by Jamie L. Word
"A New Threat"
Inside the Chamber of Spirit and Time, Koji and his son trained hard in the space pod. Koji had the gravity machine set on twenty gravities, and he was pushing Kato hard to improve so that they could go to the next gravity setting. Kato was giving it everything he had to achieve those results. Sweat poured off the two fighters as they trained. Kato was doing one-arm finger push-ups. Koji was doing one-arm handstand finger push-ups while balancing a big weight-loaded barbell on the top of his feet.
Meanwhile, Yoshio and Yuko were flying along, following the map in an effort to locate Dr. Dreg's lab. They both seemed determined and focused on the task at hand. Yuko also seemed worried.
"Yoshio, do you think Koji can surpass a Super Saiyan?" Yuko inquired of her older brother. "I mean, didn't he say the Super Saiyan level was the pinnacle of Saiyan power?"
"I don't know, Yuko, but, if anybody can do it, Koji's the one!" Yoshio answered with a skeptical confidence. "I'm not too sure about these Saiyans. I mean, we only met Goku a time or two, and he wasn't a Super Saiyan. I had never heard of a Super Saiyan until we met Koji and he transformed into one. Anything is possible, I suppose. Maybe there is a level higher than Super Saiyan. If any Saiyan can reach that it, Koji can!"
The two continued on their journey, seeking the lab of Dr. Dreg, the inventor of the androids. They maintained an intense vigil in their journey. Both of them knew that the fate of Zodoria was in their hands, and Koji's.
Elsewhere, Kien led Sumio and Sumie in pursuit of the androids. They searched vigilantly as they scoured the countryside in search of the mechanical menaces. Kien seemed far more confident than before, but the Zodorian duo seemed a bit wary of this plan of action.
"I'm still not so sure about this!" Sumio called out to Kien as they flew along searching for the androids. "I mean, They destroyed us all the last time, and they didn't even break a sweat doing it! Remember, they beat both of you very easily when we fought before!"
"Yes, they beat Kuang many times over the years, and they even managed to beat me when I first fought them, but this time it's different!" Kien declared with certainty in his voice. "Now that Kuang and I have fused, my power is much, much greater than it was when I first fought the androids! I should be able to defeat them now! Just keep your eyes open! We have to find those androids and put an end to this once and for all!"
"But what if you don't have the power to defeat the androids?" Sumie inquired, a bit worried about the prospect of another tangle with the androids so soon after their humiliating defeat. "What if they're still too strong for us to defeat, even after your fusion with Kuang?"
"Then it will all be up to Koji!" Kien replied with a grim and determined look upon his face. "If I can't find the power to defeat the androids, then I'm certain he can! After experiencing his fight against the Changeling Xarlok, I don't think he has any true limits! He might have lost in the first battle, but I don't think he'll lose the next one! Trust me on that! When he comes out of the Chamber of Spirit and Time, he'll be the strongest fighter in the universe! Then the androids will be crushed!"
Somewhere on the planet, a serpent-like, tailed creature was wandering the landscape, looking for something. It was tall, with an insect-like face and long, lanky limbs. Its feet had two toes each, and its tail had a syringe-like tip on the end of it. The creature's eyes were ever darting to and fro in search of something, and it moved very cautiously, very predatorially.
Suddenly, Yuen appeared nearby, attracting the creature's attention. Yuen turned towards the creature in surprise and revulsion. The creature regarded Yuen in a state of perplexion for a moment. Yuen seemed a bit concerned over this encounter.
"So, you're the one!" Yuen declared as he assumed a more defensive, combatative stance. "When I came here, I sensed a subtle power trying to hide itself, a great and terrible power, an evil power! What are you? Who are you? What do you want?"
The creature raised itself to full height and chuckled in a gutteral, raspy voice, almost unnerving the young Kai. Its tail swished back and forth as its gaze went straight into Yuen's eyes. Yuen was intimidated, but he tried not to show it in the face of this creature.
"My name is Usami, and I am the ultimate creation of Dr. Dreg, the master inventor of Zodoria!" the creature answered in that same gutteral, raspy voice. "I don't suppose it would hurt to tell you what I'm up to, since you're about to be dead!"
Yuen recoiled in shock at the horrible pronouncement of the terrifying creature, and it smiled a moment before continuing its explanation.
"I am a biomechanical construct, an incubus," the horrible thing explained. "I am designed from genetic cell samples gathered from here and on other planets from the greatest warriors to ever live in this part of the universe! Those cells were fused and nurtured in an incubation chamber in Dr. Dreg's lab for quite some time before I was ready to be released into the world. I am most pleased to be out, I must tell you.
When I first stepped out of that tiny incubation tank, I transformed from my embryo state into my larval form. From there, I burrowed my way deep into the ground until I was ready to to assume this stage of my development. It took a few years to achieve this state.
From here, I have three new forms awaiting me in my evolution, but I must acquire three specific beings and absorb them to achieve my final perfect form. To this end, I have consumed the bio-energies of thousands and thousands of the surviving Zodorians who were not killed by the androids."
"What?!?" Yuen gasped in utter horror at what Usami was telling him. "What do you mean? I don't understand!"
"It's simple really," Usami responded as he now began assuming a more combat-ready stance. "I must feed to become more powerful, and then it's off to the final three meals of my life! When I absorb all three of the androids, then I will be complete, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do about it! Prepare to die!"
Usami lunged at Yuen to attack, but the Kai was able to react in time to avoid getting hit! The fight was on, and both fighters gave it their all in the effort to defeat the other! Yuen knew it was a fight to the death, and he had a bad feeling about the power of his foe! Usami threw punch after punch at the Kai Yuen, but Yuen managed to dodge them all with supreme effort!
"He's very good!" Yuen thought to himself as he struggled with everything within him to evade the monster's clutches. "I'm just barely able to avoid his attacks! I have to go on the offensive! Maybe his defensive skills aren't as good! If this keeps up, I don't think I'll be able to defeat him!"
Yuen distanced himself from Usami for a moment, and the monster merely smiled and chuckled at the maneuver! Yuen aimed his hands at Usami and charged up a powerful ball of ki energy! Yuen grimaced and grunted in the effort to produce the attack, and Usami smiled!
"Let's see how you like this, you monster!" Yuen screamed at Usami as he fired his powerful blast at the creature with an intense battle cry.
Usami leaped forward into the oncoming blast and kicked it, sending it skyward and out of the atmosphere, much to the chagrin of the Kai! Yuen was shocked and in disbelief over the defensive display of the monster, but he quickly steeled his resolve to fight on!
"Very good, monster, but I'm not done with you yet!" Yuen shouted at Usami as he prepared to renew the conflict. "I have one sure way to defeat the likes of you!"
"Really now?" Usami taunted the young Kai with a cocky grin. "You wouldn't be planning on running for your life and finding someone else to take your place and finish your fight with me, would you? If that's your sure way to defeat me, then you'd better forget it! I'm a lot faster than you are, and I can chase you down with little effort! You don't stand a chance! You can't escape me! You can't defeat me! What will you do?"
"Kaio-ken times twenty!" Yuen shouted, and immediately a red glowing aura ensheathed him and great powerful winds blew out from him, even though he looked to be in a great deal of discomfort. "Now, monster, if you really don't think I can beat you, then stay right where you are!"
Yuen then extended both hands over his head with the palms facing the sky as if holding something large over his head! Usami watched on with great interest, smiling all the while! A white, body-hugging energy aura formed around Yuen underneath the red flaming aura generated by his kaio-ken technique, and a white ball of energy began forming over his head, high over his upturned palms! Usami still did not seem concerned!
Seconds continued to pass, and the energy ball slowly increased in size a bit, just a little every few seconds! Yuen continued to focus on gathering the energy, and the energy he was gathering was being drawn from all over the planet from every living thing that remained! Even from the energy produced by the planet's rotation on its axis and its revolution around its sun, even from the energy generated by the flowing rivers and the waterfalls, even from the energy generated in the planet's molten core - the power was drawn in little by little to the great ball of energy Yuen was creating over him! Soon, he was gathering energy from the sun itself, and from the neighboring planets he summoned more energy still until he was drawing in energy from the entire solar system of planet Zodoria! The more power he drew in, the larger his energy ball swelled above him!
Usami became curious at this sight, noticing that the energy ball was getting bigger and bigger as the seconds continued to tick by! Yuen continued to concentrate on the task of generating his attack, but he also kept a close eye on Usami as well! The energy sphere was soon as big as a small village!
"What are you doing?" Usami asked incredulously. "What in the world is that thing, a disco strobe light? Is that it? You want to dance?"
"No, fiend!" Yuen muttered through gritted teeth as he continued to gather energy for his attack. "It is a spirit bomb, and it will be the last dance for you! I have gathered energy from all across this solar system and two neighboring ones as well! From every living thing in three solar systems I have borrowed this energy! Also, from every natural energy source as well! From the rivers and the waterfalls, from the movements of cellestial bodies, from the energy of the stars, from the molten cores of all the planets, from the trees and the vegetation as they went through their photosynthesis, from the animals too, and from every living being within three solar systems I have gathered energy for my spirit bomb, and now it is ready! Take this, fiend!"
With that said, Yuen threw the enormous ball of energy at the fiend, and Usami's eyes widened with horror as he sensed the great power of Yuen's spirit bomb during its approach! Yuen smiled a confident smile as he watched the attack close on the vile menace to the universe! Usami grimaced as he began screaming his rage to the heavens, preparing for the inevitable impact!
The spirit bomb slammed into Usami's position and exploded like a super nuclear warhead detonating! The force of the blast blew Yuen out of the sky as it scattered debris all over the place for miles around! Yuen tried to shield himself by crossing his forearms in front of his face, but the overwhelming force of the explosion overtook him still! The entire world began trembling under the power of Yuen's exploding spirit bomb!
Many miles away, Kien and his team stopped and hovered in mid-air as they sensed the battle now. They all looked in the direction of the fight.
"Huh?" Kien muttered in shocked disbelief at the power he was sensing. "What in the - ? Did you guys sense that?"
About that time, the winds from the force of the explosion swept over the horizon and blew against them! They remained aloft and resisted the power of the winds, which was diminished over the distance from the explosion! They all reacted with shock and amazement!
Elsewhere, Yoshio and Yuko also sensed the explosion, and they stopped to hover in the air and looked in the direction of Yuen's conflict with Usami.
"What is that?!?" Yuko cried out in disbelief, her abject terror over that enormous power quite obvious.
"Whoa!" Yoshio muttered in astonishment as he shuddered at the feeling of the energy he was sensing. "What power! I think there's a new player in the game, and I sure hope he's friendly!"
About that moment, the winds from the explosion blew over the horizon and basked them in their waning strength, little more than a strong breeze at that distance! Yoshio and Yuko were speechless in awe!
At the lookout, Shun and Jontu felt it as well. They were astonished at the power they were sensing, and they looked in the direction of the source of the power in the distance.
"That power, it's so familiar to me!" Shun declared aloud as he tried to identify its source. "Ah! It's a spirit bomb! It's being generated by a Kai!"
"What could this mean, Kami Shun?!?" Jontu muttered in a mixture of astonishment and sheer fright over the implications.
Before Shun could answer, the winds from the explosion blew over the horizon and across the lookout platform, diminished to the power of a gentle breeze by the great distance it had traveled! Shun and Jontu drifted from their discussion as they reached out with their senses to find the answers! Suddenly, the both gasped in horror at what they discerned!
Elsewhere, the androids stopped and hovered in the air, looking in the direction of Yuen's battle with Usami. They seemed to notice something.
"What was that?" Android Prime asked rhetorically. "It felt like some sort of explosion. I wonder what caused it."
"Should we check it out?" Android Alpha asked to the defacto leader of the trio of terror while looking off in the distance.
"I don't know," Android Prime replied. "I don't know what could possibly have caused such a powerful explosion, but I am curious. Perhaps we should go check it out."
"Yeah," Android Titan said in enthusiastic excitement over the decree of Android Prime. "It might be fun!"
At that time, the diminishing winds blew over the horizon and wafted the androids' hair like a stong, almost gusty summer breeze, and they noted the breeze for a moment. Then they looked towards the distance where the winds originated from, and Android Prime smiled.
"My sentiments exactly!" Android Prime responded as he led his merry band of doom in the direction that the winds came from.
They had flown a fair distance when they came upon Kien and the Zodorian fighters Sumio and Sumie. The heroic fighters turned and faced the androids as the androids stopped and hovered in the air to face them.
"Oh, look," Android Prime said tauntingly as he pointed at the heroes. "It's the green geek and his two sidekicks. What say we kick them to the side just for fun before we check out that explosion?"
"Sounds good to me!" Android Titan replied, cracking the knuckles of his hands in excitement.
"Wait!" Kien called out to the androids, getting their attention. "I want a piece of you, one-on-one, Android Prime! I'm itching for a rematch!"
"Are you now?" Android Prime rhetorically taunted as he chuckled before continuing the conversation. "I must say, you have a wonderful sense of humor. Too bad you have such a terrible memory. Perhaps you'd like to reconsider. Don't you remember what happened the last time we fought?"
"That island," Kien said as he pointed to an island in the distance. "You and me. Let's go."
"Oh, you're serious, are you?" Android Prime said with surprise as he noted the Namek's determination to fight him. "Very well. Let's do it. Android Alpha and Android Titan, stay out of this. This is just between me and our grim green punching bag, okay?"
The trio of heroes and the trio of androids all flew over to the island in preparation for the fight. Android Alpha and Android Titan landed quite a distance behind Android Prime, and the Zodorian fighters did likewise with regards to Kien. Everything was quiet and still at that moment, like the calm before the storm.
"I must admire your courage, Namek, but you don't even stand a chance!" Android Prime called out to Kien across the battle site.
"I've got a little surprise for you!" Kien called back with a smile. "Bear with me while I bring you up to speed!"
With that said, Kien assumed a wide stance and tensed up every muscle in his body until the veins bulged all over his body, visible in his arms and along his head! He then began a deep grunt that soon escalated into a long, drawn-out yell! He immediately was surrounded by a shimmering white, flaming aura, and small pebbles, stones, and rocks began rising from the ground as the ground began to shake beneath them! Moments later, the ground began to shake violently as strong winds buffeted the landscape, emanating from Kien's glowing form! Moments later, whirlwinds of flying debris began to form across the battle site, prompting the Zodorians to shield themselves from the fury of Kien's power-up! Then lightning began flashing in the sky as the water's waves crashed violently against the island, and the sky went black as electricity began crackling around Kien and his flaming energy aura!
Meanwhile, miles away, Yuen pulled himself from underneath rubble and debris from the spirit bomb's explosion. He stood up, breathing heavilly and looking like he was in a slight bit of pain. Looking out across the landscape, he saw the unbelievable devastation left behind by the spirit bomb's explosion.
Mountains were leveled, a canyon was left where the spirit bomb had hit Usami, and debris and rubble was still falling from the sky like rain. The winds had finally subsided, but the landscape was horribly disfigured after that spirit bomb attack. There was no sign of Usami anywhere. Yuen breathed a sigh of relief as he relaxed his guard.
Suddenly, Usami erupted out of the ground in front of him, and Yuen was caught completely offguard by the sudden surprise! Usami hammered Yuen with a punch to the face, bruising Yuen's cheek, splitting the Kai's lip, and knocking him for quite a distance across the battlefield! Yuen bounced and skidded along the ground for a long bumpy ride before finally coming to a stop, face-down in the dirt! As Yuen raised up to his hands and knees, he saw Usami closing the distance quickly to attack him again from above! Yuen pulled an arm up in front of him to try to shield himself at least partially from the monster's assault, but then they both ceased in mid-skirmish and looked off in the distance as they simultaneously detected something!
"Huh?" Usami muttered, perplexed by what he was sensing. "That can't be! It's Kuang, the Namek! But he's not supposed to be that strong, not according to the data I have! It's strange though! His energy signal seems somehow different than before!"
Using that momentary distraction as an opening, Yuen flew into Usami and nailed him in the jaw with a kick! The attack managed to turn the head of the synthetic fiend and knock him into the air backwards, but Usami simply executed a backflip and landed on his feet, where he rubbed his jaw with the back of his hand while glaring at Yeun!
"Oh, an opportunist, eh?" Usami responded as he returned his attention to the Kai. "I must commend you for your battle savvy, but it won't be enough! You see, I don't sense any life force against the Namek. That means that he's fighting the androids as we speak. The power I'm sensing from him indicates that he might actually be able to defeat Android Prime one-on-one, and, if that happens, he'll probably destroy him. I cannot allow that to happen. You see, if any of the androids is destroyed, I cannot become complete. I must be off now. Please, forgive my rudeness, running out on you in the middle of a fight, but I have more pressing matters at hand! You see, I have a dinner date with three friends, and I don't want to be late! I'm oh so hungry!"
"No!" Yuen shouted defiantly as he rose once more to his feet. "You can't! I won't let you! You monster, you must never become complete! I will finish this right here and now!"
Yuen charged up another powerful energy attack and fired it at Usami, but Usami charged up a masenko ball and threw it into Yuen's attack as it approached him! The masenko ball overpowered Yuen's energy attack and slammed into the Kai, hurling him across the battlefield and into a pile of rubble from the earlier spirit bomb explosion! Yuen collapsed a senseless heap on the other side of the debris, and Usami smiled as he once more looked towards the place where Kien was powering up!
"As much as I'd love to absorb you into my being and thereby acquire all of your powers, I'm afraid I really must be going," Usami declared as he addressed the defeated Kai. "I've got places to go and androids to absorb!"
Back at the battle site where Kien was preparing to fight Android Prime, rocks exploded and mountains began to crumble all around as Kien finally finished his awesome power-up! Like a shot, the Namek warrior flew over to the android and began peppering him with rapid-fire punches and kicks, driving Android Prime back with his furious flurry! After several moments of this flurry, Android Prime managed to engage a defense against Kien's fierce assault, protecting him from absorbing any further punishment at the moment! Then the battle was moved into the sky as both fighters fought very intensely, and the attacks registered between them echoed across the landscape like mighty claps of thunder as machine gun speed! Sumio and Sumie watched in amazement as Kien fought the android on a seemingly equal footing now, and the other androids were likewise impressed!
"I have to admit, you've really improved, Namek!" Android Prime commented through gritted teeth as he concentrated on the fight.
"I'm just getting warmed up, you mechanical misfit!" Kien growled as he too was sharply focused on the fight at hand.
Kien managed to land a powerful kick to the android's midsection, doubling him over, and then hammered the android in the back of the head with a downward-driving elbow thrust, knocking the android towards the ground! The android turned in mid-air to land on his feet on the ground, then he looked up to see Kien close the distance and nail him in the face with a flying side kick that sent Android Prime skidding across the ground for about the length of a football field! Kien then landed on the spot where Android Prime had been standing before that kick and waited for the android to respond!
"For your sake, I hope you have more to offer me than this!" Kien shouted to Android Prime as the android stood up to his feet.
"Oh, you're a cocky one, aren't you?" Android Prime snapped back, obviously embarassed by Kien's series of successful maneuvers. "Well, we'll just see how confident you are when I turn it up a notch!"
The android closed the distance in a flash and drove his fist into the Namek's midsection, doubling him over and knocking the wind out of him! Android Prime then dropped Kien to his hands and knees with an over-the-top elbow smash to the back of the head, and then he punted the Namek like a football across the battlefield, knocking him a distance equal to the distance he was knocked earlier by Kien's kick! Android Prime then waited on Kien!
"I hope, for your sake, that you can do better than this, my green friend!" Android Prime taunted as Kien got back to his feet.
"You've got excellent speed, android, but your attacks lack stopping power!" Kien retorted with a slight smile. "You know, everytime you squashed someone weaker than you, I'll bet you never thought you'd see this day come! Your warranty has expired with me, android! Now I'm going to pull the plug on you! Get ready for the scrapheap!"
With that said, the two combatants renewed their clash once again! Their intensity was unbelievable! The two Zodorians and the two androids spectating marveled at the unbelievable battle they were witnessing!