by Jamie L. Word
"The Quest For The Dragon Balls"
Zodoria.
The entourage of heroic fighters closed on the position of the first dragon ball. They all landed on the ground in the vicinity of where the radar indicated the dragon ball was located. Their eyes quickly scanned all around them.
"Look around carefully," Kien decreed, taking the mantle of authority quite naturally in Koji's absense. "The radar indicates that the dragon ball is here in this place. It might be buried or hidden."
"Right," Kato replied as he began searching carefully for the dragon ball that they were looking for, looking under leaves and rocks and into bushes.
The group looked for a few minutes, likewise turning over rocks, lifting up leaves, and sifting through bushes. Each person searched a place away from the others, spread out to improve their chances to find the dragon ball quickly. After a few minutes, the silent monotony of the search was broken.
"Yahoo!" Yoshio shouted as he held the dragon ball over his head and jumped up and down as the others turned their attention to him. "Found it!"
"Good work, Yoshio!" Sumio proclaimed as he congradulated his friend for finding the dragon ball.
"One down, six to go!" Kato exclaimed with excitement as he smiled happily at their success with the first dragon ball.
"Where does the radar indicate that the next dragon ball is located?" Kien inquired of Yoshio, who was still holding the radar in his hand.
"Oh, yeah! Let me see," Yoshio said as he began checking the radar for the direction of the next dragon ball. "It's that way!"
Yoshio pointed off in the direction that the radar indicated that the next dragon ball was located. The others turned and looked in that direction.
"Then let's go get that dragon ball!" Kien exclaimed with a measure of excitement, prompting the team to take to the air and take flight in search of the next dragon ball.
Other World.
Koji and Yukio stood side-by-side, watched by the old Kai. They began a series of dance-like maneuvers as they moved their arms and uttered an extended verbal expression of the words, "Fu-sion-ha!" Upon completing the "incantation" of the fusion dance, they touched fingers and completed the physical maneuvers and motions of the dance. The old Kai smiled.
"Amazing!" Tong-Li exclaimed with incredulous pride, astonished at their performance. "That was perfect! In just a few hours, you've perfectly learned the incredibly difficult fusion dance! I can't believe it!"
"We're Saiyans," Koji answered in his cocky manner with a smug smirk on his lips. "Learning even the most difficult techniques is much easier for us than for others. What's next, Tong-Li?"
"Next, I want you to learn how to get your energy levels in sync with each other," Tong-Li replied. "In order to properly execute the fusion dance, you must match each other's power level precisely. Not only must the movements of the dance be done absolutely perfectly to execute the fusion, but your power levels must be exactly equal as well."
"Can we fuse in our normal states, or will we need to transform into Super Saiyans in order to make the fusion work," Koji inquired of the old Kai.
"You can fuse in any state, Koji," the old Kai replied. "The only problem is, I don't know if you can transform into a Super Saiyan once you've fused together. It will be easier to learn to match your power levels in your normal state first, then we'll work on matching your power levels in your Super Saiyan states."
"Alright," Koji said with nonchalant confidence as he turned to Yukio, meeting the other Saiyan's gaze. "Let's do this."
"You got it!" Yukio responded with eager enthusiasm as he also smiled with a smirk similar to Koji's.
The two Saiyans began to raise their energy levels without transforming into Super Saiyans. Their bodies were surrounded by glowing energy auras, and strong winds blew out from their bodies in all directions. Within a few moments, they had reached astounding levels, but they had stopped raising their energies. Koji's energy aura was flared out much more than Yukio's.
"Now, raise your energy levels to your maximum without transforming into Super Saiyans," Tong-Li instructed them.
"I'm there," Yukio answered as he looked on incredulously at the old Kai, maintaining his energy levels.
"As am I," Koji also replied in turn, maintaining his energy levels as well as he looked at the old Kai with his smug expression.
"Oh," Tong-Li replied, seemingly a bit dismayed at what he was seeing. "Well then, Koji, you're too strong. You'll have to power down a bit to match Yukio."
Koji powered down just a bit until his flaring energy aura was equal in size to Yukio's, and the old Kai smiled.
"Perfect!" Tong-Li responded enthusiastically as he noted that their energy levels were perfectly matched. "Now, remember how that feels, Koji. For the next hour I want you to practice matching your energy levels in both your natural state and in your Super Saiyan state."
"So be it," Koji responded with his usual nonchalant demeanor, turning his attention to Yukio. "We'll alternate between our normal states and our Super Saiyan forms as we perfect our skill at matching our power levels."
"Right," Yukio said, nodding in agreement with Koji's decree, prompting the royal-blooded Saiyan to adopt his smug smirk once again. "You lead."
"Of course," Koji remarked with his smug, supremely confident demeanor, smirking at Yukio and prompting Yukio to smile back at him.
In an instant, both Saiyans transformed into Super Saiyans. Their eyes turned green, and their hair spiked and turned yellow. Their muscle mass increased slightly, and their bodies were ensheathed in flaming, golden energy auras. Koji's energy aura was once again flaring more massively than Yukio's. Noting the difference in the power levels, Koji powered down once again until his golden, flaming aura was equal in size to Yukio's.
"Now, power up to your maximum, and I'll match you from there," Koji informed Yukio, and Yukio nodded in agreement.
Yukio began powering up to his maximum, and his energy aura flared as strong winds blew out from him once more. Yukio yelled as he increased his energy, and the ground shook beneath them as he did so. After a few moments, his muscles began to swell, and Koji suddenly looked displeased.
"No!" Koji mildly rebuked Yukio. "Do not assume the Ascended Super Saiyan form. You sacrifice speed for power in that form. Remain at the basic Super Saiyan level, but peak your energy level at that state."
Yukio nodded and powered back down into his basic Super Saiyan state, peaking his power level in that state. The old Kai nodded, impressed with Koji's shrewd mind. When Yukio had completed his power-up, he and Koji locked eyes. The wind subsided, and the ground stopped shaking. Yukio nodded, then Koji nodded in response.
Koji then began raising his power level to match Yukio's. His energy aura flared as the ground shook once again and strong winds blew out from his body. In moments, his energy aura had equaled Yukio's. The wind subsided, and the ground ceased its shaking. Koji then turned to Yukio and smirked. Tong-Li seemed quite impressed with Koji's mental acumen.
"Unbelievable!" Tong-Li thought to himself as he marvelled at Koji's incredible mental skill. "What should have taken weeks, if not months, he has mastered in but a few short hours! This Saiyan is a remarkable specimen! Such uncanny natural aptitude for these techniques! His potential could well be near-limitless! It looks like when his friends and family wish him back, he will have a number of new tricks to show them!"
Zodoria, some time later.
The heroes had arrived in a thick jungle region, and Yoshio examined the dragon ball radar. The others turned to him for information. Kato was holding a backpack in his hands as they landed with four round lumps in it.
"Well, what does it say?" Sumio inquired of Yoshio, awaiting the answer just as much as the others.
"It's here," Yoshio said with absolute certainty and conviction as he examined the radar closely. "It's definitely here."
"Well, guys, you all know the drill," Kien said as his baritone voice garnered everyone's attention. "Spread out, and leave no stone unturned."
The others responded affirmatively and began subjecting the area to rigorous scrutiny, taking extra time to look in every nook and crevass. They began to spread out while searching, ever-widening the search parameters. Suddenly, everyone turned their attention skyward as if sensing something horrible in the air.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the planet, a large space ship reminiscent of Frieza's old space ship landed in a great canyon, bordered on all sides by high mountains. Several seconds later, an exit ramp lowered from the space ship, and numerous beings descended from the ship via that ramp and stood on the ground of Zodoria.
One of them closely resembled Xarlok's minion Kun, but he was slightly more muscular and a little taller. He wore a chest protector with shoulderpads which resembled Saiyan armor, and upon the left plate of his chest protector was some sort of bulging insignia. He possessed an aura of power and sinister malevolence about him, and he looked around with interest.
There was another malevolent-looking male being, and he was a bit shorter but much bulkier and more muscular than the demon beside him. His skin was purple, his eyes were black, and his hair was long and grey, braided like a Viking's. He wore a long-sleeved tunic with billowy sleeves that ended in metallic wristbands, and he also wore long, billowy pants tucked into knee-high, militaristic, black boots. He also wore a chest protector with shoulderpads and waist padding which resembled Saiyan armor. His attire was adorned with a flowing black cape that hung to just below his calves and the same sort of bulging insignia on the left plate of his chest protector. He had pointy ears and fang-like teeth, and a grey goatee adorned his face. There was an even stronger sense of power and authority being exuded by this being than from the demon beside him.
Surrounding those two were several tall, metallic machine warriors, ... robots. They stood emotionless and without concern for their surroundings. These were obviously the servitors of the two organic beings.
The demon and the other being then calmly, nonchalantly, turned their attention simultaneously off into the distance, seeming to sense something. The demon smiled gleefully, but the other one remained stoic in expression.
"It appears there are strong fighters here, Dokharis," the other one said to the demon in a growling baritone voice, noting the presense of others there on Zodoria. "Perhaps they may try to oppose us."
"Let them try, master!" the demon Dokharis exclaimed enthusiastically in his own gutteral voice. "It will be delightful!"
The demon laughed maniacally, but the one he called master had yet to offer up any emotional response, not even the slightest hint of what he was feeling. The robots merely stood there in their midst without the slightest response.
In the distance, the heroes had gathered back together where they had landed. They appeared gravely concerned about something as they continued to look off in the distance in the direction of what they were sensing.
"D-d-do you guys f-f-feel that?" Yoshio inquired with quivering lip, trembling in abject terror at what he was sensing.
"We'd better get those last three dragon balls and fast!" Kien muttered with a countenance of grave concern.
The others shared his concern, their fears magnified by the sight of the mighty Namek's facial expression. Each of them seemed to be either borderline afraid or trembling in complete terror.
At Shun's lookout, Shun and Jontu stood on the outer edge of the platform overlooking the planet. They both were trembling in horror while they watched over the planet.
"Kami Shun!" Jontu gasped in indescribable terror at what he was sensing. "That horrible power! What could it mean?!?"
"I don't know, Jontu!" Shun replied, equally enraptured in the sensation of grave fear. "I don't recognize the energy signal, but I can feel its evil nature clearly! Whoever it is, whatever it is, I hope the others find the dragon balls and make their wish very soon! If they don't, all is lost!"
"Could it be that monster Usami?" Jontu inquired, trying to make sense of what he was sensing.
"No!" the terrified Namek Kami replied as he shuddered. "Whoever, or whatever, it is that's giving off that power signal is much too strong to be Usami! I've never sensed anything as powerful as this - not even Koji!"
Space.
A modified Saiyan space pod was streaking through space towards the planet Zodoria. Within the space pod were five people, one of them a young infant. They were all in the main chamber of the giant space pod.
Holding the infant child with the wild black hair on its head was a beautiful raven-haired female with hair down past her shoulders. She wore attire similar to a Namek's clothing but without a cape or turban, and yet she wore traditional Saiyan boots. She was craddling the infant and rocking it gently in her arms.
At her feet were two young children around Kato's age, one boy and one girl, with black hair. The boy was wearing Saiyan attire, complete with armor consisting of a chest protector with shoulderpads and traditional Saiyan boots. The girl had shoulder-length hair and wore Namek-like attire down to the footwear, but she wore no cape or turban either.
Also in the chamber was a tall Namek warrior, wearing traditional Namek attire but without the cape or turban. He seemed friendly, and his face was adorned with a broad, caring smile. He seemed content.
Continued in Chapter 3.