Chapter 23 Dragon Universe
"You're tougher than you look," The Namekian then stated. "I haven't fought a version of you that survived for this long, let alone that attack."
"I don't know what you mean about another me, but you're no slouch either." Goku responded. "Even after I went Super Saiyan, you're still able to stand, and to top it all off, you're hiding something." The Namekian's smile quickly vanished.
"Caught me red-handed, didn't you." The Namekian then said, "But what makes you think I'm gonna waste it on you?"
"Oh really?' Goku asked. "Well then, if you're really gonna think like that, then maybe it's about time I got serious!" Without a word, Goku then let out another yell, as power erupted from his body. Goku then flies fists first, straight towards the Namekian. Then, just the moment before Goku strikes, he unleashes even more energy. His golden hair became more spiked, and his golden aura now crackled with small electric bolts. The Namekian didn't even notice or realize there was a change, until Goku rammed his fists into the Namekian's chest, plowing him through the scorched dirt! Goku let out a mighty yell, as he continued to force the Namekian further down the earth. The Namekian then grabbed Goku's head, using his strength to lift Goku up, before kneeing him in the gut, forcing out spit from Goku. Then, the Namekian grabbed Goku by the back of his shirt, throwing him far into the air. The Namekian quickly flew towards the airborne Saiyan, before landing a strong uppercut at Goku's stomach. This time, causing Goku to spit out blood.
Vegeta was sent careening backwards from a large cloud of smoke, only being able to stop himself by using his hands and feet to grind to a halt. Once he stopped, he quickly realized that he was back where the group stood.
"Vegeta!" Natsu yelled, before running towards the Saiyan prince. Vegeta attempted to get back up, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Once he examined his arm, Vegeta noticed that the shoulder had in fact dislocated, which he immediately fixed by popping the shoulder back in. "You alright?" Natsu then asked.
"Dammit, what's happening?" Vegeta said. "Moments ago, he could barely land a punch. And now, this bastard's able to trade blow for blow." Vegeta stood back up, and entered a battle stance. Then out from the smoke, the Saiyan slowly walked forward with a smug look on his face.
"Looks like you might need some help." Natsu then said, entering a battle stance of his own.
"What? No, you stay back." Vegeta then ordered.
"Huh?" Natsu exclaimed. But before he could ask why, Vegeta immediately unleashed a blast at the Saiyan, at a velocity that surprised him. The following explosion pushed him back slightly, but before he could find his bearings, the Saiyan's face was met with Vegeta's fist. Now Vegeta's aura crackled with electricity, as he then began to pummel the Saiyan with a barrage of punches and kicks like rounds from a machine gun. The barrage ended when the Saiyan managed to grab both of Vegeta's hands before proceeding to use his legs to kick at Vegeta's chest. Still grabbing onto the prince's hands, the Saiyan fired a barrage of his own as he kicked Vegeta's chest and face with zero mercy. But then, the Saiyan felt a blast of fire hit his back.
"What the..!?" The Saiyan barked, when he turned his head, he saw Natsu with his hands before his mouth. "Why you…" The Saiyan didn't finish as Vegeta then used the opening to toss him away. Natsu then dashed to Vegeta's side, with a proud smile on his face. When the Saiyan got back to his feet, he wipes away a bit of dust off his armor. He then glared at Natsu, gritting his teeth as he tightly clenched his fists.
"Heh, I was wondering when the others were gonna get involved." The Saiyan then said, right away, the look on his face shifted from anger to what seemed like excitement. "You know, I had hoped to get the hard part over with so I can have some fun with the rest." The Saiyan stated. "But I've changed my mind now. Instead, I'll just crush the weaklings along with you Vegeta." The Saiyan growled. Then, with zero hesitation, the Saiyan leaped forward towards Natsu, reaching out to grab the Mage's face! Vegeta quickly intercepted the attack before a swing of his fist knocked the Saiyan's head sideways. With the Saiyan wide open, Natsu then rushes towards the Saiyan, with his hands crossed together and set ablaze with long streams of fire. He then unlocked his arms, and like a dragon's wings, the flames expanded in a wave, sending the Saiyan flying!
"Gray! That's your cue!" Natsu then yelled. Instantly, the raven-haired man jumped behind the Saiyan, placing his fist over his palm, summoning a storm of white-blue ice lances! Dazed and unable to block or dodge, the ice lances hit their mark, pushing him towards the ground. Now given an opening, Vegeta shifted his attention towards the rest of the guild.
"Sting! Rogue! Go and find Kakarot!" Vegeta ordered. "Once you finish, try and head back to the ship!" Sting was surprised by the sudden order.
"Huh? Kakarot?" Sting then asked. He then thought back to when they were going to train, then the realization came fast. "You mean Goku?"
"Yes, go find that Kakarot and get that clown out of trouble any way you can!" Vegeta yelled, all the while blocking a hard swing from the Saiyan. "Try to sense his Ki!" Vegeta then stated, "Focus your mind and lock on to his energy signature! You can't miss it!"
"Right." Rogue responded. He then quickly turned to face the rest of the group. "Everyone, head towards those mountains!" Rogue then pointed towards a small, nearby mountain range. "We'll use the altitude as a vantage point! From there, we'll locate Goku and possibly the ship." The rest of the group simply nodded in response before making their way towards the mountains. Rogue then looked to see Sting, locked in a state of shock. "Sting! That means you too!" Sting then shook himself from his trance, before shifting his focus to his fellow Dragon Slayer.
"R-right." Sting uttered. The two then ran for the group, but not before Sting looked back to see the fight that was now right behind him. But for a split second, his eyes told him that they had caught a glimpse of something. Time seemingly began to slow down for the young Dragon Slayer, nearly slowing down to a slow halt. And it gave him more than enough time to see the Saiyan's eyes locked onto his own, with a blood-shilling smirk that nearly froze Sting in his tracks.
"Leaving so soon?" The Saiyan then said. "How rude, I haven't even shown you the best part!" He then dug his hand into the dirt, and before Sting could do anything, the Saiyan literally throws up a massive wave of dirt, a wave that can bury the whole guild alive!
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