Disclaimer, in case it wasn't obvious. I don't own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or really any other property. Thank you.

The Cataylst

Act IV

Chapter 55: Savaged

Raditz:

This isn't good at all. He knew we were coming.

Still, this creature was old. Looking at his age, Raditz wasn't sure he was any alien he'd seen before, but advanced age usually didn't bode well for their health prospects. They just needed to break a few bones and they'd be on their way to success. Still, there was something unnerving about this creature's confidence, and the fact he was waiting for them. For a moment he almost wanted to look towards the others. Just what was the best course of action here? He didn't even know if they were about to fight, let alone what else was going on.

"Who gave you that name?" Raditz interjected. "And how did you know we'd be coming…?"

The olden mountain of an alien just gave a coy smile in response before gesturing with his arm, casting his cape and cloak aside, revealing a helm and broad shoulders. Despite his age, this guy was massive. Even Kakarot seemed to be on edge as he slid back slightly.

"I think I'll be kind enough to tell you my name. I am Lord Slug, the most powerful being in the universe," Slug proclaimed. "I'd been hoping we met after I received my wish from the Eternal Dragon. But even as I am, you don't stand a chance… Super Saiyan."

The last words were delivered with such mockery it left Raditz almost speechless.

"That's what Frieza said," Kakarot remarked defiantly. "And I took care of him myself."

"I am very much aware of your role in the demise of Frieza," Slug grumbled before taking a step forward. "Show me the power you used to defeat Frieza, and his family."

As if on instinct, Raditz took a step back, and a few seconds later, both Piccolo and Kakarot had as well. Raditz could feel it. The power swirling around them right now was intense. This thing hadn't even powered up, just by taking a step forward without shielding his power, it was like being in the face of a tidal wave. Even the monster's own soldiers were swept back by a wave of energy seemingly. A subtle blue glow seemed to trail over him before it vanished into thin air.

"I want to see it before I destroy you."

"Goku, we need a plan-" Piccolo's voice cut in before power surged around them. The wind, the force, the heat rising off this Slug creature seemed swept away as energy started to gather around Goku.

The wind picked up more violently than before light started to swirl around Kakarot. A white aura surged around his form as power spiked around them. It was overwhelming as the energy crackled around him. Golden arcs of power shot in all directions, rippling up his body as the intensity of his aura climbed. A huge wave of dust blasted out in all directions, sweeping over the army behind Slug, but parting at the base of the monster who just looked on with a sense of wonder seemingly. Raditz himself raised his guard as the power started to almost become too much to be near. Kakarot's hair flashed gold, before it arched upwards, locking in place as a golden wave of energy rippled up his body, flashing his aura from white to gold, and his hair and eyes transforming. A thrum started to pulse out from him, whining through the air. It was far more honed and serious than any time he'd been training with either Piccolo or himself.

Kakarot's power. It's incredible. All of the time he's spent with Piccolo and I. It's all just masking this? How can any one being be this powerful?

Standing there in opposition to the greatest power in the universe, the Super Saiyan, stood whatever this creature was. His expression was no longer smiling, and he definitely seemed to be on his game. There was a sense that he was astonished… but he didn't look impressed, or intimidated. If he could sense power levels, he had to know he was outclassed by the being before him. But something in his stomach started to gnaw at him as Raditz realized that this thing wasn't afraid of Kakarot, at all.

The old eyes almost seemed to brighten.

"Ahhhh… This is superb. Truly, Saiyan, I am almost speechless," Slug's voice almost seemed to become more youthful, instead of the grumble Raditz had been hearing before hand. "In my five hundred years I've never seen anything like it. A power truly from a primordial age."

"Piccolo, Raditz. I want you two to attack his army as soon as the fight starts. Go straight for the Dragon Balls."

Kakarot's voice echoed through his head as Raditz looked past the raging energies rippling off Kakarot's body. The giant grinned a moment later.

"My lord!" a voice emerged from above. "Please! Do not burden yourself! Do not exert yourself with this trash-"

Another gigantic creature of the same species, in similar armour to the soldiers shouted from above as another came into view behind him.

A pair of black eyes turned skyward before Slug just seemed to scowl at the two.

"Do not interfere!" the 500-year-old warrior rumbled back at them before he turned his eyes towards Kakarot again.

"Now's the time to make our move, Raditz. Go."

Honing his energy, Raditz turned to blitz forward as a wall of alien flesh appeared in front of him before he could even move.

The creature in front of him put up its arms and formed fists before starting to hop with anticipation of a fight.

"You will not intervene in the Lord's battle. He has decreed there will be no interference."

A wave of energy rolled off him, before he felt a fist slam into his stomach. Raditz blinked in shock before the enemy pulled him into the air, swinging him under his arm and sweeping him into a nearby iceberg. Raditz's flesh clipped the frozen water as it cut against his arm, and started melting against his skin within seconds. The damp, cold air filled his lungs as he tried to catch his breath. An angry noise emerged from his throat as red energy caught fire around his body. Outside the iceberg, waves raged as Saiyan power flowed through his veins as his power was unleashed as seal after seal within him shattered. Roaring, the entire iceberg around him began to collapse as it melted into the sea before the water began parting beneath him.

Instinct kicked in as Raditz almost snarled, looking in all directions for the creature which had dared to intervene.

A blur of motion later saw it appear in front of him, leaving Raditz to be shocked by the pure speed. Just the effect of the speed was enough to send his hair flying back. This thing… it… it moved almost as fast as Frieza had on Namek when he clashed with its final form. But that wasn't possible.

"I am Achatin," the sturdy voice came through before Raditz felt a fist slam into his face before he could even think to respond. "You will break beneath my wrath."

Before he could even begin to fight back, another blow rained down on him, and with that hit, Raditz was sent tumbling back into the ocean itself, as a barrage of blasts followed him, scattering over the sea in a violent display of blue energy waves. The blow had been enough to let Raditz sense this monster's full power.

This is bad.

He barely had time to dwell before it appeared in front of him, breaking the sea open upon its onslaught towards him. The next blow that landed, sent him blasting into the sea even further, his vision fading almost to black before he saw a humongous bolt of energy following him.

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Piccolo:

So much for the plan.

Piccolo blasted back as he dodged a strike from above before he could move in on the army. In a blur of motion, the other fighter trailed after him in his suit, pouncing off the ground to give himself a speed boost in the chase. Whoever this was, was very impressive, Piccolo could already tell. He raised his arm to block a well-placed strike coming for his face, before sweeping back, swinging his arm out, catching the other fighter's overzealous pursuit of him in the side of the head. The other fighter staggered for a moment before Piccolo deliberately plunged behind the glacier, hovering just above the water.

To his left, he could see the red energy burning into the air as Raditz began to power up.

Yea, I can definitely see that.

His muscles bulged within seconds as white power gathered around him. Piccolo's frame pulsed before a huge aura burst around him, adding only to the waves of chaos across the surface of the ocean. Mountains of ice and snow began to collapse in the distance as the world trembled with his elevated level of power. The warrior across from him appeared once again, his own aura burning.

There was a real power there, it easily rivaled his own. The energy was almost familiar in many ways as well. He couldn't see through the visor of the helm in front of him as the pair of them slowly began to circle one another over the water.

"How is it you are here, brother? Can you not see our kinship?"

The remark left Piccolo confused for only a second before he narrowed his gaze on him.

"Kinship? With the likes of you?" Piccolo snapped. "I can smell the stink on you even through that armour."

The figure stopped circling, reaching up under his helm and popping several seals, before the helm fell into the water below. Piccolo froze as his eyes widened at the sight of what he was looking at. There was no way. The black eyes staring back at him almost mirrored his own. Everyone on Namek had left for New Namek… who… who were these? The youthful visage of a Namek stared back at him as the two just stopped over the water, but neither backing down.

"We are among the last of our kind. Whatever this world was to you, forget it. Join us and Lord Slug shall be merciful. My name is Colchico. Like you, my family was scattered from our home. We were left to wander the wastelands of this universe as Nomads, separated from who we were, from our true origins. This world and its people will be harvested for its resources, but you need not die along with them."

Not for one moment did Piccolo get the urge to drop everything and join these things. But he could see the sincerity in the eyes of the other creature.

"My name is Piccolo," he responded back. "And this planet is my home. And its people are my own. I'll pass on the offer, thanks."

Assuming a fighting stance once again, Piccolo lingered above the water as the other Namekian's eyes turned cold. There was an element of surprise, like his name had some meaning behind it, but the other Namek prepared himself for battle all the same.

"You pain me, brother. But so be it."

Power swept over him as the aura around his foe intensified, before in a blur of motion, the two clashed. As soon as their fists met, the water bowled beneath the two of them as tidal waves rolled out in all directions before in several blurs of motion, a dozen thundering booms echoed out over the landscape. In the midst of this speed, Piccolo felt himself slipping only just as each blow became harder and harder to block. Keeping up with this other Namekian seemed almost impossible.

How can he have this kind of strength?

When they locked into combat once more, Piccolo's elbow missed the motion of his adversary outright, before a fist shot through his face. Blood and spit shot out of his head before another blow cracked into his ribs, and a string of other jabs cracked into him, as he finally lost his edge all together, his guard totally bypassed. Each blow resonated through his body, even as he focused on absorbing the impact. Blurring back as quickly as he could to escape the onslaught, Piccolo immediately found his opponent above him, as Colchico appeared above him, swinging his leg into the side of his head. Piccolo's world exploded with pain as his ears rang at the explosive force of the blow. His body went hurtling down before plunging into the side of a nearby iceflow, shattering through it. When his form plunged into the ocean beneath, it caught him, slowing him down over several metres before he was left to collect himself for what he knew was only a few precious moments.

This guy's incredible. He picked up his pacing until he knew I couldn't keep up anymore.

That didn't put him down and out by any stretch. Piccolo stared up, seeing the light of the sun tapping through the edges of his vision. Closing both his fists, Piccolo sensed the energy above him as Colchico circled like a shark preparing to dive down on him at any moment.

I need him to come at me. Just one opening.

A golden bolt of energy left his fingers, before it shot forward and went straight up into the air under the control of his mind. Within a heartbeat the bolt had been shot back into the water with another one behind it, exploding beneath the surface of the ocean. The shockwave itself rolled through the water, stilling the surface for but a second before the water surged upwards. In this second, he sensed through the waves the motions of his adversary, now moving on him.

Just like that.

Time slowed as Piccolo sensed the other Namek sweeping in towards him, the water slowing him just enough that he could see where he was as he followed his energy. The surface bulged violently above the motion heading towards him as seemingly the entire ocean's current was overtaken by the one Namekian's body. In a blur of speed, Piccolo finally lost track, but only for the split second before he was about to meet his guard.

Demon-ken!

Green energy rippled over him as Colchico reappeared in front of his eyes as his own speed and strength doubled. The fist coming straight at him seemed to slow, before Piccolo drove his fist into the other Namekian's stomach. Eyes widened and bulged in agony before Piccolo swung around and swept up, moving under his opponent's fist, and striking straight up with an uppercut. The blow cracked into his jaw as the gaping Namekian's mouth was slammed shut, sending him straight up, his body breaching the surface as Piccolo followed in a blur of speed, the entire ocean blasting away from him at the motion of his power.

Colchico twisted in the air, assuming a defensive stance, looking stunned and confused as to what just happened, pointing straight down at him.

"Bastard!" he shouted furiously, before his eyes widened once again, this time with confusion.

Putting almost all his power into his speed, Piccolo curved around Colchico instead of ploughing into him. When he reappeared Piccolo had come around, now sweeping into his side. Switching focus before Colchico could react, he poured his power into his strength, green energy rippling off him before he slammed his elbow into the other Namekian's jaw.

A noise of surprise, pain, and a half-caught gurgle escaped the other warrior as his eyes seemingly vanished in his skull. Blood, spit, and a tooth came free from his face before the other Namek's body went limp in the air, falling back violently towards the glacier. When his frame hit the icy surface, Piccolo breathed in and out heavily as he stared down at the broken body of his foe.

Tough. But not tough enough.

When Piccolo turned to look for the others… All Piccolo felt was something connection with his head. Hard.

When his body shot back, his frame slapped into the surface of the water before plunging a thousand feet into the cold darkness below.

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Goku:

The battle had emerged around him whether he liked it or not. Piccolo and Raditz were sent back from their attackers, and that really left Goku and this Lord Slug guy. His opponent looked old, and he definitely was old, but there was something youthful in the way he behaved now, the anticipation of battle had clearly awoken something within him. There was something exciting about the fact he wasn't afraid of him, or his power. The fact this guy seemed fascinated by it almost made him wish whoever he was, wasn't so evil and intent on killing him. Even now, he definitely got the Frieza-wannabe vibe from him, even more than he got from Frieza's family.

Blurring forward, Goku threw his fist out, diving straight in towards his opponent. His strike sailed just past his opponent, who in a motion Goku couldn't follow proceeded to grab his face, before hurtling him into the air. Swinging back several times, Goku finally stopped in the air before the other figure zipped into the air in front of him. Power began crackling off his body as Goku began sensing exactly what he was up again.

No way.

It shot to above his own in seconds before a wave of purple energy rippled off the elder warrior. Then it shot up even higher.

"You'll forgive me, but I don't have time to play with you, not yet."

Fazing out of space for a second, Goku saw Slug disappear before he reappeared behind him. The sensation of the air distorting around him gave him enough time to look up before Slug's fist smashed into his spine. A gag escaped him as he was flung forward, before turning around, striking out with a kick, catching the giant of a warrior across the face. Spit shot to one side as the two came to a halt.

Reaching up with his gloved hand, Slug pressed his index finger against his lip before looking down at the small smear of purple on his hand. There was something unnerving to Goku as he saw the look Slug gave his glove. There was a mixture of sadness, and perhaps something else. It was the look of a man who perhaps had woken up for the first time in years.

"I see you've given my advancing age its parting gift," Slug grumbled before seemingly dropping his guard and started to hover towards him.

Calling on all his strength, Goku swung his fist out towards the giant, who slipped past it. Blinking in shock, Goku unleashed a barrage of attacks. Punches flew into well decided spots, kicks lashed out at his legs, head, and even arms. Each swipe, each feint, and every motion seemed to lead to nothing but air. Dozens of attacks passed through nothing before finally he felt the hardened forearm of his adversary block a straight punch. The impact was so fast he barely recognized it, beyond the fact he'd thrown his fist back, breaking his own rhythm.

When the first punch landed on his abdomen, Goku gagged and spat as the power carried through his entire body, before the next one connected with the side of his face. Immediately he felt his eyeball almost lose its sight as part of his bone fracture above his eye socket. Blood exploded from his nose before another huge fist crashed into his head from the other side, this time sending him flipping back helplessly for almost ten seconds.

The familiar sound of his Super Saiyan aura wrapped around him as he forced the world around him to stop.

Looking at the battlefield beyond, Goku couldn't see or sense Raditz, and Piccolo was fading fast.

Oh no! This is bad.

Seeing the look on Slug's face, Goku swallowed, trying to keep the swelling pain in his head down.

Energy began forming in Slug's body as Goku felt his heart start racing.

I need to find a way to get around this guy. If I can slow him down, I can find a way to win.

Energy crackled across the space between them as he realized power was being drawn in.

"I told you before," Slug grumbled. "I don't have time for this. This little fight of ours has made me feel young again though. I thank you for that. But it's time for you to die."

Golden power caught fire in the air between them as Slug began to roar. Energy crackling from all directions left Goku tense as he braced himself, waiting for hands to be thrust forward, or for Slug to disappear and reappear with another attack. The old man hunched over as his body began to tremble.

Looking towards the sea beyond the Glacier, he could sense Raditz and Piccolo's power now. That was the only solace he took before focusing on his opponent again.

When Slug opened his mouth, the world turned yellow. His fighting gi immediately caught fire as Goku felt his skin burn, and that was before the wave even hit. His eyes widened in… fear… as the wave rolled into him, his own cries echoing out into the sky as the world turned to a golden fire.

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Atachin:

Anger breathed out of his lungs as the huge Namek gave a half-disgusted look towards the water, where the other Namekian had been. Another Namekian they'd run into, and another one he despised just by its nature. This one had fought against them, the other was using its lying, honeyed words to manipulate the only father he'd ever known. Striding over the side of the glacier, he stared into the water tombs of his enemies, before taking long steps towards where his comrade lay.

Colchico was laying there, his tongue hanging out of his head with his neck crooked to one side. The rise and fall of his chest left him with some dignity, at least he'd not been killed. Still, if these creatures had been strong enough to defeat Colchico, they could have been extremely dangerous. The regular army was useless, they were nothing but effective at murdering the defenseless and the clueless. Shell, Staff, Colchio, and himself were the vanguards of destruction. All of his brothers paled in comparison to himself, and he was but a fraction of their Lord's power.

Still, he hadn't detected the kind of power necessary to knock out his adoptive sibling. If he'd not intervened when he had, this would have been over for him. It was something he was going to need to remind him the next time they got into a dispute over who was going to get the shittiest jobs assigned to them on the next backwater.

Two feet landed next to him as Lord Slug himself came into view. The only real threat to himself had been the Super Saiyan, and it was no match for the pinnacle of the Super Nameks. Killed, undoubtably, only a few moments earlier. Still, it'd have been an interesting challenge to square off his skill and power against such a being. He relished the idea of felling an opponent of such power, in fact. Anything was possible under Lord Slug's direction.

From the moment he'd found him as a young Namekian on a long-forgotten world, Atachin knew his Lord, the master of their clan, was wise and powerful. What had been displayed only moments ago, was further evidence of this.

"Colchico and I dropped the last of our Dragon Balls off. Only Shell and Staff's remain. When they, and that welp get back here, we will have all seven of them my Lord."

Slug coughed several times, his mighty stature looking frail as he trembled for a moment, falling to one knee. The exertion of the fight had been more than his ancient body could bear, even Atachin could see that. Quickly, he rushed to his side, as a son would for his ailing father. Grasping his arm, he tried to keep him steady. Within a second however, he was shoved away.

"If I need your help, I will ask for it!" Slug shouted, before coughing several more times. "Soon… *cough*… soon I will be rid of this frailty."

The wheezing continued as Slug pulled himself up under his own power.

If they do not arrive here with that Dragon Ball soon…

There was something… a power spike, in the south. And he could sense Shell and Staff's powers as well.

What the Hell?

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Shell:

"Now, now is the time," the witch informed them. "Destroy them."

"Are you going to participate?" Shell almost sneered. "Or are we the only ones with the privilege?"

"I prefer to watch," King Piccolo chuckled. "At least for now."

Weakling.

Nodding to his brother, Shell blitzed forward, dashing through the trees before landing outside the front of the house. His feet landed at the same time as his brother's. The two dark blue and white clad warriors began walking with purpose towards the entrance of the home.

"Do you guys feel that?" a voice came from within. "Goku's in trouble up there. C'mon, we've gotta help!"

A short bald man burst through the door. An inferior power by any description stared directly at them before he quivered, stepping back. It was everything to hold back just vaporizing him. A major problem for them was making sure they didn't destroy the property, and the Dragon Ball along with it. Instead, he lunged forward, before he could respond, his leg curving out into a kick. When the blow landed, he caught the Earthling in the jaw. Eyes went glazed before drool trailed after the unconscious body as it skipped over the landscape nearby. As it came to a sliding halt, its legs tapped a nearby tree root, causing it to flip over to be face first on the ground. Well, that was easy enough, wasn't it?

Another Earthling came charging out, this time with three eyes. It was very exotic for this planet, as far as he could tell.

"Krillin!" he shouted, before charging at him, striking out with a fist before Shell cracked a right sided body blow into the victim's ribs, not giving him the opportunity to respond.

There was a gag of disbelief before he swept around, snapping his elbow behind him as he did, connecting with the human's skull from behind. The body rolling forward, snapping through several trees before laying face first in the mud in the forest nearby, barely moving.

Looking over to his brother, Staff just looked bored and irritated.

"I'll get the woman. The last one should attack you now. We'll let the King get the Dragon Ball once all the danger has cleared."

Staff's words were clearly meant to insult, though they both knew King Piccolo couldn't hear such privately delivered messages. A small figure emerged, smaller than the first bald human, and much more powerful than the other two. A confused look crossed him, as Shell shot straight into the air before they boy could make eye contact on him. Diving down like a great bird of prey, Shell held back his joyful laugh, his need for violence being sated, if only slightly, by these soft targets. At the last moment the boy looked up, raising his arms to fire an intense energy blast at him. Surging his own power, Shell's body broke through the wave before delivering a single blow, what he usually thought as the deathblow, on the child from above. All of his strength focused into a single point, the top of the kid's head. Within seconds the child's body plunged a dozen metres straight down into the Earth.

Stretching his arm down the hole, he grabbed hold of part of its leg, dragging it up out of the hole, and seeing blood just dripping from its nose and eyes, though it was breathing through its mouth.

All three of them had been caught unaware. Ambushes were fantastic when they were pulled off correctly. None of the concerns of having to have to drag things out.

The woman was shoved out of the door a moment later.

"Gohan!" she shrieked, her eyes bulging as she charged towards him.

A wet thud followed as he saw his brother 'punch' her in the back from behind. Her body fell to its knees before she coughed blood up a second later.

"When our royal compatriot said slow, did he say slow how? Cut her to pieces? Did he want the kid to watch? Or does he just want us to beat her to death?"

Turning their mutual attention towards the trees where their compatriot stood silently in the woods, they saw him nod his head.

"What? To the former? The latt… ahhhhhh, you want us to do all three. Tricky, very tricky," Shell snickered. "Maybe he's not so bad. I don't mind a bit of blood letting."

"This is beneath us," Staff remarked, his tone that of someone dissatisfied with his current task.

"Loosen up a little," Shell offered. "What's the worst that'll happen? This disgusting Earthling screaming? The child screaming? Who cares?"

"Please," the woman wheezed. "Please don't do this."

My turn.

Stepping forward, Shell raised back his hand and backhanded the woman, gently. The whole right side of her face turned purple before she hit the ground quivering.

"You know, slowly is going to be hard," he then observed. "I was holding back, and I think I half killed her."

Reaching out her arm, she was trying to crawl towards him. And then of course he realized she was crawling towards the bleeding body he was holding upside down. She wanted to be near the child. It was ironic, as she really couldn't protect him, at all. It was something Shell didn't understand. Why bother with this kind of behaviour? Futility was something he didn't get. If you couldn't even fight for your life, what was the point?

"You want this back?" he snickered, dropping the near lifeless body of the boy in front of her.

That kid could have been a problem if they let him get going. That was an important thing he'd noticed. Make sure you pull the claws out of your prey, before you play with them.

As she crawled, she reached out with one hand, tears on the edge of her eyes. Her trembling fingers almost touched the body before he slid it back further with his foot. A low chuckle finally managed to emerge from his chest as a low sob escaped the woman's. Taking a step forward, he let her crawl forward slightly more before stamping his leg down, cracking her knee without any effort. A scream broke out over the valley as her crawl ceased as she reflected in on herself, trying to hold the limp, destroyed limb.

"You're giving up so soon!? I thought you could crawl more," Shell laughed.

"Can we just get this over with?" Staff sneered. "You're better than this, Shell."

"No, I enjoy whatever job I get. Besides, the weak don't matter. The weak are nothing but prey for the strong. You know this. Even our real father knew this, and Lord Slug knows it even more," dropping to one knee, he looked at the bruised and broken body. "I'll let you know, lady, this is nothing too personal. I was told to kill you slowly. I figure you've got another couple of minutes in you. Do you think so too?"

A pair of spiteful, pained, grieving eyes turned up towards him as she clenched her teeth with anger and pain. There was a defiance there he hadn't expected. Instead of responding to his prodding with words, she spat. A combination of blood and spit hit his visor, leaving Shell to pause for a moment. Clearly, she wanted to enjoy the last few minutes they'd have together.

Those eyes. I think those are next.

Reaching out with his hand, pulled up his index and middle finger, while his other arm wiped the spit from his visor. Two small globes of burning energy appeared and as his arm came free, he could see the real fear emerge on her features as his arm slowly moved towards her face. She rolled back, trying to get away before he quickly got to his feet, stomping on her chest. A cough of blood came up while he held her in place, letting his arm come back down towards him.

"I don't like those eyes. Let me help you with that."

Something was suddenly… off. Something uncomfortable was in the air around them. There was energy. It came up at one point, and then disappeared like a ghost. The two energy orbs disappeared from his hand as he felt the squirming body beneath him trying to pull herself free. She was no longer his chief concern, however. Looking at Shell, he could see the same clear concern.

"What the Hell was that?" he asked, knowing full well that whatever that was, wasn't some glitch. It was too much.

"I don't know. I don't see anything."

There were three fighters down here.

A wave of force rolled past him a second later. The ground beneath them began to rumble violently. Power. Lots of power. The wind swept up around him, brushing past his black uniform and white armour plating. The glass on the front of his environmental helmet rattled.

That's almost as much as my full power.

A massive amount of ki emerged nearby. And then it disappeared, again.

Breathing into his mask, Shell reached up, unclipping the helmet, casting it aside, freeing his ears and eyes to the open world. It was unnaturally warm here, compared to where he'd become acclimatized. It wasn't unbearable, of course, but it was unnerving. The coughing, bleeding earthling beneath him was making soft, dying noises. At least they were coming through with one promise.

"What are you two fools doing?!" King Piccolo shouted. "Finish the job!"

Oh, NOW he wants us to kill them fast.

Something hit him in the middle of the chest before he could do anything. The air was sucked out of Shell's body before he flew back. The ground ripped up behind him as he saw Staff assume a defensive stance, slowly beginning to back up. Throwing his own arms back, Shell's body stopped as he roared furiously.

"Who DARES do that to me?!" he almost screamed, his eyes turning to look in every direction.

His heart started racing as the world started to rumble again all around them. Staff slid back to his side, one step at a time, the woman and the boy were laying where they'd been standing only a second ago. When the ground between them split open. A single figure slowly started to rise out of it, staring directly at them with a cold disdain. Whoever the hell this was, he didn't really care. Shell was so angry he was shaking; his teeth were grit together as he started to snarl.

Landing on his feet in front of them, the figure seemed to almost ignore them, turning to walk over to the casualties.

"Hey! HEY!" Shell snapped. "Don't you fucking ignore us! Who do you think you are? This isn't your business!"

The figure didn't even bother saying a word as he knelt first over the boy, checking his pulse, before walking over to the woman. There was a quiet moment between the two as a cold fury started to rise.

"Goku," the woman rasped, her hand coming out, shakily taking his shoulder.

He didn't respond to her, though there was clearly something that her word moved in him. His shoulders tensed at the comment. Taking the hand, he placed it on her stomach.

"Hold here," he told her, his voice cool. "It'll stem the bleeding."

Her own expression seemed to change to one of a mixture of fear and surprise, which was something Shell hadn't expected.

She's afraid or apprehensive at the very least… of her saviour?

Rising up to his feet again, the figure took the grey jacket he was wearing off, revealing a white shirt and grey vest he had beneath. Beginning to roll up the sleeves of the shirt higher on his arm. Undoing a piece of clothing he had around his neck a second later, the figure case the article of clothing away, leaving his collar exposed.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to request that you don't touch the suit," the figure remarked. "They take two weeks to make. It's very inconvenient for me if it gets damaged."

What… the Hell?

"There is something off about this one," Staff warned aloud. "He's dangerous."

"Don't be so worried. He can't beat both of us. At best he's as strong as me."

The remark was enough to make Shell scoff before he looked to where their guide, King Piccolo, had been.

He's gone?

Turning his eyes forward again he saw the figure standing there, his form not prepared to attack or defend himself. His guard was down. There was no way he was that stupid.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Shell asked the new arrival. "Did you come here just to die? I know you're not mute, Earthling. Why don't you kill yourself and save us the trouble?"

Shell almost laughed at how preposterous this had become.

Instead, the new figure started to walk towards them.

"You have no idea how fucked you are, Namek," the Earthling stated coolly, his body almost pulsing to life as he spoke.

Before Shell could say anything else, a purple aura emerged around their would-be victim, his power spiked higher than anything else displayed prior in their encounter. Before he could raise his guard, a heel crashed into his chest, before it swung around, catching him in the side of the mouth. Falling back and swinging violently to one side helplessly over the ground, Shell felt a knee smash into his lower back before his face ate the surface of the Earth as his helmet imploded from the impact. His ears picked up the sound of Staff being batted away.

When his legs hit the surface of the planet, Shell pulled himself up by his hands, spitting dirt out of his mouth as he snarled like a vicious animal, ripping the remnants of his helmet off. Jumping up, he looked to see Staff sailing back through the air, crashing into the forest beyond.

The figure landed in front of him, his arms crossed, just staring holes through him. Shell felt his heart almost stop, only kept going by the outrage and fury he felt at the humiliation he'd just experienced over the last few moments.

"Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?" Shell breathed furiously.

"Oh? I think you have this the other way around. You have no idea who you've managed to anger, do you?" the Earthling remarked, his face twisting with a dark smile. The same malice he'd displayed while tormenting the female human before, he could see in the smile.

Staff had been right. This freak was something they'd not expected, and now was a time to start taking this seriously.

"I've made a human angry," Shell spat back. "So, what? Once I'm done with you, I'm going to finish the job I started. In fact-"

Perfect.

Pointing his hand towards where the woman and the boy lay, Shell gathered a huge amount of ki in a short few seconds, before unleashing the wave of blue energy. A wall of light flashed out, saturating the world around them. His enemy disappeared, being forced to challenge the beam.

When the light started to fade, Shell chuckled as Staff landed behind him, breathing in and out heavily.

"Where did that thing go?" he asked.

Problem solved… wh… no… NO!

Shell's mouth went agape as he saw standing there, untouched, was the figure. Behind him was the wounded woman and the others.

"You poor fool, with the power I possess you don't stand a chance against me," the creature remarked, a sick amusement beginning to seep into his voice, replacing the cold tone from before. "Here. Let me show you."

Suddenly, a purple aura caught fire around their attacker. The spike in his power was immense, it was too much. The trees around them began to sway with the simple ignition of the aura itself. A flurry of wind whipped over him as Shell felt his entire body tense involuntarily as the attacker blinked in front of him. Without even a hint of motion from himself, Shell could only watch as the right fist from this thing caught him across the face. Bone chipped from his cheek as purple blood exploded from a bruise which formed, and then exploded on the side of his head. Flipping back with a violence he could barely stand, Shell felt his blood being pulled to the extremes of his body before his body cut through a dozen trees as his trajectory carried him through to a small plateau, crashing into the side of the rocky mountain face.

Coughing from the indent he'd made in the mountain, he breathed in shakily before the world in front of him opened up. In the wake of something moving so fast it couldn't be tracked, suddenly the air sucked out of his body again as his internal organs were pulverized. Blood coughed up from his throat as he lurched forward over the knee which had slammed into his body at a dozen times the speed of sound. His hands were trembling as he started to fall forward helplessly, having lost almost all control over his body. All there was, was numbing pain raking through him. The lack of air in his lungs made him feel like he was choking, even as his organs began to bleed internally. It was excruciating.

Suddenly, the monster's fists came down on his back, sending him tumbling down the side of the cliff he was held on. His body broke through branches growing out of the side of the mountain, before he clipped several rock outcrops on the way down, each one making his fall more erratic. In his moments of stability in his descent, just as he gasped to life, finally getting air in his lungs, he looked up only to see a hundred bolts of energy all trailing after him.

He didn't even have the air to scream as they were sent into him. The bolts of energy all came crashing into the ground with him, before the detonation. Purple light was cast around him as he finally managed to cry out, feeling his body beginning to burn away while the massive explosions around him merged together.

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Staff:

They'd moved past him so quickly, and covered so much ground Staff couldn't even follow it. All he knew was he was sensing his brother being killed. This planet was a trap, wasn't it? Some means of getting them killed? They'd never gone anywhere where a challenge like this had emerged. Their power was always unquestioningly stronger. Whatever this monster was, it'd picked Shell apart like he was nothing.

Shell, a Super Namek. Someone strong enough to crack whole worlds when challenged. And this Earthling had shred him. He'd absolutely shred him. Normally, it was Shell displaying a kind of viciousness that made things uncomfortable. This human had turned it back on him with a kind of violence that was Shell's calling card. They'd been born on the same world together, to the same father. He was his brother in every sense. And on this world, Earth, he now feared that he'd left his brother behind.

Rushing through the annihilated part of the forest, the pathway of destruction the two had left Staff descended down the side of several mountains as quickly as he could, until he found a formation of a dozen craters. The forest had been blasted clean. Even the rocks had been melted. Was there even anything left of him?

Eyes scanned the crater for signs of his brother, while his other senses looked for any sensation of power or disturbance in the air, not wanting to be ambushed.

When he took several more steps, he saw the burning dust and dirt on the ground slip at the heart of the largest crater as a dirt covered, green figure started to try and move. Purple stained through the dust within seconds as blood oozed from the wreckage of his brother's body. With a quick motion, Staff arrived at his side, recoiling for a moment at the sight. His body was covered in burns, and the bottom half of his form had been vaporized. His legs, and much of his abdomen were just gone. Gurgling noises, mixed with a wheeze were the only noises he could make.

He'll die without more power.

It'd taken everything in Shell to survive the blast. Placing his hand on his brother, he sapped some of his own ki into the body beneath his hand. A rush of energy surged through into the body. Within a few moments, his abdomen and legs burst free from his form, as cuts and burns across his body started to seal back up. Still, his brother was unconscious, even with the power being transferred into his form. Rising to his feet, Staff knew when it was time to disengage. Grabbing Shell by his arm, he heaved his brother over his shoulder, starting to slowly take off, trying to keep his energy low.

Failure. I've… I've never failed before.

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Turles:

Landing a moment later, he could sense the other Namekian trying to retreat. His eye stared in the direction he knew he was going. That was something he'd deal with in a moment. For now, he'd propped Chi-Chi up against the side of her home. He wasn't stupid enough to ask the asinine question if she was alright. Clearly, she needed a Senzu Bean, or risked permanent injury, or perhaps death.

Kakarot was probably dead by his measurement. He sensed that power go out in the far north, and he sensed Raditz and Piccolo go out as well. That left him and Vegeta as the only real powers on this planet that had any chance of resisting any of the powers that had arrived. And there were two there that he had very bad odds of dealing with. Which meant he was going to need to stomp on the neck of the one trying to get away. Culling their numbers while he had the chance was going to be key to winning. It was a matter of playing the long game.

Saiyans get stronger with every real battle.

"Thank you," Chi-Chi whispered, her breathing shallow.

It was always so awkward to be thanked. Doing anything like these creatures on this world always felt wrong. Raditz seemed to relish in whatever he lived in on this world, but Raditz was weak. Well, if Raditz were still alive, he'd relish in it.

"Uncle… Turles?" Gohan managed as he slowly started to come to. "What… what happened?"

That was something he didn't need to explain. Even as he saw the humans coming to. His eyes scanned over the area before he started to stand. The boy had suffered a concussion at the very least, as well as several lacerations. This was what happened when you left a child to defend your home. The boy was either going to learn nothing of how to wage war, or be the victim of your enemies.

"Get out of here. Fast," Turles advised. "Keep your powers low. Let the humans know if they're too groggy to understand."

"Turles," Chi-Chi's voice opened up. "Wait."

Kneeling down again, he stared at Chi-Chi seriously for a moment, seeing the tears in her eyes. There was real gratitude. Which was even stranger to stomach.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you. I was wrong about you," she managed, smiling at him even as blood trickled down the edge of her lip. "You're a good person."

There was a first time for everything, apparently. The words hit him strangely when he heard them. He didn't really know how to respond to his sister-in-law. Kakarot's woman just remain propped up against the side of the building, trying to ignore the pain.

A good person.

The words almost made him regret even coming here. Especially after the cold treatment he'd received here the last time. If it wasn't for Gohan, and probably Chi-Chi, he'd have let the Namekians kill these two human fighters. Hell, even as he sensed it happening, he wasn't sure if he should come down this far towards this place. The certainty of his decision only became real when he'd seen what these things were doing. Perhaps it was even a moment of reflection on himself. He'd been guilty of the same treatment of others. Watching them torture this woman however, Kakarot's wife, hadn't been something he desired to see happen any further than a few seconds. It wasn't that it moved him…

It doesn't matter.

Saving Gohan was the right move. Saving the others was a mere biproduct of that.

"You did the right thing, for once."

That voice was enough to make him immediately regret having come here.

"Can you fly, kid?" Turles asked his nephew, who nodded as he hobbled forward. "And do you know anywhere safe?"

The boy looked half delirious as he started to think, stumbling as he rubbed his face, sticky, half solidified blood sticking to his hand as he did.

"Yea, I think… Kami's Lookout. Korin may have some Senzu Beans."

"Good," Turles said.

Grabbing his jacket, he placed it over Chi-Chi's shoulders.

"You've lost a lot of blood," he followed up. "This will make the flight easier. Don't ruin it. It's worth more than this house."

He could already see a bloodstain on the jacket, and suppressed his irritation at its sight. Looking at his nephew, he couldn't help but feel a pang of envy as he saw him carefully starting to get his mother together. Not that it lasted for more than a few seconds. Still, even as he stood up, Turles walked past the other two humans, seeing them nod at him.

He almost growled at the recognition. Instead, his cold walk simply bypassed it. Perceptions mattered, and right now he wasn't being perceived the way he wanted. There would be room to correct that later. Especially once he overcame where Kakarot had been. With his brother dead… that meant he was the last one who would achieve the goal of Super Saiyan, in this time. He was the one who'd carry the banner, once he unlocked the goal.

The image of his brothers being killed, and his nephew being brutalized, and his sister in law being tortured left Turles with a cold rage, rebuilt in his mind's eye as he strode forward, before an aura covered his body, preparing to take off.

I'm going to kill each and every one of these things.

The last year of training, something he despised, had been a Hell upon his body and mind. Suppressing his power, but driving his body to the edge all the same, all while he tried to feed on his rage to transform himself into something greater … It was informative. It helped him deceive and destroy these Namekians, and it was going to continue to do so.

And once I'm done with them. It will have helped me deceive and crush anyone else who gets in my way.

Blasting off in quick motion, he rapidly closed the gap on the Namekian who was limping away. Spying him with the other one over his shoulder, Turles narrowed his eyes.

Clearly, I'm getting sloppy. Still, it gives me the chance to kill him again. I can't complain.

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Staff:

The peaks and valleys of these mountains had been useful cover for him as he hopped through as much forest as he could, taking flight only when necessary. He could sense Atachin ahead. Something was hunting him, and he knew exactly what. Power spikes were following him just like had preyed on them before this nightmare of a fighter had started. Stopping in the air, Staff zipped to the ground, dropping his brother on the ground, his body rolling like a ragdoll before finding its resting place next to a rock.

Where are you?

All around him he could sense motion, disturbances in the wind around them. A tree branch snapped and Staff knew what that meant. Bracing himself his senses honed on everything down to a very molecule of dust hanging in the air. He could see the shape of his attacker zipping around him, circling him like a predator looking for the weakest point of attack. His own power steadily rose as he awaited this thing to reveal itself.

When the trees split open to his right, he only had a fraction of a microsecond to respond. Green energy flowed around him before a bubble of energy formed around his body. The shield flickered violently as he shifted his stance, throwing his arms up to support the energy shield he'd formed, seeing the rough hand digging into his energy, purple ki digging into his power. He was no fool, this thing was trying to finish him off quickly, he could sense Atatchin as well. It was like fighting a predator, not a fighter.

Looking into the cold, hateful eyes across from him, Staff felt his resolve deepen.

"You have run out of time, monster," Staff spat. "You will not have enough time to defeat me before Atatchin arrives, and then your fate is sealed."

A scowl emerged on the human's face at the remark, before a confident smirk reappeared as Staff felt his shield starting to flicker.

"I only need enough time to get through this. Then we'll see if I have enough time," the beast said with certainty.

As the shield flickered a dozen times within a few seconds, Staff's whole body tightened as the shield shattered around his body like glass. The offending hand which had torn through it shot towards him, as he pulled his body to the right, dodging the first blow, the human's other fist caught him in the sternum. He had a hiccup, spitting as the blow landed before he was rounded on by the other fist, this one catching him in the side of the temple. The world flickered from light to dark several times after the second blow landed, before he felt something hot beginning to form in his chest.

When the ki blast sent him sliding back, he grasped it with his hands, reforming his shield around the blast itself, stabilizing the attack enough for him to flip back several times before the attack detonated, annihilating hundreds of metres of forest where he'd just been.

Before he could recover further, he was charged from the side, a hand grabbing the side of his face and shredding the other side against a half dozen trees before flinging him through several massive towers of wood. Before he could even pull himself up from the tree that had finally stopped his course, shots started landing on his stomach, one after another, before one came across his jaw, and another broke his nose. He felt the cartilage break from the blow before the monster grabbed his face again.

"Namek," the Earthling said quietly. "When you get to Hell, I want you to know that it wasn't some Earthling that sent you there. I want you to know that it was a Saiyan Warrior, Turles, that did this to you."

Saiyan. Those were what King Piccolo had warned us about-

In front of him, purple energy began forming in the creature's hands, and this time his shields couldn't even be conceived, and even if they could, there was no way it was going to stop a blast like this. His body had been battered beyond a quick response, and they were at point black range. The violet glow of the energy illuminated his killer. Staff couldn't help but sense the irony that this was how he was going to die. The predator, turned to the prey, slain with the same brutality his brother and he had shown to so many.

Wincing as he turned his head away from the light, Staff raised his hands to impotently defend himself.

"Calamity Bl-"

Suddenly, the light disappeared as a winding sound whipped through the air. Opening his eyes again, Staff looked ahead to see a green hand grasping Turles's arm. Turles seemed surprised himself, an elongated limb from above the treeline having grabbed him. Before he could respond further, it violently pulled back, sucking Turles up through the ceiling canopy for the forest.

His head just fell back with relief as he breathed in.

Achatin.

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Achatin:

The winding noise his arm made pulled the Saiyan free from his adoptive brother, as the large Namekian was greeted with a bizarre sight. This thing had just been killed by Lord Slug, hadn't it? Or had it? A sibling? The resemblance was uncanny. A viciously angry face was what met him. There was something dark behind it.

"I've already killed your compatriots, Saiyan," Achatin. "Surrender, and death will be quick, I promise."

"I can't say the same for you," Turles spat. "When I'm done with you, you'll wish you never touched me."

Stronger than the last two he'd dealt with; this thing was still of little threat to him. Without bothering to listen to it Achatin blasted towards him, closing the small gap between the two of them, overwhelming the Saiyan with his speed and size. There was a shocked look before his fist came down, crashing into him like an asteroid. The sound of the impact was so great that an explosion rolled out through the air, splitting the forest open below.

Driving another blow into his stomach, the humanoid gagged before vomiting blood onto his arm, before the next blow landed, and then the next, and then the next. Bones buckled with each blow. Blood shot from the foolish Saiyan's mouth and nose, even his right eye in a matter of seconds, before he slammed his knee into the Saiyan's abdomen, before crashing his elbow into his back. Bones within the bone pushed against one another.

Pulling the figure up, he cut his claws across his side, slashing through fabric and flesh as he reached up, grabbing him by the face a second later, smearing the blood onto his cheeks and neck with his hand.

"You are weak. Your species, is weak. Your planet, is weak. And Lord Slug is the new master here."

Tightening his grip, Achatin wound up, as if throwing a ball, before pelting him towards the ground itself.

"Die!"

Throwing his head forward, orange energy formed from his white gloves, before a thousand bolts of energy formed from his fingers, casting out.

What this brute had done to his clan had been unacceptable in every respect. He sensed Shell's decline, and Staff's. For any of their clan to be humiliated by an outsider was the gravest offense. In the air below however, Achatin saw the Saiyan turn to look at the blasts above, and not flinch in surprise or shock. Instead, he felt the being gathering its strength. Even as it did, Achatin couldn't help but scoff that this thing, that was perhaps at its greatest a third of his power. The orb expanded in the Saiyan's hands, just as his arrows descended together towards him. Firing the bolt towards him, Achatin opened one hand, focusing his strength as it tore through hundreds of his blasts.

When it landed in his hand, the pulsing orb. Below, he could hear and see thousands of explosions as the forest was turned to ruin in second, a mushroom cloud blasting out. The pulsing blast in his hand detonated, but was reflected away with ease. The only sign it'd ever hit him was his glove being burnt. Turning towards the devastation, he could sense residual power of the Saiyan there. Landing in the midst of it all a second later, his eyes scanned the area.

He just escaped.

A grim look, a quiet fury, overtook the gigantic Namekian as he started to pace angrily, scanning the craters as he did, trying to make sure his suspicions were correct.

Behind him, he saw Staff hovering forward, holding Shell's unconscious body. The two of them were half dead.

"He got away," Staff observed. "Should we track him-"

"No," Achatin barked angrily. "We are going to return to Lord Slug, and let him know your failure to acquire the last Dragon Ball. And then we will track the remaining survivors down and put them to the torch."

Angrily, he spat onto the ground, frustrated in the extreme that he'd let this one slip through his fingers.

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Turles:

Burns covered half of his body. Scraps and cuts from debris scaled up his arms and legs as well. There was blood in his lungs too, which was never a good sign. He was almost certain he had several fractures in his ribs as well. He was lucky that his body was in mild shock after taking the brunt of the blast, otherwise he'd be in agony right now. But that was nothing a Saiyan warrior couldn't work through.

Watching from further up the mountain, his head barely poking out from behind a tree, he watched as the three Namekians took off into the air, blasting away. Energy control had been his saviour, guiding his opponents to think his energy had depleted nearby, rather than to where he'd fled. Relief washed over him as he slid down the side of the tree, his now bare feet sliding into the mud as he closed his eyes, resting for several moments.

No wonder that thing had managed to overwhelm the others. It had mentioned Lord Slug, likely the creature who'd overwhelmed Kakarot. This planet was a write-off. Perhaps he should begin thinking about procuring a space craft. Still, the last fight had broken his body badly enough that just killing Vegeta may not be possible. This complicated matters. There was still the complication of things regarding his nephew.

Dragging the kid off world's going to be difficult as well.

Rising to his feet, he spat some blood from his mouth before he honed his strength, keeping it submerged, before he started hopping through the forest floor, rushing across the surface of the Earth as he tried to remember where this "Kami's Lookout" was. The main problem he noticed though as he started moving was a major laceration on his side. It was deep. Blood was beginning to flow through the wound.

It was bad. He knew it too.

Finding the lookout was now dropping from the priority list.

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Author's Notes:

Well friends, we've begun a wondrous journey, I think. Is it my best work? No, it's not, but I think it's fun. I think that was one thing that impeded a lot of my writing of The Catalyst for a long time. I always felt the need to one up, my previous work, and in a way you do kinda have to, but I'm trying not to be as concerned about that at the moment. One thing that helped was just sitting down and writing for most of my vacation, which is where I got a lot of these chapters done.

This Saga's really more about Turles and Goku (though the latter doesn't need quite as much development). The next mini-saga is more about Vegeta and Raditz. But this chapter is the beginning of the run up to Chapter 63, the end of the Saga. I'm very excited to keep these coming out to you guys.

I hope you enjoy, and I hope you leave your thoughts in the review section.

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Reviewers:

Blades of Fury: I can. That's so long from now. Lol

Luke: Ambushes aren't so great for anyone sadly. 😐

Anonyomous: Oh King Piccolo is perfectly aware, I promise. Tien and Krillin have some epic moments in this saga, this just isn't one of them 😊

Guest1: The battle has only begun, I can assure you. :P

Proman1398: Answered by PM.

Perfect Carnage: Answered by PM.

Super Mystic Gohan: The big fight doesn't really start until Chapter 60.

Transformers G1-Prime: Slug is definitely stronger than a Super Saiyan right now. Goku realized it and saw the state Raditz and Piccolo were in, so he GTFO. It doesn't get better either…

Kacarrot: Only the first part. This is the prelude. Raditz gets buried? Hell, Piccolo and Turles got buried too. Lmao

Karina: Only the first part. The shit hits the fan in Chapter 60. But this saga is really about Turles and Goku… so… I can't wait until we get further down the release schedule. 😊

OuterspaceHooker: Answered by PM.

Jetiq: You won't have to wait long.

Felon GT: Nope. They're King Piccolo and Garlic Junior. If you mean who's causing the rips in the fabric between times and realities?... That's all the time travelling going on.