by Jamie L. Word
"Dark Cavalry Arrives"
Zodoria.
Sumio, in his new Super Zodorian form, prepared to fight the robot, and he seemed eager to test his newfound might in the process! The robot displayed no sign of emotion, normal for a mechanical construct without any form of emotional content or 'human' nature! Sumio grunted as he channeled even more of his great power for the clash!
"Too bad you're just a robot!" Sumio taunted his mechanical foe without any success in that arena. "If you were organic, you'd be terrified!"
The robot charged up a powerful energy blast at the end of its hand and fired it at Sumio within seconds! Sumio, unconcerned in expression, swatted the incoming blast away with a backhand swipe! The robot flew at Sumio to renew the conflict, and Sumio allowed the robot to close with him! The robot began throwing punches and kicks at the Super Zodorian, but Sumio's newfound speed was too great for the robot to match, and Sumio evaded every attempt the robot made to hit him!
Meanwhile, Dokharis and Kien were still fighting as intensely as ever! The Super Namek was performing more efficiently with each passing moment, but Dokharis was likewise improving his performance in the fight! Makiko and the boys were watching the battle intently, in awe at what they were witnessing, the incredible clash between Kien and Dokharis!
"It's unbelievable!" Makiko thought to herself while watching the battle with the boys. "These two are way out of our league! We wouldn't stand a chance against this fiend Dokharis! It's more than just his incredibly high power level that concerns me! It's his unbelievable skill as a warrior!"
"C'mon, Kien!" Kato thought to himself as he cheered his friend on in his silent thoughts. "You can do it! I know his power is a little bigger than yours, but you're a true hero! You'll win!"
Suddenly, the three Super Saiyans turned their attention skyward, sensing the approach of the demo-hybrids. They appeared grim in their countenance as they prepared for their arrival.
"Looks like we've got company on the way!" Isao commented as they awaited the arrival of the monstrous warriors. "They're strong, but they're not as strong as we are!"
"Not individually, but they do have the advantage of superior numbers!" Makiko informed her son as she anxiously awaited the fiendish demo-hybrids' imminent arrival.
"They're here!" Kato cried out as he pointed to six figures approaching in the distance, prompting Makiko and Isao to look.
The six demo-hybrids increased their speed as they were closing the distance between themselves and the Saiyans. The lead demo-hybrid handed the ki radar to one of the other fighters and motioned for him to continue onward after the fighters who had separated from the others. Four of the demo-hybrids closed on the three Super Saiyans as the remaining two moved on ahead in pursuit of Sumio and Yoshio. Noting the pair of demo-hybrids going after Sumio and Yoshio, Tieh gave chase to them.
"Well, well, well! What have we here?" the lead demo-hybrid mockingly taunted the Super Saiyans with a malevolent grin on its face. "It looks like kindergarten patrol! You little rugrats and your babysitter should've stayed on your little mats taking a nap!"
"You shouldn't annoy Super Saiyans, you twisted freak!" Makiko retorted as she and the boys readied themselves for battle. "It can be hazardous to your health!"
"Well then, we'll just have to see about that then!" the demo-hybrid spokesperson replied as it and its teammates prepared to attack. "Boys, it's time to teach these unruly locals discipline ... demo-hybrid style!"
Two of them closed quickly on Makiko and engaged her in hand-to-hand battle, evading her sword attacks! Each of the other demo-hybrids engaged the boys in one-on-one conflict, and the boys fought back valiantly! Makiko struggled to match the combined skill of her two foes, and the boys were finding a good challenge with their foes!
Sumio was easily evading the robot's offense when suddenly he sensed the approach of two demo-hybrids! He ducked the robot's punch attempt and knocked its head off of its torso with a powerful roundhouse kick, causing the robot to crash to the ground a senseless heap! Sumio then turned to await the arrival of the demo-hybrids with grim determination!
"You'd better hurry up, Yoshio!" Sumio thought to himself with great concern in his heart. "I'll try to hold them off as long as I can!"
In the distance, he saw the approach of the two demo-hybrids, and he poised himself for battle, gathering more energy as he watched them close the distance to him! The two demo-hybrids stopped a short distance away from the Super Zodorian and prepared to fight! They smiled evilly!
"They have terribly high power levels!" Sumio thought to himself as he readied himself for the conflict. "Just one of these guys is capable of generating even more energy than I can in my Super Zodorian form! Two of them acting in concert will make for a long day indeed!"
"What's the matter, tough guy?" one of the demo-hybrids taunted the Super Zodorian. "You don't look so eager to fight us! Oh, well! Too bad! You're going to have to anyway! I hope you're ready to die!"
"Do your worst!" Sumio retorted as he steeled his resolve for the fight and assumed a battle stance. "I'm ready!"
The two demo-hybrids flew at Sumio to attack him simultaneously, and Sumio flew backwards away from them, leading them to where he wanted to fight them! The one with the ki radar tucked it under its armor as it tried to close with Sumio! They exploded in a flurry of hand-to-hand attacks, and Sumio struggled desperately to hold his own against the two of them! Seconds later, Tieh arrived and joined in the fray, separating the two demo-hybrids so that Sumio didn't have to fight two of them at the same time! One-on-one, the battle between Sumio and a single demo-hybrid was much less lopsided, and Tieh and his foe fought a closely-matched battle!
Meanwhile, Yoshio had found the last dragon ball and assembled all seven of them together on the ground before him. He sensed the battles going on across the landscape, not far away from him. He then turned his attention back to the dragon balls.
"Hear me, eternal dragon of Zodoria!" Yoshio called out into the sky. "I summon you! Come forth and make my wish come true!"
Upon that pronouncement, the dragon balls began to glow, and, moments later, the eternal dragon of Zodoria appeared in all of his splendor. The sight was quite intimidating to say the least, and Yoshio swallowed hard as he watched the summoning unfold before him.
"Ye who has summoned me, you may ask me one wish, and I will grant it if it is within my power!" the dragon's growling voice boomed loudly as he spoke. "What is your wish?"
"Uh, ..." Yoshio paused momentarily as he recomposed himself as quickly as he could, trying to speak the wish.
Meanwhile, the demo-hybrids were beginning to gain the advantage over Sumio and Tieh, but the Super Saiyans were still holding their own in their battles with the demo-hybrids! Kien continued to fight against Dokharis, and, although both warriors were scoring with thunderous hand-to-hand attacks, neither of them could seem to secure the advantage in their struggle!
Kien fought ever so valiantly, but Dokharis was equally determined, and their clash was epic in nature! It was as epic in its own right as the fight between Super Saiyan Koji and Xarlok in the finals of the tournament! Both fighters seemed almost completely equal in skill, speed, and strength!
"I have to find a weakness in his fighting style and fast!" Kien thought to himself as he fought like never before. "If I don't, I'll wind up expending all of my energy and be powerless to continue the fight long before he will! In this, he has the edge! His higher power level gives him the edge in endurance, and he's pretty much my equal in skill and ability!"
"This Namek is far stronger than anyone I've ever fought besides the master!" Dokharis thought to himself as he pushed himself to his limits to challenge Kien's power and skill. "If I don't penetrate his defenses soon, he will force me to expend too much energy! If that happens, his friends will be able to overpower me ... unless the demo-hybrids can hold them off!"
Meanwhile, Yoshio was still preparing to make his wish, and the dragon was waiting for Yoshio to make his wish.
"Dragon, I wish that Koji be restored to life and brought back here right now!" Yoshio declared with a purpose.
"What you wish is impossible!" the eternal dragon of Zodoria proclaimed, prompting Yoshio to yelp in shocked terror.
"What?!?" Yoshio cried out in disbelief. "What do you mean it's impossible?!? Why can't you do it?!?"
"I can restore the one called Koji to life, but I cannot bring him back here with a single wish!" the dragon informed him. "To restore him to life and transport him to this place constitutes two wishes! He will have to find another way to reach this place, and crossing the distance between the Other World and this one may take days, even for a Super Saiyan!"
"Oh, great!" Yoshio cried out in absolute disbelief, struggling not to lose himself in abject panic. "What good is restoring him to life going to do if we all die before he gets here?!?"
"What is your wish?" the Zodorian eternal dragon demanded in a very intimidating voice. "Make it now!"
"Oh, okay! Don't rush me! I'm making the wish!" Yoshio cried out, both intimidated and frustrated. "Please, restore Koji to life!"
"It shall be done!" the eternal dragon declared in its booming voice as Yoshio trembled below it.
"I hope this can still work out alright!" Yoshio thought to himself in grave concern. "We've got to somehow find a way to hold out for a few days until Koji makes it back from the Other World!"
Other World.
Koji, Yukio, and Tong-Li were standing together in the open field. The sun was shining brightly overhead, and it looked like a beautiful day. Suddenly, Koji's halo disappeared, and they all noted this with amazement.
"Wha- what happened?" Koji muttered as he noted that his halo was gone from over his head. "What's going on here?"
"Your friends have succeeded in summoning the Zodorian dragon and wishing you back to life," Tong-Li explained. "I must inform you that they are in grave danger back on Zodoria. They need your help now. You must go to them and save them once again."
"I will." Koji declared with great determination in his voice and on his face. "I thank you for everything you've done for me, Tong-Li. I must now use one of the new techniques you've taught me to make the journey quickly. If their need is so desperate, then I must make haste. I bid you farewell."
Koji placed the first two fingers of his right hand to his forehead, and the old Kai and Yukio watched him. Moments later, Koji disappeared from their midst. Back on Zodoria, Yoshio watched the dragon balls, once more dormant, scatter across the planet, leaving his location as the dragon disappeared again. A moment later, Koji reappeared, standing right next to Yoshio, causing Yoshio to fall down on his posterior in shock.
"Koji!?!" Yoshio muttered in utter disbelief as the mighty Saiyan gazed down upon him and smiled.
"Yoshio, it is good to see you again," Koji replied as he extended his hand to help Yoshio back to his feet.
"But the dragon said it would take days for you to get here!" Yoshio said in complete bewilderment as he accepted Koji's hand and got up.
"It would have without the assistance of a new technique I learned from an old Kai named Tong-Li," Koji replied. "It's called the instant transmission, but I don't have time for this discussion right now. Tong-Li said that there was terrible danger. I sense that he is right. Go back to the lookout. We'll meet you there. I'll take care of this problem now."
"Right, I'll -" Yoshio began, but he stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Koji use the instant transmission to disappear again. "Uhhh, ... nevermind."
Koji arrived at the battles being waged, and lost, by Sumio and Tieh! One of the demo-hybrids was about to hammer Tieh with a powerful punch to the face, but Koji's gloved hand caught the demo-hybrid's wrist in mid-punch, stopping the attack from reaching its target! Tieh looked on incredulously at the sight of the Saiyan gripping the demo-hybrid's wrist, and Sumio and his foe had stopped their battle to take notice of the new arrival!
"Koji!" Sumio exclaimed in complete shock, overjoyed to see the return of the mighty Saiyan.
"This is a new look for you, Sumio," Koji said, not taking his eyes off of the demo-hybrid in his grasp. "Jade green flaming aura and bright white hair, you must have transformed into a super form, a Super Zodorian."
Tieh managed to get clear of the confrontation between the Saiyan and the demo-hybrid during the verbal exchange of Koji and Sumio. The held demo-hybrid looked into Koji's eyes in disbelief that someone could be so fast, so strong, and so skilled a warrior.
"Sumio, you get back to the lookout," Koji instructed his friend. "I've already sent Yoshio on ahead. I'll need the Namek to start another project for me, so I'll need him to stay with me a bit longer."
At that statement, Koji powered up to Super Saiyan form, releasing the demo-hybrid to be hurled back a short ways by his power-up. The other demo-hybrid looked on with interest as Tieh and Sumio sensed Koji's power, and they were incredulous over Koji's power level.
Across the landscape, the others noted the new power signal. Everyone stopped fighting and just pondered the new powerful energy signal in the distance. Suddenly, Kien and Kato smiled and grew excited.
"It's my dad!" Kato cried out with great excitement and fervor. "They did it! Sumio and Uncle Yoshio made the wish! Dad's back!"
"It looks like things are finally looking up for us!" Kien declared with a relieved and happy smile on his face.
Dokharis looked angry and concerned, and the demo-hybrids just looked very confused by the situation. Makiko and Isao were still incredulous at the power they were sensing.
Meanwhile, the master of evil, back at his space ship, sensed the arrival of the mighty Saiyan Koji, and he looked off in the distance stoically. He finally showed signs of emotion with a slight smile and a flicker of interest in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly so that all of the knuckles crackled.
Back at the lookout, Yuko stood looking out over a railing. Her eyes were wide, and tears began to flow. She trembled ever-so-slightly.
"Koji," she thought to herself as she sensed his presense for the first time in a while. "You've come back to us!"
Kumi joined Yuko at the rail and looked out over the distance with wonder and amazement in her countenance. Yuko was too enraptured in the moment to turn her attention to the young girl.
"What ... what is that?!?" the young Saiyan girl inquired in utter amazement to the enraptured woman.
"Hope returned to this world for us all," Yuko replied as she wiped the tears from her face and looked down at the little girl with a warm smile on her face and extreme joy in her eyes. "A great and wonderful hope!"
Back at the battle site where Koji rescued Sumio and Tieh, the two demo-hybrids prepared to fight the mighty Super Saiyan, and Sumio and Tieh stood beside each other a short distance away. Koji stood before the enemy as confident as he ever was. His eyes glared at the bewildered demo-hybrids, but he had yet to display his smug smirk.
Continued in Chapter 8.