Taru – First Person
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind, the kind that settled in the air like a held breath, thick with the promise of violence. The kind that made the skin prickle, the instincts scream.
Zarbon floated several dozen meters away, his monstrous transformed body motionless against the endless black of space. His breathing was controlled, measured.
His eyes remained fixed on me, unblinking, calculating. Behind me, Namek had shrunk to little more than a distant green sphere, its surface a blur of color against the void. Between us, the debris of shattered asteroids drifted lazily, the remnants of some long-forgotten cosmic battle.
And somewhere behind my shoulder,
Faye.
Unconscious.
Still alive.
That was the only reason I hadn't ended this already.
I glanced backward, my gaze flickering to where his body floated motionlessly against the invisible edge of the Namekian barrier. I had positioned him there deliberately, far enough from us that stray attacks wouldn't reach him, close enough that I could reach him in an instant.
Zarbon noticed, of course.
His lips curled into a smirk, his voice dripping with amusement. "You keep looking at him."
I turned back to face him, my expression unreadable. "Do you have a point?"
He chuckled, the sound low and mocking. "So that's your weakness."
My expression didn't change. "Careful."
"Why?" Zarbon's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with challenge. "Because you're afraid of hurting him."
A low growl escaped him, his disdain palpable. "How disappointing."
I said nothing. The air between us crackled with tension, the kind that preceded a storm.
Zarbon's aura suddenly erupted, a violent surge of energy that sent the surrounding debris scattering outward like leaves in a gale. Then he vanished, his form dissolving into a blur of speed.
I moved at the same instant.
BOOM!
Our fists collided, the shockwave expanding between us like a ripple in still water. Zarbon's other hand came toward my ribs, his movements fluid and precise. I twisted, his fist missing by centimeters. I caught his wrist, my grip iron-tight.
He smiled, his voice a purr. "Too slow."
His body blurred.
For a fraction of a second, I couldn't track him. Then..
THUD!
His knee slammed into my stomach. I flew backward, my body stabilizing in midair as if my boots had found solid ground. I rubbed my abdomen, the pain sharp but fleeting. No serious damage. Just annoying.
Zarbon's smile widened, his voice taunting. "What's wrong?"
I raised an eyebrow, my voice calm. "Nothing."
"You're getting slower."
"No." I lowered my hands, my stance relaxing. "I'm getting used to you."
His smile vanished.
He disappeared again.
This time, I didn't chase him.
I waited.
One second.
Two.
Three,
There.
Behind me.
I turned, my body moving as if it had already known where he would be. Our fists collided again, the impact sending a jolt through my arm. Zarbon's eyes widened, his voice tinged with surprise. "You sensed me?"
I didn't answer. His elbow came toward my jaw. I blocked. His palm followed. I redirected it. He spun with the movement, his leg coming around in a sweeping arc. I ducked beneath it, my body moving like liquid.
Then I felt something strange.
My ki.
For half a heartbeat, it stuttered, as if something had momentarily disrupted its flow. I frowned, my mind racing.
Zarbon's technique.
Again.
He wasn't just fighting physically. He was manipulating the flow of my energy with every strike, every touch. A Yardrat technique, crude compared to the true masters I'd encountered across different realities, but clever. Extremely clever.
I jumped backward, putting distance between us. Zarbon didn't follow immediately. He smiled, his voice smooth. "Figured it out?"
I stared at my hands, my ki flowing normally again. "You're interfering with my energy."
"Spirit control," he said, tapping his chest. "The Yardrats taught us more than teleportation."
"So I noticed," I replied, my voice dry.
Zarbon laughed, the sound echoing through the void. "You Saiyans always think power solves everything."
A distant roar interrupted him, the sound carrying across the emptiness of space. Zarbon's eyes shifted, his gaze locking onto the source of the noise. My eyes followed.
Something enormous was approaching.
A burning figure emerged from the debris field, his form wreathed in flames and fury.
Dodoria.
His armor was damaged, the once-pristine surface now marred by cracks and scorch marks. One side of his face was blackened, his skin blistered from the impact of my earlier strike. He was missing several pieces of his battle armor, the remnants hanging loosely from his frame. But he was smiling, his grin wide and feral.
"You!" His voice boomed across the void, the sound carrying the weight of his rage.
I smiled faintly. "Still alive?"
Dodoria's face twisted, his voice a snarl. "You hit me into a planet!"
"You survived," I said, my voice even.
"I'll make you regret that!" he roared, his body surging forward with a speed that sent shockwaves rippling through the debris.
I moved instantly, my form dissolving into a blur. Dodoria's fist came down, a crushing blow aimed at my skull. I slipped around it, my body twisting like smoke. Zarbon appeared from my blind side, his leg lashing out in a vicious kick. I blocked with my forearm, the impact sending a jolt through my bones.
Dodoria swung again. I ducked. Zarbon attacked. I countered.
For several seconds, the battle became a blur of motion and energy, a storm of fists and ki. Two opponents, one target. They moved differently, Dodoria was raw power, a force of nature, while Zarbon was precision, a blade honed to a razor's edge. Together, they were dangerous. Very dangerous.
Dodoria attacked high. Zarbon attacked low. I jumped, my body arcing through the air. Dodoria followed, his fist aimed at my ribs. I twisted around his shoulder, my movements fluid. Zarbon's fist was waiting. I blocked with my forearm, the impact sending me spinning. I recovered instantly, my body righting itself as I landed in a crouch.
Dodoria appeared above me, his palms glowing with a building energy. "Got you!" he sneered.
A volley of glowing spheres erupted from his hands, the attacks streaking toward me like comets. My eyes widened, not because of the attack itself, but because several of the blasts weren't aimed at me.
They were aimed at Faye.
I disappeared in an instant, my form dissolving into the void. The first blast passed through empty space. I reappeared in front of Faye, my arms spreading wide as I placed myself between him and the incoming barrage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions swallowed me, the shockwaves rippling through my body as I absorbed the impact. The Namekian barrier trembled beneath us, its surface shimmering under the strain. Faye's unconscious body remained untouched behind me, his form small and fragile against the vastness of the cosmos.
I lowered my arms, smoke drifting around my body as the last of the explosions faded. Several shallow cuts marked my shoulders and chest, the wounds already beginning to knit themselves back together. Zarbon stared at me, his expression shifting from amusement to something darker.
Then he smiled, his voice a purr. "There it is."
I looked at him, my voice low. "The weakness."
Dodoria laughed, the sound rough and mocking. "You idiot."
Another blast formed in his palm, the energy crackling with malice. "All we have to do is threaten the little Kai."
My eyes narrowed, my voice a growl. "Do that again."
Dodoria grinned, his confidence unshaken. "Or what?"
I didn't answer.
Zarbon suddenly appeared beside me, his leg lashing out in a vicious kick. I barely had time to react, his heel striking my cheek with a force that sent me spinning. Blood floated away in tiny droplets, the liquid glinting in the distant light of Namek's suns.
I grabbed his ankle, my grip unbreakable. His eyes widened as I swung him toward Dodoria. Dodoria raised his arms, his body bracing for impact. Zarbon crashed into him, the two of them spinning away in a tangle of limbs and energy.
I exhaled, my body relaxing for the first time since the fight had begun.
For the first time since this started
I smiled.
They were good. Really good. Their movements weren't the result of ordinary military training. Someone had taught them how to fight opponents vastly stronger than themselves. Their coordination was almost unnatural.
Angel-like.
That thought bothered me.
Frieza. Whis. These two.
There was a connection.
Somewhere.
I looked toward them, my gaze sharp. Dodoria pushed Zarbon away, his voice a snarl. "Again."
Zarbon nodded, his expression grim. They came together, their auras flaring as they prepared for another assault.
This time, I didn't wait.
I attacked first.
I disappeared, my form dissolving into the void. Dodoria's eyes widened as I reappeared beside him, my fist striking his ribs with a force that sent him staggering. He blocked, barely. I followed with an elbow. He caught it. Zarbon attacked. I ducked. Dodoria tried to grab me. I slipped away, my body moving like a shadow.
Zarbon's fingers brushed my shoulder. My ki stuttered, the disruption momentary but unmistakable. I felt it, the opening. I drove my palm into his chest, the impact sending him hurtling backward.
BOOM!
He flew several meters, his body tumbling through the void. Dodoria roared, his form surging forward with a speed that sent shockwaves rippling through the debris. I turned, my body meeting his charge head-on. His fist came toward my face. I caught it, my grip unbreakable.
For a moment, we simply stared at each other, our faces inches apart. His grin disappeared, his expression shifting to one of surprise.
I tightened my fingers, my voice a growl. "You're strong."
His expression became proud, his voice a sneer. "Finally admitting"
I pulled him forward, my forehead slamming into his with a force that sent him staggering. CRACK! The sound echoed through the void. I spun, my heel striking his chest and sending him flying backward.
I didn't chase him.
Instead, I turned toward Zarbon. He had already recovered, his breathing heavier now, his face streaked with blood. His eyes were furious, his voice a snarl. "You've been holding back."
"Yes," I admitted, my voice calm.
His face twisted, his voice dripping with rage. "Why?"
I glanced toward Faye, my expression softening for the briefest moment. "Because of him."
Zarbon followed my gaze, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of Faye's unconscious form. Then he smiled, his voice a purr. "Then let me give you a reason to stop."
His aura exploded, a violent surge of energy that sent the surrounding debris scattering. Dodoria's followed, his own power flaring in response. The two warriors stood side by side, their energy synchronizing, merging into a single, pulsating force.
I felt it immediately.
Their ki wasn't simply overlapping. They were *linking* their techniques, weaving their power together into something far greater than the sum of its parts. Zarbon raised one hand. Dodoria raised the other. The space between their palms distorted, the air itself seeming to scream as a massive sphere of energy began forming.
The light illuminated Namek, casting long shadows across its surface as the attack grew in size and intensity. I stared at it, my expression unreadable.
That attack was far beyond the power they'd displayed previously.
Zarbon smiled, his voice a taunt. "You wanted us to stop playing?"
Dodoria laughed, the sound rough and mocking. "Then let's see if the famous Saiyan survives this!"
The sphere expanded, its energy reaching critical mass. The light grew blinding, the heat radiating outward like a star.
I slowly clenched my fists.
I'd been treating this as a fight.
It wasn't anymore.
It was a *threat*.
They had made one mistake.
They had shown me exactly what they were willing to target.
My expression became completely blank, my voice calm but carrying the weight of a promise. "You wanted to see me stop playing?"
The sphere screamed, its energy writhing like a living thing.
I lowered my stance, my body coiling like a spring.
"Fine."
I didn't transform.
I didn't release my Tyrant Origin.
I didn't increase my form.
I simply *stopped restraining* my base power.
The space around me trembled, the very fabric of the void seeming to bend under the weight of my presence. The planet below reacted, its surface shuddering as if sensing the shift in energy. Zarbon's smile disappeared, his expression shifting to one of shock. Dodoria's eyes widened, his confidence faltering for the first time.
For the first time, they understood.
They hadn't been fighting my full strength.
They had been fighting the version of me that was trying *not* to kill them.
I vanished.
Zarbon barely had time to react. I appeared directly between them, my fist driving forward with a force that shattered the very air around it.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The combined attack disintegrated before it could fully form, the energy scattering like dust in the wind. Zarbon was thrown one direction, his body tumbling through the void. Dodoria was sent the other, his form spinning wildly as he struggled to regain control.
I remained motionless in the center, my body unshaken, my gaze locked onto the two warriors as they fought to stabilize themselves.
My eyes followed Zarbon as he tumbled through the emptiness, his form growing smaller in the distance. Then Dodoria, his body spinning like a broken doll.
I slowly raised one hand, my fingers curling into a fist.
"Now…" I said, my voice a growl, the sound carrying the weight of a challenge.
I smiled, my teeth glinting in the dim light.
"…let's fight."