Chapter 4
The humans continued to battle against the Saiyan, but Master Mitsuya's leap had held him aloft as long as it could, and he descended towards the ground once more! Yoko and Kyoji continued their valiant struggle against the Saiyan! Also, the Namek warrior Ho-Jun and his two clones began beating the three Saiyan fighters he was fighting! Master Mitsuya pondered the children's battle with the Saiyan!
"The kids are doing great!" Master Mitsuya thought to himself as he landed on the ground and prepared to leap back into the fray again. "Too bad I can't fly! This would make it a lot easier! Those two will have to carry the bulk of this battle unless we can manage to ground this guy! That Namek fighter has a pretty good technique as well, some sort of multiform technique! What a fighter!"
Master Mitsuya jumped up into the fray again and rejoined his young pupils in the fierce battle! The three of them were beginning to get the upperhand on the Saiyan warrior they were fighting! Ho-Jun and his clones were now dominating the three Saiyans they were fighting, making it look easy! With a series of hand-to-hand attacks followed up by a powerful energy blast, each Ho-Jun finished off his Saiyan adversary like he did with the first one! Just then, something got his attention! He turned and looked up to see Kenichi hovering high overhead again, scanning him with his scouter!
"So, you're a lot stronger than we'd first suspected." Kenichi responded, checking his scouter. "It got as high as three thousand four hundred at its peak! Now, perhaps I've found someone who can challenge my strength!"
Kenichi began powering up, and powerful winds blew out of him in all directions, buffeting the mighty Namek warrior! Small pebbles, stones, and rocks began to rise from the ground below as the ground began to shake violently below them, and the sky became dark above them! Kenichi was enshrouded in a pale flame-like aura as he powered up to full strength! Ho-jun grimaced in preparation for the battle to come!
Meanwhile, the humans managed to grab hold of the Saiyan they were fighting and bring him down to the ground so that Master Mitsuya could fight more effectively! The Saiyan shrugged the humans off of him, and the heroic trio resumed fighting stances, but then the violently shaking ground made it practically impossible for anyone to remain standing with solid footing! Even the Saiyan fought hard against the trembling of the ground!
Ho-Jun looked down at the Saiyan warrior struggling to remain upright! He then turned his attention back towards Kenichi, who was still powering up! Kenichi looked strained but excited as he continued to power up! Ho-Jun waited, and, in a few moments, Kenichi was finished powering up!
"Are you ready to die now, Namek?" Kenichi inquired arrogantly as he smirked at the mighty Namek.
"You're strong, but strength isn't all there is to a warrior!" Ho-Jun answered the cocky Saiyan. "Bring it on!"
"As you wish, my green, foolish friend!" Kenichi replied as he flew down towards the Namek warrior to start the battle.
The two mighty warriors began an all-out brawl in the heavens as the humans and the remaining subordinate Saiyan regained their balance to renew their struggle! The trio of humans began engaging the last Saiyan warrior, dominating the fight! The battle between Kenichi and Ho-Jun was far more evenly contested, and both warriors fought at a level that far exceeded the abilities of the other fighters!
Ho-Jun struggled against Kenichi's power and skill, and it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before one of them made a mistake, allowing the other to capitalize on it! Still, they pushed their fighting skills and power to their limits! Both fighters turned the heavens into a gladiatorial display like no other!
"His power is greater than mine, but I have sufficient skill to hold him off for now!" Ho-Jun thought to himself as he fought valiantly against the Saiyan. "But how long can I hold out? If he doesn't make a mistake soon, my power will be depleted soon, and he will still have power to spare!"
"This Namek is an incredible fighter!" Kenichi thought to himself as he fought with Ho-Jun. "I've never faced a foe with this kind of power or skill before in my life - except for one, and he's a Saiyan like me!"
Kenichi then began to penetrate Ho-Jun's defenses, and he slowly began taking over in the fight against the mighty Namek! Ho-Jun found himself on the receiving end of a few stiff shots, but he remained fiercely determined! Kenichi matched Ho-Jun's intensity, and he maintained his ever-so-slight edge!
"His power and skill, they're incredible!" Ho-Jun thought to himself as he struggled to match the Saiyan move for move. "I've never faced an adversary with such power and skill!"
Meanwhile, the other Saiyan warrior managed to get out of the midst of the human fighters and fly high into the sky once more! Yoko and Kyoji pursued the Saiyan into the air to keep up the pressure on him! Master Mitsuya could only watch in frustration as the fight was moved into the sky!
"Could he have figured out that I can't fly? Did he discover the strategy behind us trying to keep him grounded?" Master Mitsuya thought to himself as he watched Yoko and Kyoji renew their struggle with the Saiyan. "Hold on, children! I'll find a way to help you, even if I can't fly!"
The Saiyan found it much less difficult to fight against the two siblings without their mentor in the fray! Yoko and Kyoji noted their increased power and skill as they continued to press their advantage against the Saiyan, keeping him on the defensive still! Even Master Mitsuya seemed impressed!
"It's unbelievable!" Master Mitsuya thought to himself as he observed the battle. "Their power and skills have greatly increased for some reason! Their stronger, faster, and more skilled than before we arrived on this planet! What happened to them to cause this increase?"
"Wow!" Yoko thought to herself as she pitted her skill and power against the Saiyan. "My power is far greater than it was during the trip over here, and my skill and prowess have increased as well! What happened to us?"
"Hey, this is cool!" Kyoji thought to himself as he likewise pitted his increased power and skill against the Saiyan warrior. "I wonder if that close call with that comet had anything to do with my power and skill increasing so much? Oh, well! Too bad for this guy!"
The siblings continued their slight advantage over the Saiyan warrior they were fighting! The Saiyan warrior found it much easier to fend off the attacks of just the siblings without the assistance of their mentor! His superior skill and power was begining to even up the odds a little!
Meanwhile, Ho-Jun continued to struggle against Kenichi's slightly superior power and skill, still taking the occasional punch or kick from Kenichi! Ho-Jun managed to land a punch or a kick every now and then, but not nearly as often as Kenichi was able to! Both fighters disengaged and separated for a moment, hovering in the air and engaging in a staredown!
"His power and skill advantage are begining to take their toll on me!" Ho-Jun thought to himself as he glared at Kenichi. "I can't keep up this pace for long! Not like this! I have to try something different!"
"What's the matter, Namek?" Kenichi gloatingly taunted as he smirked at the Namek warrior. "You're not getting tired are you?"
"Why, not at all, Saiyan!" Ho-Jun replied with a cocky smirk of his own. "I'm just getting warmed-up! Now, I think it's time to get serious about this fight!"
With that said, Ho-Jun removed his cape and tossed it aside. The majestic, flowing, white garment crashed to the ground with a loud thud, getting Kenichi's attention. As the Saiyan noted this phenomenon, Ho-Jun smiled.
"So, you were fighting with weighted clothing on, eh?" Kenichi replied as he realized his advantage was no more. "Very clever!"
"Ready for round two?" Ho-Jun inquired confidently, waiting for the sign in Kenichi's eyes that he was ready to begin again. "Ding!"
They moved with great speed again as they closed the distance with blinding quickness and erupted into an insanely fast-paced martial arts brawl! Their hand-to-hand attacks were brilliant and quicker than before, yet they seemed to be equal now rather than one having a slight advantage! Suddenly, it seemed as though the Namek had acquired the edge in speed, and he began turning the tide of battle in his favor, punishing Kenichi with occasional punches and kicks!
"What is this?!?" Kenichi thought to himself while grimacing under the stress of battle against Ho-Jun, noting his new scouter reading. "My scouter is reading a power level of four thousand three hundred fifty! How is that possible? And his speed has increased substantially as well! Unreal!"
�Now this is more like it!" Ho-Jun thought to himself as he pressed his advantage over Kenichi. "I feel much lighter without that weighted cape on! I'm a lot faster and stronger now than I was a few moments ago!"
Kenichi now struggled against Ho-Jun as the slight underdog of their battle! The other Saiyan had begun taking over in his fight against the two sibling humans, peppering them both with a number of hand-to-hand attacks! From below, Master Mitsuya powered up another kamehameha wave and fired it into the Saiyan warrior! The blast slammed into the brute, and the children flew clear just before the massive explosion! Kenichi and Ho-Jun then separated and hovered in mid-air! All fighters except for Master Mitsuya were bruised and bleeding slightly from small cuts on the face, busted noses, and/or split lips!
"No way! We can't be beaten! We're an elite team of Saiyan warriors! This just isn't possible!" Kenichi snarled in frustrated disbelief. "We'll have to transform in order to beat them!"
"Transform?!?" Ho-Jun muttered as he pondered what Kenichi had meant by that little statement, becoming concerned over the possible ramifications.
At that moment, Kenichi generated a powerful ball of energy in his hand and threw it into the sky while laughing evilly! The heroes watched the energy technique rise higher and higher in the sky, and Kenichi turned to leave, casting one final glance in their direction!
"I won't be needed here any longer," Kenichi informed the stunned and bewildered heroes. "My minion will dispense with you shortly! Farewell!"
With that said, Kenichi flew away in the distance. Ho-Jun gazed once more upon the rising sphere of energy in the sky and then back towards where Kenichi flew away in the distance. The other heroes gazed up at the energy ball rising in the sky, and then every one including Ho-Jun looked at the smoke cloud obscuring the other Saiyan's position.
"What did he mean by that?" Ho-Jun thought to himself, trying to figure it out. "Somehow that energy ball is supposed to cause that other Saiyan to transform and acquire sufficient power to finish all of us off by himself, even though a trio of weaker humans were able to give him a great fight in his normal form? Should I go after Kenichi, or do I need to stay here and help the humans battle this warrior?"
When the smoke cloud cleared, it revealed a battered and battle-weary warrior hovering in mid-air. About that time, the energy ball 'exploded' in the air, creating an artificial moon. When the Saiyan warrior saw the fake moon, his eyes turned bloodshot, and his breathing became labored! His heart began to race, and fangs began forming in his mouth! Everyone was frozen in horror as they watched the terrible transformation begin!