Dragon Ball Z: The Catalyst

by Drakthul

Catalyst: a person or thing that precipitates an event or change. A traditional encounter is changed, and begins a series of events which will alter the fate of millions. From the beginning of the Saiyan Saga forward. Rated T for violence and themes.

63. Chapter 63: The Super Namek

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 63: The Super Namek

Lord Slug:

Slamming his body through another wall, Slug waltzed casually towards the hole the Super Saiyan had made, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him back again. It was incredible to be this young again. Every action felt like it possessed a kind of power behind it that felt good. The suffering of old age had been long forgotten and replaced with the vigor of youth. When he landed punches on this Saiyan, it made him feel younger not only in body, but spirit. It was uplifting in a way he could have only dreamed of. The pain of fighting was easily lost in his wonder of the nostalgia of the battle. Hundreds of years of violence were being relived and revisited on this one being.

As soon as he'd ripped the Saiyan free from the wall, he'd already restarted his onslaught. Holding him in the air as if he were a sack, Slug punched the Saiyan in the face, before kneeing him in the stomach. The process was repeated time and again, each time he hit him the Saiyan's face contorted with pain and discomfort. Blow after blow was rained down as the Saiyan finally cried out in pain, his body shaking from the severity of the assault. It was only then when Slug paused, holding the most powerful being from this planet in his hands, and he was limp like a dead pet.

Such a shame. I'd been hoping fore more of a challenge than this.

Striking forward hard, the last blow tore the shirt clean off this Son Goku. The body carried down the street, scraping against the ground several times before finding itself a spot near where Slug would be sure to put up a humble memorial for the Saiyan.

The only thing that stopped his onslaught was the sensation he felt… when Shell died.

Turning his attention to the purple wave on the other side of the city, Slug felt something akin to irritation at the failure of his underling. A sneer appeared, replacing his good mood for several moments as he pondered the usefulness of the violent Namekian who'd met his end only a few moments prior.

You always were too arrogant. Achatin will need to fix that mistake.

Seeing his 'foil' had risen to his feet again, Slug noted the golden hair had diminished to black. The limitations of his adversary had clearly been tested, and found their limit. The kill would be more than satisfactory. Raising his hand to his head however, Slug noticed two fingers touch his temple before he just vanished.

Blinking, the Namekian studied where he could have gone. His eyes scanned the street in front of him, trying to find any sign of the fighter. Lifting himself into the air, his senses even began looking for the Saiyan as he sensed another massive expulsion of energy. This time, he saw as the crimson wave carried through the sky, and within it, Staff died. That had been more than surprising. Something was off here, how his clan were being killed one by one left him unsettled.

This would mark his return to the fight on the other side of the city, however. His involvement was clearly necessary to overwhelm the Super Saiyan's underlings. Only as soon as he turned to go, he saw the Saiyan standing on a building below him, staring up at him, still looking exhausted.

"Have you had enough?" Slug asked from above. "Come to surrender?"

Then a red energy wrapped around the Saiyan as he leaped up at him, blurring for only a second as he disappeared from his view again. This time Slug felt something hit him in the back. The force of the blow was minimal at best. Turning to face his attacker, Slug saw the weakened Saiyan, no longer even glowing red.

"Really?"

It took only one swift punch, which sent the Saiyan straight into the ground below. Zipping to the ground within a second of the impact, Slug almost growled at the audacity of his attacker. To attack him when he was almost out of power? For what?

The Saiyan looked half dead as he was trying to keep on his feet.

"I'm bored, it's time for you die."

Despite the loss of Shell and Staff, Slug felt his grin return as he lined up his final punch. This would be a good one too. Honing his stance, Slug roared as he reached back and finally unleashed the blow, only to pause in disbelief as the Saiyan caught it. Son Goku was standing there, his hair reigniting with golden flame as he stared back at him, a man possessed by something beyond just an urge to fight. What didn't make sense, was his power resurged to its highest point. But how? Where did this come from?

As the power restored itself around him, energy flowed through the air. Electricity bounced between lights and signs as they exploded outwards within seconds. Glass, long shattered in the battle, rose into the air as rubble did as well. The golden light from the Saiyan reflected off his eyes as Slug was left in a state of shock as to what had just happened.

"What?" he managed to ask before he felt every bone in his left-hand snap, before his wrist was cracked as well as the Saiyan shoved his arm back in on itself.

It was enough that Slug recoiled, stumbling back as he looked at the ruined limb, clutching it. The moment he felt to one knee, his voice hoarse from his cry, Slug looked up to already see the Saiyan unleashing a new assault. This time, when Goku's fist connected with his face, Slug felt himself fly off the ground, spit draining out of his face while he did. When he hit the ground, the earth shifted with him, pieces of road tearing up at the impact of his body.

Eyes widened in disbelief, Slug felt himself starting to sit up, trying to unleash more of his power while he had the chance. So far, he'd been too reserved, too willing to drain Son Goku's energy with a minimal amount of his own, but this display was too much for him to stop in a lessened state. The only problem was now, gathering his strength while being assaulted so feverishly.

There was a pause while the Super Saiyan gathered his strength, allowing Slug to get to his feet once again before the Saiyan dove into him, kicking him with both feet. His arm hung loosely at his side as his body tore through the bottom floor of an apartment building, slamming into its elevator and breaking through the doors. Growling, Slug pulled his strength as he tore through the top of the building, stronger than he was before.

Angrily, he breathed the smoke out of his lungs as he saw the Super Saiyan below already charging him. The first punch landed on his face, sending Slug back as he'd prepared to use his vast reserves of power. Before he could respond further, he was already flying through the air outside of his own control. When he stopped, the next blow landed, sending him flying further and farther back. Another blow, and another left him sailing away from the city. When Goku appeared behind him, Slug finally managed to turn himself in the air before the Saiyan could connect with another shot, this time swinging his own punch into the Saiyan's face, sending him flying over the ocean, splashing through the frigid waters in the distance.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Slug tore his own arm off, tossing the defective one into the sea below him as he started to follow after Son Goku, discarding his other sleeve and glove before discarding his helmet.

His feet crashed into a nearby iceberg as Son Goku emerged from the water. It was likely he could have done more damage to him in their exchange, but clearly wanted a change in venue for their fight. Slug felt himself grin at the idea that this insect cared about people enough to try and save them.

In the distance, they both saw the massive explosions that followed. One with the death of Colchico, and another that would have destroyed half, if not all of the city.

The Saiyan knew he couldn't just attack anymore, the difference in their power was now firmly too great.

"You've managed to make this more interesting than I imagined," Slug admitted. "But your deficiencies as a fighter are already clear. I will give you this chance to surrender, and I will allow you to live as my servant."

It was a generous offer. It was also one he imagined would be rejected. Still, betraying "King" Piccolo was the least of his concerns now. There was a distinct lack of muscle in his organization now. Achatin was all that was left, and this Son Goku could be used to fill that void, if not supersede it. But the look he was being given told him his mercy was being rejected.

"I'm good," Goku responded to him, but surprisingly to Slug, this "Son Goku" seemed to have a question for him.

"Why did you come here? We never had any fight with you. Did you come here just to destroy everything? All for a wish? You got your wish!"

Perhaps a moment to reflect would allow the Saiyan to change his mind. Perhaps he should just crush him now… The thought was something Slug pondered for several minutes before he grinned back at Son Goku. The one whom King Piccolo had been so obsessed over… and the one whom he told him to fear. As things stood, this fight wouldn't carry on more than another five minutes. This was over already.

"Perhaps I just wanted to watch your world burn?" Slug answered, seeing a look of factual disbelief on Goku's disbelief before he laughed. "No, I came here because of the Dragon Balls. You are quite right, but I have the honour of informing you that one of your old friends had invited me here, in exchange for my wish, I was to kill you and all your friends and family. I must say though… now that I have my wish, my cares for completing my bargain have diminished seeing such power. If you surrender and join me, I will spare your life. Despite your many acts of resistance."

There was a pause from his adversary as if he was trying to think.

"Me? They did this all to kill me? Who?"

That was a delightful bit of information wasn't it? Clearly King Piccolo was dead as far as Slug could tell just meeting him. The halo above his head was a strong give away. How someone escapes Hell, Slug didn't know, but clearly the 'young' warrior had. His own men had spent time trying to look into this creature's origins, and certainly his 'loyalty' could be rewarded by keeping his secret… or it could be something interesting to torment his adversary with? He was unaware of the exact history between the two. Though he was aware that Son Goku had been his foil, and that his death was probably related. A being of such evil in his presence had been familiar. It was like being back with his own kind, his own clan, again.

"Hmmmm… I'm not sure I should mention, I did promise him after all that I'd let him rule this planet, and I've reneged on that agreement already. But… Perhaps if you joined me, I'd give you your chance to gain your revenge?" Slug asked openly. "Swear fealty to me and I will reveal who guided me here, and who is responsible for the suffering of you and your family."

"No," was the quick response, which was somewhat surprising, but only so far in how there was no deliberation on behalf of his enemy.

"Oh? Not the slightest bit interested?" Slug asked, beginning to take his casual walk forward. "After all you've done to interfere with my plans, I thought you'd at least be smart enough to realize what a gift it was to be given forgiveness."

"Thanks, but no thanks," was all he got in turn, the Super Saiyan taking a defensive stance.

Now was the time to take off the kid gloves, it appeared. Slug braced himself as his body already started to tremble with energies around it.

"Do you really think you stand a chance?" Slug asked honestly. "Do you not realize what you face? Your pitiful legend and power mean nothing here. You are about to face an ancient power from a time lost to history."

The lack of any verbal response gave him his cue, as Slug's body pulsed with a new power. White energy peeled off of his skin as the ice beneath his feet shattered almost immediately. The entire iceberg began shaking to pieces as the water beneath it pulsed away, leaving only the hanging piece of ice as it cracked and broke. Tens of thousands of tons of ice started to shift apart, not falling, but cracking and breaking away from one another as it was drawn in by Slug's power, as the water was drawn away.

Starting to roar, his power became even more clear in the following seconds.

Then, force expelled from his body as his aura glowed brightly around him. His frame quaking with the untapped energies. Another wave of energy rolled off of him, this time shattering the iceberg they stood on into a thousand pieces. The power of the energy releasing from him was enough to blast the Saiyan back, even his golden aura almost being stripped from his body as Son Goku desperately fought just to stay in his presence, his entire body vibrating from the power he exuded.

The seas beneath him parted now, not simply doming in. Twelve thousand feet worth of ocean parted beneath his body as Slug as the surface of the floor of the Earth's ocean saw sunlight for the first time in its existence beneath the waves. Kilometres in length, and over ten thousand years deep, the lack of water hung there as Slug's body gathered in the last of its energies.

Hanging there for several moments, Slug's body held above all of this, as his body still could barely contain its energies, pulsing and vibrating seemingly unable to maintain solid form, he squarely stared down the stunned Saiyan, his eyes staring at him in disbelief.

"I'm impressed, you're one of the first to see my true power and not run away," Slug commented, genuinely respecting the feat, for all the good it'd do his enemy.

In a single moment following, Slug had already appeared behind the Saiyan, grabbing his shoulder in the air before spinning him about, punching him in the stomach before punching him in the face and backhanding him towards the ocean floor. Falling thousands of feet, a moment later, Son Goku's body impacted the surface of the ocean.

Grinning, Slug withdrew some of the aura his body had been making… and the ocean's walls came falling in.

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King Piccolo:

The treachery was as expected. To hear Slug off Son Goku a way out was something he'd found irritating, but thankfully having known the nature of Son Goku, he knew that the stubborn warrior would never turn away from his challenge, and would fight until either his own destruction, or the destruction of Slug himself. And right now, as King Piccolo viewed the fight from safety, he knew full well who was going to be destroyed this time.

"I told you, Garlic, I know what I'm doing," King Piccolo chuckled. "Slug's strength is nearly as powerful as my own, if restored to my fullest potential. His youth and ascension are my gift to Son Goku. Soon, he and all his friends will be killed and the Earth as we know it, destroyed."

"And replaced by some crazy Namekians," Garlic yawned. "How pitiful. I'd been hoping for us to work together to create a new realm of darkness and despair as the universe had never seen. And instead you cashed out early so that your little family could get back together. How dull."

A critical eye was cast back towards his 'partner' since the opening. There was always the grating tension that they needed one another. Garlic provided them with a safe haven, and the ability to travel across time and space with the ability to open the Dead Zone at any location. It was he who controlled the light in the darkness here, allowing them to see all the different threads of the future in the wake of the monsters that created them. A unified plan was rare on their part, and their own involvement in these battles was… not an option. As powerful as he was, which was to say enormously powerful in comparison to his original strength on the Earth, King Piccolo could not influence the outcome of a fight like this, and neither could Garlic.

Garlic's strength surpassed his own at this moment. He suspected that Garlic might have been able to kill Raditz, though his immortality would probably see him to victory. He himself was no match for any of them, despite his best efforts to increase his strength. There were options he was looking into… but for now, just as before, their strength came from their ability to manipulate others, and events to their liking.

The entry of Cooler into their inner circle, had been a managed risk. Before, their minions were always just affiliates, much like Slug. Raditz had been the first, and at the time he'd thought the only one. With Son Goku dead, and the Dragon Balls unable to be gathered… it was only sense that his revenge was completed. Until Raditz failed. In truth, King Piccolo had been just as upset as Vegeta when he'd seen the total and complete failure of the Saiyan Warrior. What was worse, was the fact that he'd joined Son Goku's family and friends in opposition to everything after its failure.

The mockery he'd received from his partner, who'd boasted that his failure was due to not finding someone as reliably vicious, led to their second attempt, with the other Brother. Garlic himself had the plan to draw Turles to Namek to disrupt and kill everyone before they could gain any traction against Frieza. It would lead to them all getting killed by Frieza, and the lack of the return of the Earth's Dragon Balls. Instead… the same thing occurred.

He didn't even want to think about how the fragmented timelines crossing over one another had turned their own world into a strange beacon, causing time travel itself to break down between dimensions and leading to Cooler's failure. When he'd watched it happen, Piccolo was infuriated, especially considering that his ally demanded answers afterwards.

Watching as Son Goku was brutalized, blow after blow being rained down on him, King Piccolo finally felt the comfort of knowing his plans were being realized. His revenge would be completed soon. Then he could begin the next stage of his new life… remaking himself with a new soul, or with his old soul.

"Well, we can at least say this time is going better than the last plans you had. Raditz and then Cooler?" Garlic chuckled. "What was going to be next? Were you going to try and talk Vegeta into it?"

An irritated growl left King Piccolo as his gaze turned sharply to his smaller counterpart.

"And you're the one responsible for the debacle with Turles," King Piccolo defended.

"Oh? You mean the one whose been weakening them from within from the moment he failed to fulfill our original ambitions, Piccolo?" Garlic mocked in turn. "If anything, every step along the way he's done nothing but be a useful tool. The only flaw he's had so far is that he'd not gone through with killing any of them before Goku got back to the Earth. Clearly my plans have a much better… out…come…"

From inside the Deadzone, King Piccolo's eyes turned to a scene away from the severe beating of Son Goku, his eyes narrowing on what was happening in Coast City.

Raditz and Vegeta, two problems to be dealt with later were giving their last stands. Garlic's supposed success in Turles was laying a kilometre away, his body in a heap, left to be destroyed later King Piccolo was sure… when his eyes flashed open, and his power began to rise at a rate which was unnerving. For a moment, the Saiyan seemed to struggle before he looked ahead to where the blast was in the distance. When the body tore free from the ground, blasting into action, King Piccolo saw him throw himself with almost abandon into the blast wave, the power fluctuating and surging in a way all too familiar.

When the blast disappeared and Turles was left standing, his body flexing as he screamed out, King Piccolo heard something born in that howl, and when his hair turned to gold, the Demon King felt his hand close into a tightened fist. This was not what he'd expected or wanted… most of all because even if Slug should destroy him, there were now two Super Saiyans to deal with, instead of one.

When the Saiyan was untouched by the next attack, King Piccolo turned his wrathful gaze towards Garlic, who was extremely quiet at the development. It appeared that his partner's pet project had gone so much better.

"A much better outcome?" King Piccolo spat.

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Son Goku:

"Should I end it now, Son Goku? Is your power draining away from you?" Slug chuckled.

A defiant look was almost all Goku could give this monster as he tried to stay on his feet. Conserving energy was working for him, but his body was being broken down. How much of a beating he could continue to take, especially when nothing was working, was the real question. Blood trickled down from his hairline as his arms were held in place, both of his fists being crushed by Slug as the Namekian just smirked down at him arrogant. He was trying to break him down. His muscles hurt, really, his everything hurt.

In the distance however, they could both sense it. Goku felt something awaken, and a few moments later, something died. It was unbelievable where its source was coming from. For a few brief seconds, Goku felt like Vegeta had become… become a Super Saiyan? Had the other Namekian, the last of the Super Nameks who served Lord Slug pushed Vegeta over the edge? When he realized Vegeta and Raditz's powers were still there however, Goku realized just who had achieved the goal.

Slug's grip on his hands loosened as he turned his own attention to the south, the two of them standing on a frozen island, already half destroyed. The chuckle from the Namekian had long since died as Slug realized the same thing he had. The look Slug gave him a moment later was that of a hardened man, his eyes filling with disdain beyond anything Goku had seen so far.

Slug wrenched both his arms back and then shoving them forward, Goku felt himself drop to his knees as his body felt like it was about to buckle.

"You did this," Slug seethed. "You are the one responsible for destroying my clan. You and your backwards little rock. I should have killed you before all of this. Stubborn and disobedient, you aren't even useful to me."

"Whose fault is that?" Goku managed to groan, despite his body being under so much strain. His arms felt like they were about to break, and his back wasn't far behind.

The ground beneath him, despite being frozen solid, started to crack as he started to make a pained noise, trying his best to resist being crushed. It only stopped a moment later as Slug's hands let go on their own, almost immediately. The air around him swirled for a moment before the ground cracked open next to him. His eyes had to see it to believe it. The familiar sound of the Super Saiyan aura seemed to double in his earshot, as it had.

That was definitely Turles. Struggling to get to his feet, Goku had mixed feelings, but there was an elation that he couldn't hide. They'd stopped the other Namekians, but this had been something he'd never expected to see. Battle scars covered his counterpart. It was definitely hard to think of Turles as his "brother", even when they were supposedly twins. The arrogance could be sensed coming off him as much as his aura.

"Turles," Goku managed as he started to catch his wind. "He's stronger than either of us. We're going to need to work together, I know that may not be-"

"Work together?" Turles scoffed. "I don't think you understand who you're talking to. I have become a Super Saiyan."

Uh oh, he's going Saiyan Pride mode on me.

Seeing the two of them standing there, Slug was clearly analysing his situation before he grinned. This wasn't good, that smile was never good. It was almost worse than the way Frieza used to smile, if only because he was so severely concussed when fighting Frieza for the most part, when he smiled Goku thought it was at least part of a game several times.

"If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd think the two of you were the same person," Slug observed. "Or do all of your kind look the same?"

"Turles, listen to me-"

"I've had enough time listeningto you, Kakarot. You're no longer the strongest one here," Turles said coolly, though his own grin was growing.

"Can't you sense his power?" Goku asked, almost in disbelief at this point. "Don't let the strength go to your head! Don't get lost in it."

That was enough to give Turles pause as he looked at him finally. For a second Goku almost wanted to grab and shake him, given he was very obviously the one injured here, and very obviously in his Super Saiyan form. The seconds passed in heartbeats as Goku worried he'd get into a fight with Turles himself for a moment as the other Super Saiyan stared him down.

"Certainly, you can do better than he has so far," Slug chuckled, his laugh echoing over Goku as he felt something angry welling up in his stomach at the sight of it. "Or are you not as powerful as you seem? Don't tell me that the Legendary Super Saiyan is afraid of fighting a Namekian such as myself."

There was a pride he hadn't seen before, at least not in the same way he saw it in Vegeta, that Turles was clearly measuring against his senses. It'd been almost impossible for Goku to fully control his rage when he'd become a Super Saiyan for the first time. It was a new way of sensing the world and a new way of generating and controlling ki. It was overwhelming in many respects, but every time he had a chance to slow things down and think, he was always able to think clearly, even when he was fighting Frieza.

"We have to work together, it's going to be our only chance."

"A chance?" Slug mocked. "You lost that the moment you started this fight."

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Turles:

It was phenomenal. All of this strength and power were beyond his wildest imagination. The sensations that had driven him to this new state were as painful as he'd experienced, his feelings on the matter something he didn't even want to think about to himself. All of that pain manifested itself into this shortly after he'd woken up. The Legendary Super Saiyan was his by his determination and strength now. To possess it as he did was a validation of everything he'd been through.

The anger and arrogance in his blood, as if by nature however, was something which almost refused to cool. While his weak brother Kakarot was trying to warn him, every urge in his body was to assault Slug now while he was seemingly all his, but in his senses, he could detect the Namekian's strength. It was ridiculous that he was stronger than him, even the idea of it. But there was so much evidence that it was the case. To be a Super Saiyan, yet to be inferior to his foe, was something he almost couldn't accept. The energies around his body picked up as Turles when Slug tried to entice him into attack now, without Kakarot.

The question came to the fore, what mattered more? Proving he was stronger on his own, or trying to ensure victory? If this creature was as strong as he detected, then that would mean he needed Kakarot. That was an unpleasant thought, already mixing in with his aggression filled mind. Why would he need Kakarot for anything?

"One time," Turles almost spat at Kakarot as he setup his fighting stance as his counterpart did the same.

"How many Super Saiyans will it take to stop me?" Slug mocked. "More than two, that much I can assure you."

"You'll be lucky to live the next two minutes," Turles snapped in turn.

In front of them, there was only… a calm… quiet laugh. The big Namekian's grin was immense as his let the deep chuckle escape his throat. When his grin disappeared and his black eyes locked onto them in turn. Without any kind of coordinating with Kakarot, Turles finally had enough. There was enough talk, enough debating, it was time to fight something.

The golden aura around his body intensified as he almost snarled at Slug's mockery. In a bolt of speed, Turles was blazing forward, detecting Kakarot following in tow. Just as he'd closed in with the Namekian, he felt the world almost shift around him. Only it wasn't that, it was pure speed. Turles swung his arm in, only to see Slug shift around the blow almost faster than he could trace. Before a vicious return strike could be given, Kakarot had already moved to strike high, irritating him much more than taking the blow to the head. Only for Slug to shift around that as well. In a blur of motion, the two sides began.

It took only a dozen motions before he was tripping over Kakarot, and Kakarot over himself. After a series of attacks, all of which Slug dodged or blocked, Turles launched a kick as Kakarot stopped in its path, having to back off. Slug blocked the kick with his left arm, before palm striking Kakarot across the face, his arm whirling outwards as the familiar sound entered the air. As Turles moved to attack the extended limb, Slug's own leg came up in a vicious frontside kick, catching him in the chest.

The wind sucked out of him as Turles hung in the air, preventing himself from coming back. As Slug's arm shifted back in, he stared up in alarm as the Namekian went for the attack. Blocking the first strike, Turles was utterly unprepared for the four other strikes which came in rapid succession. A gab to his gut, followed by a quick snap uppercut catching him across the face, before another huge boot swung around, catching him in the side. That was enough to make him yelp with agony as he felt bruising forming beneath the skin within a fraction of a second of the impact. The final strike was a rapid backhand, sending him flying back over the walter, his feet skidding against the liquid surface before he felt his body plunge in.

What the Hell is this guy?

Idly he lay in the water, just beneath the waves for several seconds, feeling oxygen vacating his nostrils and mouth before Turles surged through the surface, his body blasting outwards as his yellow aura re-emerged. Labouring heavily, the Super Saiyan's eyes peered forward while he saw the figure standing on the island, his stance one of confidence and strength as he stood with his guard down.

Looking over to his left, where he sensed Kakarot's power, Turles saw the man with his face staring back at him, as if trying to say that he'd told him so.

Spitting into the sea below, Turles turned his attention back to Slug.

"My two minutes are almost up," Slug boasted. "How am I fairing?"

Energy flowed through Turles's hands as he scowled at the Namekian, throwing both of his hands forward a moment later, the Calamity Blaster opened up. The bolt launched out, heading straight for Slug. The thrumming purple orb, normally enough to devastate almost anything he'd fought before, was batted aside, knocked skywards as Slug was left standing. He could almost imagine Bardock jabbing him with a comment about stupidity a second later.

When Slug appeared in front of him, Turles suddenly felt very small, despite the Super Saiyan aura which surrounded him. A huge fist slammed into his face a second later, sending him plunging back beneath the surface of the ocean, his body trailing down a hundred metres into the frigid waters.

Blasting straight back up, he could already see Kakarot being grabbed by the throat, struggling to try and kick the Namekian.

This was getting humiliating. Blasting forward, Turles cut in towards Slug's body, before veering away, feinting his assault. Slug had already let go of Kakarot to swing at him, exposing his right side's ribs, bolting into the side even as Slug tried to recover with his superior speed, Turles smashed his ribs with a solid blow. The Namekian's body jarred to one side before Turles threw his other fist into Slug's diaphragm. The second blow hunched the monster over as Turles breathed in, hoping to have bought himself a moment.

Turning his head towards him and grinning however, Slug just chuckled.

"Is that all?"

Turles's heart dropped into his stomach before energy began to crackle off of Slug. His eyes widened in terror as he realized what was about to happen. Raising his guard impotently, Turles tried to shield himself before the blast wave arrived. Instead, he felt something grab his shoulder, and Slug, and the whole world really, disappeared for a blink of a moment before he found himself staring at the scene from dozens of kilometres away, before the blastwave rolled past them. The explosive force annihilated the small chain of islands Kakarot had been fighting on Slug with. He realized he was on the edge of the harbour at Coast city.

How did he?

Seeing Kakarot next to him, his two fingers pressed to his forehead, his 'twin' looked more than a little worried himself.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kakarot said, lowering his fingers before looking back at him.

"When I said we need to work together, I meant we need to coordinate with each other. We could have broken past his defence more than once back there, but you tripped over me-"

"Because you should be following my lead," Turles shot back.

"Okay, so you're not really good at being a team player, and I have a bit more experience doing it. Maybe you should follow what I'm-"

"But there is no I in team, is there, Kakarot?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

As they argued, Turles almost relented before the water at the edge of the harbour rose dramatically, a titanic wave preparing to crash into the city, standing at least 100 feet high. Bursting out of the wall of water, Slug's form crashed into them, sending Turles and Kakarot flying back. Breaking through several warehouses before his body ploughed through the already torn apart wreckage of a train station. In his tumbling retreat, he'd lost track of Kakarot.

When the wall collapsed in front of him and Slug tore through, Turles swallowed before letting his own ki spike. Surviving the next few seconds had become a much bigger priority.

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Lord Slug:

It must have been embarrassing for them, Slug determined. To be the figures of legend in whatever fantasies their people had thought up, only to meet the grim reality of having faced off against a being who surpassed them. There was a higher consciousness which granted him his strength, and it was something which lesser beings could only hope to imagine. And these Super Saiyans were most assuredly lesser beings. Between the two of them, they'd managed to land what? Two hits since their vaunted partnership had begun. They would pay for the death of his clan, and he would make sure that they experienced it.

The weaker of the two, even fractionally, was this one. Better yet, he didn't seem to possess the strange powers the other one did. It made him the ideal target to finish destroying first. The dysfunctional alliance was at an end.

Water rolled in from the sea, even as far into the human city as here as the waves receded from before. Water splashed against his feet before it pulled away.

Before the Saiyan could manage an attack towards him, Slug was already on him. In a flash of motion, the huge Namekian was already inside of the Saiyan's defences. A quick shot to the face, followed by a shot to the ribs, followed up by a quick jab to the face, followed in with his attack, each one staggered the Saiyan, his body limply rolling with each of the punches. Another shot to the stomach led to blood spitting out of the Saiyan's mouth before he had already followed up with an uppercut, followed by a chop to the throat.

When the Saiyan gagged, his defence, what was left of it, collapsed. Another five hits rolled into him, jab, jab, punch, jab, kick. The last blow sent the Super Saiyan flying out of the building, his body crashing through the wall before rolling into the streets. The hair was still gold, meaning he was still conscious.

"Feisty, these Saiyans are," Slug chuckled, walking casually out of the hole in the wall the Saiyan had made as he tried to pull himself up.

So far, he'd bloodied and beaten both of them… he'd even thought he'd killed one of them a day earlier. But neither seemed to stay beaten for long. It was interesting, but he was starting to get bored of just having punching bags to fight. Much to his surprise, the Saiyan managed to find his feet.

Before he could rush him again, the other Saiyan appeared, breathing heavily himself as the familiar signs of new scrapes and bruises covered his body. He'd expected this, though he'd been hoping he'd have more time before they reunited.

Spitting out blood, the newer of the two warriors glared at his arrived saviour.

Slug stopped walking, standing across the street from the two and just smiled darkly at the pair.

"Are the two of you finished?" Slug asked smugly. "I am feeling merciful… surrender and I promise the pain will end for you. I will allow the two of you to live as my servants. Though I won't lie, I am beginning to get bored. I think this is your last chance."

"Are you ready to follow my lead?" Son Goku asked the other one.

There was nothing but heavy breathing at first on behalf of the other Saiyan as he glared spitefully first at Slug, before his exact same gaze turned to Son Goku's side, before back to him.

"Turles!"

"Fine," finally the monkey snapped, spitting out more blood a moment later. "You take the lead."

The last word was delivered with a venom even Slug thought might be lethal. It was enough to make him grin genuinely again, chuckling at the futile attempts to stop him.

"Are you sure?" Slug laughed. "Neither of you have faired well so far, have you? I've given you your last chance to surrender."

Their only answer was the charge the pair shot towards him. Dispersing the two only took a second as his eyes glowed and energy blasted out between the two, forcing them to dive to either side. The second they did, Slug moved. Immediately his assault on Goku began. By the time Son Goku knew what was happening, he'd already landed a straight punch to the face, before pulverizing his gut once again with a hardened knee. With a ruthless edge, he swinging stepped forward, shoving Son Goku to the front, before swinging his other leg up as his knee retracted in an immense up-swung mule kick. The blast sent the Saiyan's head straight up, blood going along with it.

He didn't manage to get much further before Turles, the other one, had already charged into his side. A kick shot straight towards his head, and Slug only managed to block it just in time, raising his knee to catch the blow. The punch predictably came next, which Slug stepped away from, moving around the shot, before delivering a single massive swinging boot to the chest. As the Saiyan stumbled back, Slug spun around once more, moving into the Saiyan's space before delivering an elbow to the face. It took only a second for the pair of Saiyans to drop to the ground at the same time.

Taking a moment to decide, Slug wondered which one he'd enjoy stomping into the ground more. He decided on Turles. Winding up, he took several steps before raising his boot to finish one of his opponents once and for all. In the last moment however, Son Goku appeared, grabbing him from behind and hoisting him back. Unexpectedly, Slug felt himself being thrown back in a release suplex, his body breaking through a nearby light-post before smashing into a building. Bricks and drywall scattered down his back and front before Slug roared, ripping himself free from the structure. He'd taken no damage, but it was the principal of the thing.

"How dare you think yourself able to stop my attacks," Slug spat. "Fine, let's see if the two of you can actually fight."

The two of them stared back at him, trying to rally themselves into defence before he unleashed himself once more. Immediately aiming for Son Goku, Slug attacked. His hand moved forward, palm striking the Earthling's face before kicking him in the side. When he staggered back, Slug had already delivered a straight punch, sending him back once more. This time before Turles could even attempt to gain momentum, as his twin had previously, Slug had already snapped his fist back to the side, catching the Saiyan unaware across the face, before he turned his next strike, shifting his entire body's momentum, into a swinging left hook, knocking the Saiyan to the ground and sending him skidding and rolling down the street.

"Pathetic," Slug remarked to the two fallen warriors. "This is what I was warned about? The supposed tenacious Son Goku? Even with the help of your double you are nothing to me. How someone so pathetic could have defeated Frieza or his family I can't possibly begin to understand."

Turning his attention to Turles, he sneered with disgust.

"And how you killed Achatin baffles my mind."

Charging a single energy wave in his right hand, Slug turned his attention to Son Goku this time, reaching out and stepping forward, at near point-blank range, Slug unleashed the attack. At the last moment, the Saiyan seemed to jump to life, throwing both of his hands into the wave. The entire street shattered, burning and collapsing behind the wave and Goku, but the Saiyan still withstood it. Fire caught around them as Slug growled with frustration and effort. No matter how far back Goku was pushed, his last wall, his last line of defence, seemed to hold.

The standoff continued as they were showered in the golden, destructive light. With is free hand, Slug pulled back, powering more energy to finish this off.

"I am done with your defiance!"

As his arm came back however, a familiar pain entered his ribs as Turles had kicked him in the side. Grunting, his energy wave disappeared, before Son Goku attacked himself. A punch landed next to where the kick had, causing him to almost buckle under the blow. Before he could manage a defence, Turles's fist caught him this time, straight across the face. Staggered, he felt the next kick arrive from the Saiyan in the same place, sending his body almost falling back into Son Goku. An elbow from Turles arrived a moment later, followed by a backhanded punch, and then a straight blow to his sternum. Barely able to stand after the rapid assault, Slug prepared to launch his riposte, only to find his back exploded with pain as Son Goku's kick arrived squarely in his spine. Gagging, Slug almost fell forward before Goku kicked him in the side of the face from his blind spot. Purple blood emerged from his nose for the first time in the fights he'd had… since he'd left Namek years ago. Another kick landed in his ribs before the pair of them together straight punched him in the face. Even he knew a look of surprise had crossed his expression as the pair of golden auras, and the fists behind them, crashed into either side of his face.

Falling back helplessly, Slug's body smashed into the asphalt of the road, ripping through it for a hundred metres before he rolled onto his front, sliding along the smoothed, but rough surface before his legs bumped into a piece of shattered building.

Laying there, he felt… pain. For the first time beyond the ailments of age, his body was aching. When he looked up, Slug saw the pair of them standing next to one another, their fighting stances in tandem with one another. It was like staring into the face of a single warrior with two bodies. Breathing raggedly for only a moment, Slug's eyes widened with an anger he'd not thought one such as himself could experience. Wiping the blood from his nose and mouth, his nostrils flared a moment later.

The same deep chuckle came from Slug as he felt himself recover. Finally, he could see the irony of the battle.

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Lord Slug: Year 261, Planet Namek

"You've destroyed our world!" one voice shouted from above. "Your reckless use of the Old Ways has doomed us all!"

"You do not see the power we have all gained! If you were not so foolish as to reject it, you would never fear the storms!"

"Your arrogance is your undoing! It is not a consciousness within, it is just your own greed! You have embraced evil! And even if we must all suffer for it, we will cure our planet of this evil!"

Slug listened intently as his father fell to one knee. Arion was the greatest of them, the first of their clan to discover the true nature of calling upon the power from within. It was from Arion, that Slug had learned the true nature of the Old Ways. Together their clan had risen to the top of the hierarchy on Namek. No one being could hope to be as strong as any of they, the Super Nameks. That was why his father had foolishly, in his estimation, agreed to fight the two strongest of the Dragon Clan, all for the honour of being able to summon Porunga.

They had defended the last of the Dragon Balls, the sixth Star Dragon Ball, holding it for themselves. Namek was undergoing a change, its very existence was in jeopardy… for those outside of their clan. Storms would soon disrupt the flow of water across the world, and the violence of these cataclysmic events would be enough to destroy most of the other clans across the surface of their world. Great cities would become ruins, and more than likely, tombs for civilizations which had not embraced their gifts.

Their power had been what drove the world to the brink. Their excess and usage of said power, had changed the very course of the orbit of Planet Namek itself. Their oppression of their brethren from other clans and tribes was necessary for the advancement of their species. And soon, they would probably be all that remained of their species… not simply Super Namekians, but true Namekians. Even the power of the Dragon Balls themselves would not be enough to halt the storms, of the changes in the atmosphere.

The twin brothers Limax and Limac had agreed to the duel, the greatest warriors on Namek to still be trapped within their own consciousness, who'd still not embraced the power that they could have had. The pair, said to be born of one egg, had fought his father to his slow and agonizing defeat. How this could have happened Slug could only speculate… but to watch the defeat now… as their clan stood by and just watched… was painful. His father had asked that they honour the duel…

Watching him lose over the course of the apocalyptic battle had been the hardest thing Slug ever did. He vowed never to be so foolish to be defeated in such a way. As his father breathed, looking back at the rest of the clan, he gestured to them as he yielded.

"Give them the Dragon Ball," his father breathed. "As we agreed."

"To what end?" Slug demanded. "We have the power, and numbers…"

"Because I agreed to it," Arion spat furiously, trying to rise to his feet. "And you will do as I ask!"

Lehm walked forward a few moments later, carrying the Dragon Ball which they held. The other clans, the Dragon Clan among them, stood waiting for the Dragon Ball to come into the hands of one of the elders. Soon, it would be over… it would be all over, from the weakness of the honour of his sire. They would summon the Eternal Dragon to imprison them, or worse. So, their glory would end…

Within minutes, the Dragon itself hung over the skies above Namek, the only home Slug had ever known.

As the Dragon emerged into the sky, Slug watched from afar, pulling his father to his feet.

"Great Dragon! We ask you to banish, and scatter the Super Nameks to the far reaches of the galaxy, where their evil can never return or step foot upon our world again!" Katas's voice echoed out over the landscape, being the one to ask the Dragon for their doom.

"It shall be done…"

As the Dragon's eyes glowed, Slug felt his father disappear a second later, before his brothers and cousins began disappearing in flashes of light as well. All of them had vanished until he was the only one left, staring back at Limax and Limac, the ones who'd defeated his father.

"I will return," Slug declared furiously, before his body felt strange as well. "And when I do, you will all-"

And he found himself on a new world.

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Son Goku:

All it took was synchronizing their assaults together, and Slug giving them the opening, for them to finally put some real damage on their much more powerful opponent. His hands still hurt from the energy singed his fingers as he'd barely held back the Namekian's power, but even then, he felt a new sense of confidence in what they could do together. Even Turles seemed to naturally fit next to him, the two of them prepared to face down Slug as they'd not been before. The longer the fight went on, the more in-tune their fighting styles became with one another. Not that it felt good fighting next to Turles, as that was simply not true even for him.

Still, the confidence was on Turles's face as well, as his mirrored what Slug's had looked like before.

"Kakarot… what's he doing?" Turles's voice came through beside him, clearly sounding concerned.

It took a second for Goku to hone in on what his brother meant, but he could see it a second afterwards. Slug was honing his power, was it going into another attack? No wait, he'd seen this before.

Slug's chuckle returned a moment later before he started to roar, his body multiplying in size by the second. His body expanding outwards, the streets around them started to crumble and shatter. Fire hydrants started to explode from the increased pressure around them.

"Wh-what the Hell is this?!" Turles shouted above the roar even as it deepened.

This is bad.

"Goku! I tried to warn you!" King Kai's voice echoed through his ears.

Yea, I'd noticed that while he was beating me up for the last half hour honestly.

"It's even worse than it appears."

Please no, this was already really bad.

"It only gets worse. Slug is one of the ancient Nameks from a lost Namekian tribe known as the Super Nameks. They'd unlocked what they believed was a higher consciousness within," King Kai's voice informed. "But they became intoxicated with their new-found powers and began to misuse it. Their irresponsible behaviour had them turn the other Namekians into slaves, and the rash use of their power so often, changed Namek's orbit and destroyed its ecosystem! But with the power of the Dragon Balls, the people of Namek banished the Super Nameks from their planet for good."

The giant's fame reached its full height, standing tall over every remaining structure in the city, even amongst the few remaining high rises.

It was impossible to not be in aw of the size. Turles took several steps back as well while Goku tried to collect himself. When Piccolo had increased his size in the World's Martial Arts Tournament, it didn't feel like this… this was something darker. When Slug stretched back, his now massive chest and arms flexed before he started to bellow a laughter which sounded like a mountain collapsing.

"Oh yes! The view is much better up here with the Skyscrapers!"

Several deep chuckles again followed the words before the titan took his first step forward, shattering the corner of a nearby department store.

"Slug may now be the last survivor of this lost clan of Super Nameks…"

Slug took another step and Goku had to turn his head again and look to make sure Turles hadn't abandoned him. When he saw his brother still there, but clearly unsure as to what to do about what they were facing, Goku grabbed his arm, hinting they should take another few steps back as Slug's immense strike too another step, crushing vehicles underfoot before his foot crushed the remains of the train station.

"They are nomads wondering the galaxy with no place to call home, so they wreck the homes of others. They live in the darkness of their own hatred and regret."

A grin re-emerged on the giant.

"I must say I am impressed. You two are some of the only ones to see me at my full size, and not run away."

"Look, surrender, we'll let you leave the Earth in peace, and we won't hurt you," Goku offered a moment later.

"Surrender… or you'll HURT ME?!"

"Kakarot, what have you-"

Immediately Turles scattered from him as the giant's foot came down where they had been standing. It wasn't hard for him to jump to the side too, but they'd been separated again. When he looked up, Goku saw Slug's arm swung out towards him as he leaned down. In a blur of speed, Goku appeared behind the building before it tore apart with the fore of the swing of Slug's arm moving past the building. Rubble scattered across a dozen streets and came crashing down all around him.

"You little runt… YOU CAN'T HURT LORD SLUG!"

An arm came swinging through the remnants of the building a second later as Goku dodged out of the way at the last moment, swinging around and throwing a bolt of energy into the giant's back. When it hit and did nothing, Goku immediately placed two fingers on his forehead, teleporting away to safety as Slug turned towards him vengefully.

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Lord Slug:

A few thousand humans remained, he could hear their hearts and lungs. But he'd already honed in on the two that mattered. Beyond their power signatures giving them away, their very being alive did as well. Goku was to his right, and Turles was to his left. Both were trying to suppress their power to keep him in the dark, and that was amusing to say the least. As his body took another step forward, the ground trembling beneath him, Slug spied to where he knew Turles was inside one of the last high-rise towers. Dropping both his arms into the ground, they began tunneling their way through to his intended targets.

His left delved beneath the building which contained Turles, opening itself up only as he let ki flow through to his hand. The entire building evaporated from the inside within seconds. The moment Turles's body shot out of the structure into the air, Slug head already tracked him with his eyes, letting two massive beams shoot out towards the Saiyan. When he raised his arms to defend himself, Slug 'saw' him get caught up in the wave, being carried off before his body and the bolt plunged into the habour. A golden explosion is what followed, sending the debris which had been caught up in the sea from the tsunami earlier, burning into the air as water and burnt wreckage came raining down along the habour and coast.

Idly without thinking his other arm had already gone hunting for Son Goku, burrowing through the Earth as it trailed towards where he was. Smashing through several buildings, his arm had finally 'sniffed' out Goku. Leaping back, Son Goku flew through the air only for a moment before the winding sound whizzed through the air at a level of noise of a volcanic eruption as Slug's other arm came ripping out of the ground and swung down into a massive punch, hitting Goku directly. The blow itself shattered the road long before Goku even hit it, before his body plunged into the transit system beneath the street.

His other arm shot through from beneath, grabbing at the Saiyan before he vanished, again. A frustrated Slug listened carefully with his ears, not even hearing where he'd moved to for a split second, before he detected Goku once again, this time breathing on the other side of a destroyed apartment.

"Are you running out of breath… Goku?"

Slug's voice boomed as he peered over the building looking down at the horrified little creature. The sound of his arms extending rumbled through the air as the ground exploded around Goku, both of them reaching up to grab the Saiyan as he pulled up into the air immediately, exactly where Slug wanted him. Eyes glowing with energy, Slug unleashed another eyeblast. The beams cut through the air. When he vanished from thin air in front of Slug as the beams cut through nothing, the Namekian's rage exploded.

Roaring from the defiance, his arms retracting, his aura burst around his body. The entire city began to fracture and fall apart, as the harbour itself plunged into the sea nearby. Stepping forwards again, Slug listened attentively to where he sensed the Saiyan again, this time he was nearing the outside of the city. His arms plunged beneath the earth again, burrowing through the ground as Slug heard Turles once again.

Internally, Slug grinned as he realized he was about to be attacked… and that worked Perfectly.

The pair had been using teamwork against him so far, and as soon as Son Goku detected he had a chance to intervene for success, he would. Leaving his arms extended, Slug left himself exposed as Turles rapidly appeared in front of him, throwing a punch into his giant cheek. The blow landed, and did indeed hurt, but Slug reacted outside of the reasonably response. He gagged with surprise before stumbling back, 'losing' his footing as his body crashed into a government services building, shattering it as his body fell into it. His arms began winding back in as Turles unleashed a barrage of energy bolts into him, hundreds bombarding him as he lay there in the building.

It was then that Son Goku appeared, vanishing and reappearing as he hands before. Instead of finishing drawing his arms in as he feigned, Slug's arms shot up from beneath the road, clapping in front of him where the two Saiyans floated. The thunderous boom of the two hands coming together echoed out across the city as the pair were crushed together in his hands. As they came apart, the two bodies fell from the air, Turles's hair having turned black, but Son Goku's having remained golden. Catching the still awake brother in his hands, Slug grinned as he pulled Goku in his grip towards him. The Saiyan struggled before Slug started to crush his fist. Reaching up with the other hand, he reinforced it around his already tightening grip.

While his grip tightened, a horrifyingly pained scream emerged from the Saiyan, his hair turning to black again as he squealed.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt?" Slug asked, his grin finally returning. "Do you want to surrender now? I promise to make it better… poor little monkey…"

Slug's chuckle started to resurge as he laughed, closing his fists more as the Saiyan's struggles started to go limp, his screaming fading from his lungs beginning to fail. And then there was a pain on his head. It was impossible to describe, it was like someone grabbing something inside him and pulling up, hard. Slug's chuckle stopped and his grip loosened as the Saiyan slipped from his hands, falling to the street beneath him.

Trying to look up at what was attacking him, Slug couldn't.

"I don't know if you noticed or not, but I'm a Namek too," a voice emerged from above him as Slug felt his own heartrate increase with anger. "But I do know that pulling on one's antenna hurts a lot."

Shaking his head violently, the trespasser didn't vacate the top of his skull.

"Stay out of this!" Slug warned as the pain began to intensify.

With another yank, Slug flailed to one side, his arm smashing through a structure nearby before his other hand desperately reached up, grabbing for his fellow Namekian. When he let go, Slug breathed a sigh of pure relief before his hand caught the Namekian, pulling him in front of him. His giant eyes met the small form with a disdain as he noted this was the Namekian that Colchico had told him about. There was a smug confidence on his features, despite being pitiful in power. When his own laughter picked up, the other Namekian seemed to laugh as well.

That was what got him to stop. His arms were already flexing to crush this weak creature, when he noticed the laughter… Staring in almost disbelief at the jubilant suicide in front of him, Slug couldn't help but see the features of his ally King Piccolo in this being's face.

"What? Why're you laughing?" Slug demanded. "You are going to die first."

"Is that a promise?"

"Destructo Disk!"

The two words were followed by a small exertion of ki. Slug only had time to passively turn his head before one of his arms was cut off at the elbow, and the other was severed a second later. The two giant limbs fell free from his body as Slug howled in pain. The Namekian went falling along with them. Stumbling back, truly stumbling back this time as a small river of purple blood leaked from his arms, Slug looked down in horror at what had just occurred. When he looked up again, three figures were in front of him, all focusing their energies in his direction. Two were Saiyans and the other had three eyes.

When their attacks emerged, red, blue and gold waves blasted into his face. Without arms to shield himself, Slug felt his skin bake as the force of the waves nearly made him fall back. A small one appeared next to him again, raising his hand to form another disc, this one aimed for the centre of his mass.

"Destructo-"

With a speed the midget hadn't expected, Slug's leg snapped up, kicking the warrior into the three beams above him. Two of the beams stopped immediately as the poor warrior fell, perhaps dead, perhaps not, to the grounds below.

"You idiot, Vegeta!"

"Shut up and keep firing, you weak fools!"

Hovering into the air, Slug glared at the three warriors with contempt. Even as the two warriors who'd stopped their attack prepared to fire again, Slug simply opened his mouth, unleashing a torrent of energy.

The city behind them, what was left of it, disappeared along with the three warriors. Slug's arms shot out of his body within a second of this as his body regenerated. Landing back on his feet, Slug breathed in and out furiously, as he felt almost all the powers disappear nearby. Sharpening his gaze to the Namekian below as he tried to pull himself free of the dead arms' grip around him, moving towards the unconscious Son Goku, Slug took several strides forward.

"What's wrong? Don't want him to die alone?" Slug asked, energy beginning to form behind his eyes. "You have my word. He won't…"

Another bolt hit him in the face, this time much weaker than before. Slug's eyes shot up, unleashing both beams in the direction of the attack, only for them to pass through nothing. It was then that he noticed the three-eyed warrior glaring at him.

"Alright big guy, you don't seem that tough. Can't even finish someone off with your bare hands? I didn't realize you were such a coward."

A low grumble escaped Slug's chest as he stepped over his torn away arms, closing closer to the human. The Earthling zipped back several times as he was about to close, and Slug realized he was buying time. For what he wasn't sure. It was something he'd grown tired of, however.

The winding noise of one of his arms shooting out screeched through the air before his arm chased the human warrior up into the sky towards the sun. After a small delay, his hand caught around the human, winding him back in.

"You are going to die a terrible death, I think," he chuckled. "And I'll finish you with my bare hands…"

The human put his hands over his face a few seconds later however, much to his surprise. Then his eyes felt nothing but light.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

Flinging the body away violently, Slug roared as his eyes became useless, swinging and flailing at the world around him as he struggled to see…

"RAAAAAHHH!"

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Son Goku:

The world seemed to awaken in a flash of green light. His eyes slowly opened as some of his strength returned to him.

Kneeling over him, Piccolo looked about ready to collapse. He could sense his friend's power surging through him, rekindling his power.

"Stop him," Piccolo breathed. "He's not invincible. He's big… but… focus…"

"Thank you," Goku said to Piccolo's unconscious form.

And Piccolo went out like a light. Across the city he could feel Krillin's life force failing, as well as Vegeta and Raditz's. Turles was just gone, meaning he was unconscious or dead. And Tien was in no condition to fight, not with what little power he sensed left. Slug was flailing furiously in the distance as he shouted out about his eyes.

The golden aura came to life once more around him as Goku disappeared and reappeared in front of Slug. Finally, the gigantic creature stopped flailing as his sight seemingly came back into his possession.

"Better…"

When the huge Namekian peered down at him, Goku felt his heart skip a beat as he remembered his own past, his own battles. The fights he'd had against Piccolo and King Piccolo immediately came to mind as the titanic monster stared down at him.

"What? You again? But how?" Slug asked in disbelief.

Roaring with all that he had, Goku felt his aura come bursting out of his body as energy swarmed around him. Reaching the level of the power he'd possessed when they first started the fight, Slug looked horrified, if only because even Goku knew this was for the second time he'd seen this. Stepping back several times with a bit of surprise, the city trembled at his motion.

"You… you can't be this powerful still! It can't be possible!" Slug's voice shouted out.

This was his time to strike, Goku blasted off, putting all of his energy into propelling himself forward, aiming squarely at the monster. Instinctively he attempted to defend himself, shooting both his arms out at Goku. Sweeping past both attacks, Goku aimed squarely at the giant's chest, slamming into it with both his fists at full speed, focusing all of his power into the two points in front of him. The entire body of the titan lurched forward as flesh and clothe gave way. The monster screamed in pain as his chest started to buckle.

In his mind's eye, he could see King Piccolo's chest giving way in front of him as he had in the past. His strength almost failed him until he imagined everyone relying on him. It wasn't just a fight he needed to win, just like when he'd fought monsters like this before, he couldn't give up. He could see his family, friends, and everyone he ever met and more all needing him to win, or they'd be doomed to suffer and die. With one last push of energy, Goku tore through. Clothe and flesh gave way around him before Slug was no longer in front of him, only the darkened skies above the ruins of Coast City. Slug gagged as his body fell back behind him, his gigantic form crashing into the rubble of the city, half breaking through the ruins of a high-rise building as it came crashing down overtop of him.

Hovering in the air, Goku could feel himself labouring as he looked down at the wreckage as Slug's body began to shrink down to its maximum size, its power depleting as he'd expected. It wasn't unlike what happened to King Piccolo, his power depleting rapidly as his body went into shock, and shortly after, death.

Breathing easy, Goku turned towards where he sensed Krillin's power.

I need to get to him with a Senzu bean-

A winding sound whizzed through the air around him as Goku turned his eyes in shock towards the rubble, seeing a single green limb vengefully coming for him, grabbing him by the throat before sucking him down towards the ground. When he busted through several feet of concrete, he was greeted only by a massive uppercut, sending him straight up, his body breaking through the sound barrier before the now shirtless Slug appeared above him, swinging down with an axe handle smash. When it hit his body, he felt himself plunge back down, impacting into the street below before he quickly hopped to his feet.

The form of an exhausted opponent landed across from his as Slug tried to catch his breath, blood trickling from his mouth as he stepped forward. The furious look across his face betrayed the formerly cruel mocking laughter, or amusement.

"Man, you just don't give up," Goku breathed, his Super Saiyan energies reforming around his body. "Please give up? I don't want to continue to hurt you-"

In a blitz of motion Goku could barely follow, the 'exhausted' Slug was already on him, the first strike hitting him in the side of the head.

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Turles:

Slowly, light came back to his eyes as Turles pulled himself up from the rubble. It felt like his entire body had just been crushed. He let air out of his nostrils in quick amusement at the realization, that of course, he had just been crushed. The world around him was quickly reanimating itself, his senses picking up the powers around him. Raditz and Vegeta were easily declined, or declining. One of Kakarot's human friends, the three-eyes, was in rough shape, and q-ball was dying. The Namekian he couldn't detect, but he could sense Kakarot, and a diminished Slug. Still more than powerful enough to defeat him one on one, and Turles knew it.

But if he fights Kakarot to a stand still, I can most definitely finish him… and Kakarot.

The thought was the first one to cross his mind. This couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Rising to his feet, Turles grabbed a wall for support, the world was almost spinning for a second before he shook it off. Some dried blood on his lip and forehead became clear to him as his body started to sense some of the damage it'd sustained. There was no connection to the outside, but in the back of his mind, whispered a familiar voice.

Are you really going to let your brother die, when he spared you more than once?

It sounded almost like Bardock sounding off in his head. It was impossible to hide his displeasure and disdain at the 'comment'. Immediately he felt himself lash out.

Oh, more of your garbage old man? I thought you said that I was free of you. Another lie I see, you wretched old fool!... … … Hello?

There wasn't a word in response, there wasn't a connection he could sense. Inside the prison of the present, Turles felt himself feel ashamed for a brief second when he realized where the remark had come from. It'd come from himself, questioning his course of action. It only sounded like Bardock because it may… it may have been right. Honour and integrity were just words to Turles, for the most part. Strength had little to do with playing by the rules, or reciprocating to someone, or even holding debts of honour.

Without raising his power, Turles began moving towards the fight, if only to observe what was happening. Skipping up the side of a ruin to its peak, he moved past several windows with bodies in them, others with scared people huddled in them. The city rumbled again as power was exchanged in the distance.

When he made it to the peak of the shattered spire, Turles saw clearly what was happening. Kakarot was losing… It wasn't as spectacularly as before, but his brother couldn't keep up with the speed and power of Slug, at least not on his own. Judging by the amount of power they were both still bleeding however, he knew he'd have a reasonable chance of stopping Slug if he continued to exert himself, for as long as he suspected he'd need to kill Kakarot.

Seeing his double fighting tenaciously, Turles felt something which almost disgusted him. In some small way, he missed the commentary he received from his f- Bardock. If anything, he'd become accustomed to listening to him prattle on, before he promptly ignored him or did the opposite of what he said. It was his judgements, and his judgements alone now. What did honour matter anyway?

Look at what honour had gained everyone else here. Vegeta was a loser, and Raditz was as well. He certainly didn't count any of the pathetic organisms on this planet of course. The Namekian most definitely didn't count. All that mattered were his own, which he ranked the boy, Gohan, among. Perhaps he'd generously include Kakarot's wife. But it did nothing to change the optics of what he saw. Coming to the rescue did nothing but undermine his own position. With Kakarot dead, he'd be the strongest on this planet, Androids or not. Killing Slug would be difficult of course, but not impossible.

With the power of being a Super Saiyan at his fingertips, he could become ruler of the universe itself, having already surpassed Frieza's family in power. But this plan would have costs, wouldn't it? The murder of his sibling was probable, and unfortunately, he doubted his nephew would see his great vision for what it saw. Vegeta would be perhaps an ally, but someone he could never trust. It was a strange thing, having been alone for over a year on this Earth had put him in the frame of mind of thinking of how… lonely it could be, murdering everyone.

When he saw Kakarot blasted back by another kick, Turles knew he had to make his decision now.

"She told me when I saw her that you were missing your heart."

Unconsciously, Turles as he watched Kakarot be pulled into the air by a fist by the through, the Saiyan listened to his own chest for a brief moment, feeling the rhythm. What did that comment even mean? What did any of the imagery he'd seen in his visions mean? What did it change? What did it matter?

Looking at the pair with cold eyes again, Turles made his decision.

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Lord Slug:

When his fist connected with the fading Sayian's face, Slug spat some of the effort he'd made out of his lungs. He'd nearly been killed, and had not been able to fully put down this Saiyan yet. Everything King Piccolo had told him had been true about this monster. It wasn't that it was stronger than him, it was that it was utterly unbending, unyielding even, in its prosecution of the battle they now waged. Even now as his fight had again become hopeless, the Saiyan fought on, wasting more of his own power. Any other opponent would have quit by now, or been beaten to a bloody pulp enough that they just passed out, or died on their feet. But this creature instead was defiant.

Walking over, Slug hoisted the half dead Saiyan into the air by his throat, closing his fist around his neck. It was like crushing his whole body, as he had before.

"Are you finally getting too tired to fight me?" Slug asked, his grin emerging again. "For all this struggle, what have you gained? I'll see you dead for all that you and your friends have done."

There was a force that traveled through the air as Slug sensed a power emerge near him, a high level of power emerged as he felt his jaw go agape with surprise. Turning his head to where he'd last sensed it, all he saw was the bottom of a bare foot as it collided with his face. Reflexively he dropped his would-be victim, falling back as his body tumbled back, slamming into a former support pillar for a collapsed building. It cracked behind him as Slug wheezed once, looking up to see the source of the attack.

A second golden warrior landed next to the one who'd just been dropped.

This one again! Does no one on this planet know when to lose?

The two Saiyans stood there, Son Goku recovering as he held his throat trying to recover after his most recent choking. In this, Slug saw the truth behind what his father saw when Limac and Limax defeated him. The truth was, his father had been defeated by one being in two bodies. His clan's fate had been determined by the same kind of being. In this moment, he saw not two fighters, but one.

Shoving himself off the wall, Slug laboured as he took several steps forward, his muscles ached, his spirit felt increasingly drained, and he felt slower. But truthfully, even now he knew he could crush either one of these bodies. This battle wasn't over, not yet.

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Son Goku:

Finally catching himself, Goku stared at Turles. Truly he was surprised to be bailed out at this stage of the fight. He personally knew Slug's power was starting to decline, if Turles had an opportunity to strike later he could have killed both of them. If anything, that was one of the things he'd been worried about. Looking at the mirror of himself, Goku couldn't help but give his signature smile.

"I always knew I could rely on other me to help," he joked.

"One more remark like that I'll start helping him," Turles snapped in turn, clearly stressed out by something.

Probably stressed out about helping me, come to think of it.

"Whatever differences you and I have," Turles followed up, calming himself as much as he could. "I'd rather deal with those, after we deal with this pathetic creature. Do you hear that, Namekian? You're going to die and there will be nothing left of you. This world will be your grave."

The shout out had left Slug standing there appearing furious. Rocks started to gently lift in the air as the Super Namekian's power started to surge forward. The familiar hum of the Super Saiyan auras around them began to pick up as both sides marshalled themselves for the final act of their war.

"The two of you think yourselves my equal. You are both bound to die by my hands. I will boil the two of you alive in my power."

Chunks of the street they were on started to pick up now as well as Slug's power resonated through them. The whole city was in ruins, or was near complete destruction. He'd veered Slug away from the city once, and was forced to come back if only from his instant transmission taking him to the closest safe place he could think of. He always enjoyed a challenge, but how many people had died here because of this monster? Slug had deliberately chosen the city to fight in. Goku often found himself in the role of a hero, but never thought of himself as one specifically. He had just wanted to a fight, and always wanted to push himself. But never, ever, did he want innocent people to get hurt, or his friends. This thing in front of them was a monster, just like Frieza… and just like King Piccolo.

Focusing his attention on Slug, and with self confidence, Goku stepped forward, giving Turles the look to follow his lead, and clearly didn't want to hear any backtalk about it.

"Monsters like you only understand one thing," Goku said, his voice hardening.

It was unnerving for the Namekian to see the fearless stride going towards him, Goku could tell. Bursting forward with immense speed, Goku launched himself into Slug, his body prepared for what was to come. They could all sense it, Slug, Turles, and himself. There were moments in a fight when you understood that this was it.

When Goku's first kick was met by a block, he moved in for his next strike, only to find Slug's fist had caught him. Before Slug could exploit the break however, Turles had already entered the fray, catching Slug himself in the side of the head with a vicious boot. Slug turned, pelting Turles back with a palm strike, catching him in mid air. The moment he turned however, Goku took advantage of the opening, landing three punches on the Namekian's side before he was caught by an elbow himself in the side of the head. The next strike from Turles missed, and Goku's cleared the open air around where Lord Slug's body had been a moment later.

Backing off, winded, Slug seemed to try and get distance between them. Despite his own stamina being drained, Goku pushed on, driving himself as hard as he could. This time, before he could even get an attack off, Slug had managed to lure him in, catching him with an extended left punch, before stepping forward into Turles before his double could gain any traction, hitting him with a lariat, sending the other Saiyan off his feet and flipping to the ground. As Slug turned, he raised his boot to stomp on the other Saiyan.

In that moment, Goku took his chance. Appearing inside Slug's defence, Goku cracked his first punch off Slug's face. The next punch landed true as well, sending blood and spit out of Slug's mouth as his cheek deformed from the strike. A kick landed in his abdomen, before Goku leaped into the air, throwing another punch across the Namekian's face. As he moved past, Goku turned himself in the air, sweeping out with a back kick carrying all his moment, the last blow landed, sending Slug's body flying backwards. As the former giant hit the ground some metres away, Goku just let his body stop trembling.

His muscles were all pulled or torn, it was every effort just to keep fighting like this. Looking down at Turles as his 'brother' began to pull himself up, Goku offered him a hand, only for it to be batted away.

"Don't insult me," Turles spat.

"I'm not trying to insu-"

Goku didn't finish the sentence as Slug tackled into him at full speed, far faster than he would have expected. It went him flying back, before an arm shot out from Slug, following after him as the brute palm struck him. It was enough to make him gag as his centre of mass was overwhelmed, before in a blur of motion Slug came in behind him, elbowing him in the back. Goku fell to his knees, looking up as he saw Turles charging towards them. Slug's hand grabbed him by his fighting shoulder before hoisting him in the air. Too late to do anything about it, Goku realized what was happening as he was thrown like a bullet into Turles, the two of them flailing through the air together after the impact before landing in a heap together.

Laying on top of Turles, Goku felt drained. Trying to push himself up, he found himself pushed off by the angry Turles.

"Get off of me!" Turles snapped angrily.

When the two of them looked up towards Slug, his body was flying towards them, charging over and between the two, the blow from his fists flying through the pair of them sending them both back and scattering before Slug stopped himself, while they slammed into a pair of buildings.

Falling out of the hole he'd impacted into the wall, Goku fell to his knees before looking across the street at Turles, who did the same.

This is our last chance…

Looking up at Slug, Goku brought himself to his feet as the Namekian snarled openly at the display of defiance.

"Why won't you stay down?" Slug almost barked.

"I don't like giving up," Goku admitted honestly, before starting to laugh absent mindedly.

This time, Turles took the lead. In a flash of motion, the other Super Saiyan blasted towards Slug as Goku gave chase, his own speed slightly hindered by his greater level of fatigue. Instead of striking, this time Turles threw his whole body into Slug's midsection, staggering the giant as he was tackled at the waist. Fumbling back, Slug raised one arm to strike down, but Goku was already there to intercept him.

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Lord Slug:

When the Saiyan's arms locked around his waist, Slug tried to pull back, the Saiyan's grip was unrelenting however. The decisive moment of the battle should have been moments ago when he'd used much of his energy to overwhelm Son Goku and Turles. Instead, they'd both gotten back up, as if his attacks had only fazed them. He could sense they were hurt. He could sense their powers slipping, but they still persisted on against him. The anger at the defiance was finally coming to be too much. His own power was being increasingly drained, his strength sapped by healing so many injuries, and by exerting so much power during the fight so far.

This had become a battle of attrition, and he could not give anymore than he had. They would have to run out of power soon, they had to…

Preparing to drive his elbow into the monkey's back, Slug saw only Son Goku a moment later. As best he could, he tried to change course on his blow, shifting to a punch, but he'd finally slowed enough that it couldn't be done. His counterattack came too late, as Goku's foot once more cracked across the side of his face. Spinning in air, Son Goku lashed out with another boot, this time cracking him across the head again. The entire world felt dizzy for Slug as he almost blacked out from the two successive blows.

Grabbing Turles with his other hand, he tried to wrench him off, only to find the other Saiyan's grip tightening. Kicking upwards, his knee hit the Saiyan in the ribs as Slug scowled and snarled, trying to break free. For his trouble, Son Goku had already come back around, this time punching him in the face. He tried to block with his other hand, successfully deflecting the next blow before another hard right caught him in the face. Teetering for too long, it was finally enough for Slug to fall back, dragging Turles with him as they hit the ground together.

Before he could sit up, the other Saiyan was already on him, grabbing his shoulder before feeding a punch into his face. Purple blood spat out of his mouth and nose before the second, and then third punches arrived. Only after the third one did Slug manage to get his arms up, defending his head. When he broke his guard, he did so only to spit blood in Turles's face, halting his next attack before swinging back, finally punching the Saiyan off of him.

Scampering back, Slug barely managed to pull himself together to get back up, his entire body feeling as though it was failing.

He felt… old… again.

He was the last of his kind, the last of his true kind. King Piccolo and the Namek on this planet were nothing compared to the grandeur of his people. The whole of the Namekian race had existed to be the genesis for his clan and himself. To understand one's self, to understand the universe as no other could… it would be lost if his strength failed him here. His own clan… the Super Namekian descendants he'd raised as if they were his children were all gone, even Achatin. The gravity of that had never sunk in, as he felt more than ever that he'd become nigh unstoppable. With his strength returned and eternal youth, his legacy would always be carried on.

But now, now as he stared up at these Saiyans… he realized that this was it. This could be his fall. Brushing the blood from his nose and lip once again, Slug felt tired.

"It's over," Son Goku announced. "You can't continue this fight. We all know it. You still have time to give up and walk away."

"Walk away?" Turles snapped almost immediately. "This green piece of garbage is going to die-"

"Even people like him, deserve a chance. The same way you deserved a chance, Turles," Goku reminded his double. "Or are you so quick to forget?"

As the two argued, Slug saw the opening he needed. One last throw of the dice, once more into the breech.

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Turles:

This idiot can't be serious! This thing has killed more worlds than I have. What kind of idiot would think this guy was going to be sincere?

Reminding him that he'd been shown mercy only made Turles want to turn on Kakarot immediately and rip his pound of flesh out of him, especially now. When he was about to remark further that his double was an idiot, Turles realized the winding sound of Lord Slug's arm was whizzing through the air again. Turning his head too late, Turles felt the punch crash across his face, sending him flying back as he stared back at Kakarot's surprised look.

"You fool!" Goku shouted to Slug as the Namek pounced into the air, energy bursting off his form. It took several seconds for Turles to realize what was happening.

It'd been the same tactic of divide and conquer that he'd been trying the whole time, only this time he was going for the win. A massive blast wave formed as Slug opened his mouth, aiming at Goku himself.

"Die!" Slug bellowed before the blast was revealed.

A wave of golden light followed, destructive enough that it might have blown a hole through the Earth itself. What few ruins remained as multi-story buildings all collapsed under the light and heat for the entirety of the city. Kakarot needed to transmission himself away, only instead, Turles saw the fool hold his ground.

"Kamehameha! KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!"

A blue wave reached up, colliding with the light. As soon as it did, a shockwave blasted Turles further back as he felt rocks and other spare refuse scatter over his body before he could recover. Being sent sprawling back, Turles crashed through several ruined vehicles before finally putting himself to a stop. Kakarot's energy wasn't anywhere near enough to stop the blast. The blue wave surging upwards was getting smaller and smaller by the moment. This wave would drain Slug enough that he'd be able to finish him off, Turles could tell immediately.

The moral question of whether to help Kakarot arose again, and he hated himself for what he did next. Pushing against the catastrophic force and energy from the beam collisions in front of him, Turles pushed himself to Kakarot's side. The blue wave was now only a few metres long before the golden wave of destruction would overwhelm him.

This was his last chance to turn around.

Golden power blasted out around the figure of Turles as he positioned his hands at the side of his body, purple orbs appearing as he honed his energies together. It took the look of disbelief from Son Goku to remind Turles how ridiculous he looked right now.

"Turles," Kakarot, the warmth in the voice and sincerity making his stomach churn with disgust.

"This doesn't make us friends," Turles snarled before turning his attention towards the wave. "I don't have any debt to you after this, understand?"

I don't care about honour. Why do I care about this even?

"… Alright…"

"CATACALYSM CANNON!"

When the wave shot forward, it merged with the blue wave emerging from Kakarot as the two waves blasted off into Slug's.

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Lord Slug:

He'd expended too much energy with the wave, he realized. Even as Son Goku declined, his energy depleting and his own wave disappearing, Slug knew he'd likely not have enough power after this to deal with the other Saiyan. Even he could almost detect the dark force he'd batted away recovering, and when they collided after this was finished, Son Goku would be dead… and he would follow shortly after. That much was almost definite. Still, knowing the other Saiyan would stand aside, from all outside sensory information, gave Slug at least the comfort that he stood a chance of surviving, and that the Saiyan below was going to die, finally, after their final duel.

I'll send you to Hell with me if I have to, Son Goku!

All the rage and hatred King Piccolo possessed for this creature had fully materialized in his mind. There was no denying it at all. This creature didn't deserve to live, and his ruination of all his dreams was enough to make Slug want to go back in time and have the Dragon simply wish Son Goku was dead. Though sadly, that was not in the parameters of any Dragon's power… he knew this, because Katas would have wished him dead on Namek, all those years ago, if it could have worked.

When the power of the wave finally was sent to crash upon the item of his hatred, his eyes widened as Turles landed next to his double. Within a few moments his golden aura surged before the purple wave unleashed into the torrent of golden energy Slug was unleashing. The two combined beams pushed back against him as he pushed more and more of himself into it. The beams seemed to stabilize near the middle between each other as the growing backlog of energies started to build up to a critical mass at the centre. The two beings on the other side were pushing back as hard as they could, and for a moment, he could almost seem Limac and Limax. In fact… he did see them.

Because these Saiyans were of the same nature. There was not two Saiyans there, just as he thought before, there was one… one being, divided into two. Their combined powers surged a moment later as Slug desperately tried to keep his power going. The mouth blast he'd unleashed was now shrinking with every passing second, the raging river of energy beyond him coming ever closer, eroding away his power.

Desperately, he pushed more of his strength into the wave, but it was of little consequence as it retreated further and further, and he grew weaker and weaker.

In his mind's eyes, he could see Shell, Staff, Colchio, and Achatin all standing there, and he could see King Piccolo behind all of them, grinning at him devilishly. Even if he'd won here… he'd been played… played by this creature. He could see that now.

Despite every ounce of willpower, the Warlord had left in him, his beam evaporated from his mouth as his ki finally went dry, just as he heard the Saiyans cry out with the final push of energy from the pay. One half of his sight saw only blue, the other half only purple. When the wave hit, his world became nothing but light as Slug felt his body pick up into the wave helplessly. The cyclone of power flowed around him, burning away his body piece by piece. He knew he was screaming, but it didn't matter. As the wave wiped over him, finally his body lost all consistency…

And he was washed away in the light and wind.

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Son Goku:

As the light faded in front of them, Goku looked up into the sky as the combined wave rolled into the heavens, his arms dropped to his side as he felt himself. His hair shifted back to black as Goku struggled to remain standing. A haggard step was taken forward before his eyes turned to Turles, whose hair now shifted to black as well.

"Hey," he breathed. "We're a pretty good team."

"If you use, we like that again, I'll hurt you," Turles warned, struggling to walk more than a few feet before he collapsed to the ground, entirely drained of energy.

In the quiet moments of consciousness Goku had left, he couldn't help but genuinely feel that Turles could really change. But even in all of this, there was something there that scared him. Still, his apparent twin could have betrayed him more than once, and had instead come to his aid. More surprisingly still, there was now another Super Saiyan around. That took some of the weight off his shoulders at least.

I know Gohan trusts him at least. I mean, Raditz… kind of… trusts him. I was right to give him a third chance at least.

Taking a few steps over, Goku suddenly felt all of his wounds and many injuries. It was enough to make his eyes almost roll into the back of his head. The last thing he thought before the darkness took him a moment later, was that sadly, he was probably going to have to fight Turles at some point soon, and it was probably not going to be in the name of training.

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Author's Notes:

Not my longest fight, but given what we were working with, I think it comes out alright. I tried to give Slug some more development throughout the fight, as I wanted him to shine a bit more. I actually really, really enjoyed it when Slug went Kaiju on Coast City and wrecked everyone. It was really awesome getting to write everyone be helpless, but it also gave me a chance to make him a bit craftier, especially between luring in Goku and Turles, as well as letting his arms just tunnel through the city like massive tremors, fucking everyone's day over. It also gave me the chance to really let Tien and Krillin shine. Raditz and Vegeta were a bit of a side show this time around, as it wasn't really their fight and all they could offer was strength. Unneeded, strength.

I also enjoyed writing the scene with Slug in the past. To be clear, the Dragon before Porunga was summoned, which wouldn't have had the same power, or number of wishes.

Turles is by no means making a face turn. But he has developed a bit more empathy. Which was really a big part of his transformation into a Super Saiyan in the first place.

I always need music to write, and I really struggled to find music at several intervals. I'll let everyone know that Slug's main theme that I managed to write to, was the Godzilla OST from 2014, and really, the Godzilla theme itself. It gives this sense of overwhelming power and strength.

Reviewers:

Blades of Fury: I hope you enjoyed the clash. :P

ShMikeX: I dunno. He's kind of selfish. The other Namekians were as much tools for him, as they were compatriots.

xXSpades231Xx: Thanks!

Guest1: Turles and Vegeta, the two worst characters, ironically work about as well with one another as an airshow and a disaster, lol. Homage to slug is paid in full this chapter. :). Everyone has their burdens, villains, heroes, and those inbetween. And really, Turles being isolated is endemic of his upbringing and life. It was hard to write, that piece was rewritten a dozen times.

Luke: Critical success! Lol

Perfect Carnage: I don't' feel bad for Vegeta either. Lol.

OuterSpaceHooker: Why? Turles is really good at ruining his own life. Lol

KagariAsuha: Yea, it was super hard to write. I really wanted to nail it, as that scene was really key to his character development going forward.

KayDee2Slow: I love their pettiness, it's so third class Saiyan to me, lol. I'd not lay out the other Saiyan's paths yet. I wouldn't expect things to unfold like Vegeta did in the canon, there was a lot of specific instances that lead to that outcome, and the circumstances around it have changed enough, that not even Vegeta, is really following Vegeta's path.

Maximussj: Nope, he was pushed over the limit while in the blast.

SSJ1998: Yea, it was really important to have the irony built into the transformation as well. Earlier, in the same scenario, Bardock screwed over Turles deliberately. Now, instead of trickery, the truth comes out, the pain comes out, as much for Bardock himself, as Turles.

AquarianKing: Gohan is a huge component. He's the glue that holds the fighters together at the moment. And of course, the outsider is Vegeta, as Vegeta's a dickhead to Gohan. lol

DarkFalconZ: Thanks :)

Guest2: Absolutely. I absolutely loved Bardock's confession and his letting go, letting Turles go on his own. I really enjoyed it. Bardock being the father he never was for the first time in his life (death)

MalikJamalTimberlake: Turles is ever the survivalist and self interested… I don't see that changing, it's apart of his nature, lol.

Thomas-The-TMC: I don't write as a job. This is purely a hobby for me. I don't even know where to begin if I wrote professionally. I've got tons of custom worlds and ideas and concepts I'd like to write, but A: Time, and B: I really don't have the time to do even more lol

AC: I hope you enjoyed the 's got big stuff coming over the next 10 chapters. I promise.

Team Soda: Vegeta having a bad hand is the best hand for Vegeta though. Much like Turles, he does a lot of it to himself, lol. A strong theme of the story is the Ying-Yang between Goku and Turles. Goku's not really an opposite of Vegeta, not really. Turles is much more the half of Goku he never got. I based him off the original concept of Movie 3, prior to it being the Tree of Might. Originally, Turles was just going to be "Kakarot", and they were going to find a way for Goku to fight his original Saiyan self. Turles is very much the Saiyan Goku could have been, and a dark image of him. Goku Black never really was that himself, as it's a God controlling Goku's body, it's not really his mirrored self.