(Corvus)
(Piccolo & Gast)
"Hey," the Namekian in the shawl spoke from his side of the rock, watching as the frustrated warrior from Earth glared up at him. "Just out of curiosity… how many of our kind have you joined bodies with so far?"
Piccolo blinked at the casual way his counterpart just brought this subject up… and in the middle of such an intense game too. "That's a rather odd question to ask… not to mention kind of personal."
"Call it an old man's curse," Gast chuckled, placing his hands on his lap as he leant towards his brother in arms. "But just between you and me, how many? I'm well aware of all the techniques and rituals practiced by our people, and given that your energy level is so much higher than most other warriors I've encountered in the past, it simply begs the question as to how you were able to obtain such strength."
Mulling it over for a moment soon led the fighter from Earth to glaring down at the pieces in front of him. Seeing how many he had left in comparison to Gast and the positions of said numbers, he was at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. "I fused with two others of my kind… a native from our home planet named Nail… and the one the people of this world referred to as Kami, who was previously the good half of my previous incarnation."
"Your previous self was split in two?" Gast repeated with a look of surprise. "I'm sure there was a good reason for that."
"It was a sacrifice my original embodiment was willing to make in order to be accepted as the new guardian of this planet," Piccolo replied, before then giving a humorless shrug. "We were separated for over a hundred years… and in that time a lot of things happened, from storms, to wars, to worldwide disasters, to alien invasions."
"I can only imagine," the elder Namekian remarked, propping his chin on his hand while resting an elbow on his lap. "Some really terrifying battles must have taken place to prompt you into joining bodies with two others."
"They were certainly a necessity on my part," the warrior from Earth stated while closing his eyes, "The fusion on Namek was done partly out of kindness and partly out of a means to gain strength to defeat the one who massacred our entire race. The other was done during a time our group had hit a dead end and was desperate for a quick resolution." He then looked up and faced his counterpart with a no-nonsense glare. "Though I wound up outclassed at the end of every major engagement, I was still able to play my part in the battles and was a big help to everyone involved… and have been for many years."
A big smile spread across Gast's lips, "The path to self-improvement is always rife with challenges and adversity."
"What about you?" Piccolo asked, raising an eyebrow at his fellow Namekian, "Your power level is nothing to sneeze at either. How did you manage to get so strong?"
Gast chuckled and leant back on his stone seat, "You caught a glimpse of my history… so you should have some idea as to how I did it." When he saw Piccolo was still listening to him, the man then took a deep breath and craned his head towards the sky above them, where they could see three of the planet's moons floating in orbit. "I was born into a world connected to countless others like it, filled with dangers and environments that were not fit to sustain life. But as treacherous as it was, I wasn't going to let any of it stop me. I went out there, faced the darkness… and overcame every bad guy, monster and obstacle that stood in my way." He glanced back at Piccolo with a smirk. "In the decades to follow, I worked as a mercenary, a body guard, a tradesman, a bounty hunter, a prisoner, and a slave… someone who fought and bled at every stage and turning point in his life, without pause. No matter where I went, there was always conflict… always a battle to be won. It soon got to the point where I'd fought almost every kind of alien in the known universe, from bugs, to primates, to self-proclaimed deities. My God…" A chuckle left his lips. "You should have seen me in my prime. I was unstoppable."
"Sounds like you've lived a very charming life," Piccolo commented, reaching forward and moving another piece around. "Dole." When he looked up again, he heard Gast give a short laugh at the strategy he was using, "I'd hate to see such an amazing legacy cut short."
"I'm not going to let it end either," the man in the shawl and sash answered, picking up a rock and nudging it forward. "Sho mafe." Seeing his opponent grit his teeth, Gast then crossed his arms and tilted his head. "But honestly, out of all of us, I'd say you're the lucky one. You ended up landing on a peaceful planet and making friends with so many good people. You were able to lead a life that many of us dreamed of finding."
"Do you really mean that?"
"I do," Gast admitted with a broad smile, "And I don't give out compliments like that very often. Believe me."
A smirk then tugged at Piccolo's lips, "A life of adventure doesn't sound so bad either. Gaining strength by battling countless warriors across the galaxy? Had the circumstances of our respective exiles been reversed, I wouldn't have minded ending up in your shoes. But that's just me speaking personally."
This drew a look of interest from the elder Namekian, "I see." When he saw the green man's expression change, Gast then raised a hand. "Very well, if that's the case, then permit me this modest proposal. Considering you've now learned the mechanics of this game, how about we up the stakes a bit with a little wager?"
Piccolo frowned, "I'm listening."
"If you win, I will give you everything that I own," Gast offered, gesturing to the planet around them, "This garden, the animals, my position… and all the secrets and techniques I've learned over the past three hundred years. With my knowledge and experience, I can make you the most powerful Namekian in the known universe and one of the strongest warriors in existence."
"Okay…" the Namekian from Earth then narrowed his eyes, "And if I lose?"
"Your planet has wishing jewels, am I correct?" When he saw Piccolo blink in confusion, Gast elaborated. "The magical crystals forged from a Namekian's life force that, when brought together, can be used to summon a great guardian dragon to grant the user a single or multiple wishes?"
"Oh. You mean the dragon balls?" Piccolo asked, clearing his throat, "Yes. We have them."
"Well, if you lose, I would very much like to use your crystals to make a small wish of my own. It's nothing too big or selfish like eternal life or anything like that, just something I would like to cross off of my bucket list," Gast explained, appearing both sincere and honest with his request.
Giving his opponent a long, silent stare, as if trying to determine whether the man had any ill intent behind his words, Piccolo quickly came to a conclusion and nodded. "Alright. Deal." As soon as he said that, he watched Gast raise his hand and telekinetically return the pieces on the board to their original positions. Having already played this game a couple of times, the Namekian from Earth wasn't at all surprised to see the man clear the slate and start the new round from scratch. "First one to reach a triple mafe wins?"
"Sure," Gast replied, at the same time giving his opponent a competitive smirk. "I'll let you make the first move."
And with that, a serious Piccolo then reached forward and pushed his first piece into one of the triangles…
OOO
(Zangya & Maya)
Dodging a massive fist flying her way, the Super Hera leapt from the top of a plateau and into the sky, avoiding a punch that completely demolished the tor she'd been standing on and sent rubble cascading over the battlefield. Ignoring the shockwave that chased after her, Zangya repositioned herself behind her immense foe and spun down at the Super Oozaru with a heel kick. Yelling out, she caught the transformed Maya across the face and sent the massive beast toppling to the ground, which she impacted with the full weight of her girth and sent a towering wall of debris and dust flying in all directions.
Flying up to a higher altitude, the battered and bleeding Super Hera 2, with burns and bruises covering most of her body, held out both her hands and produced a dozen green energy balls, which began orbiting her at a terrifying speed. After gaining speed and size, Zangya then thrust her hand forward and threw them down at her target one after the other, with each attack instantly being replaced by another, and another, and another. Soon a string of unending energy spheres began raining down on Maya's position, detonating with the force of miniature nukes and setting the already scorched battlefield ablaze.
The Super Oozaru 2's cries of pain filled the air as smoke and fire billowed into the atmosphere, choking up the area and blocking out Zangya's view of her opponent. At first it seemed like the Z-fighter had her enemy on the ropes. But just as Zangya was in the midst of her barrage, the woman suddenly saw the clouds part violently and her opponent launch another Mouth Energy Waveat her. The purple blast gushed out of Maya's jaws with a terrifying roar and rocketed towards the Hera, forcing her to dodge.
Dropping down to ground level and landing in an open field, Zangya glared across the landscape to see her opponent spring to her feet and spin around to face her. Reacting fast, the Z-fighter drew her hands back and thrust them forward, unleashing a net of barely visible telekinetic wires from her fingers. The strings of energy crisscrossed through the air and caught Maya in an instant, wrapping around her at light speed and binding her to the floor. As the woman tried to struggle against them, they proceeded to drain her energy.
Digging her feet into the floor when she felt Maya thrash violently, Zangya gritted her teeth and barked. "Oh, no you don't!" the woman yelled, curling her fingers and giving a hard yank, pulling her string back and tightening them around her hulking foe.
Crying out in pain when she felt the wires cut and dig into her skin, the transformed Saiyan used all her strength to bring her one good arm around. Stretching her fingers out, Maya grabbed an air full of wires, getting a good grip on them and holding them at bay. When Zangya balked in shock at seeing her opponent fight against the restraints, the Super Oozaru on the other end then dug her feet into the floor and gave a hard pull. The next thing the Hera knew was her whole body being yanked from the ground and thrown into the sky, before slamming into the earth with a loud crack.
Lassoing her foe around, Maya pulled Zangya out of her crater and slammed her into the ground on the other side, punching another hole into the floor. Then, still clutching her opponent's wires, the Oozaru turned and hurled her foe into the sky, Zangya's wires finally dispelling and sending the red haired woman spinning towards the clouds. The moment the Hera was airborne the Saiyan opened her mouth and unleashed another powerful blast at her enemy.
Spotting the attack fast approaching, Zangya powered up and shot into the atmosphere, bringing her hand back and producing a sphere of crackling red energy. Her attack expanding and pulsing as she took aim, the woman shouted, "Beauty-"
Before she could finish her incantation, Maya suddenly powered up and rocketed into the sky after her, shooting right passed the diminutive Z-fighter. "Not so fast!" the Super Oozaru roared, flying above her adversary and thrusting her finger upwards. Aura and lightning intensifying, the woman's had then ignited with an orange blaze, "You're mine! Shine Shot!" With a yell, the Saiyan elite flung an enormous, crackling ball of fire down at her opponent, who had to swiftly adjust her aim.
Her own energy burning around her, Zangya gave a cry of effort and launched her attack skywards, right at the approaching energy meteor. "-TRIGGER!" She flung her ball towards the fireball, the two blasts impacting one another and causing a massive, sphere shaped explosion. The resulting cataclysm filled the sky with a huge orange blast, swallowing up both Zangya and Maya, and knocking the two out of the air.
The explosion was so large that it could be seen from the moon.
When Zangya leapt out of the blast wave, trailing smoke and bits of her outfit, she landed hard on solid ground. Ripping off what was left of her pants and leaving her in only her singed halter top and purple underwear, the red haired fighter cupped her hands behind her and powered up. "KA-ME-" Seeing her opponent crash down on the floor several hundred meters ahead of her, uniform also in tatters and fur singed from the fire, the Hera's green aura with golden lightning expanded tenfold. "HA-ME-" Blue sphere taking shape in her hands, Zangya then thrust it forward with a mighty bellow, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The moment Maya saw Zangya's attack rocketing towards her the Golden Oozaru opened her mouth and unleashed another powerful pink blast at her. Her attack erupted from her throat and hit Zangya's head-on like a tidal wave; the two attacks clashing before the Saiyan's slowly started to overwhelm the Z-fighter's. In a matter of seconds, the pink blast pushed the Hera's back to its owner and proceeded to swallow her up, causing Zangya to skid back along the ground and the earth around her to burn away.
Gritting her teeth as she felt her skin hiss and burn from the energy coursing around her, she then leant forward and screamed at the top of her lungs. "YOU WON'T WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" In a flash, her energy came pouring out of her body with a thunderous roar, the green aura behind her expanding and warping the atmosphere. She exuded so much energy in fact that the lightning she produced solidified and formed into two golden, angelic wings behind her, which grew to match the size of her opponent. The moment they formed, her energy spewed from her palms in a great tidal wave of fire, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The resulting surge of ki powered through the pink beam and swallowed Maya whole, burning the Oozaru's body and sweeping her up, sending the woman tumbling down a tunnel of blue light.
Screaming in agony as she spun through the whirlwind of energy, Maya crashed through several hills and plateaus, all of which ended up disintegrated in the attack. The blast itself expanded and grew to such a size it not only engulfed an entire mountain range, it also punched a hole through the atmosphere and right into space. Such was the power put behind the attack. When Zangya eventually cut off the flow to her technique, she left an enormous trench in the land a mile wide, all the way to the edge of the country.
Lying in the center of the blast zone, a charred and battered Maya coughed and choked on the smoke rising off of her golden ape form.
Before she could sit up or recover, Zangya, her angelic wings still drawn, dropped down from the sky and landed on the woman's tail. Conjuring her three-pronged sword out of thin air, she then sliced off the woman's appendage, which quickly caused its owner to revert back to her normal form. Both Maya and her tail shrunk down to regular size, where the woman ended up dropping out of Super Saiyan 2 seconds later from exhaustion. What was left of her was a thoroughly burnt body, with her one-piece Saiyan suit torn and ripped in several places.
Dispelling her weapon, the equally exhausted Hera spoke. "It's over."
Gasping for air, the beaten and battered Maya looked up at her opponent. Seeing the transformed woman with golden wings glaring down at her, the female Saiyan cracked a pained and bloody smile, "Yeah. No kidding." After staring at her for a moment, she then shakily raised a hand, "By the way… am I dead?"
Zangya cocked an eyebrow, "No."
"Oh… good… because for a second there I could've sworn I was staring at an angel," Maya replied as cheerily and sincerely as she could, "You look absolutely radiant."
Appearing slightly taken aback, the Hera then blinked, "Uhh… thanks?" She then looked behind her at the wings she'd generated and waved them a bit. "Huh. That's weird. I wonder what this is all about?" Upon dispelling them, she then reverted back to her base form, by which point the fatigue of her battle hit her like a ton of bricks. "Damn… that was exhausting. You sure didn't make it easy on me, did you?"
"I'm an Elite Saiyan warrior. Of course I wasn't going to be pulling punches," Maya wheezed with a grin, her left eye open half way from the swelling in her cheek, "It was either you or me. There is no in between in this kind of competition."
"Hm. Good point," Zangya breathed, running a hand through her curly locks before then nodding down at her opponent. "Need a hand?"
"Sure," Maya answered, before slowly being helped up into a sitting position. Crossing her legs, the long haired fighter with dark brown skin looked at her opponent in a friendly and considerate manner. "Wow. You're the only woman besides Sandra who's ever beaten me this badly. That was one hell of an ass kicking."
"What can I say? I try?" the Z-fighter chirped with her hands on her hips.
Looking the orange haired woman over, Maya then cracked a cheerful smile, "By the way… do you have a boyfriend?"
On cue, Zangya face-planted the ground with a comical thud. Seconds later she leapt back to her feet, covered in dirt and face red, "W-W-What?"
Maya then shrugged, "I'm just asking. I mean…" Rubbing her sore arm, the young woman then looked away with a light blush on her face, "Since I'm always hanging out with my crew day in and day out, I haven't really had the time to meet many other men or women as striking as you. The fact that you're super strong to boot is also kind of a turn-on for me."
Mouth opening and closing several times in shock, Zangya then stuttered, "W-Well… I uhh… I, umm…" Nothing. She had no means of responding to this situation.
"Don't get me wrong; even though most of the guys on my crew are super hot, I'm not really that interested in dating any of them. I mean, Gast is way too old, Kure is as straight as an arrow, Cal is gay and reproduces asexually, and Sandra… well… even though she's awesome to look at and I've had a crush on her for years, I know she won't be interested in hooking up with her best friend. I'm just… really, really lonely right now… and just want to find a mate." She then beamed hopefully up at the blushing Hera, who she saw was growing redder and redder by the second. "Hey. If you're free tonight, would you like to go out, find a hotel and mess around a little?"
Before Zangya could utter some form of response to Maya, who was clearly now hitting on her and asking her to an evening on the town, she suddenly heard two sets of feet land behind her and a familiar, gruff voice speak up.
"What are you two doing?" Vegeta asked, his arms folded and a frown pulled across his lips.
Spinning around so fast that it looked like she'd teleported, the Hera shouted quickly, "NOTHING! Nothing! We're not doing anything! No flirting or dirty talk going on over here!" Her rather high-pitched exclamation caused Vegeta and Cal to lean back in surprise.
"O-kay…?" the Sura-jin in the black tights spoke slowly.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" the Saiyan Prince inquired, completely baffled by the woman's reaction, whereas Cal just scratched his head in confusion.
Realizing she'd just yelled at the two men, Zangya gathered her senses and gave the pair a nervous smile. "W-What's wrong with me? Nothing at all." She then laughed nervously. "You don't need to worry about me, Vegeta. I just got smacked around a bit while I was fighting my opponent here. She was one tough customer." After gesturing to the woman behind her, the Z-fighter then stuck her nose in the air and did her best to regain her composure, sniffing for good measure. "Yep. Just a couple of girls standing around and having a normal, everyday, completely age appropriate and non-sexual conversation with each other."
The Hera was so caught up in trying to explain herself that she missed the sight of Maya standing up, sneaking up behind her, and pinching her ass. Shrieking, the Hera leapt several meters away from the Saiyan and glared back at her in shock, who she saw was grinning mischievously in her direction.
Finding the woman's performance rather unusual, Vegeta and Cal decided to shrug it off as just the Hera wigging out after a tough battle. Ignoring her look of alarm and the bristled state she was in, the battered Saiyan Prince then fixed his attention on his equally damaged colleague. "Anyway, do you two happen to know where the brat and his opponent have gone? The big guy and I can't seem to find them anywhere."
Quickly realizing that they too couldn't sense their friends anymore, both Zangya and Maya began searching the skies intently. Stretching out their senses to see if they could locate Gohan and Sandra somewhere in their quadrant, the group of four warriors in the desert then picked a direction and searched it. However, after zooming out as far as they could go, all of them came up blank.
"Can you sense anything?" Maya asked.
"Nope. I've got nothing. Zip," Zangya replied, narrowing her eyes in worry and placing her hands on her hips. "Shit. Where did they go?"
"Maybe they're not in this galaxy anymore," Cal suggested, appearing just as confused and concerned by the development. "Since both of them had taken their fight into space, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they'd managed to make it all the way to the Andromeda sector."
"Or… the two of them are fighting each other in slip space and are no longer in this dimension anymore," Maya shrugged.
Frowning, the Saiyan Prince glared in her direction, "What the hell does that mean?"
"Can your half-Saiyan friend teleport?" the female second-in-command asked, earning nods from both Zangya and Vegeta. "Well… Sandra can teleport as well. So if we're putting two and two together and both of them are still in this game, then that means our friends have-"
Just as she was in the middle of explaining where the group's respective teammates and would-be team leaders had gotten to, a loud sonic boom suddenly filled the sky. A split second later, two figures dropped down from the clouds and slammed into the earth several yards away from them. Dust and debris pelting their position, the four former-combatants quickly snapped their attention towards the crash site, where they saw two bodies tumble out of the crater and land in the desert.