by Jamie L. Word
"Race Against Time"
Zodoria.
Kien and the newcomers arrived where the rest of Kien's team were searching for the dragon ball. The others turned to greet Kien and his newfound friends. Kien landed between the newcomers and his friends to prevent them from accidentally attacking them by mistake.
"Guys, I want you to meet some new friends," Kien said with a smile on his face. "Show them some good Zodorian hospitality."
Kato walked over to Isao and Kumi with a big smile on his face, excited to see someone his age that looked like him.
"Hi, I'm Kato," the son of the mighty Koji introduced himself enthusiastically. "Who are you?"
"I'm Isao," the other boy replied with a faint smile on his face, not quite sure of this meeting with a boy who seemed so much like him.
"I'm Kumi," the young girl responded with more enthusiasm than her brother did as she seemed fairly thrilled to meet this new boy.
"My name is Makiko, and I am the mother of these two young children," Makiko said to the entire group, introducing herself first and then her infant. "This is Kimie, my youngest child."
"I am Tieh, warrior and guardian of these children," the strong Namek fighter said, introducing himself to the group.
"I am Sumio, a native Zodorian," Sumio said as he introduced himself to the newcomers politely with a smile.
"My name is Sumie, and I'm a native Zodorian as well," Sumie said, equalling Sumio's politeness and displaying a cheerful smile as well.
"My name's Yoshio, and I'm originally from Earth," Yoshio said introducing himself with a friendly smile. "My sister Yuko is Kato's father. She's not here right now. She's kinda occupied with something right now."
"You say that you're human, but your nephew here wears the attire of a Saiyan, and he looks like a Saiyan," Makiko said in confusion. "How is that?"
"Well, Kato's dad, my brother-in-law, was a Saiyan," Yoshio explained to the bewildered newcomers. "He died not too long ago in battle."
"So did our dad," Kumi replied softly with sadness in her voice as she lowered her head towards the ground solemnly.
"Hey, one question," Yoshio said as he looked at Makiko with some confusion. "How do you know about Saiyans?"
"We are Saiyans," she answered, getting everyone's attention with that proclamation. "My tail was cut off in battle, as were those of Isao and Kumi. I cut Kimie's tail off when she was born to prevent her from transforming at the sight of a full moon. At her age, her Oozaru form would be uncontrollable."
"So, that explains why Isao is wearing the armor of a Saiyan," Kato declared with a sense of solving a mystery. "Hey, that gives us something else in common now. Both of our dads were Saiyans. I'm nine-years old. How about you?"
"I'm ten," Isao replied almost distantly, lacking the enthusiasm of either Kato or Kumi in this meeting.
"I'm eight-years-old," Kumi said with a pleasant smile and an enthusiasm rivaling that of Kato.
"I hate to shorten the moment of getting acquainted, but we've got to move fast," Kien interjected with grimness. "That gigantic power we sensed earlier is on the move, and it's headed this way. Have you found it yet?"
"Yeah," Yoshio replied as he patted the backpack with six round lumps in it. "It's right here in the bag."
"Good," Kien responded to the affirmative reply of Yoshio. "We need to get the kids to safety as quickly as possible. Sumie, you and Kato take the other children back to the lookout. The rest of us will continue to search for the last dragon ball."
"Hey, I'm not running away!" Kato replied with fierce defiance. "After all, I'm a Super Saiyan now, and I'm not afraid of anything!"
"I'm a Super Saiyan too!" Isao proclaimed proudly as he stood next to Kato with equally fierce defiance. "If he stays, I'm staying!"
"Kumi, take Kimie and go with the Zodorian woman," Makiko instructed her young daughter as she handed her the infant child. "We'll be along in a while."
"But, Mommy!" the young Saiyan girl protested in that disappointed fashion, trying to whine her way into staying with them.
"Don't argue with me, Kumi," Makiko firmly-but-gently rebuked her daughter. "Just do as I say."
"Yes, ma'am," Kumi sighed, thoroughly disappointed and disheartened by her mother's decree as she turned to Sumie. "We're ready to go whenever you are."
"Follow me," Sumie told the young child with a smile. "I'll show you around the lookout when we get there. It'll be fun."
"Really? Cool! Let's go!" Kumi replied, much more lively than before and clearly excited about the notion of exploring the lookout.
Sumie took to the air, flying towards the lookout, and Kumi, with little sister Kimie in her arms, followed her in flight. Makiko turned her attention back to the others, a look of grim resoluteness on her face.
"Why did he send Sumie back to the lookout?" Yoshio thought to himself in nervous apprehension. "She's even stronger than I am! I should've been the one to be sent back to the lookout!"
"Which way to the last dragon ball?" Sumio inquired of the human warrior, snapping him back to his senses from his deep thinking.
"Oh, right!" Yoshio said as he checked the radar to find out. "Whew! It's over that way, the opposite direction from where that huge power is approaching! I was afraid it would be the other way! Boy, what a relief!"
"Good," Kien replied with his deep baritone voice as he looked in the direction of the dragon ball's location. "Now, let's make this quick, before they find us."
The group all took to the air, flying in the direction of the last dragon ball. Yoshio led the way with the radar, the backpack full of dragonballs flung over his shoulder. Following right behind him were Isao, Kato, and Sumio, and Makiko and the Nameks were at the back of the group.
"Now, I've got a question," Makiko said, turning to lock eyes with Kien. "What are these dragon balls, and why are we looking for them?"
"The dragon balls are mystical orbs of power," Kien began explaining as they flew along. "There are seven in all on a given planet where they might exist. If you bring all seven together, you can summon the eternal dragon of the planet and make a wish. If the wish is within the dragon's power to grant, it will be done. The Zodorian dragon balls will grant one wish, after which they will become dormant for one hundred eighty days, one full Zodorian year. They'll be scattered back across the the planet when the dragon grants the wish."
"And what are you going to wish for?" Tieh inquired, a question that both he and Makiko both shared.
"Kato's father," Kien answered them with resoluteness in his voice. "We're going to bring him back to life. If anyone can stand up to this new threat, he can."
"Who is the boy's father?" Makiko inquired with curiosity and mixed emotion in her voice. "What makes you so sure he can stand up to that power?"
"Have you ever heard of a Saiyan warrior named Koji?" Kien inquired of the newcomers with a stoic countenance.
Isao, Makiko, and Tieh all stopped in mid-flight, prompting everyone else to stop as well. The three newcomers bore stunned expressions on their faces, their jaws gaping in shock at Kien's response.
"D-did you say ... 'Koji'?" Tieh inquired, finding it difficult to catch his breath. "You don't mean the same Koji who was the scourge of the galaxy at one time, do you?!? The Koji whose name is feared across this galaxy, is that who you mean?!?"
"H-his name is legendary in the galaxy!" Makiko gasped in astonishment as she recognized the name. "The terrible Saiyan warrior who was born of royal blood and cut a swath of destruction and terror across the galaxy before winning a grand tournament on Veloria in which he became a Super Saiyan and utterly destroyed the colliseum there, that is the Koji you mean?!? You can't be serious, can you?!?"
"I am very serious," Kien replied with absolute resoluteness. "Koji isn't the same man as his reputation sometimes makes him out to be. True, he did do some terrible things in his youth, but he's changed since then. He is truly a Saiyan worthy of the mantle of nobility. He sacrificed his life for his family and his friends to stop a terrible monster here just over three hundred days ago, and he has shown the potential to rise to meet this new challenge."
"Hey, my dad died just over three hundred days ago on this planet as well!" Isao remarked, noting the similarities.
"Your dad was here too?" Kato inquired of Isao in curiosity. "Who was he? What was his name?"
"It won't matter in a few moments because you'll all be going to be with him soon!" came the gutteral voice from behind the group.
Turning their attention in that direction, they beheld Dokharis and a small army of those robots. Yoshio reacted with extreme shock and terror as he seemed to recognize the demon. The others merely reacted with grim determination and concern.
"Oh, no! It's Kun!" Yoshio muttered in fear as he blubbered a bit. "But I thought Kien finished you off on Veloria!"
"Foolish mortal!" Dokharis chuckled in sinister amusement. "Kun was a weak demon, I am a demon lord! He was a gnat compared to me! Now you all shall die here, and my master shall own this world too! Attack!"
The hulking metal minions began flying towards the heroes to attack them, but Dokharis stood his ground to watch! The heroes assumed fighting stances and grim countenances in preparation for the battle!
Continued in Chapter 5.