a massive piece of steel rebar like a club. Pithaya showed surprising agility for a being his size, quickly dodging out of the way of the swung metal and allowing it to crash into the ground. He then attempted to counter by firing beams from his eyes, only for them to suddenly crash into an energy barrier. Pithaya scoffed and glared over at the other Saiyan, watching as Gine stood there, trembling as she cast her barrier. Gine stammered. "I-I w-won't let you h-hurt my f-f-friends..."

Pithaya screeched and tried to lunge at Gine, but Totepo quickly got between them. Pithaya crashed into the massive Saiyan, but quickly found himself repelled with a massive shove. Panbukin took advantage and charged up behind Pithaya, clubbing him in the back of the head with both fists and then blasting him into the ground for good measure. Totepo charged in, not giving Pithaya any room to breathe, and gave an additional kick. Pithaya went flying and crashed into the nearby wall, leaving an indent in the shape of his hulking frame.

Panbukin and Totepo both charged in, fists drawn. But as they threw their punches, Pithaya caught each fist and held the Saiyans in place. The monster cackled. "How lucky for me~! Unlike the others, I enjoy working up my appetite~"

Totepo sneered and opened his mouth, firing his Angry Launcher from his throat right into Pithaya's face. Pithaya screamed, letting Totepo go and shoving him back. Taking advantage of the confusion, Panbukin opened his mouth and sank his teeth into Pithaya's hand. The monster screamed again, but Panbukin didn't let up. His teeth sliced through flesh and crunched through bone, ripping off two of the fingers on Pithaya's right hand.

Panbukin slid back, chewing and swallowing his mouthful. He groaned, sticking out his tongue and giving a disgusted look. "Ugh. I've eaten some weird-tasting aliens before, but you taste especially like shit. What the hell are you?!"

Pithaya sneered as he looked down at his crippled hand. "Gah...it's going to take so much ingested flesh to fix this..."

He smirked. "Good thing I've got you around, fatty~"

Panbukin took on a fighting stance. "Try me."

Pithaya cackled. "Oh, I will. But for now...I think a lighter snack is in order~"

The monster moved quickly, thrusting his undamaged arm into the ground. The appendage stretched and burrowed all the way across the room, eventually popping up in front of Gine and seizing the girl by the throat. With one massive pull, Pithaya snatched Gine towards himself and opened his mouth wide. "Time to eat!"

Gine shrieked, but she was never in any real danger. The second that Pithaya thrust his arm into the ground, Totepo had already started charging. Before Gine's head could be shoved into the monster's maw, Totepo shoved his fist in and fired a massive blast down Pithaya's throat. The monster screeched as blood and smoke erupted from his mouth. Totepo sent Pithaya flying with a kick and retreated back. He and Panbukin regrouped and the hefty Saiyan was immediately concerned. "You good, Gine?"

Gine was trembling, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and responded. "Y-Yeah..."

Pithaya stood, retching and struggling to breath. "Damn you!"

He opened his mouth again and fired another stream of acid, but Panbukin and Totepo dodged out of the way. Totepo placed Gine on his shoulder and snarled, firing a blast at Pithaya. Pithaya somehow managed to dodge in spite of his injuries, but was met from the opposite side by a headbutt from Panbukin. The monster stumbled back and Panbukin charged in again, booting him on the chin and making his head snap back.

Totepo charged in once more, picking up the stunned Pithaya and smashing the monster's back across his knee. He did this again, and again, and again once more until, finally, the beast's carapace shattered like glass. Totepo harshly threw the creature to the ground, looking over and nodding at Panbukin. Pithaya shrieked once again and glared at the Saiyans, opening his mouth and firing a spurt of acid right at Totepo's face. Gine, seeing what was about to happen to her hulking friend, leapt from his shoulder and right into the path of the acidic spit. The glob of burning liquid crashed into Gine's shoulder and sizzled, making the girl scream in pain.

That was enough to make Panbukin and Totepo get serious. Panbukin snarled. "BASTARD!"

Totepo roared at the top of his lungs. Pithaya flinched in shock. "W-Wait! Hold on! Let me just-"

Panbukin screamed. "CATAPULT SHOT!"

As his hefty comrade fired his attack, Totepo fired his Angry Launcher once more. The two attacks crashed into Pithaya's exposed back and the monster screamed his last scream, engulfed by the energy and incinerated to little more than ash.

Uncaring of their slain foe, Panbukin and Totepo immediately rushed back to the agonized Gine. Panbukin pulled off his armor chestplate, ripping cloth from his bodysuit and trying to wipe away the remaining acid. Totepo, meanwhile, cradled the trembling girl. Panbukin stared down at their seven-year-old little teammate. "Hey! Come on, Gine! You can't let this be what kills you! Come on!"

Everything went silent for what seemed like an eternity. But then, a small, if labored laugh echoed out. Gine half-opened her eyes and smiled. "I-I... I didn't want Totepo to get acid in his eyes...then he wouldn't be able to see us all smile...and I know he likes...that..."

Panbukin and Totepo both flinched. But then, after a moment, both of them began to laugh. Totepo tightened his grip on Gine, hugging her close to his chest. Panbukin sighed. "Stupid brat. You're gonna make us soft if you keep spewing crap like that..."

Panbukin and Totepo both stood, Panbukin leading the way. "Come on. We gotta find Cassava or someone that can help us get Gine patched up. She's hurt pretty bad..."

Totepo nodded, following along and keeping Gine held tight.

In the center of the Starchian base...

Cassava, Bardock, and Taro stepped into a large hall in the center of the Starchian base, only to come across quite the sight. The roof hanging above the hall had a massive hole in it, revealing the sky high above. The floor was also broken, leaving a massive circle of exposed soil in the middle. The ground was littered with skulls, long stripped and dry as dust. Cassava picked one of the skulls up and looked at it. "Pikeless..."

Taro walked up next to her. "Pikeless?"

Cassava nodded. "Looks like whoever these folk were..."

She stuck her thumb into an empty socket for a third eye in the center of the skull's forehead. "...they didn't warrant the same treatment our Saiyan brethren did."

Taro sneered. "So, what then? These skulls belong to who...the Starchians? That doesn't make sense. If these things are the Starchians, then who killed everyone outside?!"

Cassava smirked. "Good question. Bardock! Ask our tagalong what's going on!"

Bardock quickly summoned a blast and fired it into the air, hitting a piece of the destroyed roof and sending the being hanging from it shooting to the ground. Cassava, Taro, and Bardock gathered around the lurker. It quickly popped up from the ground, revealing an insectoid creature with a lime green carapace and piercing yellow eyes. "How could you detect the stealthy Figg?! What are you?!"

Cassava's smile faded and was replaced with a scowl. Black-and-red ki erupted from her body and she snapped at Figg. "PISSED OFF!"

A massive black hand formed out of Cassava's back and crashed to the ground, nearly crushing Figg to death. Figg quickly dodged out of the way and shrieked. "Dangerous! Dangerous Saiyan Ape Woman!"

He opened his mouth and spat a glob of something right at Cassava. The black ki hand tried to intercept the shot, but it pierced right through and smacked into Cassava's face, sticking fast and covering her eyes, nose, and mouth. Cassava fell back, hitting the ground and grunting beneath whatever was stuck to her face. It was clear from her struggling that she couldn't breathe. The black ki hand seemed to be panicking as well. Figg cackled. "Figg's web is a beguiling predicament~!"

As Cassava continued to struggle, Taro called out. "Cassava! Don't worry! I'm-"

A blast crashed into Cassava's head and burned away the web. She sat up coughing and choking. Taro looked up just in time to see Bardock roll his eyes. The angry little Saiyan scowled at Cassava. "This is no time for games. This bastard needs to pay."

Cassava chuckled. "Right. Sorry. I just wanted to see..."

Bardock scowled. "See what?"

Cassava winked. "If you'd save my butt in a pinch~ I owe you one, Bardock-dear~"

Bardock's mood worsened. "Quit screwing around, dammit!"

Figg clenched his fangs as he climb back to the ceiling. "You cretins are acting as if Figg is not here?! The gall!"

The monster quickly stuck his fingers in his mouth, blowing a shrill whistle and shrieking. "Babies! The Broodmaster calls upon thee! Let us grind these apes into meal for our precious Mouma!"

And then, like a deluge, dozens of miniature Figgs fell from the sky and descended towards the three Saiyans. Taro sneered and leapt back, firing off two blasts and blowing two of the little beasts to pieces. "Son of a bitch! This is going to be annoying!"

Bardock scoffed and formed a blast of his own. "Broodmaster, eh? Are we just making up self-important rubbish to call ourselves now?!"

The little Saiyan threw his blast towards the hoard. And then, to Taro's shock, Bardock followed the blast. The boy shoulder-tackled into his own attack and used it to charge through the hoard, racing up to face Figg head on. So blinded was Bardock by his tunnel vision that he did not notice one of the mini-Figgs lunging at his head, fangs bared.

"BANG!"

A beam of ki shot through the air and crashed into the mini-Figg's chest, making it explode in spectacular fashion. Cassava stood on the ground; her finger extended. She called out. "Bardock! I appreciate the hustle, but watch your ass! That was nearly your head you just lost!"

Bardock growled under his breath, using all of his strength to shove his blast forward. A dozen more mini-Figgs were caught up in the attack before it crashed into the broken ceiling, exploding and killing them all. Bardock called back at Cassava. "Butt out! I don't need you trying to tell me what to do! If you're so concerned about my head, then get to killing!"

Cassava sighed as Bardock went back to his rampage in the air, mumbling to herself. "Fine. We'll just forget that one. But I still owe you one for saving me earlier..."

A mini-Figg tried to lunge at Cassava, but the black hand grabbed it and crushed it with no effort. Cassava slowly floated up, using minimal effort to kill any mini-Figg that got too close. She continued to chastise. "You know, I feel like we'd get along if you could work on that attitude just a bit! We could be two peas in a pod! Besties!"

Bardock blasted a mini-Figg to pieces. "SHUT THE HELL UP AND FOCUS! WE'RE HERE TO GET REVENGE! THAT'S IT! THE MOMENT WE'RE DONE, YOU'RE BACK ON MY SHITLIST!"

The younger Saiyan threw a mini-Figg corpse at his commander. Cassava jerked her head out of the way and then lifted her finger, firing another ki beam and piercing through twelve of the swarming little monsters. She floated next to Bardock. "Bang~"

Bardock sneered. He formed a mass of energy in his hand, though this one was quite different from a standard attack. Bardock threw his hand forward, sending the blast shooting mere inches away from Cassava's face, it soared behind the Warhammer and crashed into a mini-Figg, creating a massive explosion that killed several at once. Bardock snarled. "Riot Javelin!"

And then the boy raced off. Cassava immediately followed, the two of them plowing through mini-Figgs. Cassava chuckled. "See? We both even name our moves! We'd get along great, Bardock! Why, I'd even be willing to show you my signature move if you'd like! It's a doozy! Could destroy this planet with it if I felt up to it~"

Meanwhile, on the ground, Taro was doing his best. As the mini-Figgs rushed him, the experienced Saiyan smashed them to the ground with well-placed strikes. He listened as Cassava and Bardock argued in the air with an aura of annoyance surrounding his body. He called up to the two with a frustrated snarl. "Would you two quit squawking at one another and finish this already?! I know you're both strong enough to get the job done!"

Cassava and Bardock both shouted back in unison. "Shut the hell up!"

Taro raggedly sighed. And then he fired off an Eye Beam, twisting his neck to-and-fro and slicing any mini-Figg that fell within his gaze into ribbons. Taro grumbled. "You're lucky I love you, Cassava. Or I'd just-"

A massive glob of webbing suddenly splattered right over Taro's eyes. He snarled and cursed as he stumbled back. "Shit! Damn it!"

Taro formed a ki blast in each hand, ready to burn away the webbing. But, before he could, several of the mini-Figgs attacked him at once. Each of them opened their mouth and began to web the hapless Saiyan up. Taro called out. "Cassava! Help!"

Cassava broke from her conversation with Bardock and turned back to her longtime second-in-command. She cried out. "Taro! Don't worry! I'm coming!"

The Warhammer immediately flew towards Taro, charging a blast in each hand. However, she was quickly intercepted by a couple dozen mini-Figgs. Cassava was, of course, easily strong enough to blast them all away. But the numbers game was giving her brief pause as a dense wall of the little monsters blocked her path. Cassava sneered as she started crushing the mini-Figgs left and right. "Ugh! I hate these things!"

She turned her attention to Bardock. "Bardock! Help Taro!"

The angry young Saiyan chopped a mini-Figg's head off and then turned to Cassava with a look of scorn. "What the hell should I?! I'm busy right now! If Taro is so dumb that he got caught by these things, then he deserves what's coming to him!"

Bardock put his fist through a mini-Figg's gut, shooting it full of ki and sending it crashing into its brethren like a rocket. Bardock scoffed at Cassava. "But still, you sound pretty desperate to save his ass. Afraid of losing your brain trust, bitch? Are you really that dumb without him?"

Cassava clenched her teeth. She blasted away the mini-Figgs holding onto her and shot towards Bardock at high-speed. She snapped at him and got right in his face. "Listen here, you little prick! I won't be called dumb by the likes of you! And, more importantly, you need to learn how to be a decent person to your fellow Saiyans! You can't just write a dear comrade off as being too dumb to live and abandon them!"

Bardock barked right back at her. "The only dear comrade I have is my little brother! The rest of you bastards don't mean shit!"

Cassava snapped right back. "And what the hell did any of us do to you?! Huh?! What did any of us do to deserve you constantly being an abrasive shithead towards us?! Why are you like this?!"

Bardock roared at her. "Why don't you ask your future husband, you good for nothing bi-"

Suddenly, two massive globs of web shot from either side and pushed Bardock and Cassava together. The two Saiyans were imprisoned, cheek-to-cheek, and seemingly left helpless. Figg cackled and crawled towards them. "It would seem that you Saiyans are-"

The web glob was incinerated as Cassava and Bardock broke free. Cassava thrust her hand to the side and fired off a kiai, sending Figg crashing to the ground with a heavy thud. She shouted at him. "Shut your damn mouth! We'll get to you in a second!"

Cassava flew back over to Bardock, looking to continue their argument. But then, another familiar voice cried out. "CASSAVA! HELP!"

Cassava called out again, still focused on Bardock. "I'll be there in a minute, Ta-"

The Warhammer's eyes went wide as she quickly turned around. "TARO!"

Cassava watched in horror as Taro, covered entirely in webbing except for his mouth, was dragged into some sort of crevice in the ground. She immediately flew towards the crevice at high speed. "Taro! Hold on! I'm coming!"

Taro's webbed-up form thrashed around as if was dragged into the crevice, his uncovered mouth managing one last yelp as the mini-Figgs pulled him under. "CASSAVA!"

Cassava shouted back. "TARO!"

Then, as Taro disappeared from sight, the crevice snapped shut and Taro was gone. Cassava landed with a thud, the ground not having any give. She cried out. "Taro!"

Cassava punched the ground as hard as she could with her left hand, but the only result from that was blood gushing from her knuckles. Cassava was perplexed. "Wh-What the hell?! What is this floor made of?!"

Cassava quickly forgot the pain, smashing her fist on the ground again and again. "Taro! Taro! TARO!"

Having finished the last of the mini-Figgs, Bardock landed on the ground behind Cassava, watching as she punched the ground again and again. This was yet another tone that was a first for Cassava: desperation. Bardock listened as the normally unflappable Warhammer was reduced to fruitlessly pounding the ground, begging for her friend to come back up. It was brief, but the sight of this brought up an emotion within Bardock other than hatred and apathy. For just a moment, the angry young Saiyan felt guilt over what he had let happen. But that feeling quickly drained away and Figg recovered and lunged at Cassava from behind. The monster cackled and shrieked. "Worry not for your friend, for you shall soon join him in the Mouma's stomach!"

Bardock, without even realizing it, called out. "Cassava! Behind you!"

Kneeling there on the ground, her fists bleeding from punching the unnaturally hard floor, Cassava heard Taro's voice playing through her head. "You and I against the world, little one~ Ol' Taro'll keep ya safe no matter what~"

Cassava lifted her head, all trace of joy and humor having faded. Bardock took a fearful step back. And then, five black hands shot from Cassava's aura, four of them seizing one of Figg's limbs and the fifth grabbing his head. Cassava turned and glared at him. "Open that floor. Now."

Figg sneered. "You can't-"

*SNAP*

Figg screeched as one of his arms was pulled off with little effort. Cassava repeated herself. "Now!"

Figg opened his mouth to speak again.

*SNAP*

One of his legs was removed. Cassava snarled. "No words! No backtalk! Open it! NOW!"

Figg shuddered. He tried to speak again. "I CANNOT-"

*SNAP*

And so went the other leg. Cassava snarled. "OPEN THE FLOOR! NOW!"

Figg yelped. "I CANNOT-"

*SNAP*

The monster powered through the pain and screamed. "I CANNOT MAKE THE MOUMA OPEN ITS MOUTH! IT ONLY LISTENS TO RAITI AND ZAACRO!"

Cassava drew the armless and legless Figg close and sneered in his face. "Then what good are you?"

The fifth black ki hand tossed Figg high into the air and Cassava thrusted her fingers at him. "FLASH STRIKE!"

Figg screamed in pain and fear as two rings of ki encircled him and closed in. The moment the rings touched him, they both exploded in a massive flash. Black ash rained from the sky and drifted away into nothingness as Figg was effortlessly killed. Bardock chuckled. "Well well well, look at-"

Cassava turned and kneed Bardock in the stomach. And not the normal knee that she would deliver when Bardock was making one of his attempts on her life. This one was delivered with all of her strength, and it was enough to make Bardock's eyes roll back. The boy fell to his knees, coughing and choking as he gripped his torso. Cassava marched past him and angrily ran her hands over her face. "Dammit...Taro..."

She gripped her fists tight. "...please don't be dead, Taro. Please..."

Back with Turles Squad...

As the five of them continued to walk through the twisting hallways of the Starchian base, it was clear that Raiti and Zaacro were becoming restless. Turles was nervous. "Man...it sure is easy to get lost in here. At this rate, we'll never find Cassava..."

Toma remained silent. He was on edge as well, if only because he could feel the malice radiating behind him. These two were ravenous beasts, whatever they were. He needed to be ready to go for the kill in a split second in order to properly protect Turles and Fasha.

Fasha was unnerved as well. The two of them were well behind her, but it was like she could feel their breath on her neck. Without thinking, Fasha spoke. "I'm sure she's somewhere around here..."

A chill ran up everyone's spine at once as all five of them ground to a halt. Raiti spoke up. "She?"

Without a word, Toma turned on his heel and slung a massive ki bomb at the two "Saiyans" they were both engulfed and the ki exploded, giving Toma and Fasha each a moment to take a fighting stance. Fasha gripped her fists. "S-Sorry guys. That was sloppy."

Toma shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Turles, support from a distance."

Turles nodded and leapt back. "Right!"

The smoke cleared and out from the crater made by Toma's blast came Raiti and Zaacro, in their true forms. The two of them were truly foul creatures, coated in a bright pink and bright orange carapace respectively. Both of them chuckled. Raiti spoke. "We were hoping to be led to your boss so that we could capture all of you at once, but this will have to do for now~"

Zaacro smirked. "I would start mentally preparing to be devoured. Going by the reaction of the Saiyans we've done this to before, you won't find it very pleasant~"

Toma snarled and fired a blast at the ground, giving himself and Fasha a bit of separation from their disturbing foes. Zaacro laughed as he charged through the dust towards his prey. "The last Saiyans tried a strategy like this! It didn't work for them either!"

Raiti cackled. "Whatever are you fools up to? Hoping to flee to this Cassava creature you speak so highly of?!"

The two monsters came shooting through the smoke, only to be met by a fist and boot to the face respectively. Fasha sneered. "We don't need Cassava to kick the crap out of you losers! We just wanted her to make you talk!"

Toma charged a ki blast. "But we can make you do that to! We might just be a bit messier getting you to loosen those tongues!"

Zaacro skidded back, jerking his head forward with a smirk. "Loosen our tongues?! You mean like this?!"

The monster opened his mouth and fired out his massive tongue. The appendage shot towards Fasha, wrapping around her neck and yanking her into the air. Fasha tried to struggle, but Zaacro wagged his finger. "Uh-uh-uh~"

There was a small spark, and then a huge current of electricity shot down Zaacro's tongue and crashed into Fasha. The girl shrieked in pain as the electricity made her body jerk around every which way. Zaacro and Raiti both seemed to be enjoying the painful show, only for a massive ball of fire to crash right into Zaacro's face.

The tongue unfurled and Zaacro fell back, crying out in agony. Toma glared at him. "How'd you like the taste of my Flame Ballet?!"

Zaacro shouted. "HOT! TOO HOT!"

And then Raiti charged in. Toma took a fighting stance as Fasha tried to recover from her electrocution. Raiti raised his massive fist into the air, but was met with a Sudden Storm! Ki bolts crashed into him in rapid succession, sending him sprawling back. Toma smirked and leapt forward, taking advantage and delivering a savage knee strike to Raiti's gut. He turned back. "Good job, Turles!"

Turles grinned. Fasha got back up and was immediately on the attack. She charged towards Raiti and Zaacro, ready to dish out some punishment of her own. Raiti and Zaacro both smirked. Turles cried out "Fasha! Wait!"

At that moment, both of the monster sprung back up and fired blasts from their mouths. Fasha chuckled. "Do you think I'm dumb, Turles~?"

Immediately, Fasha hit the ground and went into a skid. She passed under the two blasts with barely more than an inch of clearance and then she used her legs to fire her Hunting Arrow blasts up at the ceiling. The two blasts met their target and caused it to crumble, raining down rubble onto the two surprised monsters. Fasha stopped her skid, breaking into a roll and getting back to her feet. Toma and Turles both ran up, Toma showing the faintest hint of a blush. "I-Impressive. That was...that was really impressive, Fasha..."

Turles cocked his head. "Are you okay?"

Fasha rubbed her bare thighs. "Little bit of road rash, I guess. But I got the job done."

Toma glared down at the two monsters, both of them twitching beneath the rubble. "Well, it's nice that this is over. These two were surprisingly weak."

But then, out of nowhere, two ki blasts came shooting in and crashed into Turles and Fasha's backs. Toma gasped. "Wh-What?!"

He looked to the floor and saw two fresh, smoking holes on the ground. He sneered. "Son of a bitch!"

The rubble shifted and Raiti and Zaacro rose back up. The two monsters reached forward, each grabbing one of Toma's arms. The two of them charged forward and smashed Toma into a wall, each taking their free hand and driving him even further through the wall with a heavy punch. Toma fell from the wall flat onto his back. He opened his eyes and gasped, suddenly staring at dozens of Raitis and Zaacros. The lot of them laughed as they loomed over Toma and his comrades. "You're right. We aren't strong. But we're really good at illusions! We'll kill you little brats with confusion~"

Toma, Turles, and Fasha all got to their feet, finding themselves surrounded on all sides. Turles was nervous. "T-Toma...what do we do?"

Toma was just as unnerved, but he maintained his cool. He smirked. "Well, Turles, we don't have a handheld scouter device. So... I guess we just gotta punch until we hit something solid!"

All at once, all three Saiyans went out swinging. Turles took a swing at what he thought was Zaacro, only to pass through and receive a kick to the face. Fasha tried the same thing, only to get hit by a strike to the back. Toma as well ate punishment as he went for a punch, flying back and crashing into Fasha and Turles. The three of them struggled back up at Raiti and Zaacro laughed at them. Toma spat blood from his mouth and wiped his face. "Shit...I think that my strategy might have a few flaws guys..."

Fasha rubbed the back of her neck, wincing in pain. "Ya think?!"

Turles, however, simply laughed. He stood and rubbed his sore cheek. "Nope. You had a great idea, Toma. We've beaten these illusions~"

Toma and Fasha both looked back at their one-armed comrade. Turles smiled. "Okay! Here's what we do..."

Turles ran towards Toma, hopping onto his shoulders. "JUMP!"

Toma and Fasha both obeyed, jumping into the air. Toma turned to the comrade hanging onto his back. "Now what?!"

Turles formed a ring with his index and thumb, summoning a Kill Driver. Instead of launching it, however, he began to spin it on his finger. The attack became bigger and bigger until a truly massive hoop was spinning above Turles' head. He shouted. "Now! Fasha! Charge two attacks! Toma, light my Kill Driver on fire with your Flame Ballet!"

Fasha did as she was asked, summoning an energy blast in each hand. Toma did what he was asked as well, firing his Flame Ballet and setting Turles' Kill Driver alight. The three Saiyans looked down and Toma and Fasha gasped. Of the dozens of Raitis and Zaacros on the ground, they could finally tell which two were real...because only two of them were casting a long shadow across the floor.

Toma chuckled. "Great idea, Turles!"

Fasha smiled wide and tossed her blasts, each of them crashing into a target and sending Raiti and Zaacro crashing into a wall. The two monsters screamed in panic as they crashed through the wall, taking a long plummet into a familiar room below.

Back with Gine Squad...

An explosion rocked in the distance and Panbukin and Toteppo both turned towards it. Toteppo looked down at the peacefully slumbering Gine in his arms and then looked over to Panbukin. Panbukin sighed. "Yeah. That was probably Bardock and Cassava! Let's head towards 'em!"

Toteppo nodded and he and Panbukin both went running down a hallway towards the commotion.

Back with Cassava Squad...

Raiti and Zaacro both coughed and hacked as they stood up. Before either could get their bearings, however, a pair of massive black hands grabbed them and squeezed them tight. Raiti and Zaacro both tried to struggle free, only for the hands to give a harsh squeeze and make their carapaces strain and crack. The two monsters looked down and saw their one-armed prey standing next to a particularly humorless-looking woman. Turles stammered, half of his attention on Cassava and the other half on the prone, unconscious Bardock. "T-They said their names a-are Raiti and Z-Zaacro! And-"

A vein bulged from Cassava's head. "Raiti and Zaacro, eh?"

She glared down at Turles. "Leave these two to me. You go care for that brother of yours."

Turles gave a fearful little nod and immediately ran to Bardock. Toma and Fasha, meanwhile, marched to the opposite side of the road to greet the arriving Panbukin and Toteppo. With the kids all murmuring in the background, Cassava began her interrogation "Raiti and Zaacro. That Figg guy mentioned you before I reduced him to dust. And something tells me that you lot aren't Starchians, so what the hell is going on here?!"

The two monsters looked to one another and then they began to chuckle. Cassava gave them both one hell of a squeeze and Raiti wheezed in response. "Indeed. You are correct, woman. The Starchians, I'm afraid, are long dead at this point~"

Zaacro cackled. "They went a long time ago! Long before you filthy apes even started landing on this planet~"

The two of them started to laugh out loud, but Cassava punched each of them in the face. Raiti's facial carapace cracked like glass. One of Zaacro's eyes popped out of socket. Cassava glowered at them. "I'm not in the mood for this. So quit your high and mighty shtick. I want Taro back. Open the damn floor!"

Zaacro sighed. "So blunt and to the point. Where is the curiosity? Are you not even curious about the rational of leaving skulls and severed heads behind?"

Raiti cackled. "That's a lot of heads to leave hanging on pikes, unanswered and unavenged~"

Cassava flinched back and the two monsters smiled. Raiti giggled. "But I suppose the answers to all those questions can be satisfied by answering your demands~"

And then Zaacro's head snapped back. He pursed his monstrous lips and produced the shrillest whistle he could muster. The hideous sound rang out through the entire room. Raiti laughed out loud. "Now, you shall know the same horror as those who came before you! Prepare to be devoured!"

The shorter of the two monsters took a deep breath and then shouted at the top of his lungs. "MOUMA! OPEN UP!"

All at once, several of the same kind of crevice that Taro had fallen into opened. And then it became clear to Cassava what was going on. The hole in the ceiling, the hole in the floor, the material on the ground being too dense for her to break. Cassava shouted. "WE'RE STANDING ON TOP OF A MOUTH!"

All at once, the ground split in two. The Warhammers all looked down in shock as a pulsating tunnel of saliva and meat appeared beneath their feet. They all tried to fly away, but then the creature started sucking in. The air pressure proved to be too much for the Saiyans and they were pulled into the pulsating depths.

Cassava, Bardock, Turles, Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, and Gine had all been swallowed whole.

Within the belly of the beast...

Cassava and the team of young Warhammers stood up and found themselves in a damp, putrid place. Cassava groaned, looking around. "What the hell is this...?"

She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, finding her gloved hand covered in thick, cloudy mucus. Cassava wretched in disgust and tossed the slime to the ground. She summoned a ki bolt into her hand and shot it into the air. "Flash Shot!"

The blast exploded, creating a radiant, ambient light. With the space lit up, the Saiyans looked around and quickly realized where they were. The walls were made of pulsing, pink flesh. The floor was as well. Everything was covered in that same, thick mucus and there were pools of sizzling acid scattered around. Cassava sneered. "Damn. We've been eaten."

Panbukin gasped. "E-Eaten?! What the hell?!"

Gine groaned from within Toteppo's chest armor. "...what's going on?"

Toteppo silently placed a hand atop Gine's head, urging her to go back to sleep. Toma gritted his teeth. "W-Well what do we do now...?"

Fasha elbowed him in the side. "We don't panic. We have to steel our nerves and find a way out of here. Right Cassava?"

No answer. Fasha turned. "Cassava?"

Cassava's attention was elsewhere. Her head was craned upward. She was staring at something. Bardock was staring up as well, his head cocked. Turles looked up and gasped, falling onto his butt. "Wh-What the heck?!"

The others looked up and they all gasped in shock. Hanging high above them was a massive web covered in thrashing cocoons. Each and every one of them was producing a sound, a muffled scream. Cassava looked angry, she knew just as well as the others did who was sealed within those webs. There were just enough bundles on that web to make up the rest of the Warhammer unit. And crawling along that web, smug looks on their faces, were Raiti and Zaacro, as well as a few dozen other monsters that looked just like them. Raiti was grinning from ear-to-ear. "What do you think? Do you like our web, little flies?"

Zaacro cackled. "We've worked so hard on it, so that we can keep a good stock to feed our dear Mouma with~"

Fasha was now pretty unnerved herself, shuddering at the sight of all the squirming cocoons. "What...Mouma?!"

Cassava spoke calmly. "I'm going to assume that's the name of the thing that we're currently inside of..."

The Warhammer glared at the web her men were trapped in. It was woven in a very distinctive style. One wouldn't notice the design unless they knew to look for it, but for a seasoned soldier like Cassava it was plain as day. She sneered and spat. "So, you bastards are Arcosians, eh?"

Raiti and Zaacro both flinched. Cassava snarled. "Of course, you pathetic cultists would be infesting a planet that I was ordered to! Damn my sorry luck!"

Turles was confused. "A-Arcosians?"

Cassava spoke bluntly. "They're a group of cultists that worship one of the former kings of the People of Hades. King Cold despises them. The Cold Force despises them. And every Saiyan that's aware of them despises them. They're dangerous idiots that constantly interfere where they shouldn't be to please a person that has been dead for years!"

Raiti snapped at Cassava. "Still your tongue, woman! Lord Arcos will never die! Not so long as we Beehay carry him in our hearts!"

Zaacro nodded. "When Lord Arcos graced our asteroid with his noble presence, he opened our eyes to the Universe at large! He told us of the glory that would await us if we followed his example! Our kind has worshipped him for generations now!"

Raiti grabbed one of the cocoons. "So, in his honor, we hunt down non-believers and feed them to our precious Mouma! We end their lives in Lord Arcos' name and feast until our bellies are fat from his glory!"

Raiti tossed the squirming, screaming cocoon into the stomach acid. The poor Saiyan within the cocoon screamed and thrashed around as he was melted away. Eventually, like an apple floating in a tub of water, the Saiyan's head rose to the surface and floated with a terrified look frozen on his face. Zaacro chuckled. "Our poor Mouma has a bit of a stomach issue. Can't digest heads because skull bones are too dense for it. But at least that gives us a fun way to decorate our home~"

Raiti cried out. "Now, brothers! Feast!"

Cassava and the young Warhammers all watched in frozen disgust as those monsters, the Beehay, leapt from their web onto the walls of the Mouma's stomach. The insect-like creatures opened their mouth wide and bit into the stomach lining, sucking nutrients from the creature's flesh with gluttonous smiles on their faces. Toma placed his hand over his mouth. He looked like he was about to vomit.

Once the Beehay finished their gruesome feast, all of them turned their attention to the uncaptured Saiyans standing below. Zaacro cackled. "Now, we'll overwhelm and capture the lot of you! And once we do, we'll start feeding you fools to our dear Mouma one-by-one~!"

The Beehay started skittering down the fleshy walls and, on instinct, the Warhammers all formed a tight circle, back-to-back-to-back. Cassava had fallen quiet; her fists gripped tight and visibly shaking. She was mumbling to herself. "Beehay...giant ticks...scavengers..."

Raiti smirked. "This was such an excellent stroke of luck~ We have our dear Mouma burrow itself into this planet to feast on the populace and you pathetic Saiyans start trying to invade at the same time~"

Zaacro chuckled. "Your screams are so pleasant as you're digested~"

Cassava continued to mumble to herself, her fists squeezing even tighter. Raiti chuckled. "First it was just a baby you sent~! Then squad after squad after squad~"

Bardock and Turles both flinched as the thought of Tursa being digested flashed through their minds. Zaacro laughed out loud. "Our dear Mouma has become so fat~"

Finally, Cassava took a deep breath and sighed it out. She spoke in a clear, plain tone. "I've been counting. There are exactly 1,457 Beehay crawling down to attack us right now..."

Bardock scoffed. "And you're trembling before them? Pathetic."

Cassava's aura exploded out, raging like an inferno of black-and-red flames. Several tendrils shot out and speared Beehay off of the walls before twisting in massive, gnarled hands. Those hands tightly gripped into fists and crushed the squirming Beehay into pulp. She glared back at Bardock and, for the first time, she didn't have anything snarky to say towards the boy's sarcastic attitude. She glared at him and spoke. "You're damn right I'm trembling. What's been happening here is a nightmare. If you aren't so angry that you're trembling right now, then you don't belong in my outfit."

Bardock sneered. "I guess I'm just too strong to tremble, unlike you. Weakling."

Cassava closed her eyes, stepping forward as the massive crowd of Beehay began to charge towards her. "And I guess Tursa really did mean nothing to you, huh?"

Bardock's eyes went wide and Cassava charged at the Beehay. She screamed with fury as she sent her massive, clawed ki hands shooting into the crowd of monsters. Cassava herself summoned two ki blasts and fired them into the crowd, incinerating several Beehay as a dozen more pounced onto her.

Working up his nerve, Toma finally shouted. "Well?! We can't just stand by and let Cassava have all the fun! Right?!"

Fasha gritted her teeth. Panbukin looked pensive. Totepo checked on Gine, still stowed in his armor. And Turles got to his feet. All of them nodded at Toma and then charged into the skittering hoard, ready to fight for their lives. Left alone, Toma and Bardock looked towards one another. Bardock was still stunned. Toma glared at him. "Look. I know you hate us for some reason. But listen to me. We watched that little brother of yours bury that woman's head. He cried. He sobbed. He cared about her. And he insisted that you did too."

Bardock opened his mouth to say something, but Toma spoke over him. "Turles isn't a liar. He insists that, beneath it all, you're as decent a person as a Saiyan can be. He keeps telling us that over and over. You...you can't tell me that you're just going to stand there with that shitty attitude of yours and make his words untrue, right?"

Bardock was silent. Toma sighed and shook his head, turning to join the fight. "I sure hope not, Bardock."

Across the Mouma's stomach...

Cassava screamed at the top of her lungs as she ripped two Beehay in half, one with her ki hands and one with her actual hands. Five more piled in and tried to attack her from behind, but Cassava simply turned on her heel and shouted. "LUCORA GUN!"

The beam shot out and blast several more Beehay into dust, only for even more of them to rush at her. Cassava sneered as the monsters charged at her. "Come at me! I'm pissed and I'm ready to eviscerate you bastards!"

Before she could get her hands on them, however, another warrior came leaping into the fray. Each of the Beehay that were aiming to kill Cassava were dispatched with punches and kicks as this new combatant landed and took a fighting stance. Cassava smiled. "Good to see you join in, Bardock~"

Bardock sneered. "If you ever try to guilt me with Tursa again, I'll kill you! Got it?!"

Cassava smirked. "Oh. So now you trying to kill me is conditional~? I'm moving up in the world~"

As the Beehay rushed towards the two of them, Bardock snarled. "RIOT JAVELIN!"

Cassava shouted. "LUCORA GUN!"

Back with the others...

Panbukin dodged out of the way as a jet of acid shot towards him. He returned fire with a ki blast that blew the Beehay's head off. He shouted. "Everyone else okay?!"

Turles and Fasha delivered a dual knee strike to a Beehay, Fasha following that up with a ki blast to secure the kill. She shouted. "As okay as we can be! This is crazy!"

A sharpened stream of web came shooting towards Fasha, threatening to stab her through the chest. But Turles quickly tackled her to the ground. The web shot over the two of them, allowing Totepo to grab it and yank the Beehay towards him. The silent giant reared his fist back and thrust it through the Beehay's shell-coated chest, impaling it and killing it. Turles stood up. "Hey, Totepo, is Gine okay in there? She's not getting shaken around too much, is she?!"

Totepo shook his head, pointing to Gine and giving a thumbs up. Turles sighed. "What a relief..."

Another attack came in, this time threatening to hit Turles. But Toma quickly jumped into the fray and kicked it away. He followed that up by tossing a Flame Ballet and roasting several Beehay at once. More tried to crawl over their dying comrades, rushing in for a kill, but Fasha fired out her Energy Ballet to kill them.

And yet still, more Beehay charged in. Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, and Totepo were all breathing heavy. This was getting to be too much. They were exhausted. As more Beehay rushed in, Turles ran to the front of the pack. He was ready to fight and help his friends. As an overwhelming crowd of Beehay rushed them, the tired Warhammers all took fighting stances. But, before they could even throw a punch, two ki blasts rained down and blew the entire crowd of monsters away. The others flinched back in shock as Bardock landed in front of them, a blast charged in his hand. "It's too early to be tired! Focus your asses up!"

Cassava landed. "Now now. They have every right to be tired. This is overwhelming."

The Warhammer turned and smiled at her subordinates. "You're all doing great. Fine examples of Saiyan soldiers if I've ever seen any. But I think it's time we lessen the load on ourselves just a bit. Toma, my dear, would you be willing to do me a favor?"

Toma nodded. "Yes ma'am, Cassava. What do you need?"

Up on the Beehay's web...

Raiti and Zaacro both watched with disdain as the Saiyans violently struggled against their brethren. Raiti sneered. "I don't see Pithaya down there. Where is that lumbering oaf?!"

Zaacro sighed. "I think he's dead. I don't see Figg either."

Raiti ranted. "Worthless! Utterly worthless! How are we supposed to carry on the will of Lord Arcos when we're surrounded by such incompetence!"

Zaacro agreed. "Useless! Utterly useless! What...THE HELL?!"

Raiti and Zaacro both stared in horror as a ball of flame, Toma's Flame Ballet, crashed into the web and set it ablaze. Zaacro sneered. "Attacking a work of art! The nerve!"

Raiti was about to agree, until he saw the flames reach the squirming cocoons stuck to the web. Raiti gasped. "HE'S TRYING TO RELEASE THE FOOD!"

The two Beehay both tried to rush towards the flames to put them out, but their own weight put too much strain on the fraying web. All at once, the burning structure snapped and crashed to the ground below.

On the ground...

As the other Beehay watched on in confusion, Cassava smirked and pumped her fist. "Yes~"

From the ashes of the web, the formerly captured Warhammer soldiers stood and regained their bearings. Among them, Taro stood and rubbed his eyes. "Shit...I thought it was all over..."

Cassava leapt in, landing next to Taro with a confident gleam in her eyes. "Not yet, Taro! We still have to murderize these bastards for what they've been doing! I'm sure you heard the ranting in your little sleeping bag~?"

Taro nodded. "Yeah. These freaks need to die."

Cassava chuckled. "OKAY, MEN! ATTACK!"

Hearing the order from their commander, the Warhammer soldiers all sprang into action. They rushed towards the hoard of Beehay and started to fight back against their former captors, starting a large-scale war in the stomach of the Mouma!

As her men fought, Cassava grabbed Taro and retreated back to the young Warhammers. She looked around. "Where's Bardock?"

Panbukin groaned. "When you yelled attack, the little psycho rushed into things and started killing."

Cassava chuckled and shook her head. "That guy..."

She sighed. "So, Taro, what do you think?"

Taro looked up at her. She looked down at him. He sighed. "I think this is still a losing effort. The men are exhausted. Probably traumatized too. And these things still outnumber us by a pretty wide margin. You're probably going to have to do a lot of the legwork. And even then, a lot of our men are gonna die before we get out of this stomach."

Cassava nodded. "Turles. You're smart. Care to offer a second opinion?"

Turles flinched. "M-Ma'am...?"

Cassava turned to him. "How should we go about this? Can you think of anything else we might be able to do?"

Taro, Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, and Toteppo are turned and joined Cassava in looking at Turles. The boy blushed. "D-Do you all really...have that much faith in me?"

Cassava nodded. "We do."

Turles' mouth hung agape. They all really did believe in him. He cleared his throat. "W-Well...I think the best course of action would be to have everyone become an Oozaru..."

Taro sighed. "That won't work. We're in a stomach. And we're on a planet with no moon. We're stuck without our greatest weapon..."

Cassava shook her head. "Nope. Wrong Taro."

Taro flinched. "Wh-What?!"

Cassava knelt down, getting face-to-face with Turles. "You asked me, before we came here, some interesting questions. Questions about the day-night cycle of this shitty, little planet. And you've never been the type to ask pointless things. So, what are ya hiding?"

Turles nodded. "I... I've been studying the science behind turning into a Oozaru. Blutz Waves and such. And, uh, I think I've figured out how it works. If I'm right, I should be able to make everyone transform into an Oozaru with the technique I've been working on. But..."

Cassava cocked her head. "But?"

Turles looked up. "I'd need the Mouma to open its mouth so that some sunlight from outside can shine in. The ceiling outside has a massive hole in it, so plenty should be able to reach us. But how will we get this thing to open up?"

Toma was sort of following along. He turned. "Raiti and Zaacro can command this thing. Let's try to find them and force them to-"

Cassava thrust her hand forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. "RARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

The Warhammer fired a ki beam from her hand so mighty that it knocked the soldiers around her off of their feet. The blast shot up and crashed into the lining of the Mouma's stomach, ripping a giant hole into the creature's flesh. The beast roared in pain, it's mouth opening wide as it screamed. From across the stomach, Raiti popped up from the burned remains of the web and shouted. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO OUR DEAR MOUMA?!"

Smirking at the beam of light shining down, Cassava turned to Turles. "You're up, boy genius~"

Turles smiled back at her, holding out his hand and forming a bright white sphere of ki. Taro was confused. "How is that blast meant to turn us into Oozaru?"

Turles chuckled. "It's not a blast. It's a beacon. A miniature moon. A Power Ball!"

He tossed it as hard as he could, sending it shooting into the ray of sunlight shining down the screaming Mouma's gullet. Once it was well within the ray, Turles shouted. "BURST OPEN AND MIX!"

The Power Ball did as it was told, exploding open in a display of brilliant light and forming a pulsating moon in the middle of the Mouma's gut. All at once, Cassava watched as her men on the battlefield began to grow larger and larger. The Beehay screamed in shock and panic as, suddenly, they were set upon by an army of furious Oozaru. Cassava watched with a smirk, cradling the unconscious Gine, as Taro, Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, and Totepo rushed into thing, firing Mouth Blasts with wild abandon at the panicking Beehay. She chuckled. "This is great. You're a genius, Turles~"

Turles smiled. "Thanks!"

Cassava flinched and looked down at him. "H-Hold on a second...why aren't you an Oozaru?!"

Turles cocked his head. "Um, I'm not the best Oozaru in the world. I usually get in Bardock's way when I turn into one. So, I developed a special barrier technique that blocks out Blutz Waves a while ago. My body is coated in it right now."

Cassava scratched her head. "So... you've never been an Oozaru since you joined the Warhammer?"

Turles shook his head. "Nope. I normally just watch from a distance while you guys do your thing. But, um, if I may...why aren't you an Oozaru, Cassava?"

Cassava snapped her fingers and two of the black ki hands showed up. "I asked Cumber not to let me turn into one. Benefit of being an Alpha-Type. Someone needs to lead these rampaging, hairy beasts back to the ship."

Turles flinched. "Lead them?! I thought we were just going to let them rampage and then have them turn back!"

Cassava shook her head. "Nah. That would take too long. Need to take advantage while this Mouma thing's mouth is still open."

She knelt down again, pointing to her back. "Climb on and hold on tight. I need to fly to a higher vantage."

Turles was confused, but he did as he was told. He climbed onto Cassava's back and held on tight. Cassava shot into the air and hovered high above the battlefield. "Now then..."

Suddenly, a couple dozen Beehay shot up from the crowd of rampaging Oozaru, all of them aiming to attack Cassava. The Warhammer rolled her eyes. "For the love of..."

She glanced over at the Power Ball, and then down at Gine cradled in her arms. "You poor thing. I'm sorry..."

Cassava kissed Gine on the forehead, and then pried her eyelids open with her fingers. She held the semi-conscious 7-year-old aloft and pointed her gaze directly at the Power Ball. Gine snarled and began to change and Cassava simply dropped her towards the Beehay. She watched as Oozaru Gine crashed into the attackers like a stone, smashing them all into the fleshy ground below and crushing them dead. Turles gasped. "C-Cassava! How could you?! Wh-What if Gine got hurt from that?! What if-"

Cassava held up her hand. "Honey, I get that you have a crush. And it's adorable. But this is business. If she broke a bone or two, that'll just give you an excuse to get closer to her later~"

Turles sighed. "B-But still..."

Cassava cleared her throat. "Now then. Yo, Cumber! I need your voice. Help a bitch out!"

Turles cocked his head. "Wh-What...?"

Cassava opened her mouth, black-and-red ki erupting from her throat like flames. She took a deep breath and then shouted at the top of her lungs. "CEASE!"

All at once, all of the Oozaru within Cassava's gaze stopped their attack. They turned to her, seemingly calm and docile, and stared at the Warhammer. Cassava spoke again, pointing towards the esophageal tube leading up the Mouma's throat. "CLIMB!"

Turles watched in amazement as the Oozaru all started to leap up and climb up towards the Mouma's screaming mouth. He looked to Cassava. "H-How?! How did you do that?!"

Cassava shrugged. "I don't really understand it myself. But Cumber can control Oozaru with his voice. So, whenever I need to direct traffic, I ask him to lend me his voice for a bit."

Turles' jaw was agape. "Wh-Who is this Cumber person?!"

Cassava shrugged again. "I dunno. He won't tell me. But that's beside the point. Let's get up to the surface and get the hell out of here!"

And then, Cassava rocketed off, shooting up the Mouma's throat with Turles hanging off of her back.

Back on the planet surface...

Cassava shot into the air, high above the Starchian base. Turles was clinging onto her like a backpack. The Warhammer charged a massive blast into her hand and then heaved it down at the base. The resulting explosion sent hunks of metal and skulls on pike scattering to the wind. Once the dust settled, all that was left on the ground where the Starchian base once stood was a pulsating, wide open, toothy maw.

Cassava took a deep breath and shouted again. "Come on, you lot! Apes together strong! Let's pile our asses back to the ship!"

As the Oozaru began to leap out of the Mouma's mouth, Cassava groaned. "I hate to have to do it, but I'm going to have to blast off everyone's tail. The ship isn't big enough for this many Oozaru..."

Turles chuckled. "No you won't~"

Cassava turned to him. Turles smirked. "Observe~"

As the Oozaru got further and further away from the Mouma's mouth, they all slowly began to shrink back into their standard forms. All of the soldiers, including Toma, Fasha, Panbukin, Totepo, and Gine hastily looked around, trying to regain their bearings. Cassava flinched. "So... without immediate proximity..."

Turles nodded. "I adjusted the technique to make it where the waves only spread so far. I designed it to be easy-to-use, easy-to-set-up, and easy-to-deactivate..."

Cassava looked over at Turles and saw a bright, shining smile on the boy's face. She smiled back. "Good job, Turles. Proud of you~"

She tussled his hair and Turles chuckled. Immediately after, he and Cassava descended to the ground. Cassava called out. "Taro! I know you ain't dead yet! Where are you?!"

Sluggishly, Taro lumbered over to Cassava. "Yep. Still alive. What do we do now?"

Cassava gently pulled Turles off of her back and set him down with the rest of his squad. "We head to the ship and get the hell off of this miserable planet. That's what we do."

She motioned to everyone. "Taro! You and the kids lead everyone back to the ship. I'll take up the rear and search for stragglers. Alright?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Cassava nodded back. "Good. Now get moving."

Panbukin looked around. As Cassava was about to leave, he spoke up. "Speaking of stragglers, where the hell is Bardock?"

From deep within the Mouma's gaping mouth, a single Oozaru roar echoed out. Before anyone could even make a snide comment, Cassava sighed. "Lead the others back to the ship, I'll go fetch him."

Taro called out. "Wait! Cassava! Don't be so-"

Cassava blasted off, plunging back down into the Mouma's mouth with reckless abandon. She called out. "Don't worry, Turles! I'll bring your big bro back in one piece even if I come back in pieces!"

Taro groaned. "Dammit Cassava...be careful..."

Back within the belly of the beast...

Cassava came rushing into the Mouma's main stomach chamber to find an entirely unsurprising sight. The rampaging Bardock was swatting at the various Beehay that were floating around him. He was totally blinded by rage. Cassava groaned and scratched her head. "This friggin' guy..."

She took a deep breath and screamed in his general direction. "BARDOCK! MAYBE YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME THE FIRST TIME, BUT IT'S TIME TO LEAVE! GET YOUR ASS CLIMBING UP THIS THINGS THROAT RIGHT NOW!"

Bardock's massive fist punched several of the Beehay out of the air. And then he turned his attention towards Cassava. Cassava sighed. "Fine. Guess I'm going to have to hold you down and clean the wax out of your ears when we..."

Cassava looked towards Bardock and immediately was given pause. He was staring at her, but not the way an Oozaru normally did when she used her Primal Scream. She could see defiance in his eyes, anger even. Cassava's eyes went wide. "Oh shit!"

Bardock lunged at her with an Oozaru Mouth Cannon charged. He fired the beam and Cassava barely dodged what would have been a critical blow. The Warhammer sneered. "Bardock's power level has grown to around 3,500 since he joined up with us. That means that, as an Oozaru, his power level is 35,000...which means..."

Cassava furrowed her brow, a small blush spreading on her cheeks. "...35,000 is bigger than 28,000..."

In that same instance, Bardock's massive Oozaru foot crashed into Cassava, sending her flying and smashing into a wall. Cassava smacked into the flesh-and-bone structure hard and flopped to the ground. Shakily, she pushed herself up. The Warhammer spat a glob of blood out and cracked her neck. "Damn...been a while since I've been hit that hard..."

Cassava watched as Bardock lumbered towards her. "Okay, I'll admit it...you're stronger than me Bardock. Just this once, you win. Cuz I can't turn into an Oozaru to fight you, I might end up losing my mind in the process and then we're both screwed inside this stomach. So, what's a girl to do...?"

The Warhammer looked up at Bardock as he loomed over her. And then, calmly, she spoke. "Cumber."

In her head, Cassava heard a voice speak. "Yes~?"

Cassava was blunt. "Full power. A single punch. If you kill him, I'll never speak to you again."

Cumber sighed. "Fine. But at full power, that might be a tad difficult. He's certainly going to need some bed rest after this~"

Cassava shook her head. "Whatever. We have a med bay on the ship. Just make him stop so I can cut off his tail."

Cumber cackled, and then he opened the flood gate to his power within Cassava. Immediately, all of Cassava's hair stood on end. Her pupils vanished, leaving her eyes a blank white. Dark lines traced beneath her eyes and her teeth sharpened. Perhaps reacting on instinct, Oozaru Bardock took a fearful step back. Cassava stood up, wreathed in black-and-red flames. With Cumber's help, her power level had jumped from 28,000 to 84,000!

Cassava let loose a deep, furious howl that sent shockwaves of energy out. These shockwaves spread throughout the Mouma's stomach, searing the flesh all around drawing a shrill shriek from the massive creature. The Beehay, all staring in shock, had no response other than to be burned alive. Raiti and Zaacro watched as their brethren were all killed and screamed as they themselves were set ablaze. Raiti could only manage one last pitiful shout as he was burned alive. "LORD ARCOS! SAVE MY SOUL! SAVE MY-"

With the rest of the distractions gone, Cassava's ki formed into a single, massive fist. Before Bardock could react, the fist reared back and smashed right into his chest, shattering his armor and sending him flying back a few hundred feet. Bardock crashed into a heap on the ground and Cassava let loose a sigh of relief, allowing Cumber's power to dissipate. Cumber receded back into Cassava, echoing one final whisper as he disappeared. "I think that's about my limit for now, Cassava. Be careful, Fight Buddy~"

Cassava was breathing heavy. "Thanks, Cumber..."

Quickly, she took to the air and summoned a blast in her hand. "Damn it. It's a shame to have to maim you like this, Bardock. But..."

Cassava paused for a moment. "Wait a minute..."

She thought back to the spiel that Turles had given for this little "Power Ball" invention of his. It was designed to be easy-to-use, easy-to-set up, and easy-to-deactivate. She looked up at the glowing, pulsating little sphere. "I wonder..."

Cassava fired her blast at the Power Ball, blowing it to pieces and watching as the energy rained down. She looked over to Bardock expectantly and smiled as, near immediately, the boy began to shrink. Cassava smirked and gave a chuckle. "Turles, you little genius~"

The Warhammer raced down and grabbed the now-normal-sized Bardock, holding him under her right arm like a sack. "Okay. Let's get the hell out of here..."

Cassava took to the air, looking up towards the Mouma's throat. She could see the faintest rays of light shining down. As she rose up, however, a familiar voice suddenly shrieked back to life. "NOT SO FAST, SAIYAN!"

Cassava turned mid-air and looked back down, seeing a half-dead Zaacro sprawled on the ground. A good forty percent of his body had been burned away. Cassava groaned in frustration. "Can't you just...die?!"

Zaacro cackled. "It would appear as if I don't have a choice, but how can Raiti and I slumber in Hell if you're still alive, you brute?! You will not be allowed to leave this glorious beast alive~!"

Cassava shot Zaacro a sideways look and charged a blast. "Uh-huh. And I take it you're going to stop me?"

Zaacro smirked. "Indeed! But not in the way you seem to think~!"

And then, Zaacro whistled. Cassava's eyes went wide as the Beehay shouted out loud. "MOUMA! IT IS TIME TO BEGIN THE DIGESTION PROCESS!"

All at once, the stomach muscles of the Mouma began to contort. The various pores within the walls of flesh surrounding Cassava opened and began to spew gastric acid. All at once, the floor was covered in sizzling death and the shrieking Zaacro began to melt. He cackled as he died, screaming the same manic phrase. "Kill the Saiyan! In the name of Lord Arcos! Kill the Saiyan! Kill the Saiyan! Kill the Slayvannnnnnn..."

Cassava flinched in shock, looking up to see the valves in the Mouma's throat slowly squeezing closed. "Shit. SHIT!"

Immediately, Cassava shot towards the closing throat valve of the Mouma. She went flying up the long, esophageal tube with Bardock held tightly beneath her arm. She watched as the valve drew tighter and tighter. In spite of her moving at top speed, every last impulse in Cassava's body told her that she wasn't going to make it. "Damn..."

As they drew closer, Cassava realized that they were too late. Flying how she was, the valve would close before they reached it. So, as she had done through her entire life, Cassava improvised. Using her left hand, Cassava charged a massive ki blast and fired it, using the extra propulsion to make herself and her unconscious cargo fly even faster. Cassava smirked. "We're going to make it~"

"NO YOU WON'T!"

From within the rising lake of bubbling acid, Zaacro's melting form shot out. He shot up at Cassava, catching the woman off-guard. For a brief moment, her blast faltered and Zaacro was able to get her. He opened his mouth wide and bit down on Cassava's free hand, just as she and Bardock were about to make it through the valve. Cassava snarled. "Nasty cockroach! Get off me!"

But it was too late. Cassava's legs, torso, arm holding Bardock, and head all made it past the shrinking valve. However, the extra weight from Zaacro's body slowed her just enough that-

*SNAP*

Cassava screamed in pain. "AGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Bardock's eyes opened half-lidded. "What's...going on...?"

Cassava was wincing in pain. "N-Nothing...just hold still so I don't drop you..."

The Warhammer looked around, seeing pools of gastric acid seeping from beneath the esophageal valve of the Mouma. It was a sea of boiling death below. If the barely conscious Bardock were to fall, it would be the last fall he'd ever take. Cassava sighed through her nose. "Damnmit..."

*CRUNCH*

"OW! SHIT! YOU MOTHER-"

Bardock began to thrash around, still in an unaware haze. "What?! What's going on?! Where's Turles?!"

Cassava squeezed him tight. "HOLD STILL!"

With Bardock subdued, Cassava looked back down at her arm. The section of it leading into the esophageal valve was dark purple and she could tell that it was broken. And on the other side of the valve, though she couldn't see it...

*CRUNCH*

Cassava winced as she lost the feeling in a second finger. She felt blood spurting from her knuckle on the other side...and she also felt Zaacro's teeth grinding through the flesh on her middle finger. Cassava was sweating hard. And, as if all of that wasn't enough, the light was slowly fading. She looked up and saw that the Mouma's jaws were slowly closing as well. The window of escape was getting smaller and smaller.

Still a tad out of it, Bardock was looking around and trying to gain his bearings. He looked up and saw Cassava desperately prying at the valve, trying to loosen it just enough to yank her arm out. But she was unable to get it apart. Cassava looked down at Bardock. "Can you fly?!"

Bardock scoffed. "Of course, I can! Let me go, ya dumb bitch!"

Cassava loosened her grip and Bardock immediately slipped out, falling like a hammer towards the acid. Cassava immediately snagged him by his tail. "Damn it, Cumber! I told you not to hit him too hard!"

With the acid below, the jaws above closing, her arm trapped, and Bardock out of it, Cassava's options were quite slim. She looked around, hoping for anything that would help her...but found nothing. If she had a free hand, she could easily pry the valve and save herself. But that would mean death for Bardock.

Cassava looked down at the boy and Bardock glared back. "...what?!"

She sighed...and then started charging a blast in her mouth. Bardock flinched. "Wh-What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Cassava responded. "Making a choice."

And then she fired the blast from her mouth.

At the Warhammer ship...

Taro rapidly motion towards the remaining troops that had yet to board the ship. "Come on! Come on! Cassava is going to be here any minute and she's going to want to leave as soon as she steps foot in the ship! Hurry your asses up!"

Quickly, the last few soldiers managed to run up the ramp and into the ship. Taro watched them go in and sighed. "Damn. This is a shitshow. Hurry the hell up, Ca-"

Hearing footsteps behind himself, Taro turned. "Speak of the devil. What took you so long Cassava?"

The sight that the shorter Saiyan came upon when he turned was the last thing he ever expected to see. Cassava was draped over the arms of an utterly shell-shocked Bardock. The boy stood there, his stare stretching for what seemed like miles. Veins bulged from Taro's head and he ran up to Bardock, snatching Cassava away and shoving the boy to the ground. "C-Cassava! I... you..."

Taro moved Cassava's cape out of the way and he felt like he was going to throw up. Where Cassava once had a left arm, there was now just a bloodied stump. The woman's face was pale as a sheet from blood loss. She was limp and cold. In that instance, all of the soldierly toughness drained from Taro's face. He looked less like a warrior and more like a worried parent. "Y-Your arm! What happened to...to your...your..."

He turned to Bardock with a furious glare in his eyes. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Bardock didn't say a word. He knelt down on the floor; his expression frozen in blank disbelief. He looked up at Taro, catching sight of Cassava's missing arm and cringing. "I'm...sorry..."

Taro looked from Cassava, to Bardock, and then back to Cassava. He sneered. "Son of a bitch. Let's get the hell off of this nightmare planet..."

In space, near Planet Starch...

The Warhammer ship blasted away at top speed, the traumatized soldiers watching with relief as the hellish Planet Starch got farther and farther away. Bardock, Turles, and the rest of the young Warhammers all sat huddled in a group. Bardock was still stunned at the sacrifice that Cassava had made for him.

Taro stood over the unconscious Cassava, staring down at her with a weary, furious scowl. He gently placed his hand near the bleeding stump where Cassava's arm was once attached. He growled to himself. "How could you let this happen to yourself?! Dammit, Cassava, you shouldn't have turned back for one single-"

Cassava's eyes lazily opened. She was clearly delirious from excessive blood loss. But, still, she sat up with a groan. "Taro...stop the ship..."

Taro flinched. "Wh-What?!"

Cassava spoke again. "Stop the ship. And open the rear hangar. Now."

Taro thought for a moment to argue, but then the black-and-red ki began to emanate from Cassava and he knew that this was one order that he had better obey. Taro went about carrying out Cassava's orders as the Warhammer limped towards the rear hangar. She collapsed by the shutter and waited for it to open. Fasha came running up, trailed by the others from her group. "Cassava! Are you okay?! What are we doing?!"

Cassava glared at the shutter. "Finishing things. Now just shut up and watch."

Fasha fell silent as the rear shutter opened. The artificial atmosphere within the ship quickly kicked in and prevented the soldiers from being sucked out into space. Cassava glared towards Planet Starch, watching as the surface cracked like an egg. "There you are..."

Cassava grimaced. "I hate worms..."

Erupting from within the planet, the sight of the Mouma caught most of the Warhammer soldiers off-guard. It was a massive, red-eyed worm with sharp, needle-like fangs. It howled, sending silent vibrations crashing into the ship. The other soldiers reacted with displeasure to the turbulence, but Cassava simply glared at the beast. "You want my arm?! You can have it! And along with it, you can have my best attack! I hope you're ready, monster!"

The beast continued to emerge from within the planet. It was clear that it was planning to charge the Warhammer ship. A single black hand emerged from Cassava's back and assumed a certain stance. Cassava brought her remaining hand to join it as the Mouma began to shoot towards them. She sneered. "GALICK GUN!"

The Mouma seemed to realize what it was charging towards, but it was too late. Cassava thrust her single hand forward and shouted. "FIRE!"

The purple beam shot from Cassava and crashed right into the Mouma. The resulting explosion of ki was so massive that the beast couldn't escape. Helplessly, the monster was plowed back into Planet Starch. Cassava roared with fury and the ki became even more intense, engulfing the Mouma and then shooting all the way through Starch. Cassava skewered the planet, busting its core to pieces. And then, all at once, the planet with up like a firework and exploded into dust.

Cassava was heaving for breath, her eyes tired and face exhausted. Roughly, she snarled at the now empty section of space. "Choke on it."

And then Cassava fell back, right into the waiting arms of Taro. The Warhammer had won against her foes, but she had been left unconscious and critically injured.

Days later, in the Warhammer Ship infirmary...

Bardock stared in shock as he tried to comprehend what he had just been told. Taro stood there, scratching the back of his head. "Look. I know that you aren't too happy about this, but-"

Bardock leapt from the bed and shoved Taro into a wall. "NOT TOO HAPPY?! I didn't event that damned technique! Turles did! And you all just expect me to take credit for it?!"

Taro held his hands up. "Look, kid, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a little bit of misplaced credit. It's not like-"

Bardock snarled. "YOU'RE ASKING ME TO SCREW MY LITTLE BROTHER!"

Taro flinched. He saw the look in Bardock's eyes and he sighed again. He really didn't know what to say here. He knew the reasoning behind it and he didn't like it himself, but if he gave that reasoning to Bardock...then Bardock might flip out and go on a rampage. Taro closed his eyes and remembered what was said in the meeting Cassava took part in.

"There would be no bigger disgrace to the Saiyan Empire than to credit an advancement like this to a Low-Class cripple."

Taro sighed. "Look. It's...Cassava said the reasoning behind the cover up is to get other Saiyans to use it. This is a big advancement for us, Bardock! The Saiyan Race could flourish with that Power Ball that your brother invented! I'm sure Turles will take comfort in that..."

Bardock sneered. "Cassava, eh? Well then..."

He immediately hopped from his bed and shoved Taro out of the way. "I guess I'll just have to go and beat the hell out of that bitch! Maybe then she'll learn the proper way to give credit!"

Taro flinched in shock, watching as Bardock went running down the hallway. "Bardock! Wait!"

On the Warhammer ship, outside Cassava's quarters...

Bardock ran down the hallway, shoving various people out of his way. He could see Cassava's door. He was going to fix this. Nobody was going to force him to steal Turles' credit, to betray Turles like this. He was going to get this set straight right away!

As he got closer to Cassava's door, Bardock saw it begin to creak open. He shouted at the top of his lungs. "YOU'D BETTER GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY! I HAVE BUSINESS WITH-"

The door opened and Turles stepped out. He had a solemn look on his face, his shoulders slumped and his head hung low. Bardock screeched to a halt, stopping just short of plowing into his feebler twin. He spoke. "T-Turles? What are you doing in Cassava's office...?"

Turles was silent. That silence gave Bardock enough time to truly scan his brother's face. A heavy, solemn sadness was radiating off of Turles and it made Bardock's blood boil. "I'll kill her! I swear! How dare she go along with this!"

Turles spoke in a small voice. "Bardock..."

Bardock continued to rant. "I'LL KICK HER ASS! I'LL BEAT HER UNTIL YOU CAN'T RECOGNIZE HER! I'LL TEAR OFF HER OTHER ARM!"

Turles spoke up a bit more. "Bardock..."

Bardock snarled. "I'LL-"

Turles finally shouted. "BARDOCK!"

Bardock flinched, having never heard his brother raise his voice like that before. Turles looked at his brother with a pained expression. "Listen to me, please. I... I'm not upset about the Power Ball thing. You're the fighter, not me. So... you can have the credit. I'm giving it to you. Okay?"

The angry young Saiyan was stunned. "But...Turles..."

Turles raised his hand. "Look. Just...accept the credit and drop it. Okay? It's fine. We don't need to make a big deal of it. Just...accept the credit and take whatever comes with it. I certainly don't need it..."

Turles walked right past Bardock, confusing the older brother. He cocked his head. "Turles...where ya goin'?"

Turles didn't even look back, he simply spoke in the basest voice he could manage. "I'm going to pack my stuff out of our barracks. I've been transferred to ship maintenance and repair, effective today."

Bardock flinched. "Wh-What?! How did that happen?! I...I can't join maintenance, Turles. You know I'm not good with-"

Turles interrupted. "Then don't. Keep being a soldier. Keep fighting on the frontlines. It's what you're good at."

Bardock countered. "But then...how are we supposed to stick together?!"

Turles gripped his fist tight and shook his head. "We don't, Bardock. That's the point. I..."

A long pause. Then, Turles finished. "I need space."