Lightening crackled. And calamity struck.
It was almost like slow motion. From the seventeeth floor of the IS Bank, a beam of sharp yellow ki raced at an angle towards Dr. Derhat. When it exited from the barrel of the rifle, the force blew out chunks of concrete, as well as the viewport frame below it to fly crashing to the ground. The sound of shattering glass and cries of terror filled the square as the blast darted to its target.
Only to stop in midair. The volatile charge suddenly trembled violently, grew highly unstable, and then arched into the sky, detonating with a force that rattled the streets below. The golden light sent several waves to the buildings underneath, smashing their rooftops succinctly. Showers of debris joined the now pouring rain, and the crowd began to scatter wildly, screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs while attempting to find cover.
On the stage, Dr. Derhat was guarding his face from the light that shone all around. His eyes searched the crowd and found the trenchcoated figure who had saved his life and stopped the projectile. Before he could offer any thanks, the scientist was quickly tackled by two Galactic soldiers, who performed a fireman-carry to rush him out of the area. The backrow of officials were all shielding their heads, as several more eruptions of super-charged ki began to burst forth from the now gaping hole in the side of the bank. They danced around the stage, having been frantically fired, and only one figure remained. J'erah. The last shot halted before his face as if in utter recoil at his power. He sneered, and then batted it aside.
Suddenly, a slew of soldiers flooded the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, leaping towards the IS Bank with weapons aimed. They looked to 17 like a pack of dogs, with their teeth bared and faces snarling.
They would die like dogs, then.
Still in his sling, he opened fire like there was no tomorrow. The ki shots found their first three targets, particularly brutish looking soldiers on the frontline. They shouted as the beams pierced through them, and exploded on impact. And then, panic set in. The other grunts unleashed a volley of gunfire and ki blasts alike, whipping all around the android. He grabbed a hold of the lever on the sling, released it, and felt his body thump to the desk, which crumpled under his weight to the floor, as the enemies raced overhead. One of them got his neck caught on the cord, and spun sideways into the next office; two more failed to stop, careening like pinballs through the floor.
Not wasting any time, 17 leaped to his feet, connecting a shot with another of his pursuers just as he entered the open hole that was once a wall. The enhanced figure hopped to the side, avoiding several more attackers, and then thrust his body straight up to the 18th floor. He knew that they would be coming right on his heels, and started to pull the trigger rapidly, decimating the floor below him until it collapsed on top of the others. He quickly released himself from his sling, and then ran to the lift chute. Not wanting to delay the escape any longer, he dived through the metallic doors, and let his body freefall to the bottom. He passed right through the upward-moving lift, which scared the hell out of a few workers inside, and fell with a dusty thud to the tunnel system below. After several painful bounces, the android gripped his fingers in the concrete, and pulled himself up. The shooting numbness in his left arm made sure to remind him of what a stupid choice he had made. He shook it off. There wasn't much time to beat himself up. The Galactics would take care of that.
As if on cue, the muffled shoutings of soldiers could be heard coursing through the lift chute. Hopefully, the lift would block their view. Unless they decided to move it... Without warning, the whole entire structure crashed through the floor in the same path as he had, but left a much wider gash. The shadow of many large beings was cast down through the foggy light. They were on their way.
17 hurriedly cleared off the getaway craft, hopping inside. Within a second, he had it started, and was spurting through the tunnel system. Behind him, he could hear the futile attempts of the Galactics to take him out, echoing across the old cavern walls to meet his ears. Their curses of anger joined the sound of his pounding heart. Now, he just had to get to 18. Hopefully, her and Ubuu were alright.
-------
The dark warrior lowered his hand, staring through the empty square to lock eyes with J'erah. He had stopped the blast headed for Dr. Derhat, and J'erah had stopped the one aimed at himself with not so much as a flinch. Silence filled the dead wind, and the rain splashed in small puddles around them. Ubuu's cap had come off somewhere in the chaos, and he could feel his black hair drooping with water over the front of his head. It ran in streams down his face, the cold a sharp contrast to the warmth of anger flooding him.
It appeared he would get his wish early.
"You didn't have to stop it," J'erah spoke with authority, a look of eerie serenity shrouding his eyes. His arms were held behind his back, his massive frame exemplified in the stance. Ubuu couldn't help but shudder. It was downright creepy. "It didn't matter much if he died or not."
Ubuu observed the Elite before him carefully. "I see you still have the scar that Goku gave you." Reflexively, dead muscle tissue twitched beneath the mark. He smirked. It was good to try to gain whatever ground he could before a fight actually took place. It was just as important as the battle itself.
Other than the brief tinge of fury, J'erah did nothing else that showed the comment to have affected him. "I see that you share his foolishness." He began to walk forward, boots clamoring noisily on the stage floor. The sound reverberated to the outlying buildings, and then swooped back in to the center of the square. A new demeanor suddenly took place of his serene one. A smile eased across his lips. "It's taking everything you have not to thrash me, isn't it? How long have you wanted to kill me, the way I killed all of your friends?"
The fighter stood paralyzed with hatred- and shock. Were his feelings that transparent? Or was J'erah not only powerful, but incredibly brilliant as well? It was hard to believe that someone so monstrous could be so intelligent. The cracking of his knuckles began again.
"Do you do that when you get nervous? Or when you hate?" The Galactic paused. "Popping your bones like that, I mean. Goku would clench his fists- before I broke them."
Ubuu couldn't take this anymore. Unexpectedly, he squared his legs, planting them firmly in the ground, and ignited his aura. The wet trenchcoat on his back was torn apart, and the rain drops fizzled and evaporated as they approached him. He couldn't kill him, but he would make this bastard hurt.
J'erah ran a hand through his short, matted gray hair. His yellow eyes narrowed on the warrior, and his smile never faded. "You just don't get it, do you? Everything you hope for, everything you're trying to accomplish will fail. And you will serve us, just as the rest of the humans do." He brought his arms to his side, and shook his head. "There is nothing special about you."
The concrete was breaking up around Ubuu now. The fury had overtaken the fear. He could feel the limits of his own power being surpassed within himself. It had been awhile since he had really needed to unearth everything he had- but now, the situation called for drastic measures. Lifting his head to the sky, he shouted, and pulled up the wellspring of strength that he knew he had always held. J'erah seemed taken back a bit, but his smug exterior remained. The Wayward leader hoped that he was bluffing.
"You can't kill the spirit of the oppressed," Ubuu spat. "We will bring your empire burning to the ground. And it starts with you."
J'erah looked cold. "Take your best shot."
He didn't even hesitate. As soon as the words had left the Galactic's mouth, Ubuu brought his hands forward. He closed his right palm over his left, using his thumbs to make a small triangle.
"Demon's Eye!!!"
The powerful surgence of white-hot ki slammed into J'erah instantly, massacring the decorative stage where he was positioned. Ubuu had developed the attack in tribute to Tien- it was actually a more powerful, yet efficient, version of the Kikoho. Its effects were disastrous to the immediate vicinity. The explosion roared upwards, tearing apart the podium and concrete pillars. Shattered pieces of rock and metal alike flipped away, and the tremors of power caused the fighter to slide backwards in the aftermath.
The smoke hovered in place, dissipating ever-so-slowly. The reincarnation of the Demon- Majin Buu- held his hands in place, peering through the "eye" that his thumbs made, alert to any kind of movement. He found it.
Shifting unnaturally, the cloud of fog suddenly swirled in on itself, and then puffed outwards, disappearing almost instantly. Standing in its wake was J'erah. He began to pace forward.
"I don't like to attack through the smoke," he taunted. "I'd rather my opponent see me coming- so they understand full well how helpless they really are." Speaking the last words with a horrific hiss, he brought his hand back, his fingers curved as if holding a ball. Almost too fast for the eye to see, his arm shot forward, and a small dust cloud rose up from the ground- coming at breakneck speed towards Ubuu.
"What on Earth..."
The wave of invisible ki plowed into his left shoulder, exploding and vaulting him backwards to slide on the pavement. The landing scraped his right arm painfully, and he fought against the burning. What the heck was that? In all of his years, the most Ubuu had been able to do with the invisible force of ki was move things back, but never concentrate it into a high range powerful attack- especially so effortlessly.
"Surprised?"
J'erah launched his hands forward again, several times in succession. Futilely, the hero of Earth tried to defend himself. The first throw blew up against his right forearm, the second against his left leg, and the third directly in his gut. It doubled him over immediately, and he was nailed to the muddy concrete. The Elite began to cackle, his booming voice threatening to tear apart the city itself, as the thunder in the distance joined him in a mighty chorus. Ubuu grit his teeth, and started in a hurried sprint towards him. He still had a trick or two left.
The Galactic seemed impressed. He reared back once more, and prepared to throw yet another sweep of energy...
At the last possible instant, Ubuu focused on the area immediately around his opponent, and erected a pink barrier just beyond him. A face of surprise lit up on J'erah, but it was too late. His own attack clobbered potently with the colored shield, igniting against himself. The Wayward continued in his sprint, and cupped his hands back behind him. He leaped into the air, and a familiar orb of blue energy began to swirl in his palms...
As the smoke cleared, Ubuu found himself only a meter or so away, and J'erah charging an attack of his own...
"Haaaa!!"
"Four Corners!!"
As the kamehameha ripped its way towards the devilish galactic, four equally-sized blue-white blasts poured from his own hands, and the two rivaling ki assaults met dead-on in the small space between them. Ubuu decided not to press his luck, and relented. As the opposing force met his own, he threw it upwards, but the sheer girth behind it pushed his torso back and his feet forward. He landed right next to his enemy, who promptly turned and delivered a bone-crunching kick into his ribs.
The prodigy of Goku felt his entire body buckle around J'erah's foot, and then eject away. He flipped uncontrollably and smashed through the wreckage of the once glorious stage. One of the metal poles cracked the bone of his kneecap. As he landed, thunder rippled through the heavens, reminding him of the rain that was even now mixing with his blood to flow down the streets. In the distance, the sounds of gunfire and shouting could be heard... He wondered if the androids were okay. His thoughts drifted to the Ward, and to all of the people counting on him. He had to go on... Despite the agony, he was in a fighting stance once more, searching wildly for the Galactic. Without warning, J'erah zanzokened right next to him, throwing a punch his way. Ubuu thrust the blow off with his right arm, and attempted to land a punch of his own. J'erah was right on top of it, moving his left arm in a blur to swat away the human's. Their eyes locked, and they stood motionless, arms holding one another frozen.
"I'll have to admit," J'erah breathed hesitantly. "You are stronger than your teacher was... but not me. I've barely even tapped into my power."
"We'll see about that."
They bounded back, and then rushed together again. Ubuu dodged an abrupt kick from J'erah, falling to balance on his left hand, and plant his foot against his contender's chest. As he stumbled, the human was moving towards him. He pulled his arm back and hurled a ball of yellow ki at the retreating alien, never halting in his pursuit. A small barrier flashed just before impact, and the explosion clouded his vision. Ubuu continued the attack, sending another ki blast the Elite's way, who was still hovering rearwards. Just as before, another barrier deflected the explosion, and the two were left chasing one another, with J'erah facing him and flying the opposite direction. Using his right hand, Ubuu fired yet again, returning the same previous result.
Good. As quickly as possible, he raised his right arm, three fingers in the air. A small glowing white orb of celestial energy formed above his outstretched digits. Dropping his hand to waist level, Ubuu shoved the ball towards the Galactic...
"Tri-Beam!!"
As expected, the ki shield found its way up, supposedly avoiding the onslaught. It disappeared, and Ubuu couldn't help but smile. The Tri-Beam was designed to withstand one impact, and then branch into three separate discharges that looped back onto the original target. They proved to be very destructive. J'erah was about to find out first hand.
The general grunted a brief curse as the three lights found their way to his body, enveloping his musculature with the forceful detonations. Ubuu slid to a grinding stop and jumped to the side as J'erah's own return volley of ki came from the smoke. He had done just what the monster wanted. The dark warrior felt the other's fist corkscrew against his spine, impaling his back around it as he winced in pain. Suddenly, an energy eruption found its way through the alien's palm.
As Ubuu's body sailed away, he was hoping that it was over, at least for the moment. His wishes proved to be mislead, however, as he felt the strong blue hand grip his hair, and fly him face first directly through the pavement of the city. Together, the two fighters obliterated the street top, and collapsed through to the dank sewers below.
Above him, Ubuu could hear the thudding of the rain, and the trickling of the water as it coursed down the opening that they had left. The metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. In spite of the aching, the dust he had landed in was tickling his nose. Strong footsteps from behind told him that this was far from over.
Ubuu made up his mind. If he lived through this, he was going to kick the crap out of 17.