Hello everyone! This has been pretty fun so far. But now we are getting into some serious stuff. I want to thank any and everyone who has read the story and reviewed, liked and favorited. It really means a lot that people will take the time to read something that is totally from a fictional stand point. Rather you like canon or non canon. SSJ 4 or SSJ Blue, you guys are going to get what you want, and so will I. This is the chapter that has been in my head for a good number of years, since before I began writing this story. As you can see by the chapter title, I want to thank Herodan3 for being an inspiration to come out with this story. If anyone can get in contact with those guys, hey I won't complain! Lol
It appears that Shepard has arrived just in the nick of time to save Gohan and Piccolo. His confidence is oozing, but why? What has Tien and Chiaotzu's training done for him? Find out on this chapter of Dragon Ball: BtG!
Reviews
savitarsurffer: Thank you for your review. I'm glad you like this story! I hope you're gonna continue to like it after this chapter as well.
Drunken Hamster: Thank you for your review man. And yesssss you know I had to make Gohan a beast. Fighter Gohan is Best Gohan(thumbs up)! And yeah maybe I shouldn't have put 3 digits on the scouter for Raditz to see. Also, you must remember that Goku has already mentioned the Dragon Balls. He believed that his Master had been killed for a second time. He's still not the very brightest but he'll learn as time goes on. Raditz is very much injured and damaged in this chapter. And Shepard could offer redemption...but he's a saiyan now. Come on man you know he's a man with senzus lmaoooooo most of us wouldn't agree with Shepard's reasoning. He could kill Raditz, yes. But why? Why not try to give him a chance? You'll find out the deeper reasoning in this chapter. You'll also see the power levels at the end of the chapter. I hope you enjoy this fight and maybe you'll catch the God Of War significance (if you've played the latest one, you'll see it!)!Until next time my friend.
Age: November 2, 761
Location: Spinach Wastes Outskirts
He had been hanging in the now cratered rock for several minutes, the weapon that had struck him in the right side of his face still implanting him in the rock, his back in agony against it. Pushing it off did nothing, the blast he had created and tried to punch the weapon with seemed to dissolve into it, no explosion of any kind, no sound.
Raditz was delirious, confused, and couldn't make heads or tails of what had happened. He ripped the Namekian's arm clean off, and then a power level came onto his scouter. He had barely had a chance to look at it when he was struck. Unable to control his momentum, the weapon had obliterated thick tree branches, pushing him through several different boulders before the momentum finally slowed down. He had considered trying to blast the rock behind him, but he wasn't sure if this... whatever this was would continue to carry him further.
'Come to think of it, that power level was the first one to pop up on my Scouter! I need to get out of this.' Pushing on the weapon once more, Raditz realized it just wouldn't budge. Whoever hit him with this weapon would pay. Dearly.
"Nt-"
"Runt?"
"Hey if ya don't pick up, I'll start singing saiyan nursery rhymes."
"SLEEP LITTLE WARRIOR, SL-"!
"Uc Ff Appa, stk, m stck!" Raditz's muffled, smushed face couldn't make out any clear words, so he was stuck listening to Nappa sing an old saiyan nursery rhyme he had not heard since his mother's beautiful voice would often sing him to sleep when he was very young. He longed to hear Gine's voice again. But from what he remembered, she was on a distant planet, looking after many other saiyan youths. An Elder, as his father had put it in the recording. Grabbing the handle of the weapon, Raditz attempted to pull it off once again. The handle was long, ridged and metallic, easily a 2 handed optional weapon. Pulling to no avail, his hands dropped to the side. He was going to find a way to kill his Elite comrade.
"The Saiyan cometh, Oozaru unbound, fighting until, glory is found! Rivers of Blood, quenching our thirst, be known to hunger, born to be first!"
"UCC OFF NPPA!" Raditz screamed, a combination of pain and pure annoyance. But Nappa ignored him, continuing to sing in his gravely voice. Raditz was about to scream again when the pressure from the weapon disappeared. He fell to the ground unceremoniously on his hands and knees, disoriented to all who could see. Finally catching a glimpse of the weapon that struck him, he was stunned silent. It was that weapon. A weapon he had not seen since he and Vegeta were small children. Burning with anger, when he saw the man who the Hammer had flown too, easing into the perpetrator's outstretched hands, his jaw about hit the floor. The clothing was different. The man wore some kind of martial arts uniform, similar to his brothers but instead of the tangerine color, this was red, with a black undershirt wrapped in a red sash that hung just above his knee, and some kind of black gym shoes. He was wearing some kind of vest over this attire. It was the same man! He could see it in his eyes. Saiyans could see each other for what they were! This was the man who had knocked Nappa out cold and burned his hair off! He remembered the saiyan had left them a couple of very good meals behind. Whatever they were, they had filled them up thoroughly. Raditz couldn't think of a time where he had been that full! But nonetheless, he knew he was in for it now, but then the weirdest thing happened. He saw the saiyan's tail swishing out behind him. However, his observations came to a halt when the man spoke...
Shepard had been walking through the Wastes, on the outskirts heading toward a forest unlike the one that had been burned to ash. He could sense the planet trader up ahead, struggling fruitlessly. He never imagined this moment could happen, but he was in the thick of it now!
'Dbz is finally happening and I've already lost Yamcha and Goku. This is not a good start! This son of a bitch better play ball.'
"Surely you know that he is a hardheaded saiyan. He's not going to do whatever you want just because you demand it." Marc pointed out
"Yeah. True that. But let's say that Vegeta would ditch him? It could work to our advantage." Shepard replied internally. Marc had went silent after that, indicating agreement.
Several hundred feet into the forest, he found his adversary, and couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. Raditz had been smashed into a massive boulder, the BanHammer handle sticking out. Hearing what sounded like muffled screaming, he held his hand out, calling the weapon to him. Fitting like a glove in his hand, he put it over his shoulder, watching the Saiyan crumble to the ground in amusement. Raditz looked at him with pure hate for a moment before shock plastered his face, his mouth wide open. Shepard's tail unconsciously slipped from around his waist, anticipating the fight that was going to occur. Deciding he had grandstanded enough, Shepard pointed the Hammer at Raditz.
"Get the fuck up Raditz, you look like haggard shit." Shepard's voice carried over. It sounded different to Raditz. Less cultured, younger. The planet trader was sorely confused.
"W-who are you? When d-did you get here?"
"My name isn't really important, just know that I'm here to beat the ever loving dog shit outta you."
Raditz immediately was on guard. Their scouters had detected that stranger's power level at 2,300 so long ago, but he had knocked Nappa out effortlessly, which made Vegeta believe that the saiyan was somehow tricking the scouters. The device on his ear blinked. Looking at it, it just couldn't be right. 'His power right now is 1,368, not the 2,300 from before! What is going on here?'
"Y-you may be stronger then Kakarot or that slug, but you're still no where near my level." Confidently, despite being in pain, Raditz started walking to the saiyan stranger, his fear ebbing away. "Besides, you hit me in the face with that blasted Hammer! You will be the one tasting my boots!" Getting within 15 feet of his adversary, Raditz stood tall. The stranger was not as tall as he was, or as burly, but the air of confidence did not waver from him.
"Raditz, come in on this channel! Low class, you better have a situational report for me or else."
The voice on the other end, Shepard clearly recognizing Vegeta's voice, was clear and concise, and he felt like ruining the Prince's day.
"Fuck off! You little Worm! I'm talking to Raditz, you can wait your turn." Raditz looked at him like he had grown a 2nd head. Looking between his scouter and his adversary, he hesitated to do anything.
"Who. In The Hell. Do. You. Think. You Are?" Vegeta said through the scouter, slowly and clearly angered.
"I'm the guy that will beat your face to paste, turn you upside down and use your paint brush head and paint the battlefield with your blood if you even think of coming here." Shepard said, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. Even with the BanHammer, he highly doubted he could take the Prince on at this moment, but he wasn't here, so Shepard had a plan.
"THAT IS OUR PRINCE YOU FOOL! WHO ARE YOU TO-"
"That's enough Raditz. You've gained my attention, and for that, I will make sure your planet suffers greatly for it, you have one year to enjoy all that comes on that mud ball hahahahaha."
"Vegeta wait!" Raditz was trying to calm his Prince down, knowing that he would be incensed at this saiyan's words. "He-he has the weapon!"
"Like I care about that trivial weapon. It is clear to me that this filth has not been taken care of. Even if he has that stupid weapon, it makes him even less of a Saiyan to have to rely on it. What do you have to say to that, low class trash?
"I'd say your Mom can come get some of this, I got plenty of candy for you homeboy." Shepard said without hesitation. He couldn't believe he was talking to THE Prince Vegeta! It was surreal! But he knew not to play nice. Vegeta wouldn't show any remorse, and if he can get Vegeta angry enough to potentially make mistakes, all the better!
"Candy? CANDY? Who the hell cares about sweets on a battlefield? And for speaking of my mother, you better survive. I want you all to myself when I see you. I will enjoy ripping you apart! What is your name?"
Shepard debated internally with his alternate. His name really hasn't been spoken that much in the known universe, but he didn't know what his older self had done yet. He didn't want a multi billion zenny bounty on his head!
"It can't hurt Shep, Vegeta's coming anyway. And even if we somehow don't get the training we will need in the next year, the BanHammer is more then up to the task of bleeding Vegeta's energy dry." Marc pointed out. 'Ehh, to hell with it.'
"The name is Shepard. And I'm a saiyan just like you three bumbling fucks! I hope you have that name crawling in your head over the next year Wormy." Walking up to Raditz, fearless, Shepard grabbed the scouter off of the completely still Saiyan, the formerly armored saiyan too stunned to say anything else or even try to take it back.
"And just a 4-1-1 dipshit, a lot can change in a year, so you better button up your big boy pants, starch those lily white gloves of yours, comb out that pointy hair, cuz you're in for a war when you get here. I'm gonna plant your ass in the fucking ground, you little Vegetable!" Shepard said, hoping to sweeten the pot and get the Prince's Saiyan blood boiling.
"Hmph. Shepard? That's not even a saiyan name. Talk all you want. It means nothing to me! It will surely not matter once we arrive. YOU AND EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT WILL DIE WHEN I DESTROY THAT BACKWATER TRASH!" Vegeta screamed, cutting off the communications.
Tossing the scouter back, Raditz fumbled with it before placing it on his ear once again.
"Y-you idiot! I hope you have all your affairs in order. I have been merciful enough, but the Prince is relentless, remorseless, and he will hunt you down for saying those words." Raditz said, surprised that Shepard turned his back on him walking away!
"I'm counting on it." Shepard called back, walking out to the Wastes outside the forest. Raditz followed as quickly as he could, still hampered by his previous injuries. He couldn't make heads or tails or what just happened between Vegeta and Shepard, but he knew his Prince was pissed. It didn't take much to push him, but Shepard seemed to know exactly what to say to dig at Vegeta hard, enough that the original plan that he had overheard earlier on the scouter seemed to blow away in the wind.
"Besides, when he comes here, he'll be disappointed that the Dragon Balls have been already used. And yes, I know you know of them." Getting out into the clearing, Shepard looked around, looking for a decent location away from where the previous battle had taken place. He could still sense Gohan and Piccolo in the area, but they had thankfully moved further away. He could also still tell that Gohan was unconscious, but that was ok. The boy didn't need to see what was about to happen.
"So what if I do? Perhaps I'll procure them for Vegeta, and get back in his good graces that way." Raditz wishfully said. Turning back and facing the planet trader, Shepard wanted to laugh at the hopeful thought that Raditz had, but he held off. It would not do good to laugh in the saiyan's face when he was just trying to find a way out.
"Yeah you think that." Shepard said stonily. "Can you fly or not?" Shepard was ready to fight, but he needed to get away from the others.
"You dare ask me, a saiyan warrior, if I can or cannot fly? Hmph." Floating off the ground, Shepard flew away, with Raditz following at a slower pace. They were going to an empty battlefield. It looked somewhat similar to where Goku and Vegeta would fight for the first time, but there was shrubs of greenery littering the place.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing Shepard? We can beat Raditz as he is."
"I'm sure. We need to get Raditz on our side, but he won't go willingly. His honor has been tarnished. It's time to see if he can get it back." Shepard said to his alternate.
They were only about 5 miles away from where Raditz fought Piccolo and Goku, which was good enough. Landing first, Shepard took the BanHammer, placing it on the ground. Looking back, he watched the other Saiyan land.
"When did you get here? What planet were you originally sent to?" Raditz asked, looking to get information. He wasn't so sure anymore that he was dealing with the same saiyan that was on the planet him and the others were conquering that day. He'd long since forgot the name of the planet, but he never forgot that he was so very close to death that day the stranger had come. He had sent the alien that he pulled away from Raditz to a long distant planet. Nappa, when he had awoken and they were done with their mission, had gone to the fringes of the planet looking for any kind of pod residue with the scanners, but they unfortunately came back clean. Whoever it was had long disappeared. And when Nappa found out about his hair? He had boiled to an inferno of rage for weeks! The next planet they had went to had felt his wrath...
"None of your business. Now I'm just gonna come out and say it. I think you're a piece of shit. A long haired Runt of a rat that is barely worth the dirt below my shoes. But I'm gonna cut you a break. I can kill you, here and now, or you can fight for your life, for your honor. What will it be?" Shepard took on a dead serious air, not playing games anymore. He would kill Raditz if he chose wrongly, but he knew Raditz tended to like to...preserve his life.
"Y-you dare talk to me that way?" Initially pissed, Raditz wanted to grab Shepard and drive his head into the dirt! But when he thought about it for a few moments, Shepard had a point. His honor and pride had been tarnished when he ran away from his nephew. If he died as he was, Bardock would most certainly be livid at the thought of one of his kids being frightened by a child. How could he ever hope to reunite with his comrades when he had performed in such a way?
Still waiting for an answer, Shepard went ahead with his plan. Pulling out the last senzu bean, he tossed it to the long haired saiyan, who caught it with a confusing glance.
"If you want a fight worth dying for, take it. Otherwise, enjoy the afterlife." Shepard said. Raditz pondered the words, putting the... legume between his index and thumb, he held it up, looking in interest. Could this thing really give him a fighting chance?
"It's called a senzu bean. It acts much like your medical pods out in space. But it also helps hunger. Let's see what you're really fucking made of." Shepard said. After what his older self had told him, he had to know where he stood! This version of Raditz was stronger, sure. But that didn't exclude the fact that he was also stronger then his older self had been at the time.
"Hm hm hm hm hm, you realize if what you're saying is true, that if I do take this, there will be no stopping me from tearing you apart? You're just as much of an idiot as Kakarot was." Ingesting the bean, Raditz had expected nothing to happen, chewing down on it and swallowing it. It tasted rather bland to him, but a few seconds later, he noticed his back wasn't in pain anymore.
'It feels like I'm...recovered?' Raditz thought, still unbelieving of the fact that a simple legume could have such healing properties. And he felt full, for the first time in a long time. Frieza had deliberately cut the saiyans rations in half, knowing that saiyans would eat what they could, when and where and how they could, it would never be quite like the sustenance they could have gotten at the bases. But this bean thing? He couldn't believe it!
"W-w-where did yo-you get something like that?" How can this pathetic excuse of a planet have something so valuable? It's better then the medical machines! TELL ME!" Raditz yelled the last bit, feeling like he had never fought today, but stronger then he had felt in years.
"For me to know, for you to ponder. This planet offers a lot more then beautiful scenery, if you let it. Your brother has had a great life on this planet. Your father gave up everything so that you could live. So that he could live. So that your mother, could live. You dishonor Bardock's name, and his legacy by doing this. What would Gine say?"
"H-h-how do you know that name?" Raditz was shocked. How did this random saiyan know his mother? "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?" Raditz yelled, impatiently waiting for an answer.
"Again. For me to know, for you to ponder. Hm hm hm you're a sorry excuse for a warrior. You're nothing but a simple soldier. A hammer, ironically. Even if I wanted to tell you anything, I would wager that you're a one ear in an out the other kinda guy."
"Y-you dare continue to insult me? I am stronger then ever before!" Raditz said, confident in his newfound strength.
"We'll see about that. Cuz even if you are stronger, this lovely, beautiful Hammer right here won't let you get away with terrorizing the planet any longer. The only reason why you have any of your energy now is because I commanded the BanHammer not to take it." Shepard implied, saying the last few words slowly, throwing Raditz off again. He began taking the straps off of his Vest that he'd been wearing for nearly 2 months now. The only time he took it off was in the shower, the dinner table and the bedroom. 'Don't wanna break any furniture. Tights will choke me out like Homer does Bart!' Chuckling to himself, he felt the weight slide off of him, hitting the ground and cratering with a THUNK.
'2214? How did a simple vest lock away that much power?' Looking at his scouter, Raditz was on guard immediately. Continuing to watch his fellow saiyan, Raditz saw that Shepard removed his undershirt, and wristbands as well.
"2441?" Raditz questioningly asked, wondering if Shepard was holding any more back. His answer was the fellow saiyan bouncing on his feet, working out his arms and cracking his neck. "Man I haven't felt this good in a long while. That's everything! You ready for this asswhoopin?" Shepard had not been this excited since March, when he fought Goku, Piccolo and Yamcha. 'This is gonna be so, so sweet!' He thought to himself.
"This fight is for keeps Shep. Get serious! Raditz is stronger then he was before."
"Yeah but we're about even now, should be a good fight." Shepard said aloud, but not loud enough for Raditz to hear. Speaking of the long haired saiyan, who was actively cracking his knuckles and looking at Shepard with pure hate, a feral snarl on his face. This one he could tell however was not going to be nearly as easy as the previous fight.
Cue: Alan Walker- Spectre (The Original! On repeat ;))
"YOU WILL DIE TODAY! YAHHHHHHH!" Raditz ran forward as fast as he could. Shepard ran to meet the charge. They clashed in the middle, rocks blowing away as their white auras fought for dominance, their forearms clashed and fighting to push back the other. Neither budged, Raditz pushing as hard as he could. Shepard, refusing to back down, quickly adapted, grabbing Raditz's arm and throwing him over his shoulder, using the furious saiyan's own momentum to slam him hard into the ground. Throwing a soccer kick, it was blocked as Raditz used his energy to fly back quickly, Shepard on the chase. Righting himself, Raditz threw a quick right jab, which Shepard used his forearm to block, gritting his teeth. Quickly grabbing Shepard's shoulders, Raditz slammed his knee into his gut. Spit flew out of Shepard's mouth as he grunted through the pain, quickly bringing his head up. Raditz dodged it, but not the following kick that twisted into his chest, making him slide back. It hurt, but Raditz could handle this. Pretending to rub the dirt off his chest away, Raditz was amused.
"Hahahahahahahaha is that all you have? And here I thought you were actually worth my time." Raditz was enjoying this. An opponent of a similar level, a saiyan no less. He had not had a true test of his abilities in quite a long time. His smile vanished when Shepard charged in, fast, almost too fast for Raditz to catch the fist that ripped into his palm. Throwing a fist in return, Shepard caught it.
"It...doesn't matter how...much I have...we're...just...getting STARTED!" Shepard pushed Raditz back, screaming as he did so. It took everything to move the bigger saiyan back. 10 feet of this was enough to make Raditz scream in frustration, turning his body and slamming Shepard into the nearby boulder.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER? OH BUT IT DOES!" Pushing Shepard through the boulder, he slammed his foe through another, anger coming out of his pores as he did this. Throwing Shepard through a tree, he fell hard into the ground. Raditz ran hard at his foe, charging a blue energy ball in his hand.
"TRY AND SURVIVE THIS!" Hearing those words, Shepard, having pushed to his feet quickly, flew out of the way, an explosion tearing into his peripheral vision. Turning and sliding back to the ground, he watched as Raditz threw another, Shepard opened his own hand, squeezing and condensing a blue ball of energy of his own. He had been working on this technique since he had left Tien and Chiaotzu. With their help and learning and understanding of meditation, he had devised an energy blast of his own.
"PEREGRINE BULLET!" The smaller, heavier ball of energy collided with the other, blowing through it and heading for Raditz.
"WHAT?" Dodging to the side, he could barely react as the ball exploded behind him. Doing his best to ignore it, Raditz flew towards Shepard, who flew straight into the air. Raditz followed, and the two began a ferocious series of punches and kicks. They were moving so fast that they were disappearing and reappearing in various places. Raditz had a slight strength advantage, but Shepard was cunning. Parrying one of Raditz's punches, Shepard dug his elbow into the other saiyans chest, turning and throwing a corkscrew kick, it connected to Raditz's side, sending him hurtling towards the ground heaving spit. However, seeing the ground at the last second, he turned and landed on his knees and arms. Looking up, Raditz saw green balls of energy coming at him. Not moving, he conjured his own blue energy balls, hurling them straight up at his adversary. The explosions in the sky would have been mistaken as massive fireworks from a distance away. Shepard, seeing that Raditz was out throwing him, abandoned the strategy. Dodging and diving out of the way of several of them, Shepard caught one of Raditz's, encasing it with his own energy. Landing on the ground only a handful of feet away, Shepard fired it. Raditz, barely having time to anticipate this unseen tactic, threw his arms up...
Piccolo had been flying away, Gohan in hand. He couldn't believe Shepard was this powerful! He was on an even par with Raditz, where he himself was not. It angered him, more then he would like to admit. He needed to see this through! But Gohan was vulnerable in the condition he was in. Piccolo wasn't sure where to put the boy, but it had to be somewhere safe. A distant explosion in the distance had signaled that the fight had started. The energy coming off of the fight was tremendous, and it was only getting more intense.
Making up his mind, Piccolo found a massive outcrop. Having somewhat recovered his energy and growing his arm back while he flew away, the namekian blew up a small portion of the formation. Clearing it out as quickly as he could, Piccolo observed the low ceiling. He did not give the boy the senzu bean yet because he didn't want Gohan following him. His student was too stubborn for his own good. 'Too much like his father. It's sickening. Always wanting to throw your life into the fight. Why didn't you get out of the way Goku? Dammit WHY? How do I explain what I had to do to a 4 year old child?'
Piccolo had been wracking his brain. He did NOT want to be the one to tell the boy's mother about what happened today. And the threat was still not over yet! Clearing out enough of the debris, Piccolo felt the walls, making sure that there wouldn't be any cave ins. Satisfied with his inspection, Piccolo picked the boy up, laying him gingerly in the hole. Covering up enough of the entrance so Gohan had more then enough room to breathe, Piccolo stepped back, observing his quick work. It was shotty, but it should hold, providing the fight doesn't reach this way. He had to be quite a few miles away now at least!
"I'm sorry about your father Gohan. I really am. Sure. Maybe I wanted to kill Goku. But I also recognized his abilities, and respected him for his grit through combat. I didn't want to kill him like this. Through a fair and honest fight. That's all I wanted kid. I hope you'll forgive me someday." Piccolo turned around, looking in the distance, working really hard to not focus on the fight happening a short distance away.
"KAMI? Can you hear me?"
"I can always hear you Piccolo. I can see what is happening down there. I am proud you saved the boy. He will surely be traumatized because of these events. I hope you will intend to get him back to his mother."
"Yeah. No. About that. I need a favor old man. And you better come through."
"Piccolo I will not be bullied into looking after the boy. And/or training him. Take him home to his mother. That, is the least you can do."
Kami was being outrageous! Piccolo was very tempted to just cut the communication with his counterpart. But he tried again.
"Please. Kami. I am asking for a simple favor. I need you to keep an eye on the boy. I need to go back and see what happens between Shepard and Raditz. If Gohan is in danger, I will need to know about it. I will come back and retrieve him after the fight is over, assuming Shepard can pull it off." Piccolo could tell that Kami was thinking it over, actually being serious with the younger namekian.
"Ok, Piccolo. I will do as you ask. But I must be frank. Shepard is more then holding his own against that planet ravager. Training with Tien and Chiaotzu has done him wonders. I suggest that it is in your...our... best interest if you stay out of the fight. They are both beyond what you're capable of at this current time."
"You think I don't know that? Watch what you say old man. I may not be the demon king, but I will not be disrespected!"
"I'm just. Saying. That is all. Get there as soon as you can, but please. Just be careful. Gohan will be safe, you have my word."
"Yeah we'll see just how much your word is worth. If he's gone when I get back, I'll be coming after you!"
Snapping off the link with Kami, Piccolo sighed in frustration. Ever after their small...chat over a year ago, there were still many bridges to cross when it concerned the 2. But he got Kami's word, so that would have to suffice. Taking off, he headed back towards the colossal fight...
"You know, I'm starting to like this fight. Let's take it up a notch, shall we?" Shepard heard Raditz through the smoke, before the mad saiyan blitzed through, slamming into Shepard, sending them both through trees. Impacting the ground, the warriors both got up at the same time, smirking at each other, before meeting and clashing once again, the impacts vibrating the ground, lifting small pebbles and rocks as their fists collided. Shepard's fist then collided with his opponents jaw, pushing him back a couple feet, followed by a kick to the chest, making Raditz spit out phlegm. Palming the long haired saiyan in the face, Raditz smashed into the ground, throwing up rocks out of the crater his body made
"D-D-damn you!" Getting up quickly, Raditz phased away, reappearing behind Shepard, trying to knee him in the back. But Shepard was ready, blocking the knee with one hand, the other under his leg. Tripping Raditz's leg from under him, Shepard didn't even let the saiyan touch the ground, beginning to swing him.
"YAAA YAAAAA YAAAAAHAAAA!" Launching Raditz into a massive boulder, the saiyan hit it hard, cracking it and falling on the ground. Trying to get up, Raditz's head was nearly taken off, Shepard having soccer kicked it into the boulder, cracking it further. Shepard then picked Raditz up by his shoulders, slamming the bigger saiyan's head into the boulder twice more, then punched him in the stomach, followed by a left punch, a right, then 3 heavy shots to the stomach again, followed by a vicious left uppercut to the chin. Pivoting, Shepard turned, pushing his hands out, a kiai erupting from them and sending the wobbled Raditz through the smashed boulder and into the ground for a few hundred feet.
Getting up slowly, Raditz was recovering his senses. Still on his knees, he spat out a wad of blood. Him? Bled by an opponent weaker then him? This was unacceptable! His senses having cleared up, Raditz's blood began to boil, angrier then when that human dared attacked him earlier.
"To think, that I would bleed on this pathetic planet! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS!"
"Then stand for THIS!" Shepard phased in, slamming a right knee into his foe's chin, standing him up. Sending the planet trader back, Shepard front kicked him hard in the chest, sending Raditz back across the ground, tearing it up. Throwing a right hand, Shepard was dismayed when Raditz afterimaged. Looking up, he brought his hands up, cross guard as Raditz brought his hands down. Pushing them both to the ground, Raditz landed on top. Starting to pummel Shepard, Raditz took great joy in beating on the saiyan. Shepard had his guard up, most of the damage going to his arms. However some was getting through, which prompted Shepard to fire an energy wave, pushing Raditz off of him. But Raditz tanked it, flying back down, fist first. Shepard flipped back on his hands and pushed away, seeing Raditz hit the ground. Walking through the dust, Raditz had a sinister smile on his face.
"Yes. YES! This is what I am talking about! Finally a fight truly worth my time! But before we continue, I will ask one. More. Time. How in the hell do you know of Gine?" Raditz asked, eyes focused fiercely on his opponent.
"Dude he's pissed. Maybe you should throw him a bone." Marc said internally.
"Shut up. He's already directly responsible for Yamcha and Goku. Fuck him!" Shepard replied angrily.
"Aren't we trying to potentially have him as an ally? Isn't it worth giving him a small piece of information?"
In the span of a few moments, this conversation had taken place in Shepard's head as he stared down Raditz.
"You'll have to beat that answer outta me. Last I checked, your face is uglier then mine right now. So COME ON!" They charged each other, attacking with an ferocity not recently seen on this planet. Punching Shepard in the face, Raditz charged after his foe, slamming another fist into the young Rogue's face, sending him away yet again. Charging a blast, Raditz threw it. Impacting, it hit Shepard in the back, singing his shirt and leaving small burns on his back. Chasing after the smoky trail that was Shepard, Raditz came in fast, kicking the man hard in the stomach, making Shepard cough up blood. Turning at the last moment, Shepard landed on the ground, sliding back and trailing a line of dirt. Looking to his left, he sensed Raditz phased in, throwing a haymaker right. Putting his left up to block, he was pushed back regardless. Forced into a boulder, Shepard ducked a left that Raditz threw, then before the planet trader could throw another punch, he jumped over Raditz, grabbing his hair as he somersaulted over him. Continuing his landing, he lifted Raditz, tossing him by his hair into another boulder.
"OWWWWW! Y-YOU DARE USE MY HAIR AS A WEAPON? YOU DIE NOWWWWWWW!" Pushing off of the cratered boulder, Raditz came in flying hard, frothing at the mouth. Moving his head, the killing punch missed Shepard by less then an inch. Deciding to take a technique out of Tien and Chiaotzu's book, Shepard grabbed the arm with one hand, punching the elbow joint with his other. Moving back holding his nearly limp elbow, Raditz was enraged, screaming In sheer agony and rage. Charging in hard, he tackled Shepard, going through another boulder. Before Shepard could put any kind of guard up, Raditz was attacking relentlessly. Slamming his hand into Shepard's face. The hammer fists were busting his face up. A cut opened up on his lip, as well as above his eye. After the 8th fist, Shepard got desperate. Holding his hand straight up, he made a blue ki blade, which Raditz could not stop his hand from impacting in time, watching as the blade slid through his already damaged left fist.
"YAAAAAOOOOOOWWWW!" Falling back wildly and holding his hand, Raditz looked at his uncontrollably shaking hand, trying to will himself to fight through the agony. The blade had slide through his hand completely, leaving a hole he could see through.
COUGH COUGH COUGH
Shepard was slowly recovering. That last assault from Raditz had really fucked him up. Getting up on his elbows, he looked at the planet trader, who was still wallowing in pain holding his hand. Spitting out a tooth, Shepard couldn't help but chuckle...
Piccolo had made it back to the battlefield where he and Goku had fought. He could still sense Raditz and Shepard a few miles away, the distant explosions still going on every so often. Landing, he began to look for Goku's body. He knew it was blown away when Gohan had fired that massive Kamehameha Wave, but the namekian was sure that it landed near the crater. Walking up to it, he looked over the lip, seeing the pod that Raditz must have come in, in many pieces. Looking up and around, Piccolo floated in the air about 50 feet, looking to see if he could see the body of his rival. Before he could continue to investigate, his thoughts were interrupted by Kami.
"Piccolo, Gohan is safe. I just wanted to let you know that if you were planning to find Yamcha or Goku's body, you won't succeed. I've spoken with the King of the Underworld. He will be sending them to receive special training for the fight against the upcoming Saiyan's in a year's time."
Growling, Piccolo dropped back to the ground, walking away from the crater. His ears picked up another explosion in the distant and the sound of an...Engine? Looking up, he saw a yellow plane a few hundred feet in the air, and what looked like somebody flying down next to it
"Oh great, the cheerleaders have shown up." Piccolo sarcastically mentioned.
'I don't sense Gohan's mother in there. At least I'm safe from THAT for now.' Piccolo was thankful he didn't have to have that conversation yet.
"Hey Piccolo!" He heard in the distance. The short bald one he had fought in the tournament ran up to him. "Hey, whe-where's Goku? Wait. W-why don't I sense him? What HAPPENED?" Roshi, Bulma and Oolong had caught up to the monk, all wanting an explanation.
"Goku and Yamcha are dead. Yamcha encountered Raditz earlier, attempting to save Gohan's life, but failed in the struggle. And Goku...Dammit." Piccolo said, hesitating. He didn't know how to say the right words. Krillin looked up at him with ferocity, his face demanding to know what happened to his best friend. Master Roshi and Oolong both held their heads down. Master Roshi internally damming himself for not being strong enough to stop the mad saiyan. He had felt Yamcha's ki spike and disappear. On the way here, he had felt Goku's energy slowly disappear, before a massive power overlapped everyone. His worst fears having been realized, he had failed his students. He clenched his fists, nearly breaking the skin.
"Piccolo, where are Goku and Gohan?" An explosion in the distance made the ki users look in that direction.
"Master Roshi, we need to help Shepard. We need-"
"No you won't! You'll just get yourself killed."
"WHERE IS YAMCHA'S BODY?" Bulma screamed out, tears falling down her face. They may not have been together anymore, but she still deeply cared for the man. Her respect and admiration had gone up immensely for him when she heard that Yamcha had tried to defend Gohan.
"Will you calm down? You won't find his or Goku's body. Kami seems to have plans for them in Otherworld."
"I asked a question Piccolo. And Gohan?" Master Roshi asked again, stern as he could.
"Gohan's safe ok! I have him somewhere out of the way. And no, I am not returning him. You didn't see what I did earlier. The boy scared Raditz! His power was massive, and I plan on training him hard, to pull that power out of him the right way. And before you ask, I'm not doing it out of the goodness of my heart. In one year, 2 more saiyans are coming, one of them being as strong as 10 Raditz's. We need to train!"
This answer angered the Turtle Hermit, walking up, he craned his neck to look up at his arch nemesis. This...reincarnation was nothing like his father. He tried to sense the subtleties in Piccolo's energy, looking for a lie, but surprisingly found none. Relaxing his stance, the old master looked every bit of his age.
"Alright Piccolo. It's clear you're set on this. Just remember he is only a 4 year old boy. Try not to hurt him to bad. We're gonna have to tell Chi Chi."
"I'll handle that. She trusts me enough to train the boy. She's gonna have to accept that this is what needs to happen. And before any of you losers try, none of you have what it takes to take me down. So don't even bother trying to look for us. I won't have you peons interfering in our training."
His smirk was cut off as something had changed in the 3's ki senses.
"Is-is the fight over?" Krillin asked. Master Roshi closed his eyes, trying to feel for either of the warriors. Both of their ki's were greatly diminished. Something wasn't right!
"We need to get over there. NOW! Stay here." Piccolo said, not leaving any room for Bulma or Oolong to argue.
"Hey ya don't gotta tell me twice."
"No Oolong we need to be there. That son of a bitch has taken too much today." Bulma said, determined to get ahold of the man that had scared her so badly earlier.
"Did you not just hear Piccolo? We don't need to be there!" Oolong argued back.
"QUIET!" Piccolo shouted. "The noseless one and I will go. Hermit, stay with the weaklings."
"Be careful Krillin." The master said, looking at his only active student.
"I will be Master Roshi." Krillin said, turning and following the trailing namekian in the air as they headed to what would surely be a calamity of carnage...
Minutes Earlier
The fight had only intensified, both realizing that neither were gonna walk away unscarred. Shepard's face was a crimson mass, his right eye swollen shut from a vicious punch from the mad saiyan. Raditz was also a bloody mess, his left arm all but useless, his mouth leaking blood from cutting his mouth open and Shepard punching it on several occasions. Any sign that there was anything martial between these two had long dissolved into a brutal fight to the death.
Throwing his right hand forward, Raditz looked to take Shepard's head off. Flinging his head back, it missed narrowly. But Raditz was prepared to miss, his near useless arm, still capable of hurling blasts, shot an energy ball, impacting Shepard in the stomach and sending him flying back. Sliding out into the outskirts, the forest having been nearly destroyed in the ensuing fight, Shepard grabbed the energy ball, pushing it off of him as it exploded a short distance away, sending him back a few dozen feet.
"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET SHEPARD!" Raditz screamed, blitzing out of the destroyed forest. It made Shepard get up as quick as he could, narrowly avoiding a knife edge swipe of Raditz's hand.
"FALCON...PUNCH!" Coating his right hand in red energy, Shepard uncorked a massive ki infused punch, nearly caving in Raditz's rib cage.
"AUCCCK!" Raditz spat out a mouthful of blood, holding his side with his useless hand.
"Ye-yeah you sonuva.. you son of a bitch. Yo-you like that one?" Shepard stammered out. His energy was rapidly depleting. He loved playing F-Zero, and Super Smash Bros in his younger before years. The idea had come to him randomly one day only a week after he had come back from training with the Crane students.
"K-keep..." Raditz could only manage that much before coughing up another small mouthful of blood. That punch had really took the sails out of his energy. This fight had become personal. He already hated the saiyan for opposing him, but now he dared to taunt him!
"What was that?" Shepard said.
"WATCH OUT!"
"KE-KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE LITTLE BIRDY!" Screaming, Raditz charged up as much energy as he could, firing a blue and white ball of energy that was easily bigger then his head.
"Shit!" Was all Shepard could say before he was overtaken by the intense blast. The wave of destruction that followed was terrifying. Stumbling towards the path of destruction, Raditz was surprised to see a silhouette in the smoke.
Arms up, Shepard had blocked much of the blast, but he paid a price for it. The front of his shirt burnt away, his bare chest now littered with burns. Breathing heavily, Shepard took a mental note of his injuries.
'Broken rib or two? Check. Bruised and swollen eye? Orbital bone break maybe? Check. Body still not resilient enough to withstand burns on the front and back of my body? Check. I gotta end this quickly.'
"To be honest with you Shep, I don't know if we can. That Falcon Punch you pulled off was amazing, that might be the ticket. But you have quite a few more injuries to list off."
Ignoring the barb, Shepard looked over his raised hands, seeing Raditz walking forward.
"Y-you still live after that? YAHHHHHH!" Raditz screamed, flying through the mostly evaporated cloud of dust, his aura burning with killing intent. Shepard pushed off, palming Raditz in the face, knocking the man's scouter a good distance away, but not without punching Shepard in his, both being sent back. Getting up, they quickly ran at each other, Raditz getting the upper hand when they collided by turning and throwing Shepard over his body into the ground. Attempting to stomp his head in, Raditz's foot slammed into the now vacant ground. Shepard was back on his feet, engaging the planet trader, trying to wrestling him to the ground. Before he could do anything, Raditz had flipped him off of him. Shepard landed on his feet however, firing a green wave of energy from both hands. Diving away from it, Raditz was back up in a flash, closing the distance quickly. Shepard barely had time to prepare for the spear like maneuver Raditz had used. Caving the ground, Shepard dodged the first fist that Raditz threw. Before the 2nd connected, Shepard grabbed Raditz by the face, slamming him off of him, but Raditz held on, picking Shepard up and tossing him into the ground over him in return. As Raditz turned his downed body towards Shepard, he was kicked in the face, but not before throwing a hastily prepared energy ball with once again into Shepard's stomach, sending them both away. They were both spent. The fight had been brutal, a saiyan fight. It was what Shepard truly needed that he couldn't get out of Goku. And what Raditz had needed since never being able to test his own mettle against other saiyans of a similar power level to his own.
"I-I think this might be it Marc. I h-have one technique left in me." Shepard was so tired. His body had already pushed beyond his current limits, he needed just a little more.
Raditz was exhausted. His brother and the human and green man had not pushed him anywhere near his limits in the previous battles. But this battle had eclipsed those prior. His honor had been restored! All he need now do is kill the inferior reject saiyan. He would stay out of Nappa and Vegeta's way when they arrived. He wasn't a threat to them. But maybe when he recovered, it would be a good idea to start eliminating the inhabitants of this planet. He didn't know where to find those legumes that Shepard had given him one of earlier. Nor did he have access to his scouter, it being knocked off somewhere. He was too exhausted to care. 'I have one shot le-left!'
Screams erupted from their throats, each flying towards one another in a fury. They both saw each other's eyes, each with death awaiting the other. Raditz's useful hand coated with yellow energy, Shepard's right coated in red. Before they could pull away, or even attempt to dodge, they stopped short of one another, each bringing their respective hands back. Realizing too late that they both had had the same idea, they uppercutted each other in their stomachs at the same time, both energy coated fists destroying internal organs, blood erupting from both of their mouths as they tore through their respective opponents.
"SHEPARD!!!" Marc yelled, but Shepard couldn't hear it. Only the heavy, slowing breathing of Raditz's wheezing, gurgling body.
Shepard could feel it. Raditz had ripped right through his stomach, his hand sticking out of his lower back! He could tell he was starting to die.
"M-m-Marc? I-I-I-I can't." Shepard couldn't form any words. The pain of having his stomach ripped apart was unbearable. But he couldn't pull back, his hand stuck out of Raditz's back as well.
"B-b-beaten-COUGH COUGH COUGH- by-COUGH COUGH-an in-inferior-" Hearing the word inferior had set something deep within Shepard on edge. His anger spiked at hearing the word be associated with him. Using what little strength he had, he began to pull his hand back into Raditz's body, who screamed in severe, dying pain as Shepard did this. Shepard wasn't done however.
"C-c-call this-COUGH COUGH-INFERIOR!" Flicking off Raditz with the hand inside his body, he then splayed it out, turning it straight up, charging the remainder of his energy, life force included.
"YEOOOOOOWWWOOWOWWWWWWWW!" Screaming as blue energy left Raditz's mouth, some of it blasted back into Shepard's face, giving him a massive cut over his left eye, but he held on.
"AHHHHHHHHH-COUGH-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Shepard continued screaming, pouring all of his energy into the open wound. All of Raditz's pores lit up in energy, his eyes, completely having been disintegrated, lit up in energy, any viscuous fluids gone as well. His ears oozed with energy leaking out. His nose leaking red-blue-white energy/blood.
His energy was gone. He was a dead man. Pulling his bloodied, still electrified hand out of Raditz, Shepard fell back, the dead hand pulled out of his body forcefully, making him fall back and hit his head. His body was shutting down. He could feel that Raditz had died while in the process of having his organs liquified. Maybe it was overkill, but he wanted to send a message. A poignant and clear message. He hoped it came across nice and loudly...
Piccolo and Krillin had flown into a massive battlefield. They couldn't feel the energy of the warriors anymore, but they could certainly smell the energy that had been used.
"My Kami, Piccolo, this is crazy." Krillin said, not knowing what exactly he was looking at. Many of the trees in the outskirts of the Spinach Wastes had been laid to waste. There were fires breaking out in many areas, a swath of destruction carved into the Earth. Following with wariness, both warriors came out into the clearing, seeing the horrifying site that lay before them. A few hundred feet away, Piccolo could make out Shepard's Hammer, but no sign of the owner.
"OVER THERE!" Looking in the direction that Krillin pointed in, Piccolo was greeted with an image that would never leave his memory. Only a hundred feet away, the two warriors that had fought were both on the ground, the area around them coated in a mass quantity of blood.
"Krillin, go and retrieve the others. Tell them that the fight is over."
"A-a-are you sure?" Piccolo looked down at the monk, snarling.
"I SAID GO!"
"YAHHH! Geez what a spoilsport." Flying away, Krillin gained altitude quickly. It was only a short flight away. Piccolo meanwhile, approached the bodies. Stopping short, Piccolo was put off by the amount of blood surrounding the two. He looked at Raditz, and almost threw up, but he would not let his now dying rival see that. It looked like Raditz had been burned alive on the inside. As he looked at Shepard, who was still breathing, looking straight up and barely moving his mouth, as if he didn't even realize that Piccolo was there, the namekian saw why moments later. A hole the size of a fist was embedded in Shepard's body. Blood had already nearly filled the hole.
"You've seen better days." Piccolo pitifully said. However it somewhat got Shepard's attention.
Shepard had been laying there, not so much in pain anymore. He felt cold. It was a clear sign that Death was starting to win.
"My God Shepard, I..I wish I wasn't so useless."
Shepard chucked weakly at those words inside his head. "Al-Al...al-alrigh-alright. O-o-own ter-terms." That was all he could get out, as he looked at the now late afternoon sky. It was so beautiful. He had looked at the stars on many nights, and lately with Tights, the two had been extremely intimate, and joyous of each other's company. He knew that he could get wished back by the dragon balls, but damn he didn't want to die this early. But if it meant he could get King Kai's training (he had plenty of jokes!) then it was what he needed to do. Many thoughts had came to his mind, his lives flashing before his eyes, but something however came through his mind that he didn't understand. A deep, cultured voice, saying a small prayer. It made no sense compared to everything he saw in that flash. It was out of place, and it startled the dying man. He could barely get any words out or speak anymore, his body felt cold, the pain that had been there before was slowly ebbing away.
"You've seen better days." A voice called out to his left that was out of place. It took effort, but Shepard managed to look through his one good eye, seeing Piccolo looking down on him.
"Pic...Piccol...COUGH COUGH...Picco...Piccolo.? I...I...I ca..."
"Just stop talking. Try and save your energy. How could this have happened?" Piccolo said, looking between the two fallen warriors. Shepard did not answer, blood dribbling off of his chin as he tried. Hearing the plane come down behind him, followed by footsteps, Piccolo looked back, seeing Krillin had retrieved the others. Master Roshi was the first to approach, looking down at Shepard with respect. He had not met the kid personally until he showed up to help on his island, but to see him now in the state he was in. 4 different peoples lives had been ended on this day, him and Krillin and even Bulma nearly being casualties.
"I have a cryogenic tube here in this capsule, let's load him up." Bulma said, getting over dry heaving as she smelled the stench of death and blood roam over the battlefield.
"It won't do any good Bulma. It's too late." Master Roshi said.
"We have to preserve his body Roshi! Krillin help me."
"He meant it won't do any good because his body is going to Otherworld." Piccolo said, confusing the bluenette.
"His, as well as Goku and Yamcha's bodies will likely disappear into Otherworld, where they will be able to keep them and seek further training from some kind of master there. Whenever they do get wished back by the dragon balls, they will come back, much stronger then before. I better get going, I have to retrieve Gohan and take him to the training grounds." Piccolo finished, turning on his heels and beginning to walk away.
"Pi...Piccolo...Pic..." Piccolo's head snapped back at the dying voice.
"Bul..Ma..." Both walked up to the dying saiyan, who was getting very pale.
"Gra-Gravity...Grav-Gravity.." was all Shepard said, before entering a bloody, coughing fit.
"What is he talking about woman? He mentioned something about you working with gravity before."
"Uhh, uh well my Dad an I have been tinkering with this material that our...visitor had brought with him. We're only just scratching the surface with its potential! It's really amazing stuff! Dad has perfected the formula for increasing gravity in an enclosed space. And I've been trying to use the Kachi Katchin material to make these...these Gravity Chambers. It has not been easy, even with the Ki Torches we were given."
"Go...Go...Han... train...Go..Han.." Shepard said. His vision was starting to go black in his peripherals, but he was not scared. He fought on his own terms! This was a good death. An honorable death. Cheating it almost felt wrong to Shepard, but with what was coming, death would just be a mere inconvenience.
"Ti...Tigh-Tights..." Tears flowed down Shepard's eyes as he thought about his girlfriend. "I'm...so...so..sorry..."
"Hey hey hey, it's ok, she's going to be ok Shepard. I promise you." Bulma, at hearing Shepard mention his older sister, dropped down to her knees next to his body, tears beginning to flow again. She touched the man's bloody, broken face, a touch which he didn't register. Bulma knew that the two had been dating. Tights and Bulma's relationship had improved greatly over the months, often calling each other nearly everyday just to check in on the other.
It was at this time of thought that she felt Shepard's body give up, the tenseness in his body disappearing, his eyes becoming blank, unseeing, open and empty to the world, his mouth no longer heaving breath.
"No. No no no Shepard. SHEPARD!" Starting to beat on the dead man's chest, Bulma was beginning to lose all semblance of control, until a small hand gripped her shoulder. Tears smearing her face, she looked back at Krillin with rage, him holding his hands up to try to calm her down.
"Bulma it's gonna be alright. We can wish him back with the Dragon balls."
"Probably not right away Krillin. If Goku and Yamcha are going to get this special training Piccolo was talking about, then it's likely Shepard will as well." Master Roshi pointed out. They had watched the man slowly dying, none of them had any senzu beans to try to give him. But now, it was too late. And seconds later, Shepard's body disappeared before their very eyes.
"YAHH. Where'd he go?" Oolong asked, stepping back in fright.
"I just told you, you stupid pig, that their bodies are being sent to Otherworld along with their souls." Piccolo snarled at Oolong. He did not shed a single tear, looking back one final time at Raditz's fried out body.
"I didn't think it would be that quick !" Oolong snapped back
"But his body needs to be destroyed." Charging a yellow blast, Piccolo fired it at the remains, believing them to have turned into ash, he watched the smoke blow away in the wind, no body in sight.
"That takes care of that. I need to go, Gohan is likely going to come too soon and I need to be there." Piccolo said, using his magic materialization to fashion himself a nice heavy cape and headwear.
"Piccolo, wait!"
"What woman?" Annoyed, Piccolo turned around.
"I should have a prototype gravity room ready within the next 6 months. It's just taking time because i'm dealing with such a hard material. In 6 months I should have something for you guys." She wiped her hands on her white outfit, unaware that her hands were covered in Shepard's blood.
"Whatever. It doesn't help us now, seek out the old man whenever it's done. I'm sure he'll know where to find me." Piccolo said, floating off and flying away, heading towards his young charge.
"Oh boy, do you think he'll actually tell Chi Chi?" Krillin hesitantly asked.
"I don't know Krillin, but we need to find Tien and Chiaotzu. We're going to need everyone's help."
"I'll go gather the dragon balls. Maybe while I'm doing that, I'll find a way to break the news to Tights. Kami what am I gonna tell her?"
"That Shepard died as a warrior, as he wanted to. That's all you can do dear." Master Roshi replied. The group of 4 headed sorrowfully back to Bulma's plane...
Gohan was still sleeping, having slept off the majority of his tiredness and fatigue.
Piccolo had arrived back at the outcrop within a few minutes. Seeing Gohan had not moved, Piccolo moved the rocks, cradling the boy and bringing him out. Preparing the last senzu bean, Piccolo urged Gohan to open his mouth. Groggily chewing on the bland legume, Gohan's eyes snapped open, Piccolo being the first face that he had seen.
"Mis-Mister Piccolo? Where are we?" The little boy asked, standing on his feet and wiping the sleep out of his eyes. His memory coming back to him, he started to cry, thinking about his mother and father.
"QUIT YOUR CRYING BOY!" Piccolo yelled, all but shutting up Gohan. "There. Now I'm going to explain to you what happened. Yamcha and your father are dead. Shepard came and saved your life, before him and your uncle Raditz killed each other in the following fight. Raditz has...friends, fellow saiyans that are coming here in the next year. You and I are going to train like hell. The power you showed when you fought Raditz was... it was incredible Gohan, and will need to be brought out, to be controlled. And before you ask, yes I will tell your mother what is going on, and if she has stuff for you to study, then that will become secondary. Am I clear?"
Gohan looked down, sniffling. He did not know that Shepard had came. "Mis-mis-mister Shepard is gone too?"
"Yes, but don't worry about that. They will be brought back with the dragon balls. Now as for your training, I don't believe you're ready for a serious fight, so as of right now, your training out here will begin. 3 months boy. Survive out here for 3 months, on your own, then I will come and find you." Piccolo had been considering leaving the boy out in the wilderness for 6 long months, but decided against it. The boy had already been training, but he had not trained for anything close to what is to come in the future. Piccolo would need a sparring partner earlier then he thought he would, so he figured 3 months would be enough to break the boy's softness, allowing him the opportunity to survive on his own.
"I will know if you use your power to try to fly back to your mother. So... Good luck out here Gohan. You're gonna need it."
"W-wa-wait! Mister Piccolo!" Piccolo stopped in the air looking down at his student.
"What am I suppose to defend myself with? I'm scared!" Gohan said, fidgeting uncontrollably.
"Hmmm, YAHHHHHH!" Screaming out, Piccolo pointed his finger down to the ground next to Gohan, a sword materializing out of thin air. Gohan noticed the sword before he too was covered in the magic light. When the light vanished, Gohan looked down, seeing his Dad's colors.
"Woaaahhh, that move is so cool! Thanks Mister Piccolo." Pulling 4 apples out of a nearby tree, the namekian tossed them to the child, who fumbled to catch them.
"That is all I'm going to provide you. Stay out here, stay alive, use your energy. You know how to, it will save your life, if you allow it. 3 months Gohan, and then I come and retrieve you. Deal?"
"Ye-yes sir."
"Good. Now. I must go. If I am to be prepared for the threat that's coming, I need to start immediately. See you soon, kid." Piccolo took off, aura lighting up the sky...
'You better survive kid. Otherwise your mother will pick my bones clean with a butter knife!' Shuttering at the thought, Piccolo made the long flight out to Mount Paozu, he needed to hash this out with the insane woman now...
Tights had been worried sick. In the house, she couldn't stop finding things to clean. A couple hours ago, a knot had formed in her gut. She tried to eat, but she had started feeling nauseous, the knot only increasing her worry. She had baked several different cakes for her boyfriend, prepared a couple of the Saiyan Meals in the pantry, but she didn't want to over cook. Shepard may have been a bottomless pit, but even he had limits...
BULMA BRIEF HAS ARRIVED ON THE MAIN GROUNDS
BULMA BRIEF HAS ARRIVED ON THE MAIN GROUNDS
"Bulma? What's she doing here?" Tights had not seen her sister since the Christmas party from the year before, but they had kept in constant contact. Wiping her hands on a towel, she disabled the security warning, took off her flower apron, leaving her in a black tshirt, a pair of blue jeans, and some blue slippers. The sight that greeted her when she opened the door was one she would never forget. Bulma had been crying. Her face was puffy, her hair was out of place, which Tights knew was a tell tale sign that her sister was not in a good headspace.
"Bulma? What's going on? What the heck happened sis?" Tights, closing the door and wiping her hands on her jeans. Walking to her sister, she saw blood on Bulma's legs, on her outfit, and on her hands.
"Wh-what happened?" Bulma's outfit was stained red in many places, having tried to wipe the blood off. "Come on." Tights said, grabbing her sister by her bloody hand and bringing her in the house. The security system only detected the blood on Bulma, nothing else.
"It-it-it-it's not my blood. Tights I don't even kn-know how to tell you this." Those words sent dread through the blonde sister. Sitting down on the couch, Tights rubbed Bulma's hand, attempting to calm her baby sister.
"Just say it, Bulma. It's...it's Shepard's isn't it?" Tights fearfully pleaded. The answer she got was telling. Bulma bursted into tears once again.
"It-it was awful Tights. Yamcha, Goku and Shepard all died fighting that monster. He-he kidnapped Goku's son. We didn't see the fight, b-but the only one who walked away was Piccolo. He didn't look so hot either. Tights he said...he said that two more saiyans are going to be here in a year, and they're apparently stronger then Goku's brother. I don't know what to do! WHAT DO I DO?"
Tights wrapped her younger sister in a hug, blood be damned. Bulma, trying fiercely to be strong, broke down, not able to hold onto her emotions any more. She balled her eyes out on her sister's shoulder.
"Shhh...it'll be ok Bulma...there there...just let it out." Despite the tears threatening to leak out upon hearing of Shepard's death, Tights held on. She could be a grieving girlfriend later, right now she needed to stay strong in front of her little sister. Rubbing the now hiccuping Bulma's back, Tights just let her cry.
Continuing to console her sister for the next hour, Tights rubbed circles on Bulma's back, trying to soothe the pain her sister was going through. Finally, Bulma pulled back, looking down at her hands.
"I-I-I need to wash up. Can I use your shower Tights? Please?" Bulma asked.
"Follow me." Tights replied, getting up and heading towards the back of the house. Grabbing a couple of towels, and a bag, she turned back, giving the items to her sister.
"Put your clothes in the bag when you're done. I'll have something set for you to wear when you get out. I'll see what I can do as far as helping the other fighters, but I'm just at as much of a loss as you are." Tights said, opening the door to the big bathroom. The shower was big enough to properly shower 2 people at the same time if it needed to be done, Tights' many shampoo and conditioner bottles lining the inside of the shower door, where as Shepard kept his few hygienics on the stand on the other side. They had seamlessly worked together! Tights and Shepard acted as if they had been with each other for many years. Nothing was in each other's ways, they rarely talked bad about each other. Bulma had a small bit of jealousy, but slammed it down fiercely. Turning the water on, she was greeted with steaming hot water.
Getting out nearly an hour later, the shower had done wonders for the bluenette. Drying her hair off, she threw on the clothes her sister had left for her and opened the door, only to see Tights sitting at the table with a big grin on her face...
While Bulma was in the shower, Tights was perplexed. She had told Bulma they would find a way to get through this, that she would find a way to help, but how? Racking her brain for several minutes, she walked by the master bedroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a miracle.
'YAHTZEE!' She was happy that Shepard had told her the password to let her in the main safe, located in the massive closet off to the side. Typing in "I MISS LAURA", the safe opened. Shepard had told her that in the other, secondary safe, there was some...party favors locked away for downtime, but in this safe, the near Indestructible Bag of senzu beans lay there. Grabbing some cloth, Tights poked some holes, found some drawstrings, making makeshift bags, Tights began pouring a generous amount of senzu beans into each bag. They just kept coming! There was literally a boundless amount of the legumes. After she had poured out what felt like at least a couple hundred of them, Tights tied the Bag back up, astonished that it still looked full, she threw it back in the safe, closing the heavy door and turning the dial. Going to the closet, she pulled open the door. An array of outfits were crammed into it. She had bought many of them for old functions with Capsule Corp, but had since adopted a simpler fashion lifestyle. Getting up with her senzu bean bags in hand, she ran back into the main living area, clothes picked out and splaying out behind her. Gathering the beans in one of the spare capsules she had laying around, she figured this may be the only way to help the humans(and Earth's saiyans!) train harder!
Tights walked over to the bathroom her sister was using, making sure to stop by the kitchen and make a quick sandwich. Wolfing it down in a manner of seconds, Tights folded the clothes as she did, opening the bathroom door and putting them on the sink. Slipping out of the bathroom, Tights sat at the table, rolling the capsule in her hand.
A few minutes later, Tights heard the water stop. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she tried her best to force a smile, thinking about the many fun nights that her and Shepard had enjoyed. Once she had moved into the home, her and Shepard clicked almost instantly. Her love for motorcycles aligning with his love for going fast. He had given her ideas about a potential book that she wanted to write, centered around the Z Fighters (his words!) adventures and battles. Saying that it would be best to make it a master project, she had decided to progressively write it. Focusing instead on writing a love drama between an alien and a human, she had been making good strides in that! She hoped to have it completed within a year, but that looked like it would have to be put on hold. Finally having the courage to smile, she looked at the door as it opened, her little sister coming out, toweling her hair dry. Stopping short to look at her sister, Bulma gained a confused look.
"What's got you smiling so much?" Bulma asked.
"I found a way to help the guys Sis." Tights said, giving her the capsule. Popping it and throwing it, Bulma almost comically fell over, seeing several bags of senzu beans. She looked at her sister wide eyed, but before she asked, Tights explained.
"Shepard, or at least his friend, made a wish for a whole ton of senzu beans! We're going to give them to the fighters. We can do this Bulma!" Tights said, making a fist and smiling wide, smile becoming genuine when her sister smiled in turn. The Brief Sisters were not going to sit back and let their planet be destroyed!
Location: Mount Paozu
Piccolo had made the flight to the Son Residence. Landing 10 feet from the front door, he wasn't surprised when the door opened, the busy Ox Princess in the middle of cooking, anticipating her boys coming home hungry.
"Oh! Piccolo? What are you doing here? I was just preparing dinner for Goku and Gohan, surely they should be back soon. Do you want to come in?" Chi Chi asked. Piccolo tried to remain as straight faced as he could, but something must have given him away, because the smile dropped from the woman's face.
"Piccolo. What's going on?" Chi Chi asked, now concerned.
"Chi Chi, I have some bad news."
What a chapter! There is still much to go, but man these chapters sure do get emotionally draining to write! In the case of the fight itself, I hope you guys and gals liked it. As you saw, Shepard very much had what it took to get the job done, but lost his life in the process. He realizes it's not the end, what will be next for him and the others who died? Look forward to seeing you all again in a few short weeks. Now. Power Levels. Zenkais are tricky to really understand, so Raditz will have a Zenkai boost, but it's not a massive one. Vegeta after receiving the beating he had gotten on Earth in the show went from 18,000 to 24,000. While Goku went from 80,000 to 3,000,000 in the show. They both looked pretty severely beaten to me, so it would stand that Vegeta should have been damn near at 1,000,000 or Goku only at maybe 100,000. So I don't know. Please don't judge me.
Power Levels:
Shepard: 1,368(weighted)
Unweighted: 2,441
With BanHammer: (Hypothetical): 3,000
Final Falcon Punch W/Life Force: 9,999 (FF7 anyone?)
Raditz: Injured from BanHammer: 379 and dropping
Restored, Full W/Zenkai: 2,500