The Three Legendary Saiyans

Chapter 5: What Waits Within

Raijin had left a golden trail in the West City skyline that would undoubtedly be mentioned on The Evening News but he no longer cared; Lord Beerus had causally dropped a hint as to what training Goku and Vegeta were doing and he needed to do the same if he was to reach the next level of Super Saiyan.

Racing across the Ocean surface and across the treetops of the dense woodlands until reaching The Land of Korin and The Tower of Korin came into sight, a smile spread over Raijin's face upon reaching The Tower and ascending directly up the ornate column towards The Lookout.

Raijin floated just off the surface of the perfectly tiled circled floor of The Lookout before coming to a landing; his smile fading as it seemed that nobody was present, "Is anybody home? Piccolo? Dende? Mr Popo?".

Raijin's shouts caused the many butterflies to spring from the perfectly tended garden that lined the Temple; a shadowy figure emerging from the main entrance to The Temple and into the light revealing himself to be Dende.

"Raijin; its good to see you… how have you been?" Dende spoke with a warm and friendly tone; spreading his arms in welcome for his long-time friend and Namek-raised Brother.

Raijin felt his lips curl into a smile as he embraced Dende in a brotherly hug, "I'm doing fine… though Bulma is not so good… she's afraid of what this might do to me" Raijin turned his hips; revealing his tail to Dende.

Dende let out a gasp at the mere sight of Raijin's Tail; remembering that Raijin had his Tail surgically removed after settling on Earth permanently.

"That doesn't surprise me; that Tail could cause you some problems" spoke the unmistakable voice of Piccolo; The Namekian emerging from the Temple with Mr Popo in tow.

Raijin smiled wider on seeing Piccolo, "That's why I'm here; I need to know more about The Great Ape".

Piccolo's warm welcoming expression quickly turned to one of seriousness, "What exactly do you need to know?".

Raijin met Piccolo's serious glare with a matching glare of his own, "Anything and everything".

Piccolo curled his legs and sank down into a cross-legged sitting position; speaking to Raijin and sharing anything and everything he knew about The Great Ape after having experienced the terror The Great Ape can inflict when witnessing Gohan use the Form when he was only four years old.

Raijin sat in silence for several minutes before speaking again, "And this happens whenever a Tailed Saiyan stares directly into a Full Moon… no wonder Bulma seemed to be so afraid of what might happen".

"So… Bulma is the reason you asked for this knowledge" Piccolo spoke; his eyes closing in contemplation, lapsing into a session of meditation on the matter Raijin faced.

Raijin took a deep breath; crossing his legs and entering into a lotus position and joining Piccolo in a session of meditation, though as he meditated only the image of himself standing in the shadow of The Great Ape lingered within his mind.

Raijin's and Piccolo's minds linked during their meditation; mental projections of themselves stood within the void of Raijin's Mindscape though they were accompanied by the image of The Great Ape.

"You need to move past this… lingering on this will do nothing for you; you will be left behind by Goku and Vegeta" Piccolo spoke; his voice echoing within Raijin's mind, "Think on why Whis chose to restore your Tail… do you really think Whis… or anybody would want you to walk down this path?".

Raijin knew Piccolo was right; but he was holding himself back in fear of losing control of himself and thus hurting someone he holds dear.

"Tonight is a Full Moon… and you need somewhere safe to train for this next level you're aiming for" Piccolo spoke solemnly; a smile lighting up his face as he had somewhere in mind for Raijin's new training.

"Do you have somewhere in mind?" Raijin asked; raising an eyebrow upon speaking his question.

"Yes; the desert just south of here… the only person who lives out there is Master Roshi's sister; Fortune-Teller Baba" Piccolo spoke with a smile; though he cared little for the old hag but she had her uses in certain situations.

Raijin calmly waited until night had fallen; he took his cell phone from his jeans pocket and immediately called Bulma.

Bulma answered after the first ring; though he'd only been apart from her for only a few hours hearing Bulma's concerned voice made him smile, "Raijin? Where are you? Security said they saw you leave hours ago!".

"I'm fine; I went to The Lookout to speak with Piccolo and we're going out into the Western Desert to train" Raijin spoke slowly so Bulma would hear his every word.

"You're at The Lookout? What are you training for?" Bulma asked; her voice hinted with her feelings for the path Raijin had chosen to walk.

Raijin closed his eyes as he spoke the next few words; "Piccolo told me everything about The Great Ape… I understand the fear you felt back at The Blutz Wave Experiment and I want you to know that I would never put you in danger like that again".

Bulma was silent for several seconds; her voice suggesting that she was smiling, "Ok; you go overcome the beast within; and then we'll discuss what to do with Trunks".

Raijin blinked at the sudden mention of Trunks, "What is going on with our son?".

Bulma let out a sigh before speaking, "Trunks and his three friends stole the Dragon Radar and ran off… I have no idea what their planning on wishing for though".

Raijin let out a deep sigh; those three friends of his were becoming a bad influence, "Alright; we'll talk to him when he gets home; until then… take care of yourself".

"You take care of yourself too; I trust you" Bulma spoke calmly; her anxiety for Raijin seemingly faded by just knowing that he was somewhere safe and training with Piccolo.

With those words spoken and Trunks' punishment for stealing The Dragon Radar yet to be determined; Raijin hung up the phone call and gazed out into the horizon only to look in the direction of West City.

"Are you ready? The Sun has fallen and The Moon shall rise soon" Piccolo spoke with his typical cape and turban removed; Piccolo only ever removed those items of clothing when he was serious about a fight.

Raijin gave a brief nod on his head; The Saiyan and The Namekian flying off at such speeds that their combined golden and purple energies created a shockwave that blew Dende and Mr Popo off their feet.

Raijin smiled as Piccolo began to gain some more speed on Raijin; Raijin closed his eyes just as Piccolo launched an attack with an extending arm, Raijin rolled to his right and dodged Piccolo's attack; re-opening his eyes to reveal the greenish-blue of Super Saiyan just as his hair flashed golden and white lightning coiled around his body.

"Super Saiyan 2 Full Power… that's what I like to see!" Piccolo grinned; channelling the powers of Nail and Kami as his purple/white aura ignited into a fierce flame around his body.

Raijin thought on what Beerus had said about expending his energies when transforming and fighting; opting to lessen the ferocious bolts of lightning around his body to only the smallest of sparks.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes as Raijin's power suddenly lessened; sensing that Raijin's current level of power was far weaker than his own, "What are you doing? You are not a challenge to me in this state!".

Raijin didn't say a word; feeling that he hadn't contained his powers but only weakened himself by powering down, Raijin gritted his teeth at his failure of containing his energy and only weakening himself; the thoughts vanished from his mind as Piccolo's fists smashed into Raijin's chest and face.

Raijin dropped out from the skies and down into the desert sands; sand covering over Raijin's body due to the strong winds present in the desert.

Piccolo followed down into the desert; looking up at the skies and estimating just another hour before The Moon would be full, that moment of distraction was what Raijin wanted; bursting out of the sands within blazing golden flames that licked off his body as he charged, Raijin driving a forward knee directly into Piccolo's unguarded stomach; Piccolo splitting up saliva after such a strike.

Piccolo dropped to his knees with his hands on his stomach; waiting for the damage to regenerate, "You weakened yourself and then recharged with a burst of explosive power; not a bad idea… but risky".

"Not quite what I was going for though…" Raijin spoke; lamenting on his failure to properly contain his powers as Beerus had provided a hint to what Goku and Vegeta were doing.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes; picking up on that Raijin was trying and failing to do something, "Raijin… tell me how you felt when You, Goku and Vegeta stood as Gods?".

Raijin let out a deep sigh; he'd been asked this very question many times by many of his friends, It felt exhilarating… like a bottomless well of power and energy had opened itself to me; but Goku and Vegeta had chosen to dive deeper into that well while I stand at the precipice… split between the path of God Ki and the path I have chosen to pursue".

Piccolo stared intently at Raijin; their eyes meeting when Piccolo spoke again, "Do you still feel the temptation of walking the path towards God Ki?".

"Yes; I think I always will… at least until I find the power I seek" Raijin answered; his voice full of resolve and intent to follow his own path.

Piccolo smiled; whipping his right hand around and revealing he'd been charging a Special Beam Cannon the entire time they'd been speaking, the sight of the sudden attack put Raijin on guard only a second too late as Piccolo fired.

Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon tore through Raijin's red t-shirt but narrowly missed drilling through his right shoulder due to Raijin dropping to his knees in a desperate bid to avoid Piccolo's most deadly attack.

Raijin thrust his hands out; smirking as he resorted to an attack he rarely ever used anymore, "Thunder Crash Cannon!" upon speaking the name of his attack; lightning bolt-like beams burst from his fingertips and arcing through the air before crashing into the sand around d Piccolo's feet.

Piccolo did his best to sidestep the energy rays though they arced like actual lightning they were not as dangerous as real lightning; only taking a single successive hit to his own right shoulder.

Piccolo smiled as he and Raijin had each taken a hit to their respective right shoulders; glancing up towards the skies and spotting that The Moon was already beginning to hang within the black night sky.

"It's almost time; prepare yourself" Piccolo spoke; taking a sweeping glance of the desert to ensure there was nobody but them in the area, the only thing within Piccolo's sight was the oasis site where Fortune-Teller Baba's Palace stood.

Raijin had closed his eyes; trying to mentally prepare himself for what was to come, choosing to see tonight as his second trial on the path to a new power; Raijin wanted to succeed after his failure with The Blutz Waves.

"Raijin… your goal tonight is to transform into The Great Ape; contain the power and retain your mind…. But if you fail you will rampage here in the desert until The Sun rises.. or you lose your mind entirely" Piccolo spoke; finally giving Raijin the instructions for tonight's trial.

Raijin felt grim as he nodded; every muscle in his body seemed to tense up in the wake of natural Moonlight, thinking that the sudden tensing of his muscles could be a reaction to the imminent risk he was about to attempt.

Waiting for exactly ten minutes; Raijin turned towards the skies and opened his eyes to witness the glorious pale light of the Full Moon, it only took a moment to Raijin's eyes to flash red; his chest heaved with in explosive increase to his heartrate.

Piccolo kicked off the sand and flying up into the sky; he knew too well what change was happening to Raijin's body but he still felt a cold shiver running down his spine.

A resonating roar emanated from Raijin as he screamed; his face contorting into that of an ape, the red irises of his eyes spreading until they encompassed the entirety of his eyes; Raijin's hair grew longer and thicker on his head as well as new hair sprouting across his entire body as his form grew larger and more muscular.

Piccolo merely watched as Raijin's red t-shirt and stonewash denim jeans were shredded from his enlarging body; observing as Raijin's form was lost into the form of The Great Ape.

Another roar resonating across the desert dunes and casting the sand into the air with the force of Great Ape Raijin's voice; raising his gigantic fists up into the air and smashing his fists back down into the sand, razing the sand dunes and hurling boulders out into the distance in a rampage of animalistic and primal strength.

Piccolo watched from a distance so not to get caught up in Great Ape Raijin's rampage; observing The Great Ape for over two hours before shaking his head in disappointment for Raijin's apparent failure.

Raijin found himself standing within his own Mindscape; only now he was standing before the immensely tall form of The Great Ape of which was staring down at him with a huge fang-lined smile.

"So; you're here to take over my body?" Raijin asked The Great Ape; his voice echoing into the darkness, The Great Ape merely nodding its ugly head.

Raijin leaned backwards slightly and then spat a blob of saliva onto The Great Ape's foot, The Great Ape widening its bright red eyes at the blatant act of defiance.

"As my son would say… Fuck you! This is my body and you're not having it!" Raijin shouted at the top of his lungs; raising his middle finger to The Great Ape just as Trunks had done to him whenever he got angry at being grounded for bad behaviour.

The Great Ape roared before fading into the darkness; his bright red eyes still looming in the shadows as the only remaining feature of its hulking mass, in its place stood a silhouette; standing with thick and wild hair and a tail flicking about behind it, the silhouette stood before Raijin with its hand outstretched; waiting for its hand to be taken by Raijin's own.

Raijin remembered seeing this silhouette once before; he saw it standing at the end of a branching path back when he had a vision when trying to become a Super Saiyan 2, feeling a confident smile light up his face; Raijin reached out and took the outstretched hand.

Great Ape Raijin's rampage began to cease; only the sound of heavy panting breath filled the dead desert landscape, The Great Ape's fists opened and grabbed at its own head; letting out a scream as the black/brown hair that covered its body began to blink back and forth between the normal black/brown to a golden colour.

Piccolo watched; awe filled his eyes at he witnessed something he'd never seen before, The Golden Great Ape.

Golden Great Ape Raijin let out another shout that strongly sounded like his own normal voice only at a much higher pitch; his hulking form slowly shrinking down little by little until Raijin's form had been hidden behind a veil of airborne sand.

Piccolo stared in shock at how Raijin had regained control over his Great Ape Form; though Piccolo could have sworn he saw the golden light of Raijin's aura turning bright red within the veil of sand.

As the veil of sand faded with sweeping gust of wind revealing Raijin's normal body; the red aura that had shined off his form had vanished as quickly as it came, though Raijin stood naked in the cold desert night.

Piccolo flew back over and dropped into the sand crater where Raijin stood naked; smirking as Piccolo raised his left hand and released a flurry of glittering particles from his palm that formed into a whole new outfit for Raijin to wear, "At least you won't be cold now… and not naked"

Raijin opened his eyes to find himself adorned with a Namekian Gi in Piccolo's own style but with Raijin's white colours and complete with a bright red obi wrapped around his waist, "Piccolo… I did it; I tamed The Great Ape… and I ascended to the next level... but I cannot control it yet".

Piccolo gave a confident smile; placing both his hands onto Raijin's shoulders, "I knew you would find the answer… but I did feel like you'd failed in your trial".

Raijin shrugged his shoulders towards Piccolo's remark about thinking he'd failed, "Surely you had more faith than just that?".

"You got me there… though controlling this new power will take time and much training" Piccolo chuckled under his breath, his eyes suddenly widening as he sensed something; an evil power he hadn't sensed in years.

Raijin looked out towards The South Sea; having sensed the same evil energy as Piccolo had, "You don't think that's?".

"No… it can't be; nobody would be so crazy as to bring him back from the darkest depths of Hell" Piccolo spoke; gritting his teeth.

Raijin recalled that Bulma had told him that Trunks, Pilaf, Shu and Mai had stolen The Dragon Radar and must be planning a wish, "Somebody did…".

Piccolo and Raijin turned to each other; speaking the same words at the same moment, "Frieza has been resurrected!".