Chapter Text
Planet Nemia, Nameless Village, 16:37
Kayle walked through the ruins of the small village, looking for any survivors. He’d be annoyed if he missed one, not to mention Kolra would be on his ass about it too. Checking his scouter, he peered around for any energy signatures, finding one beneath some rubble. He made his way over, lifting the wall off the figure, who seemed to be only barely breathing. The man on the ground lets out a cough, crawling forwards slowly and grasping the Saiyans ankle.
“P-Please… help me… m-make the pain stop…” He begs weakly before looking up. When he does, a look of pure terror takes over his face as he makes eye contact with the monster that had just slaughtered his friends and family.
Kayle just grinned down at the man, lifting his arm slightly, palm facing the man on the ground. “Well, if you insist.” He says, charging a Ki blast and firing, ending the already dying man's life.
Kicking the hand of the fresh corpse off his ankle, he looked around further using his scouter. He finds no one else, nodding to himself satisfied. “That makes one hundred sixty-two today...” He thinks, looking around one last time before taking off into the air. He was a bit disappointed, honestly. This planet didn't have many strong fighters, and even those were no match for a Saiyan.
Not many could match a Saiyan in the first place, but he was still hoping he'd find a challenge here. He and Kolra had been on the planet for around two days now, and he had only encountered a few proper fighters among the native population. His scouter beeped, telling him that his partner had finished the last village off. That just leaves the city where the majority of their population is.
Before heading there though, he had to meet back up with Kolra. Activating his scouter once again, he locks onto her energy signature, adjusting his flight path towards her location.
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Kolra surveyed the destroyed village from the air, admiring her handiwork while searching for anyone that might have survived the storm of Ki blasts she had sent down moments prior. The village, once peaceful and bustling with life, was now nothing more than a collection of destroyed or burning buildings, the bodies of its population strewn about.
Just like the last village she took out, these ones hardly put up a fight, and even less survived the initial barrage sent down. This backwater planet had been nothing but a myriad of disappointments, anytime she'd thought she found a worthy opponent, they either turned out to be trying to buy time in vain for their families to escape, or actually tried putting up a fight and died too fast.
Before she could ruminate further on her disappointment, her scouter beeped, telling her that Kayle was on his way, which meant she had to find any survivors before meeting up with him. She began to fly around, using her scouter to scan for any energy signatures. After a few moments, she comes across a relatively intact house with three people inside.
“Fifty-two, forty-three, an’ seven…” She mumbles the power levels the screen displayed. “Low, just like the rest of the weaklings on this damn planet…” an annoyed sigh escapes her mouth, charging an explosive Ki blast in her hand and throwing it at the structure, obliterating it and the three inside, her scouter confirming their demise.
After another quick check of the ruined village, she turned and shot off in the direction of Kayle's energy signature.
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Kayle wasn't one that often appreciated nature. He was like most other Saiyans, focused on fighting, getting stronger, and eating good food.
But even he had to acknowledge the scenic beauty of the planet whose sky he was flying through. Red and orange grass and trees with a deep purple sky, it was almost as if the planet was constantly in the fall season, that alone made this a high value planet. And that's not even mentioning its untapped natural resources, the planet's native population not having advanced far enough to make extensive use of them.
And they never would, once he and Kolra were done.
After five more minutes of flying, he spots a figure coming up in the distance, his scouter confirming it to be her. He increases his speed a fraction, making the treetops beneath him sway.
Once close enough, they both angle down, descending towards the ground and landing softly as their speeds decline.
“Hey there,” He greets Kolra, looking her over. She was covered in some dirt and grime, but like he expected there was no serious damage. “Done on your end?” he asks, despite already knowing the answer.
“Damn right I am,” She says, nodding in response. “Wasn't all that hard, considerin’ the low ass power levels on this rock. Thought I got lucky a few times, but they were as weak as the rest.” she says, voice tinged with annoyance. Their power levels definitely weren't going up too much from this job. “How ‘bout you?”
“All clear.” Kayle replies. “I'm at one hundred sixty-two for today, you?” he asks, a small note of smugness in his voice.
Kolra groans, but not for the reason he initially thinks. “Dammit, tied again…” she says, which dampens his mood.
The two Saiyans had a long term competition going on, seeing who could get the most kills by the end of a purge. They even had some techs add kill counters on their scouters to make counting casualties easier and avoid cheating. Unfortunately for the two, they always seem to tie no matter what.
“Well, hopefully we can fix that with the city's population.” He says, and Kolra perks up slightly, a grin spreading across her face. “I certainly hope so, I can't stand bein’ tied with you constantly.” She says teasingly. Kayle just chuckles and shakes his head. “Good for you that you won't be, when I take the lead this time.”
“Like hell you will. Just wait, I'll leave you in the dust after this.”
“Keep dreaming Kol, keep dreaming.”
The two glare at each other for a moment, before breaking it off.
“So,” Kayle starts. “How about some food before we get started? I haven't had anything today since this morning.”
“Sure, might as well be at full energy. Who knows, we might actually find a good fight when we get there.” She says with a derisive laugh. She takes a seat on a nearby rock, taking the opportunity for a small rest.
“Ha, now wouldn't that be nice?” He says, pulling out two ration bars, tossing one to Kolra. Sitting down next to her, he opens the blank packaging on his, and bites into the bar. It was bland and tasteless as always, but it was filling.
“Hey, Kayle,” Kolra asks, chewing on her bar. “What do you think about that recall order Lord Frieza sent out a while back? The deadline is in three or four days, right?”
Kayle thinks for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, should be. As for what I think, it's… odd. Not like Frieza to call everyone back. If it's about new equipment, he could just have it sent out to Planet Vegeta and our outposts.”
“Ooh, maybe he's comin’ to congratulate us personally for bein’ such good soldier monkeys for him.” She says sarcastically, wiggling her fingers at Kayle, who rolls his eyes in response. “Yeah, right. He'd rather kill us all off than say anything nice about Saiyans.” His brows furrow as he says that, the idea now stuck in his head. “You don't think that's actually what he's doing, right?”
Kolra swallows the last of her ration bar, looking at Kayle as if he was crazy. “You serious? We make up the majority of the Frieza Force, he’d be killin’ off sixty percent of his overall forces. No way he's gettin’ rid of us.” She says dismissively, but that still didn't reassure him. “I don't know. There’s been a massive uptick in recruitment lately, and I know you’re not stupid enough to have missed it. That, plus this sudden recall with no explanation… it doesn't add up to anything nice.” He says, shaking his head. Kolra just sighs.
“You're thinkin’ about it too hard. Doesn't suit a Saiyan.” She says, standing up from the rock. “Wipin’ out this last city should clear your mind. Come on, we've been sittin’ here long enough.”
Kayle chews and swallows the last bit of his ration, before sighing and standing up as well. “Yeah, maybe you're right.” he says, sighing again. Some good old fashioned destruction would do him good. But even as they took off into the air, he had a foreboding feeling that nothing good was waiting for them back home.
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Aksel rushed behind his master through the throng of panicking citizens. The majority were rushing towards safehouses, hoping to survive the invaders onslaught. His master, Adryel, had sensed the aliens coming towards the city, which according to him was the last bastion of the Nemian people.
“Master, are you sure they're coming?” The boy asked worriedly. Adryel didn't stop to turn around, but responded. “I'm sure. Their energy was stationary for a few brief moments before they began to move towards us at an alarming pace.” The elder said, dodging another panicking Nemian. “They will be here in only a few moments, we must hurry to confront them away from the city.”
Aksel nodded, swallowing. Adryel was considered to be the strongest warrior of their people, and Aksel was his apprentice. He began to train under him as a boy after his parents died in a fire, and considered the elderly Nemian to be his grandfather.
“If anyone can stop these monsters, it's him!” He thought resolutely. He wasn't going to be involved in the fight, but he would be there to observe. He hasn't seen his master in a real life or death fight, so Adryel decided this would be the perfect time to expose him to real combat. He was both nervous and excited, with the former feeling being larger than the latter.
They reach the outskirts of the city, walking outside of the wall. They wait in grim silence, watching for the appearance of their foes.
It's not too long before Aksel spots two distant figures on the skyline, and while he can't sense energy to Adryels degree yet, he knows who they are.
“Master, there they are!” He exclaims, pointing towards them. The elderly Nemian only narrows his eyes, his already grim expression souring even further. “Be ready boy, and watch closely. This fight will decide the fate of our people.” His words were heavy, not only in his tone of voice, but in the way they seemed to weigh on the elder. Aksel understood. This would decide if they would survive to rebuild, or if the Nemians were forever going to be lost to the annals of history.
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Kolra's scouter beeped as they approached the city, alerting her to the two waiting in front of the city's gate. “Kayle, down there.” She says, pointing towards the two. “Wow, a private reception just for us? How nice of them.” He says, and the two begin to descend down, landing a few yards away from the two Nemians.
One was on the older side, while the other looked barely out of puberty. Checking the reading her scouter got on them earlier, she sees that the old man had a power level of 1,500, the highest power level they've encountered on this planet, but still weaker than them. The kid had 855, which caused her to raise her brow. “Pretty high for a brat…” she thought. Martial artists perhaps? Doesn't matter, both were nothing compared to her and Kayle.
“So, you two come to surrender? I'm sorry to say we don't do prisoners, so we're just gonna have to kill ya.” She says, a malicious glint in her eyes. The geezer didn't seem fazed, but the kid looked positively terrified. “Must be his first taste of action.” She whispers to Kayle, who snickers in response. “Gonna be his last, too.” He says, eyes mirroring Kolra's.
“Leave this place.” The elder says. If he felt any fear, his voice didn't betray a single ounce of it. “We are a peaceful people, and have done nothing to deserve this mindless slaughter you have enacted upon us.”
Kolra just rolled her eyes. How many times has she heard that phrase in the past two days? Too many times, that's how much.
“Oh, are you? Well with that said, hows about we just fuck right off? Maybe give you a written apology for how many of your people we've killed.” She says, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Sorry old man, we aren't going anywhere until the jobs done. We don’t get paid to leave survivors.” Kayle replies to the old man, who shifts his gaze to him. “This planet has a high value on the market. Someone’s gonna pay a large amount of credits for your world.” The elder moves to speak, but the boy beats him to it.
“You're slaughtering us for money?!” He spits out, enraged. “What kind of sick, depraved, heartless creatures are you?! Thousands of innocent lives, just so your pockets can be a bit heavier?!”
Kolra had to admit, the kid had a spine on him. And an infuriating sense of naivety.
“It ain't just that. The rush we get when we blow your villages to dust is a reward in an’ of itself.” She replies, not missing a beat.
She grins as the boy takes a step forwards, before the old man stops him. The kid looks up at him, eyes a storm of anger and sadness, before backing down, looking at the ground.
“Very well. If we cannot convince you to leave, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands.” The older Nemian says, walking forwards and lowering himself into some fighting stance.
“Dibs.” She says instantly, walking forwards before Kayle can do anything. He grumbles loudly, annoyed. “Great, leave me with the brat.”
“The boy will not be fighting. Your battle is with me.” The older Nemian says, stance unwavering. Kolra just chuckles at him. “Oh, you don't get it, do you old man? Once we're done with you, he's next, along with that city behind you two.”
The older man's face flickered, a hint of worry breaking through. So he really was afraid, good.
“Alright, let's see if you can give me a better challenge than the rest of your planet's so-called warriors.” She says, lowering herself into her own fighting stance, left palm forwards, fingers bent slightly and right fist reared back.
The old Nemians eyes narrowed, before dashing forwards with a sudden burst of speed, going for a palm strike to her midsection. She catches his wrist, pulling him off balance and gut checking him, making him wheeze in pain. Even with a respectably high power level, he was still old. She kicks him back, and much to her surprise, he was still standing, if breathing a bit heavily.
“Aksel, it was a mistake to bring you here. You must run, now!” He says to the younger Nemian, keeping his eyes locked with Kolra's. Smart man.
“But master, I-”
“I said now, boy!”
The kid looked conflicted before turning to run…
Directly into Kayle.
He collapses onto the ground, scrambling back in fear.
Kayle just tutted in disappointment. “Didn't we tell you how this is going to work? First you, old man, then the brat, then the rest.” He takes a few steps forwards, leaning down over the boy. “Either die now, or die later. Makes no difference to us, but I assume it makes all the difference to you and the aged sack of bones over there.”
The young Nemian scrambled away a few more feet away from the Saiyan before standing, anxiously watching his master face off against Kolra.
“Well old man, I hope the damage taken from that probin’ shot was worth it. You might be stronger than the rest of your people, but those ancient bones must be creakin’ right about now.” She says, not even bothering to hide the arrogance in her voice.
The elder Nemian just grunted. “Nonsense. My bones are as strong as tree trunks.” He says, voice measured. He was definitely hurt, but he did a good job at hiding it. She just grins.
“I can punch through a tree in one hit.” She cracks her knuckles, her grin growing into a cruel smile. “How many will it take for your bones to shatter?”
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Aksel had never seen fighting like this before. His master and the alien had taken off into the air, clashing hard enough to make the nearby trees sway from the pressure. They were throwing flurries of kicks and punches, fast enough to the point he could barely keep up with their movements.
He knew Adryel was fast, having been on the receiving end of many hits he never saw coming that had him laid out flat on the ground, but this was insane. His arms and legs blurred with each strike, and Aksel knew that if his master ever decided to go full force on him, he wouldn't have a chance to retaliate.
Unfortunately, the alien woman was just as fast, if not faster. She met every one of Adryels hits with an animalistic ferocity, a wild grin on her face that made his skin crawl whenever she slowed down enough for him to see it.
Aksels gaze turned towards the male alien a few yards to his left. He was watching the fight silently with a neutral expression, arms crossed. He was completely unworried about his friend, which just made the young Nemian worry further about his master.
Looking back up at the fight, he catches the alien vanish and reappear behind Adryel, preparing to strike. However, the elder Nemian seems to know she's there, catching her off guard by dodging her punch and landing a kick, throwing her back in the air.
“Ha! That won't work when master can sense your energy!” He exclaims, pride in his master surging through his being. Even if the alien outclassed Adryel in power, he might be able to make it up with technique.
“Sensing energy…?”
Aksels blood goes cold as he hears the alien near him mumble. Had he just given them a new tool to fight them with? He looks towards the alien, seeing him looking down, brows furrowed in thought.
The pride he felt for his master was immediately replaced with dread and guilt. If Adryel, or gods forbid Aksel himself couldn't stop them here, many more were going to be slaughtered, and he had potentially given them a more effective means of doing so.
“Agh…!”
Aksels head snaps back to the fight, his dread growing as he sees Adryel doubled over the woman's fist, the elder grunting in pain.
“It's been fun old man, but it's about time I wrap this up.”
She spins, kicking him back in the air, vanishing to behind him and kicking him again. She juggles Adryel like this for a few moments, and Aksel can't help but watch the horrible sight. She kicks him upwards, vanishing again to up above. Instead of another kick, she charges her Ki into her arm, a bright red glow that could be seen for miles had it been night time.
She accelerates down with a yell, punching Aksels master in the midsection once again, shattering his lower ribs. After a heartbeat, the Ki built up in her arm explodes out, acting like a second punch.
Adryel hits the ground like a meteor, creating a crater from the impact of his body crashing down.
“Master!”
Aksel cries out, rushing towards his master. He kneels beside him, tears in his eyes as he looks over Adryels broken form. There was blood dripping from the sides of his mouth from the internal bleeding he was suffering from.
“Aksel… I'm sorry, my boy…” He coughs, more blood spilling from his mouth. “I wasn't strong enough to beat even one of them…”
Tears sprung on the corners of Aksels eyes, threatening to spill over any moment. He closed them, shaking his head in grief. He felt his hand be grasped by Adryels, and he opened his eyes again, meeting his masters.
“You must… be the one to defeat them… you will be the savior of our people…” The younger Nemians eyes widened in surprise. “Me? But… I'm not nearly as strong as you are! If you couldn't beat them, how could I…?” he trails off, looking away from his master.
Adryels hand squeezed his hand reassuringly, a soft, pained smile on the elders face. “You will be fine. Your training was nearly complete, with only one last lesson…” Another cough, he didn't have much longer. “This technique was passed down to me from… my master, which was passed to him from his… It goes back to the origin of our school…”
Aksels eyes were wide. He had never heard of this during his time under Adryel. His master had made him study not only martial arts, but the history of their people as well. Art, literature, regional cultures… he studied it all during his years of training, and this was the first time he's heard of such a technique.
“This will be my final act as your master… you are the avatar of our people now… protect them well…” Their hands began to glow a bright white, and Aksel could feel a surge of power course through him, a raging storm of energy begging to be released.
Adryels breathing became even more ragged as his energy left his body, flowing from him to Aksel. He could feel that their powers weren't just being added together, but increasing to further beyond what anyone on Nemia has ever seen.
Then the memories came. Visions of warriors long dead flood his mind, and their experiences fill his body.
The flow stopped, and he could feel his body quickly adapting to the power, as if this is what he’d been training for all those years. Perhaps it was.
Adryels hand dropped from his, a smile on the elders face as he looked up at his apprentice.
“Look at you… the powerful warrior I always knew you would be… I'm glad… I got to see it…” his eyes closed, one last breath leaving his body. Aksel looked down at the body of his master, tears beginning to flow down his cheeks. He could feel his new power swirling within him like a tempest of rage and grief.
His scream shook the sky.
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Kayle was forced to take a step back from the wave of pressure that exploded off of the young Nemian boy. Whatever that old geezer had done, the kid's power level was much greater than either his or Kolra's. Checking his scouter, he got a reading of 3,695. Kayle's eyes widened. Definitely bigger than theirs.
He re-narrows his eyes, a grin spreading across his face. This was the challenge he’s been hoping for, and his Saiyan blood was already boiling from the anticipation, just the thought of a good fight exciting him. Out of the corner of his eye, Kolra had landed near him, and seemed just as thrilled as he was.
“Oh, hell yes! This is what I’ve been lookin’ for!” She says excitedly, taking a step forward before Kayle stops her. “Hey, piss off. This one's mine.” he says, and she glares at him, irritated. “What do you mean, ‘piss off’? I haven't had a good fight in two days!”
“Yeah, but you already called dibs on the geezer. Which means, my turn.” He says smugly. Kolra grumbles at him before backing down and sulking a short distance away. Kayle was pretty sure she was letting out a string of curses about him, but he didn't care, his attention refocused on the kid. The large white aura subsided with his scream of grief, the boy standing and glaring at Kayle with hatred. His grin just widened.
“You monsters… you're going to pay for what you've done, I swear it!”
Kayle lets out a laugh. Oh, this was just too good. “You sure about that, kid? You may have the power to beat us now, but it doesn't matter if you can't actually use it.” He says, confidently taking a few steps forward. “It's a shame, y'know? Your master put all of his hope into you, just so you can die a few minutes later than he did.”
The young Nemian was already angry, but his tearful scowl changed to a look of pure rage at Kayle's taunting. “Shut your mouth!” He says, dashing at the Saiyan. Kayle rushes forwards to meet him, and he can immediately feel the strain in his arm as they clash.
But instead of backing off, Kayle presses his attack. He knew for a fact that he had the advantage of experience over the kid, and that despite the fact his power level now surpassed Kayle's, he could still take damage.
Hoping to keep the Nemian as unfocused as possible, he throws a flurry of punches, most of them connecting to his opponents face, others being blocked or deflected. He could see the boy recovering faster than he’d like, and can feel the pressure being turned back to him.
“You'll pay for every one of our people you've killed!” The kid roars, sending a series of savage punches towards the Saiyan. Kayle manages to dodge most of them, but the ones that connect show the Nemians potential to be a devastating opponent.
Kayle is set on the back foot, only managing to throw a few punches while dodging and blocking, but he still had a plan. The boy would get careless eventually, his anger would make him sloppy. All Kayle had to do was keep his defense up.
The moment he was looking for came when the Nemian overreached, throwing himself off balance after putting too much force into a strike. Kayle ducks under him, hammering the kid's stomach with a series of sharp hits. He doubled over above Kayle, almost retching from the impacts to his gut. Kayle grabs onto him, spinning in the air and spiking him downwards into the ground, following up with a volley of Ki blasts.
The area was shrouded in dirt and smoke when he was done, blocking Kayle's view. “That get him?” He wonders aloud. He checked his scouter, not picking anything up. “Huh, I guess so. That's disappoint-” the Saiyan is cut off mid-sentence when a thin yet powerful beam of Ki hits him right in the stomach, cracking his armor. He lets out a choked gasp, before a surge of beams follow the first one.
The beams slam into him in a nearly endless torrent, and while most of the damage is being taken up by his battle suit, it's being shredded under the barrage. The moment it seems the attacks stopped, the young Nemian appeared above Kayle, balling his fists together and hitting the Saiyan in the back of the neck, sending him careening to the ground.
He crashes into the dirt, pain exploding all throughout his body as he stumbles to his feet. “Ngh…” The Nemian floated down to the ground across from him, glaring. “Where'd your enthusiasm go, murderer? I thought you wanted to fight.” he says coldly. Kayle just grins, letting out a pained laugh. “Oh trust me kid, I'm having the time of my life right now,” he says, massaging his neck. “This pain will just make me stronger later.”
The Nemians eyes narrow at him. “What do you mean? Training makes you stronger, not pain.” He says, and Kayle lets out another laugh. “Maybe for you, but we Saiyans get stronger after every battle. We turn injuries into power. The stronger the opponent, the stronger we become. After you're dead, we'll be able to purge planets with even stronger fighters, and it's all thanks to you.”
The aliens' eyes narrow, fists clenching in anger. Kayle rolls his arm, getting ready to re-engage. Before he can though, the Nemian rushes forwards, hitting him with a series of massive strikes. His already damaged armor cracks further under the force of the assault, which in turn makes the hits do even more damage. Kayle manages to vanish into the air, but the boy is behind him already, and hits him down with a spinning kick.
Kayle crashes into the ground for the second time, landing near Kolra, who's looking down at him with a raised brow. “Still sure you want this one?” She says, looking down at her partner grunting in pain. “I'm fine, just getting done with my warm up.” He says, standing. “Kid's definitely stronger than I thought he would be, I'll give him that.”
“My name is Aksel, not ‘Kid’ or ‘Boy’.” The Nemian says, landing across from the Saiyans. “And I'll gladly fight both of you at the same time.”
Kayle and Kolra are quiet for a moment, before bursting into laughter, though Kayle's comes out more as pained wheezes. “Wow, that boost must've really gone to your head, huh?” Kolra says, wiping her eyes. “Kayle didn't even use his full power and suddenly you're the hottest shit this side of the galactic core.”
“If you really think you can take both of us at once, then you're even more inexperienced than I thought you were.” Kayle says, wiping the blood from his face, staining his glove. “But fine, it's your funeral! HAH!” The two Saiyans begin to charge their Ki, surrounded by flaming auras and exerting a wave of pressure. “You'll learn to fear the power of the Saiyans!”
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This wasn't going nearly as well as Kayle hoped it would have. Both he and Kolra were beaten and bloody from the damage they've taken from Aksel, and while the Nemian was damaged, he would outlast them if it came down to a battle of endurance. Next to him, Kolra spits out a glob of blood, growling as she stares daggers into Aksel. “This is startin’ to piss me off.” She says, wiping her chin. Her battle suit now much resembled Kayle's, cracked and broken in multiple places. They would need new armor once they got back home.
“I don't understand you two.” Aksel says, watching the pair. “You don't actually fight together, you back off and let the other engage, before switching in again. Why? You can't win like this.”
“You don't get it,” Kayle says, shaking his head angrily. “If we have to work together to beat you, we might as well just throw away our pride as Saiyans!”
Aksel snorts derisively. “What's the pride of murderers worth?”
“Dunno. What would you say is the value of that city behind you?”
Aksel scowls at Kolra, who responds with a cocky grin. “Much as I hate to say it, you're right, we won't beat you like this. Kayle?” She says, looking at her partner, who had a glower on his face. “I know how you feel, but we made it just for situations like this.”
“I know we did, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy using it!” He snaps, and Kolra just stares at him with a quirked brow. After a tense few seconds, Kayle lets out a reluctant sigh. “Fine, but I get the first hit in.” He says, Kolra letting out a victorious laugh. “‘Bout time you quit bein’ a big baby.” She says, forming a white ball of Ki in her hand and aiming it at Kayle, much to Aksels confusion.
“What are you doing? What does attacking your ally accomplish?” He asks, green eyes narrowing at the Saiyans.
Instead of responding, Kolra fires the ball at Kayle, and he can immediately feel a burst of power. Dashing forwards faster than Aksel could react, he manages to catch the look of surprise on the Nemians face before uppercutting him into the air. He forms a white ball of Ki just like Kolra had moments prior, firing it past Aksel. The female Saiyan appears behind Aksel to absorb the ball, a powerful aura exploding around her.
Kolra spins in the air and smashes her leg in the Nemians back, launching him in the direction of the city and firing the orb above him. Kayle catches it, propelling himself down and stomping Aksel to the ground with a crash.
Appearing next to Kolra, Kayle splits the energy in half, giving it to Kolra and absorbing the remainder, returning him to his normal strength. “Hey, you notice the change in how he’s acting?” He asks, watching Aksel recover. “He seems more like that old geezer than an inexperienced kid.”
“Hm… now that I think about it, yeah. He's been fightin’ with the skill of a seasoned warrior, not someone still wet behind the ears. Talks differently too.” She says, shrugging. “Either way it's about time we end this. I need a drink, an’ I can already hear Aikons bar callin’ my name.” Kayle lets out a grunt of agreement.
Kayle takes a breath, his battered ribs protesting the action. Zenkai boost or no, the little snot was going to die for that. “Haaaaaaaaah!” The two Saiyans begin to charge their energy, being surrounded by blue and red auras. Kayle rears his right arm back, forming a cobalt orb of Ki in his hand, while Kolra brings hers above her head, forming a red orb between her palms.
“Azure…!”
“Crimson…!”
Aksel recovers, looking up at the Saiyans and sensing their energy rising. Feeling a whisper in the back of his mind, he turns around, eyes widening as he sees the city behind him, right in the path of the Saiyans attacks. “No! I won't allow it!” He yells, flying up into the air. He brings his arms back, charging his own power into his hands, which glow a bright yellow. “This is where I stop your slaughter!”
“FLARE!!”
Kayle and Kolra throw their arms forwards, energy exploding from their hands. Beams of blue and red tear through the air towards Aksel, who returns with his own attack. The stream of yellow Ki collides into the Saiyans attacks, the force causing the air to shake around them.
Kayle's arm shook, and he couldn't help but grin. Looking to his right, he sees Kolra with the same feral expression on her face, even as their attacks are being pushed back. She looks at him as well, and they make brief eye contact and wordlessly agreeing on their next move. They turn back to Aksel, scraping up as much power as they possibly can.
Their auras explode and combine, melding into a purple blaze. They begin to push Aksel back, but he manages to meet their additional power. “Hot damn… I have to admit, this kid is good.” Kayle grits out. If his blood was boiling earlier, it was screaming now. Kolra laughs in agreement, her pupils dilating from the excitement even as she struggles to hold off Aksels beam. “Then I say we give ‘em a proper finale!”
The Saiyan duo cry out, their separate beams beginning to meld into one, blue and red blending into violent purple.
“VIOLET FLASH!!”
As the beams combine into one, they explode in size and power, easily overpowering Aksel. The Nemains eyes widen and he cries out in pain as his energy is reduced to nothing against the purple haze of death, slamming against him. He focuses as much Ki as he can into protecting his body, but it doesn't help against the combined attack. Instead, he's unable to do anything as the beam cuts straight through the middle of the city, incinerating the buildings in its path.
When the beam finally begins to dissipate, Kayle can't see any signs of their opponent, only a massive scar through the city. Kayle grins, raising his fist which Kolra meets with hers and letting out a quiet chuckle. “Well, would you look at that,” she says, gesturing towards the city. “A city split perfectly in two, an’ there's two of us here.” She turns towards her partner, a fiendish look in her eye. “I wonder what we could do with such a convenient find.”
Kayle chuckles too, shaking his head. “Don't know. I'm sure we'll find some sort of way to have fun though. Dibs on the right half.” He says, flying towards his half.
“Make sure to properly tag your kills!” Kolra calls out, waving as she moves to her side. “This damn tie is endin’ today!”
Kayle waves back, before boosting towards what the scouter says is the most densely populated. Down below, Nemains were still scurrying through the streets, likely searching in vain for somewhere that will save them from their impending fate. A few notice him in the air, and the screams are soon drowned out by the sound of explosions.
_____________________________
“I refuse to believe that we tied again!” Kolra yells as they fly back towards their ship, glaring at the counters on her scouter. Both read one thousand even, meaning against all odds, they somehow managed to kill just as many people as the other had. In a city of all places. “I'm no math lady, but I'm pretty sure that ain't possible.”
“Who knows? Maybe the universe just doesn't want to let you win.”
Kolra rolls her eyes at her partner. “Whatever. I just want to get home already an' get some food, I'm tired of these tasteless rations.” She grumbles as they come upon their ship. It was a simple personnel carrier, only big enough to fit two people. They land, walking inside and sitting in their chairs. Kayle activates the ship's engines, and it's not long before they're already out of the planet's atmosphere.
Accelerating, Kayle sets the destination to Planet Vegeta and activates auto-pilot, settling into his seat. “Now we just gotta sit here for two days. With nothing to do.” He says, taking his scouter off and setting it on the console, Kolra doing the same.
She looks down at her armor, broken to the point of uselessness. She undoes the remaining strap and tosses it to the floor, leaving her in her shredded undersuit. “Gonna need new armor when we get home,” She says, unwrapping her tail from her waist as she stretches her back. “These things were out of date anyways. I heard the newer ones can take a lot more punishment, meanin’ less replacements.” She looks over to Kayle, eyes trailing his body with an appreciative gaze. “Though I can't say this ain't a helluva view…” the Saiyan woman purrs, adjusting herself in the chair as if to launch herself at him.
Kayle suddenly feels his nape tingle, the same feeling he gets when his instincts warn him about a surprise attack. “Kolra, Kolra not next to the damn contro-!”
_____________________________
Planet Vegeta, Aikons bar, 9:28
Kolra lets out an exaggerated sigh of satisfaction as she pulls the mug away from her lips, the alcohol burning her throat after downing the whole thing. “Now that hits the spot.” She says, setting the empty mug down on the table. “Burns that healing pod taste right outta your mouth.”
“That it does,” Kayle says, resting his arm on his chair. “Weird how it even has one, since they put a breather on you while you're out. Not to mention it lasts days. Why do you think that is?”
“Dunno,” Kolra replies, looking around. “I just know that I hate it. Hey, Aikon!” She calls across the bar towards the bartender. “Let's get two more over here!”
Aikon, a hulking Saiyan with a small mustache looks over to the pair with a raised brow. “You've already chugged three of those, you and your boyfriend.”
“He ain't my boyfriend, he's my fuckbuddy!” She says with a laugh, throwing her mug towards the large Saiyan. “Now do your job an’ fill my mug!” Kayle tosses his too, mostly for laughs.
Aikon catches the mugs with ease, shaking his head good naturedly. “Yeah, right. I've seen this song and dance before. You're already living together, next thing you know you'll be ordering an incubator!”
Laughter erupts around the bar, and though Kolra laughs with them, there's a red tint on her face. “Me, a mother? With this guy? Yeah, the Super Saiyan will appear before that happens.”
“Then I guess we'll be out from under Frieza's thumb sooner than we thought!” A Saiyan woman calls out, eliciting another round of laughter. “Better get to work Kayle, you guys are our only hope!”
“You definitely have your work cut out for you here, kid.” Aikon says to Kayle, setting the drinks on the table. “I bet you're having a hell of a time trying to wrangle her.”
“Trying?” Kayle says with a cocky grin, taking a drink. “That implies I have to work to get her on my-” Kayle's body goes tense, before collapsing onto the table. The taller Saiyan looks past the table, seeing Kolra death gripping Kayle's tail which hangs limply in her hand. Aikon just chuckles, walking back to the bar. “Good luck with that.”
After a few moments, Kolra releases her partner's tail, going back to her drink. “The sad thing? I could do that a thousand times over, an’ you wouldn't learn a damn thing.” She says, throwing her head back and gulping half the mug. “You love it and you know it.” Kayle says, wrapping his tail around his waist again. He takes another drink, before leaning back and swirling his mug. “Y'know speaking of kids, I saw something strange last night.” He says taking another drink.
“Yeah? Something to do with that ‘Frieza is gonna kill us all’ theory you had two days ago?” She says sarcastically, turning towards him.
“Nah. Well, maybe. I was taking a walk when I saw Bardock and Gine nabbing an older model pod from a hanger, and slipped their kid inside.”
“Hm. Didn't Kaka… was it Kakarot? Didn't Kakarot only have a power level of two? If I was Bardock, I'd want that shame as far away from me as possible.” Kolra says with an unimpressed look. “Can't blame him for sending his brat away early.”
“Ehh… I ain't sure. Bardock seemed out of it after that Planet Cereal mission he was on, and Gine's too sentimental for her own good. Maybe he knows something we don't.” He says, looking down into his drink.
“The mans just got a soft spot for his wife, she probably just wanted to send her little crotch spawn somewhere safe or whatever an’ he had to listen. Don't see why that's our problem.” She says, shrugging and finishing off her drink. “Speakin’ of Bardock, didn't his team already go rushin’ off on another mission? Planet Meat, I think.”
“Yeah, just after another one too. Cereal, Kanassa, Meat, he's gonna be stronger than King Vegeta at this rate. You think he'd go for the throne?”
“Pft, no way. Even if he did, no way the elites would let a low-class be king. Even he wouldn't be able to beat them all down.”
“Fair enough.”
Before either could say anything more, the door to the bar opens, and Bardock himself stumbles inside, flipping a table over as he tries to lean on it. He stumbles up, panting heavily. His armor was torn apart, the left half completely missing.
Kayle lets out a low whistle. “Jeez, what could have messed him up that badly?”
“Dunno, shut up an’ I think he'll tell us.”
Bardock leans against the wall catching his breath as the Saiyans in the bar gather in front of him.
“Y-You guys… you gotta come with me…” he grits out. “We're gonna take down Frieza!”
Kolra's eyes widened. “Take down Frieza? Did he get hit in the head too hard?”
“Wha…? What're you talkin’ about?” One of the Saiyans asks.
“You gotta believe me…” Bardock says. “Tora… my whole team… they were all wiped out…” he lets out a small cough, leaning further into the wall. “Frieza's gonna do the same to Planet Vegeta! To all of us!”
The group of Saiyans mumble amongst themselves, mostly whispers of calling Bardock crazy or concussed. It's only a moment before they all burst out into laughter, all but herself and Kayle.
“Heh heh heh! W-Wipe out the planet, huh? You feelin alright?” the earlier Saiyan says, unable to restrain his laughter. “There's no way Lord Frieza would do that! Were you dreamin’ or somethin’?!” He asks, and the group all burst out into laughter again.
Bardock lets out a frustrated grunt, his face tightening. “DAMN ALL OF YOU!” his sudden yell quiets the Saiyans. “That's it! I'm DONE! Bastards, all of you! Die for all I care!” he growls out, turning to walk back into the hall. “Wait, Bardock!” The Saiyan calls, and a taller Saiyan just grunts dismissively. “Let him go! The guys totally lost it.” he says, and the group of Saiyans disperses to go back to their tables.
Kolra looks over to Kayle, and judging by the expression on his face, he believes Bardock. She groans, leaning forwards and slamming her head on the table. “For the love of the gods, don't say it.”
_____________________________
“I called it!”
“Oh shut your mouth. I still can't believe we're runnin’ like cowards…” Kolra says, clenching her fists.
The two were making their way towards the hangars hoping to find a ship, get off the planet, and out of the system before Frieza blew them all to hell. They didn't have much time as Frieza's fleet was already in orbit, waiting there ominously.
“I get what you mean, but it's our only choice. We're not beating Frieza, not without everyone else. We're already here anyway.” Kayle says, stopping in front of the hangar. Kolra tries to open the door, but the interface just glows red. “Damnit, they must have locked everythin’ down!”
“Probably dont want anyone who’s figured out what's happening to escape off-world. This would be easier if they’d just leave the damn things out on the landing area.” Kayle says, punching the control panel. It sparks for a moment, before dying.
Kolra looks at the large door. It wasn’t reinforced, so it shouldn't be too hard for two Saiyans to break down. “Well, there's always the old fashioned way.”
_____________________________
BOOM
The explosion blows the door into the hangar, the two Saiyans walking in through the smoke. A loud, robotic noise sounds out, obviously meant to pierce the ears of anyone who wasn't supposed to be in there.
“Were there always alarms in here?” Kolra asks, covering the ear that isn't wearing her scouter. “I’ve never heard them go off.”
“I don't think anyone's ever broken in before, never been a reason too.” Kayle replies, looking for the alarm box. Spotting it, he fires a Ki blast, blowing it up and stopping the incessant noise. They walk the hangar line, looking for a ship small enough to fly away unnoticed from the planet and fast enough to do it quickly.
“We'll need a good amount of supplies. We could raid the other ships an’ load the supplies into one.” Kolra says, stopping in front of one. It was the same two person transport that she and Kayle always use on missions. “Nothin’ like ol’ reliable.” She says, drawing Kayle's attention to the shuttle. He walks back, a small smile crossing his face. “That should work. I'll get it running, see what you can scrounge up from the other ships.”
Kolra nods, moving to the ship next over. It was a larger carrier, fit for around four to five people. Opening it, she walks inside and over to the supply locker. Inside, there's anything a large team could need for a long term purge. Food, water, a case of extra scouters, and some basic medical supplies. “Good thing they keep ‘em stocked…” She mumbles, grabbing the rations and water first and bringing them over to their ship.
Kayle is sitting in the pilot's seat when she walks inside, messing around with the controls. “How's it goin’?” She asks, opening their ship's supply locker and beginning to tightly pack the supplies in. “Ehh… something’s wrong with the fuel line. I’ll have to jury rig a repair from one of the other ships.”
Kolra looks over, a mix of curiosity and surprise on her face. “Since when are you a mechanic?”
“Remember when we got stranded on Drekka with Sarada's team?”
“I thought Escar fixed the ship?”
“No, that was me. Escar just made everything worse. I had to learn how to fix a ship just so we could get off-world.”
“Huh. Well, get to work then. I'll grab us some more stuff.”
The Saiyans walk out of the shuttle, and are met by the sound of blasters being activated. Two Frieza Force soldiers, probably mechanics judging by the grease and oil stains, stood a few yards away from the pair, pointing their weapons at them. One was a yellow Appule with red eyes, and the other could have passed for a Saiyan, were it not for his light blue skin and white hair. “What do you two think you're doing? Lord Frieza has forbidden all Saiyans from leaving the planet.” The Appule says, aiming his gun at Kayle.
Suffice it to say, the Saiyan wasn't intimidated in the slightest, looking at the mechanics with an unimpressed expression. “If you want to keep living within the next few seconds, you're gonna drop those peashooters and leave.” He says, charging a small Ki blast in his hand.
“Please, we're not afraid of some low-class monkeys!” The other says, his weapon trained on Kolra. His tone was confident, but his eyes told a vastly different story.
Kolra sighs in mock disappointment. “An’ here we were about to let you go.” She says, shaking her head. “Not like it'd make much difference if we did, this whole planet is about to go straight to Otherworld.”
Instead of being surprised, they just chuckled to each other. “Oh, we know. That's why we were ordered to sabotage every ship here, in case any of you primates figured out what was coming!”
“...So, every ship was sabotaged?” Kayle asks.
“That's right! Not a single ship left for you to escape on!”
“Not even one for you two?”
The expressions on the mechanics' faces immediately drop as they realize their foolish blunder. The humanoid mechanic turns towards his friend with an angry face. “Damn it Pesto, you didn't leave one for us?!” He exclaims angrily, keeping his weapon pointed at the female Saiyan. “Shut up Oil, you didn't leave one either!”
“Well that's just great, now Lord Frieza is gonna blow us away with the Saiyans!” Pesto says, motioning towards the pair of Saiyans, who were watching with uninterested expressions.
“How about this,” Kayle starts, letting the ball of Ki in his hand fade. “You guys fix up this ship, and we all get out of here before Frieza kills us.” He says, and the mechanics look at him with surprise. “I'm a big fan of living, and I'm sure you guys are too. Whaddya say?” He says with a friendly, inviting grin. Definitely an unnatural look for a Saiyan.
Kolra would rather have just killed them, but she could see the reasoning behind Kayle sparing them. Better to have experienced mechanics fix their ship instead of someone who's fixed one once.
The mechanics blink, looking at each other and then back to Kayle. “Are you serious?” Pesto asks disbelievingly.
“About my desire to live? Yes.”
After a few moments of silence, the mechanics let out sighs of relief, holstering their firearms. “Oh, thank the gods! I thought you guys were just going to kill us!” Oil says with a nervous laugh, Pesto nodding along. “Yeah, same here. Maybe you Saiyans aren't complete savages. Give us a few minutes, and we'll have that ship ready to go!” He says, moving quickly to grab some tools, Oil following behind him.
As the mechanics move away, Kolra moves closer to Kayle, hands on her hips. “We aren't actually lettin’ ‘em come with us, are we?” She whispers, taking care that her voice doesn't echo. Kayle shakes his head with a scoff. “Hell no, they'd probably rat us out to the Frieza Force the first chance they get. It's best to let them think we won't kill them the moment they fix the ship.”
It isn't long before the mechanics return with a toolbox, their desire to survive the incoming apocalypse Frieza was about to enact upon the planet and everyone on it setting them to work immediately. For her part, Kolra had no idea what the hell they were doing. They could be sabotaging the ship even further, and she wouldn't have the faintest clue. Kayle didn't seem alarmed though, so they were probably doing what they were supposed to.
Minutes go by, and Kolra gets bored of watching the grease heads work their magic. Even her partner was starting to seem tired of the waiting. “Hey, you two almost done down there? Frieza could destroy the planet any second now.” She asks irritably.
“Don't worry!” Oil calls back, voice muffled. “Just… about… there! All done!” He says, the mechanics moving out from under the ship. “We did a little too good sabotaging these, so it took longer than we'd like to fix it up, but we got it!” Oil says, he and Pesto high-fiving.
“Good work you two. Couldn't have done it without you.” Kayle congratulates them, before raising his arm and firing a lethal Ki blast into Oil. He collapses wordlessly, a clear expression of shock on his face. Pesto backs away from his friend's body fearfully. “W-What the hell! I thought you said you were serious about us coming with you!”
“No, I said I was serious about my desire for survival. I couldn't care less about you or your pal there.”
“D-Damn you!” He says, moving to grab his gun. Before he even has a chance to clutch the grip, Kolra charges forwards and hits him with a Crimson Fist, the second hit sending him flying across the hangar. If her punch didn't mulch his gray matter, the landing definitely did.
“Well, that was satisfyin’. Time to go.” She says, walking to the ship casually. Kayle follows behind, chuckling.
Getting into the ship, they sit in their usual seats, and Kolra watches Kayle start the systems up. “So, where're we goin’, exactly?” she asks as she kicks her feet up on the console. Any other spot, and Kayle would scold her for doing so, but she managed to get him off her tail for just that area. “We can't exactly just drift forever an’ live off of rations.”
“No, we can't.” Kayle agrees, and the engines whir to life. “I remember a few low-value planets we could stay on, all with fairly primitive technology. Green planets, too.” The ship floats off the ground steadily, and he begins to maneuver it out of the hangar. “We could go to Planet Letter, Earth, or Dekara.”
Hmm… Earth sounds stupid, an’ Letter has giant spiders.”
“Planet Dekara it is then.”
Kolra turns back to the glass, and is immediately forced to squint her eyes, an intense light shining through the large doorway. “Seems a little bright out, doesn’t it?” She asks as she angles her head to protect her eyes. “It's only mid-day.”
Kayle's hands tighten on the controls, accelerating a bit faster. They cross the threshold to the outside, and are greeted by the sight of Frieza's death ball in the sky, bearing down upon Planet Vegeta uncontested.
Kolra's mouth drops, eyes widening as she leans forwards, planting her feet on the metal floor. “Holy shit…” she mutters.
Kayle's expression matches hers, but he recovers quickly, gripping the controls again. He turns the ship away from the death ball, and accelerates into the sky as fast as the ship will carry them. Moments later they're in orbit, and two more they're a good distance away from the planet, far enough to have a full view of their homeworld’s destruction.
“Gods… that thing is half as big as the planet…” Kayle says, releasing the controls to stand as he watches.
“Even with everyone else, I don't think we could’ve beaten him…” Kolra whispers fearfully. She knew Frieza was powerful, probably the strongest being in the universe just behind Beerus the Destroyer, if he was even real. But this was absurd.
Suddenly, a thin yet bright blue beam erupts near the death ball, shooting directly into it. Kolra activates her scouter, Kayle doing the same. The origin of the beam reads 240,000*, right under the name Bardock.
“What the hell!? How did Bardock get a power level of two hundred forty-thousand in the span of twenty minutes!?” Kolra exclaims disbelievingly. That sort of power level was unheard of for a Saiyan, even King Vegeta was leagues below such strength.
“I don't know. But is it enough to beat Frieza?” He responds, turning towards Frieza's ship. His scouter scans the emperor, and reads 540,000 before violently exploding. “Agh, damn!” He grunts angrily. “Good thing I brought that extra case.” Kolra says dryly, turning off her scouter. The two Saiyans watch in silence as Bardock's attack is pushed back with ease, the final cry of the only Saiyan to stand against Frieza cut off as the miniature sun makes contact with the planet.
Large fissures immediately show on the planet's surface, glowing a bright orange as magma from deep under the ground erupts to the crust. Only seconds later, and the planet erupts in a massive explosion, blown to space dust.
Kolra feels a tug in her chest at the sight, and closes her eyes to try and shut the view out, sitting back in her chair.
Kayle watches a few moments longer, before sitting down, turning the ship away and setting coordinates for Planet Dekara.
_____________________________
Planet Nemia, unnamed forest, 13:12
…
……
..sel.
.ksel.
Aksel.
Wake up my boy. You aren't dead, not yet.
Aksels eyes flutter open, the view of a brilliant purple sky and a canopy of trees entering his pupils.
“M-Master…? Where…” he lets out a cough, a raspy, unpleasant sound. “Where am I…? Where are you…?” He asks, sitting up and looking around. His vision was somewhat blurry, but he could make out the forest around him, and the large scar in the dirt he was currently sitting in. He stands on wobbly legs, grunting in pain as his muscles and bones scream out in pain.
I am in you. In your mind. You've been unconscious for two days.
Aksels eyes widened. “Two days!? What about the city!?”
I do not know, but I can only assume the city, and the rest of our people, have been destroyed.
The Nemian takes a step forwards, collapsing to his knees, coughing. “Then I… then I failed… I'm sorry… I-I'm…” his voice is choked with grief, tears falling to the ground. He couldn't protect his people, even with the parting gift he was given from Adryel. “T-Those damn monsters…” he gets through his teeth anger rising alongside his sadness. “Whem I find them, I'll kill them! I'll search this whole damn planet if I have too! Ack…” a groan of pain escapes him.
I'm afraid that isn't likely. Those two were not of this world, and have likely already left. Unless you somehow find a way off of our world, their crimes will go unpunished. Yet, there may be hope for our revenge.
Aksel clenches his fists, more tears falling to the ground. As Adryel mentions hope, a memory from his battle strikes him.
“This planets got a high value on the market. Someone's gonna pay a large amount of credits for your world.”
Aksels eyes open wide in realization. “W-What one of them said! Whoever buys our world will probably come here, a-and I can get off world!”
Yes. But you must survive until then. Food and water can be found in the city store rooms, enough to last you years, if they survived. But I suspect the next inhabitants of this world will be here sooner than that.
“Yeah… so do I.” Aksel says, standing up again, taking a few unsteady steps. He begins walking along the scar, his determination to survive keeping him standing.
Determination, and hatred for the two responsible for the slaughter of his species. He may be alone, but he would be the avenger of his people.
“Those… Saiyans, whatever they are, wherever they are, will die for what they've done.”
“I swear it.”