by Jamie L. Word
"The Fall Of A Super Saiyan"
Usami's power-up continued, and his body began transforming once again! His tail retracted into his back until only the syringe-like tip protruded from his lower back, pointing towards the ground! Two spikes, one over the top of the other, grew from each side of the back of his skull, pointing backwards! Blade-like bony extensions stretched out of his forearms and extended back past his elbows, and his eyes became blood red without pupils! His muscles bulged a bit more, like they were in his second form but even larger! His wings became almost bat-like, and his teeth became fangs within his mouth! The terrifying environmental effects of his transformation continued all over the planet, and super-gale-force winds blew across the landscape as Usami continued to transform!
"Get back to the lookout!" Kien yelled to the others as he watched on in horror. "Take Jontu and get out of here now! I'll stay behind and see if there's anything I can do from here to stop him, even if it kills me!"
Sumio and Sumie turned to each other, and then they slowly began to leave the island with solemn expressions on their faces, and Sumio carried Jontu in his arms as they left. Shun's facial expression became grim and solemn as he too began his journey back to the lookout. Lastly, Yoshio and Yuko turned and left the island on their way back to the lookout. Kien hovered there in mid-air, grimacing as he pondered his fate ... and the fate of the universe. He glared at the horrible sight before him in grim silence.
When the transformation was completed, Usami turned to Yukio and smiled. Yukio was a bit unnerved at the demonic appearance of Usami. Kien was not only unnerved, he was gravely concerned. The environmental effects subsided as the transformation completed.
"Well, Saiyan, tell me something," Usami called with a deep, guttural voice towards the unnerved Super Saiyan. "Are you ready for the challenge? I know I am! Let's see how you fare against me now!"
"With pleasure!" the arrogant Ascended Super Saiyan replied with an eager smile upon his visage.
Yukio flew at Usami and attacked him with a blindingly fast flurry of punches and kicks, but Usami managed to dodge and evade each and every attack Yukio threw at him! He then covered up for a while and used his forearms to block an extended flurry of punches thrown by Yukio! Yukio became frustrated quickly with his inability to land an attack against the synthetic superbeast! Kien noted this with fearful apprehension!
"Oh, no! This isn't good!" Kien thought to himself as he watched the renewed battle in horror. "He's faster than Yukio! Despite all of Yukio's power, he can't catch Usami! I don't even think Koji can beat this guy!"
Back in the Chamber of Spirit and Time, Koji and his son stood outside the space pod in the open training area in their normal Saiyan form. Koji turned to his son with a determined look on his face.
"Son, I want you to transform into a Super Saiyan now," Koji told Kato, and the young lad obeyed his father's command. "The Ascended Super Saiyan form and the Ultra Super Saiyan form both have the same weakness. To increase your power and strength, you must forfeit your speed, and to increase your speed, you must forfeit your strength and power. We can't sacrifice either if we hope to overcome those that threaten to destroy this planet. I know this is going to be tough, but I want you to try being a Super Saiyan for the whole day. We're going to lessen the intensity of our training until it doesn't feel so strange. We're going to train until it feels natural to be a Super Saiyan. Transforming costs us precious energy we might need in battle. I think I know a way to achieve a higher power state while maintaining our speed as well. It's going to be tough, but we'll do it together."
Koji then transformed into a Super Saiyan as well, and Kato smiled at his father. He seemed to understand fully what his father was telling him.
"With you here, I know I can do anything, Dad!" Kato exclaimed cheerfully with a wide grin on his face, prompting his father to smile a bit.
"That's the spirit, my son!" Koji commended the lad for his great confidence and determination. "Now, let's finish these last few months out as Super Saiyans, even when we sleep!"
They began sparring in Super Saiyan form, testing each other with great vigor and energy. They realized it would take some time to grow accustomed to being Super Saiyans all the time, but they were determined to succeed in their training ... no matter how difficult it was.
Back at the battlefield, Yukio continued to attack Usami, pursuing him with rapid-fire energy blasts, but Usami managed to dodge every blast as he led Yukio on a merry chase across the landscape! Yukio's frustration mounted as he continued in a futile effort to tag the monstrous fiend with his energy attacks! Usami seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly!
"You'd better keep running, you pathetic coward, because when I catch you, you're going to be extremely sorry!" Yukio yelled at Usami as he continued to chase the monster. "It's obvious that you're too much of a coward to stand and fight me! That's why you're running, isn't it? You're too much of a weakling to stand up to a Super Saiyan like me!"
"Oh, really?" Usami said with a sinister smirk upon his demonic visage. "Let's just see about that!"
Suddenly, Usami vanished from Yukio's sight, and the Ascended Super Saiyan was at a loss to discern where the monster went! He stopped and looked around in an effort to locate his foe!
"What?!?" Yukio muttered dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events. "Where'd he go?"
Suddenly, he sensed something above him! Looking up, he saw Usami hovering in mid-air high above him, his arms folded in front of his chest and a mocking smirk on his face! Yukio's frustration prompted him to power-up even more; increasing his mass even more as electricity briefly crackled around him and his golden flaming aura! Usami wasn't impressed!
"Why, you!" Yukio yelled in his rage as he flew up to attack Usami once again. "How dare you taunt me! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!"
"Oh, blah, blah, blah!" Usami taunted as he watched Yukio approaching with both fists clenched for battle. "Is that all you Saiyans do, talk? Why don't you show me that mighty Super Saiyan power you keep talking about? Don't tell me that this is all the power that you have to offer me!"
"You're the one who's all talk and no action!" Yukio screamed in his rage as he drew back his fist to throw a punch at Usami when he got closer. "You want to see true Saiyan power, eat this!"
Yukio threw a punch at Usami, but Usami disappeared again, reappearing a great distance behind Yukio! Yukio turned around, glared at Usami angrily, and raised his power level even higher! Usami smiled!
"Good!" Usami thought to himself as he observed Yukio's rage. "I learned the usefulness of this trick earlier in my battle with that Kai! I can see that his rage has already blinded him to tactical reasoning! His fighting technique is getting sloppy, and it'll only get worse as he gets madder! On top of that, every time he increases his power level and his strength to attack me with greater force, his speed diminishes in proportion to his power increase! I've baited him into a trap, and he took to it like a stupid sap! What a sucker! He'll be an easy win now! He might actually surpass me in power, but he can't do it without sacrificing his already inferior speed!"
"It's incredible!" Kien thought to himself as he watched the clash between the warriors. "Yukio's power just keeps getting stronger, but how is Usami still able to evade his every attack? Can he increase his speed, or is it something else that's giving him such an advantage?"
Yukio continued to attack Usami, and Usami continued to use Yuen's instant transmission technique to frustrate the Saiyan just as he was frustrated during his last battle with the Kai! Again and again, the scene replayed itself as Yukio attacked, then Usami teleported away at the last instant to frustrate the Saiyan further! Kien grimaced as he began to grasp the problem at hand, and then he looked very afraid!
"Stand still, you freakish coward!" Yukio roared in rage as he summoned even more power to make himself even stronger. "Fight me!"
Usami chose to sidestep Yukio's next punch rather than teleport, and then he slammed his knee into Yukio's midsection, stunning him! Kien reacted with horror as he saw what was happening to Yukio!
"As you wish!" Usami said to the stunned Ascended Super Saiyan as he looked into his eyes with a sinister smile on his face.
Usami then drove a knee into Yukio's face, rocking his head back violently! Usami then pounded Yukio with a series of brutal punches to the face and midsection, bruising the Saiyan and leaving several cuts all over his face! Yukio threw a few more punches at Usami, but Usami evaded every one of them and then responded by driving a powerful kick into Yukio's midsection, causing a horrendous crackling sound as he knocked the breath out of Yukio and propelled him across the landscape!
"My ... ribs!" Yukio muttered almost breathlessly as he slowly rose to his feet, clutching his side. "They're ... broken!"
"What's the matter, Saiyan?" Usami taunted the injured fighter. "Can't seem to catch me, can you? Despite all your power, you're too slow to lay a finger on me! It just eats you up on the inside, doesn't it?"
"No!" Yukio muttered to himself as he spit a little bit of blood out of his mouth where it bled into his mouth from a cut. "It ... can't ... be! ... How could I ... be so foolish! ... The stronger I become, ... the slower I become!"
"Your time is almost up, Ascended Super Saiyan!" Usami taunted the injured Saiyan. "It's just about time to end this little game!"
Yukio rose high into the air very slowly, breathing very heavily as he did so, and Usami watched him with pricked interest! When he had ascended to a height sufficient for his whimsy, Yukio aimed one hand at Usami while keeping the other hand clutching his side! Usami watched as Yukio began charging an energy attack to use against Usami! Gale-force winds blew across the landscape, and lightning danced in the sky as it went dark and the clouds became concentrated in the sky! The lightning crashed from the sky to the ground with explosive effects as Yukio continued to power up his attack, and rocks exploded, only to get swept up in the gale-force winds! Kien covered up to protect himself as the powerful winds blew hard against him and the lightning flashed in the sky above him, and he seemed incredulous at the power Yukio was generating with his attack power-up! Usami stood calmly in the path of that awesome power, unconcerned and unaffected by the environmental effects of the power-up of Yukio's attack!
"If you really want to see the ultimate in Saiyan power, ... just stay put!" Yukio yelled back at Usami over the howling winds. "I'll show you power ... beyond your wildest imagination!"
"Well, will it be any time today?" Usami inquisitively mocked the injured Super Saiyan as he smiled at the sight of Yukio charging up his attack overhead. "You know, I am getting quite bored waiting on you! I don't have all day to wait on you, so hurry it up!"
"Don't you worry, ... you foolish freak!" Yukio grunted as he continued to charge up his mighty attack. "Here ... it ... comes!"
With emphasis on that last word of his declaration, Yukio fired his incredible power blast at Usami, and Usami reacted with horror as he sensed the power of Yukio's attack! Yukio smiled and began laughing as he witnessed the expression on Usami's face! Kien struggled to withstand the winds emanating from the power of the attack!
Usami charged up a powerful energy technique at the end of his outstretched hands and then fired a powerful energy beam into the incoming power blast from Yukio! The two energy waves collided and clashed, pushing against each other with tremendous fury! Small pebbles, stones, and rocks began rising from the ground, and the waters' waves crashed violently against the land for miles around! Lightning flashed in the sky more radically than before, and the ground began shaking violently for miles under the strain of the enormous energies being released by the two warriors! Yukio found it difficult to concentrate on his attack due to the pain of his broken ribs, and he struggled to remain conscious and in the fight! Usami grimaced as he concentrated completely on winning the clash of energy against Yukio!
Meanwhile, the heroes had already arrived at the lookout, and Jontu's limp form was lying on the platform. Yoshio took the last half of the final senzu bean from his pouch and prepared to give it to Jontu, but Shun motioned for him to put it away as he kneeled over his unconscious assistant. Shun put his hands on Jontu's torso, and both he and Jontu began glowing. Seconds later, Jontu woke up and rose to his feet, looking better. Shun stood up. They all sensed what was going on, on the battlefield, and then they all suddenly turned towards the door to the Chamber of Spirit and Time.
Koji and Kato walked out of the chamber, their outfits in tatters. They were still in Super Saiyan form as they stood before the others, and Kato now had extremely long hair - to his waist. Yuko rushed forward to Koji and fell into his arms, and they embraced each other.
"Oh, Koji!" she muttered as she trembled in his powerful arms. "Things have gotten really messed up while you've been away!"
"I can tell," Koji replied as he sensed the battle between Yukio and Usami. "That's Yukio's energy signal, and he's far stronger than a Super Saiyan, but who is that other power I'm sensing?"
"That is Usami, the ultimate creation of Dr. Dreg," Shun solemnly informed Koji. "He is far stronger anything we've ever experienced before! He makes the androids seem as weak as little children! He's absorbed the three androids into himself to make himself complete! Now that he is in his final perfect form, I don't even know if you'll be able to defeat him!"
"Don't worry, Mister Shun!" Kato exclaimed enthusiastically with a big smile on his face. "My dad can do anything! You'll see! He'll stop that creep! My dad's the strongest warrior in the universe!"
Yuko knelt down and hugged her son for several seconds, and then she noticed his blond hair for the first time.
"Hey!" Yuko said as she ran her fingers through Kato's hair, inspecting it. "Did you dye his hair while you were in there, Koji? And why didn't you give him a haircut? He looks like a girl!"
"No," Koji answered her stoically. "The boy is now a Super Saiyan. The change of hair and eye color comes with being a Super Saiyan. As for the long hair, there was nothing we could use to cut his hair in the chamber. He is Half-Saiyan, so his hair continues to grow like a human's. I am a full-blooded Saiyan, so my hair doesn't change from the day I was born. We'll need a change in attire, our old garments are no longer serviceable."
Yuko stood up, pulled out a dynocap, activated it, and tossed it to the platform floor. It exploded in a puff of smoke, and, when the smoke cleared, there was a big box on the platform floor.
"There are two outfits exactly like the armor you wore into the chamber, Koji," Yuko explained. "One of them is yours, and the other is a smaller version just for Kato, but I need to give him a haircut."
"We have no time for that," Koji informed her stoically. "We must change into our new battle suits immediately and go stop this monster before he destroys the entire planet ... or worse."
Meanwhile, Yukio's broken ribs were too much for him, and his concentration was broken by the pain of his injury! Usami smiled as his blast began overtaking Yukio's! Kien watched in horror!
"It was a valiant effort on your part, Saiyan, but I'm sure, with all your injuries, this must hurt!" the monster said, putting excessive emphasis on the last word of his declaration before channeling even more energy into his attack and causing it to overtake Yukio's blast even faster.
Usami's attack finally overwhelmed Yukio's blast, and the energy wave washed over Yukio! The explosion was like a powerful nuclear warhead detonating in the sky, and the powerful winds from the explosion tossed Kien around like debris in a maelstrom! Usami laughed a diabolical laugh!
Back at the lookout, Koji and Kato had changed into their new armored suits, and Kato had his hair tied back into a ponytail. Then everyone sensed the explosion in the distance, noting something far more significant in the midst of the fury of the explosion!
"Yukio!" Koji muttered aloud as he was shocked by what he sensed, and then his expression changed to grim reverence. "He's gone. He died the honorable death of a warrior. He was worthy to be called a Saiyan."
"Oh, that's horrible!" Sumie muttered as she and the others lowered their heads in reverent respect for the fallen warrior.
"It is time, my son," Koji declared with stoic respect for the moment and a sense of urgency, signifying to Kato that they needed to go.
After a brief moment of eye contact with Yuko, their good-byes were exchanged. Yuko told them that she loved them. Kato returned the sentiment with a verbal reply, but Koji merely looked into her eyes and allowed a slight smile to cross his lips, speaking volumes to her without uttering a word. Koji and Kato then took flight, racing towards the battlefield to fight against the terrible monster Dr. Dreg had unleashed on Zodoria.