Planet Mefem

Gobbling down the equivalent of a cooking pot, Paprika never seemed to slow down, while filling the black hole inside her stomach seemed like an impossible task. Seeing her swallow everything she had prepared, Makito declared.

"Paprika, if you eat too fast, you will have bad digestion."

" No risk. " The saiyan assured, between bites. "Knowing what's going to happen today is the least of my worries."

Finally, putting her cutlery on the table, she affirmed.

"The tournament is for today and I have every intention of winning it again."

Every year, to elect the best warrior in Mefem, Daria used to organize a tournament between the most powerful women in the city. Having had to wait until she was sixteen years old to participate, Paprika had already participated in six tournaments.

But during her first participation, she had been eliminated in her first match. And regarding her next four appearances, it was Yada who shattered her dreams, beating her every encounter.

Paprika had to wait until sixth year to reach the finals and face Yada again. And this time, after a tight fight between the two rivals, Yada had ended up collapsing on the ground, while Paprika was still standing. To tell the truth, the saiyan didn't even have the strength to take a step. But, for her, it was a great day.

In the finals of her sixth tournament, she had finally managed to defeat Yada, in a perfectly fair fight, and without ever thinking of using her Oozaru form. And today, she intended to repeat her feat, during her seventh participation.

"I know you're excited." Makito asserted, starting to clear the plates from the table. "But, I watched Yada-chan! And I can tell you that she trained very hard to get her revenge."

"Do you think I don't know?" Asked Paprika. "I remind you that most of the time, she trains with me."

Clenching her fist, smiling in conviction, she declared.

"I had my first win against her! So there's no way I'm letting her win any fights against me again."

Nodding, Makito moved closer to Paprika, before patting her on the head.

"I'll be there to cheer you on."

Seeing her behaving as if Paprika was still a child, the saiyan pouted. Then, finally, she left her place, before pretending to leave. Opening the front door, she looked outside the place where she lived.

Today, because of the tournament, there was more activity than usual. Many people were in the streets, and gathered to then go to the area where the training grounds were, where the competition is going to take place.

It has already been twenty years since Paprika arrived in this world. Twenty-three she had spent training to become the best. No one had ever hidden the truth about Paprika's origins, namely that she was probably the last representative of her race and was now destined to defeat Frieza.

Certainly, even though she had become the best warrior in this world, Paprika knew that Daira was still more powerful than her. However, this was no longer the case when she transformed. Paprika's Oozaru form allowed the saiyan to be unquestionably the most powerful person in Mefem.

Paprika was proud of that. However, her fighting spirit was beginning to take over reason. Daira had long since told her that her current strength, even her oozaru form, was insufficient to defeat Frieza. Still, Paprika wanted to meet her at all costs.

When transformed, Paprika felt invincible. So she wanted to know if Frieza was as strong as the matriarch of this planet had told her.

Nevertheless, thinking about her day today, she declared.

"Yada...get ready to finish second again."

However, before leaving, Paprika turned to watch her mother finish clearing the table.

" Mom ... "

Surprised, Kamiko stared at her, while her daughter had rarely used this word to refer to her. However, smiling with conviction, Paprika assured her.

"My victory today will be for you! So you better be there when I win."

Then she left.

Sitting on a throne-like seat, Daira faced the training grounds where the tournament matches will take place today. Honestly, she felt as excited as the other spectators, while hoping to see the level of her best warriors increase during the fights.

"How many participants?" She wanted to know.

Having the list of names, a woman, serving as her secretary, answered her.

"52! And among them, of course, are your daughter and Paprika."

"These two are truly amazing." Another woman asserted. "They are among the youngest participants and yet everyone is certain that this year's winner is bound to be one of them."

"She represents the new generation." Daira stated. "You have to confess the truth! I'm not very young anymore! I have to take over, just in case."

"Yet your strength is vastly superior to theirs," Remarked her secretary.

"Even if they both fought against you, you could surely defeat them." The second woman assured.

"I know." Daira stated. "But at the rate things are going, maybe Paprika, in her original form, or even Yada can become strong enough to surpass me! When that day comes, I'll put my title as matriarch on the line and whoever defeats me will take my place. "

"Being the strongest does not necessarily mean being a good leader," Retorted her secretary.

"What do you mean?" Daira questioned her.

"If we follow your reasoning, there's a good chance that Paprika will be the first to surpass you! She sure is an excellent fighter but..."

"She'll never be a better chef than you." The second woman declared. "Like a true saiyan, she thinks of nothing but fighting."

"Nevertheless, Yada takes things much more seriously and is more mature than Paprika." The secretary continued. "If I were you, I would place her on the throne."

"I don't know." Daira confessed. "What you say is true but...I'm afraid people will think I'm showing favoritism towards her! And I don't know what reaction Paprika might have! It's true that becoming the new chef doesn't seem interest her but... saiyans are known to love power."

At that moment, a group of women walked towards the pitches, all of them scantily dressed and most with bandages around their ankles and wrists. Having the looks of fighters, these women were the elite warriors of Mefem. And finding herself among them, Paprika felt her thirst for battle growing stronger and stronger.

Not far from her, Yada was already beginning to stretch, while seeming to ignore the people around her. However, for a brief moment, she turned her gaze to Paprika, and the two rivals managed to stare at each other.

Immediately, the duo's aura intensified, as they looked forward to fighting each other again. Finding herself also among the combatants, Saka advanced towards Paprika, before declaring.

"It's been a long time since we fought, Paprika-san ! I can't wait to show you the progress I've made."

"Great." Paprika said, barely looking at her. "You'll give me a good warm-up, before my fight against Yada."

"Stop underestimating me." Saka roared.

Trying to be more combative than when she was a child, the catwoman declared.

"I want to become a challenge for you too! Yes, if you ever become too strong for Yada-san to continue to be your rival, I want to make sure that there will always be someone who can keep you training and getting stronger."

Hearing her say that seriously, Paprika gave her a small amused smile, while affirming.

"In that case, show me what you're capable of and don't disappoint me."

"That won't happen." The feline assured her, showing her claws.

Eventually, the women finally lined up to face Daira. Still in her seat, the matriarch stared at them, before declaring.

"I suppose it comes as no surprise to anyone if I declare that you represent the elite of this world! Many of you have been my comrades for decades while others are recent recruits! But no matter who I look at, when I see you, I only feel proud! I'm proud to see each of you growing stronger, knowing our common goal."

Rising from her seat, Daira exclaimed.

"Once again, I'm counting on you to show me the progress you've had time to make for an entire year! Warriors, I command you to fight with all your might."

Feeling invigorated, several women nodded, while many felt empowered to defeat all the other female fighters. Eventually, some women joined them and began to group the warriors into a few groups before leading them to a field where their first fight would take place.

In the space

" Raditz ! RADITZ ! RAAAAAADDDDDIIIIITTTTTZZZZZ ! "

Coming out of his torpor, the long-haired saiyan had the impression of feeling his eardrums explode. Still inside his Attack Ball, having been traveling for almost an entire month, Raditz had just woken up, as Vegeta's voice was heard through his scouter.

"I'm awake, Vegeta."

"It's not too soon." His leader growled. "I've just spotted a planet that's not far from our position! It hasn't seen any invasion by Frieza's army! We can get there and hopefully stay there for a while, the time to reflect on our situation."

"You're the boss." Raditz assured him, knowing he had no say anyway.

"I know it." Vegeta assured. "Just connect your ship to mine."

Then he cut off the communication.

Waiting for Raditz and Nappa to connect their ships to Vegeta's, so he could give them the coordinates of the planet he had spotted, Vegeta mumbled, trying to find a positive in their situation. They had fled the base where they were, after involuntarily causing a fire, which could have destroyed it. And the worst thing is that Frieza was in this base, at this precise moment. Suffice to say that the tyrant would certainly have been in a rage, learning that the saiyans were responsible for this disaster.

Considering his hot-tempered and impulsive behavior, Frieza would most likely have killed Raditz and Nappa in anger. Then, to relax, he would certainly have played very long with Vegeta, to make him regret what he had done and to slowly break his spirit. Running away was the only solution. But now ?

The only advantage that Vegeta had working for Frieza was precisely the fact that the tyrant didn't want to voluntarily kill him, before getting tired of him. Vegeta knew that a day would come when the bully would stop seeing him as a toy and end up killing him. And, until that day, the saiyan had made sure to train hard, so he could improve and hopefully surpass Frieza's power.

Nevertheless, today, he couldn't longer count on it. As a fugitive, Vegeta knew that Frieza was sure to put out a wanted poster and have everyone go after the trio. And as soon as Vegeta found himself at his tormentor's feet again, he knew a slow and painful death awaited him.

"What to do...?" He growled. "How can I finally get the strength to defeat him?"

Planet Mefem

Getting hit in the stomach, a huge woman, dressed like a sumo, let out a muffled scream. Then, finally, she collapsed in front of Paprika, who looked barely tired.

"Paprika...qualified for the semi-finals." Announced the referee of her match.

Not far away, a dogfight was taking place, over another piece of land, as Yada battled a purple-feathered harpy. Attempting to lacerate Paprika's rival, with her talons, the raptor was surprised to hit an afterimage, while Yada disappeared from her vision.

"What...?" She wondered, looking around.

"Above you." A voice shouted.

Barely having time to raise her face, the harpy saw Yada's figure falling in her direction, with her leg raised. Lowering her foot with all her might, Yada let her heel smash into the skull of his opponent, who tumbled at top speed to the ground. A sound of impact was then heard, while a crater appeared, with the harpy in the middle.

Dropping down from the sky, Yada landed on the pitch, just as the referee leaned over the crater, to make sure her opponent couldn't continue the fight.

"Yada... qualified for the semi-finals."

Fighting against what looked like a praying mantis, having an armored skin, Saka had much more difficulty than Paprika, to defeat her adversary. Compared to the saiyan who could count on her strength to win, the cat-woman mainly used her speed and agility to dodge the attacks of her opponents, before counter-attacking. Currently dodging an attack from the insect, as Saka the blade of her forearm pass over her, she put one foot on the ground, before dashing forward. Targeting the other fighter's armored abdomen, Saka released her claws, ready to use them to slash her.

Seeing her running zigzagging, while getting closer to her, the giant insect remained motionless, only moving her eyes, which managed, more or less, to follow Saka's movements. Finally, the praying mantis raised the blade of one of her forearms in the air, and lowered it the instant Saka appeared in front of her abdomen. Then a collision sound was heard.

Quick as light, Saka found herself behind her opponent, before coming to a standstill. Suddenly, a wound opened in her abdomen, and the cat-woman fell to her knees. However, when the fight seemed lost for her, her opponent ended up writhing in pain, as numerous cracks appeared on the armor that covered her abdomen.

Eventually spitting out some green blood, the giant mantis fell to the ground, defeated. Seeing her remain motionless, the referee on this ground also gave her verdict.

"Saka... qualified for the semi-finals."

"Three young warriors, who defeated experienced warriors." Daira's secretary remarked. " This is incredible. "

"As I said before, this shows how close the next generation is to surpassing us." Affirmed Daira.

"To be honest, I expected Yada and Paprika to come this far! I wouldn't have bet a lot of money on Saka though."

"It's true that she is much less efficient than the other two. " Affirmed the secretary. "From what I know about her, she was more competent than the average, during her training! But from there to reach the semi-finals..."

"If she had followed ordinary training, she wouldn't have become so strong." Daira retorted. "Becoming one of Paprika's sparring partners is what made her so strong! It took time, but the harsh abuse Paprika inflicted on her is making her stronger to be beneficial. "

Finally, having the right to rest and hydrate inside a building, the fighters still in the competition prepared themselves psychologically for their next fight. Among them, Saka could not hide her joy.

"It's the first time I reached the semi-finals! I'm so happy with myself."

"Calm down." Yada advised her suddenly.

Eyes closed and deep in meditation, she declared.

"For my part, I am not satisfied at all to reach the semi-finals or even the final! I will only be satisfied when I have won this tournament."

"Maybe but..." Saka began, calming down somewhat. "For me, it was a performance that I never thought I would achieve! So maybe, with luck, I could reach the final."

Being in the process of spilling water on her head, Paprika smiled upon hearing this, as she declared.

"I wish you good luck...because, if you don't know it yet, your opponent for your next game...is me."

Immediately, even though she knew it perfectly, Saka felt a part of her hope disappear, as Paprika looked at her. Truth be told, Saka never saw as the saiyan viewed her. Did Paprika consider her like a friend? A potential rival? Just a toy? A nuisance ?

For her part, Saka wanted to be able to consider the saiyan as her friend. Yet she knew she saw Paprika differently. She absolutely idolized her. Since she could walk, the saiyan had always managed to rise above the others. She was constantly motivating herself to become the best, in all circumstances. And even if Paprika loved to annoy Saka, the humanoid cat wanted to continue to stay close to her, to see her climb even higher.

Still, Saka didn't just want to stay by her side. Feeling jealousy that Paprika's attention was directed more towards Yada than her, Saka wanted the saiyan to see her as her rival as well. She wanted to show her that she could still serve her to progress.

Finally, displaying a confident gaze, she reached out her fist in Paprika's direction, before touching her upper abdomen.

"Paprika...I dare you." Saka affirmed. "And today, I would win this tournament."

At first surprised to see her displaying so much determination in her gaze, Paprika felt her saiyan genes manifest, while she hoped for a good fight before facing Yada in the final.

"Perfect! Don't disappoint me."

"Tssss! A cat challenging a monkey! That's pitiful."

Being isolated from the trio, the fourth semi-finalist looked down upon Paprika and Saka with contempt, especially the saiyan. Iidii was a humanoid whose long black hair covered almost all of her face, except for one eye that could be seen through a slit in her hair. White, with a deep black pupil, that eye showed nothing but anger whenever Iidii glared at Paprika. Both women were the same size. Yet, Iidii's hands were three times larger than the saiyan's, while her fingers were replaced by huge claws similar to a bear's.

"I really don't understand why Daira-san considers you one of us." Iidii affirmed. "You are a saiyan! An individual of the race that exterminated my people! Because of you, I am the sole representative of my people! Just knowing that one of you is near me makes myself sick."

Simply staring at her, Paprika remained motionless. Then, finally, she sighed.

" Pathetic. "

"Sorry?" Iidii roared.

Knowing full well the hatred Iidii had towards her people, Paprika didn't even feel insulted. Although she knew her origins, she had no memory of the short time she had spent on Planet Vegeta. Of course, she had heard many stories about the cruelty of the saiyans. And just like them, Paprika loved to fight. However, after spending 23 years on this planet, Paprika had long since learned the importance of respecting the lives of others.

"You're talking to the wrong person." She asserted. "You hate me because I'm a saiyan? Do as you want! But that's not how you can avenge yours."

" What ? "

"Everyone knows that it was Frieza who ordered my people to exterminate entire planets! As for me, I have never killed a single person! And yet your hatred is focused on me."

Showing a mocking smile, she declared.

"You feel so incapable of dealing with Frieza's army that you'd rather take it out on me! You really are pathetic."

"YOU LITTLE..." Roared Iidii, walking towards her.

However, she stopped, seeing Yada position herself between them.

"Calm down." She ordered her. " I remind you that it is against me that you must fight for your next match! So, I advise you to conserve your energy! Because if you really want to fight Paprika, you will have to defeat me first, to hope for the meet in the final."

Growling in displeasure, Iidii finally turned and walked away.

" She hates you, while you are in no way responsible for the extermination of her people. " Saka remarked.

"Never mind." Paprika retorted. "It's not the only one."

Indeed, even if some people tried more or less to hide it, Paprika knew that part of the population of the city hated her because of her Saiyan origins. Many of these women had seen these space warriors kill many people. But, ironically, if the presence of Paprika was tolerated here, it was because Daira had assured that the saiyan was their best hope to kill the one who was really at the origin of all these genocides.

" It's even good, if she hates me. " Affirmed the saiyan, with an evil smile. "When you hate someone, you always go out of your way to try and kill them! Hopefully, that might be my opponent in the final."

Receiving no response, she saw Yada simply performing a few stretches. Then, Daira's daughter ends up giving her a brief look, while retorting.

"Try to beat Saka! And then we will see after."

Half an hour later

Positioning her arm to protect her left cheek, Saka winced as she felt Paprika's foot hit her forearm hard enough to knock it back. Feeling like her arm was pulverized, Saka jumped back, while Paprika stayed where she was. Catching her breath, while giving her arm time to stop shaking, the humanoid cat saw the saiyan perfectly serene, while nothing on her face could betray any fatigue. Instead, Paprika smiled impishly, before asking.

"What's happening to you, Saka? Wasn't it you who assured me that you wanted to challenge me to go to the final? So, in that case, why are you backing down?"

Growling, Saka ends up bending over, before getting into the same position as an Olympic runner, on the starting line. Then pumping up her leg muscles, she ended up making a start so powerful she pulverized the ground beneath her feet. Then, a blurry silhouette began to move around Paprika, who remained motionless.

"Even if you are stronger than me, my speed will allow me to defeat you." Saka assured, while her voice seemed to come from several directions.

"Oh? Really?" Paprika asked, closing her eyes.

Immediately, Saka rushed towards her, and her claws found themselves in front of Paprika's face. Yet, still having her eyes closed, the saiyan simply pulled her face back, while Saka's claws couldn't even graze her skin. At first surprised, the humanoid cat didn't give up renewing her attack several times, while adding kicks from time to time.

Continuing to dodge each of her attacks, Paprika continued to stay in one place, only moving his upper body to avoid getting hit. Knowing perfectly how to spot her opponent's ki, the saiyan profiled the many lessons she had received during her training.

At first, she wasn't at all interested in practicing ki sensing, finding it unnecessary. For her, only techniques to become stronger interested her. However, it didn't take a few consecutive defeats, against Yada, who mastered this technique, for Paprika to change her mind. And today, she understood how useful it could be to her.

Finally, opening her eyes, she closed her fist to punch Saka's abdomen. Unfortunately, her opponent's body vanished like a mirage, while the saiyan had only struck an afterimage. Having jumped in extremis, Saka was above her before making a quick movement with her arm, thus creating five sharp gusts of wind, using her claws.

Immediately jumping back, Paprika saw the attacks touch the ground and slice it completely, showing the dangerousness of this technique. Now cornered, she found herself in a corner of the field and her opponent took the opportunity to finish her off. Clasping her hands together, while positioning her claws forward, Saya dropped down towards Paprika, still affirming.

"This is my victory."

For only answer, Paprika began to smile. Then, she let her body cover herself with a purple aura, before propelling her towards the sky. Seeing her coming towards her, Saka let out a cry, before letting her claws strike her. Unfortunately, pulling away at the last moment, Paprika barely felt the humanoid cat's claws graze her hair.

" What... ? " Saka wondered, seeing her pass next to her belly.

Placing her hands on her abdomen, Paprika smiled at her, before an intense light came out of her hands. And the next moment an explosion took place. Watching the fight with interest, Daira saw two figures falling from the sky. But as Paprika landed on her feet, Saka's body slammed into the ground. Groaning in pain, the humanoid cat forced herself to sit up, while her body was covered in burns.

"It...It's not over."

But before she could react, Paprika's foot hit her stomach, knocking her to the ground. Joining her, Paprika grabbed her arm, before wrapping her legs around Saka's neck. Finding herself blocked by a real wrestling hold, Saka could only try in vain to struggle, while Paprika pulled on her arm.

Letting out a cry of pain, Saka felt like the saiyan was going to break her arm. Still, trying to keep releasing, she tensed the muscles in her arm, and Paprika was surprised to feel her resistance.

" Huh ? "

Then, suddenly, Saka's tail wrapped around Paprika's neck, and began to choke her.

"I'm not going to lose..." Saka assured, redoubled her efforts to free herself.

Unfortunately, the more she tried, the more Paprika enjoyed the situation. Despite Saka's tail choking, she lengthened her smile, before increasing her power even more.

"You impress me, Saka! I must admit that you have always been my favorite training partner! But today, you are surpassing yourself."

Immediately, Saka ceased all resistance, as her arm now threatened to be ripped off. Feeling a tear form in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, the poor cat finally screamed.

" I'M GIVING UP ! "

This sentence announced the end of the fight. Still, Paprika didn't want it to end. Things were just starting to get interesting. And more than anything, Saka's screams were like sweet music to her ears. Her Saiyan genes wanted to hear her scream more. Grinning wickedly, Paprika felt an urge to behave sadistically and crush her bones.

Sometimes when fighting, Paprika felt this feeling, while physically torturing her opponent seemed to be more important than just defeating her. She wanted to show her superiority over Saka more by breaking her. Feeling this, Saka slowly turned her head towards her, begging her.

" Stop ... I ... I beg you ... "

Immediately, the saiyan's gaze returned to normal and she immediately released her grip. Immediately releasing her arm, Saka grabbed it, grimacing, as she was certain that her muscles and tendons had surely been damaged.

" It hurts. "

"I … Sorry." Paprika apologized.

Then, looking at her own hands, she groaned in displeasure, noticing that she hadn't been able to control her sadistic urges.

" DAMN IT ! "

Grinning too, as she watched the fight, Yada was also very unhappy with Paprika. She had seen that she had had trouble controlling herself and that scared her. If Paprika still had trouble controlling herself in her base form, what if her sadistic side took over when she was transformed?