Sorry about the late update, but my internet crashed for like 5 hours when I tried to upload this chapter. Before we get to the chapter, I'm going to address some of the questions that I received in reviews. I have already sent PM's to the people that left the reviews but I decided to post my answers so others could see them.
Q: How much stronger is Chi-Chi than Goku?
A: At this point, not by too high a margin. Chi-Chi is around 11,000 at the moment while Goku is at 10,000 after receiving the zenkai from being so injured against the saiyans. But as I mentioned in the chapter Chi-Chi can also use the Kaio-ken, increasing her strength even more.
Q: Has Tien become weaker? The power level said in chapter 15 was 10000. I was reading the chapter thinking how he was bullying Zarbon and Dodoria with the Kaioken times four but now it says he is at 6000 in the end. Unless that is his power level when tired for using it so many times...
A: Tien has not gotten weaker, he is just using the Multi-Form technique and therefore his power is spilt into how many Tiens there are, two at the moment. Because he has increased his mastery over the Kaio-ken technique though, he has been able to still hold his own against these stronger opponents.
Chapter 23
"Vegeta," snarled Tien as the arrogant saiyan landed on the ground several yards to the right of the three eyed warrior with his arms crossed across his chest and a confident smirk plastered on his face. Tien trembled in anger as all of his feelings of hatred for the saiyan prince and guilt over his friend's death boiled to the surface just at the sight of the smug warrior.
"You two know each other?" asked Dodoria with a bewildered expression on his face as he stupidly looked back and forth between Vegeta and Tien. Even the giant oaf could tell that there was bad blood between the two powerful warriors as their eyes locked, neither man willing to yield to the others gaze.
"Well this is an unexpected surprise," remarked Vegeta without taking his eyes off of Tien. "I saw that Dodoria was battling a high power level and I assumed that he was struggling with one of the Nameks. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find you here Earthling."
"Wait Earthling," exclaimed Dodoria. "I get it now! You picked these guys up while you were on Earth and now you're used them to draw me away from Frieza."
The flame haired saiyan snorted before glancing over at the fat alien. "Ha, like I would ever demean myself by teaming up with such worthless trash as this human. It is thanks to your fight though that I was able to find you Dodoria and it seems that Frieza's not around to save you either. This day just keeps getting better and better."
"I don't need Frieza to beat you Vegeta!" yelled Dodoria as he shook his fist at the saiyan. "You're nothing compared to me! You hear me you dirty monkey, nothing!"
Vegeta finally tore his gaze away from Tien and turned it towards the fat, vulgar alien. "Come now Dodoria, you can drop the tough guy act. You know that I'm vastly more powerful now thanks to this Earthling and I can see that you're very afraid. No, I'm not concerned about you anymore Dodoria. I could eliminate you anytime I wanted too. The person I'm really interested in is," the saiyan brought his gaze back to Tien and the three eyed warrior felt like his onyx eyes were boring holes into his very soul, "you. You who humiliated me and thought I would not eventually seek my revenge against you for it, and while I was planning on dealing with you after I had become immortal, now is as good a time as any I suppose to eradicate vermin like yourself."
Tien's entire body shook with anger as the saiyan gave him another cocky smirk. The three eyed fighter loathed the man that stood before him. At first, when he first heard of the saiyans that were coming to Earth, Tien could have cared less about them. They were just two evil beings that deserved to be destroyed because they were a threat to his friends and his planet and it was up to him to stop them. Even when he fought against Vegeta back on Earth he didn't really despise the saiyan so much as he just felt the need to avenge his friends and protect the Earth from the evil warrior.
After escaping from his grasp though, the thought of Vegeta alive made the human warrior sick to his stomach. The fact that the saiyan had been able to escape unpunished for the death of his friends, just showed how much Tien had truly failed his friends. He had not even been able to bring justice to the man responsible for the murder of his best friend and that thought just ate away at the back of his mind. Every day the feeling of animosity towards the saiyan prince grew until Tien hated him with every fiber of his being.
Now the personification of his failure stood before him, mocking him. Claiming that he was the one that had been humiliated because Tien had put a dent on his gigantic ego. What did the saiyan know of humiliation? He was not the one that had to spend a week lying in the same hospital room as one of your best friends lay next to you, battered and broken, because you had been unable to protect him even though you had the power to do so. He was not the one that had to spend a month with a woman whose lover had died because you weren't there to save him. He was not the one who had to wake up every day and remember that you might never see the man you considered a brother again because you weren't there to protect him even though you had sworn that you would.
The human warrior looked up into Vegeta's smug face, his eyes clouded with hatred and animosity, before dropping down into his fighting stance and saying, "I won't let you get away this time, Vegeta. You're going to pay for your crimes right here and right now, I will see justice done for my friends."
The flame haired saiyan laughed as he uncrossed his arms and sunk down into his own fighting stance. "You can attempt to exact your 'justice' upon me, but the only thing your victory over me last time did was make me even more powerful. We saiyans are the greatest warrior race the universe has ever seen and I am the greatest saiyan to ever live, able of achieving power you've only ever dreamed of. You may have defeated me last time, but now you don't stand a chance Earthling."
Tien smirked slightly. "I recall you saying the same thing last time, right before I pummeled you right off your high and mighty pedestal."
"You dare mock me you pathetic human trash!"
"I'm sick of the two of you," screamed Dodoria, who had been forgotten by the other two warriors. "I will not be ignored, now you both will see why I am Frieza's right hand man!" With a howl of anger, the vulgar warrior leapt in the air in the direction of the two rivals. Tien summoned the power of the Kaio-ken with a single thought and the crimson aura exploded around him violently before he too leapt in the air. Vegeta smirked before also leaping into the air and all three fighters converged together in the air, exchanged quick glances with each other before a frenzied melee between them erupted.
The three warriors were a mere whirlwind of limbs as each threw multiple punches and kicks at the other two fighters. Each fighter took multiple hits, but they all recovered quickly from the blows they received and proceed to deal out their own punishment on their opponents. The exchange of blows lasted for nearly thirty seconds as each warrior pushed themselves to their limits and refused to be knocked out of the brawl and the tornado that was the three fighters flew above the barren terrain at speeds faster than the eye could see. Nearby rock pillars crumbled from the sheer power alone that was radiating from the frenzied melee.
Tien was beginning to tire from using the Kaio-kenx4 for so long. He had already used it extensively today and now his body was being pushed to its absolute limit. Realizing that he needed some time for his body to recover, Tien ducked underneath the gloved hand that had just shot out towards him and the large, pink leg that swiped overhead. The triclops then thrust both of his arms out and released powerful kiai waves from the palms of both hands. The clear white energy caused Vegeta and Dodoria to be pushed away from him. The saiyan was able to regain control of his momentum though and performed a flip and landed on the ground unharmed. The round alien was not so lucky and he crashed into a nearby lake, with green water exploding upward as he collided with the surface.
The saiyan snickered as Dodoria resurfaced, sputtering for air as he climbed back onto dry land. "Having a little trouble keeping up are we? Maybe if you weren't such a fat piece of lard you would actually stand a chance of beating me, but seeing as how you can't even compete with this worthless Earthling I'm not even sure if killing you is even worth my time Dodoria."
"Why you dirty ape!" screamed the pink alien as he rushed towards Vegeta. The two began exchanging blows once again but Tien could tell that the saiyan clearly had the upper-hand. Tien was panting heavily now, nearly completely drained of energy after pushing his body to the limit to keep his power level on par with Vegeta's. The saiyan had defiantly improved, even using the Kaio-kenx4 he had been able to take every hit Tien and Dodoria had dealt to him without looking worse for wear because of the beating. Tien knew that in his current state, he would not be able to keep up with the saiyan much longer. There was only one way he stood a chance of beating Vegeta now, and it was risky, but Tien knew he had to do it if he was to avenge his friends or even survive this fight. Right as he prepare to act though, Tien heard a chilling voice come from behind him.
"Don't think that your exempted from the fight human," said Vegeta who had just phased behind the human warrior, catching him off guard. The saiyan took advantage of the vulnerable position Tien had left himself in and quickly jabbed at his exposed back. Tien let out a cry of pain as the saiyan prince dug his fist further into the triclops' spine. The three eyed warrior tried to spin around to confront his attacker but he was caught by a devastating right hook which sent him flying across the battlefield.
Tien's body skidded to a stop once he finally fell to the ground. Forcing himself to stand, even though every muscle in his body screamed in protest, the fighter slowly rose to his feet. Lifting his head, Tien watched as the arrogant saiyan slowly walked towards him with that sickening smirk on his face.
"As I thought," Vegeta said. "You're nothing compared to me now, even that Kaio-whatever trick is useless against my newfound power. So human, how does it feel to be completely outclassed in every way?"
"You haven't won yet," seethed Tien. "I will never let you win."
"Bold words coming from someone who's panting like a dog," sneered Vegeta as his hand rose up with his palm facing towards the human warrior. "And now I think I'll put you down like the dog you are!"
Gnashing his teeth together, Tien prepared to summon all of his remaining energy for a counterattack but suddenly he sensed a large energy suddenly explode to his left. His eyes darted to the left and saw the uncouth Dodoria with both hands overhead and a bright red aura surrounding him.
"You are not stronger than me Vegeta! You'll never be stronger than me!" he screamed before firing a huge red energy wave at the saiyan prince. Feeling the power behind the energy wave, Tien quickly leapt into the air to avoid the blast radius but Vegeta however just turned his head to look at the oncoming energy attack. Tien saw the saiyan warrior smirk before the wave overtook him and the ground that the two had been standing on ignited in a furious explosion.
The three eyed warrior stared at the cloud of smoke that rose from the giant crater that had just been created from Dodoria's attack in shock. He could no longer sense Vegeta's energy and he could hear the boorish alien's laughter as he flew up to where Tien hovered above the ground. Was this really how the saiyan was to meet his end, not from Tien's hands but from a sneak attack from an inferior opponent? Was he to be robbed of his retribution against the fiend who had killed his friends by this pink coward?
"Heh heh," chuckled Dodoria as looked down at his handy work. "I guess that takes care of that arrogant son of a bitch."
"Not quite." Tien could see the pink alien's eyes widen in horror upon hearing the cold, rough voice of the saiyan prince behind him. "You really thought a pathetic attack like that could defeat me Dodoria?"
Tien's eyes also widened in surprise as the saiyan and Dodoria once again began to engage in combat. He hadn't been able to sense Vegeta's energy at all, yet he had been completely unharmed by the energy wave. That meant that the flame haired saiyan had somehow learned to suppress his energy and if he could surprise his energy he must also be able to sense energy. His mind raced back to when the saiyan had arrived, when he had been fighting Dodoria, alone and looking back on it Tien could not remember Vegeta wearing a scouter when he first arrived on the battlefield.
"Why did I not see it before?" Tien muttered to himself. The saiyan had found him and Dodoria because he could sense their power levels as they fought against each other and if he could sense energy that meant he could also sense Gohan and the Namek's energy.
The triclops growled as he realized that he could not afford to stay and continue to fight against Vegeta and Dodoria. His energy was depleted as it was and now he knew that he had to get back to Gohan, Bulma and the Nameks. The saiyan could have already sensed them going to the cave and know where there hideout was located. He could not risk their lives for the slim chance of being able to bring justice to the saiyan prince; he could always get his retribution later.
A strategy quickly formulated in his head and Tien summoned all of his remaining energy, knowing that this was the only way to escape the battle. "Kaio-Kenx5!" he screamed and a deep red energy surrounded him as he charged towards the other two warriors who were engaged in combat with each other, realizing only too late that Tien had rejoined the brawl.
Vegeta looked up just in time to see the crimson hued warrior phase in front of him before Tien shoved his elbow into the saiyan's gut. The saiyan's eyes widen in pain as he doubled over and was immobilized by the blow. Tien then turned and caught the incoming punch that Dodoria had thrown at him. Pulling the alien in closer by his arm, the three eyed human stepped to the side and then drove his knee up into the joint in the alien's arm, snapping the bone like a twig.
The fat warrior howled in agony as he took a step back from the human warrior. Tien quickly spun around and then kicked the pink being away from him and sent him flying across the green sky. He then turned on Vegeta, who was still doubled over in pain and then delivered a two-handed overhead blow that sent the saiyan spiraling to the ground.
As the flame haired warrior fell to the ground, Tien couldn't help but try one last attempt to destroy the saiyan. The three eyed fighter quickly formed a triangle with his hand and after hastily aiming through his hands, Tien shouted, "Tri-Beam HA!" A golden light filled the sky and after it dissipated Tien panted heavily, the crimson aura having faded away, as he looked down at the square hole in the ground that his attack had created.
The fighter growled as he blasted off and away from the battlefield. He could sense that the saiyan was still alive and relatively unharmed since Tien had not been able to maintain the Kaio-ken long enough to pour its pour into the Tri-Beam as well. Even though the attack would give him enough time to retreat from the battle, Tien could not help but feel like if he had been a little bit stronger than he would have been able to finish off the saiyan once and for all.
Tien gnashed his teeth together as he flew towards the cave where he had left Bulma and where he hoped Gohan and the Nameks had been able to escape to. He had failed yet again to bring his fallen friends the justice they deserved by destroying the man responsible for their deaths. Even though Tien knew he was doing the right thing by retreating, he still felt like a coward for fleeing the battlefield. His friends had held their ground, even in the face of certain death against the saiyans but here he was running away like a weakling.
He shook his head angrily. No, he couldn't berate himself over choosing to protect the people he had sworn to protect. Tien knew that he had already failed his fallen friends, but he could still keep his word to keep Gohan and Bulma save even if it meant looking like a coward. He had made the right choice; he couldn't let his hatred for Vegeta, and his need for retribution, cloud his judgment.
While Tien was absorbed in his own thoughts and self-reflection, he had failed to notice the rapidly approaching energy that was quickly gaining on him. His senses alerted him of the danger to late and the three eyed man was kicked in the back and sent crashing to the ground. Tien's face was dug into the dirt as his body collided with the ground and he created a trench in the earth as he skidded to a halt.
Forcing his aching body up, Tien looked over his shoulder to see who his attacker was. He was surprised when his eyes discovered the teal alien Zarbon instead of Vegeta or Dodoria. How did he find me again? Tien asked himself as he forced himself to his feet as Zarbon landed in front of him.
"That was for blinding me and tossing me in the dirt like a piece of trash you hideous freak," hissed the teal alien as he stared down the exhausted Tien. "Unfortunately for you, your battle with my cohort Dodoria led me right to you and I was able to follow you from the battlefield until I caught up with you."
Tien cursed under his breath. He should have been more careful when fighting Dodoria and Vegeta. The explosions, mostly likely the Tri-Beam, had led the alien that he thought he had given the slip right to him. Now he wasn't in any condition to defend himself, while Zarbon was at full strength and extremely pissed at Tien for humiliating him during his escape from him.
The green haired alien raised his hand and an orange energy formed in the palm of his hand as he aimed at Tien. "Now, tell me what you did with the Dragon Ball or I'm afraid I'll be forced to kill you."
The human warrior chuckled, and even the light laughter caused his lungs to feel like they were on fire. "Like you would let me live even if I did tell you where the Dragon Ball was."
Zarbon smirked. "Your right and I doubt you would tell me anyway. So say your prayers, because this is the end of the road for you my friend."
Tien smiled and shook his head. "No, I don't think so."
Laughing, the teal alien asked, "And why do you think I won't kill you right here and now."
"Because of him," said the three eyed warrior lifting his hand and pointing behind Frieza's right hand man.
"What are you…?"
"Kaio-kenx5!" Zarbon turned his head just in time to see a crimson hued arm swing down and deliver a chop directly to his neck. Stunned, the teal alien fell to the ground motionless and as he looked up, his eyes fluttering to stay open, he saw another three eyed human, identical to the one that he had just been about to kill, that was surrounded by a blazing crimson aura. Before the darkness overwhelmed him, Zarbon could hear a voice behind him saying,
"About time you got here."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Tien sighed as he walked through the entrance to the cave. It was good to finally be able to take a breath now that he was no longer in danger of dying. Of course, he wouldn't have really have died, but he would never have recovered the half of his power that one of his clones had possessed while he was spilt and all of the memories it had collected while it had existed apart from himself. That would have been annoying, but now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. Vegeta could be upon them at any moment and they needed to move now.
The bald warrior made his way to the door of the Capsule home that Bulma had set up while she and one his clones had waited for the others return. He opened the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of freshly made food and the whistle of tea pot. He saw that the three Nameks were all seated with Gohan at the table, where the six star Dragon Ball sat atop the table as well. Bulma was up taking the tea pot off of the stove and bringing it to the table when she caught sight of Tien.
The scientist quickly placed the pot on the table before bringing her hands to her hips. "So mister, what do you have to say for yourself? Why did you just fly off like that as soon as Gohan and the Nameks got here?"
Tien raised his eyebrow and then looked down at Gohan. "Did the kid not tell you what was going on?" The clone that had been with Bulma had been monitoring his counterpart and the kid's progress while they were away and he was alarmed when he had sensed that they both were being chased by beings with high power levels. Not wanting to worry Bulma, or have her shouting and screaming about it, the clone had decided not to inform her of the situation. He had kept track of the situation as he felt his double engage with Dodoria and then later Vegeta and he could sense that his counterpart might need help. He didn't want to leave Bulma alone, defenseless, though so he waited until Gohan and the three other energies, which turned out to be Nameks, arrived at the cave to blast off to save his counterpart without giving the blue haired genius an explanation to why he left.
"No, he just sat there like he was in a trance!"
"Sorry," the boy apologized. "I guess I got caught up in trying to figure out what was going on with Mr. Tien. I felt bad just leaving him there with that big guy; I should have stayed and fought with you."
The older warrior just shrugged. "No, you did right thing kid. It was important that we get the Nameks and the Dragon Ball to safety. Besides I'm fine."
"Anyway," interjected Bulma. "I talked to the Nameks while you were gone and they said you two saved them from some guy named Frieza and his band of thugs."
"That is correct," answered Moori before Tien could even open his mouth. The old Namek then turned to the three eyed human before saying. "Thank you again for saving me and my sons and taking back the Dragon Ball I gave to those evil men. You are a true hero."
Tien simply nodded his head before saying. "We need to leave now. Vegeta can sense energy, so he could already be on his way here." He then turned to the Elder Namek, before continuing. "Do you know of any place we're we could take go where your children and Bulma here would be safe from harm?"
Moori pondered the question for a few moments before finally answering, "The safest place would be where the Eldest Namek lives. It is not far from here and Nail would be able to protect them from almost any threat."
Nodding, Tien quickly looked at Bulma and said, "Pack up your things as quickly as possible and meet me outside. Gohan help her." The two nodded before they began preparing the house for capsulation. Tien then looked down at where the two Namekian children where now standing next to their father and he bent down to his knee see that he was almost eye level with them.
"I'm sorry little ones, I'm afraid I never caught either of your names," he said kindly.
It was the taller of the two Piccolo look-alikes that spoke up. "My name is Dende," he said before pointing to the shorter boy next to him, "and this is my brother Cargo."
"Nice to meet you Dende, Cargo," he said with a nod to each of them. "My name is Tien Shinhan. Do you mind if I borrow your father for a minute? I need to discuss something with him." The two small children nodded before shuffling away from the older Namek as he followed Tien outside the house and into the cave.
"You have a way with children," Moori observed as he and the bald human walked to the entrance of the cave.
"I've always been fond of them," admitted Tien with a shrug. "I'm afraid I don't know your name either sir."
"I am Elder Moori, member of the Dragon Clan and the leader of my village, or at least I was," said the old Namek.
"I know this must be difficult for you Moori, but I need your help if we are to help prevent what happened to your village from happening to others. How much did Bulma tell you while I was gone?"
"A lot actually," answered Moori. "You are here for our Dragon Balls so you can revive your fallen comrades. A noble wish indeed."
"Yes, but right now I'm more concerned with preventing that monster Frieza or Vegeta from gaining their wish for immortality and saving as many Namekian lives as I can. I know that there are seven Dragon Balls and that you need all seven for your wish to be granted. I also overheard Frieza saying that every Namek village has one of the seven Dragon Balls, was he correct?"
Moori nodded. "Yes, every Village Elder is charged with keeping one of our Dragon Balls."
"That means Frieza has already found five Namek villages, including yours," commented Tien. "That means that there are two villages out there that have no idea what's going on and are at risk of being attacked by Frieza and his men at any second."
"Actually there is only one other village which has not been attacked yet. The Eldest Namek, Guru, possesses the One Star Ball and he lives alone. No, the only village that has not yet been found is Tsuno's village, where the Four Star Dragon Ball is hidden."
"Could you lead me there?" asked Tien. "We need to warn them about Frieza and secure their Dragon Ball so we make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
"I could lead you there," replied Moori, "but I'm not sure about leaving the children and the blue haired one alone. They are relatively weak and while I know Dende can take them to Guru's I am concerned for their safety. It would take them a long time to arrive there."
"Actually having smaller energies will be an advantage for them," said Tien. "Since you destroyed all of Frieza's scouters, he and his men are blind so they won't be able to find them. The only person on the planet that can sense energy and would want to harm those wants the Dragon Balls so he'll be looking for the village also. Plus, when he senses my energy he'll head after us, instead of them. They should be safe as long as they keep a low profile."
Moori nodded, even though he was still not convinced about the human's plan. "Alright I will go along with your plan since you saved my own life and my sons' but we should hurry. I do not want the children vulnerable longer than need be."
Nodding his agreement, Tien said, "We'll leave as soon as we tell the others the plan."
I would like to begin by saying thank you to everyone that has ever read or reviewed the story since Earthling Chronicles is now the most reviewed, most favorited, and the most followed Tien story on this site. Thank you all for making this story so popular! I never dreamed that so many people would like my work. Also thanks to everyone that reviewed on the last chapter, since that was easily the most reviews I have ever received in a single day. Thank you so much for your support you guys.
Tien: 6,000
Tien (Kaio-kenx4): 24,000
Tien (Kaio-kenx5): 30,000
Tien (Tri-Beam): 18,000
Vegeta: 24,000
Dodoria: 22,000
Zarbon: 23,000
Again thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. It's because of you, the readers, that I do this and I love seeing you guys' feedback. Also I have another surprise for you guys, it's my fall break! Which means that have all next week to just write, so expect more chapters soon.