Visions
Chapter 74: A Crucial Push
The youth- for Vegeta recognized the youthful features and stride of early adulthood in this stranger- stopped just short of him, and waited. Vegeta took his time in examining him; he first saw a wide, navy sash, wrapped around his torso from his right shoulder to his left hip, and contrasted it with the darker blacks of his red-lined boots. Red bands clothed his wrists, dark blue threaded with dull silver wrapped around his legs from the waist down, and as for his torso… Vegeta drank in the youth's threadbare, patchwork garment, nothing more than patches of differently colored fabrics intermixed across a simple dark-brown gi. A large green square sat below his right arm, a red one near his neck, an orange one on his right shoulder… quaint.
What caught Vegeta's attention before he had gone too far with idle examination, however, was the disfiguring scar on the youth's head- a burnt and scaly patch of skin, seared orange-red in contrast to his tanned color and jet black hair, started just above his right eyebrow and extended past his hairline all the way to the midpoint of the top of his head and ear. Across the mottle, nothing grew, and coupled with the lengthy hair that stuck out above and perpendicular to the left side of his face, it gave him an unbalanced appearance.
Vegeta made one more observation before speaking; the massive burn scar was old, and had most likely grown larger as he had aged. He had been marked young. Very young.
'So,' he began casually, eyes lifting to the youth's. 'Where are the others?'
The youth's face, lean and creased before his years- much like the rest of his body- appraised him. 'Prince Vegeta in the flesh,' he said, eyes studying him as he had done. 'I've heard stories about you… not many, though.'
In his long years of service in the PTO, the Prince was used to having his questions be ignored, and knew that applying the right pressure could do just as well-
'He asked you a direct question, runt!' Nappa, stomping forward, barked. He scanned the desert. 'Where are your coward friends?'
The youth's gaze never left Vegeta; his mouth titled for a second.
Nappa's snarl deepened. 'Why, you-'
Vegeta gave a slight tip of his head, and a touch of energy jumped between himself and Nappa. Nothing harmful… but enough to signal such if he continued to make a mockery of himself. Nappa promptly pinched his face and backed off.
'I'm curious,' Vegeta spoke honestly, staring at the youth with arms crossed, 'and I'm going to make this a bit easier for you. I can tell by your clothing that you're a native of this planet- or resemble those I've met from here, at least, implying you have some familiarity. I also see that you wear no scouter.' Vegeta's eyes narrowed. 'You know my name, and considering that I've never met you before, that implies you have some knowledge of my deeds across the galaxy- which, considering everything else, puts you in a very strange category. Who in the galaxy would know of me, is not in the PTO, and is a native of a planet that I haven't been to? In other words,' Vegeta paused, 'it is very clear to me that you know three former associates of ours from this planet. So, I'll ask again- where are your friends?'
The youth seemed to consider the request. 'I'll give you a name, if it makes you happy.'
Vegeta narrowed his eyes even further. 'Yes?'
'You can call me Traveler.'
Unspeaking up until this point, Turles burst into laughter. 'Traveler!?' he laughed, accentuating the word with mockery. 'What kind of moronic title is that?'
Vegeta looked back at him… a ghost of a smile on his lips. He turned back to the youth. 'I'm inclined to agree with Turles, as rare at that is,' he said. 'Traveler?'
'It fits,' Traveler said, motionless. 'I travel.'
'Quite.'
0o0o0
'That's them.'
Yamcha, on his belly in between Bulma and Tien, tightened his grip on the crag. He squinted through the growing storm at the distant figures for a moment longer before dipping his head beneath the rock's lip.
'No doubt- the big one is Nappa,' he continued, rolling over onto his back. 'And the one in front is Vegeta. It's them.'
Farther down the slope, Krillin and the others shifted uneasily on their heels. 'And the others?' he asked, voice strained. 'You don't recognize them at all?'
Before Yamcha could respond, Tien maneuvered away from the lip. 'Not from this distance, at least,' he said, attention squared at the slope beneath them. 'It doesn't make sense-' he glanced up at the others. '-those ships can only fit one person. Why are there four people up on that mesa?'
'Talking,' Bulma answered, 'err- don't know where that person is from, but they may be up there because they're talking.'
Surprised by this fact, Tien and Yamcha turned back around and peered out with Bulma. 'How can you tell?' Yamcha asked.
'More like a guess,' Bulma answered honestly, 'judging by how they're standing still… and three are facing one.' Bulma paused. 'Maybe, if we got a little closer…'
'Out of the question,' Piccolo said quickly. 'Being as close as we are now is risky enough... ' he threw his gaze to his right, examining the slope dip behind another bluff. 'We should probably leave- and soon.'
'Leave?' Bulma repeated, rolling over, shooting a look at Piccolo. 'Why would we do that?'
'Because we're basically on top of them and we still know nothing,' Piccolo said darkly. 'We have no idea what dangers those three pose to us.' Not to mention this mystery fourth… If any of these people had half a brain we'd be retreating by now...
'We know three of them are Saiyans,' Bulma countered, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. She glanced at Tien. 'And we can take three Saiyans, right?'
'It's hard to say for sure,' Tien said, eyes slitting from thinking, 'but… we'd have numbers on our side.'
'They're strong, for sure,' Yamcha said. 'That much I can sense. But,' he paused, and let a small smile creep onto his face, 'we're strong, too.'
'Damn right,' Launch said. Suddenly, she stood, coming within inches of revealing herself against the landscape. 'Everyone who wants to run, can,' she said, casually striding down the same slope Piccolo had eyed going down moments earlier. 'I, however, have run out of patience and intend to strike while the iron is hot.'
'What?' Tien called out as she walked off. 'What does that mean?'
As a sign of parting, she held a flat palm over her shoulder.
'Damn it…' Tien cursed under his breath. He glanced at Chiaotzu- and both of them started jogging after her. 'Wait up!'
'Hold on!' Piccolo said, nearly shouting. 'You- can't!- '
He tripped up on his words as the three of them walked out of sight, and with obvious disdain, he withdrew the hand he had thrown in their direction, clenched it, and smashed a small rock next to him into dust.
Fine!' he shouted, standing as well, anger rolling off of him, before pointing himself in the opposite direction and walking. 'Run off for all I care!' he snarled as he descended the slope. 'You people are impossible!...'
As soon as he had disappeared, too, Rayne stood. 'Someone needs to go after him and keep him in sight,' she said. 'The last thing we can afford right now is to split up.'
'You want to stay, then?' Krillin asked her, frowning. He took a measured breath before continuing. 'I've got a bad feeling- about all of this. I agree with what Piccolo said about leaving- before he did just that.'
'He didn't leave,' Chi-Chi reassured him, eyes trained on the boulder. 'He's not gone far… he's staying around to fight. Like Launch, I think he hit the limit of his patience.'
Rayne looked at the boulder as well. 'Then I'm staying, yes,' she answered Krillin. 'I don't see any advantage to leaving now- actually, I think there's a good chance we could learn more about this fourth person if we stick around for a bit longer.'
'Even at the risk of being discovered?' Yamcha asked, moving down the slope to join them.
'We haven't been discovered thus far,' Rayne pointed out. 'And if we spread out… that would diminish our chances of being caught out in the open, right?'
'It's still dangerous,' Krillin maintained. A measure of strain had bled into his voice. 'For you- for both of us. If something bad happened-'
Rayne shot a murderous look at Krillin. 'Not the time.'
'This stuff is always dangerous,' Bulma joined in, scooting down to them. 'Part of the job, really. The key to doing any dangerous thing right, though, is balancing risk versus reward.'
'In that vein,' Suno said, narrowing her eyes on Rayne, 'how do you think we could learn more by sticking around?'
Reluctantly, Rayne moved her gaze from Krillin. 'If the Saiyans really are talking to this stranger… that means they probably don't know who he is, either,' she offered. 'And if they don't know who he is, there's a good chance they're going to fight.'
Retu whistled. 'That's some claim.'
'But not unlikely, if not likely.'
'And it'd be good if they fight?' Yamcha questioned, blinking rapidly.
'If they tire themselves out before they've so much as thrown a punch at us? Yes.'
'A very PTO thought, that,' Bez chimed in, grinning. 'I'm in.'
'So am I,' Yajirobe spoke, yawning. 'I'd prefer to get this over with today and not tomorrow.'
Suno looked back at them. 'Are we in agreement?' she asked, scanning the others. The only two people who didn't nod were Krillin and Yamcha. 'No?'
Krillin opened his mouth. 'Well-'
'Tough luck- you've been outvoted,' Suno cut him off. 'So- everyone, spread out,' she commanded even as she withdrew, 'but remain within sight of each other. If one of us leaves, we all leave. Got it?'
'Groups of two?' Rayne asked.
'Fine by me,' Suno replied without looking back. 'And remember-' she added just before moving out of earshot, '-don't back off unless you have a good reason to. We may only get one shot at this.'
'Jeez,' Krillin muttered as Retu glanced at the others, saw no one volunteer, before he went after Suno. 'She really took charge.'
'You've been unusually hesitant, buddy,' Yamcha remarked as he moved past him. To his left, Bez and Yajirobe eyed each other as they went off- and to his right, he saw Chi-Chi give a slight dip of his head to the path behind her. Considering that Krillin and Rayne were motionless behind him, it would make sense-
'Bulma, you need to head back to the ship- and leave,' Yamcha advised, spinning around and meeting her gaze as she further descended the slope. 'If a battle does happen… you need to put some distance between it and you.'
She glanced around. 'What, I don't get a buddy?'
'You're not going to be fighting, period,' Yamcha reiterated, before moving toward the path Chi-Chi had set down. 'Seriously. Keep yourself safe.'
0o0o0
Krillin watched Bulma exit their gathering point last, trodding glumly back to her ship, and followed Rayne with his gaze as she walked back to him. She nodded, and together, they crept up to the slope's top.
Once they had a clear view of the potential battlefield, he parsed through his thoughts- the appearance of the fourth figure had clearly unnerved Piccolo… as it had done for Krillin. There wasn't a single person on Earth he could think of who would've known to show up beside the people he'd come here with. He tried thinking of all the warriors of his childhood, thought of even Master Roshi, long dead, and blurry faces he remembered from World Tournaments and tried to place what he sensed… and, despite his effort, nothing of the stranger's ki was recognizable. The three figures, standing together, expected… and the fourth. Did they miss a ship? It was probably more likely than a random person showing up here out of the blue.
And, yet, the way the fourth was standing apart...
'Krillin?'
He held his breath before answering. 'Yeah?'
'Sorry.'
'If anyone-'
'I'm sorry that I did it in front of everyone, too,' she said, her voice unsteady. 'What with everything going on-'
Krillin turned to her- he grimaced at the quick swipes of her eyes to her shoulders. 'You don't apologize-,' he said, holding her. 'I do, okay? If anyone does…'
He opened his mouth, closed it, and turned away as she had to hide his welling tears. 'It doesn't help either of us to speculate on that. I… I think-'
'We're sticking together,' Rayne said, grasping his head and turning it towards her, exposing her wet cheeks to his, 'no matter what today and the universe throws at us. We have to- for her.'
Shaking his head, Krillin's head came to a stop on Rayne's shoulder. 'I want to say I can give it all,' he said, voice muffled by her, 'that I'd risk everything-'
'I know- too well.' Rayne laid back, drawing Krillin with her, and leaned on the slope facing away from- well, everything. She closed her eyes.
'I know...'
0o0o0
Vegeta spread his arms wide, drawing their attention to the vista afforded to them by their position atop the mesa. 'So, Traveler,' he said, drawing out the word, 'tell me- do you have a deathwish?'
A crooked smile cut across the youth's face. 'I don't think so.'
'Oh? Convince me otherwise.'
'I intend to fight someone- and I don't expect to die to them.'
Vegeta chuckled, failing to restrain his obvious amusement. 'And who is it you intend to fight?'
Slowly, Traveler's eyes moved across them- first to Nappa on Vegeta's right, then to Turles on his left, before settling on...
'You,' he said simply, one arm leveled at Vegeta. 'I will fight you.'
At his side, Nappa bristled. 'Whelp,' he snarled under his breath. 'You think to-'
With a raise of his hand, Vegeta silenced Nappa. 'What, if I may ask,' he said evenly, eyes leveled with the youth's, 'informs this choice?'
An almost business-like frown flashed on Traveler's face. 'I really only have one goal today,' he said, rolling and stretching his shoulders. 'Cow you three into submission and make you leave this planet. And the best way to do that,' he pushed his back foot behind him, dropping lower to the ground, 'is to prove to the strongest one of you that you're no match for me.'
A curious eyebrow rose on Vegeta's face. 'Referring to?...'
'You, of course.'
Smiling, Vegeta let a small breath pass out of his nose. 'Flattery is well advised,' he said, unstacking his arms and letting them fall to his sides. 'even if it is useless, considering every insult that's fallen out of your mouth so far…'
Translucent, dark-blue energy abruptly poured out of Vegeta's feet, snaking around him and cloaking him. Puffs of dust kicked into the air above the mesa before being swept up in the growing sandstorm. 'You have refused to answer every single request given to you,' Vegeta rumbled, face twisting, 'and if I was a kinder man, I would have killed you where you stand before letting you speak another word.'
Motionless, faintly grinning, Traveler crossed his arms, conveying what he thought of Vegeta's grandstanding.
'So, I'll ask one more time.' Vegeta said slowly, aura coiled like a spring. 'Where. Are. They?'
Fully grinning, the youth lifted his head to the sky, holding his chin above their gazes. 'The sky, I've noticed-'
Before the word left his mouth, Vegeta, in a blur of blue, charged forward and smashed a double-fist into that prideful chin, wrenching Traveler's head further back- and with a series of heavy strikes to his chest, Vegeta snapped that head, now clenching with agony, right back to his gaze.
The Saiyan's eyes, burning with just as much intensity as his aura had, said everything Vegeta wanted to say, and dismissing the insufferable youth, leaned back, pressed his hands into rock, and planted both his feet into his gut.
His victim, rushing backward, disappeared into the storm. Vegeta paused, then lit his aura brighter and pushed after him.
0o0o0
Turles watched- or tried to watch- Vegeta, who was nothing more than a flash of blue to him, charge into the sandstorm raging farther away from the mesa. Pockets of light, flashing like fireworks in a dust-colored night sky, erupted and shook the rock underneath him.
For years now, he had watched this puffed-up royal play with his freedom, day in, day out, and grow fat from his toil. For every planet that had gone to, every civilization they had drained until nothing but a dead husk was left, and for every time Turles had been forced to observe Vegeta take the lion's share of the Tree of Might's fruits for himself… his hatred for the Prince grew, compressed into a fine enough object that Turles felt it roll around in his gut whenever he moved.
Slowly, his gaze edged to his left. Nappa, eyes forward, beefy arms propped against his chest, was wholly uninterested in him. Turles knew that, just behind him in his ship, Nappa kept the spoils from the last planet in a very particular box. If he could somehow get to it, in a moment where the Old Saiyan was distracted-
'Turles,' Nappa said, uncharacteristically introspective-sounding, without looking at him. 'What was the name of your crew before you joined us?'
Through conscious effort, Turles wrenched his gaze away from the ship back forward- he hoped his desirous stare hadn't been seen. 'Crusher Corps.,' he ground out, finding his jaw hard to move. 'Their names-'
'That was it,' Nappa said, satisfied. 'Crusher Corps.' He then turned to Turles, wearing a smug expression. 'Why'd you run with a bunch of weaklings, again?'
The older Saiyan let that question hang in the air- every second past its utterance morphing it more into a statement- before, smug as before, returned his gaze to the light-filled storm. 'You were a weakling then, too- still are, really.'
'Yeah?' Turles replied, his voice stretching to its limit.
'Just in case you were having any thoughts- don't think for a second that I won't hunt you down like a dog if you run like one.'
A stray wind blew across the mesa, kicking up a cloud of dust between them. Turles took the chance to glance to his right, fuming, face contorted, and stare sullenly at the wide-open desert. Three years ago he had been far stronger than Nappa- but, bloating from the fruit's might, the oaf had risen to Turles level.
What difference did it make if both of them served someone stronger?
0o0o0
Bulma, moving across the desert floor without much thought as to where she was going, somehow still found her ship. Not sure how I did that, she thought, as she pressed a button and the freight door swung out and thunked onto the sand. What with… well...
There was something unmistakably odd about the interaction she had just had with Yamcha- which was noteworthy in and of itself, considering that she had never had that feeling with him before. She had options when it came to feeling something familiar- joy, anger, exasperation, comfort- towards Yamcha… and yet she felt none of that right now. She had barely seen him over the past three years, and on a day where they had had a decent chunk of time to reconnect, they hadn't.
She honestly couldn't remember a time when that had happened. She and Yamcha had their ups and downs, their great fights and calamities, but for every one of those, there was always a-
As soon as her hands landed on a metallic crate tucked into the freight bay's corner, Bulma snapped out of her stupor. She couldn't believe she was wringing her head about her love life right now. There were clearly more pressing matters at hand!
Though, as Bulma unpacked the box and lifted a black-painted and squarish device, with a green-white display and a rising, ugly receiver pointing out its top, she made a mental note to broach this with Yamcha… eventually.
Carefully, she adjusted the antenna, and oriented her and the device in what she approximated was the battle's direction. After pressing a button on its side, and tapping the screen a few times, she kept her eyes glued to the display, waited…
And two readings appeared. Their numbers bounced around massively- jumping from 1s and 2s to numbers thousands of times higher than that- before the device calmed and cooled in her hands. Slowly, the two readings climbed to and stopped at around…
15-Bs. Alright… She recalled the calibrating spar she had made Bez and Suno do; no other way to test her reverse-engineered energy reader than that. They were around their maximum without the Kaio-whats-it, and this is that multiplied…
Bulma's eyes widened as soon as she realized how to interpret that number.
'Fifteen times their spar!?' she shouted. 'WHAT!?'
0o0o0
Jumping from point to point, pacing his movement through the storm by careful study of his scouter and the local wind conditions of the storm, Vegeta appeared behind his opponent at every juncture, ramming blow after blow into his disoriented, would-be challenger.
He would have pitied the youth if he hadn't made himself so detestable. Careening, Vegeta zipped down and up, appearing behind his opponent and kicking him farther up into the storm. Better to finish this distraction as soon as possible, so as to move on to the reason for his visit.
They're here…' Vegeta studied his scouter as he rushed through the air. 'I know they are. If they didn't know we were coming, they would surely have felt our ki by now… that annoying skill of theirs…
Clenching one white-gloved fist, Vegeta turned again in the storm and started ascending. I'll have to draw them out of hiding as I did with Turles… I'm sure they care about this puny planet, after all...
Vegeta pierced out of the storm's top, escaping into the Earth's clear blue skies, and looped around, aiming for the spot in the dust where his punching bag would soon appear.
He slowed- and eventually stopped as seconds passed without an appearance. Frowning, Vegeta scanned farther out from his predicted spot.
'You fight with that scouter a lot, don't you?'
Pupils dilating, Vegeta spun around in the air. His opponent, whom he had been beating on for the last few minutes, stood in the air just several yards from him… virtually untouched. Is this real?
'I use my tools judiciously like any ruler,' Vegeta said evenly. 'What of it?'
'It's a weakness. You'd do yourself some good if you stopped using it entirely.'
A twinge of fury shot through the Prince's veins. 'Don't think to give me advice!' Vegeta roared, charging forward with his blue aura. His opponent held himself in place until the last possible second, at which he dived back, avoiding a horizontal, ki-edged chop. Twisting, Vegeta leaned into his right side and ignited his ki, smashing his shoulder into Traveler's gut and doubling him over.
The give of flesh was the same as it'd ever been- but Vegeta felt hands grip his shoulders and dig into him, wrenching him away and throwing him upside-down. He adjusted quickly, rotated back around-
And a blue-streaked punch collided into the shoulder he had just used as a weapon, compressing his socket into his ribs, stunning him, and launching downwards back into the storm.
0o0o0
'The light show's stopped,' Yamcha pointed out, his head propped just above a curving section of rock that barely hid the rest of his reclining body. 'Think they moved on?'
'No.'
Yamcha turned and leaned over to his right- Chi-Chi, cross-legged, eyes closed, had her back against the rock Yamcha was straddling above her. 'They're nearby- just beyond the storm.'
'Yeah?'
Chi-Chi paused before speaking again. 'They're strong-,' she told him, '-very strong. I don't think, together, we could beat even one of them.'
Yamcha glanced back to the dust-storm. Faint patches of light became visible again. 'Good thing there's more than just the two of us here…'
0o0o0
Blinking away his confusion, Vegeta regained his bearings and slowed his descent through the storm. When he came to a full stop, distasteful of sand pelting his skin, he whipped up his aura and formed a cone of still air around him.
He lifted a hand to his scouter and checked it- and his opponent was nowhere to be found. Wary, he began surveying the roiling, pattering clouds around him.
So he can hide his power level too, then?... Wouldn't be an issue if not for this insufferable storm.
Still… he raised his energy just now, didn't he?
With a great huff, Vegeta dragged more of his ki to the surface, enlarging the churning blue cone around him. 'Hide all you want!' he roared into the storm, 'but no matter how many times you surprise me, your attacks will do nothing!'
'Oh?' a voice called out, strangely muffled, causing Vegeta to successively turn in three different directions. 'Is that a fact?'
Without warning, Traveler dived from above, elbow cocked back, face twitching amidst the sand, and landed his strike against the crown of Vegeta's head. The strength behind the blow scrambled Vegeta- it felt like his consciousness rubberbanded beyond the confines of his skull- as he plummeted downward. Lagging, he tried to turn about, but Traveler pressed his advantage with a quick succession of heavy, deep blows that sought to break every part of Vegeta's body. Back, shoulders, hip- every part of him was targeted, and ached as Vegeta careened to the ground.
This is absurd! Shaking away his disorientation, Vegeta finally whipped around- only to be greeted by empty air.
His eyes widened a millisecond before a blow slammed into his side. His trajectory swung him out of the sandstorm and into a valley adjacent to the mesa they started on. Nearly frothing, Vegeta righted himself in the air and spotted the clearly telegraphed attack heading towards his front. He braced his arms in a cross-block-
And the force of the blow carried through the block, shocking him and driving a mighty crater into the upper right corner of his polished white armor. His chest buckled with the blow, and he felt the telltale give of a rib snapping in his chest. His body betrayed him, flooding his vision with scratches and static-
On instinct, Vegeta drew back his legs- narrowly avoiding a pursuing kick, and slowing his momentum, raised his hands in a splayed fashion in front of him. 'Get off, pest!'
The out-of-nowhere ki attack seemed to take Traveler by surprise; halfway to Vegeta, body bent to deliver another blow, his outline was consumed by snapping blue ki, washing over him and sweeping him back into the sandstorm. The blue wave carved a straight, clear path through the dust clouds for a moment before the storm rushed back in.
While this was happening, Vegeta wisely took the opportunity to back away and up, and landed on the edge of the mesa. He shot a quick warding gesture at Nappa and Turles to not intervene, and then, methodically, began to fiddle with a pocket underneath the hip plating of his armor.
As expected, Traveler, carrying only a few scorched marks on his gi, landed not too far away from him. Facing the valley, Vegeta chose his next words slowly- and carefully. 'I'll admit-'
'Look at me!'
Seized by the command, Vegeta's gaze shot to Traveler. None of his opponent's previous levity was present- instead, Vegeta saw nothing but anger, stretching skin and gnashing teeth, wrapped as tightly around him as any mood he'd yet worn.
It crossed his mind that the strongest opponent this planet had to offer might have been quite unhinged- which made it only more necessary to delay the next attack.
Swiveling his left foot back, Vegeta turned to Traveler, right hand trying to conceal its rummaging near his right hip. 'Yes?'
A glimpse of a face- wretched- flashed at Vegeta before he spun away from the mesa, blocking a few strikes with his forearms and shins, and landed ably on the sand at the bottom of the valley below. He felt a pressure race toward him from behind, dodged to his left, and hear the telltale snip of his red cape being severed from his armor.
His broken rib chose the worst time to ache- gasping, Vegeta lost his balance and collapsed to his left, falling on his hip. Just several feet away, he saw Traveler's palm, edged with yellow ki, threaded through a hole in his cape. If I had dodged a moment later…
'Missed,' Traveler said in an empty voice, before stepping into Vegeta's view and pulling his hand out from the cape's hole. He gripped the garment in his other hand, examining it, before he let it fall to the sand in a clump. 'What's the significance of this?'
'The cape?' Vegeta asked, staring, while he shifted his weight off his left hip. 'Power. Reminds lessers of their betters.'
Curiously, the youth glanced back to the red cape. 'You're going to remember where I left it?'
The comment lodged itself into Vegeta's brain. The implication… 'You wouldn't kill me if you won?'
Vegeta remembered the anger on the youth's face- and saw that too was absent. 'That's not my vision of power,' Traveler stated.
'You're odd,' Vegeta said, voice cautious. 'Before, you were quite mad.'
'Insane? Or Angry?'
'Perhaps both.' Vegeta shifted again, this time onto his right hip- and began rummaging his right side again with his right hand. 'Your face was quite… tense.'
The youth's face twisted- seemed to simultaneous lurch for its previously shown anger and a cut, almost raw visage of discomfort. 'I hate fighting- and I've been doing it my entire life. So what you saw… it's interpretable, in a way.'
Vegeta, half-distracted now, glanced past him.
'I wish you were dead.'
The Saiyan's attention roared back to the present- he stared at the youth's face, etched the mixed expression into his memory. 'My life would have been easier,' he finished simply.
Hissing- hissing Vegeta didn't know he was capable of- rose to his lips. He rose. 'I haven't done a thing to this planet,' he stressed, nearly spitting. 'I certainly didn't create whatever pathetic excuse for a warrior you are today.'
Traveler's eyes narrowed a fraction. 'And what would you know about that?'
'Am I to understand that you'd fight, but refuse to kill me if you won?' Vegeta asked, voice roiling with nascent rage. 'Is that what this is- pity? What kind of world is this that you were taught to dishonor your enemies in the middle of a fight?' His right hand clenched- just light enough to not crush what it now held. 'I see. You were raised by idealists,' he said, scrutinizing him. 'Well, let me give you some advice; every fight is a choice between life and death. There is no in-between.'
With a breath, the youth gathered all the tension in his body to his face. 'That view is as weak as you.'
Roused by indignation, Vegeta took a step forward, then another, and let his nascent rage light and roll away waves of ki from his feet. 'You truly are mad,' he spat, his energy whipping sand into the air in his wake, 'to say such things to me. I am Prince Vegeta,' he rumbled, blue aura rippling out before him like a royal presage, 'and it is under my name that the entire galaxy will be brought to heel. For might...' he stopped, and roared, exploding his aura and peeling away entire layers of desert.
Distant cliffs and rocks trembled from his power, and even further than that, unseen observers fell into morbid silence. Like a blaring alarm, Vegeta's blue ki shone across the land, searing the air and effortlessly pushing aside the sandstorm.
Garbed in such power, Vegeta resumed just loud enough to be heard. '...might is everything,' he finished. 'And my might will kill everyone who stands between me and my Empire- including you.'
Facing each other, separated by only the thinnest blasts of sand, Traveler examined the towering flame of blue that surrounded his opponent.
With the smallest flinch, he unveiled his own aura, a shade lighter than Vegeta's- but just as bright. It pressed against Vegeta's, matching it pulse-for-pulse… and then some.
Vegeta watched this, and eventually, regarded Traveler.
'I suspected this would be the case,' he said through the shrilling of their auras. His right hand crept closer to his head. 'It has been a very long time since I've fought someone stronger than me.'
0o0o0
Tien was so hyper-focused on the escalating battle that he failed to hear Launch until she punched him in the arm. Even then, he couldn't force himself to turn to her.
'Tien,' she said, her voice tense. 'Help me do some quick math. Before that latest spike in power, I pegged that Saiyan guy at around… maybe my 9th or 10th level of Kaioken. Just now, how far did he?...' she asked, her voice falling away.
He was in no mood to obfuscate- he had no mood to speak of, as horribly rapt with watching as he was. 'Beyond,' he said flatly, a small part of himself urging him to be more human, present. 'Far beyond any level you could do.'
Wordless, mouth clamped shut, Launch followed his gaze back to the mesa. In the distance, two blue flames rose into the sky. 'Guess that ruins my chances of trying to swoop in and save the day.'
'I'm sure you'll still try.'
Pushing a breath out through her nose, Launch glanced sideways at Tien. 'Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humor.'
'Never had one in the first place,' he said inflectionless, turning to her. His face matched his voice. 'I'm worried that you're going to do something that you know can't succeed.'
'Well- we don't know if it's going to fail until I try it.'
'Launch…'
'I'm not going to let them take you from us,' she said, quietly determined. 'Not while we're still alive.'
'If they even try that,' Tien reminded her.
She glared at him. 'Come on, Tien- why else would they be here? They intend to punish you, Yamcha, and Bulma. The only thing in doubt is what form that'll take.'
'Maybe.'
Tien's terse comment abruptly ended their conversation, and although unsatisfied, Launch turned back to the mesa. They were still in the same position they were before...
'You shouldn't put yourself in danger,' he said finally, his voice struggling to reach her, 'if they're only here for us three, and there's no chance of us winning-'
'Utter any more defeatist nonsense,' Launch said sharply, 'and I'm going to hit you for real.'
That shut him up.
0o0o0
Tuned to the pulsing and rhythms of their auras, Traveler leaned his head, frowning. 'Did I mishear you?' he asked, frowning. 'Did you just say that I'm stronger than you?'
Shrouded in his aura, Vegeta appeared much smaller than he actually was. 'I won't repeat myself- but yes,' he answered.
'It appears I've heard the wrong stories about you, then.' Traveler's gaze lingered on Vegeta. 'The Prince I knew would never admit weakness.'
Just visible past the swirling dust and blue… Traveler saw the smallest smile crack Vegeta's face. 'Weakness? You misunderstand me.'
With a flick of his wrist, something flew from Vegeta's right hand into his mouth. He gripped it with his teeth, chewed it, and swallowed over the course of a few rapid seconds.
'There is a difference between acknowledging perception and acknowledging reality,' Vegeta said once his mouth was empty. 'To any observer, this fight would appear to be over once our auras were placed side by side… my scouter can tell me as much,' Vegeta said, holding a finger to his device. Slowly, he cast half a glance behind him; Nappa and Turles, as he expected, were stolid but tensed by how far he had been pushed. 'I'm sure your friends would have deduced this, too… but notice my subordinates. Notice how collected they are.'
Traveler did as Vegeta asked. It was noteworthy that, despite the obvious tension pulling taut their muscles, they were remarkably calm.
Sensing something amiss, Traveler pushed his back heel harder against the rock.
'They know something the average observer doesn't, of course,' Vegeta said, turning back to him. 'They know another fact about might… it is not always apparent.'
No sooner did the word leave Vegeta's mouth did Traveler spring forward, aura shaping around him like a bullet, and he threw an almost instantaneous punch at Vegeta-
And a heavy doooooooom, the sound of flesh and energy meeting head-on, sounded from their contact, throwing a massive, spherical shockwave away in every direction. Their auras moved with it, as did the feet of Nappa and Turles and the sandstorm raging around them, which chipped away at the force until halting it and moving back into the space it had been pushed out of… but, by that point, about a half-mile in every direction had air clear of dust.
In the center of this temporary standstill, on that edge of the mesa, Traveler leaned forward, entire weight behind a punch Vegeta had caught with only one hand. Trembling with the force of the blow, the youth's eyes widened as, inch-by-inch, the Prince pushed him away from him.
'What'd you just eat?'
Vegeta kept his expression, entertained by some internal joy, focused on the rock beneath their feet. '...'
Before Traveler could disengage, a roar of red-blue ki rushed out of Vegeta, throwing the youth back and off his feet. He blinked, and saw Vegeta, muscles, arms and legs noticeably larger than they had been just seconds prior, slam a knee into his gut, a fist into his jaw, rocking back his head, and grab him, spinning him around and slingshotting Traveler into the rock below- which he hadn't even realized they had left. For the briefest moment, he felt rock tear into his back, opening cuts in his gi and flesh, before he was yanked back upwards.
He gasped, and realized Vegeta was standing over him, one hand full of his gi's fabric, and was holding him just above the ground. The Prince stared at him, a slight smile sitting on his mouth, before dropping him.
At about the same time, his scouter on the side of his head exploded.
'Silly me,' Vegeta remarked, watching the thin, grey ribbons of metal float away with the wind. 'I should have turned that off beforehand.'
Heavy breathing lifted and sank his opponent's chest- but Vegeta could tell he was not out of breath.
'What was that?' Traveler demanded, almost outraged.
'A boon,' Vegeta said simply, 'which the mighty accrue.' He scoffed. 'What did you expect? That I'd come to a battle without a contingency plan?'
The rise and fall of Traveler's chest continued; Vegeta saw the edges of rage begin to chip away at his face.
'Unless you have anything else to offer,' the Prince said perfunctorily, 'I'm going to kill you now.' He paused. 'You a moment so that you may die on your feet.'
0o0o0
'Something's wrong,' Suno said aloud, catching the attention of Retu. They had been glancing at the clumps of people in the distance to their left and right, preparing for a possible attack as the current battle seemed to be coming to a close. She had turned back to the mesa for the briefest second, though, and-
'Very wrong,' she said suddenly, backing away from the corner they were peering around. 'His energy- it's spiking all over the place.'
Retu swung his head to her. 'Who's energy? The Saiyan?'
She stared at him., mouth ajar. 'You don't sense it?' she asked. 'The mystery guy- it's like he's lost control of his energy. It's shooting out of him.'
Frowning, Retu looked back at the mesa. Granted, he couldn't see much through the sandstorm, but still-
A bolt of blue ki shot into the sky… and, curiously, dispersed into a cloud of sparks.
'Oh… that's something. It almost feels like…'
'He's going to blow himself up.'
0o0o0
'Nothing?' Vegeta taunted, lording over him, arms crossed. 'You're not even going to stand? You're pathet-'
In a blink of an eye, Traveler disappeared from under him and appeared on the other end of the mesa- in the exact spot he had first presented himself.
His opponent's rage had returned- the youth was shaking as he raised his arms in a guard.
'Haaaaaaahhh…'
Vegeta watched curving blue energy shoot into the sky, forming a cloud of energy, and let the youth's yelling wash over him. He was unimpressed. 'If that's all…' he rumbled, angling himself forward.
Instantaneously, he appeared in front of Traveler, and slammed a vicious punch into his left cheek. The youth's head whipped right back, only to be smashed in that same spot again, and again, as Vegeta began wailing away on a motionless opponent. Blows rained down on his face, his torso, his arms as they instinctively retracted to guard himself.
A useless measure. Vegeta continued battering away at him, his fists finding their marks as he felt the force of his blow be stopped by near-breaking bones. Traveler hunched, then crumpled, falling to one knee, both arms raised in a crude measure of protection as the onslaught of blows came faster and harder.
Another blow smashed aside his block, and one final blow, cracking into his opponent's jaw, lashed his entire body to the side and threw him hard against the sun-bleached rock. Vegeta drew back his fists, raw flesh poking through his white gloves at the knuckles, and reflected; he had forgotten how much of a bloodlust eating even a slice of the fruit gave him.
Smiling beatifically, he stretched out an arm, flexing and clenching his muscles to admire their pulsating power. An entire civilization's strength, embodied in one… power if I've ever seen it.
'You done?'
Eyes jumping, Vegeta looked down; the youth, who should have been beaten into an inch of his life, was barely propping himself up on one elbow. Blood and bruises matted his face and body, disfiguring his already uneven presentation… but his mouth, molded into an expression of pure fury, remained just as livid as before Vegeta had begun his brutal assault.
All of this was secondary, of course, to the slight he had just received. 'Done?' Vegeta snarled. Swinging, he slammed another heavy punch into Traveler's face, smashing him off his elbow and, again, into the rock. 'Are you dead yet?' Vegeta roared, kicking the youth's gut for good measure, aura raging around him. 'I'll be done then!'
The youth lifted his head again, showed the defiance- and more likely pain- distorting his face. 'Get!... AWAY!'
A wall of ki, appearing out of nowhere, slammed into Vegeta, catching him mid-swing and off-balance, and pushed him, feet scraping across rock, across the mesa. He braced his arms, applied his aura, slowed and stopped himself… and before he could take another step, another wave hit him, locking him in place. He parted his arms.
Rocks shifted, rolling past him like a growing tide of water. Around the mysterious youth- who, somehow, had pulled himself into a standing position- sand and dust spun, creating a smaller storm within the blazing sandstorm that now raced in the air around him
Vegeta gave but a moment's attention to a boulder that rumbled towards him before casually punting it to his left. 'This is it?' he called out, clearly unimpressed. He turned back to his subordinates. 'This is what he intends to beat me with?'
0o0o0
'Puny,' Nappa mocked, seizing the chance to make a disparaging comment.
There was the briefest pause given for Turles to say something, anything, as if they expected him to join them in their taunting- but tight-lipped, arms crossed against his chest, and his own ki rising to meet the show of force, Turles said nothing.
And in the next instant that pause was snatched away as a mighty shockwave, filling out a dark-grey cloud in the air and shaking the earth, rushed over them and drowned out any further chance to speak.
0o0o0
A storm- a storm entirely different in nature from the sandstorm that choked their sight and hearing- erupted into existence over the mesa. Low, thick clouds hung over the tapered, narrower part, and thrummed in-sync with the flashes of yellow that raced back-and-forth beneath its surface. And it was all centered around one person, a single presence; the stranger.
Yamcha couldn't help but gasp when a mighty bolt of lightning screamed down and impacted the mesa just feet away from the fourth, shaking the mighty block of sandstone back and forth like a plate. The more he studied this person, and saw the residual light from the lightning hang around him like mist, the more he saw a definite wall of ki rise between him and the others...
'I… I feel it.'
Eyes slitted from the storm, Yamcha turned his head to the right, and saw Chi-Chi force her mouth to move without verbal success.
'That cloud…' she muttered, barely able to speak. 'It's ki… and... '
0o0o0
Another bolt of lightning sprinted down from the cloud- and Vegeta stumbled, thrown off by the full force of the energy it pulled with it from the sky. With growing, gnawing interest, he looked skywards, studied the localized cloud…
Concentrated energy… nothing spectacular, and yet… he glanced back at the whelp, picked apart what he could see of his presence. Light clung to him, as did the swirl of particles that rushed around him like a miniature tornado. Like some sort of technique. Was he holding something even further back?
Inexplicably, Vegeta's fists- with which he had been pounding away at this upstart youth just a few minutes prior- began to ache like old scars.
A cone of whirling blue-and-yellow energy had formed around the youth, obscuring him, and Vegeta realized that it was growing outward. He saw it racing towards him, and bracing-
The lip of the cone engulfed him, traversing past him harmlessly… and he was exposed to so much more.
Within this realm, he saw and felt what he could not from outside- light covered every inch of the youth's body, wrapping him in a golden cloak of rippling, roaring energy. His body, which had seemed lean and burdened for most of the fight, now radiated easy power, and poured out of him at every inch as his muscles expanded and the light shrouding him brightened. His hair… his jet-black hair, which straddled his face like an old wound, now flowed in the air, colored by streaks of yellow blinking in and out around them.
And the anger, the hatred, aimed at any and every living thing; it projected from his face, shined like a forebodingly colored flame in the night. Vegeta saw that, even as his power climbed- which he could recognize, apparent as it was, despite not having his scouter- growing further and further towards something monstrous and unimaginable, nothing quenched that anger; he morphed into an avatar, almost a parody of himself, of what any person with even a drop of sentience would show. He couldn't shake the impression- he couldn't stare at that efface and not think that a person no longer resided in what he saw.
It turned, awful eyes and mouth hinging towards him- and the last thing Vegeta saw before the cone snapped backward, and lacking an understanding of what he was witnessing, he watched the youth explode.
0o0o0
It was an unexpected opportunity; even as his grip grew shaky and his flesh deserted his bones, Gero had kept a steady finger on the pulse of ki on the Earth over these past three years as he worked to prepare his subject, so as to make sure his calculations kept apace with expected increases in his enemies' strength levels. When his sensors informed him of the first substantial battle in years- the first since the acquisition of his most glorious find- he eagerly set his old bones down into his chair, prepared a fresh clipboard, and set about writing down his observations.
The strength of the combatants' clash was impressive, but not outside the predicted range of his algorithm. Variations existed in the data. Just because something was unlikely did not mean that it was unanticipated.
He was close- so tantalizing close- to culminating decades of research. The moment when he transcended flesh and blood and achieved biological perfection… it was so near. Which isn't to say that he hadn't had help- luck had aided him along the way. But his work alone had gotten him this far, to this point- to the cusp.
Nothing could have stopped him. His health was failing, true, but he was not dead yet.
So he sat, and observed. The dull thrum of machinery and the cool breathing of the lab's vents comprised the room's ambiance- and was immediately superseded by his main sensor's trilling. Dr. Gero leaned in, studied the barometric display…
And, like three years before, the meter exploded into a thousand glass shards, starting a chain reaction of such failures among his secondary instruments. The surge of energy his super-tuned instruments had picked up was too much- far too much- and traveling as a heavy band of yellow lightning, began circling the edges of the room, frying circuitry as it went.
'No!' Dr. Gero sprung from his chair as best as his fraying legs would let him, and sprinted over to the lab's shutdown switch. His eyes jumped to the lab's corner- to the large glass tube, filled to the brim with green, bubbling liquid, in which silver, tan, and brown floated amidst the water's bleariness. I can't let it die! Not here, not now!
Fighting for breath, he reached the switch, a two-pronged lever that needed to be swung out-and-down against a metal backplate. Struggling, and cursing his advanced age, Dr. Gero pulled on the switch as electricity crisped and shot through the air around him.
Not now! Red-faced, Dr. Gero shifted, and threw all his weight down on the lever. Not now! Not!-
A single pang, ominous in its solitary thudding, echoed in Dr. Gero's chest. He ignored it, pulled harder-
And nearly collapsed, holding onto the lever for dear life as his legs grew numb beneath him, limbs and torso not far behind. His skin felt cold, clammy, and coated his body, precipitating a growing pinching sensation that started spreading out from his torso. He refused to believe it- he willed his body to pull harder on the lever, even as his legs dangled uselessly beneath him, dead weight, and his sole goal hadn't even swung halfway down.
A moment of clarity- a vision, almost, of his effort dying with him, shot through his head, overpowered his senses, and gasping, he let go of the lever, crumpling onto the ground. He felt his legs- distant, cold- break due to his unnatural landing, though he didn't feel any pain- he had stopped feeling anything, actually. Black patches were eating away at his vision, blurring the line between life and death.
He had no idea whether he was hallucinating or not- but, groaning with precious air, he reached across the cold metal floor, gripped a hand against a plate's edge, and pulled himself forward. He did that again, and again, for each plate that appeared before him, as he dragged his dying body behind him like a sled. He still had his arms, and his mind, even if they, too, would soon desert him.
There was no other option left to him- his vision reduced to nothing but a narrow band now, he spotted a dull red button, which nearly touched the metal floor, sticking out from the tube's metal base. What had possessed him to put a button there? Had he foreseen he would need to crawl to his salvation?
Close- he was so close. With one last reach, he lunged for the button, sight failing, floor beneath… it might not have even been there anymore. He couldn't feel it.
'Please…' he wheezed, bony fingers inches away. Please…
He gasped, short and ragged, and darkness took him. His body, stretching forward like a dying phantom, collapsed.
A/N: Howdy, all. Chapters are keeping themselves relatively short, which is good for my updating schedule! Here's to hoping that continues. Some major sh*t went down this chapter. As always, I'm looking forward to any and all reviews you choose to write! Know that they are always appreciated, no matter how many critiques they have!
Reviews:
TienFan99: Slice of life is nice! A good challenge for me in particular- what would any one of these characters do in their free time, after all? It's not always obvious or intuitive like a planned out narrative necessitating certain events happen. However, overall, I do think there's going to be a more slice-of-life sense interwoven into the rest of this volume- if my crazy stack-of-cards narrative goes as I want it to, lol. Let it be known that they are not not long for this fic (world)!
I agree with that judgment.
Interesting theories… keep on thinking about 'em…
I def have something in mind with Turles… though I wonder whether the narrative can accommodate any more major characters XD
That is an interesting theory! What would a hypothetical future timeline look like? Certainly are a lot of factors up in the air at this point in the fic…
Hah! Yeah, imagine how awkward that would be. Kakarot comes back, finds out his loveeee is with another. Not saying that's going to happen- but imagine it!
Sorry for last chapter's three week wait! This is, obviously, a more timely update!
Thank you as always for the review and your kind words!
Transformers g1's-Prime: Good question. Got any ideas as to who this mysterious stranger is now?
Could something happen between Yamcha and Chi-Chi? Dunno… we'll have to see.
Ugh, I hate two people conversations while an entire group of people sits around in the background! Like, c'mon people- talk!
Thank you for the review, and I'll try to keep up the good workin'!
KagariAsuha: Kid Gohan is SUPER cute. Def agree. I really enjoyed writing his scene. Not a lot of true kids in this story so far, so hopefully we can get a change in that regard.
Cityracer:
What, if I may ask, did you miss in the first scene? Tonal stuff, or little descriptors, or some other third thing? Regardless, I like doing those one-person perspective scenes- they're a little tough to do, but I think it gives a good look at a person's state of mind at a certain (usually crucial) juncture. Just a question of justifying their deployment when they're so one-character focused in a story with tons of people…
Interesting blurb on Chi-Chi and Yamcha. Could you elaborate more on your comment about fully appreciating it? Are you saying that, because the text is a limited medium for visual actions, it's hard to convey body language convincingly? (also, funny that you're a visual person and super into reading this fic, lol- though I guess DBZ is a more visual media than other fandoms). You should probably expect Chi-Chi and Yamcha to have more future interactions of that nature… as to which way they go… who knows.
Glad you picked up the tone and anxiety in this chapter! I really had that atmosphere in mind- sorta like the calm before a possible storm, and everyone is holding their breath to see what happens. Lot of uncertainty among characters fed that, I think.
So you settled on a time traveler? Interesting. Very interesting. I think you have more evidence to play with this chapter.
I more or less agree with your power level pegging. Guess you'll have to wait and see for certain, though :)
As always, thank you for the in-depth and thoughtful review!
AND Something else! A super special section for everyone who bothers to read through all the reviews! Every once in a blue moon scenes from other DBZ fics pop into my head because they're so darn good. I figured that I should try and explain why a given scene seizes my imagination- and what better place to do that than here?
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR BRINGER OF DEATH, CHAPTERS 1-21 FOLLOW
So- I've always been in love with how Future Trunks is introduced in Bringer of Death. First of all, his appearance on another planet with the Time Machine is such a cool extension of what capabilities a Time Machine would have. Why not make it interstellar worthy if it can travel through time? Obviously, Capsule Corp. had the technology to include that. And it's an inventive solution on Future Trunks and Bulma's part to goad King Cold into attacking the Earth with his stronger forms; they understand Vegeta well enough that he wouldn't waste his strength on defeating a rival when another, stronger, more immediate threat presented itself.
Of course, Vegeta tried to kill Goku anyway, and the resulting battle was close… but, considering how the onus was on changing Vegeta's actions so as to save Goku, getting Cold into the mix was probably the only way that he could have stopped their death-brawl from happening. Future Trunks gets four stars for planning, one or two for execution.
