Dragon Ball Oblivion: The Lone Wolf Saga

Chapter 3 - Running From Me

By: Shisoukengo

Say a prayer for me, cause I can barely breathe, I'm suffering, and I can't take it

Because of me, no one will ever see, this side of me, if I don't make it

It's like I can't wake up, it's like I can't get up

It's like I can't remember who I used to be

Am I running from you, or am I running from me?

It was sometime later that Yamcha awoke, a worried Puar hovering faithfully at his side. Feeling the slight aches and pains still present throughout his body from his training, he groggily looked around as he took in his surroundings. His vision clearing, he took in the familiar sight of the Capsule corp spaceship in which he last recalled training. That is, until the furry face of his companion floated into his line of vision.

"Yamcha-sama, are you alright? How do you feel?" Puar asked, worry etched onto his face. He drifted aside as his longtime friend and accomplice sat up, placing a hand on his head and closing his eyes, as if willing the lightheadedness away.

"Like I should ask if anyone got the license of that hovercraft," he stated, looking around as if confirming their ship was indeed in one piece.

"What happened to that meteor?" Yamcha asked, his memory slowly regaining clarity. Puar looked at his companion, confused as to why Yamcha was asking something he felt should've been obvious.

"Don't you remember, Yamcha-sama? You blew up that meteor with your Kamehameha." At Puar's statement, Yamcha stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend that his power had been capable of actually destroying such a massive object.

'Was I really able to destroy that thing?' Yamcha thought, staring at one of his open hands. 'That rock was massive! But the ship is still here, so Puar must be right about it.' Slowly, a wolfish grin appeared on his face, as the implications of this new information sank in. Puar, having noticed this, continue to look on as he pondered what exactly was going through his friend's mind.

'All this time, I thought training at higher gravity would be like an extreme version of training on Kaio-sama's planet. That it would just boost my physical abilities. But it looks like the power of my ki increased also.' He could feel the potency of his energy flowing through him, far more vibrant and abundant than he'd ever felt before.

Rising from the cot Puar had placed him on, Yamcha approached the ship's computer. Initially, his first instinct was to return to his training, to finish what he'd started when he left Earth. However, the memory of confronting a life-threatening asteroid prompted a nagging thought within the martial artist.

"Yamcha-sama?" Puar questioned, still confused and now a little concerned about his friend's well-being. He hadn't said much since awakening, and seemed to be acting oddly.

"I'm good Puar, I just want to check something out before I get back to my training," Yamcha spoke, attempting to assuage his friend's concern.

Reaching the ship's computer, Yamcha began entering a series of commands, prompting the machine to respond to his inquiry. As the computer displayed the information Yamcha sought, his inquiry became clear, and both occupants blanched at what was displayed on the screen. The ship, although still in one piece thanks to Yamcha's efforts, had apparently been knocked off course during the colossal struggle. Although still approaching Namek, the ship had apparently been knocked off course during the colossal struggle. Dr. Briefs, apparently, had learned from Goku's previous excursion through space.

"Apparently Dr. Briefs built this ship to automatically correct course in the event that something causes it to go off course," Yamcha stated, as he and Puar continued to look at the screen. "Unfortunately, that diversion is gonna take us longer to get to Namek now."

The computer screen, showing the new trajectory at which the spaceship was traveling, showed the ship now barreling through space on a wide circular route, instead of the more straightforward path they had initially set upon. The good news was that this course correction did have the ship set to intersect with their original route at an upcoming point, prior to reaching new Namek. However, the bad news was that according to the computer's calculations, that brief diversion added at least nearly two weeks of time to their scheduled arrival.

'And I'm no scientist, so there's no way I could risk messing with the computer to try and get us back on our original route,' Yamcha thought, his face marred in a frown that belied his disappointment at their first serious bump in the road.

"Is there anything we can do, Yamcha-sama?" Puar asked, still concerned for his friend's well-being, and himself equally disappointed in the setback that seemed to haunt his friend.

"I'm afraid not," Yamcha stated, shaking his head. "I can do basic repair work, but I don't know anything about changing our route. It seems like the only thing we can do is rely on the ship's computer to get us the rest of the way to Namek."

Puar nodded, but still not fully convinced that Yamcha was okay with the setback. Noticing the shapeshifter's body language, Yamcha smiled in an attempt to reassure his friend.

"Look on the bright side, Puar, now I've got more time to get even stronger," Yamcha stated, clutching his fist to display his resolve.

Puar smiled in response to his friend's enthusiasm, happy to see that the martial artist's determination hadn't wavered. With that, Yamcha returned back to the gravity device, setting it back where he'd left off at 100x Earth's gravity, as Puar returned to his rhinoceros beetle form. Ignoring the familiar pull to his body, the martial artist proceeded to return to his martial training. Although the piece of senzu Puar provided him earlier had worked wonders in accelerating the healing of his tired and torn muscles, Yamcha still decided to push more for improving his stamina and technique under the high gravity, rather than attempting to indulge in physical training.

'I've been focusing a lot lately on building up my body, so I should give it a break and make sure I don't neglect developing the wolf fang fist,' he thought to himself as his hands, shaped like claws, struck out at an imaginary opponent. 'After all, even doing this much at such high gravity is a workout enough. Even though, I'm not sure what methods I could use to improve it, except increasing the speed and strength of my strikes.'

Although the fighter primarily engaged in image training during his meditation sessions, he also used it from time to time in his shadow boxing moments as well. And while each session usually ended with him being demolished if he envisioned fighting against the likes of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan or even Piccolo and the Androids, he noticed that he tended to fair much better against opponents more on his level. At the beginning of his training, he'd started out facing off against the likes of the saibamen, the Saiyan general Nappa, and later the Ginyu force members. Although he knew he far outclassed them, the saibamen were still a constant fixture in his shadow boxing moments. As in his mind they represented his most embarrassing moment as a martial artist.

'I'll never forget that day. I'd trained so hard with Krillin and the others under Kami, I felt like I'd reached my peak. Seeing Tenshinhan take one down as easily as he did, I knew I could do it too,' he thought to himself, his hands still a blur as he willed himself to strike faster, harder, attacking the vital points of his adversary as he was taught. 'I really was worried that something could still happen if I let Krillin step up next. I noticed they looked a bit desperate after Vegeta wiped out the first one. I figured they would pull something, and Krillin had already been wished back once with the dragon balls, so if anything were to happen, it'd be better for it to happen to me instead of him.'

He continued to move, mixing in front, side, and round kicks between his strikes. His muscles strained, his face marred in a scowl of concentration as he fought against his imaginary opponents. Six of them running and leaping in coordinated movements, belying their simple, mindless appearance.

'So I went instead of Krillin, and let my guard down because I thought I had the fight in the bag. I KNEW those things were desperate, and I still pulled such a stupid stunt, and turned my back on an enemy I hadn't fully put down. And I paid for it, dearly.'

It didn't matter, he was still able to catch them, eliminating them with coordinated strikes, dodging their strikes, avoiding their acid attacks and ensuring they couldn't grab a hold of him. It didn't matter that even after years of inactivity, he was still much stronger than the saibamen, he always seemed to die in the explosion if he ever allowed one of them to catch him.

'Now, it doesn't matter if I know I'm a lot stronger than those things were, I still see myself dying if I ever let myself get caught.' Yamcha then paused after executing a 10-strike combo, taking a much needed breather. 'Maybe there's some sort of mental block I need to overcome.'

Looking at his hands, Yamcha clenched them into fists, his chest heaving from exertion under the effects of the high gravity. Off to the side, Puar sat in his beetle transformation, experiencing similar strain as well. However, he also looked on with concern as his longtime friend crossed the room, staring outside of a nearby window as the spaceship continued to fly through the darkness of space, illuminated only by the numerous stars they zipped past.

"But how exactly am I supposed to do that? It's not like I have a way of fighting those things again." He muttered to himself. His gaze continued out into space a few moments more, before he steeled his gaze and began moving once again.

A few days later saw Yamcha once again standing in the main chamber of the spaceship, this time with the gravity set even higher than the 100x level he'd been training at. However, this time saw him neither performing any physical exercises, or engaging in any of the martial training used to improve his wolf fang fist style. He figured after weeks of that, he'd done as much as he could to improve his wolf fang fist. Instead, he flared his ki, aiming to work out a theory he'd come up with, one that he hoped would lead him to learning a technique that he knew would be essential for the remainder of his journey.

The fighter had kept up the regimen that he'd become accustomed to throughout his journey. Multiple hours of physical and martial training, under the intense effects of the gravity device built into the ship. Interspersed with food breaks, and hours of meditation and image training. He'd watched many of the fights stored on the ship's computer, that Dr. Briefs had managed to obtain from his and Bulma's study of Android 16 during Cell's rampage. The ones of particular interest, that he'd missed out on account of him having been killed at the time, were Goku's battle against the Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta. And he continued to focus on the techniques Goku had used during those battles, one in particular.

'I know I'm not able to use the genki dama, Kaio-sama had already confirmed that technique was ill-suited for us, because we didn't have the purity of heart Goku has,' Yamcha thought, scowling at the thought of the Saiyan he had thought of as a friend.

Even now, the reminder of the man who had not thought highly enough of him to rely on him to fight for the sake of the universe, caused a deep feeling of resentment within him. One he didn't think would fade anytime soon, if at all. Which was ironic, as he was sure such a feeling only proved King Kaio's assertion correct, in regards to him mastering Goku's now famed trump card. However, that wasn't the technique he was interested in. No, the technique he hoped to master was another, the kaioken. Flaring his ki once again, Yamcha attempted to continue testing his theory, but so far had found his progress stalling again and again.

'Kaio-sama did mention the kaioken on a list of his techniques, but he never bothered to explain to us how exactly they work. He only promised to do so after we had mastered his planet's gravity and finished his training. However, that mess with the Ginyu force, and then Freeza must've made him forget to teach it to us,' he mused as he continued to flare his ki. However, he was still unable to yield the results he was looking for.

'I've been at this for hours now, and I still can't figure out how to get it to work,' the martial artist thought. 'Every fighter who uses ki, knows that if you concentrate it into a particular point, you can briefly increase your strength. The kaioken seems to work on a similar principle, but to a much broader degree.'

He paused and opened his eyes, mulling over his theory as to how to learn the technique. And while he still felt the strain of the 120x level of gravity he now trained at, he didn't think it was enough to prevent him from focusing his ki in the manner which he needed.

'The trick, I think, is to take that principle of concentrating ki, and instead apply to your entire body. All at the same time. A lot harder to pull off than it sounds,' he mused, deciding now would be a good time for a break. 'Maybe I should take it easy for a little while, give myself time to recharge.'

Walking over to the gravity device, he powered it down to its default setting of x1, and immediately felt the strain of gravity release it's hold on him. Taking a few moments to move his limbs and get his blood flowing again, he heard the familiar pop of Puar's transformation. His longtime ally and partner resuming his normal form, the shapeshifter floated over to him, perching himself on his shoulder. The two gave each other a tired smile, before going to the kitchen of the ship where Yamcha prepared a meal. Although he doubted any of his friends back on Earth knew it, the former bandit's time in the desert had enabled him to hone his cooking skills into something respectable.

As such, prior to having gone to live at Capsule Corp, he had been primarily responsible for the preparation of his and Puar's meals. As he released a capsule containing ingredients for individual meals, Yamcha's mind began to drift back to his task of attempting to learn the kaioken. His body operated on autopilot, preparing meals he'd familiarized himself with long ago. Soon after, the pair were sitting and eating together as they were used to doing. They continued to use the ship's onboard entertainment system to entertain themselves with watching the few television shows which were preloaded. Soon after they were finished, Puar opted to sleep while Yamcha engaged in his customary meditation exercises.

Rather than engage in image training, the fighter attempted to clear his mind, hoping that doing so would enable him to gain greater clarity and discover a solution to the problem that eluded him. A feat that proved more difficult than usual, as he could not help the multitude of thoughts which ran through his mind. Thoughts such as the state of his friends after the tournament of power, the effects of his training, and most importantly, whether or not he would be able to decipher the puzzle that was the kaioken.

Under the bright sunlight of the green planet, a figure dashed along the plains of multiple landmasses, hopping from one to the next as fast it could. Two antenna protruded from its bald head, its chest heaved as it continued to run, maneuvering between the various hills and mountainous areas which occupied some of the landmasses. It wore a white robe and matching white pants, with a plain blue vest draped over its top, and brown shoes commonly worn by its people. In its hands, the figure carried a round object of considerable size, roughly about the size of its torso. The object gleaned under the light of the planet's multiple suns, revealing itself to have 4-stars on it.

"Cargot, stop at once!" A voice yelled out from a distance, coming from one of two individuals behind him.

Turning to glance back at where the voice had come from, the figure, revealed to be Cargot, rushed along as fast as his short legs could carry him. He refused to stop, however, or even acknowledge the voice as he continued to run along. Zigzagging between two particularly tall hills, containing multiple platforms, Cargot used the momentary obfuscation from view to catch his breath. Looking around at the surrounding islands, he was able to spot a small hole in one of the upper platforms located on a nearby hill. Knowing his pursuers were not far behind, he sped quickly over to the hill, trying his best to stay out of sight. He managed to make his way into the opening, making sure to keep himself as hidden as possible.

Clutching the round object to him, he carefully peaked out moments later, as he saw two individuals who resembled him, pause at the landmass he'd just been on. Being much taller, and bigger than him, the two figures held clear looks of worry and frustration on their faces, their heads turning back and forth as they tried to locate any sign of him. Hoping to keep himself from being noticed, Cargo ducked back down inside the entrance of his newfound hiding place, attempting to wait out his pursuers in the hopes that they would leave. However, before any action could be taken, the two pursuers had their attention taken as they looked off into the distance, watching as an object descended from the green sky.

"What is that, Maima?" One of them, dressed in a plain brown sleeveless shirt, and matching brown pants with a white sash wrapped around his waist, asked his companion. "A meteor?"

"No, Tsumuri. Look closely, it appears to be slowing down," the other figure, called Maima, replied as he also observed the falling object.

Dressed in a pair of tan brown pants and white sash and a blue collar, his shirtless green torso exposed to the elements, the two observers watched as the object finished its descent. Seeing the distraction of his pursuers, Cargo also caught sight of the object approaching from the sky. He couldn't make it out clearly from the distance they were at, but something about it seemed strangely familiar. An odd sensation, like fleeting memory tugging at the back of his mind. Taking advantage of the opportunity afforded to him, the young being launched himself out of the hole and away from the hill, fleeing in the direction of the object.

"There, Cargo, stop and return the dragon ball," the called Maima yelled, however his call went unheeded.

"No! I won't let him have them!" Cargo shouted back, his pursuers once again at his heels.

"Don't be foolish. If you don't return the dragon ball at once, you could doom the rest of the village!" Tsumuri stated, continuing to pursue the younger Cargo.

"All of Namek could be doomed if he gets this dragon ball," Cargo countered, continuing to maneuver as best he could to try and elude the two Namekians chasing him.

Eventually, though, the gap was slowly erased, bit by bit, as the longer legs and better conditioning of his pursuers enabled them to finally reach him. Grasping the younger Namekian by the back of his shirt, the one called Maima pulled Cargo off of his feet, as Tsumuri landed beside him. However, before the two could remove the dragon ball from his grasp, the three watched as what they now saw to be a giant circular object landed on a flat patch of land across from them. Four mechanical protrusions unfolded from the bottom of what they now realized to be a spaceship, allowing it to perch safely and securely on the surface below. The words "Capsule Corp" were emblazoned across the front of the spaceship, unfamiliar to the Namekian tongue, yet the object did strike a vaguely familiar chord with each of the three Namekians.

The trio watched as a door located in the center of the ship slowly opened, extending to reveal a set of metal steps which led to the ship's interior. After the door finished its descent, a figure approached from within, the sunlight from Namek slowly illuminating its figure. Voices could be heard from within, echoing out of the interior.

"Look Puar, we've finally made it to Namek," a deep, cool voice spoke out, further attracting the attention of the Namekians below.

The figure finally stepped fully into the open doorway, the Namekians instantly recognizing his Terran appearance. Dressed in an orange martial arts uniform, a blue sash wrapped around his waist, and a pair of matching blue shoes, his eyes squinted under the bright Namekian sunlight. A blue cat floated out behind the strange human, landing on his shoulder as it also surveyed the landscape.

"Wow, it looks so different, yet so similar to home," the strange beast known as Puar stated, alternating between looking at the surrounding water, land, and the sky above.

"Are those...Terrans?" Cargo asked, having a vague recollection of the beings who were once their foreign saviors and hosts after the destruction of their old homeworld.

"The tall one, he looks kind of like Goku-san," Maima stated, having once glimpsed the man who had defeated the alien menace, Freeza, as he'd been present at the time Goku had come to recruit a new guardian for Earth.

"But what is he doing here?" Tsumuri asked, finding it strange that the Saiyan would be on Namek of all places, and sporting a different look as well.

The voices of the three Namekians drew the human's attention away from his sightseeing of planet Namek. Looking down at them, Yamcha was caught off guard to see them so soon upon arrival. What was also surprising is that one of them, the smaller of the three, held what he recognized as a dragon ball in his hand. He then took in the rest of the sight before him, noticing in particular how the two bigger Namekians held the obviously younger one.

"I wonder what these guys are doing out here?" He spoke quietly to himself, having not seen any sign of a city or town anywhere around his landing site.

"Do you think they've come to fight?" Puar asked, hesitant at the idea of his friend engaging in a fight with the locals, so soon after arriving. The shape-shifter knew they had not come all the way here for that, but was also aware that Yamcha would defend the two of them if push came to shook his head in response, a contemplative look still on his face.

"I don't think so, Puar. We've helped them out before, and they spent time with us a Capsule corp. They should know we didn't come here to hurt anyone. Especially since Dende's the guardian of our world. If anything, that should make us allies." Yamcha responded.

Using his ki, the athlete and martial artist floated upward out of the entrance of the ship, deliberately moving slowly to land in front of them hoping to pacify the three Namekians. His approach, combined with his appearance, only served to confuse them, and placed the three aliens on edge. Landing in front of them, Yamcha raised his hand, the three Namekians stepping back reflexively only to be caught off-guard as the terran placed it on the back of his head, smiling with closed eyes as he attempted to defuse the tension he could feel.

"So, any chance you guys are here to welcome me?" He asked, in a fumbling attempt at the Namekian language. His attempt was seemingly successful, as the Namekians blinked in confusion at him, Tsumuri and Maima looking at each other before turning back to their visitor. Although the human had made a poor attempt at speaking their native tongue, the three of them were just able to make out what he was attempting to say.

"We speak the galactic language," Maima stated, assuming that the new arrival was more fluent in that than in the Namekian language.

Yamcha blinked, unsure as to what was more amazing to him, the fact that he could understand them clearly, or that the galactic language appeared to be so similar to that of Earth's. However, this surprise was more than welcome for him, as he was already embarrassed at failing his first attempt at the Namekian language. Resorting to old habits, he laughed in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"That's great, I wasn't sure I'd be able to communicate with you guys well enough at first," he responded, his doltish demeanor somewhat defusing the Namekians' tension.

Cargo, having come to the conclusion that the Terran standing in front of them wasn't a threat, began thrashing in an attempt to escape his captors' grasp. He managed to partially accomplish this, getting set back on the ground, but unable to escape the grip that Maima held on him. The movement, of course, drew Yamcha's attention as he noticed the young Namekian doing everything in his power to keep the other two from grabbing onto the dragon ball he clutched.

'Sure hope I haven't walked into some infighting situation,' he thought as he watched the scene before him. 'It's not like I'm any good at playing peacemaker.' Unsure as to what was going on, and wanting to be careful not to offend the three in front of him, Yamcha calmly attempted to gain the three Namekians' attention, hoping to find out what was going on.

"Uhh, hey guys, not trying to butt into your business here, but mind telling me what's going on?" he asked, his hands up in what he hoped was the universal gesture for "calm down". His attempt was successful at getting their attention, and halting their activity only momentarily, before it was broken by the young Namekian.

"Please help me! He can't be allowed to gain the dragon balls again!" Cargo pleaded, catching Yamcha off guard at what he assumed was a kid's desperation. Blinking in confusion at being caught off guard by the young Namekian's tone, Yamcha found himself further confused at the youngster's end of the world tone.

'Why are these guys trying so hard to take a dragon ball from a kid?' Yamcha mused, fully processing what he'd just heard, 'The kid said "he" though, but which of these guys is he talking about? And why would he be trying so hard to keep the dragon ball from one of his own people?'

He now looked suspiciously at the other two, noticing how aggressive they were being, and recognizing now that they were attempting to take the dragon ball from the young one. However, he was then forced to lean backward as one of the older Namekians yelled back at the kid, the one who had addressed him earlier.

"You know we have no choice! You'll only wind up getting yourself and everyone else killed if you continue this!" Maima spoke, his choice of words, and matching tone of desperation unmistakable to Yamcha's ears. The martial artist only found himself further caught off guard as the other Namekian, dressed in all brown, maneuvered himself in front of the other two.

"I'm not sure what has brought you to our world, Goku-san, but I must ask you to stay out of this," he spoke, his body tense in preparation of a confrontation. Although the Namekian was under no illusion that he could stand a chance against the powerful Saiyan.

Hearing himself be addressed with his friend's name broke Yamcha out of his thoughts, as he suddenly realized that he hadn't properly introduced himself. However, before he could respond, the group's attention was drawn to the sound of nearby laughter. Turning, each of them took in the site of two figures perched on a hill above them. One of them, an incredibly tall and hulking figure with red hair, tan skin, and possessing horns, glared down at them. He wore metallic suspenders in the design of a Y, the two upper portions running over his massive shoulders, the bottom portion leading down to a pair of plain black briefs and matching combat boots. The other, a shorter figure possessing a much more stout frame and a pair of wings, wore a pair of dark red pants with black combat boots, his upper body guarded by a series of metallic plates, grinned down at them in a maniacal fashion.

"Well well, looks like you managed to track down the dragon ball for us, neh Zeeun?," the shorter one spoke, addressing the taller one.

"Yeah Dorodabo, a shame we'll have to kill them though," Zeeun replied to his accomplice, his eyes moving from the Namekians to Yamcha. "And looks like we get a bonus as well."

Yamcha glared back at the two in response, recognizing bad guys when he saw them. Seeing the two beings that had just arrived, the Namekians immediately tensed once again. The older two stared in fear, while Cargo openly shook where he stood, immediately familiar with the power the two possessed. Realizing what was about to happen, Puar left his perch from his friend's shoulder, floating closer to the Namekians. As the human martial artist turned from the two figures back to the group he'd just come across, he quietly spoke, addressing the Namekians he had yet to officially meet.

"I take it these jerks aren't part of the welcome committee," he asked, gesturing with his thumb to the two antagonists.

The Namekians looked at him, shaking their heads in support of his rhetorical question. Noticing how hesitant and afraid the Namekians appeared to be, Yamcha turned back to their would-be antagonists. Taking a moment, he reached out with his ki, attempting to see exactly who it was they were dealing with. Gauging them with his senses, the martial artist was surprised to determine that his opponents didn't appear all that strong, compared to the previous threats he'd had to go up against.

'Wow, the Nameks are really spooked. But these guys don't seem to be all that tough, definitely not any stronger than the Ginyu force,' he thought, recalling his, Tenshinhan, and Chiaotzu's training on Kaio's planet while they were dead, part of which involved having to go up against the elite soldiers of Freeza's army. 'Strange, they don't seem to be hiding any of their ki either.' Glancing back at the group of Namekians, he spoke quietly as he maneuvered his way in front of them.

"I'll help you guys out with this, but I'm gonna need some details about what's going on when this is over." Because of his words, all three Namekians shared the same look of surprise, particularly the two older ones as they had also been using their senses to gauge his ki.

'What is he thinking?' Tsumuri thought, his fist clenched as he realized that they were in no position to help. 'Based on the ki I sense from him, he seems strong enough to fight either one of them. But both at once will likely be too much.' His partner, Maima, seemed to share his thoughts.

'Must we rely on the Terrans to save us once again?' the warrior thought, gritting his teeth in frustration. Puar, meanwhile, hovered near them, instinctively making his way over to float near the smaller Cargo. Meanwhile, Yamcha stared down the two strangers, attempting to intimidate them with his game face.

'Guess I'm gonna get to see how my training paid off sooner rather than later,' he thought, as his eyes switched from one to the other. "Not sure what your deal is here with these guys, but it doesn't sound too friendly. I'd get out of here if I were you," he finished, leaving his threat unspoken.

This only caused the two burly antagonists to chuckle, amused by the much smaller fighter standing before them. The grins they both sported held a sadistic nature to them, seemingly undisturbed by the implied threat. Yamcha, however, did his best to not be intimidated by their reaction at all, knowing that if what he was sensing about these two opponents were true, then he was fairly confident in the outcome of a fight. Looking down at the strange terran, the two brutes jumped down from their perch, landing a few feet away in front of him.

"Alright Zeeun, leave this runt to me," Dorodabo stated, popping the knuckles of each hand as he stepped forward. The red-haired Zeeun smirked, watching as his comrade prepared for battle.

"Fine, but I get the other three," Zeeun replied, switching his gaze over to the Namekians, a sadistic smirk still prominent on his face.

"You guys seriously don't wanna do this," Yamcha replied, standing confidently, a confident grin making its way onto his face. "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"That's alright, it's not gonna make a difference in the end," Dorodabo stated, his sadism still on full display.

Without another word spoken, the giant winged gargoyle charged forward, moving at impressive speed for a being his size. However, while this speed astonished the Namekians, Yamcha found himself surprised for an entirely different reason. The big winged creature appeared to be moving at a slug's pace to the Earthling, his right fist cocked back to deliver what he was sure was meant to be a crushing blow. Wisps of transparent ki encircled the gargoyle's fist then extended further down his arm, appearing to further enhance the power behind his strike. However, Yamcha refused to budge, digging his heels, knees bent slightly as he prepared for the strike.

"Evil gravity charge!" Dorodabo thrust his fist forward upon reaching his target, the blow seemingly landing as the ki that surrounded it was released, kicking up dirt and scorching the soil beneath where his enemy stood.

The cloud of dust it created obscured the two combatants from view of the spectators, whose reactions all varied. The Namekians continued to wear looks of apprehension and fear, worried that the terran could've been defeated all too quickly under the destructive power of such a blow. Puar wore a look of concern, believing that his friend's training would enable him to survive such a devastating strike. Zeeun, knowing his companion's reputation of having the greatest physical strength of their master's warriors, continued to smirk as he assumed the battle as having ended. However, his expression found itself changing moments later, as he was soon able to make out the shadow of the two figures within the dust cloud. Usually, his companion's attack obliterated anything that stood in front of it.

A gust of wind blew, drawing aside the curtain of dust, revealing the two figures within, and leaving everyone astonished at what they were seeing. Dorodabo stood slightly leaning forward, his right hand outstretched, fist captured within the human's two hands which were held out just in front of his chest. Yamcha's face switched from a focused one, to a grin as he held his attacker's fist in his grip. Dorodabo leaned back, in a state of disbelief at this strange warrior surviving his most powerful technique. He pulled his fist back, taking a step back as if instinctively attempting to put space between the two.

"Hope that wasn't the best you've got," Yamcha spoke, his confidence gaining more and more momentum at realizing just how strong he'd managed to become in such a short time. "Because it looks like it's gonna take a lot more than that to take me out!"

Dorodabo's face quickly morphed into one of anger at being openly mocked by the alien warrior. Clenching both of his fists, the gargoyle-like creature began launching a series of powerful, but wide-swinging blows. Yamcha merely dodged and side-stepped each one, engaging his much bulkier opponent in maneuvering to see who could gain better positioning and strike first. The answer was soon discovered, as after missing several strikes, Dorodabo released a yell of frustration as he released an overhand punch, his fist swinging downward. The blow appeared as if it would land momentarily, only for it to pass through as Yamcha seemingly phased out of view. Employing a tried and true tactic, the terran fighter appeared suddenly behind his enemy. Right fist clenched at his side, ki encircled Yamcha's fist in a manner similar to his enemy, though confining itself no further than his wrist.

"GET AWAY, DORODABO!" Zeeun yelled, watching as his companion turned in shock.

"Told ya, I'm a lot stronger than I look," he spoke, thrusting his fist forward, releasing the concentration of ki just as his punch landed.

Time seemed to stand still momentarily as Dorodabo's face went from shock to abject horror, before everything seemed to move forward again. The creature's chest seemed to implode, flesh and blown blasting outward as the ball of ki forced its way through his bulky torso. Mustering just enough strength to reach both hands down to his now gaping wound, as if attempting to keep his insides from spilling out any more from his body. Finally, after moments, the bulky creature fell forward, landing face down into the ground surrounded by bits of his own flesh and blood. Pulling his fist back, Yamcha stood back up straight, turning side on as he leveled the remaining alien with his gameface. Puar and the Namekians each wore astonished looks, all of them surprised by the display the Earthling put on.

Zeeun gritted his teeth, not wanting to believe that such a runt of a being could be so strong, yet also not wanting to show his opponent the fear that was growing within. His monstrous hands clenched into fists as he mustered up the courage from within himself. He knew now that this enemy was a powerful fighter, and was no coward, as he knew what awaited him if he were to turn tail and run. And while he assumed that the being standing in front of him could not be that much stronger than him, he knew the depth of his master's strength, and had no desire to see such power directed toward him. In this case, the devil he knew wasn't better than the devil he didn't, and he was determined to take revenge for his fallen companion.

"You little runt, you may have beaten Dorodabo, but you won't catch me off guard with tricks like that," Zeeun commented before charging forward.

Slipping into a basic guard stance, Yamcha proceeded forward as well, meeting his opponent in a few steps. The two then appeared to vanish momentarily, before reappearing and beginning to seemingly fade in and out of view. Only the two Namekian warriors seemed able to keep up with their movement, as neither Cargot or Puar had been taught the ability to sense ki. However, that did not stop the furry shapeshifter from expressing support for his longtime friend.

"Go get him, Yamcha-sama!" Puar called out, seemingly at nothing.

"Unbelievable," Tsumuri stated, his eyes tracking the movement of the two combatants.

"Are all terran this strong?" Maima asked, seemingly to no one in particular.

Cargot was the only one to remain silent, unsure of what to say to what he couldn't see. Instead, he settled for closing his eyes, as if willing the human fighter to win. Meanwhile, Yamcha dodged, blocked, and parried a series of blows from Zeeun, as the horned monstrosity continued his assault. Appearing calm in the face of such ferocity, the former bandit was able to assess his opponent's skills.

'He's good, more coordinated than that other guy,' Yamcha thought, side-stepping another punch. 'He's not clunky like the other guy, and he's more conventional than that Ginyu force guy I fought at Kaio-sama's.'

Reaching out he trapped his opponent's arm in a wolf fang lock, similar to the one he'd used years ago in his tournament match against Tenshinhan. His fingers easily pierced the flesh of his adversary, similar to the teeth of a wolf sinking into its prey, causing the bigger warrior to cry out in pain. Locking hold of the arm, he twisted, using the momentum of Zeeun's punch to bring the alien fighter over his head, planting him headfirst into the ground. Yamcha then stood back, keeping his guard up, and watching as the creature used one arm to pry himself out of the ground. Zeeun rolled over onto his haunches, looking up only to see the Earthling staring down at him. Gritting his teeth, the horned warrior got himself onto one knee, as Yamcha quietly shook his head in response. In reaction to the silent statement, Zeeun leapt into the air, an aura of blinding ki surrounding his body.

"EVIL IMPACT!" As he reached the apex of ascent he let out a defiant roar, before suddenly plummeting down to the terran below.

Yamcha braced himself for impact, his confidence increasing more and more as his sensed the full depth of his enemy's strength. The resulting impact from the blow caused explosive results, causing Maima and Tsumuri to shield themselves and the two non-combatants from the aftershock using their own ki. Each of them closed their eyes, arms up reflexively in front of them. After a few moments, the debris and ki dissipated, everything settling down as they all reopened their eyes to see the outcome of the violent clash. Once again, the spectators found themselves staring at disbelief, their slack jawed look a testament to the scene in front of them. Zeeun also found himself similarly perplexed, as his horned forehead was caught dead center in the left palm of the Earthling in front of him. Before his mind could fully process what had occurred, his opponent spoke.

"I think it's my turn now," Yamcha stated, before striking with blinding speed as his right hand shot forward and across his body.

His hand shaped into a claw, his palm struck the still lax jaw of Zeeun with full force, knocking the much bigger fighter away and sending him tumbling end over end. Just before he could come to a stop up against a nearby cliff wall, however, Yamcha was on top of him, again impressed with his speed. Raising a hand above, the human struck downward, striking with such force that not only did he pin his adversary to a stop against the ground, but caused Zeeun to fold in half from the blow. The alien creature coughed up blood, suffering internal injuries from the damage of the strike. Yamcha extracted his hand, standing back to a fully upright position, staring down at the being beneath him.

'I can't believe how much stronger I've gotten,' he thought, glancing at his hands, marveling at his own performance. 'Not just from the gravity training, but my movements as well. It's like every hit I'm landing is intending to finish these guys off. I don't think I've ever fought like this before. If I didn't know any better, it's like all those image training sessions reprogrammed my fighting style in some way.'

Coming out of his thoughts, he once again returned his attention to the alien in front of him, letting out a pained groan as he attempted to rise back to his feet. Yamcha stood his ground, watching the creature carefully, on edge in anticipation of any sort of last act of desperation from his adversary. Zeeun finally rose, still bent over and clutching his abdomen.

"I'm giving you one last warning. Get outta here now, or I promise the next hit will finish you," he warned, his game face still in place to show the creature he meant business.

Zeeun appeared to weigh his options, coming to the conclusion that it would be better for him to escape now and return with back up. After all, he knew now that he could not defeat the terran in front of him, not on his own, and he had comrades who held special abilities that could be useful in helping to defeat such a man. And aside from that, someone had to warn their master of the impending threat now looming on the planet.

"I-I'll be back, just you wait and see. You're gonna regret letting me live," he threatened, activating his ki as he took flight, taking off into the sky and, presumably, back to where he came from.

Yamcha continued standing, watching the sky to make sure the alien didn't try to pull anything. Confirming that he had indeed left the area, the human then turned, eyeing the corpse of the other creature, as if suspicious that it would jump up and attempt to catch him off guard. Confident that it was down for good, he finally allowed himself to relax and lower his guard. Which was why he found himself caught off-guard, a victim to Puar's customary glomp.

"You did it, Yamcha-sama!" The shapeshifter cried out, attaching to his friend rubbing his fur against him. Yamcha smiled, reaching up with one hand to scratch the head of his companion. He gave heartfelt thanks to his companion, then fully turned to the Namekians who stood still staring at him.

"So, how about you guys fill me in on those details now," he spoke, a relaxed grin still on his face.

To Be Continued….