Battle Begins

The seven small orbs glowed a brilliant shade of orange, making the sunlight appear dim by comparison. It had been a few years since they were used, a few years since they had been collected and gathered together for the purpose of summoning the eternal dragon, Shenron. They were laid in a cluster in the white sand of a small island in the middle of the ocean, far from civilization. These were the balls that brought together a band of friends of the most powerful, good-hearted people on the planet. These were the balls that had the power to restore life, youth, or simply provide the world's most comfortable pair of underwear. For many generations they were believed to be merely a legend, forgotten in the tides of time. But one girl, one blue-haired, strong-willed, hard-headed girl brought the legend to life eleven years ago, and that same girl, now a blue-haired, strong-willed, hard-headed woman was using them again in the hopes of saving the world from certain destruction.

Bulma held her hands over the glowing dragon balls. The bright light reflected in her deep blue eyes. Her mouth formed a hard line, her brows lowered in determination. Behind her stood Master Roshi, Oolong, and Puar, who were trembling in anticipation. They had seen the dragon before and knew already how fearsome he was; Shenron was a sight they could never get used to regardless of how many times they saw him. Bulma took a deep breath and yelled, "Shenron, by your name I summon you forth!" Immediately she stepped back as a stream of light, brighter than lightning, shot up from the orbs and lit up the darkening sky, winding through the air like a snake until Shenron took form high above.

"Why have you summoned me?" Shenron's deep voice rumbled through the sky, louder than thunder. His voice alone could knock a more fearful person off his feet. "Name your wish and I shall grant it."

Through her awe it was difficult for Bulma to even remember her wish, the same wish she had recited in her mind countless times throughout the past year. She glanced over her shoulder at her friends, then back up at the impatient dragon. She swallowed. "Shenron, could you bring back to life all those Raditz killed on Earth?" She worded her wish to include anyone, including Tien and Goku, who the large saiyan killed because she didn't know how many had actually died at his hands that fateful day.

There was a long, tense moment of hesitation before Shenron's eyes glowed red. "Your wish has been granted."

"Thank you," Bulma whispered as the dragon disappeared and in a blinding flash of light, the dragon balls rose from the ground and dispersed across the planet.

Master Roshi stepped forward until he was standing next to Bulma. "So where are Goku and Tien?" he asked.

Bulma shrugged. "Maybe they're where they died?"

The old martial arts master scrunched his brows in concentration. "I don't feel their energy anywhere."

"Maybe the dragon made a mistake," Oolong said.

Bulma whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at the shape-shifting pig. "Shut up, Oolong! No one asked you! The dragon doesn't make mistakes. Maybe they're just not here…yet."

"They'd better hurry and get back, then," Master Roshi said grimly. "I feel two huge power levels to the east, and I don't think it's them."

"The saiyans," Bulma murmured.

…

"Well, boys," King Kai said, "You have mastered your training. Your halos are gone, so you must be alive again. The saiyans are probably close to Earth. Let me check their location." He was quiet for a minute, his antennae making quick, minute movements as he searched for the two saiyans traveling to Earth. He gasped. "Oh, no! They're already on Earth! You're going to have to hurry, you have to go all the way back on Snake Way! It shouldn't take too long, but the saiyans work fast. Go!"

"What?" Goku shouted, nearly ripping his hair out. "You mean they're there?"

"I thought we had more time!" Tien groaned.

"It doesn't matter now! Get moving!" King Kai yelled.

"Goodbye! Good luck!" Gregory called after them. Below him, Bubbles jumped up and down, chattering his goodbye.

The two live warriors nodded to each other and jumped from King Kai's planet, waving to Gregory, Bubbles, and their sensei as they fell to Snake Way. They landed on the road and immediately started sprinting down the winding, looping path through the clouds. They had several thousand miles to go in as little time as they could manage. Hopefully their friends on Earth would be able to hold the saiyans off long enough for them to get there and help.

…

Vegeta stepped out of his space pod and stretched his stiff muscles. He cracked his neck and knuckles while he waited for Nappa to get out of his pod a few yards away. Through the clearing cloud of dust kicked up by the pods he could see a crowd of humans gathering around, pointing at the pods, asking questions, and backing away from the edge of the crater when they spotted him. He snorted and rolled his shoulders back, lifted his chin, and crossed his arms over his chest. He could see Nappa finally emerging from his space pod and stretching out as he had. A year-long trip was enough to make anyone need to limber up.

"What do we do first, Vegeta?" Nappa asked as he finished getting his blood circulating. "Find whoever killed Raditz or look for the dragon balls?"

Vegeta levitated out of the crater and landed on the edge. Nappa followed him up. They looked around at the gathered humans, many of whom had the good sense to run away, sensing the impending danger. "We should avenge Raditz first. If someone was strong enough to kill him they may be able to cause us trouble when we're looking for the dragon balls." He pushed the button on his scouter to get a reading on the power levels of the planet. He rolled his eyes when he saw the negligible levels, with few being above the single digits. Of the few worth noting, only a handful were over 500. The two highest levels were right around 1000. They had to be the ones who killed Raditz.

"What's it say?"

"The two highest levels are directly south of us. They have to be the ones who defeated Raditz. Let's go."

"Can I kill these gawking idiots?" Nappa looked around the city, bloodlust clouding his judgment.

Vegeta sighed. "Only if you don't destroy the city. Remember, the dragon balls could be anywhere."

"You got it." Nappa raised his hand and started blasting the humans, instantly killing them. He worked fast, moving through the city, destroying life, all the while laughing at the screams of terror and the stench of fear and burning flesh. Within fifteen minutes the city was devoid of life, though it was left relatively intact. He rejoined Vegeta before they flew south to find the warriors responsible for their comrade's untimely demise.

Nappa spiraled through the clouds and laughed. "The gravity on this planet is so weak! It's like I don't weigh a thing!"

Vegeta snorted and shook his head. He was less interested in his speed advantage at the moment. He wouldn't need it anyway. His sights were set on the power levels up ahead, the ones who killed Raditz, the ones he was going to destroy in vengeance. That was his only goal. Even the dragon balls were a second thought. He still wasn't sure he believed the tale. Seven magical orbs that could grant any wish? Unlikely. He'd heard other foolish legends during his lifetime. None of them were true, or at least not all they were cracked up to be. If he could gain immortality, that was one thing, but he wasn't going to get his hopes up. Through the breaks in the clouds he could see they were now flying over some kind of desert wilderness with patches of green, hardy grass spotted across the dry ground. There were many high bluffs, with bare rocky faces eroded by years of sand blowing in the wind. The air was hot and dry, almost hard to breathe. It was practically a saiyan's dream come true.

The saiyan prince flew lower so the clouds could no longer obscure his view of the land, and it wasn't long before he spotted two figures standing out in the open. His scouter indicated that they were the ones he was looking for. He couldn't see them clearly from his altitude, so he gestured with his head toward them and led the way down to the ground with Nappa following closely. They landed a few yards in front of the two people with arms crossed over their chests and chins held high, arrogant smirks curling their lips. Up close, Vegeta could see who his adversaries would be. Unimpressive. A small child and a tall green-skinned man with short antennae sprouting from his forehead, unmistakably a Namekian. Neither looked pleased to welcome their company; the boy was clearly frightened, trembling visibly and whimpering, and the Namekian had a fierce scowl, his long fangs bared to the saiyans.

"A Namekian?" Vegeta asked. "Aren't you a long way from home? What are you doing on this miserable mudball?"

Nappa shrugged, not very interested in the reason for an alien being on the planet they were going to destroy. All that mattered was his strength, whether or not he would be a good challenge in battle. "Beats me. You think he's the one who killed Raditz?"

"Don't know who else would have been strong enough to do it."

Piccolo growled and slid his foot back, widening his stance in preparation for an attack. "What do you want here?"

"Yes, he's definitely the one. I recognize his voice from the scouter transmission." Vegeta clenched his hands into fists and his smirk slipped from his face, replaced by a cold glare that could have killed. "You're going to pay for what you did to my comrade."

"That's why you're here? Revenge?" Piccolo huffed. "If you're anything like your friend you'll die by my hand."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Don't get your hopes up, Namek."

"Namek?"

"Oh please, don't tell me you don't know what you are? Isn't the green skin obvious? You didn't think you belong here, do you?" Vegeta snickered. He turned to Nappa. "Maybe there's more to these dragon balls than I originally believed. Remember the stories of the magic balls of Namek? What are the odds of magic balls being on this backwater planet with a single Namekian on it? There's got to be some connection."

"Yeah. You're probably right," Nappa agreed.

"We shouldn't kill him. He'll be the one to help us find the dragon balls."

"Sure, Vegeta."

Vegeta's scouter beeped as another significant power level came into range, moving rapidly in their direction. Soon, a short, bald man wearing an orange gi landed next to the kid. He looked ready to fight. The prince quirked an eyebrow. "Who's this midget? His power level is 1100. The Namek's at 1400 and the kid's power is 1000. Not bad."

Nappa laughed and cracked his knuckles. "Not bad, but still weak. This should be easy."

"Don't underestimate them. They seem to be able to hide their true power. That's why they were able to defeat Raditz." Vegeta frowned, thinking about the low class saiyan. It was an embarrassment to his race for a saiyan warrior to be defeated by a hodgepodge group like this. His anger rose when two more warriors arrived on the scene. There was a man with long, black hair and scars on his face and a short doll-like thing with a weird hat. "Where are these fools coming from?" Vegeta grumbled. He didn't have all day to play around. He was here on business.

While the earthling warriors conversed among themselves, Vegeta pushed the button on his scouter to do another search of high power levels on the planet. The highest levels were all gathered in front of him. So these were the best the planet had to offer. At least he was saved the trouble of hunting the warriors down. He didn't see another saiyan there, so it must have been true that Raditz's brother was also killed in their battle. That gave him some satisfaction knowing the traitor was dead. It wasn't enough to lessen his anger, though. He looked again at the child. He had wild black hair, purely black eyes, and an incredible power level considering his age. He must be Kakarrot's brat. That was the only explanation. Well, no matter. He would die with the rest.

"Well, then," he said, interrupting the earthlings' friendly banter, "Are we expecting anyone else or can we get started?"

The bald man frowned and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "As a matter of fact, we're waiting for Goku and Tien! They should be here soon."

"Goku? Tien?" Vegeta didn't recognize either name. They certainly weren't saiyan names. Supposedly the dragon balls could be used to bring someone back to life. Hadn't these idiots used the balls to bring back Kakarrot? He would have been their best bet in a fight against himself and Nappa.

"Yeah," the bald man said confidently. "When they get here, there's no way you'll be able to defeat them. If I were you, I'd leave now."

"Fortunately you're not me," Vegeta retorted. "I suppose we can wait a few minutes for this saviors of yours. No use having them interrupting a good battle."

The small band of warriors was clearly surprised that the saiyans would be willing to wait for stronger opponents. Some of them gaped openly while the others eyed them suspiciously. Vegeta couldn't care less what they were thinking. What mattered to him was revenge. "We will wait half an hour. If they aren't here by then, we'll go ahead and start killing you."

"Gee, thanks," the short man grumbled. Vegeta smirked when he heard it. He turned around and walked over to a large rock and sat down on it. Nappa came over and stood next to him.

"Why are we waiting?" the tall saiyan asked.

Vegeta set a timer on his scouter. "We're waiting to see who these other warriors are. One of them might be Kakarrot. He probably took an earthling name when he forgot his identity. I want to make him pay for betraying the throne of Vegeta-sei."

"I understand, but why do we have to wait to kill these weaklings?" Nappa frowned and looked over at the warriors who were sitting on the ground talking amongst themselves.

"So Kakarrot can watch them die, knowing he is unable to save them."

"Oh." Nappa sat down on the ground and leaned against the rock. "This is going to be boring."

"It'll be worth the wait."

"I hope so."

They looked up when they heard something above. It didn't sound like people. They squinted in the bright sunlight. There was some sort of vehicle flying overhead. Why would any humans be flying around here? It was a wasteland. Not exactly sight-seeing territory. Probably they were there to see the aliens who landed in a large city. How they managed to locate them was another question. Vegeta decided they were harmless and ignored them, turning his attention back to the earthling warriors. By watching them outside of battle he might be able to make better predictions about their fighting techniques. Would they rely more on speed or strength? Were they confident or hesitant, more likely to use ki attacks or hand-to-hand combat? How was their concentration? Would he be able to throw them off their game with words? Who was the leader? Who would be the best to go after first? Who's death would cause the largest drop in morale among their little troop? He watched them closely, studying them with a practiced eye for detail. He would know their mannerisms well by the time the fighting started.

Nappa was less patient. He closed his eyes and tried to take a nap, but after sleeping for a year he wasn't very tired. Besides, the anticipation of a good fight was making him too excited to rest. He was feeling agitated. He needed to cause some chaos or something or he would go crazy waiting. "Hey, Vegeta, can I kill some humans while we're waiting?"

Vegeta waved his hand. "Whatever. Just be careful you don't destroy the dragon balls. Remember they could be anywhere."

"Right." Nappa stood up and levitated off the ground, deciding which way to go. "Thanks, Vegeta. I'll be back soon."

The saiyan prince rolled his eyes as his bald companion flew away to kill indiscriminately. He was mildly surprised that none of the warriors went after him. Surely they knew what he was going to do. Didn't they care? Perhaps they were wiser than he initially gave them credit for; they weren't going to risk starting battle early when they were still waiting on their strongest fighters. There was also the chance that they were willing to let some lives be lost because they were counting on using the dragon balls to wish people to life. Whatever the reason for them allowing Nappa to go on a killing spree, it didn't matter. He was growing curious to see who Tien and Goku were. The others seemed content to wait for them to come and save the day. Interesting, if not delusional.

…

Bulma ran inside the pink house and headed straight for the television to turn it to the news station. She saw East City, completely devastated, and stopped breathing. Was that Vegeta's doing? The city was not in complete ruins as she had feared, but it looked like some sort of terrible storm blew through and killed every single person in the city. It was unbelievable. She shook her head, not wanting to believe her childhood friend was responsible for such a heinous act. There were two spacecrafts, it could have been the other saiyan. But didn't Raditz say Vegeta was the prince? Wouldn't he have been the one giving orders? She dismissed that thought, finding it much too uncomfortable to consider.

"Bulma? What's going on?" Master Roshi asked when he walked into the house and sat down next to her. Oolong and Puar came in with him and sat in front of the TV to watch the news report.

"They landed in East City. They apparently killed everyone before they left. No one knows where they're at now." Bulma started biting her nails, apprehension rising in her chest. Bad things were about to happen, she could feel it.

Master Roshi got up and went to the kitchen to grab them drinks. It was never easy being on the sidelines, but they were too weak to do any good in a battle with such strong opponents. They would only get in the way, if not get killed. While he was away, the camera switched to a barren land where there was a group of people sitting around. The camera zoomed in on them, and Bulma was able to recognize her friends: Gohan, Krillin, Chiaotzu, Yamcha. Piccolo was there with them, too. And several yards away, sitting by himself, was another man wearing a strange sort of armor, a royal blue bodysuit, a communication device with a red display screen over his left eye, and a coal black flame of hair rising from a deep widow's peak. Bulma's heart leaped, then sank, when she saw him. She didn't know what to feel. That was Vegeta. There was no mistaking it. He had a furry brown belt, actually a tail, around his waist, his arms were crossed over his broad chest, and he had a furious scowl on his face. Though older, he was exactly as she remembered him. But where was the other saiyan? Weren't there two of them?

"What's going on?" she breathed. "Why are they all just sitting around?"

Oolong grunted. "Who cares why? At least they're not fighting!"

"Oh, Yamcha," Puar whimpered. "Please don't get hurt."

Bulma frowned and nodded slightly. She had to agree. Sitting around was preferable to fighting when her friends were matched up against Vegeta. There was no way of knowing for sure, but she would bet he was stronger than them all as a child. It was terrifying to imagine how much stronger he must be now. They wouldn't have a chance. The only one who could stop him in battle would be Goku, who still wasn't there. Maybe they were waiting for him? She couldn't figure it out.

Master Roshi came back into the living room and handed Bulma and Oolong frosty bottles of beer. He sat down next to Bulma again and opened his own beer. "What's going on there?"

She shrugged. "We don't know. Looks like they're waiting for something."

The aerial view switched to a new angle from the ground a safe distance away from the scene. What the reporters were saying wasn't very helpful, certainly not informative. They were as confused as their viewers about what was going on. They had expected to find a fight, but all they found was a group of strange-looking people sitting around in a desert. There was obvious tension between them, but no one knew what they were doing. It was actually boring to watch after a few minutes.

Bulma took a swig of her beer, then spit it out as she shrieked and toppled over backwards when someone appeared on screen out of nowhere, up close and personal. He had the cold eyes of a killer, a thin mustache, and a cruel grin. He was only there for a few short seconds before the screen went black. There was the sound of panicked screams and an explosion, then nothing. Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, and Puar stared at the screen in shock. There was no question about what just happened. The news team was dead. Bulma reached out a shaky hand and changed the channel to another major news station. It was all static. She gulped.

"He killed them," she squeaked.

Master Roshi nodded once, sadly. Their friends weren't going up against someone who played by the rules. They were fighting monsters, people without a conscience, people who kill without hesitation or remorse. The battle they were about to fight would be to the death. There would be no stalemate, no draw, no negotiations. It was kill or be killed. He sighed heavily and turned the television off. There was no sense watching the news when there was no information to gather from it.

"We have to do something," Bulma murmured. "Master Roshi, I knew Vegeta a long time ago. Maybe I can talk to him. Maybe I can stop them before anyone gets hurt."

"No, Bulma. I don't know if this is the same person you say you knew, but it's too dangerous. It's been a long time and he looks serious. I don't think there's anything you can say to change his mind."

Bulma twisted her blue dress in her hands and fought back the tears. She didn't want to believe what Roshi said was true, but how could she not? She saw what just happened. She took a deep breath and stood up. "I know it's dangerous, but I have to go. If there's the chance that I can stop anything bad from happening, I've got to do it."

"Bulma." Master Roshi grabbed her wrist tightly and shook his head. "Wait."

"No! Come with me if you want, but I'm going. I'm not going to sit here and wait for all my friends to die. I know Vegeta can kill them. He's too strong for them."

Master Roshi released her wrist and rose to his feet. "Alright. We'll go, but at the first sign of trouble you get out of there, you hear me?"

Bulma grunted as she put on her shoes and ran out the door, throwing her jet capsule in the sand. She climbed into the pilot's seat and fired up the engines, barely waiting for Master Roshi to get in the passenger side before she lifted off the ground. She realized she didn't know where they even were. She growled with frustration and landed again. She was about to give up hope when she saw something catch the rays of the sun a long distance away. Soon she could make out the small form of Fortuneteller Baba on her crystal ball. She grinned and hopped out of the jet, waving the old woman over.

"Baba! You're exactly who we need! Get in!" Bulma grabbed the fortuneteller and threw her in the jet. She got back in, closed the door, and took off. "Show us what's going on with the saiyans so we can figure out where they are."

"Are you crazy?" Baba screeched. "I'm not going there!"

Bulma scowled at her and snatched her crystal ball away. "Look here, you crazy old bat! You're going to show me how to get there right now or I swear this ball's going to the bottom of the ocean!"

Fortuneteller Baba huffed angrily. "Fine, I'll show you. Now give that back! But you can drop me off at the first rest stop."

…

Nappa landed next to the boulder Vegeta was still sitting on and wiped his brow. He had successfully annihilated all the news reporters and the planet's navy. He was ready for a real challenge now. "How long has it been, Vegeta?"

One corner of Vegeta's mouth turned down. "Twenty-seven minutes. Time's almost up."

"Good! I'm getting bored!"

Vegeta grunted. His only entertainment was coming from watching the nervousness of the earthlings become more apparent as the minutes ticked by. That lost its appeal quickly. He'd seen it all before. The comments boasting inflated confidence, the nervous twitches and shifting eyes, wiping sweaty palms on already sweat-soaked pants, kicking feet, audible gulping, and false laughter. They were on edge, constantly expecting a low blow or sneak attack from him. He sneered at them and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. He snorted when all the warriors immediately leaped to their feet and landed in defensive stances.

"Time's up," he drawled. "Your heroes aren't here. Guess they decided not to come."

The kid stepped forward. "My dad will be here! You just wait!"

Vegeta's eyebrow slowly raised. "Your father?"

"Yeah, Goku," the bald man snarled. "He's on his way. He just hasn't gotten here yet."

"I don't really care," Vegeta snapped. He may have a quick temper, but he considered himself to be a fairly patient man. He had to be. After all, what was his life but a waiting game? The years rolled by while he slowly gained power, waiting for the moment when he could finally openly rebel and gain his freedom and rightful place as ruler over the universe. He had patiently waited half an hour for two supposedly powerful warriors to come to them from somewhere on a tiny planet. If they weren't there by now, they weren't coming at all, he figured. No more waiting.

Vegeta sat down and crossed his legs. "Nappa, take care of these insects."

Nappa chuckled as he advanced a few steps forward. "You got it, Vegeta. You want me to keep the Namek alive, right?"

"Yes. Kill the rest."

"Alright, now which one of you should I kill first?" Nappa asked. No one answered as he appraised them all one by one. Their power levels were displayed on his scouter, showing him that none of them would be particularly difficult to defeat. Slightly disappointing, but not at all surprising. He shrugged. It didn't matter who he fought first, they would all die. His gaze came to rest on Yamcha, who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "How about you, pretty boy?"

"I'd like to see you try, you ugly ogre!" Yamcha yelled. He shifted his feet, readying himself for an attack.

"Yamcha," Krillin hissed, "You can't take this guy alone. He's too strong."

Yamcha smirked. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, no problem. Leave it to me." Yamcha started raising his ki as he prepared for battle. The numbers on the saiyans' scouters grew as he powered up, his energy blowing in a whirlwind around him, whipping his long hair around, infusing his muscles with new strength.

"This bastard's too cocky for his own damn good. Hurry up and kill him so we don't have to listen to his annoying babble anymore."

Nappa nodded once when he heard his prince's voice in his mind. He didn't bother adjusting his ki. Even powered up, Yamcha was no match for him. His power was peaking at 1500. Even Raditz would have been able to kill him without putting any effort into it. "Time to die!" he roared as he flew forward, fists raised to attack.

Yamcha barely dodged the saiyan before he was struck with a powerful punch to the face. He phased out of sight, hoping his speed could exceed Nappa's. He was counting on the saiyan's bulky frame slowing him down, but he hadn't taken into account the fact that he was accustomed to much higher gravity. Nappa phased behind him and kicked him higher into the air. He appeared again above him and smacked him down to the ground.

"That was too easy," Nappa laughed. He lowered himself to the ground and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

Nappa was caught off guard by a strong blow to his chest that floored him. He growled when he saw the scar-faced warrior standing in front of him, breathing hard with a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. He was already badly beaten, but the fight hadn't been taken out of him yet. Well, that was fine. Nappa did like a good fight. Weak, stubborn warriors were his favorite. They were more fun to knock around than strong warriors. They refused to give up even when they were clearly outmatched. They made themselves into living punching bags for him.

The massive saiyan jumped to his feet and grinned. "So you didn't get enough the first time, huh?"

"That was a lucky shot," Yamcha said between pants.

"Luck had nothing to do with it!" Nappa hurled himself at Yamcha and started punching and kicking so fast Yamcha was unable to keep up for long. Soon he was taking blow after blow, unable to block or dodge them all. He was too slow, too worn out already from their first encounter. He was unable to get so much as one solid hit in, being constantly forced on the defense. "Still think you can win?"

Nappa grabbed Yamcha's fists and squeezed, crushing the bones in his hands. He laughed when Yamcha roared in pain. He felt blood on his hands and heard the small bones snapping as he tightened his grip. He didn't let go until Yamcha collapsed on his knees and stopped trying to pull away. He kicked his stomach, making him cough up blood as he fell backwards and landed in the dirt.

"Yamcha!" Krillin ran over to his fallen friend, disregarding the danger he was putting himself in. He was only concerned for Yamcha, whose ki was rapidly dropping. He wouldn't make it through this fight alive if he didn't get help.

"I'm not finished with him yet, shorty," Nappa growled. He backhanded Krillin, sending him flying several yards. He landed roughly and rolled a few times before coming to a stop in front of Piccolo and the others.

"Are you ok?" Gohan asked as he knelt down by Krillin.

"Yeah," Krillin muttered, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. We've got to help Yamcha."

Chiaotzu looked from Krillin to the fight between Yamcha and Nappa. "I can try to slow the big guy down with my telekinesis."

"Now then. How do I finish you off?" Nappa paced around Yamcha, who was struggling to sit up despite the pain shooting through his body. "I think I know. This is one of my favorites."

"Oh, no, we have to stop him!" Krillin shouted.

Nappa grabbed Yamcha's arm and threw him high into the sky. When he started falling, Nappa opened his mouth and a blinding beam of blue energy shot out and pierced through Yamcha's chest. By the time he hit the ground, he was dead.

Nappa rested his hands on his hips and turned to the other warriors, who watched in horror as their friend was killed before their eyes. They were too shocked to notice he had his sights set on them now. It was time to pick his next victim. 'How about the bald one? He seems pretty eager to fight.' He chuckled as he started gathering energy in his hand to make the first move on the short warrior.

Vegeta rested his cheek in one hand and rapped his fingers on his knee with the other. He was ready to be rid of the earthling warriors. They were worthless creatures, unfit to live. They were pathetically weak. If Nappa hadn't even broken a sweat, there was no chance he would have found any pleasure in toying with them. He wanted a challenge. He wasn't going to get one. That was obvious. What a pity. He looked up when he heard another aerial craft approaching from the west. He briefly considered blasting it, but decided not to. He didn't feel like wasting the energy. He turned his attention back to the battle. Nappa was getting ready to beat the bald midget to death. Should be vaguely interesting.

His scouter beeped when two high power levels were detected a distance away. They were much higher than the levels of the warriors engaging in battle with Nappa. He frowned. Where had they come from? The scouter didn't detect them before. That was impossible. The scouter was always supposed to find the strongest people first. How had it missed these? One was 10,150 and the other was 6800. Were they the warriors the others were waiting for? If so, they would be sadly disappointed when they, too, were killed, but still, he might be able to have a little fun with them.

His attention was again diverted when he heard the aircraft landing close by. He sighed exasperatedly. What was with these people? Did they all have a death wish? He stood up and raised his hand to start gathering energy to blast the people away. He would tolerate no interruptions from them. He was about to release his energy when a woman with aqua blue hair jumped out of the plane and started running straight toward him, seemingly without any fear despite the glowing ball of ki in the palm of his hand aimed at her. His brows lowered in confusion. Was she so stupid she didn't realize what he was about to do? While he was trying to figure her out, she drew close enough for him to see her more clearly. He stopped gathering energy. He didn't want to kill her, though only the gods knew why. He released his ki and waited for her to reach him.

A/N: Oh snap, cliffhanger! So… no one won my little contest. For those of you not keeping track while reading, these were the characters: Bulma, Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Shenron, King Kai, Goku, Tien, Gregory, Bubbles, Vegeta, Nappa, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Fortuneteller Baba. Raditz was the character who was mentioned but not shown. (I didn't count the people of East City, the newscasters, or the navy as characters.) There's no saibamen in my story because I didn't like them. My versions of Vegeta and Nappa wouldn't play around letting little plant mutant things fight for them.

Approximate power levels:
Nappa: 11,000
Vegeta: 29,250
Goku: 10,150 (not powered up)
Tien: 6800 (not powered up)
Other characters are the same as canon.

I finished chapter 54 and now I'm working on 55. Man, 54 was a load of fun to write. I hope you enjoy it when I post it.

Beta'd by lilpumpkingirl.

Who'll get review 1000? It could be you! But even if it's not, review anyway!