Bardock stands before King Kai, a halo over his head.
"Damn does it feel good to be back in a body," he says. "I didn't expect you to be asking for my help again."
"I'm afraid the situation is quite dire, and I need someone I can trust."
"Hah, don't lie to me. You're just desperate. You have no idea what I'll do once you let me off your little abode. There's a reason you and your friends sent me to Hell in the first place."
"You may not believe you are worthy of my trust, but I have seen the goodness in you. I wouldn't have called upon you, if I had any doubt you would make the situation worse."
Bardock spits and rubs the saliva into the grass with his boot.
"Whatever you say. I'm only here because I heard there was going to be a fight. So where's my opponent?"
"I'll provide you with transport. I have sent some fighters ahead of you, but they have been outmatched by the group defiling the heavens."
"A group, huh. No one said anything about stopping a group."
"Bardock, please. This is no time for jokes."
Bardock grins.
"Alright, alright. I'll help. But on one condition."
His teeth flash a big smile.
"I'm going to need my crew."
###
"Looks like your friends are in some deep trouble," says Daizu.
Piccolo grins.
"Oh don't worry about them. Your situation is far worse," says Piccolo.
"Is that right?"
Daizu raises his flaming right hand. Piccolo forces a large amount of ki to both shoulders from his core. They swell with the power. Daizu clenches his fist. Bullets fire one after another from his Meteo Boru hovering above.
Piccolo dodges one, then a second, and even the third. As he does, his ki drops to his upper arms, inflating the biceps and triceps. Daizu clobbers him in the jaw with a left hook.
As Piccolo recoils and falls, he sees a smile on Daizu's face. He returns one of his own and stretches both arms to grab his opponent's wrists. He drives downward to pull with the elongated tethers. Daizu is forced between himself and the troublesome technique floating overhead.
Piccolo grunts as he forces the deforming energy through his forearms to his hands. He lets go of Daizu.
"Bakurikimaha!"
Yellow light spills from both palms. Beams expand and merge to fire as one. The giant blast roars as it engulfs Daizu. It slams him backward into the reddish white sphere above. It diffuses and absorbs its energy as it rips upward into the canopy of branches covering the sky.
"Daizu!" says Turles, speeding after him. He smashes through scraping branches and their thorny twigs. "Daizu, where are you?"
He sees his friend lying slung over a log on his back. He comes up from below and lifts his head and back to ease the uncomfortable position.
"How you feeling Daizu?"
Daizu coughs. Saliva droplets tinged with blood take flight.
"Not good boss," he says. "I think I've had it."
"No way. You just have to hang on until the fruit's ready. A bite of that will fix you right up."
"Thank you. I didn't think I'd get a chance to live again."
"Don't you give up yet!"
Daizu smiles. His neck goes lip, and his eyes stare off without focus.
"Daizu … Daizu!"
Turles' chin drops to his chest. He snorts back some mucus. His arms scoop up Daizu's body, and he floats down to the ground. Piccolo watches as he passes. The other members of his crew stop for a moment of silence.
Turles lays Daizu down and kneels at his side. He places a hand on Daizu's chest and holds the position for several seconds.
"I'll bring you back," he says.
He stands and sends Piccolo a searing glare.
"Let's finish this, boys!"
He jets from the ground with a sonic boom and dust cloud.
Piccolo, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Roshi flinch as their opponents charge them.
Five figures intercept the fervor fueled enemies. Toma cuts off Kakao. Yamcha experiences déjà vu as he recognizes him from his training. Panbukin steps between Amondo and Roshi. Seripa and Totepo engage each of the twins. Chiaotzu gapes at the female Saiyan. A shiver from the memory of her killing him creeps down his spine.
Turles feels his body go numb as the final Saiyan intervenes between him and Piccolo. He gawks as he slows to a stop.
"Fa-father?"
Bardock squints his eyes as he studies Turles.
"Goku?"
"No! Don't say that name. It's me, Kakarot. I'm your son. Not that imposter."
"You're a spitting image of him that's for sure. But Goku would never go around stealing the life of planets for his own personal gain. Pretty cool plan though. And to do it against the Kais themselves. That takes some guts."
"It really is me, Kakarot, your son," says Turles, desperation in his voice. "I completed my mission on Earth. I wiped it out. I know I did. I'm a real Saiyan."
"You'd make a fine Saiyan, there's no doubt about it. But Earth wasn't destroyed. And I'm not your dad."
"No! How can you say that? My own father. My flesh and blood. Why do you disown me? What did I do wrong? Why would you choose that tender heart over me?"
"You didn't do anything wrong. I'd be proud to call you my son but it just isn't how things are. I don't know where you came from or why you have those memories, but they aren't real."
Turles lowers his head. His hands clench into fists at his waist. They tremble so hard they shake his entire arms.
"Even if my memories are wrong," he says.
Bardock can barely hear him. Turles' head snaps up. A frightening mania contorts his face.
"I can make them a reality. I'll escape this place and go to Earth. I'll destroy it again if I have to. And with this…"
He pulls the sheet of paper from the Book of the Living out of his armor's collar.
"I can kill Goku."
"What's that?" says Bardock.
"Why this is your son's ticket to the mortal world. I was afraid to destroy it, worrying that it might affect me. But since you're so sure we're not the same person, I see no harm in doing it now."
"That's the coward's way to handle your battle. Act like a real Saiyan and challenge him face to face."
"Well if you want to stop me, then you better take it from me."
A raging, violet aura bursts forth from his body as he stuffs the paper back below his neckline.
Piccolo hovers up beside Bardock.
"So you're a Saiyan, huh?"
Bardock glances back at Piccolo.
"Is that a problem?"
"Your kind have given us some real trouble in the past."
"That's not surprising. But right now we have a common enemy. You got anything left to fight this guy?"
"I'm pretty spent, but I've still got a little energy."
"Cover me then."
A white aura breaks from Bardock as he tries to match Turles' output.
###
Toma chases Kakao around but cannot catch him. He takes a kick to the chin. He backflips and lands beside Yamcha on the ground.
"This guy's pretty quick, huh?" says Toma.
"Yeah, and he doesn't seem to tire since his flying is assisted by those rockets," says Yamcha. "I might have something that can take him out if you can slow him down."
"I'll do my best. Don't miss. And stop giving me that weird look. It's freaking me out."
"Right, sorry. Let's go."
Toma nods and dives into the air towards Kakao. Blue ki expands from both palms.
"Try to dodge this!"
He takes aim with both hands and a volley of energy spheres streak from them. Kakao evades each shot of the mortar shower. He tries to escape it, but Toma keeps him near the center by adjusting his aim with every aerial maneuver.
Toma pumps out stream after stream of blasts along with a number of sweat beads from his body to match.
Kakao feels excess heat burn his skin from every jet overexerting itself to keep up the evasion.
Yamcha watches the display as he inflates the spiritual meridians of his body to draw in extra ki. He raises both hands to the right side of his head. Red ki burns from them as it flares erratically under the strain to control it.
One of his legs crouches as he prepares to launch the attack.
"Kaio-Rogafufu-Ken!"
He leaps from the ground. He flies fast with a white aura around his whole body except for the crimson of his hands.
Toma sees him coming and throws everything he has into one last barrage to keep Kakao pinned down.
Yamcha flies straight into the thinning hailstorm. Kakao notices the surprise attack and adjusts his legs so the rockets push him aside. A couple of them explode from the excessive load. He manages to slip to Yamcha's left but cannot escape further.
Yamcha twists his body as he passes Kakao and throws down his palms to strike. They find Kakao's chest. A wolf's head takes shape in the fiery aura. The silver armors caves beneath the extreme force. Yamcha's momentum carries him by as Kakao streaks for the ground.
His cyborg body crashes. Overworked machine parts explode from the impact. Scattered, flaming debris lands everywhere.
###
Roshi and Panbukin stare down Amondo.
"Two on one huh," says Amondo. "I'd better cut down the odds."
He holds out his hand. A dark orange ki orb forms between his fingers. He swings his arm behind himself and throws it forward. His whole body breaks into a spin. As he whirls around like a tornado, the orb flattens and widens with every pass.
"Destructo Disc!"
An orange saucer with a dark edge zips from the spinning Amondo. It cuts so fast, Roshi and Panbukin barely break apart to dodge the attack. A cut splits open each of their cheeks as the deadly attack passes between them.
"Woah, almost lost my head again," says Roshi.
Amondo flings free of his spin to divebomb Panbukin. His shoulder slams his rotund opponent's gut, knocking the breath out of him. Amondo follows the tackle by lifting Panbukin up by the armpits. He smashes their foreheads together and throws him hard to the ground. Blood runs between Panbukin's unconscious eyes.
"There we go," says Amondo, turning to face Roshi. "Now it's just the two of us again."
"That was a nice attack."
Shock pops on Amondo's face. Two arms slip under his own. Their hands lock behind his head.
"Let me show you mine," says Panbukin.
He bends his knees and jumps high into the air.
"Now's my chance," says Roshi as Panbukin reaches the apex of his leap.
He gathers up his ki to prepare a final attack. The muscles of his arms, legs, and torso swell with power.
"Let me go!" says Amondo.
"Oh, I will," says Panbukin. "Masshibu Kataparuto!"
A pink aura flares from his body and engulfs Amondo in its light flame. Panbukin releases one arm and elbows Amondo between the shoulder blades, pushing Amondo ahead of him. He takes aim with his right shoulder and pulls his knees up to his hips. He shoots down upon his descending adversary.
The impact bends Amondo's spine over the arm. Panbukin unleashes all his energy and collides with the ground. A crater forms as a cloud of debris rises.
Roshi witnesses the disastrous results of the attack. Green electricity sparks from his hands as they release a ghastly aura.
"I'm only going to get one shot at this," he says. He cups his hands at his waist and chants.
"Kah, meh, hah, meh…"
A bluish white sphere grows between his glowing palms. He senses a combative exchange between the fighters in the crater. One of the ki signatures fades away.
The huge form of Amondo stomps out of the crater. His deliberate steps and breathing reveal the first signs of damage. The prison clothes cling to him in tatters. He drags the body of a senseless Panbukin and drops him at the lip. His eyes meet Roshi's.
"Hah!"
Roshi unleashes the immense power spilling over from his hands. A pure white beam surrounded in cackling green lightning streaks forth.
Amondo roars as he challenges the beam. He places his hands upon the charging energy. The impact bends his wrists back to the point of excruciating pain. The electric arcs lap at his forearms with numbing zaps.
The wave pushes him back. His foot slips into the crater and throws him off balance. His elbows bend as he almost loses control of the attack.
He steadies himself and straightens his arms once more. He grits his teeth and pushes harder against the storming power.
Roshi feels his ki reserves depleting at a rapid pace. He can feel Amondo's doing the same to defend himself. His muscles deflate as his ki drains from his body. The beam loses mass alongside them.
When the wave subsides, Roshi and Amondo make eye contact from across the battlefield. Amondo's hands are black with burns. His entire shirt is stripped away.
Amondo says nothing as he summons the last of his ki to an orb in his hand. Roshi prepares what little he has left as the foe starts to spin himself.
This is it, Roshi thinks. If it comes to a fight without ki, he will surely win.
Amondo's orb flattens and releases as a slicing saucer. Roshi reaches out his hands as if to catch it. The whirling, razor-sharp blade zips straight at him. He slips one hand over top of it and one below. They clap together, but the spinning surface slides in his grip. His hands burn from the friction.
The attack follows the channel of his arms towards his chest. Roshi hops to the left and twists sideways, but the motion is not enough to dodge the disc. His hands follow the slicing attack as the edge reaches his chest.
Roshi inhales and heaves out a grunt for a big push. The buzz saw slows, and he is able to slide it away from his torso with the help of the outward momentum from his spin. He twists all the way around for a complete circle. Upon facing up to Amondo again, he releases the attack right back at him.
Amondo staggers sideways. His own attack slices a laceration halfway into the side of his abdomen. Both hands grab the horrible wound as blood pours from it down his stomach and back. He collapses to the ground and huffs for air a couple times. And then he is still.
Roshi checks Panbukin's vitals. He finds a pulse and collapses from exhaustion beside him.
###
"Alright Totepo," says Seripa. "You bring the power, and I'll bring the grace."
"You got it. Let's squash these guys."
Totepo heaves in air. A yellow light forms behind his tonsil. A humongous beam fires from his mouth. Rakasei and Rezun dive to the sky to dodge. The turbulence in the air from the blast rattles their ascent.
Seripa forms a pink ki orb in both hands.
"Enaji Baretto!"
She drops one of the spheres. Her right leg bends behind her, nearly touching her back. It swings forward and crushes the orb. It takes an oblong shape as it ricochets off the kick. She repeats the process for the other ki object and left foot.
Both shots find their mark. Rakasei and Rezun explode from the impact and fall to the ground.
Totepo prepares another cannon by filling his lungs, intending to decimate one of the twins. Seripa charges the other to keep up the offense.
The twins dart together and clasp hands face to face. Seripa aborts her approach as Totepo finishes his preparations.
"Do they want to die together?" she says.
Totepo fires the yellow beam.
Rakasei and Rezun channel their energy which manifests as a unified red aura around them.
Chiaotzu senses something strange about their ki. It actually merges together as a single indistinguishable source. It phases back and forth between them. Each time it does, it gets stronger. It is as if two waves are rising and falling at opposite intervals. Their energy waxes and wanes so that while one is coming down, the other is peaking for perfect efficiency and to ensure maximum strength at all times.
The twins unclasp their hands and throw them forward to form a cross shape with their palms.
"Jemini Shotto!"
Beams fire from their hands in the form of a sine wave. The opposite oscillations create a pattern of chained infinity signs. Their leads endlessly loop up and down to cross each other's path. It collides with Totepo's attack. It pierces with little resistance as the yellow wave splays aside in many splintering angles.
The two beams collide with Totepo's chest and rip him from the ground. He rockets backward until the twins ease up their attack. Totepo rolls along the dry soil until he is still.
"You bastards!" says Seripa. She charges the twins.
"No! Wait!" says Chiaotzu. "Their energy is rebounding back."
His words are too late as Seripa commits to her attack. The twins take aim. The infinity pattern shoots again. It punches Seripa in the abdomen, cracking her armor. As air rushes from her lungs, she loses consciousness and falls to the ground.
"Whew," says Rakasei, separating from Rezun. "I didn't think we'd be forced to use our trump card like that."
"Heh, heh," says Rezun. "Experimenting with using our powers to their utmost efficiency has certainly been interesting. I can't wait to discover what else this energy is capable of."
"Yes, but first we must deal with the last one."
Chiaotzu gulps as they take flight for him. They appear much slower than before. His confidence bolsters thinking they must be exhausted from the last attack. He readies himself with a new stance.
Chiaotzu spreads his feet to shoulder width while reaching his open palms to the sky. He tilts his head back.
"Why's he just leaving himself open like that?" says Rakasei.
"Might be a trick," says Rezun. "Cover me and I'll go in first."
Rezun swoops in for a punch. Chiaotzu withdraws into a traditional stance and blocks the fist with his forearm. He slams his other palm against Rezun's chest. Snowy particles of blue and white dance from his hand.
A cold chill expands inside Rezun's body from the point of contact. He tries to pull away from it, but his strength drains as he realizes the coldness he feels is his life force being stolen. He drops to his knees, unable to move.
"Rezun!" says Rakasei, charging in.
Chiaotzu peels his hand free from Rezun's chest, starting with the base of his palm. His skin sticks all the way up to his fingertips as they leave the body. A white orb with a blue aura leaves Rezun's torso to follow Chiaotzu's hand. It is a little larger than a dragon ball, but he senses great power within it.
He twists and throws the sphere at Rakasei. Rakasei squints his eyes as the blinding light swallows him. Pure white plasma arcs expand from his body as the attack explodes over him. Chiaotzu holds up an arm to shield his face.
Rakasei shoots upward and away leaving behind a lightning bolt trail. He lands in a smoldering heap.
Chiaotzu drops to his hands and knees, gasping for air. He surveys the battlefield. Only the leader remains fighting Piccolo and the last able-bodied Saiyan.
Author's Note 12/03/22: This is just a minor apology for a formatting issue with the last chapter. There were supposed to be clear scene breaks to transition between the battles. I forgot to double check they were copied over correctly, and they ended up missing entirely. That has been corrected now. I apologize if the action was hard to follow for anyone who read the chapter without the scene breaks.