Dragon Ball - The Heart of Adventurers
By LastationLover5000 and Demod20, Edited by Firegod00
Chapter 32 - Wrath of the Saiyan
This was a predicament Raditz would have given his tail to avoid. He found himself face to face with his former lord and master, the tyrannical Emperor of the Universe, Freeza. Standing so very close was his pride, his niece. Not too far from her was the dwarf who had proved to be Kakarrot's most thorough friend, and the young Nameccian who had summoned the Dragon he killed only moments ago.
His uncle, not to be trusted and more of a headache than anything else, and the strange Earthling woman who wanted his younger brother's attention, stood at the far end. Yet the most aggravating of all was Vegeta and his troupe — Raditz didn't know exactly if they were going to be of help at all during the coming battle with Freeza, but he couldn't afford to dwell on that. The tyrant thirsted for his blood, and it was time to show Freeza just what he could do.
Tullece could feel the tension in the air, and he was no fool. His survival was the top priority here. His own plan had not yet come to fruition, and he'd already lost Freeza's favour. There was no choice. "Woman!" he hissed. "There's no merit in staying here; nothing to gain if we lose our lives now. Come with me and we'll flee!"
"What?!" Chi-Chi's voice was indignant, yet she had the since to keep it as low as Tullece did. "You're out of your mind, we can't leave them!" She gestured to Freeza's intimidating form. "You're suggesting we turn tail and run? I'm not that sort of a coward."
"Think of yourself for once," Tullece shot back. "I look after my own, but only if they continue to listen. You will survive if you come with me. Stay here, and you will simply die!" Despite Chi-Chi's protests, Tullece grabbed her by the scruff her Combat Jacket's neck, and pulled hard. She felt the tightness around her throat, but the man was simply so much stronger than she was that her body was lifted off the ground.
"Oh?"
A slow, deep voice rooted everyone to the spot. Freeza had turned his attention towards Tullece and Chi-Chi, eyes narrowed. "Do you really think I would let you run? Tullece, after the service you've shown me, it is only fair that I reward you thusly. I was going to give you my attention later, but since you've so kindly volunteered...you've sent this entire lot to Hell along with yourself!" A vibrant purple aura flared around his body, the ground quaking and trembling beneath the weight of his ki. Grinning devilishly, Freeza thrust his hand upwards.
The result was the deafening sound of an explosion. Flames, lavender in hue, erupted from the ground, enveloping the entire island that group stood on. The ground shattered, kicking fragmented chunks of debris skyward. The ocean sloshed upwards at the island, waves crashing against the rocky shore. Freeza's powerful explosive wave had enveloped everything, the blast carrying high into the sky, blocking out the sun with plumes of smoke.
A gust of wind blew the wafting pillars of smoke away, the ki dying down of its own accord revealed that Freeza's assault had not been thorough enough. Floating high in the sky, Raditz had grabbed Pan and Kuririn, holding them under his arms; the young Nameccian, Dende, was holding onto Raditz's leg for dear life, his robes singed. Vegeta floated at a slightly lower altitude, his gloved hands gripping the collar of Nappa's Combat Jacket, and keeping Aspara held aloft by her hair.
Tullece and Chi-Chi, however, were nowhere to be seen. Where they had been standing, a giant crater had formed, scorched and blackened. Not a trace of them was left.
"He...did he kill them...?!" Pan gaped, horrified. How could someone like Chi-Chi just die in an instant? And how could this monster kill them without a second thought?
"...I can't sense their ki," admitted Raditz, not a touch of remorse in his voice. "I don't know what your relationship to that woman was, but she made a mistake throwing in her lot with my uncle." The Saiyan descended, touching down on a burned island, placing his two companions down onto the ground. Dende followed suit, trembling and terrified.
"You...saved us?" Aspara was too surprised at Vegeta's act of mercy to be furious at the tugging feeling of her hair.
"Don't be flattered, either one of you," replied Vegeta sharply, releasing both of them to let them fall to the surface. He descended, landing easily next to their fallen forms. "We're going to need you both for this, so I simply did what was best for the situation."
"Annihilated in an instant," Freeza mused, lowering his arm. The man sneered mirthfully at the empty crater. "Just as I expected. Those two should consider themselves lucky — such an instantaneous death is a mercy. You lot will not share in their fortune. I intend to take my time with all of you."
"You won't have the chance," Raditz declared. "Pan! Dwarf! Get the women and go back to our ship! You'll only get in my way if you stay here now."
"But Uncle Raditz—" Pan protested.
"Pan, I'm in no mood for arguments! You all accomplished what you came here for, didn't you?!" Raditz stepped forward, lessening the distance between himself and Freeza ever so slightly. "Then get going!"
"Pan, your uncle has a point," Kuririn said gently. "The way we are, right now...? We'll only get in the way."
The lavender-haired Saiyan-half didn't like it. She didn't like it one bit, leaving her uncle here to fight this monster. At the same time, Pan knew that Raditz and Kuririn were right; Freeza's ki was monstrous, and just standing in its presence was stifling. She couldn't be of any help here.
"Dende, come with us," said Kuririn, but Dende shook his head.
"I'm going to stay, Kuririn," replied the trembling boy. "I owe you all...and I can still help, I know I can! Please, get to safety!"
A burst of white light signaled their intent to depart; Kuririn and Pan flaring their aura and increasing their ki to maximum. The duo took off into the sky, flying over Freeza in moments. The tyrant began to turn his body towards them, pointing his finger to the sky.
"You don't really think I'll allow prisoners to escape, do you?"
"Freeza..." Raditz said patiently. "Wasn't I your focus? You've allowed yourself to get far too distracted...and I'm going to show you the true strength of a Saiyan!"
"Raditz, don't go mouthing off when you know you can't handle Freeza!" snapped Nappa harshly. "Even the King, at the height of his power, wasn't able to fight Freeza one-on-one!"
"There's no point in measuring Freeza up to my father," interjected Vegeta. "I surpassed that man when I was a child; he merely bolstered his reputation to the fools that would believe him. Now stand aside, Raditz! I'll be the one to fight Freeza!"
Aspara, however, was wondering why Raditz carried himself with such confidence. Both of her cousins had somehow made it out of the battle with the Ginyū Special Squadron alive, and Raditz had been the better off of the two. Your average warrior didn't simply take on the Ginyū Squad and live with nothing to show for it. Vegeta is letting his pride blind him, and Nappa is just a fool. I'm not...what do you have up your sleeve, traitor?
"Shut up, all of you!" Raditz placed a hand outwards, blocking their path. "I personally don't care if you all want to roll over and die, but you're just going to get in my way right now. Now stand back!" Light shimmered around Raditz's body, steams of it, reddish-coral with a yellow tint, bursting upwards and outwards around the Saiyan's body. His eyes flashed, changing from their regular onyx black to a staggeringly ominous gold. His hair, typically long and flowing, became rigid and spiked, almost like an angry animal's fur standing on end. A guttural growl ripped from Raditz's throat, erupting into a full fledged roar as the ground cracked beneath the weight of Raditz's ki.
"What..."
"...is..."
"...this?!"
Voices mingled with gasps of surprise, the three Saiyans watching Raditz's display of power in complete shock and awe.
"...What have you done, Raditz?!" Freeza's attention was now fully given to Raditz, who displayed a sort of power that he'd never seen. "What is this power?!" Even without his Scouter, the waves of ki Raditz was giving off were palpable; Freeza knew something was off. "You can't be...someone like you...are you the Super Saiyan!?"
Vegeta was floored. Raditz, the Super Saiyan? That's impossible...! The Legendary Super Saiyan was said to come around only once every thousand years...it's thrown around with other myths...and I didn't even believe it could be done...! Vegeta stared intently at Raditz's back, the Saiyan he had mocked for years cloaked in a vibrant aura unlike anything he'd ever seen on a Saiyan before. ...Have I been eclipsed by him?
"You're kidding me, right?" snarled Nappa. "There's no way in Hell the little weakling Raditz could be a Super Saiyan! Absolutely no way! They're not even supposed to exist! That was a fairy tale we told each other to bring out results oh the battlefield!"
The...Legendary...Super Saiyan...? Aspara mouthed the words silently. Any Saiyan child knew of the tales of the Legendary Super Saiyan. Some Saiyans saw them as a god. To many, they were what a Saiyan aspired to be; the pinnacle of their race, one who only emerged every millennium. Her father had spent years trying to sire a child worthy of that legend; he believed in it, and as much as she was loathe to admit it, she did too. She was the child her father had expected to showcase this legendary power...but she'd fallen short of his expectations.
And now Raditz stands here, emanating a strength that could possibly be the ideal my father searched for... The young woman clenched her fist to the point of drawing blood. It's humiliating...!
Raditz's muscles bulked, his ki continuing to burn brightly. Raditz hands clawed the air, foregoing the need for a stance, and blitzed Freeza. The movement was swift, without effort, and not a single person present tracked it. First, Raditz was standing still, and within the time it took to blink, his fist connected with Freeza's jaw. The blow forced the tyrant's head back, his jaw indenting to match the fist, spittle flying into the air and vanishing.
"He's..."
"...so fast!"
Aspara and Vegeta were dumbfounded, unable to keep pace with Raditz's movements. First blood had gone to the weakling traitor they'd never given any regard too. He'd landed a blow on Freeza!
Freeza staggered back, his gargantuan body coming close to keeling over. Holding himself steady, he stood fully upright, towering over Raditz, whose aura had ceased flowing, but his eyes continued to glow vibrant gold. Purple blood trickled from his mouth, a droplet falling to the ground and being absorbed into the scorched dirt. "Well then...it seems you've made quite a personal improvement, Raditz; you remind me so much of that irritating Saiyan who refused to surrender, even when your planet was at my mercy! I think it was your father, wasn't it? The man who struggled pointlessly as I wiped your species from the face of the Universe!"
Raditz's glowing yellow eyes narrowed. "Unlike my old man, Freeza, I've gained a power that is more terrifying than you ever were!"
"You've not yet seen true terror, Raditz!" replied Freeza boastfully. "But I will take my time and sh—" The tyrant's words were cut off, trailing seamlessly into a startled shout. Raditz bent low to the ground, throwing Freeza off his balance with a powerful sweeping low kick. Pressing his hands to the ground, he pushed forward, both legs slamming into Freeza's aloft body. The extraterrestrial Emperor rocketed away with the force of a hundred bullets, careening outward over open ocean. Raditz's reddish-coral aura flared to life again, the Saiyan tearing off of the island after Freeza.
"This can't be Raditz...!" Nappa's mouth was agape, making him look, if possible, even denser than usual. "Not the same bastard who would run and hide if the mission got too difficult! Not the same little shit who could never defeat a more skillful opponent without some dirty trick! What the hell is going on here!?"
"He made a fool of you on Earth, Nappa," replied Vegeta icily. "I don't know what sort of training Raditz did...but I refuse to believe he is a Super Saiyan!"
Above the waters, Raditz and Freeza clashed mightily. A muscled Saiyan arm swung downward towards a fleeting pink body; Freeza raised both arms to parry, the resulting shockwave disrupting the surface of the green waters. With all of his strength, Freeza pushed back against Raditz, who refused to be staggered. He grabbed Freeza by both horns, pulling the Emperor's head forward as he raised his knee upwards, crashing into his face with immense force.
Freeza roared, the pain incredible, yet to his credit did not back down. "I will not suffer humiliation from lesser beings on this backwater planet for the umpteenth time!"
"I'm going to enjoy dashing your hopes, then," sneered Raditz in reply. Power coursed through Raditz's body, the Saiyan feeling not merely blood but ki rushing throughout his systems. He only felt this way when he entered this state, and it was exhilarating. Feeling this sort of strength pulsating out from his human form; it was surreal, almost something a Saiyan shouldn't be able to do it. But he'd managed it, and he was pushing Freeza back. A domineering grin split Raditz's face.
I can do this!
Freeza, capitalising on Raditz's being lost in his own thoughts, lunged forward. His massive reptilian form flickered away, enhancing his speed tremendously to slip behind Raditz's guard. Spinning like a top, the tyrant was pointed to slam his elbow into the side of Raditz's skull. The long-maned Saiyan anticipated Freeza's strike, countering with remarkable ease; his fist snapped backwards as if pressed by a lever, the backside of his hand crashing into Freeza's face.
It was Raditz's turn to pivot, his heel slamming into Freeza's domed head; the sharp kick blasted the tyrant towards the glistening waters of Namek. Freeza released a kiai from his body, steadying his position as Raditz dove downward, spinning unnecessarily above the surface of the water, zoning in on Freeza. Saiyan and Emperor raced across the waters, crashing against each other, their hands locked in a fierce struggle. Freeza pushed against Raditz, Raditz against Freeza, and neither budged...until Raditz simply lost patience, forcing Freeza's hands back and rotating him violently. Cocking his arm back, Raditz powerfully slugged Freeza's revolving form; the blow struck his side, and Freeza skipped across water like an ugly stone.
Righting himself, Freeza progressed backwards in flight, extending his arm and expelling a volley rose-tinted ki blasts across the ocean. The streams of ki raced towards Raditz, who dove headlong into them. Winding and spiraling around them, each blast grazed past the Saiyan with the ease of dancing around a leaf. Raditz wasn't merely leading in power — he had the battle experience that Freeza's entire army knew the Emperor lacked, and he used it to his advantage from the way he moved to way he drew out his power.
"Haaaaaaaaaah!" Freeza bellowed, releasing an even larger kikōha from his palms. Raditz's vision filled with rose-hued light...and his aura encased hand reached into the light, gripping it, compressing it, and throwing it well and far behind him. Freeza was unable to even gasp or react, Raditz closing in and bringing a violent fist into the man's stomach. Winded, spitting, Freeza rasped and snarled, only to receive a sharp heel to the side of his jaw. Blood flew from his mouth this time, splashing on Raditz's cheek before evaporating from his aura.
"All those times you looked down on me...everyone looked down on me...and I cowered before you!" Raditz's voice projected, loud, thick with fury as he headbutted Freeza; his forehead crashed into the tyrant's, sending him reeling. "Well, look who's spilling your blood?! The son of a low level warrior, a third rate scum like me...is the one that's besting you!"
"Besting me? You think you're winning?" Freeza knocked his head back, howling with mad laughter. "You're more delusional than your general is stupid! I'm simply indulging in this fantasy of yours; once I've grown bored I'll end you slowly, and painfully."
"Words don't mean nearly as much as skill, Freeza," replied Raditz coldly. Veins began to throb in his skin, the Saiyan could feel his power surging. Shit...! I can't afford to enjoy myself here! I'm still not entirely...! He cut his own thought off, not wanting to admit his own weakness. Focusing his energy, doing his damnedest to keep it in check — it was his power, it was under his control — Raditz opened his maw wide. Ki began to pool there, vibrant, vivid orange, with a red glow shimmering around it. Without warning, it exploded, expelling a Mouth Kikōha of immense speed. The blast collided with Freeza, crashing into him and exploding violently over the ocean. The resulting sphere of death forced the water back on all sides, the sea violently churning beneath Raditz's attack.
Watching safely from their island perch, the three Saiyans who had once been Raditz's teammates and superiors were astonished.
"He's...really pushing him back..." Nappa gaped.
"This shouldn't be possible...but that traitor might actually win...!"
Vegeta was less interested in vague possibilities; his mind was working furiously, trying to understand Raditz's newfound strength. Raditz...Super Saiyan or not, his strength is peculiar...familiar...He almost fights like a Giant Monkey...but he hasn't transformed...he didn't release any sort of Power Ball, and this planet has no moon... Vegeta knew it should be impossible, but Raditz's movements, his manner of technique, called their Giant Monkey transformation to mind. Is that what the Super Saiyan is?! Our true power? He couldn't fathom it, and his mounting frustration made him only want to know more— but it also ebbed feelings of jealousy the Saiyan was unable to cope with.
Jealous of Raditz? Had he been reduced to that?
Raditz and Freeza's battle raged on, continuing to clash over Namek's brilliant waters. Raditz deftly avoided an incoming strike from Freeza's left arm, using both hands to grip the man by the horns for the second time. Hauling him over his body with immense strength, Raditz released a single arm, still gripping Freeza's horn with the other hand. Roaring, the Saiyan rammed his fist hard into Freeza's face. Letting the horn go, Raditz placed both palms towards him, releasing a blast of ki at point-blank range. The sphere glowed brightly, expanded, and exploded, erupting into a plume of smoke around them both.
Freeza ripped through the smokescreen, just in time to receive a slamming blow from Raditz's armoured boot. Strike after strike, Raditz pummeled Freeza, Each strike was a blow filled with rage, with a desire for revenge. Was it for the Saiyans? Raditz couldn't think he was that sentimental. Was it for his parents? He couldn't stomach admitting that. Was it for himself? For his own pride? In this fight, in this moment, his Saiyan pride was roaring to life in his core; every blow he landed on Freeza was a result of this.
A growl nearly ruptured Freeza's throat, the tyrant pushing Raditz back with a full-body kiai. Taking advantage of the opening, Freeza unleashed a barrage of blows against Raditz. The formerly lower-class Saiyan avoided each and every strike, dashing backwards all the while. The two began to fly quickly across the ocean, rising ever higher as every blow failed to hit home. Raditz, clad in his black armour, manoeuvred around Freeza so that the tyrant was hitting air.
Weaving around Freeza, Raditz held his arm aloft, catching Freeza's neck wholesale in a powerful lariat. He pressed onward, diving down in a surprise move that dragged Freeza towards the surface of the ocean. They broke through the green mirror, plunging into the frigid depths at breackneck speed. Freeza struggled against Raditz's hold, yet this was unnecessary. Raditz released his hold on him, holding his arm above his head. It crackled and bristled with ki, causing water to bubble.
Raditz's mouth moved, but underwater, no words were spoken. Bubbles issued fiercely from his mouth as the Saiyan brought his arm down towards Freeza. A vibrant, white kikōha discharged from his palms, lighting up the murky darkness of the oceans with its brilliance. Freeza's eyes went wide as saucers, the technique colliding with him in full force. Freeza's body splayed trying to keep the attack at bay, but it pushed him deeper into the depths of the sea. With a final surge, the blast exploded in a brilliant flash, splitting a great mass of the ocean in every direction with its force.
Freeza emerged from a surge of waves, his body damaged heavily, bleeding afresh from new wounds. He was breathing hard, weariness setting in. Raditz floated upwards, crossing his arms. Beneath them, the water rushed beneath them, trying desperately to re assume its place in the vast ocean. The tyrant's face worked in visible frustration, his teeth gritting against each other, threatening to crack.
"NO!" Freeza bellowed, his voice rising, pitching, and emitting a powerful kiai which stopped Raditz in his tracks. The wind trembled, the space between them vibrated violently. Beneath the two, the ocean raged violently, unable to properly reassemble with the new pressure applied. Raditz raised his arms up to his face, guarding against the fierce winds, his golden eyes narrowed sharply. "I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE! YOU ARE A MONKEY — NO, YOU ARE THE MAGGOT ON THE PELT OF ALL MONKEYS! YOU ARE LESS THAN THEM AND TO HAVE YOU SHED MY BLOOD IS AN UNFORGIVABLE INSULT I CANNOT STAND!"
"Call me what you like, Freeza," replied Raditz sharply. "But you'll find even a maggot can burrow deep and cause the sort of damage that'll kill you!"
The tyrant's fists clenched at his sides, muscles flexing with the movement. Over his whole body, cracks, luminous and strange, began to spread, like a chrysalis ready to break. Raditz could feel it, and his stomach sunk faster than he into the ocean. "Prepare to die, mongrel!"
This was terrible. Truly a worse case scenario. Of all the possibilities that could transpire, this was the one Bulma wished didn't come to pass.
Freeza had found them out and was already doing battle with Raditz. Unlike the elder brother of her husband, the man chose to stand and fight, telling the others to flee the planet to get to safety. But did he mean it truly as an actual retreat, or only as a delaying tactic? How long could he hold him off, or could he actually have a chance of besting him. Truly, at the moment, her ocular implants that doubled as a Scouter was giving her a mighty migraine...and she couldn't tell if Freeza was at max power or had eons to go before he was at his peak.
"I don't even know why we're still talking about it!" Jaco squealed out in his nasally voice, turning around to look at Kuririn and Pan, the only ones who came back from the ground zero of engagement against the frosty tyrant. "Let's get your guy out of the tank, and hop into any ship that can fit us all to get the Hell out of here!"
"And if we leave Raditz to his fate, what then?" Tights rebuked, placing a hand on her hip and the other waving emphatically as she fixed daggers from her eyes at his unblinking yellow ovals. "How far can we actually go before Freeza finds us, and has his way with torturing us? There'd be no end, and no real way of escape."
"What part of 'Do not cross Freeza and his men' coming from high command of the Galactic Patrol do you not comprehend, Tights?!" Jaco yelled back, his gloved hand raised up in a fist as he gritted his nervously clacking teeth as tight as he could. "I've only stuck with you guys cause you dragged me here, against my will, and this is way beyond my pay grade. I may be a super elite, but even us patrollers can only do so much."
"Then leave, if that's what you really want-"
"You all should leave," Bulma intoned, softer than what was expected, cutting straight through the tension of the two friends that were arguing.
"But...uncle Raditz is in trouble," Pan weakly protested, still shook from fear of seeing Freeza firsthand and feeling his power. Though she spoke bravely, her mother looked down with a knowing gaze that pierced through her paper thin facade. "We can't just...just leave him!"
"I'm afraid we'd get in his way...but can't we do something?" Kuririn inquired, looking around at the two women, child and patrolman with his own brand of feverish helplessness. "I don't want to run with my tail between my legs; not after what happened with the Saiyans!"
"There's no shame from running from certain doom either," Jaco proclaimed, crossing his arms and standing straighter as he addressed the whole group. "Bulma, I've known you not as long as Tights, but you can see it, can't you? This whole situation is beyond normal means of completion. We're out of our depth here. I'm no elite fighter with strange powers. I'm just a space cop, and cops aren't soldiers. And it'd go against my conscience to leave this place without taking innocent bystanders with me."
"Gee, thanks for being considerate," Tights retorted sourly, her face twisting in anger and anguish as she crossed her own arms and looked away sullenly.
"He's right. You have to all go," Bulma said again, more stoically and with a much more assured face than the rest had. "I'll stay here, and wait for Son to come out of his pod. Once that's done, I'll find a safe place to wait for him to come out on top. I know him. Between him, those Saiyans and even Raditz, they'll pull through. You've all done enough and I want you all safe. Worse case scenario, I don't want you all to be put in jeopardy. You have people waiting at home, right?"
Kuririn had his mouth open but felt no words leave his mouth. Slowly closing his trap, he looked over at Tights who looked deeply conflicted. Jaco seemed to nod in understanding, his legs quivering at the notion of being a part of this any longer. And if they came to Earth, there was likely no one to protect it, not until the Dragon Balls were restored and Piccolo and the others returned from the Afterlife.
"I don't like doing this again, but...I don't want the Earth to be helpless in case this whole thing goes sideways," Kuririn reconciled, sighing heavily as he looked up at Bulma, giving her a reluctant smile. "Just make sure you don't do anything crazy. Gokū would be sad if something happened to you."
"I'll try my best," Bulma nodded, her expression shifting to one of pain as she looked to her sister. "And keep an eye on mom and dad, will you?"
"I will, if only you make sure Raditz comes back along with Son."
The words struck her like a hammer hitting an anvil. It didn't occur to her until just now how much her sibling valued the elder brother of her husband. She had always shown kindness, but she didn't think it was affection. But, in those familiar eyes, she could tell she was serious and she couldn't help but feel obliged to follow her request to the letter.
"I understand," The lavender haired woman nodded sagely. Looking to her daughter, she knelt down and placed her hands on her shoulders, "Pan, sweetie, you should go with them too-"
"I'm staying too!"
"Pan-"
"Mama, you were fine with me fightin' before, and I almost died. I want to make sure you and papa are safe too. Cause without Kuririn or Chi-Chi, who's going to keep you both safe until he gets better?"
Bulma was stunned. It was so jarring that she found herself laughing. Despite her being so young, she had concocted a perfectly valid argument for wanting to stay and she herself didn't know how she was going to manage if the fight was brought to the ship. She only had Capsule Corp gadgets and a few homebrewed weapons. What was that against antagonists capable of destroying worlds with a snap of their fingers?
"Alright, you'll stay," Bulma conceded, raising her finger as she looked sternly at her. "On the condition to listen to what I say. Understand?"
"YES!" Pan exclaimed, her tail swinging wildly behind her as she leaped in the air. "I'll listen! I'll be good!"
"Alright," She sighed, looking up to her sister. Taking a few steps towards her, she wrapped her arms around her, giving her a fierce hug that was returned just as much. "I'll see you soon."
"You bet you will," The blonde sniffled, separating as she wiped her eyes. "Or else I'd have a fierce talking to you with the Dragon Balls' help."
Chuckling weakly, she shook her head, "Of that, I have no doubt."
Lastly, she looked to Jaco, and gave him a look. It wasn't a harsh one, it wasn't even a critical one. While none of them could see exactly what Jaco saw, it was enough to straighten his stance and give her a curt, but understanding shake of the head.
"I'll get them out of here, no problem. I remember where I saw their ship land so it shouldn't be close to the battlefield," He neutrally declared.
Nodding, the woman watched as the three departed with resignation from the ship. Seeing them out of the main entrance, Kuririn grasped them both and launched into a swift as lightning flight in a single arcing bounce. As the twinkle disappeared into the horizon, and flashes of distant thuuming crashes of the raging battle continued, Pan reached up to grab her mother's hand.
To which Bulma adamantly squeezed it back.
"We're counting on you, Raditz," Bulma thought, her eyes still moist and her breathing shaky with emotion. "Don't let my sister down...no...don't let my family down by quitting now. Otherwise...I'll make you regret it...!"
Freeza's body mutated. Its form shattering the chrysalis of his own flesh to jut out shoulders, elongate his skull into something more ovular while spikes extended like crooked ribs turned horns. Hunching over, as the scarlet light ebbed its haunting rays, its energies rising upward till it all stabilized, a truly monstrous form had taken the place of the hulking giant devil. The emperor's face had his eyes sunken in, enlarged and the mouth remove nostrils and a jaw-line to replace it with a pair of skin flaps resembling a mouth that held a row of jagged teeth behind it.
Shorter, and more squat, the uncharacteristic features associating with the icy tyrant made all the Saiyans feel unnerved; and of the four that could sense his ki, Vegeta looked on with palpably widened eyes, sweating bullets as he hung in the middle of the air flanked by equally bewildered and frightened comrades.
All while Raditz froze in place, his own large burly form static while his yellow eyes was affixed to staring in morbid awe at what he was beholding.
"Ahhhhhh, there we are," Freeza sighed, his voice gaining a grated tone, and far less eloquent than his previous two states of being. Grinning with his alien-like mouth, he let out a chuckle at the expression held true on his opponent's face. "I take it that you can feel this power, hm? I must warn you, while I have never had the power level examined this form is far more deadly."
It happened in an instant. A streak of chitinous pink-purple-white streaked by and Raditz moved on automatic reaction timing. As his head turned, part of his mane didn't and a hole tore through his hair, with flecks of black dancing across his periphery; along with a fresh cut across his cheek by the searing beam of red light that was just fired.
"Very well done, Raditz. You dodged my first attack," The emperor of the known universe proclaimed with a deep timbre laugh, his raised index finger lighting up more gradually than before. "But for how long can you manage that?"
In an immediate reflex, the long-maned Saiyan's power erupted in a flare of orange. Swathing him like a thick flame, he jettisoned himself his position straight towards Freeza. Throwing his muscular arm forward, the oddly shaped entity deftly bent his upper body and caught his appendage with his lower three-pronged foot. Clenching his biceps, the evil alien swung his tail around to strike his waist, forcing his target to reach out to deflect it-
-leaving him open for a salvo of piercing kikōha by Freeza's extended forefingers.
"AGH!" The older brother of Gokū cried out in pain, his shoulders, chest and upper arms swathed in burns and cuts from the energy beams that sought to cut deeper into him than they were actually achieving. Grimacing, his eyes shrank and with bared teeth he let out a loud shout - focusing his voice to sail out and strike the fiend, sending him straight into the sea with a loud splash.
In the momentary respite, Nappa began to back away, his own face ebbing moisture as his body shook from fear of what he was witnessing. Just as he thought to turn to leave, a small but powerful hand gripped his gauntlet, and he turned to see Vegeta stonily glaring ahead without even batting an eye his way.
"V-Vegeta-" He let out a hoarse whisper. "-we should leave...now while we have the chance-!"
"And go where, Nappa?" Vegeta inquired quietly, bringing Nappa with the startling realization that he explained aloud. "No. We cast our lot the moment Freeza found us. Do or die, it will be our turn once the traitor is felled. Don't make me waste energy by ensuring you don't attempt this escape before I must assume my destiny."
Swallowing a lump down his throat, he briefly turned to look at Aspara, noticing how she herself was shakily breathing. She couldn't even look at them, just staring with terror and bewilderment as a streak of purplish-white erupted from the water and rammed into Raditz's face with the force of a magnetically propelled battering ram of Arlok V. But even with the popping blast that shattered Namek's atmosphere, blood spewing from his jaw as he bit on his own tongue, it didn't stop him from throwing his forehead out like a flail to crash into the galactic oppressor's cross-armed guard - sending him flying backwards with a loud gong.
Pulling both arms back, Raditz charged two crackling orbs of rosy light and thrust them out with a guttural howl, unleashing his signature move as a pair of beams that merged into one enormous blast of pinkish luminescence.
To everyone's shock and horror, they'd see an amethyst-white form spiraled around the beam, swiftly blitzing up with a salmon-ribbed tail lassoing up around Raditz's neck and yanking him out of the sky. Twisting around in a twister of hyper-speed, creating a hurricane wind that forced the Saiyan spectators to shield their eyes with their arms, ending with a violent throw that slammed Raditz straight through an island body; and deep into the surrounding oceans of Namek.
"H-He's flying circles around him!" Nappa croaked out, still in disbelief this was the same being who was being punted around like some ball related sport object. "Raditz hits him good, but he's not fast enough!"
"I can see that, Nappa, I'm not blind!"
"B-But what are we waiting for?!" He yelled out, looking to the prince and then back at Freeza. "If we're not runnin' shouldn't we try to take him by-"
"-surprise?"
For a split second, all felt their hearts stop for a second. Looking ahead, they saw Freeza looking straight at them - a looming presence overwhelming them as his eyes stared from what should've been a quarter mile away but felt as if he was straight only inches apart from their sweating visages.
"As if catching me off guard would give you an ounce of hope. By all means, do try," Their former superior spoke, a hideous grin breaching across his arched lips, baring fangs as he growled lowly. "I do enjoy dashing the hopes of ants."
Backing away, Aspara and Nappa floated backwards while Vegeta remained stubbornly rooted in his spot in the sky. But he didn't move an inch forward. His hands clenching with frustration, veins throbbing along his forehead and teeth baring with eyes glaring ahead. Moving now would be death, but retreat would be death. It was all the same in his mind.
But, the silent stewing of the prince just amused Freeza, causing him to chuckle as he turned to address the unseen form of Raditz that he sent crashing violently into the now shattered remnants of the massive island now ocean filled mass.
"I am impressed by your endurance. Despite me clearly having the advantage in speed and maneuverability, your strength and resilience is impressive. Allow me to show you the courtesy of not allowing you to get back up."
Raising his fingers, he postured his hands as if they were sidearms held aloft. Pale digits glowed along the two pairs of index digits; and then unleashed in a storm of piercing beams that showered the crumbled earth and water like meteorites. A nasally cackle was heard shredding the heavens, his mouth hung open and eyes wide with glee as he began to cut loose, causing the sea to buck outward, outer isles crumbling under the pressure and the sea lapsing over them.
The flashes of scarlet painted the skyline, overshadowing the look of fear and terror on Vegeta's subordinates. The prince himself gripped his gloves tightly, watching Freeza continue to unleash a devastating salvo. Believing that Raditz would be drilled full of holes he began to pull his hands back behind his right hip, a subtle ignition of energy as he prepared a blast to strike the tyrant in his flank being revved.
Thuum-Thuum!
As Freeza continued to firing kikōha, Vegeta felt something stir within Namek's boiling seas.
Thuum-Thuum-Thuum!
"No...!" Vegeta choked out, disengaging his energy and looking straight at the site of ground zero. "He's...not dead...?!"
And before Nappa could question what he meant, a powerful kiai split the piercing waves of Freeza's relentless attacks. Like that of a monster of tales from legend, a silhouette emerged upwards from the waves, deflecting the barrage of energy sent by the galactic emperor, a vibrant orange halo of light brimming from flesh that throbbed of veins and muscles flexing outward. Eyes brimmed with a pair of golden rings, with vessels pulsing along his face as his hair whipped around like a chaotic flag of mane. With teeth bared, grinding molars against each other and tail erect with fur, Raditz bent his neck back and let out a feral howl.
His scream tore a torrential vortex that was even greater than the twister that Freeza had manifested mere minutes ago. His energy skyrocketed, and while Freeza could see that he was yelling in outrage, the prince looked down with a sudden dawning of what was transpiring.
"T-That...is not Super Saiyan," Vegeta declared, blinking with fear painted on his face. "That's...the primal force of a Giant Monkey!"
"An Giant Monkey?! But how?!" Nappa bellowed with trepidation and uncertainty. "There's no moon out! And I didn't see him use those damn contacts from last time either!"
"Its a rarity, something only a handful of Saiyans could manage. But what we see now is his feral instincts running wild, and his power is getting higher and higher!"
"What does that mean?!" Aspara croaked, finally speaking for the first time since the transformation of Freeza began.
With eyes fixed on Raditz, Vegeta watched him evaporate from his position and appear in front of Freeza - grasping him by his obtuse face and unleashing a massive scarlet kikōha that overwhelmed his whole angular body at once.
"If Raditz ends up beating Freeza...this world might be next!"
A/N:
LastationLover5000: Oh boy was this a fun chapter to write. Without any hesitation in saying it, my co-author and I are exactly where we want to be in this arc and it is feeling great. With Gokū out of the picture right now, an Raditz's big brain move of nuking Polunga, it's up to Raditz to take a stand...but not before Freeza erases Tullece and Chi-Chi off the face of the planet! So I've been having issues with writing fight scenes, but in this chapter, I didn't have that problem! Raditz vs. Freeza was an absolute tonne of fun to write, and while my co-author took over in the second half, it became even better! As many of you figured out, Raditz is indeed using the Wrath form. Bet that still took some of you by surprise! I'm starting to think I have a thing for writing battles over the ocean; it's an easy way to avoid planetary annihilation, and it makes for cool scenes. The scene with Tights, Jaco, Bulma, Kuririn, and Pan was the best! And yes, Kuririn is ACTUALLY LEAVING THE PLANET. There's a curveball! Anyway, the chapter ends on a fantastic note, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter we'll have coming up later this month!
Demod20: And there it is! Saiyan Wrath Raditz! After a touching farewell scene of Bulma and Pan to Tights, Jaco and Kuririn. Yes, Kuririn isn't *dying* this Arc. Who would've seen that coming? But to the main attraction, Freeza's 3rd Form is outclassing Raditz in the speed category. Despite coming up with good counters, he ends up taking damage and as my co-author had alluded, he goes berserk and is going to unleash on Freeza and potentially others amidst his rampage. Loved writing Freeza here, showing that he still has that immense sense of dread with every line thrown the way of our protagonists; like as bad as Vegeta and his Saiyan cohorts are, this man *revels* being evil and knows how to use it against everyone else. Looking forward to the follow-up chapter to this one in the near future! ^^