The enemy didn't announce himself.
No shouting.
No arrogance.
No wasted movement.
Bala felt it first, the pressure in the air that didn't belong to Earth, Vought or any clumsy Compound-V imitation they could cook up .
This was ki.
Refined, Focused and very Familiar.
Tehm swallowed. "He feels like… us."
The figure stepped out of the dust.
Same stance their father drilled into them.
Same relaxed shoulders.
Same calm breathing before violence.
Then he moved towards them, dust rising in its wake .
They jumped him, instinctively.
Wrong choice this time around as the enemy slid between them, redirecting Bala's strike into empty air, kneeing Tehm in the ribs hard enough to fold him mid-flight dragon ball z style .
No wasted strength. No rage.
"You rely on numbers," the enemy said calmly. "I rely on efficiency."
The twins roared and lost control.
The moonlight hit as the enemy arrived near night time.
Great Ape — Unrefined
Two giants erupted into existence.
The earth cracked beneath their feet .
Mountains screamed.
But their large size betrayed them.
The enemy didn't panic as it's strategic mind came into play.
He attacked joints.
Tendons.
Eyes.
The base of the neck.
Every weak point Broko had warned them about during training .
The enemy wasn't in a rush to win as if he was analyzing the twins mid fight, whilst enraging the giants by dodging and counter attacking with ease....
Then it happened.
Bala fired a mouth out of pure instinct, not realizing he's mistake .
The enemy vanished sideways at the last instant.
The beam missed and hit Tehm square in the face and shaking his brain.
The shockwave folded the battlefield.
Tehm fell.
Still.
Flashback — Broko's Voice
Bala screamed.
Then remembered.
"Great Ape is rage," Broko had said.
" but rage can be directed with enough effort so aim it outward or you will destroy what's yours before you realize it ."
Bala forced his breath to slow down .
Forced the rage inward with extreme effort he compressed it .
The enemy noticed mid charge that something was changing in his target .
"Interesting," he said, stepping closer. "You're adapting during the fight ."
Bala shrank.
Not weaker as one would expect but Denser.
Muscle compacted into a smaller frame, his Ki folded in on itself as he continues to shrink .
The Great Ape didn't vanish, it has been condensed, becoming something heavy enough to bend ground beneath the little Bala..
Bala looked up from his hands after flexing his arms in mini pride and met the eyes of his enemy and z vanished behind his foe
And an arm blocked his first strick but then more followed
Each movement now hit harder like directed meteorites .
Each strike landed clean this time .
The enemy blocked then staggered back .
For the first time, his expression changed from in control smugness to caution .
Bala didn't let him act as he caught him.
Hands on shoulders, fingers sinking into flesh from the amount of grip strength used.
Locked in place like he's wearing cement shoes.
"No dodging you shit ," Bala growled.
The mouth beam fired faster than the clone could process, a compressed, focused and absolute wave.
After a few seconds the battlefield went silent.
When the light faded, the enemy was gone.
Bala stood there, breathing hard.
"I tried to fight like Dad," he muttered. " I didn't finish like him though."
He then scoffed, folding his arms.
"Too bad. It should've stayed a in it's lab ."
Tehm groaned.
"…aaah shit Did we win bro ?"
Bala snorted. "Yeah. You got hit by my attack by mistake of course ."
"…oh,... OK"
Elsewhere...
Some where secret and heavily monitored by your typical mad scientist.
White light.
Sterile halls.
Scientists watched from reinforced glass.
"Field parameters green."
"Behavioral arrogance minimized."
"Combat data integration complete."
The perfected Saiyan clone opened his eyes.
"Target?" he asked.
Lex Luthor's voice answered calmly.
"Broko."
The clone smiled.
..
Half a world away, Broko stopped mid-training.
He turned his head slowly.
"…So," he said quietly. "They finally grew a spine."
He didn't move to intercept.
Instead, he issued orders.
"Everyone except Nina, the elders, and the engineers, may engage."
This wouldn't be a duel.
This would be a lesson for the world and his faction members .
.....