The Middle Child: Part I

By: TheRealBigJ

Disclaimer: All Dragon Ball Z characters and story elements aside from my Original Character are created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation.


The contrast to the color black, the complement of darkness, is white.

However, this black void of nothingness does not change into its pearly, heavenly counterpart, but instead into a deep sickly lime color. And, thereafter, as if to complement this hideous color, stray bubbles were born, dancing upwards and aimlessly in this green world.

I was in this green void, floating just as uncontrollably as the bubbles that surrounded me. I have no recollection of how I resulted in this condition, and I don't feel like knowing. It feels comforting; as if the trouble of thought was unnecessary, stress a foreign concept. I am numb, but not to my dismay. Perhaps this is what paradise is; appealing not to the fleshly senses but to the soul's senses.

For however long I remained in this state of serenity, it was unfortunately temporary. My ears, which I had no reason to think existed until now, gave attention to the sharp suction noise that appeared below, drowning out the previous low hums. The bubbles began to flow down as if they were dragged down by invisible ropes, rapidly. I myself began to feel light, and from my scalp, I began to feel frigid cold.

Then, my senses flooded.

My sight was blurred, sucking in many earthly colors that danced everywhere. My ears, muffled with fluid, shook with the various noises that screamed and whispered all around me. My nose was bombarded with foreign scents that burned as I struggled for breath. My body, my damp fragile skin, blanketed with a shivering sensation, felt two molten hot claws grasp upon me. They were a deep tan color, a blood-red color wrapping around from their base and across the large appendages.

What more could I do, in such an undesirable event, than to untie the binds of my instincts, and release the cries heard only from a newborn?


He stared at the wailing child in his arms, chubby arms flinging around limply, powerlessly. His eyes were unfocused, his left one glued onto the dancing images on the green lens. A yellowish circle surrounded the child through the lens, and after fractions of a second, they came to an abrupt halt, displaying foreign, alien symbols.

He scoffed, displeasingly. " Only fifty-six… mediocre."

" It's only a little less than Raditz's was at birth," a soft voice behind him spoke with an exasperated chuckle.

He grumbled at the mention of that name. " And yet even at his age, he's unable to break the triple-digit threshold. Tora's nephew managed that at the age of four."

" Have a little more faith in him, Bardock," the voice approached, and he then felt two thin arms slide across his own and grasp for the child. He resisted none, as did the child, who slowly fell to a lulled silence in her embrace. " Just like you'll have faith in our little Onin."

Bardock was silent. He glanced, seeing her warm smile as she cradled Onion's sleeping form in her arms. As for the child… the peacefulness the child radiated felt unnatural. Never has he seen a child that expressed such calmness. Soon, very soon, it will have to go. Snuffled away, reduced to nothing so it could give room for what a proper Saiyan should be.

The man grunted, sharply turning himself towards the door, without a single step wasted. " My faith runs thin, Gine. There's no honor in siring low-class Saiyans."

He exited the room without another word. Gine sighed, a suppressed pain in her gaze as she looked on at the metal doors. She looked down at the child in her arms, her warmth never waning. She ran a soft hand through his damp black hair, which resembled his father's with near perfection, though inverted.

" Don't worry, my child, my faith in you will not waiver," she spoke soothingly. His soft snores were her answer, but it could never have been more of a better one. " You will make us all proud, Onin. That I can be assured to hope for."


In the months that follow…

" I'll have to be honest with you, Gine. Your son… he doesn't act normal."

Gine looked up from the rib meat she was butchering, seeing that her friend Ruma—a short round woman with a classic bob—was giving Onin an inquisitive look. He was sitting on a wide red mat just outside the butchery, with a few other children from other workers around the market center. Appearance-wise, he was no different from the other children; he wore the same standard Saiyan child clothing all newborns were required to wear. One wouldn't think twice when glancing at him.

" I don't see what you mean," Gine responded, confused. She wouldn't take offense to such accusations of her child, not from Ruma at the very least, but she did want to know what caused such a thought.

Ruma remained silent, only nodding towards the child to keep watching. Gine raised a brow, but continued to watch, allowing her experienced hands to continue cutting the meat instinctively. A minute passes and Onin behaves nothing out of the ordinary; swinging around the cheap rock toys and then throwing them aside to indulge in some other childish impulse that occurred. It made Gine smile seeing such an adorable scene. It made her wish she had brought her portable camera to capture such a moment. While he might not look like it, and would very much disagree passionately, Bardock was fond of family photos.

Another minute passes, and Gine was about to just ignore her friend's conspiracy and go on with work, but then she saw Onin's interactions with the other children.

" Oh…" Gine said quietly.

She watched as Vonka's son approached Onin. The short-haired boy was nefarious for being the rowdiest of the newborns this year, always picking fights with anyone he deemed necessary for a beating on the spot. Every single fight he's been in has ended in his victory, and the very few defeats he's had were only because of the fact he was a newborn. Many in the community were certain he would grow into a proper Saiyan warrior; perhaps a middle-class elite, a few have dared to claim.

Gine remembered that one evening long ago as she was walking a somber Vonka back to her house when the boy's mother had claimed flamboyantly that her son was on par with Prince Vegeta himself. Gine refrained from telling anyone about the claim, assuming it was merely drunken words from her long-ago friend, but in the days that followed Gine caught the news that Vonka was to serve time in the northern mines for public indecency after she repeated the same boasting to a stranger… who turned out to be a disciplinary officer.

Regardless, Gine began to feel a subtle concern for her son. It was natural for children to bicker; sometimes it was even encouraged, most certainly amongst the fathers. They say the earlier the experience, the better it was for them in their training. However, ever since his removal from the nursery pod, that has been the one major issue about Onin. He has expressed not even a drop of wildness that was custom to a newborn Saiyan child. As blunt as it was to say, he was simply too docile of a child. A terrible, terrible match against Konva's hostile Saiyan nature.

When Konva had made his way in front of Onin, he began what Gine assumed to be some intimidation act. He stood up on both feet, babbling a wave of incoherent child noises, waving clenched fists around with clear intention. Onin brought his gaze up to the older child, who in turn glared down. The act served to be ineffective, though, as her son continued to stare at the older child who in turn continued his dance of dominance, going so far as to puff his chest out and beat it like an Oozaru. Many of the children brought their attention to the scene and began to make noise in approval of Konva.

As Konva completed his strange dance, Onin responded timely. Unlike the short-haired boy, Onin was simple in his actions and kept them short. He rose to his own two feet, standing at eye level with Konva. He paused for a moment, and then with a rapid motion, swung his arm forward and…!

… offered his rock toy.

The suddenness of the action made Konva flinch, something not even he was aware he could do. The oldest child was frozen, staring blankly at the younger boy as he offered his toy to him. With a smile.

Such action was baffling enough that the noise from the group of spectating children died out, and they looked on with utter confusion. No one could blame them for not understanding such a simplistic gesture; the very idea of sharing was alien to them, and even more was the upward curl of the lips. It was strange to hear silence amongst the children, a silence that would be heard from a dead battlefield, which gained the attention of the few remaining adults that could tolerate the children. Their eyes were brought to the two standing children from the pile; Konvas, with his hands twitching and an utterly confused face, and Onin, with his toy, still extended out in offering hands and a smile so warm, so pure, it churned many stomachs with repulsion.

" Do you see what I mean?" Ruma whispered, turning back to her stack of uncut meat, "You tell me a single Saiyan child that has ever smiled. It's a wonder that word even exists on this planet! And you don't ever see a Saiyan child share their toys—ever. No less from a male Saiyan child."

Gine remained silent, waiting to see how exactly Konva would respond. Most of the adults had just scoffed at the scene and deemed it a waste of time, returning to their own devices. However, Gine saw this as a rare little moment that one doesn't see every day, and it isn't because it involved her child.

The short-haired boy scrunched his nose, his eyes dilating like a predator's, as if ready to pounce at any given moment. But Onin remained smiling and urged to toy forward in a show of his genuineness. It was at that point that Konva just didn't know how to respond, and so he gave up and awkwardly moved away, returning to whatever he was doing before. Many of the other children, whether it was by social instinct or disinterest, left as well. There was a clear distance between Onin and the others now.

Gine sighed, returning to her work. Her head was now clouded with many thoughts that she did not like. This scene had given her more insight into the second son's nature. The idea that he can express kindness, that he is willing to give than to take… it was a huge contrast to who and what a Saiyan was, to the teachings she grew up with. It'll be hard for him to interact with others with such a nature, that she knows. Should she let it just happen so that he could grow a thick skin and perhaps lose that kindness at the same time? That's what her life teachings tell her to do, and half of it she cannot deny.

But it also brought other questions. What would've happened if he was sent off to a planet at birth? Would his kindness have stunted his mission, or made him less violent when transformed? It wasn't something that settled well in Gine's stomach.

Regardless, in the unconditional love of her motherhood, one thing Gine could never be happier about was witnessing her son's first steps.


The years that followed…

Today, the sun was unusually bright.

Onin never really liked bright things, much less overly hot environments. That would elucidate his enjoyment of being locked inside his cool, dark, and damp places, like his room for example. It was something that his brother always detested, considering it the lifestyle beneath that of a coward. His mother wasn't as passionately against such preference, but she did insist that he took some time from his enclosures to go out and mingle with other kids instead of "snuffling your face in information slabs." Onin always took his mother's words to heart, regardless of whether it went against his liking, and so on this particular day he decided to leave his home and go through the town in search of the local children.

It had taken some time for him to figure out where most of the kids were. Wandering through the market streets, he had eavesdropped on the adult conversations, which ranged from mundane complaints about their jobs to haughty boasting of a relative's success in planetary conquering. From the handful of conversations that he took note of, one of the most talked about subjects was that there seems to be a major event happening in a few weeks. It was an event for the younger residents of the community; the children, all of which had run off into the local wilderness to train themselves for the event. They called it the Annual Hounding Race. Without much detail, one could guess what the whole event was about by name alone. Though Onin isn't sure if he's interested in participating in such an event.

Regardless, after hearing this, Onin wandered out of the community market district and towards the vast desert plains located at the bottom of the cliff that they were situated on. It was quite a distance away, coming around eleven minutes of walking before even getting to the edge. It would be his first time going out towards the wilderness, with or without his parents knowing. It is something he should've and most definitely would've told his mother about beforehand. But as Onin had come to conclude from various conversations amongst the adults, things like that were encouraged for a Saiyan child. It was good to have independence and be adventurous all the time, he had heard. Not like they said that with good intentions; he had also heard that they just wanted their kids out of their hair for as long as possible.

After passing by the last few houses at the edge of the community, with some occasional glances his way, Onin reached the cliff edge. Climbing down the rocky and uneven cliffside, Onin quickly noticed a very noticeable change in the air. He was unsure how to describe it as he had rarely been familiar with his world aside from what he had read from scarcely written records, and so he had nothing else to conclude other than that it was arid with a sour scent. It was a sound reminder for him to read up on his geography, though that is once he returns home from this adventure of course. But besides the air, everything looked relatively similar to what he's seen around his home. That would potentially help him.

His goal was to find where the other children were, yet he spent a good chunk of time wandering across the plains as clueless as an infant could be. He found not a trace of any footsteps or smells that would hint towards anyone or anything. For a while he had a lingering thought he had come down the wrong side of the town and that the children were elsewhere, or that they were a lot farther off into the wilderness than he had anticipated. He felt the latter was very unlikely, but going back to the community would mean all this searching of his was for nothing. And that's not to say that he'd face an onslaught of mockery amongst the community for his cowardice and obliviousness to what everyone was doing. Just take his old neighbor Mr. Pampas for example; a middle-aged man publicly humiliated to the point of deserting the village because he got lost in his shipment job. Onin didn't want to end up like him.

And so for the past three to four hours since then, Onin had continued wandering through the desert plains of Planet Vegeta, using all his untrained senses to the maximum in hopes of eventually finding some traces of recent activity. But as how every other desert would show, there was not a scratch on the rocks nor traces of a vulture's nest to signify life. Water was a long-since departed inhabitant of these plains as well, leaving behind dry and cracked riverbeds that stretched beyond the horizon. Onin unsure how much longer he could last without finding water soon, and seeing that he was getting nowhere, he decided to take a little rest under the shade of a rock protruding from one of the many stone pillars in a ravine he came across. At the very least, he must make use of what's available to him. Like this small pebble, which he amused himself with by throwing between his hands as he thought up a new plan for both his search and for his way back home.

" … What was the point of this. I could handle the mockery," Onin grumbled to himself. True as it may be, Onin knew little to nothing about anyone besides those in his family. Why exactly should he care if his community deemed him a failure? With the most minuscule burst of frustration, he gripped the rock and tossed it off the edge, which fell towards the dry riverbed far below. Seconds later, the entire ravine echoed with the sound of the rock's thumping. Onin leaned his back against the lukewarm rock wall behind him, a layer of sweat continuously damping his skin. Not even the shade could ease the heat of the sun. More and more he felt stupid of himself going out at a time like this, and somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice told him that he should've taken at least a flask of water with him. Or even wiser, he should've just told his mother where he was going. She would've prepared everything he didn't even think about.

Onin grunted in growing frustration, jolting off his bottom. He kicked his shoes off, as they were in literal terms cooking his feet, and left the shaded cavity of the stone spire. The wind was picking up around the stone pillars, and saying they were sturdy was extremely doubtful. He could already hear them creaking like spinely trees. Taking grip on the side of the stone pillar, Onin hugged the side of the spire and began to climb upwards, following the spiral patterns. As he climbed, not even a fourth of his way up, one of the pillars nearby began crackling loudly. And as if to dramatically prove his judgment, it came toppling down in a large dust cloud, knocking two other pillars in the process. Without much thinking, Onin decided it was best to rush his way up.

"... Darn it," Onin grunted. The climb was proving to be troublesome, and there's a plausible reason for it. One thing that Onin wasn't good at was his strength. That was a given obviousness, seeing that even at his age he was severely more knowledgeable than seventy percent of the Saiyan population. Why that matters? Well, that just meant he put all his time into studying. However, he did not balance his education with his training, something he has been admittedly neglecting for some time now, and it was beginning to show here in his struggling arms growing numb. He managed to reach a little under three-quarters after multiple slips of his feet and hands, but by then he started to hear a cracking sound very close to him than the other before. If he pushed, he'd reach the top but lack the strength to jump. If he jumped now, he was unsure if he would be able to grasp the cliffside in time, but he wasn't with many options at the moment.

Another sharper crack appeared, and his stone pillar began to shake and tilt. He had no luxury to wait.

" Humph!" Onin grunted as he jumped off the pillar with all his might. In mere seconds that follow, as he was still in the air, the stone pillar collapsed, creating a domino effect that started to destroy every other pillar that was in its path. With a dust cloud growing tenfold, Onin's jump was a semi-success, and he managed to grasp onto the edge of the cliff. But due to his numbed arms, his grip was too soft, and he began to slip down into the ravine. His fingers scraped across the jugged rock surface, scratching and tearing with thin streaks of blood. It was with that pain that his arms woke up and managed to catch himself before sliding too far.

Onin took a big gasp of air and help it as the dust cloud enveloped him. His vision was severely darkened, almost as dark as literal night. He needed to climb up, but this time his focus was at its extremity, as there were bound to be multiple jagged rocks ready to impale anyone unfortunate to fall below. Perhaps it was due that, his sudden boost of adrenaline, or that his body was undergoing a renowned Zenkai Boost, but his climb toward the top was a lot less taxing than climbing the stone pillar was. Within a few minutes, he pulled himself out from the cloudy darkness and over the edge, rolling onto his back with large gasps of air.

He did it, he survived that disaster, yet he felt ever the more embarrassed.

When he calmed, Onin sat up and looked at the ravine with a sour face. Even amid the large disaster, the winds continued to blow harshly, making the dust cloud move in a liquid-like flow due east. In a mystifying way, the ravine had turned into a dust river. Had he come across this ravine at a time like this, he would've certainly been awed and perhaps ready to record. But instead, he felt annoyed, because those stone pillars had been one of the few natural structures on the planet the survived throughout all six major warfares in Saiyan history. And now they've collapsed, likely because of him.

" Am I cursed? I don't want to be cursed," Onin groaned under his breath, shaking his head disappointedly. Just another failure to add to this terrible day. He dusted his clothes and stood up, looking around the area. Thankfully, he had jumped onto the side of the ravine he had come from, so he doesn't have to worry about finding a way around. But he still hasn't figured out how to find a way back home, and he's beyond certain by now that most of the kids are probably back home after all this wasted time. Indeed, a real waste of time, but at the very least he could tell his mother of this unfortunate event.

But before he could turn back and wander his way to his home, through the convenience of a subtle plot, his ears had caught a certain sound that was alien to the whistles of dry wind he grew familiar with. In the distance, near a cluster of boulders, he began hearing footsteps. Many footsteps actually, which were accompanied by various voices.

Onin could only watch with the flattest of faces as five or so figures emerged from the boulders, blabbering on with clear curiosity about the destruction of the pillars.

" … amn! Look at that!" One shouted.

" It's like a river of blood!" Another shouted. Onin couldn't tell who said it, but it was somewhat masculine.

" Are you stupid, Heele? Blood would be smelly and there's nothing that could make that much blood," Another that was feminine said. It was the girl with the hair braided in one braid and two wicks of hair in front of her forehead.

" A giant could pour that much blood! What else would also make all that noise?" Heele countered. His stupidity was plain.

The braided girl appeared to have simply rolled her eyes and whispered something to another girl beside her—who had fluffed hair—then proceeded to laugh quietly. Onin simply watch the group as they conversed about the dust cloud. There were two that he has yet to hear from; the one that stood on top of the highest boulder, looking at the dust lamely, and the other which was leaning against the side of the rock with his arms folded. He couldn't see who was on the boulder, but it couldn't be more clear that they were the leader of the group.

However, Onin wasn't sure just how to confront them. Did he even want to confront them? They were the kids he was trying to look for for the past five hours. It would be a waste to not see what they were up to. And even then, he still needed a way back home, and they were likely the best option.

" Hey!" Onin had decided to shout. While this certainly gained the attention of the group, he did not expect the postures to become rigid, as if ready for battle. No, not likely, they were stances for battle. Under the sudden piercing gazes of the children, he continued. " Are you guys also doing the Hounding Race?"

" Who the hell are you?!" the boy known as Heele shouted aggressively, ignoring the question.

" I'm Onin, from the small community somewhere down west," Onin responded undeterred, pointing towards where he had come from.

" … You're talking about Squash Quiver, aren't you?" the braided girl said, narrowing her eyes, " sorry scrunt, but we aren't from around there."

" Hell, Squash Quiver is our enemy," the girl beside her added, " and it looks like you're in our territory."

Onin looked at them confused, and a little bit cautious now. They're from an enemy community? And his community is called Squash Quiver? Who came up with that name?

" Ha ha, looks like you scared him, Lace," Heele squealed in a piggy manner.

" As it should be, moron. He's speaking to the Trotter Lot for fuck's sake," the now-named Lace snorted.

" So…" Onin started, " is your community also doing the race?"

" Of course, we are, you brat!" Heele shouted again. Onin was beginning to dislike this boy's loud mouth. " every single kid on the planet is doing the Hounding Race!"

" Wait, this is an international thing?" Onin asked, surprised.

" Have you been living under a rock or something?" the braided girl asked, " this is more than just some international thing. This is a lifetime thing. Only the top best of each region can participate in the finals of the Hounding Race."

" Something you should already know from your birth pod, feather brain," Lace added, causing Heele to howl in laughter like a constipated wolf.

Onin did his best to ignore their rude behavior as he processed this information. Apparently, this race was a lot more serious than he had thought, and it was something he should already have known by birth, apparently. Yet, for some reason, he cannot recall anything else regarding the Hounding Race. Even the name was foreign until the adults mentioned it. When he tried his hardest to remember anything else, it was like trying to pick a piece of dust out of a landfill of sawdust. His best option was to ask them more about the race, but from how they've reacted so far, he doubts they'll give him anything more useful than a birdie. But it won't hurt to try.

" Ok… how do you become the best?" he asked cautiously.

Heele slapped his knees in jest at Onin's question. " Pfhaha, this kid knows nothing!"

" Probably hit his head on a rock," Lace added, " and he can stay that way, 'cause no way in hell are we gonna—"

" You must collect 2 golden birds to be able to register for the race," the saiyan leaning against the rock spoke out, silencing the other two completely. Paying more attention to him, Onin noticed that he had short spiky hair dashing forward as if it was blown by the wind. He had one thin but long scar etched across his bottom left cheek and wore a yellow scouter on his right eye. He must be the co-leader of the other Saiyan sitting on the rock, and likely the smartest of the bunch. " Only then will you know the rest... if this amnesia of yours isn't so severe."

For once, Onin received some good information from this group without all the insults. " Thank you, but how do I get these birds?"

He looked at Onin oddly, as did the others, but shook his head. " I'm no seller of knowledge, kid. Find it out yourself."

" I doubt he can even do it anymore," the braided girl said, " it's already long past the elimination hours. He only has an hour to find both birds and turn them in to the collector."

" Doable, but doubtful by the looks of it," the saiyan with the yellow scouter responded.

So, it seems this was all just a waste of time. Even if he did find these supposed birds, he needed to find his way back to "Squash Quiver", then find where the collector even was. His next option would be to steal from others, which he assumes is what happened during the eliminations, but once again he has seen no one besides this group... who doesn't even live in the same community as him! A fleeting thought crossed his mind to steal from them, but as he can see, none of them were outwardly showing the two golden birds where he can steal.

… besides Heele, of course.

Dangling from his waist, the two golden birds rested calmly against his left thigh plate. They were about the size of his palm and seemed to depict a bird resting. Something he could easily snatch and run for it. Only problem was, the distance between him and the group was too far. They'd quickly realize what he was doing before he could get to him, and Onin could only imagine what they'd do to him out here.

Onin closed his eyes, thinking of a plan. A rather quick plan in fact, for he immediately opened his eyes and stared directly at the cocky-looking saiyan boy.

" From the looks of it, all of you already have your birds right?" he asked.

" Damn straight we do!" Heele shouted, just as Onin had anticipated. He took his own birds and dangled them in the air proudly. " We got our birds in less than ten minutes! Not a single team was able to stop us!"

" I see, must be really convenient having your team do the work for you," Onin nodded, " I can't see you do much rather than blabbering your mouth."

This surprisingly got a chuckle from the braided girl, which Heele did not appreciate as he looked at Onin darkly, cracking his knuckles. " The hell you trying to say, shithead? That I can't knock a few teeth? I'll gladly give you a hands-on demo."

" The only demo I'm seeing is you panting after a three-meter sprint," Onin retorted, " I'm surprised that armor can even stretch enough for you… hog blubber."

Onin's words seem to have caused some serious damage to Heele's feelings, as the boy's face was flushed hard with embarrassment. And it didn't help that both Lace and the braided girl were laughing themselves off. " Y-You— fuck you, you damn brat! I'm gonna break your neck for that!"

This is exactly what he wanted. Not the neck-breaking, of course, but riling up Heele to come to him. The boy was too easy to get emotional, as Onin had deducted from his behavior so far. Only a few words could make a change in the playing field. Onin tensed himself, preparing to dodge Heele's attack and grab for the two birds. They were dangling from a thin rope, which would all the more be easier for him to snap off and run for it.

There was only one problem though; Onin did not expect Heele to be this fast.

Within mere seconds, the giant boy was already half a meter right in front of him. Onin didn't even have time to completely blink before he saw the fist soaring right for his face. He couldn't block. His body was simply too slow compared to Heele's insanely fast speed. All he could do was take the full brunt of the attack and pray for the worst of it.

BAM!

Onin's world was an utter blur. His ears rang with a screeching whistle like someone hit a large metal bell. He felt his entire body fly back to what he could only assume was many meters. But his head couldn't think of any of it, because it was currently feeling the most excruciating pain he's ever felt in his life.

THUNK!

Onin felt his body roll around the rocky ground, coming to a stop as his back hid the side of a boulder hard. The force made him cough up spit, and then he fell limp.

" Hahahaha," Heels boastfully laughed as loud as he could, " this little shit thought he was getting somewhere with those dry-ass insults! Couldn't even back them up in the first place!"

Back in the group, braided sighed. " Kid got a mouth, but no bite to it."

Strangely, Lace didn't have her quip to the comment. Instead, she was narrowing her eyes at Heele, especially at his waist. " … Hey, moron!"

Before she could finish, the saiyan sitting on the rock raised his hand at Lace. The girl immediately noticed, and as much as she didn't want to, she sealed her mouth completely. Instead, she stared on pensively.

By then, Heele had just turned around to his group, but seeing as Lace didn't further elaborate, he simply assumed it was something else. " Who the hell are you calling a moron? Are you too sensitive about little brats getting a proper beating? Pfahaha, then what the hell are you even doing out here!?"

As Heele continued to boast of his actions, a certain event was occurring in Onin's body. Indeed, Heele had left a serious injury on Onin's neck, which resultantly caused his body to undergo a certain physical change. Specifically, the cells of his body worked hard to both heal and strengthen every fiber of his muscles and every cell of his bones. The energy within him began to exponentially increase, and though it was not by much, it certainly was enough to regain Onin's consciousness.

Onin slowly stirred, picking himself up groggily as his body absorbed his first Zenkai boost. His standing caught Heele's attention, to which the big boy decidedly chose to probe.

" Ah, looks like the brat actually survived! Had thought you died there for a moment," Heele sneered as Onin slowly shook his head to regain his senses, " turns out I was wrong. I don't really like the sound of that, though."

As he had finished that sentence, Onin suddenly stood up tall, and with a quick motion, sped off with all the energy he could muster. Within ten seconds, Onin was well off into the distance.

Silence overtook the area for a moment, with the slow rush of the dust river still blowing in the back. Then, Heels absolutely lost it, falling onto his back and cooking up a laughing storm of history.

" Holy– Pfhahaha! Shit, did you guys just see how that brat just ran off?!" Heele wheezed, " I didn't even take a step and that shithead booked it faster than a red-back currier!"

While Heele continued to laugh himself off, the group remained silent. Soon, as his laughter died off, Heele noticed their silence and turned to see them all looking at him as if he were the simplest of fools to have ever lived. Except for their leader, who instead stared off into the distance where Onin ran at.

" … What?" Heele asked.

" Heele," the saiyan with the yellow scouter began, " check your damn waist."

Confused, Heele stood up and patted himself, looking down towards his waist. He stopped almost instantaneously, his face immediately switching from humored confusion to utter horror, for the two golden birds he had so boastfully displayed to the entire world were now nothing more than two pieces of torn rope.


His head hurt, but Onin had to keep running. The wind wooshed past his sore ears as he leaped and sprinted across the rocky fields. He had no set path back to his community, so he simply had to wing it all. He scanned everywhere constantly, trying to recall even the slightest piece of a rock formation or rotted wood he found in this expansive desert. He limited his turns and curves but made sure there were some, to make it just a bit harder for the group to chase after them.

Throughout his run, the two birds were gripped tightly in his palms. This was the first time Onin has ever stolen from someone, no less insulting someone the way he did to Heele. It left a bad taste in his mouth, and it wasn't the blood he occasionally coughed up. Even if Heele was a rude loudmouth, in a normal situation, Onin could've easily ignored him or at most calmly reasoned with the big boy. But this was no normal situation whatsoever, for he has literally placed his life on the line.

It was something he isn't sure why he did. In the first place, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to do the competition. His mother just told him to go outside and play with the kids. He didn't have to sign up for any of this, but… for some reason, he just felt the urge to do it. Perhaps it was simply due to the notion that he was lacking knowledge of something that he apparently should know already. He always loved to take in as much knowledge as he could. Maybe that was it. Still, a rather stupid way to do it.

" Screw all of this…" Onin muttered under his breath. He seriously needs some sprain for his neck, or at least some other first-aid. Healing pods were out of the question; too expensive for such a minor injury like this.

As Onin began to weave his way through the bushes of a small forest he had just randomly found, he heard it. The loud roars of an angered predator.

" I'M GONNA KILL YOU, BRAT!" Heele roared in the distance. It was a powerful roar, even from this distance. He was coming for him, coming undoubtedly fast.

Onin sped up his pace, desperate to get to Squash Quiver as fast as he could. His legs burned with the foreign stress, but he ignored it. His coughing became more erratic, to the point where he faltered as he coughed a load of blood. He tumbled down to the forest floor, his back in serious pain.

" Internal… bleeding… s-shit," Onin struggled to breathe. This was definitely not a minor injury. Maybe a rib had punctured his lungs, or some other organ was injured. He had to get medical attention immediately, but he wasn't even sure how close he was to his community. And if he stays idle, Heele will absolutely come to finish the job. This wasn't good at all.

Desperately, Onin struggled to his knees, then to his wobbly feet. His adrenaline was wearing off rapidly. Even if he pushed on, he'd be too slow. He had to think of something, something that would at least make Heele not get his birds back, or all of this would have been for not.

Onin stared at the two golden birds in his palms, slightly sullied from his blood and dirt. He felt his energy swarm around his palm, though it was little. But, before anything else could happen, he began to hear the noises of trees collapsing behind him. Heele had entered the forest, likely tracking his blood splatters.

The ground shook as he felt Heele's overwhelming presence roar through the forest. Panicking, Onin looked around hopelessly for a place to at least hide the birds, but he was in a large clearing, too far away from any bushes or tree roots to sneak the birds under. The seconds went by, and his mind raced more than it ever had before.

But, it was too late.

" I FOUND YOU, LITTLE SHIT," the tree canopy behind Onin exploded into a bright yellow light as Heele tore through it. The large boy crashed down to the flat earth with an earth-shaking thud. His face said all that he was planning to do; he snarled like a rabid predator, his pupils shrunken and shaking with utter rage.

It was at this moment in Onin's life, as he watched the large boy stomp towards him with seething bloodlust, that he had experienced what fear was for the first time. To understand what a hopeless prey feels under the claws of its predator.

" WHERE THE HELL ARE BY BIRDS?!" Heels roared as he stomped closer and closer, towering over the younger saiyan. " AND YOU BETTER TELL ME, OR ELSE I DRAG YOUR DEATH LONGER THAN I PLAN TO!"

Onin gulped. He felt a chilling sensation run down his back, completely distracting him from the pain he felt. But while this feeling was the purest of fear there was, it was also the switch to something within him. A sudden wave of calmness washed over Onin, and he couldn't resist closing his eyes. The throbbing in his head receded, replaced with the sharpest concentration he could muster. Then, his eyes opened again. He tightened his grip on the birds and slowly brought both his hands up into fists, his onyx-black eyes locked into Heele's ferocious gaze with complete determination. This was Onin's response, his resolve.

Heele's face underwent numerous emotions. First, shock from Onin's resolve. Secondly, unfathomable rage. Lastly, uncontainable hilarity. From afar, one could hear the ruthless laughter of Heele echo across the lands, to then turn into a primal roar of battle.


Sometime Later...

The sun had set over the horizon, giving space for the planet's two moons to shine down on the rocky, rigid plains with their ghostly yellow hue. The winds had settled, as did the dust river in the ravine. There was not a single trace of life across these plains; a soulless desert that one would mistake as the land of the dead. But high above in the sky, there were two streaks of light flying across the rocky plains.

Two saiyan men scouted across the plains. It was two hours since the eliminations for the Hounding Race had ended, and these two were tasked to scout for any remaining contestants that were left by. Once they found a contestant, they would mark their locations, and let the recovery team retrieve the contestant. But this year's eliminations seemed to have been a lot cleaner than they had expected. So far, they've only found seven contestants, compared to the annual average of twenty-three.

" This new group must either be really merciful or really pacifist," one of the Saiyans said, who wore a red scouter.

The other snorted, who wore none. " Pacifist? That's the last thing we need from future saiyan soldiers."

" This whole new open-market system is tampering with saiyan traditions," the red-scouter saiyan grunted, " still don't know why the King even decided to do that."

" I heard that one of his sons had spoken out of turn during a government hearing," the other saiyan noted.

" Who, Prince Vegeta? Impossible, no way he'd care about anything in the government."

" No shit, I was talking about the other son."

" Prince Tarble is just barely past his pod age. What shit does a baby have to say?"

The other saiyan shook his head. " No fucking idea, but a lot of officials in the government have also been talking about it. King & Queen must've given him an overdose of information in the pod."

As they discussed to themselves, the red scouter saiyan heard a rapid beeping from his scouter. He pressed on the side of his scouter and focused on the yellow crosshair, aiming directly toward some destroyed forestry. " Looks like I'm picking up something down there."

" In that salad bowl?" the other saiyan laughed, "Looks like they had a big fight here. This kid probably had it really rough."

" Let's just get the body and get on with it."

Both Saiyans flew down towards the destroyed forestry. They went into cruise mode, using their scouters to precisely locate where the contestant was. It didn't take them long to find a small clearing, where a small body lay in the center. The ground around the body was darkened, and in closer inspections, the contestant's armor was severely damaged.

" Hey, I thought you said your scouter caught something," the other saiyan asked.

" It did," the red-scouter saiyan crouched down and removed a piece of chest plate from the contestant's side. Snuggled right near the waist were two golden birds, though barely shining with all the blood covered on them.

" The hell? Beat this kid up to death, but not take the birds?"

" They probably already had their birds and were just picking on other contestants," the red-scouter saiyan deduced, picking up birds, " I change my mind. Turns out these contestants aren't as merciful as I thought."

" Good to know," the other saiyan returned to flight, " let's mark this kid and get out of here already."

Using a metallic device on his waist, the red-scouter saiyan stabbed a thin silver needle into the ground. On top of the need was a red bulb, which flashed a bright red light to signal the recovery team's radars. But just before he joined the other saiyan in flight, his scouter went off again, and quickly afterward, the contestant twitched and began to cough out intensely. Both Saiyans look down as the contestant regained life, but struggled to breathe.

"... Damn it!" the other saiyan cursed. He immediately landed down next to the contestant and picked him up in his arms. " We gotta get back, fast."

"I hear you," the red scouter saiyan said. Without haste, both saiyans burst out of the forestry and zoomed off towards Squash Quiver.


Authors Note

Thank you for reading this far. For a long time, I've been a fan of Dragon Ball, and I've always wanted to make my own OC. But I didn't just want to sit down and make some generic Mary Sue that is astronomically stronger than Goku and co, which would explain this long introductory. I understand that this might've started off a little bit too fast in terms of transitioning, but I'm planning on fleshing out this little end into a mini-arc. Still trying to figure out who Onin really is and if I should have other characters be important or not.

Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope that I can bring out the second part soon! All critics are accepted, and please do mention if there's a typo somewhere!