A/N: Okay guys, many of you have wondered what it would look like if Gorun had never left the Time Patrol (looking at you Cy Man), and now you're about to get your answer! I hope you guys enjoy this little break from the main story, as I had fun indulging my own curiosity of what life would have looked like for Gorun and Azura, had things begun a little differently.
Now then, on with the show!
P.S. While Saiyan Tail was not the winner of the poll, it came in at a very close second, so I'm going to be releasing a one-page strip for this story in tandem with the next chapter. I hope you guys will like it, too.
P.P.S. I find it hilarious that the new Fairy Tail game starts pretty much at the same time as Saiyan Tail's beginning. Who knew? XD
Cry of the Dragon Balls Arc: Chapter 1
A Land Called Stella
"This is Janara, target is in position, and standing by… Please acknowledge."
"Acknowledged, Janara. Kai is moving in to flank."
"Icebox, are you where you're supposed to be?" Kai's voice came through the com device in a whisper. "I don't want a repeat of Yardrat."
"You sabotage the wrong aircraft one time, and suddenly you're the team liability," Icebox grumbled. He was a red-and-black Frost Demon in the service of the Time Patrol, and currently setting up to snipe a Time Breaker responsible for causing the early advancement of the Cold Force's scouter technology. He was a tall specimen with short horns that pointed directly skyward whenever he was on the ground, and a power level that rivaled King Cold's at his prime.
His teammates, two experienced Saiyans, were standing by just in case this 'Planeg' character had any backup. The three of them were keeping in touch with scouters manufactured in Conton City- capable of reading all power levels from any era, no matter how high, no matter if they were mortal or divine.
"Just answer the question," Janara snapped at Icebox, causing him to cringe. His teammate was known to have little patience for errors, which was probably why the Supreme Kai of Time had put him on this team in the first place- mistakes weren't allowed if you wanted to remain in that girl's good graces.
"I'm in place," he replied as he peered down at their quarry from atop a rocky bluff overlooking the military facility, built on a mountain range on Cold Planet 682. "Any sign of reinforcements?"
"Nothing in the way of Time Breakers," Kai answered in a low voice. He was in the riskiest position, having hidden himself in the cargo area of one of King Cold's military storage crates. "But there might be an early Ginyu Force to deal with if we wait too long."
"Then let's take this guy out and be done with it," Janara grumbled. "Why are we waiting?"
"For there to be as few witnesses as possible," Icebox answered as he took aim with his finger. "If he drops dead, King Cold will scramble his forces and seek out whoever did this to his now-favorite inventor. That could lead to an aggressive search into deep space, which will mean that planets that aren't meant to be discovered yet might just find themselves paying rent to the Cold Force a lot sooner than Time dictates that they should. But if we make him disappear quietly, along with a ship programmed for a planetoid named Vampa…"
"Then it looks like he booked it and wound up on a world that proved too much for him to handle," Janara finished. "Got it. Is he alone yet?"
"He's got a two-man security detail on him, and I think that's as good as we're gonna get," Kai answered, his voice still low. "With the work he's doing, it's a wonder that there aren't more people with him right now." He sounded troubled.
"Something wrong?" Icebox prompted.
"This feels too easy," Kai replied. "The soldiers of this era wouldn't know how to hide their power levels, so I'm certain that there's only two Cold Force soldiers here. What I'm not sure about is if there are other Time Breakers nearby that know how to alter their battle power."
There was silence for a few seconds, then Icebox muttered, "Our top priority is taking out Planeg. If he has backup, we'll do our best to lead them elsewhere and take them down, too."
"Fair enough," Kai acknowledged. "Move in five."
"Four," Janara muttered.
"Three," Icebox said as a tiny point of red light appeared at the tip of his index finger.
"Two," Janara growled.
"One," Kai breathed. "Go!"
His sudden shout startled the three aliens on the platform, distracting them for a vital second. Icebox used it well, sending a ruby-colored Death Beam from his fingertip, piercing Planeg's heart and killing him instantly.
In the same instant, Kai leaped out of his hiding place and swiftly struck the two guards in several nerve points along their backs faster than they could blink, knocking them to the floor, unconscious. Tapping a large button on the scouter he wore, he said, "Guards are neutralized."
"Did they see you?" Janara asked.
"Negative, and with any luck, they'll think that the beam that killed Planeg was what knocked them out during his 'escape," he replied. "We're done here." He was a tall Saiyan warrior with mid-length black hair and a brown tail that he kept coiled around his waist, just under the white belt of his green gi. His gray eyes narrowed as his scouter alerted him to a new presence, and he turned around to face it, his ki already flowing in preparation for an attack.
"Hey, hey now!" a high pitched voice said from above Kai. "Why'd you have to go and do that?! My experiment was just getting started!"
"Oh, crap," Kai heard Icebox say in his ear.
"What?" Janara demanded. Apparently from her position, she couldn't see what was going on.
"It's Fu," Kai said tightly as he glared up at the Time Breaker Demon. He was a mischievous being, incredibly powerful, and perhaps even more unpredictable in his cunning. "Looks like he's responsible for this one, too." He heard Janara curse before she informed him that she would be ready to back him up as soon as he needed it.
"Don't you guys know that it's rude to interfere with a scientist's data?" the roguish young man said as he placed his hands on his hips while looking annoyed. "Now I gotta start all over again!"
"Time isn't a plaything for you to experiment on," Kai told the demon sternly. "The Supreme Kai of Time has given orders for your arrest, Fu. You've caused her one headache too many."
"Guys, we need to finish this up or take it elsewhere," Icebox warned them. "We've got guards coming in hot, and I think that King Cold might be on his way, too."
"Aw, but if I get arrested, I won't be able to do anything about my curiosity!" Fu complained, unaware of the conversation taking place around him. He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, I can't go with you guys!"
"You don't get a say in the matter," Kai muttered before he shot up toward Fu, striking at him with an Orin Combo that took him completely by surprise and sent him hurtling down toward the planet below the overhang on which they had been speaking. The demon's yell of surprise was cut off again as Janara shot out from the rocks underneath, her speed matching Kai's as she clocked Fu in the face, sending him further away from the facility.
"Take care of Planeg, I'll deal with Fu!" she grunted as she zoomed after their new quarry. "Icebox, you're my backup!"
"Aw man," they heard him say before Kai remembered the enemy forces approaching. Glancing at the doors that were all that stood between him and an early-days Cold Force, he winced as he realized that he was going to be cutting it close.
"Close call is better than failure," he muttered. Aiming his hands at the door controls and the computers that had the advanced schematics on them, he fired off a Double Sunday that fried both, destroying the second objective, and buying him time to complete the first. Moving quickly, he took the Time Breaker's body and incinerated it before flying off to the landing pad where many ships were stored. Dodging the surveillance cameras with ease- he had spent several hours memorizing their placements before coming to this era- he ducked into a small exploration pod after making sure that there was no one inside.
Moving even faster now, he punched in the coordinates to Vampa, set the vehicle to auto-pilot, and breathed a sigh of relief as it launched into the air without being stopped by the Cold Force. Just as he'd suspected, the noise that they had made at the research facility had distracted them enough that he could make his escape. By the time that the Cold Force was able to find out where the ship had gone, it would be nothing but a smoking wreck on the desolate planetoid.
"Now for my latest trick…" he grinned as he put two fingers to his forehead and sensed for Janara's energy. Once he had it, he engaged Instant Transmission and teleported into existence behind the blue-haired saiyan girl, halfway across the planet from their original destination. She was currently in her 'mystic' form, struggling viciously against Fu, who had his katana out to match her Spirit Sword. He was laughing as if at a private joke, while Janara was covered in sweat and blood.
Growling angrily, Kai fired off a Big Bang Attack over Janara's head, which forced Fu to retreat hastily and give her a reprieve, even if only for a moment. "You okay?" he asked his comrade worriedly.
"Never better," she grunted while Fu began to cackle delightedly at the thought of getting to examine another strong opponent. "Icebox took a bad hit as soon as he got in the mix, though. I sent him home."
"Got it," Kai nodded as he glared at Fu. "Get ready to back me up."
"Yeah."
Forcing himself to abandon his anger, Kai took deep, calming breaths as he willed his energy to shift from that of a mortal to that which comes from the heavens. His eyes and hair took on a crimson shade, and his energy became undetectable to all but a select few in the multiverse. His muscles thinned out, but they were no less defined as he settled into a combat stance favored by his instructor.
"Ooh!" Fu gasped delightedly. "Super Saiyan god?! I haven't fought one of you since Goku and Vegeta!"
"Then I bet you'll love this," Kai muttered before he vanished from Fu's line of sight.
"Wait, where'd he g- ack!"
The pained cry was drawn out of him as he was struck in the small of his back with a Wolf Fang Fist, sending him flying across the horizon, only to be clotheslined by the same man that had struck him in the first place. Coughing and groaning, Fu tried to turn around and cut his enemy, only to be struck with a Tyrant Lance that sent him crashing into a deep valley where a river ran through.
He stopped just short of the river itself, groaning painfully. "Well… that's new," he grunted as he forced himself to his feet and looked up curiously at his red-haired attacker. "You're a lot stronger than Goku was when he first used this form."
"Let's just say I've got a few advantages that he didn't," Kai replied as he extended a hand to face Fu. "Last chance- surrender or die."
"Hey, hey now," Fu grinned despite his obvious pain. "No need to be all 'damned if you do, damned if you don't.' I think it's best for all parties involved if you just let me go."
"Like hell," Kai snapped. "If you're not going to-"
Crack!
The next thing Kai knew, he was hurtling into the side of the mountain, many of his ribs having been fractured by a single blow. He nearly blacked out, but he forced himself to remain in his god form, allowing the divine energies to restore his body as his brain scrambled to figure out what had just happened.
"See, unlike you, I don't believe in absolutes and ultimatums," Fu's voice called down, carrying into the crater where Kai was currently recovering. "I'm not gonna say you have to stay outta my way or anything like that, cos I'm a nice guy! Plus, getting to test the potential of Saiyans is so much fun!"
"Now would be a really good time," Kai grumbled as he strained his sore muscles, feeling his ribs popping back into place.
"Good time for wha- ow!" Fu's startled cry preceded a thunderous crash that sent a geyser of water into the air from where he was smashed into a river.
"You sure took your sweet time," Kai said as he floated out of the hole his body had made in the mountain. He looked up to see Janara, her clothes torn and bloodied, but looking none the worse for her battle with Fu.
"I thought I'd let you take a swing at him," she grinned as he floated up to her. "See where you get when you try to go places without me?"
"Didn't I just have to save your bacon a minute ago?"
"Well, now we're even," Janara shrugged. "By the way, I think he's coming back."
"Yeah, I know," Kai grumbled as they looked back down at the disturbed waters, a dripping wet Fu frowning up at them with folded arms.
"You guys sure don't play fair," he complained. "Since when do Super Saiyan gods just start coming out of the woodworks?"
"To be fair, there's only six of us in all the ages," Kai replied. "I'd hardly call it a common occurrence."
"Let's save the topic for after we've captured Fu, or killed him," Janara said as she aimed a hand at their enemy. "Ready?"
"Like you have to ask," he replied, aiming his own had to face his enemy again. "Fu, by the power vested in us by the Time Patrol-"
"You can go to hell!" Janara shouted, blue energy gathering in her palm. "Chaos…"
"Control!" Kai's shout was followed by a green laser that flew from his hand and was quickly joined by Janara's power, merging so that whatever it struck would be completely erased from existence- a technique that only the two of them knew, having created it together as children.
Fu scowled, then slashed at the air in front of him with his sword, opening a rift in space-time. The attack struck the portal and disintegrated it, whereupon he smiled roguishly. "An attack similar to a god of destruction's 'Hakai', yet without the need of a destroyer's magic. Interesting…" While he was speaking, he opened up another rift behind him and said, "Well, this data has been very helpful! Bye!"
"Oh no you don't!" Janara shouted as she raised her hands "Masenko!"
"Kienzan!" Both attacks pierced the air just a second too late, Fu vanishing into the portal that he had created. Kai swore, then dropped out of his divine form, exhausted. "We need to report this," he said wearily.
"Can we pin the blame on Icebox?" Janara asked as she did the same.
"He needs that like he needs a hole in the chest," Kai muttered as he pulled out the scroll that had brought them to this era.
"He already has one of those."
"Wait, what?!"
"So it was Fu," the Supreme Kai of Time sighed as she massaged her temples. "I suspected that he might have been the puppet master, but I didn't think that he would actually make an appearance."
"You couldn't have known," the saiyan man said quietly. "He's been ahead of the Time Patrol for decades now- I'm not surprised that he managed to escape the two of us."
"Speak for yourself, Gorun," his teammate scoffed. "We should've had him dead to rights, but he's picking up new tricks that we don't know about."
"You two may have divine energy, Azura, but that does not guarantee you a victory against every opponent that you face," the little Kai that ruled time warned them. "You're lucky that his eccentric ways didn't see him to wanting you both dead. Even Goku and Vegeta have a hard time whenever they've managed to corner him."
"And we're nowhere near their level yet," Gorun- in the field known as 'Kai'- remarked quietly. "We've made some astounding progress, no one can deny that. But we're still not masters yet."
"Key word there being 'yet," Azura- otherwise known as 'Janara'- grinned wolfishly. "Someday we're gonna go head-to-head with Grandpa Goku and Grandpa Vegeta at their prime."
"Yeah, and I'm next in line to be Hakaishin," Gorun snorted.
"Don't say that too loudly, or else Lord Beerus might hear you," the Supreme Kai of Time grinned tiredly. Waving them both off, she added, "Go on and rest, you two. Come back in three days and I'll have a new assignment for you."
"Yes ma'am," Azura said as she bowed and spun on her heel to exit the Time Nest.
"See you later, Grandma," Gorun replied with a bow of his own.
Son Gorun, known as Kaidon to his family, was a very special Time Patroller. On his father's side, he could trace his lineage all the way back to Goku. If that wasn't surreal enough, his mother's father was Trunks, the vice commander of the Time Patrol, and the husband of Chronoa, the Temporal Kaioshin. This fact made both him and his mother saiyan-kai hybrids, and perhaps some of the most gifted warriors in all of creation.
Azura, or Genora among her relatives, was the only other Time Patroller whose lineage could also be traced back to both the Prince of all Saiyans and his greatest rival, though through a different set of families and timelines than Gorun. What primarily set them apart was that Gorun possessed divine blood and a saiyan tail, and Azura did not.
Still, that had not stopped her from doing everything that she could to outmatch him in every way possible as they both rose rapidly through the ranks of the Time Patrol. For years she tried to prove her strength superior by challenging Gorun to battle at every opportunity. When she could never defeat him, she turned to attempting to outpace him in completed missions for their commanders, yet failed again.
Her obsession with defeating him became such a fixation that she started trying to ambush him in his sleep, angering him and their superiors greatly. She was nearly thrown out of the Time Patrol, but strangely enough, Gorun intervened on her behalf. He had never disclosed to his rival what it was that he had said to convince the Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks to allow her to stay, but she was grateful for it, regardless. Being a Time Patroller meant everything to her, and she realized that it was not worth pursuing a conflict so far that it nearly cost her everything she held dear.
From then on, their rivalry became a friendlier one, until eventually, they became inseparable companions, taking on every mission together, and complimenting each other's powers so much so that recently, Lettis and Goken, the greatest heroes of the Time Patrol (and Gorun's parents), had been able to retire and pass on their responsibilities and legacy to the two younger saiyans.
Azura had been elated, finally having achieved her life's dream of becoming one of the greatest Time Patrollers in history. Gorun too felt satisfaction in what they had accomplished, though he often wondered whether it was truly his own skills that had carried him so far, or if it was the names of his ancestors. Even so, they both had much to be proud of in the life they had lived, and they were respected and adored by many because of it.
"So, we've got a few days off," Gorun said as they stepped out of the portal that led to the Time Nest. "What should we do with them? And before you say 'train non-stop', I've already contacted Bardock, and we have sparring sessions with him and Yamoshi all day tomorrow. That's all the training I'm doing."
"Take all the fun out of it, why don't you?" Azura snorted, though secretly she was pleased at the chance to spar with both of the respected saiyan warriors. "What will you do with the other two days? Grow fat and lazy by a fireplace?"
"Actually, I was gonna go to the Hero Coliseum," he replied with a shrug. "It's been a while since I did a figure battle."
"Are you serious?" Azura groaned. "That's bad enough on its own, you really wanna lose to Gotenks again?"
"He knows better than to antagonize me," Gorun replied easily as they began to descend the steps leading away from the portal. "I don't mind losing, as long as he keeps his motor mouth reigned in."
"What kind of Saiyan are you, not taking even the concept of losing as a personal insult?" Azura teased him as she jabbed his shoulder. Speaking dramatically, she added, "I demand a round of fisticuffs so that we may regain your honor!"
"The honor is all yours," he grinned before blasting off at the speed of sound, leaving his companion far behind in seconds.
Still, he managed to hear, "That's not how this works, Gorun!" His echoing laughter told her that he didn't care.
"Gyah!"
"Hrah!"
Sounds of blows being traded echoed across the chamber that had no walls or ceiling. Gorun's bruises ached, but he refused to back down from the scarred man trying to turn him into a pulp. He was vaguely aware of Azura receiving a similar treatment some miles away, but only the in deepest recesses of his mind did he pay attention to anything outside of his current battle.
"Hey, quit spacing out!" his opponent yelled before grabbing his left leg and using it to slam Gorun violently against the ground several times before punting him the length of a city, quickly following his quarry after he had released him. "You might be a god, kid, but your lack of attention is gonna cost you one of these days!" Bardock glared at his descendant with something akin to disgust, while Gorun grinned crookedly at him through a split lip from beneath a swollen eye.
"I've got you… right where I want you," he laughed hoarsely.
"You want me beating your ass into oblivion?" Bardock scoffed, unimpressed. "Kakarot didn't say anything about you being stupid. Then again, he was dropped on his head as a baby, so maybe his judge of character isn't something to go by."
"Yeah…" Gorun grunted as he got to his feet painfully. "Don't forget that he let Vegeta and Frieza live after they did their best to kill him."
"Don't even talk to me about that," Bardock snorted as he drew back a fist, blue light shining in his hand. "As a matter of fact, you should be saving your breath to fight! Riot Javelin!" He sent forth a blazing bolt akin to a blue flame, aiming to strike Gorun in the gut and end the fight.
Gorun drew in a breath, set his hands, and roared back, "Kamehameha!" The blue energy wave was composed and unleashed in the time it takes to blink. It slammed into Bardock's own attack and began to rapidly force it back, much to the older Saiyan's ire.
"Tch," he growled, exerting more force into his technique so that he held the beam back mere yards away from where he floated.
"Come on, we both know how this ends!" Gorun laughed up at the scarred warrior from behind his energy beam. "Give it up while you can, Gramps!"
"Like hell!" Bardock bellowed as he strained to hold back the Kamehameha. "This ends when one of us is out of commission!"
"Come on, you're the best when it comes to hand-to-hand, but everyone knows that once you're locked in a beam battle, you just can't keep up with the times," Gorun laughed through his swollen lips. "Pun intended, by the way."
"Rrgh…!"
"Well, not that humiliating my great-times-something-in-the-double-digits-grandfather wasn't fun, but I'm hitting the water," Gorun said as he wiped the sweat off his bared torso with a towel. Training in the pocket dimension chambers was always intense enough on its own, even without an angry war veteran trying to brain you. "By the way, you should've led with your Tyrant Lance- Yamoshi is used to close combat, so a Spirit Sword probably wasn't the best way to start."
"Yeah, well don't think I missed the part where you got your ass handed to you on a platter by Bardock," Azura grumbled as she doused her head with water. "Whew! That's cold! …You need to step up your martial arts game, pal."
The two of them were dressed in swimwear on a nice beach constructed by Chronoa just outside some of the training chambers to give Time Patrollers a respite, should they desire it. There were a few other patrollers milling about, but none of them had noticed the two saiyans.
"Hey, my fighting style makes sense to me," Gorun said as he started to walk away, wincing as his battered legs shrieked in protest. "If I can keep them from getting close with a ki blast, I don't need to worry about them being able to punch me."
"That only works some of the time-"
"Most of the time."
"Some of the time, and when it doesn't, you end up needing a senzu capsule," Azura insisted. "I know getting thrashed means we get stronger, but for Shenron's sake, try to exercise a little self-preservation."
Gorun was about to give her a sassy response, but they were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a Namekian crashing into the dirt hastily, cursing as he nearly fell over in the sand. The two of them frowned- the Namekian's name was Fuelt, one of the more even-tempered and capable patrollers in the service of the kais. For him to be moving so quickly and already displaying a foul mood meant nothing good.
"What's going on?" Gorun asked him as the pair moved closer to the large warrior.
"You're both needed back at the Time Nest," he rumbled, his voice akin to an avalanche. Holding out an upturned hand, he added, "Eat these senzu and get your combat outfits on. You might be expected to move out in less than twenty minutes."
"That soon?" Azura asked, surprised as she took one of the two green beans in his massive hand. "I thought the Supreme Kai of Time gave us three days off?"
"It's an emergency," Fuelt answered in a tone that implied that it should have been obvious. "Apparently Fu has already made another move, and it's in an unusual place."
"What do you mean by that?" Gorun inquired as he too reached out to take a senzu bean.
"Well, for starters, the change seems to have been made in the recent past, so there's not much damage done to the present- at least, not that we can tell as of yet," Fuelt answered. "No, what's odd is that it's in Universe 17."
"That is a little weird," Azura said with a frown. "Since it didn't exist for some eons, there's not much havoc that a Time Breaker can cause there." When Android 17 had won the Tournament of Power, he had unwittingly also restored the universes that had been erased by Grand Zeno millions of years in the past, which meant that the Order now had six additional universes to watch over.
"Even so, any alteration Fu makes needs to be dealt with," Gorun asserted as he coiled his tail around his waist in preparation for flight. "He rarely acts in a straightforward manner, so let's nip this in the bud before it blooms into a real problem."
"Getting flowery with the speech, eh Gorun?" Fuelt said dryly.
"Well, that's hardly the root of the issue," he grinned.
"Gorun…" Azura growled warningly, but he ignored her.
"We can always branch out."
"Stop that!"
"Leaf' me alone."
"I swear to Zeno, if you-!"
"Hey, I'm just going out on a limb, here."
"I know several destroyers, and where you live," Azura threatened.
"I'm bushed now."
"One. More," she hissed as he tried in vain to stifle his laughter. "I dare you."
"Fine, fine," he said as he forced himself to calm down a little. "But I really wanted to use my 'trunk' card." Then he was gone, laughing his head off as he flew through the air, followed quickly by an enraged saiyan girl.
Fuelt just sighed heavily and muttered, "The fate of Universe 17's timeline rests on their shoulders…? Poor people."
"Since you called us in during what is supposed to be our vacation, do we get paid overtime for this?" Gorun asked as he and Azura stood in front of a pacing Supreme Kai of Time, both of them dressed in their battle clothing. Gorun now wore a pair of blue potara earrings, items that he hardly took into battle, per the request of his leader.
"We don't get paid," Azura reminded him.
"Right."
"I'm sorry guys, but I really needed it to be you two for this mission," Chronoa said with an apologetic grimace. "Fu's getting ambitious if he's already making a move so soon after nearly being caught."
"I'd hardly call our encounter a near catch," Gorun replied, a little shamefaced. "He outfoxed us, plain and simple."
"Yeah, only because he knew that if we both fought him, it was going to go south for him," Azura smirked.
"If you're done filling up on your hot air, I'd like to get to the briefing," Chronoa said impatiently with a sour look on her face.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"As I'm sure Fuelt already told you, the mission is taking place in Universe 17," the little kai said, waving off her subordinate's apology. "I've found the scroll that's been corrupted, and I've managed to trace the time and place in which the change occurred."
"So what did Fu do to cause it?" Gorun asked curiously as his grandmother held up a smoking scroll from the Book of Beginning to End.
"That's the problem," Chronoa grimaced again. "I can't seem to find the source of the change."
"What?!" Both Azura and Gorun were nothing less than shocked.
Their leader lowered the scroll to the table in front of her and said sheepishly, "It happens, you know. Towa and Dabura have both used magic to obscure their interferences in the past, and it took me a while to even find the corruptions, let alone what caused them."
"I didn't realize Fu was so skilled in wielding the black arts," Azura said with a deep scowl. "He just keeps finding new ways to irritate me."
"The thing is, he's gone to a world called 'Earthland', a place very rich in magic," the Supreme Kai of Time explained. "In fact, that entire reality relies heavily on magic for its existence. It's woven so deeply into the patterns of the dimension that when you two go there, you will have to channel your powers in a slightly different manner than you do in other realities."
"Wha-? Different how?" Gorun asked nervously, already not liking where this was going. It was bad enough that they were going after Fu without knowing what he was up to, but now they were going to have to retrain themselves just to use even the basics of their powers?
"Don't worry, I'll teach you everything you need to know before I send you off," Chronoa reassured them. "Energy is simply channeled through magic circles, and fortunately for you guys, I've studied up on that realm in the past enough to pass on the knowledge you'll need to use all of your usual abilities. Otherwise you might be spending a few weeks trying to figure it out." She tapped the side of her head, reminding the two saiyans that her telepathy could instantly impart whatever they needed to know into their brains.
"That's good," Gorun said with a sigh of relief.
"When do we leave?" Azura asked, impatient for a chance to fight Fu again, different rules or no.
"Just a few more things I need to tell you," the pink kai replied. "First, this may wind up being a long-term assignment. Be careful of making attachments if you stay for any length of time." The two warriors nodded their understanding, so she continued, "You'll be going to a small island kingdom called 'Stella', which is in a precarious situation right now, so keep to the shadows as much as possible in order to avoid altering the natural course of history- and don't blow the place up."
"Pretty sure she's looking at you," Gorun said in an aside to his partner, which earned him an elbow to his ribs.
"I'm not the one that Final Flashed West Kai's favorite constellation," she muttered without looking at him.
"No, but you did-"
"Okay, I know I'm the goddess of time, so this is gonna sound ironic, but we don't have time for this!" Chronoa snapped at them. "Seriously, Fu is causing a change so subtle that I can barely see it, but will result in a handful of magic dragons wiping out humanity on this planet! We need to be on this right now and five minutes ago!"
"Sorry," Gorun apologized.
"Wait, are we talking dragons like the Shadow Dragons?" Azura asked with a frown. "That would be problematic if we have to fight several of them, just the two of us."
"No, these dragons have nothing to do with dragon balls, though I would compare their malevolence to those beasts," the Supreme Kai of Time answered. "However, like I mentioned before, magic is woven into the nature of this reality so thoroughly that there will be certain… drawbacks, even with the information I can provide you with."
"Such as?"
"Dragons in that world are all but impossible to kill with normal magical means," Chronoa answered them. "There's a special kind of dragon-slaying magic that's suited for combat against them, but I don't have enough data on it to help you there. You two would likely be able to fight against them better than most of that world's population, but even still, try to avoid combat with those things if at all possible."
"Understood," Gorun nodded, followed by Azura offering her own acknowledgement.
"Good," their leader nodded sharply. "Now come closer, both of you…"
The two saiyans were teleported into their target realm just inside the city limits, in a back alley where they could see a bustling marketplace filled with many happy people going about their daily lives, unaware of the impending calamity that was soon to befall them. The two of them easily blended in with the crowd once they emerged from the alleyway. Since this was a world not very technologically advanced, they had been forced to abandon their scouters/com devices.
"There's a lot of people around here," Azura muttered. "It's going to be hard to detect an individual's energy in all this, even a Time Breaker's, given all the magic."
"Probably one of the reasons Fu chose to hide out here," Gorun replied in an equally terse tone. "Still, if he's in this area, somebody will have seen him."
"Trick is gonna be finding not only somebody that knows anything useful, but also that'll be willing to talk," his partner grumbled as they passed a young couple.
"Well, worst case scenario, you start shaking down the local thugs until one of them talks," Gorun shrugged.
"Why is that the worst case?" she demanded. "Why is that even a bad case at all?!"
"We've gone over this argument more times than Krillin's been hit by somebody stronger than him," her partner replied in a weary tone. "Let's just drop it and move on to something that'll help us find Fu without needing to permanently scar some random cutpurse."
"Fine, then let's get a drink," Azura said as she pointed to a bar where several men could be seen entering, all of them chattering excitedly.
Noticing the looks on their faces, as well as the advertisements on the establishment, Gorun made a face and said, "No thanks. You know I don't drink, and I don't really like the idea of watching some poor more-than-half-naked girl embarrass herself to make a living."
Azura gave him a flat look before saying, "Bars like this are great for picking up on what's going on in a town, you prude. If it makes you more comfortable, just keep your head down in a corner table while I get the drinking and talking done."
"You're gonna end up attracting all kinds of unwanted attention in there," Gorun said stubbornly. "The only girls that go in there are either working for a crappy pay- or worse, probably being trafficked- so unless you know how to belly dance in a bikini, I'd say you're not exactly suited for doing any intel-gathering."
Azure looked affronted at that, but all she said was, "So are you gonna go in while I stand as a lookout, then? Drunk guys are still a goldmine for info. We don't exactly have any other leads right now."
Gorun ground his teeth in frustration, but he said nothing for the moment. Much as he hated to admit it, his temporal twin was correct about this bar being a good place to start looking for clues on Fu's whereabouts.
Finally, he growled out, "I'll go inside. If you somehow chance on Fu, don't engage him without me. We're hoping that he doesn't know that we're on to him yet, but you can never be too careful."
"I wasn't born yesterday," Azura snorted.
"In our line of work, it could very well be that you were bor-"
"Move it," she snapped as she gave him a hearty shove toward the bar, sending him stumbling across the street while he laughed at her.
His face bore no signs of amusement as he took a seat at a table toward the back of the room, a mug in his hand. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of the ale and sweat that permeated the room, but he accepted his role philosophically. As a Time Patroller on a stealth op, it was of paramount importance that he blend in as much as possible to avoid attracting attention and risk warping the timeline further.
As he sat down, he allowed his sensitive ears to do their job, emptying his mind so that they received each conversation without bias, waiting for something out of the ordinary to attract his conscious mind. He wanted to close his eyes to further his concentration, but he knew that would only look odd, a young man sitting in a bar with dancers, not touching his drink and not paying attention to the show.
So as much as he wanted to be elsewhere, engaging in more wholesome activities, he had a job to do. Sighing to himself, he forced himself to sip at the beverage that he had purchased, wincing at the bitter taste as it met his palette. At least I'll look miserable enough to need a drink to anybody watching.
His ears pricked up at the sound of heavy footsteps coming through the doorway, so he flicked his eyes over to their source. They belonged to a man in heavy armor with a thick brown moustache who looked even surlier than Gorun felt. He went over to sit at the bar, where he was immediately served by a frightened-looking barmaid. From this reaction, Gorun guessed that he was a regular at the establishment.
Music began to play while the lights in the room all began to drift toward the stage, alighting on a remarkably beautiful blond girl in a dancer's outfit, who began to move in time to the beat. Gorun paid her no attention, though. His blood had begun to race after he sensed for the newcomer's battle power- and found it to be tainted with Time Breaker energy.
He's not Fu, but he's definitely connected somehow, the young man thought, resolving to keep a close eye on the man, so that he could follow him and have Azura question him at the first opportunity. The real question is whether or not he's aware of Fu giving him power.
If he was a willing participant, it would actually work to the betterment of the saiyans in this case. He would be likely to know more about the enemy's plans, which they could get out of him- one way or another.
He was brought out of his musings when he was tapped on the shoulder, drawing his attention up to a red-haired young woman dressed in a black bunny outfit, carrying a drink's tray. He immediately averted his gaze, feeling heat flooding his cheeks as she asked him, "May I get you a refill, sir?"
"Uh, no thank you," he stammered, refusing to look her way again. "I've just started."
"Let me know if you need anything, then," she said with what sounded like a smile. "Enjoy your day, sir."
As she walked away, he found himself wondering at her attitude. Her good cheer seemed genuine enough, which contrasted starkly with what he had experienced in bars across many different realms. Serving girls were almost always withdrawn, resigned to serving men whose hands wandered in order to eke out a living for themselves. Either she's new, or she's up to something, he decided, grimacing as more of the ale swished down his throat.
The alcohol wouldn't do anything to him- his Saiyan metabolism would see to that- so he wasn't worried about its effects clouding his judgement. He just hated the taste.
As the audience around him began to cheer more loudly, he felt a brief flare of energy, as his gaze snapped back over to where he had seen the armored man. He felt his cheeks heating up rapidly again as he saw the blond girl dancing seductively in front of his new quarry, which held the man's complete attention. So distracted was he that he failed to see the woman with red hair walk past him and lift a string of keys out of his back pocket.
So that explains her good mood, Gorun thought with a small smirk as the serving girl disappeared into a back room. That smile faded as he looked down and reassured himself that his wallet and its contents were still in place, and breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he was able to do so. I need to be more vigilant- that coulda been bad if I was her target.
He stayed in the bar for a couple of hours before the armored man made his move. The blond dancer, apparently finished with her routine, exited the stage, whereupon the man in armor made to follow her, a hungry look in his eye.
Gorun swiftly followed him as soon as he felt it was inconspicuous enough to do so. He knew that strictly speaking he shouldn't make a move to save the girl, but if his target just so happened to be apprehended before he could do anything bad to her, well… Silver lining, he shrugged as he followed the man's energy signature.
He found himself outside a changing room, where he could hear two voices inside, one sounding predatory, the other coming across as frightened. He was about to bust down the door when another young man with dark hair came around the corner, a deep frown on his face. Both of them tensed up as soon as they saw each other, and Gorun felt a strong power level emanating from the other boy.
"What're you doing backstage?" the other young man asked.
"Saw some creep coming back here, looked like he was gonna cause some trouble for one of the dancers," Gorun shrugged. "Thought I'd lend a hand in showing him the door." It was a partial truth, so he had no trouble saying the piece convincingly.
The other boy grinned at him, then. "That's what her manager is for," he said as he pointed at himself with a thumb. "I got this, man." With that, he shoved the door open, startling the two occupants within.
The blond girl looked relieved, while the man looked thoroughly annoyed. "What do you want?" he asked roughly through a cigar in his mouth.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't what the lady had in mind for the evening," the young man answered smoothly. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave if you won't stop harassing our dancer."
"Uh, manager guy?" Gorun said as he looked back the way that he had come. "I think you might have some trouble coming your way."
"How's that?"
"Well, if you can think of another reason why soldiers with emblems that match Mister Moustache on their shields are coming this way, then I guess there's no issue," Gorun said mildly.
"Soldiers?!" the dancer squawked nervously.
Gorun was shoved inside the room as a pair of guards- who he assumed were with the city-state's army- rushed to speak with the man that he had been following. "Sir Zash! The vault was breached, and wizards were seen fleeing the fortress with the staff!" one of them gasped.
Gorun noticed the look of alarm that passed between the dancer and her manager, while Zash scowled angrily. As he turned to round on the two young entertainers, the young man aimed a punch at his face, which he blocked with little effort.
"Who do you people think you are?" he growled ominously.
Shrrk! In an instant, the man was flash-frozen with a healthy coating of ice, courtesy of the manager's power. "I'm the guy telling you that there's no smoking backstage," he smirked.
The soldiers hefted their weapons at them, but Gorun was much faster than they. In the span of a second, he had struck all of them in various nerve points that rendered the six of them unconscious. Dusting his hands off, he turned to see that the manager and the dancer were already on the run.
Shrugging, he turned to the frozen man as he muttered, "Well, pal. Looks like you and I are gonna have a little chat." He started toward him, but stopped when he felt a surge in energy of a dark nature.
The ice then cracked and shattered, Zash not even appearing fazed by what had to be subzero temperatures. He glared at Gorun, who took a ready stance in preparation for a fight. "So, you're all with Fiore, huh?"
"That's my business," Gorun replied, even though he had no clue what 'Fiore' was. "I'm gonna need you to come with me, or there's gonna be trouble."
"Boy, you're already in the worst kind of trouble," Zash grinned as he drew back a fist.
Gorun beat him to it, slamming an uppercut into Zash's stomach that sent him flying out of the building, breaking down the wall and sending him rolling down the street along with the rubble. People shouted in surprise and fear, running away from the fight as fast as their legs could carry them. "Plenty more where that came from, unless you wanna throw in the towel now," he warned the winded man as he advanced down the street.
To his surprise, Zash got to his feet with great swiftness and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Soldiers of Stella! There are intruders from Fiore within our borders! Capture them, dead or alive!"
"Good luck with that," a familiar voice said, just before Azura slammed into Zash, feet-first, putting him in a crater that suddenly appeared beneath their bodies. Leaping off of the man lightly, she smiled and asked, "What'd I miss?"
"This guy's infected with Time Breaker energy, if you hadn't noticed," Gorun replied swiftly. "I was about to take him in for questioning, but then some wizards started causing trouble, and now we're here. By the way, I think he has some kind of regenerative abilities."
"What makes you say that?"
"Oh, nothing other than the fact that he's getting out of the hole you made with his face," he shrugged offhandedly. "You want this one, or shall I?" Indeed, Zash was clambering out of the crater, looking more angry than anything.
"Mine," she smirked as her power level began to rise rapidly. Stepping forward under a golden magic circle that flared to life overhead, she shouted, "Takeover: Saiyan Soul!" Her hair shone with golden light while her eyes changed from cool sapphires to blazing emeralds.
Good to know those formulas that grandma gave us work, Gorun thought as he readied himself to back his partner up if she needed it.
Azura went for the royal saiyan battle stance, a starting point favored by Vegeta, their most consistent instructor over the years. "All right, Moustache Monkey, let's dance," she grinned viciously, her warrior's blood fully aroused.
"Much as I would love to repay you for the warm greetings, I've got places to be," Zash sneered, his eyes flaring crimson. "You two kids can play while I go deal with those brats from Fiore." Then he took off running while Azura simply watched him go, much to Gorun's confusion.
"Hey, are you gonna chase him or wh-oof!" He let out a huge gasp as Azura socked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him before she punted him up into the upper reaches of the troposphere.
"The hell?!" he growled, angry now. He watched as Azura flew up at a breakneck pace to meet him, her face twisted in hatred, and her eyes glowing red- the same color that Zash's eyes had turned before he fled the scene.
Mind control? He wondered. Then he shook his head before dodging out of Azura's reach, two golden circles appearing above his head while he moved. "Sorry, Genora," he muttered. "But we don't have time for me to do this nicely. Two-layer magic circle: Saiyan Soul!" He felt the familiar, electric rush through his body that accompanied the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, enhancing his reflexes and power to levels beyond that of which many mortals would even dare to dream.
Fortunately for him, Azura didn't seem interested in matching his power level, because she remained in her basic Super Saiyan form. Then again, he wasn't sure of how Zash's mind control worked- it was entirely possible that he was unaware of their ability to transcend even higher, or that he was incapable of making her transform at all. Either way, I need to snap her out of it.
Letting out a yell, he zoomed around her and struck at her neck and head simultaneously, severely disorienting her, even in her entranced state. His final blow struck her in the back and sent her crashing into a forest on the eastern part of the island. He knew that she was unconscious when her hair turned back to its usual shade of blue, and her power level dropped precipitously before she vanished into the trees.
Scowling, he shot back down toward the city as fast as he could in his ascended state. I'll find her once I've caught up to Zash, he thought. She'd kill me if I let him get away just because I was worried about her- mission always comes first. He just hoped that his negligence wouldn't get her captured by another enemy, or worse, killed.
He zoomed through the city streets, trying desperately to locate the traces of Time Breaker energy that he had felt on Zash. He didn't succeed, at least, not directly.
Instead of picking up on the warped ki signature, he detected multiple higher power levels, all of them heading in the same general direction. Based on how Zash had been talking, he assumed that the man was after some fugitives that had infiltrated the province. Find them, I'll find that psycho, he thought, his mind sparking with anger over the fact that Zash had manipulated his partner like a puppet. Then he pays.
In a blur of golden light, he came upon a scene that gave him pause. The manager from the bar was now running naked- save for his boxers- from a group of soldiers across a rooftop, carrying a wicked-looking staff. Gorun was intrigued by the artifact for a split second, because he could sense monstrous amounts of power radiating from it- living energy.
How is that possible? He wondered as he watched the young man freeze the rooftop solid with a touch of his hand, causing all of the soldiers to crash into one another before falling off the slick surface. With that, he kept on running, intent on escaping the city as soon as possible.
I'll wonder about it later, Gorun thought. For now, I need to find Zash.
Flying down to come alongside the ice-wielder, who looked alarmed at his presence, he quickly said, "Not here to hurt you. Just looking for that Zash guy."
"Erza, here!" the other young man shouted as he hurled the staff to another rooftop- and into the hands of the serving girl that Gorun had noticed earlier in the day. Sliding to a stop, even as the Time Patroller slowed himself to hover in front of him, the ice mage asked, "Who're you? And why do you keep following us?"
So the barmaid was working with these guys, huh? The saiyan silently mused. Out loud, he answered, "I'm working a case, and I need to take Zash in for questioning." His voice was a little rougher than he meant it to be, one side effect of being an ascended Super Saiyan.
"You're welcome to it," the other young man shrugged indifferently. "Me and my friends, we wanna get as far away from him as we can."
"Then let's do a quid pro-quo," Gorun said impatiently. "Help me lure him out, and I'll make sure that he's too busy fighting me to notice you guys getting away. Sound like a plan?"
The wizard looked him up and down, taking in the powerful build, the electricity crackling along his body, and the raw power radiating from his frame. Finally, he said, "You look like the guy for the job. All right, if you really wanna help, follow the staff. That 'Dragon Cry' is what Zash is really after, so if you stay on it, you should run into him while he chases us. A little help to my guild mates wouldn't be unappreciated, either."
"Understood," Gorun said curtly as he locked onto the staff's massive power signature again. "Let's hope he's the kind that loves the thrill of a chase."
"I appreciate it," the other boy said with a smirk. "By the way, name's Gray."
"Son Gorun," the saiyan replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I plan on introducing Zash to the ground." In another burst of golden light, he shot off after the carrier of the Dragon Cry.
He caught up to it just in time for the object to change hands from Erza to the blond dancer, who yelped as he landed in front of her in a narrow alley that opened into the town square with a stern scowl on his face. Seeing her fright, he grumbled, "Relax, your friend Gray sent me your way."
"W-Wait, how do you and-?"
"Discuss the details with him later," the blond man snapped. "Right now, all you need to know is that I'm here to apprehend Zash. I'm betting on him coming after that ugly staff you've got in order to catch him." After a moment's pause, he added, "I won't allow him to harm you, if I have my way, alright?"
"S-Sure, mister," she stammered. "Whatever you say!"
"Do you and your friends have a rendezvous point?" Gorun asked.
"Yeah, that way!" the girl answered as she pointed toward the east. "We're supposed to make our escape under the cover of dark."
"Then come on," he said as he waved her onward while moving out of the alley. "I'll make sure you don't have to worry about Zash." She quickly followed, but they both slid to a stop when confronted by a now-familiar face.
"Big words, boy, but there's nothing you can do to back 'em up," Zash snarled as he stalked toward them, his fists clenched.
Gorun could feel the tainted energy within the man swelling, bolstering his already-considerable powers, so he waved the girl back. "Go find your friends," he ordered as lightning crackled along his body. "He's mine."
"Surprise!" Before Gorun could make a move, a living fireball with pink hair and a white scarf slammed into Zash, sending him reeling. The flames died away to reveal a tanned young man with a huge grin on his innocent-looking face. "Hah! Sorry to keep you waiting, Lucy!" he added as he flashed a thumbs-up to the blond girl.
"Natsu!" she cried in relief as she moved toward the boy. "I thought I was a goner for a second there!"
"Not while I'm around," Natsu smiled toothily. Glancing at Gorun, he asked, "Who's this guy? He with Stella?"
"I'm not with any affiliation that you'd be familiar with," the saiyan answered, blue light shining from his right hand. "Also, duck."
"Du-?"
Lucy tackled her friend to the ground just as Gorun launched himself forward, a Tyrant Lance blasting out of his fist to strike Zash in the chest, which he batted away with seemingly little effort. Gorun scowled as the blast struck a nearby house, causing the other people still in the town square to cry out in fright, but the matter passed through his mind with little impact. As far as he was concerned, whatever fight that these wizards had with Zash would have likely caused some collateral damage, even without his presence. However, it still displeased him that innocent people were being put in harm's way.
Zooming over to where Zash stood, he exchanged a flurry of blows with the man, surprised at how well he was keeping up with Super Saiyan 2. He's strong in his own right, even without the backing of a Time Breaker, he thought grimly. Still, I'm stronger.
Lashing out with a hammer fist that collided with one of Zash's wrists, spraining the joint, he ducked and spun his body so that he could kick upwards, his heel connecting solidly with the bigger man's jaw. Narrowing his eyes and allowing his ki to surge into his right hand again, he snarled, "Big Bang Attack!" A sphere the size of a bowling ball collided with Zash's prone form, obscuring him in a ball of heat and light before it faded away into vapor, leaving a smoking crater.
"Man, this guy's wicked strong!" Gorun got to his feet as he heard the fire wizard- Natsu, he thought- laughing heartily as he approached with Lucy in tow. "Where'd you learn how to fight?"
"A land far from here," Gorun replied shortly as he allowed his power to diminish when he failed to sense any energy coming from Zash's unconscious body. In a more calm tone, he added, "You two should get out of here. I've got business with this man that doesn't concern you or your friends."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Lucy said as she tugged on Natsu's arm. "Come on, let's go."
"Hold on a sec!" Natsu protested as he was led away. "What's your name, man?! Luce, we can't just leave without thankin' him!"
"My name does-" Gorun paused as he felt a new flare of energy from Zash, and he turned back toward the man, who was groaning and cursing as he pushed himself up, his damaged body wreathed in a black-purple aura. "Get out of here!" he barked. "There'll be trouble if you don't!"
"You are all… dead men walking!" Zash roared as he stood up, his eyes blazing red.
Gorun spammed him with a barrage of ki blasts, but the larger man nimbly dodged them, all while laughing maniacally. The Saiyan's eyes widened in alarm as he felt Zash's corrupted power spreading out, infecting the townspeople and causing their eyes to turn the same crimson shade as Zash's.
Just like Azura, he thought angrily. Except with these guys, I can't just smack them out of it- I could wind up killing somebody on accident if I'm not careful. At least it doesn't seem like this guy can share his power level with other people like Fu and other Time Breakers.
"Can you two fly?" he barked at the wizards.
"Sure!" Natsu grinned as he scooped Lucy up in his arms, causing her to squawk in alarm. "Just say when!"
Glancing at the setting sun, Gorun thought, I'll have to put some extra power into this to compensate, but it should still work.
Out loud, he said, "Go, and don't look behind you!"
"Kay!" With that, Natsu was soaring away in an arc of fire, Lucy yelling in fright the whole time.
"I don't thin-"
"Taiyoken!" Gorun bellowed as he leaped in front of Zash so that the sunset was behind him. The solar flare wasn't as effective as it would have been an hour ago, but it got the job done.
Zash cursed violently as he was blinded and disoriented by the attack, the townspeople around them suddenly coming back to their senses as the red left their eyes. So if his concentration wavers enough, the spell breaks, Gorun thought. Good to know. Even as he thought this, he shot forward and slammed his knee into Zash's abdomen, denting the armor that he wore and knocking the wind out of him hard enough that he finally passed out, dropping to the dusty path like a sack of potatoes.
"All right," Gorun grunted as he moved to retrieve his quarry, even as the townspeople ran from the scene, having had their fill of danger. "Time for some answers."
"How 'bout no?" a familiar voice asked, causing Gorun to stop in his tracks. Whirling around, he saw Fu standing in the street, wearing an impish grin, and being flanked by a hulking, cloaked figure whose power level even Gorun was having a hard time estimating. "Hi!"
"You never stop, do you?" Gorun grumbled as he readied himself for a fight that he doubted he could win. Gesturing toward the cloaked figure, he added, "Who's your friend?"
"He's not from around here, if that's what you're wondering," Fu answered flippantly. "B-T-Dubs, I'ma need you to leave Zash where he is. He's crucial to my plan for changing things up in this timeline!"
"If that's true, it's even less reason for me to leave him to you," Gorun shot back. "He comes with me."
"Okay, if you're gonna make things difficult, don't start whining when I play hardball," Fu pouted. Looking up at his massive companion, he said, "Hey, Cumber. Blow up the town if he doesn't leave Mister Zash where he is." The lumbering figure said nothing, but his power level rose sharply, and he uttered an unintelligible grunt of acknowledgement.
One word ran through Gorun's mind at that moment: Crap.
He couldn't see the cloaked being's face, but he could feel massive amounts of dark ki radiating from his powerful-looking body. If this really was Cumber, the evil Saiyan from ancient Planet Sadala, he was dealing with an opponent that took Goku's Mastered Ultra Instinct to conquer. Unless this Cumber is from before the events of the Planet Prison, he thought quickly. Even if that was the case, Gorun knew it would be impossible for him to beat the two of them on his own. Even with Azura backing him, victory would not be guaranteed.
"Run along, now," Fu said with a backward wave of his hand. "Go on and come up with a plan to beat me, kay? I enjoy watching you guys try to foil me- it's so funny!" When Gorun did not immediately move along, he added, "Oh, and I almost forgot- your bosses won't be able to contact you while you're here, courtesy of yours' truly. You're on your own, Super Saiyan god!"
Gorun seethed, but he knew that he could not risk Fu blasting a city full of innocent people into atoms just to get some information out of Zash. Not to mention that Azura was out cold somewhere in the woods, and he needed to find her, or else he really would be on his own.
"This isn't over," he told Fu before he took to the skies.
However, he did hear the teenage demon shout back, "Of course it's not! If it was, I wouldn't be having fun anymore!"
As he flew away with gritted teeth, Gorun thought, I need to find Azura, and I need more help. Haven't heard from Grandma, so I'll have to assume that what he said about jamming our telepathy is true. Which means that any extra help we get is gonna have to be local…
He groaned inwardly as he thought, This is a terrible start to a mission, especially one that supposed to be covert…
Gorun: Well that was different.
Mataras: Yeah, that's kinda the point.
Azura: I like this version of him better.
Mataras: Why, because he's more of a hard case?
Gorun: If that's true, it's only because you made me spend more time with her.
Azura: Hey!
Mataras: I personally had fun experimenting with your interactions, as I had to try and keep in mind what parts of your attitudes would be affected by your altered histories, and which ones are simply a part of your core identities.
Gorun: Playing with people's sense of self is not cool, man!
Azura: We're not real- does it even count?
Gorun: Yes!
Mataras: No.
Gorun: Rrrgh...! When do we get back to the original timeline?
Mataras: Two months from now.
Gorun: Gah!
Azura: Hell yeah! Next time- Stars that Darken
Rachel: Don't miss it!
Mataras: Hey! What are you doing here?!
Rachel: Like I'm gonna let you cut out all my screen time!
Next time on Saiyan Tail...
A burly figure, whose cloak had been discarded by his rapid movements, glared at her with raging crimson eyes from beneath a long mane of unkempt hair as his beefy fist smashed into her smaller hand, causing her to hiss in pain. As Gorun rushed the towering figure, he noticed a brown tail lashing back and forth behind him, which narrowed down his heritage quite a bit. There was no mistaking it now- this was Cumber, an ancient, evil Saiyan that had fought against Yamoshi upon his ascendency to godhood.
This also meant that if he and his cousin held back even a little, they might well get killed. This in mind, he shoulder-checked Cumber and shouted, "Azura, get to it!" Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was aware that the wizards were now fighting three warriors in addition to Zash, but he couldn't worry about that right now. If any of them were to have a shot at surviving the night, Cumber needed to be brought down, or at least driven off.
The evil saiyan snarled and snatched him up by the throat, immediately crushing his windpipe as to choke the life out of him, and subsequently ignoring his cousin. Gorun was shocked by the viciousness of the movement, and so he did not have even a second to take a proper breath before Cumber began to squeeze the life out of him.
Nonetheless, he knew that Azura needed a couple more seconds, so he managed to croak out, "Hey… Cumber? Ever think about… getting a haircut?"