King

Chapter 25: A Bitter Taste

A/N: Something must be in the water because I got a butt-load of wonderful reviews! My 10 fans delivered! As always, my somewhat thought-out responses to them are at the bottom.


The wind was unrelenting. A few scattered trees in West City were bent slightly, their leaves tumbling off in a disorderly procession.

In a matter of seconds, any visible trace left of Chiaotzu was scattered by that same wind.

Tien stood opposite of Tambourine, clutching his chest with his right hand. His anger- his madness- was welling up inside him with a ferocity he had never felt before. His teammate- his friend- was completely erased by two motions of an arm. Like that. The sheer ease of the act-

Tambourine lunged for Tien, taking advantage of his opponent's momentary daze. He closed, ten, five feet-

And the Crane fighter pivoted and swung a kick into his body, easily twice as strong as anything he had hit him with before. Tambourine felt the anatomical equivalent of his ribs crack, as his body was sent spinning away to crash into a wall of a nearby building. The one attack had utterly stunned him.

With a ferocious yell, Tien ran and flew into the air, his body outstretched like a pillar as he sped towards Piccolo. Bug-eyed as he turned away from his killing motion just moments before, King Piccolo was rammed by Tien's body, as the two of them tumbled out of the sky towards the ground. Even as they descended, Tien was pummeling into Piccolo with every ounce of energy he had. They hit the ground on the opposite side of the battlefield, out of sight up and beyond at the small hillside slope where everyone else was currently fighting.

Launch and Cymbal were momentarily distracted by that turn of events, but as soon as Piccolo and Tien dropped out of sight, Cymbal turned to the human fighter with a wicked grin. 'The King killed one of your fool friends. Do you know what that means? He has grown bored of you all. This is the beginning of the end.'

'Yea?' Launch shot back, 'we'll see whether that's true in a few minutes,' she said as she bent her knees, preparing to go toe-to-toe with the monster again.

'You don't understand,' Cymbal rumbled again, lifting his arms in front of him, his fingers glowing blue-white 'this is your end…'

Like a storm cloud, blue strands of electricity shot out of Cymbal's fingers, arcing towards Launch. She instinctively braced her arms- and was immediately wracked with pain as the attack collided with her block. Slowly, she felt her voluntary grasp on her muscles slip, as her arms and legs slackened, causing her to drop haggardly to the ground. Her body began to shake uncontrollably form the electricity, as she repeatedly began to rise and collapse in rhythm. It felt like every inch of her body was being cordoned and cut everywhere, every second.

Cymbal approached her, arcs still spitting from his fingers, as his shadow came to envelop Launch's fallen form. 'Like I said,' he grinned wickedly, intensifying his attack and eliciting a stronger cry of pain from Launch, 'the beginning of the end- though more like the end, now.'

The pain climbed, growing stronger than anything Launch could have ever imagined. She felt blissful, soothing darkness start to wrap itself around her mind- please, no more pain, please- but halfway through, that blanketing approach halted, then abruptly withdrew. She belatedly realized she was panting on the ground, still a tangled mass. Cymbal still stood over her- clawing at a massive hole that had appeared in his abdomen.

0o0o0

Rayne, in response to a hand slapping her face, slowly opened her eyes. She realized she was in an alley, much like where she had ferried Krillin to earlier. The thought of the former monk suddenly alerted her, as she forced her eyes to focus on the person above her- is that- Krillin?-

Sight returned to her in earnest. Chi-Chi was kneeling beside her, resting the hand of her good arm just above Rayne's chest. Dimly, Rayne felt a smidgen of ki ease into her- and for the first time in hours, she found she was able to take a deep breath, sparkling and refreshing in its length. The pain eviscerating her chest- which had nearly stopped her from breathing- was gone.

'There,' Chi-Chi knelt back, sitting on her legs. 'That should have moved your ribs a little closer back to their original positions. Breathing better?'

Rayne nodded vigorously. 'Chi-Chi, I- what are you doing here?'

'Helping out, what else?' she said, smiling.

'But- your arm-'

Chi-Chi briefly looked at her arm, then turned back towards Rayne with a grin. 'You'd be surprised what I can do with one arm. Speaking of which- stay here.'

Even though she was breathing better, Rayne was in no position to move, much less fight. 'Don't have to tell me twice,' she exhaled, shifting her eyes to the sky above her.

With a flourish of movement, Chi-Chi skulked out of the alleyway, making her way back to the battlefield. From her position behind a piece of rubble, she was able to watch all three fights happening simultaneously- Tien trading blow for blow against that slim, winged green monster, Launch fighting against that bulging, winged green monster, and Chiaotzu locked in a distance duel with that pale, dinosaur figure. It disturbed Chi-Chi that, throughout all of this, Piccolo's calm and measured surveying of the battles never wavered. Like… he was waiting for something.

He was- when the moment arose, Chi-Chi was powerless. Piccolo moved far too quick, far too fast- as Chiaotzu's life was extinguished in a few brief moments.

Tien charged after Piccolo in righteous rage- they passed out of her sight. It was lucky that, before he had done that, he had planted Tambourine into a building wall. A minute had passed, and still, the winged humanoid was struggling to get back on his feet.

When Launch started to crumble against Cymbal's electric attack, Chi-Chi's role, as advised to her by the others when they arrived, came into focus. Stay undetected. Support us from the sidelines. Intervene only if someone's life depends on it, and end it quickly. She had done well so far by pulling Rayne out and stabilizing her. Now, faced with Launch's possible last moments among the living, Chi-Chi knew it was time to decisively act. She had been focusing her ki since she had got here in preparation for this exact scenario.

Moving quickly, Chi-Chi scampered to a distance of about fifty feet away from Cymbal, his back to her. With her good hand, she seemed to grasp something in the air, her fingers curling against the invisible object. Her eyes locked on the small of Cymbal's back. Then, in one smooth movement, she extended her hand, visualizing the fighter who had fought Kakarot- what now felt like ages ago- in that snowy field outside Jingle Village. From her hand a thick, blue beam, emerged, the ki coming to a point at the edge of its head. The beam loped across the battlefield, hitting a turned-away Cymbal square in the back- and passing through him like he was paper. As it exited, the beam safely dissipated instead of detonating.

Cymbal stood for a moment, the electricity draining from his fingers like a spigot of water being tightened. Then, without any fanfare, he collapsed sideways to the ground, unmoving. Launch, breathless, was only able to glance across the battlefield at the waving Chi-Chi. She forced a small smile through her exhausted exterior and flashed a weary thumbs up.

Chi-Chi walked over and helped Launch to her feet. There was no time to talk before another figure descended from the sky to face them. Tambourine had finally removed himself from the building- the bruise spreading across his body only seemed to highlight the anger playing across his face. He regarded his fallen brother for a second before turning away in disgust and sliding into a guard.

Hesitantly, Launch and Chi-Chi did the same.

0o0o0

A fist slammed into Piccolo's block, driving him deeper into the dirt. Before he could react, another fist crashed into him, then another, as a cascade of strikes fell upon him. Beneath his steady block, Piccolo found himself growing angry. Here I am, at my peak power- and this fool is actually moving me! Unacceptable! 'HRAAAH!' Snarling, Piccolo flared his ki, buffeting Tien back a few feet even as his feet struggled to find purchase, Tien's face burned with the intensity of a hundred firestorms. As he was pushed backward, he lifted one hand and shot out an impromptu ki blast. Piccolo easily batted it away- though, like before, he had to move back to deal with Tien's attack. They came to stand about ten feet from each other.

Even though Tien was tall, Piccolo seemed to tower over him, his stature menacing. Tien's muscled, shirtless body gleaned in the light of the now setting sun- shadows of the West City skyscrapers were now drifting lazily across the ground. If Tien was exhausted, he didn't feel it- his rage was all consuming.

Snarling, Piccolo charged Tien after their brief break, driving a knee into Tien's cross-block. He then tried to swipe at the Crane fighter with his fanged hands- but they passed through air as Tien nimbly dodged back. Tien ducked under a follow-up punch and swung out his leg, sweeping Piccolo off his feet. As the demon king fell, Tien raised both of his hands over his head, their combined grasp sparkling with gold energy.. 'TAKE THIS! HAAAH!' he yelled as he slammed the blast downwards, exploding against Piccolo point-blank and driving him deeper into the ground. Tien followed up the attack by jumping into the resulting smoke, aiming a stomp towards Piccolo's downtrodden body- but he hit the ground instead. A fist collided with Tien's back, sending him sprawling out of the smoke, dust wreathing around his limbs like wisps of fabric. He spun once, twice in the air, before he righted himself and landed unsteadily on the ground. From the dust, Piccolo emerged relatively unscathed. 'Come now. ' the demon taunted, 'Haven't you seen the afterimage before?'

'I- I hit you, though? My blast clearly hit you…'

'Oh, that blip? Of course that hit me. I was referring to the follow-up attack.' Piccolo didn't bother to speak condescendingly- he let his unscathed exterior speak for itself.

Growling, Tien brought his arms to his sides, looking like he was going to power-up. 'You'll pay! I swear you'll pay!' With every world, Tien's body shimmered, as if it was passing in and out of existence. Then, abruptly, two arms shot out of Tien's back. His third eye was wide open, small red veins running across it like a spider web.

Before Piccolo could wrap around his head about what was happening, Tien charged him, literally doubling his attack with his two extra arms. Despite Tien's relative weakness compared to himself, Piccolo found himself hard pressed to move fast enough to counter the number of strikes coming from four arms. Blows increasingly slipped past his guard, ramming painfully against his chest and shoulders. Piccolo started using his knees to defend- but Tien simply employed his own in response, disrupting any steady defense Piccolo would try to maintain. After a blow hit him squarely across the face, Piccolo roared and revealed brought out a hand behind his back, crackling with violent, gold energy, light spraying from it. 'DEMON BLAST!' he yelled as he brought it forward to launch it at close-quarters at Tien.

Piccolo's arm was stopped in its tracks as Tien used his two forward arms to grasp it, bending it upwards. The blast erupted from a startled Piccolo, shooting out towards the sky harmlessly. With his two other free arms, Tien swung at Piccolo- one arm solidly struck Piccolo in the jaw, but the other one was grasped by Piccolo's free arm. They grappled against each other, Tien using two arms to hold Piccolo's right arm, Piccolo using his other arm to hold one of Tien's arms, and Tien's free arm continuing to hammer away at the demon. Piccolo, however, was unfazed by the assault of Tien's solitary free limb, and began launching a flurry of knee strikes at Tien, simultaneously crunching the arm he held. Tien winced, trying to maintain his advantage; eventually, however, Piccolo landed a solid knee to Tien's abdomen. The Crane fighter lurched back, gasping, as Piccolo delivered a devastating series of punches to Tien's exposed front. He finished with a quick energy blast that sent Tien toppling backward. He landed painfully on his back- the arms coming out of his back shimmered, then disappeared.

Odd. Piccolo thought as he watched his opponent painfully rise, very odd.

Tien felt the anger fueling him start to wane- lacking that, his mind unwillingly tuned to his exhaustion. He gazed across at King Piccolo- although there was some obvious damage done to his clothes, he looked largely unscathed. He… he must be toying with me. Toying with me, even as I try to avenge Chiaotzu!... He shut his eyes, feeling a wave of despair rush over him. If only I had more time- maybe I could have learned the Evil Containment Wave, trained harder… but as it is now… He glanced across the field. Like a statue, Piccolo stood, waiting for Tien to throw himself at him once more. This is hopeless.

He clenched his hands, his face twisting. But there's only me!... When Tien, Chiaotzu, and Launch had arrived, they had only seen Rayne on her death-bed. Master Roshi and Krillin were nowhere in sight. For all they knew, they were dead. I'm the best we have left… I can't fail!

Tien glared across at Piccolo, then exhaled, letting out a hundred different emotions. Focus on the anger. The clear purpose it gives. Without another thought, Tien charged Piccolo once more.

0o0o0

Launch and Chi-Chi circled Tambourine cautiously, momentarily distracted by the series of explosions coming from the direction Tien and Piccolo were fighting. Glad I'm not fighting him, Launch thought. Then again, I would really like to be fighting Cymbal again…

The difference in ki between Cymbal and Tambourine was palpable, not to mention the former's clear talent in martial arts. Cymbal reminded me of a pack mule. Tambourine? He's a killer.

At some unseen signal, Launch and Chi-Chi charged the winged humanoid, attacking him from opposite angles, Between their attacks- the attacks of 1 and ½ people, considering Chi-Chi's injuries- Tambourine seemed at ease ducking this way and that. As they struggled to land a hit, he landed tiny blows here and there, momentarily staggering them mid-movement. On one such attack by Launch, where her leg was jolted and stopped mid-swing, Tambourine followed up and cleanly drove his fist into Launch's chest, flinging her backward. Chi-Chi tried to take advantage of his momentary dismissal of her, swinging with one ki blast formed in her hand, but without another usable arm, Tambourine easily grasped Chi-Chi's free arm at the wrist, halting its movement. She struggled against his grip for a few moments before Tambourine, smiling, flew into the air, taking Chi-Chi with her. Dangling by her good arm, she was helpless to do anything as she was pulled farther and farther into the air.

On the ground, Launch clambered to her feet, huffing. She glimpsed Chi-Chi being whisked away by what looked like a gargoyle from her position. She couldn't launch a ki attack as long as Tambourine held Chi-Chi as a meat shield, so she resolved to do the next best thing; Launch scrambled across the ground to keep herself underneath the two of them, so that she would be ready to catch Chi-Chi when Tambourine inevitably dropped her.

Tambourine flew higher into the air, the female fighter swinging wildly underneath him. He saw Launch move underneath him. Perfect. About 200 hundred feet into the air, equal to the midpoint of some of the smaller multi-story buildings in West City, Tambourine let Chi-Chi slip from his grasp. She started plummeting to the ground, screaming as she did.

Launch saw a faint outline appear around Chi-Chi- but she doubted whatever power she was using would be enough to stop her from receiving serious injuries. Launch also knew that, if she was underneath Chi-Chi when she landed… it would be bad. Sighing, Launch raised both her arms to the sky, trying to form a buffering field of ki above her. I need to return the favor.

It took about ten seconds for Chi-Chi to reach the ground, traveling at a horrifically fast speed. Chi-Chi and Launch's auras, both extended outwards towards each other like padding, clashed violently, as Chi-Chi crashed into Launch and the ground. The resulting collision impacted the Earth, shaking the nearby ground, and throwing up chunks of grass and soil into the sky.

When the rain of debris stopped, and Tambourine had flown back down to hover just above them, he saw that their limbs were tangled together- both of them laid unconscious in a pile. Hah! And I didn't even need to use my ki. Victorious, Tambourine flew back down to the ground, examining the two human fighters. He regarded them for a second, then extended his hand, prepared to deliver a killing blast of pink ki.

He was halfway through collecting his energy when a leg slammed into his side, crashing him into a building for the second time today.

0o0o0

Krillin's sensation came back to him all at once, as an overwhelming sense of energy powered through his body. He shot up off the ground to sit, searching for Piccolo's ki- but Krillin was no longer in West City. Instead, he found himself sitting on a floor of white tiles. The blue sky stretched endlessly around him. Korin's Tower. But-

'Just let me explain everything,' Korin cut in from behind Krillin, 'a lot has happened.'

The cat explained how Krillin had arrived via Nimbus half-dead, and Korin had scrambled to heal him in time. 'Though, to be honest… I just had to run down to get these-' he said, as he held up a brown bag. He withdrew a green bean from it. 'This saved your life, not me.'

Krillin eyed the bean suspiciously. 'That saved my life? Really? It just looks like a normal bean.'

'This isn't just your run-of-the-mill bean. This is a sensu bean. It takes nearly a year for these things to grow- I should know, I have to water them!'

'A whole year?' Krillin asked, confused. 'Why so long?'

'A single bean contains ten days of nutrition- ten full meals. When you consume one, that energy floods your system, bringing you back to full strength. Feel your own ki for yourself.'

Krillin did so- he felt strong- maybe even stronger than he was at the beginning of the tournament. 'Woah! I guess all the fighting at the tournament trained me a little bit. I-' Krillin remembered what had happened at the tournament, what had happened at West City- and guessed what was most likely happening right now. 'Korin, I need to get back to West City. Rayne is in trouble- Piccolo is probably destroying city blocks as we speak-'

The immortal cat held up a hand, stopping Krillin's babbling. 'You needn't worry at the moment. As I understand, some other friends of yours are fighting Piccolo at this very moment. Use your ki- sense it.'

Krillin did as he was told- and indeed, he felt his fellow Turtle students, and the Crane fighters, engaged with a number of opponents. 'Seems like our numbers have increased- but theirs have, as well.' Krillin surged to a standing position, checking that his gi would hold together for another fight. 'Korin, thank you for healing me, but if I get back there now, at full strength, then-'

'You can't beat Piccolo at your current strength,' the cat said gravely, halting Krillin in his tracks. 'He's simply too powerful. While you've been unconscious he has regained his youth with the help of the dragonballs- as a result, he is now much stronger than he was before. If you run back now, healing you would have been for nothing- you would still die.'

Frowning, Krillin mulled Korin's words in his head. 'What do you mean by "healing me would have been for nothing"- you have something else in mind?'

Korin nodded solemnly. 'There's another option in front of you. At your current strength, you are perhaps equal in strength with the stronger Crane fighter, but even if you two joined forces at your full strength, you would still be no match for Piccolo. You need more power.'

'How am I supposed to do that? Piccolo is fighting us right now. I doubt he would let us retreat and train to surpass him- and I refuse to abandon anyone, even the Crane fighters.' Krillin glared at Korin harshly, refusing to even entertain the idea of abandoning his allies. 'We need all the help we can get.'

'Calm yourself, Krillin. I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. I'm offering you a one-time way to increase your strength.' Korin pulled a cloth off a nearby object- it revealed an unglazed ceramic vessel, open at the top and filled with what looked like water. 'This is the Ultra Divine Water. If you drink it, it will increase your power substantially.'

Krillin eyed the vessel, then turned to Korin. 'That's it?' he confirmed. 'I just drink it and increase my power? If that's the case... let's get this over with, then.'

'Hold on. You need to know the risks. The water could potentially kill you- it is called the Ultra Divine Water for a reason. If you do not possess enough strength, the divine essence of the water will overwhelm you, shutting down your body. I cannot ask you to drink this water- you must choose for yourself.'

'Korin, if what you've told me about Piccolo is true, then I have to do this- otherwise, we won't stand a chance, correct?'

'Unfortunately, that is true.' Korin chewed on his lip. 'I wish circumstances were different.'

Krillin felt, for perhaps the first time in his life, a genuine sense of responsibility settle over him. 'Me too.' Krillin approached and picked up the vessel. In a single movement, he downed the contents of the vessel. And he knew pain.

0o0o0

A short time later, Krillin landed riding Nimbus and promptly smacked Tambourine into a wall. Letting out a breath of relief, he turned towards his allies. He crouched down and pressed a finger to Chi-Chi and Launch's necks- still alive. Jeez! That was close! Krillin then spread out his ki to sense the surrounding area- he clearly felt Tien and Piccolo's kis waging war against each other. He even felt Rayne's weakened and hidden, yet still recognizable, ki somewhere deeper in the city.

Krillin could sense nothing of Chiaotzu. Let's assume the worse, then.

He's dead.

Master Roshi and Chiaotzu, both dead.

Krillin was beginning to understand why Master Roshi had acted so drastically, sacrificing his own life on a chance to end the threat of King Piccolo. To end it before it began. He shook his head- he didn't have to think right now. With a light step, he crept towards Tien and Piccolo's battle.

0o0o0

Tien panted, trying desperately to fill his lungs with air. Piccolo stood nearby, grinning from his latest assault that had repeatedly knocked the breath of the human fighter. Tien was battered- it looked like he had just emerged from a day-long cage fight. By contrast, Piccolo looked fresh, disregarding some scratches and marks on his gi. I think the old man was more powerful than this, the demon thought, but, then again, their power levels are so far beneath me it's hard to tell. Can you really judge whether one ant is stronger than another, after all?

Piccolo approached the human fighter. Ignoring his exhaustion, Tien raised his arms in defiance. Pitiful. Absolutely piti-

The Demon King was staggered to the right as a blast of energy crested over him, knocking him off balance. He raged, turning to face whoever had blindsided him- but a blow crashed against his head, knocking him to the ground. He rolled, firing a ki blast as he did, which passed through the air around him. Where did that pest go?

Nearby, Krillin stood next to Tien, whispering something into the Crane fighter's ear. Nodding gravely, Tien promptly lifted into the sky and flew towards the other end to the battlefield. I'm not quite sure how you got all that power, Krillin, Tien thought, twisting his head to look one last time at Krillin staring down a rising Piccolo, but use it well. For Chiaotzu's sake.

Tien landed where Krillin had directed him- next to the unconscious pile of Launch and Chi-Chi. Tambourine's wings flapped in the distance, steadily approaching them. With a snarl, the winged humanoid landed forcefully a few strides away. Tien settled into a defensive stance. This, though? I can handle on my own.

0o0o0

Krillin paused as a particularly strong wind blew through the green clearing surrounding him. Blades of grass fluttered in the dusk, like spectral heralders of the approaching darkness of night. Piccolo looked neither disturbed nor pleased by the change in light- he stood unaffected. Whatever anger he might have shown towards Krillin's intervention was hidden by a neutral expression.

Gathering his courage, Krillin bent, twisting slightly towards the demon. He willed himself to remember everything- everyone- that had been hurt by the monster in front of him. Yamcha. Tien. Rayne, Launch, Chi-Chi… and all the innocent people in this city! In the distance, cars continued their unceasing alarm ringing- an eerie auditory reminder of the people who would never return to quiet their vehicles. The dead people. Krillin had never trusted rage in the past- but here, in this moment, nothing felt better suited. He would become an avenger.

With a simple exhale, Krillin dashed straight at the Demon King.

They met in the center of the clearing, air buffeting around their bodies, as blow after blow rang off their defenses. Krillin had jumped at the last moment, trying to slam a knee into Piccolo's midsection. In response, Piccolo grabbed Krillin's leading knee with his green, clawed hand. Krillin used this temporary momentum killer, however, to pivot on that knee to the right, slamming his right elbow into Piccolo's chest. Stunned, Piccolo released Krillin and opened himself up to a series of quick, cutting strikes lancing his body. With a snarl, Piccolo yelled, flaring his ki and pushing back Krillin. Krillin tried to point-blank blast Piccolo, but he dismissed the attack with a swing of his hand. 'Even with two arms, you're stronger than the one with four… still- you can sense this is futile…'

They had barely started fighting- and Krillin found himself agreeing with the demon. I'm closer… but still not close enough!... Reflexively, Krillin's thoughts snapped to Master Roshi. Brain it is.

At that moment, Piccolo charged Krillin, trying to clothesline the former monk. Krillin used his short stature and flattened himself to the ground. The Demon King sped right past Krillin, completely missing his mark. As Piccolo rushed past him, Krillin rolled and sat up slightly, revealing an immense pool of energy crackling from his hands. 'DEMON FLAYER!' he yelled, as a thin, gold beam shot out of his palms. It's thin, deadly edge collided with Piccolo's back, toppling the demon and sending him sprawling to the ground.

The attack hadn't been very powerful- but Krillin had spent a lot of energy making sure the edge of it was sharp as nails.

True to his attack, Piccolo staggered up off the ground, his back a marred, bloody mess from the piercing damage Krillin had inflicted. He even thought he saw bones jutting out from the demon's back. Piccolo turned to Krillin, his face a mix of pain and… something else. Glee?

All at once, Piccolo's skin shot out from its ragged, raw edges, covering and merging with his flesh to fully cover his back again. His body was by no means fully healed- but the worst of the damage had been completely rejuvenated like it had never happened. Krillin's jaw dropped as Piccolo resumed a cocky smirk he had held earlier in the day. 'Stronger for sure. But there's more to a fight than just strength, though…'

0o0o0

Sensation came to him in starts and fits- then bursts- then full stretches as Kakarot understood where he was. This isn't the tournament. His hand ran over the green grass beneath him. Or is this the out-of-bounds?... Did I lose?... He craned his head upwards- he was in the middle of a clearing, which was in the middle of the city. This isn't the tournament.

Which means… I lost.

The words felt wrong- the idea felt foreign- but even though he had no memory of it, he was sure of it. He was… is… beatable.

Once was a fluke. Twice? That was a pattern.

As Kakarot was coming to grips with this shattering determination, a shockwave rang through the area. He turned; to his right, far away at the center of the clearing, were two figures. One tall, green, indomitable… the other- him. The bald one… So if we're not at the tournament…

They charged each other once more, ki blasts screeching away from them. Their fight ravaged the area around them, wholly ignorant of any stray buildings or trees that might get in their way. Rage began to burn within Kakarot. I refuse to be ignored, defeated! I refuse to be a weakling!

Without another rational thought, Kakarot ran off to face them.

0o0o0

A shockwave stumbled Tien midway through a downwards stomp onto Tambourine's exposed back. His brief loss of control allowed the spawn to roll and sweep Tien off one of his feet. He began to fall forwards before being hit backward by an errant punch. He quickly guided away a series of follow-up attacks and dual-palm struck his opponent to give him some space. Tambourine hopped backward, grimacing.

Tien had lost a lot of power. Far too much against Piccolo, for the little good it did. I was dominating this guy before- now, though… He moved to avoid a swinging fist, ramming a fist of his own against a cross-block. We're frustratingly even. At this rate, there's going to nothing left of either of us.

Tambourine spun, surprising Tien with a lightning-quick leg that lashed out at him. Tien was struck cleanly on his arm. He stumbled to the side, seeing stars from the deceptively powerful attack. Tambourine snarled, raising one hand above his head. Energy circled around the fingers- Tien immediately sensed that there was enough power in that hand to kill him unguarded. Panicking, he pulled out the last, best trick he had. 'SOLAR FLARE!' he yelled, as he brought up his unhit good arm, flattening his hand just a few inches from his face.

Despite the setting sun, Tambourine was instantaneously blinded by an impossibly bright wave of light that stained his retina, drowning his entire vision with buzzing white. The momentary image was so intense the memory of it burned within his mind; Tambourine screamed, psychological pain wracking his body. Tien quickly kicked the temporarily blinded fighter away- but before he could do anything else, a spasm of pain from his hit arm made him fall to one knee. Damn it! I'm not going to be able to use this arm for the rest of this fight… Tien dimly noted the sun finally set behind the last skyscraper in West City- night was now steadily descending on the battlefield. Guess it was lucky I used the solar flare before the sun set, huh…

Nearby, Tambourine continued his anguished thrashing on the ground. Tien grimaced, bringing up his good arm to his side. Clenching it, Tien whipped his power into the air, kicking away small pebbles. He'll be down for another minute, at least… more than enough time for me to finish this.

0o0o0

Krillin gasped as Piccolo's fist drove into his stomach, winding him. Before he could move away, Piccolo smashed a clawed fist into his head, rocking it upwards; Krillin's sight blurred together with every color imaginable. He rose slightly into the air and fell to the ground. In a matter of few seconds, he was splayed out, twitching. Piccolo drew back his leading leg and grinned. 'Yes… I think I've made the point clear enough,' he half-taunted, half-mused out loud. 'None of you humans can face me, sad as it is…' Drawing closer, Piccolo came to stand next to Krillin's prone body. The former monk had his eyes closed in discomfort, trying to steady his pain.

The would-be ruler of the world raised one palm towards the warrior, letting ki flicker in and out of existence on his palm. Yes… and when there's nothing left for them to give, when their hope is lowest… I snuff it out like a candle. In the exact opposite way you yourself would do, Kami. Even now, I can feel your eyes watching me, mangled as they are from seeing the atrocities amass on this planet over the centuries. You see, despite what you may think, my better half, you are wrong about me. I do not represent your evil; I represent this world's evil. Piccolo's eyes focused on the human beneath him. And that is why I must fulfill my role- I must destroy good wherever it may arise…

A soft crackk caught Piccolo's attention. Curious, he half turned his head. A few strides away- it was his fourth egg. It was hatching alongside the last gasps of day. Of light. A massive, hulking green figure shot out from the shell, rising to nearly the same height as Piccolo. A low, guttural bellow cascaded through the night, like a drum announcing the arrival of an army. Drum. Yes.

With one hand, Piccolo waved towards his spawn, mentally impressing upon him his name and function. Drum nodded and strode over to Krillin, who was just picking himself off the ground. Satisfied, Piccolo withdrew to a safe watching distance. This seems appropriate, doesn't it, Kami? The progeny of my evil against the good you foolishly inspire.

Silence. It was always silent between the two of them, even though Piccolo knew that every single thought he wished to impart to Kami was imparted, regardless if the old fool decided to respond. Our… relationship.

Krillin staggered upright, bracing himself against a rapidly approaching enemy that was at least three times his size.

Even that, born of us. A flicker of movement to his side caught Piccolo's attention. Hmm?

0o0o0

Tien felt every muscle in his body scream in protest, but he pushed through that fleeting sensation in the face of the new monstrous ki he had felt appear. Just like that. Is Piccolo so strong that he can simply create nightmares out of thin air?

Now more than ever, Krillin would need his help. And Tien had no intention of failing another comrade this day.

Tambourine was back on his feet, his face alive with fury. 'You'll pay for that! You'll pay for that pain!' The winged humanoid beat his wings, rising into the air to hover thirty feet off the ground. 'I am the spawn of pure darkness! You are nothing! HAAAAA… TAKE THIS!' Tambourine gagged, then hinged his jaw out like a snake, shouting, 'EVIL CANNON!' A dark purple beam shot out of Tambourine's mouth, racing downwards with all the velocity of a rocket.

The Crane student had no intention of dodging. 'TRI-BEAM!' he screamed, as the same move he had used at the tournament erupted from one hand, speeding through the air as a golden, half-solid triangle.

The Tri-Beam wasn't even phased by the Evil Cannon, concentrated as much as it was. It simply passed through and dispersed it.

Tambourine was consumed by shock and light as he was struck head-on by the blast. His face, twisted in inhuman manifestations of dread and terror, was briefly illuminated before being totally consumed by the Kikoho's detonation. In a matter of seconds, the wind scattered whatever was left of the winged humanoid farther into the city.

Tien sighed, releasing all the tension in his body. It was- it was close- a shockwave rang out nearby. He turned his head and saw Krillin plastered to the ground, Drum lording over him and readying an executing ki blast.

'Krillin!' Tien blasted off at Drum, surprising the beast well enough to knock him off of Krillin. Free of the massive weight pinning him, Krillin extricated himself from the dirt.

Drum stopped his momentum and smirked, wiping at the corner of his mouth, and charged them both.

0o0o0

Rayne couldn't help herself. She could breathe again- so she crept back towards everyone else. Returning to a familiar, person-sized piece of rubble, she watched with equal parts hope and dread the battle unfold. Poorly. Tien was trading even with an enemy he was dominating before, and Krillin, even with his newfound strength, could do… nothing against Piccolo. Now it was taking everything the bald fighter had to stay alive against one of Piccolo's spawns.

And then- something incredible happened. Kakarot had appeared out of nowhere and rammed into Piccolo, challenging the demon to fight one-on-one. Tien had defeated his opponent with one attack and subsequently joined together with Krillin to put Piccolo's new spawn on the defensive.

Yet, they would still lose.

It was a realization that was immediate and intuitive, considering all the evidence in front of her. Kakarot, despite his rage and his anger, was just as helpless against Piccolo as Tien and Krillin. There was-

A chilling scream sawed across her thoughts.

0o0o0

A nearby lump of rubble seemed to jump as a cry of utter agony rose out from Kakarot. Piccolo had stomped on his chest, cracking ribs, just like- Kakarot realized right before passing out- he himself had done to his victims so many times before. The demon's attack had been so strong that he had actually created a tiny crater beneath Kakarot, half-submerging the Saiyan in the dirt.

Piccolo stepped back, losing interest in the simultaneous surprising and disappointing opponent that had attacked him. For the briefest moment, Piccolo thought he had sensed something… more- but a few minutes of sparring revealed the gross difference between them. Kakarot seemed to be continually gaining and losing consciousness, the pain preventing him from keeping himself cognizant any longer than a few moments. Piccolo decided he would let the fool wallow in his torment.

Wanting a better perspective of the battlefield, Piccolo flew several feet into the air and scanned his surroundings. Drum was battling across the grassy flat, pushing the two human fighters farther and farther back. Even together, their strength was no match against his fourth spawn. Fitting.

Darkness had enveloped the city. Piccolo was alight with excitement for the ruin he would inflict here this night.

0o0o0

Out of utter fear and hopelessness, Rayne looked towards the sky, appealing to any divine entity that might help them. The sky was dark, not showing a single star, save-

Above West City, peeking through a thick stormcloud, was the moon- a full moon. It appeared for a moment, then was swallowed again by the dark, grey clouds overhead.

The most remote, seemingly irrelevant piece of information rocketed to the surface of Rayne's mind. Gohan was killed by a giant ape, Kakarot transformed, on the night of the full moon. Tonight… there is a full moon.

A thousand things came into focus at once, helping to create a plan born out of intuitiveness and desperation. Would I really be able to live with myself if Kakarot destroyed… everything here?... But this may be the only way to survive. What else can I do?…

With a huff, Rayne stood up fully, then backed away carefully from her hiding spot. She eyed the dark, heavy clouds above, which were on the verge of releasing a downpour onto the ruined landscape below. Rayne knew enough about ki to know her plan was insane- but feasible. Raising her hands, she pointed both palms towards the clouds above, pooling the little ki she had left into her hands. She focused on that energy, trying to shape it into a very specific form of ki. Not force or light, but something else…

Please, everyone, forgive me.

Twisting with her attack, she launched her ki into the sky, maintaining the consistency of it for as long as possible. It rose higher, rising past the city skyscrapers, then started to stall. When she couldn't hold the ki together any longer, the blast bloomed into a massive wave of heat. A very small section of the storm cloud overhead disappeared, as it disintegrated into vapor and falling rainfall for a few brief moments.

From his position rammed into the ground nearby- nearly unconscious- Kakarot had a prime view of the clear sky above him. He sighted the full moon, and felt something in his body split, like a great chain being broken within him.

A bestial roar echoed across the battlefield. Drum, Krillin, and Tien turned mid-swings, as Kakarot's form momentarily disappeared from sight beneath the rise of his crater. A few heartbeats passed before an incomprehensibly large black mass rose out from the ground, furred and dog-snouted, yet shaped like an ape. The beast grew to 2, 3, 4… times larger than even Piccolo, and kept growing. The Demon King began to shudder- he was unable to take his eyes off of the gargantuan beast emerging before him. 'What's this?…'


A/N: So I realized that the one-year of this fanfic passed by on the 4th. Eh. Catch me at the two-year anniversary and maybe I'll have something REALLY COOL.

Reviews:

Lala: Everyone is roughly around their same power levels here than they had in canon, with a few differences. Krillin drank the Ultra Divine Water but he wasn't as strong as Goku at the same point of the story in DBZ. Goku was able to nearly beat Tien at the Tournament while Krillin was fighting from behind for their entire match. Additionally, the fight with Piccolo began right after the tournament- there was no time for everyone to recover to full strength. I might post a list of power levels for the past two arcs once they're completed to clarify where I pegged everyone. We'll see.

And Kakarot is fighting. Yep.

Guest (chapter 1, who flattered me): Now you have 25 chapters to binge.

DendeDaughter: Aww jeez. I don't know what to say! Thanks for the super kind words. And it's nice to hear someone likes my sort-of-weird OC (though that's a discussion for another time).

WritersBlvd: Thank you for the review! Nice to see some Krillin love- I freakin' love the guy. Same for all the humans- they should have been given more chances to spread their wings in the original series.

Wawa: I think Chi-Chi and Rayne would definitely hang out. Ignoring how they interact with each other on a one-on-one basis (because describing their relationship and the nuances of their personalities with words is daunting!), shared experiences of all the stuff they've done and seen would bring them back to each other to reminiscence and remember.

Also, is your name by any chance referring to a combo convenience store/gas station? Because if so: nice.

LWexe: Death is weird in DB/DBZ. Kinda meaningless but also super meaningful? I'm hoping to hone in on the latter. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters

One of Ten: I automatically smile every time I look at this review (and your name).

Kal-Karrot: So your comment prompted me to do a little research and investigation; turns out Puar's gender is very much up in the air. While Toriyama stated that Puar is a man/male/whatever, most of the English dubs have passing moments where they refer to him as a her. Maybe they did this because Puar was always voiced by a woman in these dubs? Regardless, knowing what I know now, if I started this fic over again I would make Puar male. Too late to change that now, though.

Silenthawk170: Too kind! But I'm glad to hear you're diggin' what I'm putting down. As for Krillin, I deferred to canon and had him drink some l water. And then, just like canon, I had Kakarot turn into a giant monkey, and-

wait.

And I am right there with you- I cannot wait to dive into DBZ.