by Jamie L. Word
"Hope Shines A-New"
Zodoria.
Koji stood ready for the conflict with the demo-hybrids, and Sumio and Tieh stood away watching. The demo-hybrids looked baffled by Koji's presense, so they hesitated in their attack.
"What are you waiting for, Sumio?" Koji gently rebuked Sumio for not yet following his instructions. "Get back to the lookout."
Sumio obeyed, leaving the battlefield. Tieh looked at Koji with incredulous disbelief. The demo-hybrids growled as they assumed fighting stances before Koji.
"Why are you sending him away?" Tieh inquired in a state of bewilderment. "He and I together were not a match for these two fiends! I know you are much more powerful than he was, but I don't think I'll be able to help you defeat them!"
"That's alright, Namek," Koji answered, now wearing his smug smirk. "Now I have two requests to make of you at the moment. First, I want to know your name. Then, I want you to return to the others who are involved in a battle as well and help them out. Be quick about it. Time is of the essense."
"My name is Tieh," the Namek answered as he took flight to return to those allies who were still embroiled in their conflict.
Koji then turned his full attention to the demo-hybrids, who were growing impatient with this waiting game.
"Who are you?" one of them snarled at him with a demanding inquiry. "We didn't pick you up on the ki radar!"
"Although, in moments, such information will be useless to you, I'll answer your rudely-asked inquiry," Koji replied. "I am Koji, and I am telling you right now that you've made the biggest and last mistake of your lives coming here and threatening my family and friends. It's time."
With that pronouncement, Koji extended his open-palmed hand towards the demo-hybrids and powered up a potent energy blast like Vegeta's big bang attack technique! The demo-hybrids looked on in disbelief as he fired the blast at them without another word!
Meanwhile, Tieh returned to the battle site where the others were still paused from their conflict. He landed in their midst, and everyone turned their attention to him.
"There is a powerful warrior back there whose name is Koji," Tieh informed the others. "He sent me on ahead while he dealt with those fiendish fighters who were attacking Sumio and myself. He sent Sumio back to the lookout. I'm almost certain he'll be here soon."
"Yeah!" Kato cried out in unbridled excitement as he jumped up and down with his fists in the air in celebration. "Now that my dad is back, these no-good jerks are gonna be toast!"
"Not if we can help it!" Dokharis screamed in his rage as he punched Kien in the face while he was off-guard. "Demo-hybrids, get them!"
The demo-hybrids attacked the Super Saiyans and the returned Namek while Dokharis pressed his advantage of surprise over Kien! The attack caught the heroes a bit off-guard as well, and the demo-hybrids began giving grief to the heroes with assistance from their timely jump-started attack!
Before they could garner too great an advantage, a familiar pair of gloves, accompanied by a familiar pair of boots, sent demo-hybrids scattering from the thunderous impacts! The rescued heroes looked upon the form of their savior, Koji! Kien struggled to regain his bearings under the onslought of the formidable demon Dokharis!
"Dad!" Kato cried out with great joy as he jumped up to greet his father Koji. "You're back!"
Koji turned his attention to see the two new Super Saiyans, who gawked at him incredulously while Tieh smiled after being rescued a second time by the mighty Saiyan warrior.
"You're Saiyans as well?" Koji inquired of the woman warrior Makiko and her young son.
"Yes, we are," Makiko replied as she gazed upon the mighty Koji. "As are you, Koji of the royal elite."
"The boy is strong like my son," Koji noted aloud as he looked at the two boys. "They may be our best hope."
Before anyone could ask him what he meant by that, he placed a hand on the head of each boy and concentrated. Makiko started forward instinctively to protect her son, but something in Koji's eyes caused her to stop.
"This is the fastest way to teach you what you need to know," Koji explained to the others. "I'm using the telepathic abilities I picked up while training in the Other World to relay the information they'll need directly into their minds. Tell me, Kato. Have you returned to the Chamber of Spirit and Time since our clash with Usami and his cohorts?"
"No, Dad," Kato answered. "Everyone else went in for two days' worth of training, but I only trained the one day with you."
"Good," Koji replied with a pleasant smile. "Then there is yet a greater hope shining than you know."
Koji removed his hands from the boys' heads and turned his attention to Makiko and Tieh. They looked into his eyes, noting the gentleness there.
"What is your son's name, woman?" Koji inquired with a gentleness she didn't expect from the notorious scourge of the galaxy.
"His name is Isao," Makiko answered, somehow soothed by this kind Super Saiyan. "I am Makiko."
"I am glad to make your acquaintance, Makiko," Koji responded to the warrior woman. "I'll need to also give you the information you'll need for this to work, for you to train the boys. Allow me to transplant the information into your minds with my newfound telepathic abilities."
Tieh and Makiko stood before Koji, prepared to receive the information he had for them. He placed a hand on Makiko's head and a hand on Tieh's head, and then he concentrated. Moments later, it was done, and he took his hands off of their heads.
"You know what to do," Koji declared to them with a hint of purpose for them. "Take the boys into the Chamber of Spirit and Time and train them quickly. We might not have much time. I will hold this new threat at bay as long as I can. Go with them, Kato. I'll rejoin you later."
Taking their cue from Koji, the four heroes took flight and began their journey back to the lookout with Kato leading the way. Koji then turned his attention back to the demo-hybrids who had reassembled around him.
"So, are you ready?" Koji inquired of them, his expression as hard and cold as steel as it cut through them like a razor-sharp blade.
One of the demo-hybrids fired a sumo zumo attack technique at Koji, and the blasts peppered the area where he was standing with explosions! Another of the demo-hybrids used an energy bomb technique to launch an energy ball high into the sky while its teammate kept Koji pinned down with the sumo zumo technique, and the energy bomb plummeted onto Koji's location and exploded! The next demo-hybrid breathed a gust of flames through the flames of fury technique, engulfing the area where Koji was standing in flames! The fourth demo-hybrid just charged up a powerful energy blast at the end of its two open-palmed hands and fired it into the explosion-riddled, flame-engulfed spot where Koji was standing! At that point, the demo-hybrids stopped their assault and waited for the smoke to clear!
Meanwhile, Kien was on the defensive, struggling to overcome the advantage delivered to Dokharis by his surprise attack sucker punch! He struggled to regain his composure and get back on the offensive, but Dokharis was relentless in pressing his advantage!
When the smoke cleared from the attack against Koji, Koji stood there unphased by the attacks of the demo-hybrids, despite the fact that the landscape was horrible devastated in the process! The demo-hybrids were horrified and shocked to see this! Koji let his smug smirk out again!
"How nice," Koji taunted the stunned-with-disbelief demo-hybrids. "My first day back and I'm greeted with fireworks! I didn't know you cared!"
Koji moved so quickly, they never saw him move! He zipped through their midst before anyone could blink, and then he stopped just beyond them, his back facing their position while their backs faced his! Suddenly, the astonished demo-hybrids all noticed energy balls on their backs, glowing and humming! Before they could respond to this threat, Koji held one hand up in front of his face and smiled as he clenched his fist so tightly that he crackled his knuckles! The energy balls on the backs of the demo-hybrids exploded with great force and fervor, vaporizing the demo-hybrids!
At that point, Dokharis drew back to fire a powerful energy blast at Kien, and he threw it at the Super Namek while Kien was off-balance and unable to adequately defend against it! Suddenly, Koji blurred out of sight, reappearing right next to Kien, placing his hand on Kien's shoulder! They both then blurred out of sight in the knick of time to avoid Dokharis' blast! As the energy blast exploded like a small nuclear bomb, Koji and Kien reappeared a distance away unharmed!
"Go back to the lookout," Koji instructed Kien as he prepared to take up the fight with Dokharis. "I'll finish this up."
"No!" Kien proclaimed with firm resolution in his voice. "It's my fight! I'm going to finish it!"
"Now that would be presumptuous, Namek," came the growling voice from across the battlefield.
Turning their attention in that direction, they all saw the evil master of the space ship standing there in mid-air, his cape wafting dramatically in the wind as he hovered there. Dokharis smiled at the sight of his master.
"Master!" Dokharis called out to him with fervent enthusiasm as he made his way to the dark lord's side. "Now, together, we shall crush these impudent fools!"
"Cravenly fool!" the master snarled at Dokharis as he blasted Dokharis with a powerful energy blast that completely vaporized the demon. "You've failed me abysmally, you lackluster lackey!"
Koji and Kien were stunned and startled by the master of evil's action, shocked to see the demon lord Dokharis disposed of so easily. The dread master then turned to the heroes and smiled evilly.
"I've got a bad feeling about this!" Kien said to Koji, his bottom lip still quivering in intimidation by the power he was sensing. "This guy's unreal! He makes Dokharis seem like a small child by comparison!"
"You should go back to the lookout right now," Koji instructed Kien. "They might need you there more than I'll need you here. I'll try to hold him here until the boys are finished with their training. Go now."
"I don't think that is the wisest decision you've ever made, but it is definitely the most appealing," the evil master decreed as he and Koji engaged in a staredown while Kien cleared out of the battle zone. "I sensed your arrival here, and, I must say, I'm impressed. You're quite strong, stronger than you've let on to those other weaklings. I ponder the possibility of your power being a worthy challenge for me."
"So, you too find the thrill of a challenge somewhat intoxicating," Koji commented on the master's enthusiasm. "What is your name?"
"Majestros," the diabolical fiend answered in a near-whisper of a voice, as he was almost overwhelmed by the anticipation of the battle.
"Very well," Koji answered as he acknowledged the dark warrior's name. "I am Koji, and I'm here to stop you from harming this world and its people."
"Such nobility!" Majestros proclaimed with building enthusiasm. "You truly are of high birth, my friend, but you will not stop me!"
"We'll see!" Koji resolutely decreed as he and Majestros remained locked in a very intense staredown, and, moments later, the Super Saiyan took his power to the next level by becoming Super Saiyan Two.
Small rocks, stones, and pebbles began rising from the ground between and around the two warriors as they prepared to fight! They stood perfectly still as they gathered even more energy for the imminent clash! The intensity in their eyes was unmistakeable in the proverbial quiet before the storm!
"This is the hour!" Majestros calmly exclaimed as he awaited the moment for the battle to commence.
"Don't be upset if this doesn't go as you wish!" Koji replied as he likewise awaited the commencement of the clash.
Continued in Chapter 9.