Dragonball Z: The Catalyst

Act I:

Chapter 5: Breakdown

When the world came alive once again for Raditz, it awakened with a flash of bright light. Instinctively he raised his hand to intercept the offending light, only to realize his arms were bandaged heavily. He felt something soft underneath his back. Carefully he traced his face, feeling yet another few bandages over his skin. His eyes shifted finally, looking about the room as he took in where he was.

It was a simple room, a closet, clearly a bed, plain walls save for a few pictures, and a few other basic furnishings. It was a human dwelling, but why was he here?

Then he remembered.

"Explosive Demon Wave!"

The pain had been excruciating. He'd felt the power that Piccolo had brought with him in those last moments, he'd surpassed his own power and he knew it. But he was a saiyan, and every battle, every struggle, only would increase his power in the long term. However, if the green man had managed to match his new strength within a year, even from the much inferior position he'd been in before, he knew he'd have to find out how. It was madness that he was forced off, defeated yet again, by the same adversary, especially when he'd over-matched him both times.

The Dragon Balls!

How much time had passed? Where was he beyond the confines of this room?

It was then that the door slowly opened. A small girl's frame stepped through the door, her simple dress and black pig tails were the most noticeable thing about her. The child walked over cautiously, before smiling.

"Yer awake!" She said enthusiastically. "Dad! Dad the man from the lake is awake!" She called.

Raditz started trying to sit up, before pain exploded in his ribs. Damn, that damned Green Bastard had crippled him up badly. He sat back again with a frustrated groan before the man of the house walked in. He was clearly used to living in the outskirts of human colonization, given his thick beard, substantial muscles and overall rugged look.

"Thank you very much Appella, now go to your mother."

"Okay!" She said, rushing past her father before he approached Raditz.

"You nearly drowned in that lake," He said to the Saiyan warrior.

Raditz didn't respond at first. Even in this weakened state he could easily kill this human pest. However, that served little purpose for the moment. This human was clearly attempting to nurse him back to health, the fool. He had no idea that he and his entire family would be annihilated due to their foolishness. His stare continued to look through the man.

"Yes. I must have." Raditz responded.

"Well, we here in the village fished you out. Not much around here, and we don't have much, but we'll get you well enough before we send you on your way." He told Raditz.

There was a nod from the Saiyan in response.

"Of course."

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It felt good to finally have a bed, instead of patches of rocks hard ground. The hotel had been cheap enough. Violet just enjoyed the feeling of freedom she'd earned. Working and living with that alien had been too stressful, every moment worried his fickle mood would shift and he'd kill her. She wasn't even completely sure why he'd spared her so long. If she wasn't sure she'd have been killed by him if she tried to escape, she'd have made off with the Dragon Balls themselves.

Still, she could put all this behind her now. She was at last able to relax and put her feet up. Her weapons were ruined, but she could get more, she just needed to take out a job or two and she'd have everything she needed. Surprisingly, before all this she'd started to get tired of the cycle of boom and bust, being subservient to a giant brutal alien intent on killing everyone and selling the planet, after obtaining Eternal Life, however, was much worse. It was amazing how you could come about to appreciate what you once had.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The exhausted Violet ignored it, until she heard the knock again.

"Who is it?"

She heard muffled behind the door. "That sound like her?"

"Sure does."

"Shit." Violet muttered.

Within seconds gunfire tore through the door, rippling through the bed and bursting through the walls. The door fell forward just from the fire which had been pumped through it as four men walked in.

"Confirm the target is dead. That way we can get our reward for her head."

"She should've showed up on time with that Dragon Ball."

Violet for her part, had ducked under the fire, under a nearby table. The room was still dark. She saw her attackers and her blue eyes narrowed on them like a terrible weapon in and of themselves. These men were dead.

Flanking them, one turned to check the bathroom. As he did, she carefully moved up behind him, slinking through the shadows. She needed his gun.

Moving up from behind she grabbed him by his jaw and top of his mouth, so he would make as little noise as possible. The sound of the neck popping out of place was all that was heard. Even that was quiet before she dropped his frame quietly to the side. Pulling up his automatic sub-machine gun, Violet prepared herself. She was still in her underwear right now, it frustrated her to no end that she'd be fighting like this. She was a professional after all.

"Hey Tomat, you there man?" One of them asked. "Tom?"

Just as the next one rounded the corner, the violent crack of the rounds leaving the barrel of her gun was heard a half dozen times. She traced the spray up the centre of his body, the first round ripping through him at the groin, and the last one at the neck. He only gurgled briefly as blood stained through his clothes and messily dripped to the floor. His entire frame dropped as the blood began to pool.

"Shit! That's her!"

Bang.

Another shot from her gun eliminated the source of the sound as she fired it through the drywall, based off the cry of terror that followed, she knew the other man had been right next to him. She began firing rounds into the wall near where the other had been.

"Oh by Kami! I give up! Please!"

His gun slid across the floor in front of her as he came into view, looking panicked.

She could see the pistol hidden in his sleeve and knew fell well he was just trying to lull her into a false security.

"I give up."

"No loose ends. Sorry."

Bang.

Before his arm could even reflex she'd shot him in the chest. He fell back heaving desperately for air as the blood began pooling on his insides, the round hadn't come out the other side. Violet started to pack her things.

"Thanks for not getting any blood on my bag." She said simply, half ignoring the dying man before getting dressed.

Unceremoniously, before she left, she stomped his neck in, it was rather grizzly. She heard the police sirens outside and knew she had to be gone quickly.

It was then she started to realize she wasn't even going to get another good night's sleep.

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It'd been humiliating.

"What chance we do have against these Saiyans if we could barely touch Raditz." Yamcha finally said, looking down, as if he was a picture of despondency.

"I've been telling you guys that for months." Yajirobe said simply.

Tien didn't want to hear this anymore, all the negative talk since the fight outside the Capsule Corporation. He'd been enraged, training even harder since it'd happened but he knew it was a problem of time. They only had a few weeks left until the Saiyans arrived according to Kami. He'd given it all, he really had. He was stronger than he'd ever felt, and he knew for a fact he was stronger than Raditz had been when he first arrived on Earth. He couldn't even understand how Raditz had improved so much in such a short time, was he training as well? That had to be it.

As the minutes ticked by the negative conversation taking place on the lookout hadn't helped his mood. He was still training, he was still improving.

"Look guys, we don't have a choice in all this." Krillen pointed out. "This isn't a fight we get to pick, we have to, and we have to win, or the entire world is doomed."

The monk Krillen knew all too well what it was to be made a martyr, having fought King Piccolo's minion and falling to him. It was terrible, it was violent, and he'd never want to repeat it. But what would have happened if King Piccolo and his minions had won? The world would have been cast into darkness, it had to happen.

Krillen was particularly disappointed that Yamcha was descending into negativity, because he knew better.

"But look what he did to us down there! I thought I was so much stronger but then bam, he-"

"Shut up." Tien finally cut in, ceasing his training.

"Don't you all get it? We've got to fight, there isn't an option. They'll kill everyone if we can't stop them. I for one would give my life to save our home."

Yamcha stood up. He didn't want to give his life at all. He wanted to get through this alive, however he nodded to his friend Tien.

"Your right Tien. Its just. I have a lot to live for, like, Bulma."

"And don't you think Bulma would be dead if we lost anyway?" Krillen cut in.

Yamcha just looked away.

"Yea, yea I guess your right. I just thought we'd improved so much and we were ready. I just think we got a rude awakening." Yamcha admitted.

"Which is why we've gotta give this everything we've got." Krillen said. "If we hold back anything, we're finished."

"Let's just hope Goku can come through with his training from King Kai's." Yajirobe added.

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Gohan was exhausted, they'd been training for days now, ever since Raditz was defeated. Piccolo's confidence had gone up as well, his entire being seemed to exhibit this confidence. After all, he'd managed to defeat Raditz, overpowering the Saiyan warrior. Still, Gohan knew that he needed to improve to catch up to Piccolo.

As the two sparred again, Piccolo pushed him yet further on.

"Gohan, you have to keep up!" Piccolo demanded.

"Right!"

Another flurry of vicious punches came from the young boy, before he finally managed to land a well placed kick on Piccolo's head, sending the green demon back, but with a smile.

Gohan knew it was soon, the saiyans would be there soon and he had to be ready. He'd not been prepared the last time, but this time he would be.

He still missed his mom, Chi Chi, and his father, Goku, but knew that he'd get to see them soon. After this was all over he could finally go back to trying to be a normal boy, and saving his adventures for weekends. He wondered just how life would be different though, different than it was. He hoped he'd made his father proud.

Piccolo was almost like a second father to him now in many respects, and he also hoped he'd make Piccolo proud.

With that thought however, Piccolo slapped him down again, this time moving his first to his head once he was down, but not striking.

"Gohan pay attention!" Piccolo ordered. "Now, again."

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Three Weeks Later:

Raditz was finally mobile, his body healed enough to move about under its own power. He was still a bit worse for wear but thankfully he'd not been as badly injured as he'd been in his first battle. The severity of his wounds was overall lower, however he felt stiff.

He'd been provided clothes, donated to him by the villagers, something yet more strange. Just a simple pair of their jeans and a buttoned shirt.

The kindness of the humans to him was... uncomfortable, they'd shared their meals with him without much expected in return. They never asked him for anything beyond that he get better. Worse yet, they provided him with as much care as they could, and he knew full well they'd even portioned their meals to attempt to feed him. It was so... weak. It was almost pitiable, what was he thinking? It was pitiable. But it was a disgusting display of his own that worried him.

Not two hours ago there had been an accident, a logging incident with one of the villagers, everyone including Spade, the father of the house which Raditz was housed, had run off to try and help the man. Spade himself asked if Raditz would come.

And here he was 'stretching' his muscles, by picking up the tree off the injured man. His leg looked badly broken, but salvageable.

The townsfolk were shocked when they saw the display of strength. Several ran. It only figured, their weakness was so glaring obvious they'd never seen something as simple as lifting a 100 foot high tree with one's bare hands before. He tossed the log aside before staring at Spade, who was one of the few who hadn't run. The man's daughter was clutching his leg as she looked towards Raditz as well.

"Thank you," Spade said, looking slightly nervous.

Raditz just flinched with a sense of disdain.

"..." Was the response from the Saiyan.

He had decided to spare these people, for now. When Vegeta and Nappa got here it wouldn't matter all the same. He'd kill all of these people once they got here, and Violet, and anyone else who had to die. He felt his hand ball into a fist briefly before he began to hover.

Spade just swallowed nervously.

"Thank you, for saving him."

"You won't thank me soon." Raditz said, before blasting in the air.

Spade for his part had never even asked the stranger for his name, because they would help anyone who came to their village, it was the right thing to do after all.

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Master Roshi looked at the seven pulsing Dragon Balls, his old frame holding his cane as he looked at them. Bulma had been very shaken up about what happened at Capsule Corp, but everyone was thankful Doctor Briefs and his wife Mrs. Briefs were alright. She was here now however, along with Oolong and Puar.

It was then that he began hearing something, as if from the distance. It sounded like Goku,.

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Raditz stopped in mid air, looking down at West City, near the Capsule Corporation Building. Human machines were in the process of repairing it frantically. The Dragon Radar had been left with Violet, so the first thing he knew he needed to do was find her. The next thing he needed to do was get back on the track of getting those Dragon Balls. Vegeta and Nappa would arrive soon and he needed something to show for his year long run on this planet. He didn't even want to mention he'd been humiliated... twice.

Vegeta would probably dispose of him on the spot. However, he wondered just where the hell the woman was? Idly, he heard human sirens in the background, and looked down at flashing lights at the base of a building. Something peaked his interest, including a familiar presence.

Zipping towards the area, he stopped in mid air, looking down.

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Two dead bodies lay near Violet, one set with their brains leaking out, another with his body torn open by bullets. The police had cornered them.

It was a simple damn plan, her first time back in action since the Dragon Ball hunt. But, it looked like it was a matter of wrong place wrong time. With all the charges they'd be able to stick her with, she may as well have gotten killed in the shoot out, rather than risking arrest. She had too many enemies on the inside of the jails as well.

"Surrender! Come out now and you'll get a fair trial!"

Fair? She'd only come out if she got a biased trial, in her favour.

With a cold look about her, she turned, placing her pistol on the edge of the teller's counter she was hiding behind, firing two rounds. The immediate response from the police was overwhelming. Automatic weapons fire riddle the bank's service counter. Rounds punctured the wooden counter easily even as Violet took cover. A round grazed her shoulder, and another made a direct hit. Her leg exploded with pain, she looked down as her head shifted back in agony. She felt the wound, hissing as she did, no vital arteries damaged.

She prepared herself, propping her back against another counter, attempting to get a better position to fire from. This was likely her last chance to make a dent in the force out there. There must have been 50 cops out there, including SWAT.

She noticed a gas container being fired at the front entrance.

However, from the loudspeaker she heard.

"Hey, who the hell are you?"

Then there was a massive series of blasts. The first one was accompanied by cries of fear. Carefully she popped her head over the counter as weapons fire rattled out, followed by more explosions. The gas from the canister was blocking her view.

It was her time to go. She looked back at the vault they'd broken into, then down to her leg. Shit, no time to get any money out of the vault. Hobbling she tried to make a break for the exit, just as the weapons fire was dying down. When she hit the cloud she started to cough, the tear gas making itself known to her. Her eyes burned as well before she managed to hobble to the side of the smoke cloud. Outside looked like a World War. Police bodies lay scattered, some missing limbs even, their cars burning wrecks as well. She just started to breathe in fresh air, attempting to regain herself before more police arrived. Then there was a familiar voice.

"Hello, Woman." She looked up, way up, into the air. Hovering there was none other than Raditz.

"Raditz?"

He landed in front of her, appraising her briefly, noting her wounds, before looking up at her.

"Where are my Dragon Balls?"

Of course that was why he was there. For a moment she'd deluded herself almost that he'd come back to collect her. They'd made a fairly reasonable team, he was the brawn and she was the brains. Though he neglected her good plans most of the time, and just muscled his way through everything.

"King Piccolo took them."

Raditz just intensified his glare further. He approached her briefly, looking down at her.

"You gave him the Dragon Balls?" He asked, her voice irritated and rough.

"I like to think I used them as a distraction to make a cunning escape." Was the response.

"Where is the Radar?" Raditz asked.

"Broken."

Raditz felt the urge to kill, an urge that clearly wasn't satiated by the Police's deaths. Violet didn't flinch when his form changed to one of very acute anger. His whole body looked tense and his features looked gripped with anger.

"I'm not lying, Raditz." She said, looking away with a bored look.

Raditz started to hover, just as more sirens were heard.

Violet looked in the direction of the sound, and then realized Raditz was leaving, without her.

"Hey!" Her voice sounded for the first time, mildly nervous. "You aren't going to leave me behind. Get down here and pick me up." She ordered coldly.

Raditz blinked, noting the authority in her voice. It was strange, but this woman was as ruthless, cunning, and brutal as almost any Saiyan he'd met, even before the destruction of planet Vegeta. One reason he'd spared her, despite her attitude, had to be that. The sirens implied human law enforcement. Given the state of her wound, and her likely crimes, leaving her behind would mean certain death.

But so what?

She couldn't help him find anymore Dragon Balls, she was of no use to him. What would they do exactly? She had extremely limited fighting potential as well. Being strong for a human meant being a completely useless weakling.

He noted her look nervously in distance at the coming law enforcement officers again, this time checking the rounds in her primitive weapons.

Sneering angrily with himself, Raditz landed next to Violet, grabbing her roughly, before taking off.

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The seven Dragon Balls Gathered, pulsing with power.

The Eternal Dragon rose towards the sky above Roshi's Island.

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The skies turned black.

Piccolo looked around briefly, Gohan at his side.

"Mr. Piccolo, what's happening? This storm sure came on quickly."

"Its no storm Gohan. They've summoned the Dragon, which means two things. The Saiyans will be here soon, and Goku is being wished back to life."

Gohan's smile opened up at the thought of his father coming back, but then frowned at the realization that the saiyans would be coming as well.

"Be ready." Piccolo said, looking ahead as his eyes steeled.

This was it, all their training was to be put to the ultimate test soon. Raditz, and two other Saiyans.

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Tien, Krillen, Chaotzu,Yajirobe and Yamcha stood next to Popo and Kami. They could all see the dragon's rise.

"The saiyans will be here tomorrow. Be prepared." Kami told them. "Your training here is done."

The fighters nodded, taking off in their different directions. One day until the Apocalypse.

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Raditz for his part looked at the black sky as lightning bolted about. He was confused by the freak weather change as he stood on the side of the mountain he'd come to rest on. Violet looked up at the sky, looking nervous.

"What is it?"

"I've heard rumour when the sky turns black, the whole world round... it means the Eternal Dragon Shenron has been summoned."

Raditz froze, turning towards her.

"What?! No! They can't have summoned the Dragon!"

"I just said its rumoured." Violet said, raising her hands defensively.

Raditz looked towards the sky as it began to clear, going from instant night and storms to day, with the bright sun showing through.

Shit. He would bet his life that meant they'd summoned the Dragon.

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Two pods came into the earth's orbit before hitting the atmosphere, burning brightly as they entered the atmosphere. Descending eventually into East City they slamming through a massive office building, causing the entire structure to come crashing down. Fire and smoke billowed from the ruined building as the two pods slammed into the street, causing two huge craters.

Crowds gathered and peered in, watching as two figures slowly emerged.

Vegeta stretched slightly after the long journey, a smirk written across his face.

"So this is Earth, what an ugly piece of rock and mud it is."

"Yea, look at all these ugly weak maggots lookin' at us." Nappa said, referring to the crowd gawking at the sight of the two aliens.

Vegeta just continued to smirk cunningly.

"I think its time we sent a message. Nappa, why don't you choose the attack?"

Nappa just started to chuckle, gathering energy into his hand, before releasing it in the form of an exploding wave. The wave erupted all around him, so much power it turned everything white. And in the blink of an eye, over 75% of East City and its inhabitants were levelled.

When the light dimmed, and the shock-waves stopped, all that remained were Nappa, Vegeta, and their Space Pods.

Vegeta felt irritated within seconds. This idiot had just levelled the entire city, when there could have been a Dragon Ball in it!

"Nappa, do you remember when we discussed the Dragon Balls?" Vegeta asked, looking irritating.

"Yea of course! Those are gonna let us wish for Eternal Life!"

"Yes Nappa." Vegeta answered with annoyance. "And how will we do that if you just blew up a city with a Dragon Ball in it?"

Nappa stopped smiling, realizing his error.

"S-sorry Vegeta, I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly its my fault, I told you to do the thinking for once and look what it got us. There is no going back now however, what's done is done. Now then, let's start looking at the powers on this planet."

Nappa chuckled. "Let's see if that weakling Raditz is still alive."

Nappa blinked as he continued scanning.

"No way. There are more than a half dozen powers on this planet over a thousand, and two bigger ones, both around 3500." Nappa read out loud.

Vegeta looked at the scouter. "Well, well, it would seem there may be an excuse for that miserable rat Raditz after all, if he's alive. Now then, let's trail one of those Power Levels of 3,500. We need our warmup." Vegeta said with sarcasm.

3,500 was nothing.

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A/N: The next chapter is probably the most important of the First Act. I hope everyone is enjoying so far.