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Chapter Text

May 7th, of Age 753

"Hey!" called Atticus' teacher as Atticus, another student, and him approached an elderly man clad in a fedora, dressed in a tuxedo, and masked in a pair of sunglasses. "Well, if it isn't the Turtle Sage!

"Huh?" uttered the elder, the so-called Turtle Sage, as he noticed and then stared at Atticus' teacher. "Hmph!" he huffed as recognition stirred within him. "Oh, Crane Hermit," he groaned with more exhaustion and irritation than true vehemence. "So you're still alive, huh?" he questioned, seriously and tiredly.

"Hihihihi!" cackled the Crane Hermit, clearly enjoying the Turtle Hermit's vexation. "Your ancient face, and that decrepit tongue of yours, they're both as nasty as ever!" he hissed, with a countenance that was unbefitting of a crane but a mannerism that suited the snake he was just fine. As the Crane Hermit yapped at the Turtle Hermit, Atticus' blank face distorted into a frown.

The Crane Hermit and Turtle Hermit's argument had went wrong. That is, Crane Hermit and Turtle Hermit's had shifted. Just a little. Atticus' eyes furrowed and his frown worsened. Had the canon been compromised? Was this a collapse in the continuity? Or, perhaps, just a difference in translation? Maybe a lapse in memory?

Atticus couldn't tell.

"Shut up, you're halfway bald yourself!" snapped the Turtle Hermit at the Crane Hermit, causing Atticus to refocus on the squabble. "Hmph, Chiaotzu! Tien! Let's go!" he demanded of Atticus and the other student, the three-eyed Tien Shinhan! "I won't speak with these imbeciles any longer!" he sneered as if he hadn't started the talk himself. "But I'll be looking forward to-"

"Wait," interjected Atticus, causing the Crane Hermit to about-face into a fiery glare towards him. A burning fury gleamed in the Crane Hermit's eyes, hidden yet improved by the sunglasses that were hiding them. Despite this, Atticus adapted an empty gaze and then directly met the Crane Hermit's incendiary stare. "I am Chiaotzu," announced Atticus to the Turtle Hermit in a cold tone but a firm voice. "While this is my best friend and fellow student, Tien Shinhan," he continued with a gesture and smile towards Tien.

"Uhh, Chiaotzu?" called Tien as the Crane Hermit clenched his teeth and sharpened his stare. "What are you doing?" he questioned in a whisper. Atticus did not respond to him, but he did flash him a reassuring smile.

"And this fine gentleman is my martial arts teacher, Master Izuru, the Crane Hermit as you call him," continued Atticus in a coo. "May is ask your name in return?" he questioned.

"Awful polite for a Crane student, aren't ya?" noted the Turtle Hermit. "But nice try kid," he added in a snicker. "Only the gals get to know that name nowadays," he snickered.

"Damn it!" swore Atticus in his thoughts but with a straight face and an unyielding stare. "Now I am going to get chewed out for nothing!" he complained internally.

"But it's alright," insisted the Turtle Hermit. "Everyone, even my sister and my students, calls me the Turtle Hermit..." he mused. "...or Master Roshi," he added with an accusing glance at Yamcha. "As if calling me Master Old Teacher makes any darn sense," he huffed.

"Very well," ceded Atticus in a sigh. "And you all?" he chuckled towards the Turtle Hermit's company.

"Bulma,"

"Krillin,"

"Launch, what's it to ya, huh‽"

"Oolong,"

"Puar!"

"I'm a goddamn Turtle,"

"Yamcha," 

"Chiaotzu!" hissed Tien in a whisper. "Really, what are you doing?"

"Acquainting myself with the competition," answered Atticus to Tien. "If the Crane Hermit and the Turtle Hermit really were rivals, is it not obvious that these boys will be our rivals, Tien?" he asserted with a look at Krillin and Yamcha.

"Ha!" laughed the Crane Hermit with a smirk. "That leery lout, my rival‽" he snorted. "An amusement at best and an annoyance at worst, that's all he was!"

"You wanna say that again‽" asked the Turtle Hermit with a grab and pull of his sleeve. "Perhaps outside, you old-"

"No!" pleaded Tien as the Crane Hermit and Turtle Hermit glared and rushed one another, and as Tien and Yamcha intervened to stop them. "You mustn't!" urged Tien to the Crane Hermit as he grabbed him and held him back.

"Master, please, restrain yourself!" agreed Yamcha as he did the same for the Turtle Hermit. "Don't cause us anymore trouble than you already have, you fucking geezer!"

"That escalated quickly..." noted Atticus. "...I apologize, Master, you were right," he announced next, causing the Crane Hermit to cease resisting Tien and desist from firing a Dodon Ray. "We should go,"

"Of course I was right!" agreed the Crane Hermit in a huff. "Because I'm always right, boy!" he insisted as Atticus, Tien, and him departed from the scene.

"That guy, that Yamcha..." mused Atticus as he followed the Crane Hermit and Tien away. "...he's just like me for real," he theorized. "He's a reincarnation,"

❧ ❧ ❧

"There are others?" questioned Atticus as he observed a pair of hopping, pale-skinned, and paper tag-wearing men among the 182 participants in the World Martial Arts Tournament's preliminary round. "Is this an adaptation to my existence here, or has this been canon to the series the entire time‽" he wondered aloud

"What are you talking about, Chiaotzu?" questioned Tien as Atticus gawked and rambled. "Are you curious of those jiangshi?" he asked as he noticed the duo as well.

"A-are you not?" asked Atticus with a look at Tien. "Have you never wandered what I am?"

"You're Chiaotzu," asserted Tien. "You're my friend,"

"I appreciate that sentiment Tien, make no mistake I really do, but don't forget that we're martial artists!" asserted Atticus. "How a dog fights and how a human fights are different for important reasons," he argued as he averted his gaze from the jiangshi.

"So you think that information on your race is important to your training?" hummed Tien. "To your growth as a martial artist?"

"I can't say unless I learn more," admitted Atticus with his characteristic frown. "Mayhap I am not a jiangshi at all?" he considered. "Or perhaps I am, indeed, a jiangshi. But a human and a jiangshi are not different enough to warrant-"

"You're human Chiaotzu," interjected Tien. "Never let anyone tell you otherwise," he growled. "Never!"

"Human, perhaps, but humane?" murmured Atticus in a whisper. "Not as an assassin, I'm not. But you're right, brother, I am human. Although different from others, at heart, we are both human," he agreed in a hum. "But that doesn't mean that each of our heritages should be ignored," he added. "Are there abilities that we have that our ignorance has made us unaware of?" he questioned. "Do you not ponder this, brother?"

"I have not..." answered Tien with a downcast look. "...but now that you mention it, I have to admit, I am curious," he murmured. "But I don't know where to even start," he sighed.

"I have an idea that may help in that regard," cooed Atticus. "But for now, of course, that'll have to wait," he sighed as it became Tien and his turn to grab their lots for their placement in the preliminary rounds of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"Of course," agreed Tien as he reached into a box and seized a lot. "We'll crus these Turtle Hermit losers and then further refine our strength to crush them in the next tournament as well!" he laughed.

"Are you really Tien?" mumbled Atticus as Tien caught sight of the Turtle Hermit students and sauntered over to taunt them. "I have to make sure that Tien faces Master Roshi in the tournament," he decided with the deepest frown that he could muster. "I have-"

"You..."

"Eh?" uttered Atticus as he about-faced and beheld a boy that appeared around Goku, Krillin, and his age. "Hello?" he greeted sullenly. "Is there something a ma-"

"...you aren't following the script," accused the boy with a glare and point. "You aren't fulfilling your narrative," he snapped.

"And you are?" asked Atticus with an elevated eyebrow.

"I am-"

"Not what I meant," interjected Atticus before the boy could finish. "This conversation doesn't happen," he stressed.

"You're offscreen these panels, so it's okay!" argued the boy with a point towards where Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha were being heckled by Tien. "But that is early, because of you!" he complained.

"Who are you?" asked Atticus in a groan and with a roll of his eyes.

"I am that side character with only a single 1-on-1 fight back in-"

"Not what I meant," interjected Atticus before the boy could finish. "I don't mean your character, I mean you!" he elaborated. "Who are you to dictate the fate of this world?" he questioned.

"I am not dictating, I am enforcing!" insisted the boy. "And in doing so, I am ensuring the safety of this world!" he declared. "As it balances on the edge of oblivion, between canon safety and the disasters that are inevitable in divergent scenarios!" he hissed.

"Are you able to discern the timeline?" asked Atticus in sigh. "That is-"

"I am aware of events from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super, perfectly!" bragged the boy. "I remember every-"

"Not what I meant," interjected Atticus, once again, before the boy could finish.

"Stop doing that!" whined the boy. "It's extremely rude!" he complained.

"There are not-even-Toriyama-knows-how-many timelines in the Dragon Ball verse," continued Atticus. "Are you able to discern which timeline that we're in?" he questioned to the boy.

"Huh?" uttered the boy. "What?"

"Are you able to discern which timeline that we're in?" asked Atticus again. "You claim you know Dragon Ball from beginning to end, yes?" he huffed. "If that is so, you're aware of the multiverse of temporalities," he sighed. "Of the multiple timelines,"

"I-I-I know about Dragon Ball's time travel!" spat the boy at Atticus. "B-b-but I don't see why it matters!" he gulped. "If we follow the proper storyline-"

"We'll all die if this is the 1st, baseline, and original timeline," warned Atticus. "Yeah?"

"Eh?" uttered the boy. "No!" he refuted. But then he thought what Atticus sad through. "Yes?" he realized with terror. "Oh my Kaioshin,"

"I am Atticus Charlwood, but call me Chiaotzu here," cackled Atticus at the boy's horror. "And I don't intend to lose or perish," he declared to the boy. "I'll fight, but I'll live and I'll win!"

"I am Atticus Charlwood, you say?" parroted the boy in a sneer. "You mean we are Atticus Charlwood," he corrected as he faded from Atticus' sight and returned to Atticus' thoughts. "And we better be right about this,"

"Or we're dead," agreed Atticus as he departed for his preliminary ring. "And then, in time, erased as well!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"This..." Atticus as he climb into the ring and eyed his opponent. "...this wasn't supposed to happen," he grumbled as an afro-bearing, dark-skinned, muscular, and tall man towered over him.

"Don't worry!" chuckled King Chappa as he detected Atticus' nervousness. "I won't kill you," he promised.

"I am sure, absolutely sure, that this is Goku's opponent," grumbled Atticus in his thoughts. "I chatted with Tien a little, that's it, how did I change events this much with that alone?" he wondered.

"You're distracted," cooed King Chappa as Atticus contemplated the situation. "Allow me to amend that, hah!" he screamed as he burst towards Atticus! Atticus blinked as King Chappa blurred into a flashing leap and then landed into a palm strike aimed straight towards his face! However, as Atticus' face was approached by King Chappa's palm, Atticus abruptly levitated into a reverse roll! That is, Atticus applied his ability to fly to backwardly and instantaneously lean under the palm strike!

"H-h-huh?" gasped King Chappa as Atticus followed up by both clasping King Chappa's arm with his hands and wrapping King Chappa's arm with his legs. Subsequently, Atticus applied his flight to drag King Chappa off the ground and into a levitating roll. "What?"

"What‽" cried multiple observers as Atticus abruptly halted his roll and thereby released King Chappa into a somersault upward! Afterward, Atticus dropped into a landing and then eyed King Chappa's hurtle towards the ceiling.

"I-I-I see! You're no ordinary tyke!" grunted King Chappa as he corrected his posture with a hip throw that interrupted his somersault. Afterward, King Chappa landed onto the ceiling as if it was the floor and then leaped into a plummet towards Atticus. "Hasshuken (八手拳, Eight-Arm Fist)!" roared King Chappa as his arms blurred into 8 flashes and he descended upon Atticus with a flurry of punches!

"You can't escape from that position," answered Atticus as he aimed a hand at King Chappa and then calmly pointed his index finger at King Chappa. "Dodonpa (どどん波, Dodon Wave)," cooed Atticus as he concentrated his ki, funneled that ki into and through his index finger, and then released that ki as a radiant and thermal wave! King Chappa blinked at the beam of ki and then screeched as the beam impacted with and scalded him! As King Chappa screamed in terror and writhed in agony, Atticus arose with his flight rather than a leap. Atticus then kicked King Chappa into a floundering hurtle out the ring!

"Th-th-that attack, the Dodon Ray..." gasped Jackie Chun from the sidelines, as King Chappa crashed onto the ground outside the ring and then smoldered as he spasmed and yelled. "...accurate, calculated, fast, but weak? It's damaging and disorienting, I can't deny that, but it's definitely lacking in lethality!" he noted as medics arrived to attend to King Chappa. "No," he realized with a shake of his head. "He diminished the effect on purpose," he deduced. "He choose to neither ignite nor pierce his target, but only to scald and scare him?" he wondered. "That's not the Crane School that I know,"

"That's the Chiaotzu that I know!" exclaimed Tien as Atticus was declared the winner. "Great job out there," he congratulated as Atticus departed from the ring. "But you could have saved the Dodon Ray," he added.

"Thank you, and don't worry, it's but a trinket," asserted Atticus to Tien. As he did so, he approached King Chappa and the medics that were placing King Chappa on a stretcher. "I apologize for the blast, but despite that, I'd like to complement your skill and speed," he announced to King Chappa with a bow. "Your punching speed, and that recovery from my throw, both have impressed me," he elaborated.

"H-h-heh," chuckled King Chappa at Atticus' compliments. "Don't flatter me after so thoroughly trouncing me!" he laughed. "I became complacent," he admitted. "I'll continue my training," he decided. "So that next time, it'll be different!"

"Excellent," cackled Atticus at King Chappa's determination. "I hope to meet you in battle on the big stage then," he hummed as he departed. "What about you, Tien?"

"Me?" snorted Tien. "I have no interest in such a weakling!" he spat. "He barely challenged you, Chiaotzu!" he noted. "Why concern yourself with a rematch?"

"He'll grow, he'll improve, and he'll learn," answered Atticus as his frown gave way to a smirk. "And he'll defeat me if I do not do the same," he stressed to Tien. "His lack of rivals is why he didn't improve his Eight-Arm Fist into, say, a Nine-Arm Fist or a Ten-Arm Fist!" he argued with a clench of his fist. "He believed himself without challenges to overcome or rivals to struggle with, because he won a World Martial Arts Tournament without being grazed much less pressured, and that stalled his training and ultimately weakened him," he stressed.

"So you're encouraging others to train in order to motivate yourself to train?" summarized Tien. "That isn't what the Crane Hermit has taught us Chiaotzu," he noted. Or was it a warning?

"An assassin's path is different from a fighter's path," asserted Atticus to Tien. "The Crane Hermit has conditioned, educated, and trained us into powerful weapons," he admitted. "But I am not a tool," he declared. "I am not his weapon. I am a warrior. And so I must be more than what he has made me to be," he insisted.

"A warrior rather than a weapon, not an assassin, but rather a fighter huh?" murmured Tien. "Where did you get these ideas, Chiaotzu?" he questioned. "Certainly not from the Crane Hermit or myself,"

"Comic Books," answered Atticus in a giggle, causing Tien to drop face-first into the ground out of sheer surprise. "I am joking," added Atticus with a playful smile that he reserved for Tien and Tien alone. "Comics and manga are different after all," he mused as the preliminaries rolled along.

❧ ❧ ❧

"I know that you're the Turtle Hermit,"

"Gah!" cried Jackie Chun as Atticus ambushed him at the end of the preliminary round, catching the coot as he departed in secret to remove his disguise and show himself as the Turtle Hermit. "M-m-me? The Turtle Hermit?" he chuckled nervously as Atticus frowned and glowered at him. "Wh-wh-what makes you say that, kid?"

"We're both capable of mind-reading," answered Atticus in Jackie Chun's thoughts. "Although my capability is different from yours," he added.

"Eh‽" uttered Jackie Chun in disbelief. "You invaded my mind? So easily? Without me noticing?" he questioned.

"As I said, my capability is different from yours," chuckled Atticus. "Feel free to infiltrate my Master and Tien's thoughts at-will," continued Atticus in a chuckle of his own. "But stay out of mine," he demanded. "And I'll keep your secret," he promised. "Deal?"

"Why, you, why you little..." growled Jackie Chun. "...hmph, you're a little rascal, but alright!" he agreed. "You have yourself a deal!"

"Excellent," cooed Atticus. "Also, as favor not a requirement, speak to Tien," he requested. "Advise and mentor him," he elaborated. "To abandoned the Crane Hermit's ways,"

"Can't you do that yourself?" asked Jackie Chun with a raise of his eyebrow. "You have a rapport and he respects you," he noted.

"We are brothers, comrades true, not one another's parent," snorted Atticus. "I am not his better, and I am not an elder with the wisdom of years, so I can't sway him," he sighed. "But you can," he insisted.

"Your Master Crane won't like that," warned Jackie Chun. "He won't like that one bit,"

"He'll attempt to kill us," laughed Atticus. "But I'll show him that his student has surpassed him," he asserted. "As both a fighter and a man,"

"Very well," hummed Jackie Chun. "I'll see what I can do,"

"Thank you," sighed Atticus with a bow. "Now I must be going,"

"Of course," agreed Jackie Chun. "Maybe I'll see you in the ring, kid!" he added in a laugh reserved for the toothless.

"Ha!" laughed Atticus in kind. "Maybe not, but I look forward to future tournaments!" he cackled with a fanged grin. "You aren't as incapable of progress as you think Old Turtle!" he stressed. "Put in the work, and you'll also become a rival worthy of my worries!"

"I'm ahead of you, little upstart!" shouted Jackie Chun in a spat. "You're challenging and rising towards me, not the other way around!"

"Prove that in the ring," snorted Atticus as he departed and waved. "Old timer!"

"Grrr..." growled Jackie Chun. But then he laughed. "...that kid, wow, I was only doing this for Goku and Krillin's sake!" he lied. "But now I'm fired up like I was when I was young!"

❧ ❧ ❧

After an hour of preparation and rest, all of the champions of the preliminary rounds were assembled to draw lots a second time! Chiaotzu, Chi-Chi, Goku, Jackie Chun, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha...

...wait. Wait a minute, Chi-Chi?

"Chi-Chi‽" exclaimed Atticus and Yamcha at the sight of Chi-Chi in Pamput's place in the tournament. "What‽"

"Chiaotzu, you're acquainted with a girl?" asked Tien in a gasp. "How? When? Why didn't you tell-"

"Why are you so surprised by that‽" asked Atticus in a yell. "And, uhh, she is the daughter of the legendary Ox King!" he added as an excuse. "What is confusing is that you don't know her!"

"Ox King?" asked Tien. "What?"

"Alongside Son Gohan, he is another student of the Turtle Hermit," explained Atticus to Tien. "He is another of our rivals,"

"This rival thing again?" snorted Tien. "Although, considering your obsession with rivals, I guess it makes sense that you're aware of this girl," he decided.

"I am aware of and fond of girls you know?" growled Atticus in a huff. "I am not an ace like you," he sighed.

"We're both ace fighters Chiaotzu," refuted Tien.

"That is not what I meant," grumbled Atticus. "But it doesn't matter," he groaned. "What matters is if the Ox King knows that his daughter is fighting here or if he is going to be unpleasantly surprised when he sees her on TV," he hissed.

"I wouldn't worry," cackled Tien. "If he arrives and causes problems, we'll defeat him and then we'll be the legends!" he suggested.

"We can defeat him," conceded Atticus. "But I'd rather-"

"Gentleman, my lady, over here please!"

"Lots time," noted Tien. "Can you rig this?" he requested.

"You know I can," agreed Atticus. "Who against who?"

"I want to fight that Yamcha first and then you in the finals," answered Tien. "Are you able to arrange that,"

"Absolutely," agreed Atticus as he accessed his clairvoyance and then applied it to the box containing the lots. "Anything for you Tien," he cooed.

Contrary to Atticus' expectations, just as ki and magic are different in Dragon Ball, Chiaotzu's ki and Chiaotzu's psionics were different too! That is, the energy of ki was distinct from the energy of psionics. As such, although applications of ki could emulate applications of psionics, ki and psionics were ultimately as unrelated to one another as ki and magic!

"I have multiple powers..." mused Atticus, as he arranged the matches as Tien dictated. "...and I have honed my skills with them well, well enough to win!" he argued to himself, even as he eyed Goku nervously.

"Chiaotzu, good job with the matchups!" praised Tien as Atticus and him finished rigging the tournament. "I'll crush that Yamcha," he declared with glee.

"I..." mused Atticus as he eyed the so-called Yamcha with wariness. "...certainly hope so," he finished with a frown. "Kick his ass Tien,"

"Chiaotzu!" gasped Tien. "Language," he insisted.

"I am not a child, but fine, that was crass," acquiesced Atticus in a sigh of vexation. "As soon as I am able to acquire the Dragon Radar, I am collecting the Dragon Balls and wishing for a growth spurt," he decided in his thoughts. "Or at least an adult's countenance,"

And with that, the tournament began!

"I can't watch, but I have to," murmured Atticus as the Tenka'ichi Budōkai, the Strongest Under the Heaven Tournament, began with the duel of Tien versus Yamcha!

"Hey, now's your chance to run you shitty side character!" offered Yamcha to Tien in a snicker. "And if I were you, triclops, I'd take that chance!" he sneered.

"Hmph, well, at least your bark is good!" retorted Tien in a snort. "But I'll shut you up soon enough..." he cooed.

"Please don't break his leg," begged Atticus from the sidelines and with his deepest frown yet. "Please don't break his leg, please don't break his leg..."

"That's not what people mean when they say, 'break a leg', y'know?" jeered Krillin at Atticus. "Also, you're awfully pouty and serious, why not lighten up a bit?" he advised.

"Darling, darling, darling❤" cheered Chi-Chi beside Atticus and Krillin, causing Atticus and Krillin to eye her with puzzled stares. "Let's go darling, woo!"

"Isn't she a bit, uhh, young for your guy?" questioned Krillin. "Or is he that nasty sort of twisted-"

"She's not with Tien!" spat Atticus at Krillin. "But it can't be Yamcha, can it?" he wondered. "Hey, Chi-Chi, who are-"

"My..." hissed Chi-Chi. As Chi-Chi did so, a blood-colored ki erupted from Chi-Chi like magma from a volcano! And at the same time, Chi-Chi glared at Atticus and Krillin with a glower of promised violence. "...darling is fighting, so shut up!" she demanded in a snarl, causing Atticus and Krillin to comply and nod as she did so.

"She's right," admitted Atticus as he focused on the fight. "They've already started," he growled internally, as an airborne Tien was battled into a plummet by a double-fisted and hammering strike from Yamcha!

"Alright, this is it!" exclaimed Yamcha as he aligned his hands into a familiar pose and then brought them to his side. "The finishing strike!"

"Th-th-the Kamehameha‽" gasped Atticus, the Crane Hermit, Jackie Chun, and Krillin as the descending Yamcha amassed his ki and continued his plummet towards the falling Tien! "B-b-but it's too early, and in that position, can Tien use the kiai like that‽" wondered Atticus as Tien noticed Yamcha's tactic and snarled.

"No!" refuted Yamcha as his body gleamed with the Kamehameha's radiant, sapphire shine! "It's my Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" he revealed as he armored himself in an aura of the Kamehameha and then beamed himself towards Tien with a jet of the Kamehameha's propulsive and streaming tail! Subsequently, as he careened into a clash with Tien, Yamcha applied his aura of the Kamehameha as a means of blasting Tien as he clawed into Tien. This allowed Yamcha to break through Tien's guard with horrific and insulting ease! It then allowed Yamcha to rip and tear into Tien with his lupine strikes!

"Applying the Kamehameha as a power up‽" cried Atticus in his thoughts as Tien and Yamcha crashed into the ground and thereby detonated an explosion of rocks that hid the sight of them. "Absurd! Insane! No! Tien!" he sniffed as he eyed the situation with worry.

"Such tactics, that's Crane style, not Turtle school!" accused the Crane Hermit in a howl despite everyone else's silence and suspense. "Copycats! Filthy thieves!"

"Copycats?" gulped Atticus as he contemplated the implications of the Crane Hermit's words. "I-i-is this my fault?" he wondered. "Because of King Chappa, because I blasted him before he could land, d-did I do this to you Tien‽" he considered in horror.

"It appears that this time..."

"Look!" called Goku as the debris dispersed and revealed an unconscious Tien and a victorious Yamcha! "Why, Yamcha?"

"...you were broken," cackled Yamcha as he admired the bloody, broken, and mangled mess that he'd made of Tien's arms, chest, face, and legs! "Call the match!" demanded Yamcha as the crowd gasped and shuddered at the sight of Tien's terrible wounds. "Do your damn job ref!"

"How dare that fool lose!" screamed the Crane Hermit with a grab and pull of his hair. As he did so, the audience remained silent and the medics rushed to the scene.

"Y-y-you..."

"Chiaotzu!" gasped Krillin as Atticus burst into a leap and then landed between Tien and Yamcha. "Don't!"

"You!" cried Atticus in all of his fiery and teary wrath! "I do not respect you!" he declared with a point and spat at Yamcha. "You didn't need to do that! To do this! To Tien! My Tien damn it!"

"He'd have done the same to me," asserted Yamcha in a growl. "He lusted to. Sought to. I merely-"

"Acted as low and petty as Tien, yes, but low and petty still!" interjected Atticus in a snarl. "No matter what..." he continued as the medics placed Tien on a stretcher. "...I'll avenge Tien in the ring!" he promised.

"Come and try, you chinky vampiric shit!" goaded Yamcha with a nasty smirk. And then he about-faced into a departure, heading towards where Bulma was in the stands.

"Hey, hey! Honey! Over here!" called Chi-Chi from the fighters' sidelines. "Aww, I know his sister and him are close, but I'm his future wife!" she huffed.

"Chi-Chi is enamored with Yamcha‽" gagged Atticus. "Could he, that time, he didn't! He wouldn't! Would he?" considered Atticus as he remembered that Chi-Chi and Yamcha had encountered one another before the 22nd Tenka'ichi Budōkai. And that Chi-Chi had, in fact, considered dating and marrying Yamcha. "What is wrong with this Yamcha‽" he questioned.

"I-I-I'm sorry Chiaotzu,"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus as Krillin approached him and the medics removed Tien from the ring. "Krillin? What?"

"He's always been a little nasty underneath his charm and lies," asserted Krillin to Atticus. "He hides it well, but he's always been a jerk like that!" he accused.

"You don't need to apologize Krillin," breathed Atticus. "You are not him," he stressed. "You are nothing like him,"

"Aww gee..." chuckled Krillin. "...thanks Chiaotzu," he laughed with a rub of his hand. "Umm, well, our match-"

"This is between Yamcha and me, not me and you," interjected Atticus. "Don't concern yourself with my vengeance," he insisted. "Hold nothing back Krillin. Absolutely nothing," he urged.

"Alright," agreed Krillin. "Thanks,"

"No," snorted Atticus. "Thank you," he hummed as he departed from the ring.

"Chiiiaaaoootttzzzuuu!" called the Crane Hermit as soon as Atticus was out the ring. "Forget Tien!" he demanded, causing Atticus to cease his movements and furiously twitch. "Without his arms and legs, he's useless to us!" huffed the Crane Hermit. "After the tournament, we'll eliminate him so he can't rat us ou-" began the Crane Hermit an instant before his neck straightened and his head turned upward. Subsequently, the Crane Hermit began to float upwards as if he was hanging from an invisible rope. "Ch-Ch-Chiaotzu!" choked the Crane Hermit as the audience around him gasped, pointed, and screamed at his situation. "Y-y-you dare‽"

"Is this the example that you want to set for your friend?"

"..."

"Good lad," hummed Jackie Chun as Atticus dropped the Crane Hermit face-first into the ground. "And you!" continued Jackie Chun in a hiss towards the Crane Hermit. "You stay well away from that boy, you hear me‽"

"Who are you to tell me what to do‽" asked the Crane Hermit of Jackie Chun, as he rubbed his throat and seethed in vehemence. "Chiaotzu, I'll remember this!" he swore. "Tien and you will suffer for-"

"Go," ordered Atticus as his frown peaked in its sullenness and he stared into the Crane Hermit's eyes and soul. "Now,"

"Guh..." grunted the Crane Hermit as terror tremored within him and tried his will. "...stupid turtle!" he whined as he fled the stands and then the tournament as a whole.

"I apologize for Yamcha," sighed Jackie Chun after the Crane Hermit's retreat. "I didn't expect him to use the Kamehameha in such a way," he lamented. "For such a terrible thing as that,"

"You can't apologize for Yamcha," asserted Atticus to Jackie Chun as he faced Jackie Chun. "But you also don't need to," continued Atticus. "Only Yamcha can apologize for Yamcha, and only Yamcha will need to once he is in the ring with me!" he spat.

"Your anger is justified, but listen to me, don't kill the lad," begged Jackie Chun of Atticus. "If you do-"

"Death would be easier for him than what I have in mind," interjected Atticus. "I am not going to kill him," he promised. "I am going to break that facade of his and expose him for the pervert and villain that he truly is," he snarled.

"Very well," hummed Jackie Chun. "Good luck," he sighed as he departed to fight his match with the Wereman.

Chapter Text

"Go Krillin!" cheered Yamcha as Atticus and Krillin climbed into the ring.

"You, of all people, don't need to be cheering for me right now and you know it!" growled Krillin under his breath. "Freaking jerk!" he grumbled.

"That wasn't a very nice thing that you did to his friend Yamcha," chimed Goku from where Yamcha and him were hanging and watching. "You hurt him real bad,"

"It know, but it was an accident," asserted Yamcha to Goku. "I didn't mean to,"

"I don't think that was an accident, and I think you did mean to do that," insisted Goku. "All of those attacks, each and every last strike, I saw them Yamcha," he revealed, causing Jackie Chun and Yamcha to gawk in surprise. "Clearly crystal!"

"It's crystal clear," corrected Yamcha. "And you're mistaken," he lied. "I merely misread that guy as strong when he was really weak," he snickered.

"He's really strong," declared Goku. "Stronger than you," he added.

"What?" uttered Yamcha. "Goku, I defeated him!" he spat. "You just saw me win!"

"Yeah," agreed Goku. "But that's because you-"

"Quiet," hissed Jackie Chun at Goku and Yamcha. "They're starting!"

"Here I come, Chiaotzu!" announced Krillin as soon as Atticus and his match officially started. "Haaa!" exclaimed Krillin as he burst into a sprint towards Atticus.

"What about the fight with the wereman?" questioned Atticus as Krillin blurred into a flash and raced straight towards him. However, instead of lashing out with a palm strike or a punch, Krilling abruptly dropped into a skid and then seamlessly slid into a leg sweep! "You know I can fly, right?" declared Atticus as he abruptly arose over Krillin's kick at his legs!

"Uwawowawaugh!" cried Krillin as Atticus ascended high into the air and then hovered in place. "Y-y-you can, uwu, how can you f-fly like that‽" he wondered.

"Why are you so stunned?" asked Atticus with a blink. "I mean, look, Puar can fly too!" he added with a point at Puar in the stands.

"I'm a fucking squirrel," babbled Puar in the stands.

"We know Puar," groaned Turtle with a roll of its eyes. "We can see that thank you! So you don't need to remind us!"

"Don't worry though, I can't defeat you with flight and lasers alone," admitted Atticus as he dropped into a landing. "So I'm done running," he cooed.

"Did you just say las-"

"Dodonpa (どどん波, Dodon Wave)!" chanted Atticus as he aimed at Krilling with his index finger and then discharged a jet of ki towards Krillin. Subsequently, as the Dodon Ray beamed towards Krillin, the air around the Dodon Ray exploded into flames and roiled with thunder!

"Ahhh!" cried Krillin as the brilliance of the Dodon Ray blinded him and the heat of the Dodon Ray scalded him. At the same time though, as his clothes ignited and his eyes simmered, Krillin erupted into a haphazard leap over the Dodon Ray. "H-h-hot, hot, hot, hot!" he complained as he extinguished the flames with hand pats powered by his raw, sheer strength.

"Kigarigaha (気狩りヶ波, Ki-Hunting Wave)!" chanted Atticus as Krillin descended from his leap and landed into a panicked roll. At the same time, Atticus altered his Dodon Ray by enchanting his Dodon Ray with the energy of his psionic techniques! By doing so, Atticus bestowed the Dodon Ray with both a clairvoyant detection of ki and a desire to follow and impact with the ki of Krillin specifically!

"Crap!" exclaimed Krillin as the Dodon Ray arced its linear trajectory into curve away from the audience and straight towards him! "Crap, crap, crap!" he screamed as the Dodon Ray neared and swooped towards him, forcing him to ignore his wounds and rise into a sprint!

"I'm not done here!" declared Atticus as Krillin flailed his arms in a panic and fled the homing Dodon Ray! "Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, Five Strong Dodon Waves)!" he chanted as he discharged another Dodon Ray from his index finger, his little finger, his middle finger, and his ring finger too! Afterward, as the 1st Dodon Ray chased Krillin towards Atticus, the 4 and new Dodon Rays cornered Krillin as they erupted from Atticus and into a soar towards Krillin!

"Th-th-that's too much!" gasped Bulma as, altogether, the 5 Dodon Rays fierily illuminated the ring with a solar tint! At the same time, as they closed in on Krillin and neared each other, the 5 Dodon Rays became hotter than usual and thus began to blacken the floor of the ring with their heat's intensity! Despite his extreme fear and the hopelessness of his situation, Krillin remain undeterred! As he came face-to-face with the 4 Dodon Rays ahead of him, Krillin dropped into a slide under those 4 Dodon Rays and then leapt over the Dodon Ray arriving from behind!

"He did it!" cheered Bulma, Oolong, and Puar just a moment before all 5 of the Dodon Rays curved in midair and then rushed Krillin together! "What‽"

"I won't forgive this!" howled Yamcha as the 5 Dodon Rays began to hunt Krillin as a synchronized unit! "You monster!"

"Shut up!" spat Atticus as Krillin evaded a Dodon Ray with a duck and then another with a lean as he rose into a stand. "Don't shame him!" he snarled as a Dodon Ray grazed Krillin's right arm with a penetrative power and a scorching temperature! As the Dodon Ray cauterized and pierced through the edge of Krillin's right arm, Krillin hissed in pain but remained vigilant!

"Come get me!" hollered Krillin as he leapt over a Dodon Ray, landed into a roll, and then rolled into a spring upward. "Dodo Rays!"

"What is he..." gasped Bulma as the collection of Dodon Rays arose at the same time and homed in on the rising Krillin. "...oh no!"

"He's done for!" screamed Yamcha as all 5 of the Dodon Rays aligned themselves and coalesced towards Krillin! "Stop it! Stop this now!"

"He's fine," asserted Atticus and Goku as Krillin grinned and then laughed at the situation‽ "He's gathering them together," deduced Atticus as Krillin deeply inhaled and then spat out a stream of wind!

"Eh‽" cried the audience as a whole as Krillin dodged the Dodon Rays by exhaling himself into a horizontal soar. Subsequently, before the Dodon Rays could curve and split up, Krillin arced his arms into the flourish of the Kamehameha and then cupped his hands at his side. "What‽"

"What‽" agreed Jackie Chun in disbelief as Krillin amassed his ki between his hands and then blasted the Dodon Rays with a full-fledged Kamehameha! In an instant, the Dodon Rays and the Kamehameha detonated each other and exploded into fiery glow in the sky!

"Yeah!" cheered Goku as an exhausted but smirking Krillin landed into a skid and then turned towards Atticus. "Take him out Krillin!" urged Goku and Yamcha as Krillin dashed at Atticus with his fists raised!

"As I expected, a couple of lasers, wasn't nearly enough..." cooed Atticus as Krillin arrived before and attacked him. "...but it did soften you up!" he growled as he dodged a kick with a floating lean sideward and then dropped into a landing as he ducked a punch! Afterward, Atticus arose into a powerful uppercut that impacted with Krillin's stomach and knocked Krillin into a backward skid.

"Gah, you wanna bet‽" cried Krillin as he accelerated into a disappearance, causing the audience to gasp and gawk as he did so. "I'm just-"

"Got you!" interjected Atticus as he grabbed Krillin by the wrist and out of his sprint. "You're not too fast for me Krillin!" he revealed as he lashed Krillin into an overhead swing and then slammed Krillin into the ground! "Better think fast!" he cackled as he lashed Krillin into a skyward throw next and then leapt at Krillin. However, Krillin about-faced in midair and then began a brawl with Atticus as the both of them rose upward together!

"Mommy, mommy! They're fighting and flying!" exclaimed a kid in the stands as Atticus and Krillin continued their duel with parries and punches. As Atticus and Krillin attacked and defended, their arms appeared to become a flurry of whiplashes. Eventually though, Krillin backflipped himself with a kick that slammed into Atticus' arm and then backwardly somersaulted away from Atticus.

"Aww..." complained Goku as Atticus descended with his flight and Krillin dropped into a landing. "...I thought Krillin had him," he admitted.

"Tch!" hissed Yamcha at the situation. "Th-th-this Chiaotzu, it doesn't make sense, I ensured that Krillin would be much stronger than usual!" he snarled. "C-c-could it be? I-is this bastard even stronger than Tien‽" he wondered. "N-no! No way!"

"Guh..." grunted Krillin as he clenched his fists yet sagged his shoulders as well. "...I-I-I'm not done yet!" he insisted in-between desperate gasps and pained wheezes. "Th-this isn't o-over!"

"I am aware," chuckled Atticus at Krillin's fighting spirit. "Tell me, Krillin, are you able to empower yourself with the Kamehameha?" he questioned.

"Y-y-you mean like Yamcha?" he asked in a retching voice. "Never!" he spat. "And no! Why?"

"I desired to face it in your hands," answered Atticus with a shrug. "But that's fine. That pride? I respect it," he added. "I guess I'll have to wait till Yamcha," he hummed.

"I-I-I said I am not done yet!" growled Krillin. "Kaa..." he continued as he began to gather his ki.

"A-another Kamehameha‽" gasped Bulma in disbelief. "C-c-can he do that‽"

"Does he have the energy for that?" wondered Goku as well. "Krillin!" he called, concerned.

"When did Yamcha and him even learn the Kamehameha?" questioned Jackie Chun. "When did I lose sight of their strength?" he wondered.

"...me!" grunted Krillin as he brightened with the cerulean glory of the Kamehameha! "Hhhaaammmeeee!"

"I'll handle this with my Chōnōryoku (超脳力, Super Brainpower)!" declared Atticus as he applied ki to his brain in order to augment his brain's psionic strength! "Come, face me, Krillin!"

"Haaaaaaaaaa!" screamed Krillin as he blasted Atticus with close to the entirety of his ki, brightly illuminating the ring as he did so! In less than a second, the blast of blue crashed into Atticus like a derailed train and then pushed Atticus into skid! As it did so, the blast threatened to remove Atticus from the ring and thus ring Atticus out! However, before the firing of the Kamehameha, Atticus armored himself in a barrier of his invisible and ki-strengthened telekinesis! By doing so; Atticus avoided a concussing, direct impact with the Kamehameha!

"H-h-how is he‽" cried Yamcha as Atticus abruptly and forcefully halted his skid with a loud and powerful stomp! Subsequently, Atticus cracked a smile and then endured the Kamehameha rather than power through it or weasel out of it! "Th-that's impossible!"

"H-he's so strong!" gasped Goku as Krillin ceased firing the Kamehameha and dropped onto his hands and knees, and as Atticus dispelled his telekinesis and strode towards Krillin.

"An excellent fight," congratulated Atticus as he approached Krillin. "You did well,"

"H-h-how are you so strong?" questioned Krillin as Atticus neared him. "N-n-no!" he growled as he rose into a stand. "N-n-not here! Not like this! I won't!" he wheezed.

"Contestant Krillin is back on his feet!" roared the announcer as Krillin stood strong and tall before the incoming Atticus. "But can he defeat his Crane rival or is this just the swan song of this match?"

"Amazing," chuckled Atticus. "But..." he added as he augmented his ki's potency by energizing his ki with his telekinesis! "...I gotta put you down now," he warned as he disappeared from Krillin's sight and then reappeared at Krillin's side!

"Wha-" uttered Krillin an instant before Atticus' fist impacted his jaw and knocked him into a whirl. As Krillin attempted to compose and steady himself, Atticus appeared behind Krillin and then awaited Krillin's about-face towards him.

"Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken (火中天津甘栗拳, "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Fist")!" chanted Atticus as he attacked Krillin head-on and with a flurry of punches that rocked Krillin to-and-fro! Subsequently, before the crowd managed to detect even the start of Atticus' strikes, Atticus finished with a gut punch that hurtled Krillin into a somersaulting tumble out the ring!

"Wh-wh-what just happened?" questioned the announcer as Krillin crashed into the stands' wall. "W-well, whatever that was, I am sure it was revenge for what contestant Yamcha did to contestant Ti-"

"No!" interjected Atticus before the announcer could finish. "That was respect!" he insisted. "Revenge is for him!" he added with a point towards Yamcha.

"Y-you heard him folks!" exclaimed the announcer as the crowd went wild. "The Crane School doesn't mess around it seems!"

"Darn!" huffed Bulma. "Krillin lost!"

"Pathetic," growled Yamcha in a quiet spat. "Damn it! That fucking loser! Damn it! This wasn't supposed to happened! This isn't canon!"

"Wow!" exclaimed Goku. "That Chiaotzu kid is really strong!" he laughed.

"I am humbled by your strength Krillin," called Atticus as he approached the defeated and fallen Krillin. "I didn't expect you to have learned the Kamehameha so soon," he admitted as he arrived before Krillin. "Much less to be able to fire it twice like that," he laughed.

"Th-thanks Chiaotzu," groaned Krillin without moving. "B-b-but I could have lost without the pun," he complained.

"Sorry," apologized Atticus in a chuckle. As he did so, he began to help Krillin stand.

"Let me help too," chimed Goku as he arrived onto the scene and then assisted Atticus in carrying the drained and exhausted Krillin away to a better place to rest. "Come on Krillin,"

'D'aww..." awed the announcer and audience as Atticus, Goku, and Krillin departed. "...although the adults of the Crane and Turtle may be in dispute, it appears the kids get along just fine everyone!" he declared. "An act of camaraderie that we all could learn from!"

"I'm alright Goku, really, more dazed than hurt," asserted Krillin as Atticus and Goku finished bringing him to the stands with the others. "Because this jerk held back,"

"I didn't hold out on you, I merely held restraint," argued Atticus to Krillin. "There is a difference y'know!"

"Uh huh..." snorted Krillin. "...I'll make you regret underestimating me!" he warned.

"I bet you will!" cackled Atticus. "And I look forward to it," he cooed. "Just as you have a date in the ring to look forward to," he snickered towards Goku.

"Huh? Really?" asked Goku. He then beamed with an ignorant smile. "I love dates!" he laughed, thinking of the fruit.

"Wh-wh-why does Goku get a date with a girl after I got a fight with a vampire‽" complained Krillin. "It's not fair!"

"Aww..." groaned Goku. "...I have to share?" he whined.

"If Yamcha has his way, you will..." grumbled Atticus under his breath. "...either way, your match is next!" he reminded Goku. "Try to enjoy yourself, alright?"

"I will, thanks!" chimed Goku as he departed off to the ring to face Chi-Chi.

"You boys know that Goku doesn't know a single thing about romance, right?" asked Oolong of Atticus and Krillin. "Everything you said flew right over his head!"

"He's an innocent little monkey, isn't he?" giggled Bulma. "Always has been,"

"Because of that, in a competition, he stands no chance," growled Atticus. "Damn that pervert," he spat. "I'll break off his di-"

"I don't think so," refuted Bulma with a knowing smile. "Goku has a charm to him that I am sure that, in the future, the ladies will love him for," she laughed. "Just you wait and see!"

"This isn't that kind of show y'know," sneered Turtle. "But what do I know? I'm a-"

"Turtle," interjected Puar. "Yes. We know,"

"Shut up Puar," spat Turtle.

"You shut up!" hissed Puar.

"And stop taking my gag!" complained Oolong. "I'm Puar's rival, remember‽"

As Oolong, Puar, and Turtle squabbled; Atticus departed from the stands and flew to the hanging wall. "You," called Atticus as he approached Yamcha with his flight. "You bastard,"

"Chill it with this revenge stuff!" huffed Yamcha as Atticus floated towards him. "Tien deserved that and you know it!" he insisted. "When Tien breaks the leg of Yamcha, it's badass and Launch loves him for it! But when I do it, it's-"

"Forget that for now!" hissed Atticus as he arrived and landed before Yamcha. "What did you do to Chi-Chi you dastard‽" he questioned.

"I-I-I didn't do anything!" asserted Yamcha. "Chi-Chi always has a small thing for Yamcha," he argued. "But she focuses on Goku and gets over it," he huffed.

"No..." growled Atticus. "...I remember the story you twat!"

"Do you now?" huffed Yamcha. "If so, that means you're-"

"Forget me, you pedophile!" snapped Atticus. "Chi-Chi is lied to by Yamcha because Yamcha is terrified of the Ox King's wrath!" he recounted. "If you followed the script, there is no way-"

"You're angry at me for deviating when you've deviated yourself‽" spat Yamcha at Atticus. "Chiaotzu loses to Krillin, what happened to that huh‽"

"This isn't about following the storyline," hissed Atticus at Yamcha. "And you know it!" he accused with a point. "You're avoiding the point, dodging the question, because you took advantage of Chi-Chi didn't you‽"

"Are you picking a fight with me‽" asked Yamcha, amassing an aura of the Kamehameha as he did so. "Because I don't think you want to do that!" he spat in warning. "Chiaotzu is nothing to Tien, and I just trounced Tien, so what does that say about Chiaotzu versus Yamcha huh?" he snickered.

"Power levels and power scaling is bullshit," answered Atticus in a sneer. "But it's a fitting taunt for a shitty Yamcha like you," he admitted in a mocking tone. "I'll bring you down in the ring and expose all your lies and perversions and true wickedness!" he snapped.

"Are you an idiot?" laughed Yamcha. "Ahh wait, that's right, you're Chiaotzu!" he chimed in a snicker. "You can't even count without your fingers," he snorted. "So of course you're stupid," he sighed. "Remember, remember you twat! I am facing Jackie Chun next, while you are facing goddamn Goku!" he snickered. "You ain't beating Goku, because nobody is beating Goku fair-and-square, so you ain't fighting me!"

"Bet on it..." spat Atticus at Yamcha. "...and you'll lose big!"

"You're Chiaotzu dude!" sneered Yamcha. "While he is Goku, a saiyan!" he stressed. "You're doomed to lose! Give up! Surrender! Before you get embarrassed in the ring," he advised.

"How did a faithless guy like this beat Tien? My Tien?" questioned Atticus in a snarling thought. "It doesn't make any sense!"

"Listen dude, unlike a Chiaotzu like you, I have prospects and potential," continued Yamcha. "So why don't you fuck off and leave me to my story?" he sneered.

"Why didn't you fuck off and leave Bulma and Chi-Chi to Vegeta and Goku?" asked Atticus in retort.

"Don't you fucking-" swore Yamcha in a tizzy. "Get out of my sight!" he demanded in a yell. "Now!"

"What's going on over here?" asked Jackie Chun as he arrived on the scene. "You boys, huh?" he sighed. "This feud, this rivalry, keep it in the ring!" he ordered. "You hear‽"

"He is an enemy!" growled Atticus and Yamcha at Jackie Chun and one another. "Not a rival!"

"All the same, all of this energy, I'd conserve it for your fights if I were you two," advised Jackie Chun. "Especially you, young man!" he asserted towards Yamcha. "After all, I'll be your next opponent," he cooed as he departed.

"Damn Roshi!" hissed Yamcha as Jackie Chun left. "But he's right, I don't have energy to waste on an inevitable loser like you!" he huffed as he marched off.

"I'll defeat him," promised Atticus as Jackie Chun and Yamcha left to watch Chi-Chi versus Goku. "For Bulma, for Chi-Chi, for Goku, for Krillin, and for my Tien! I'll crush him!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"Alright old timer..." cackled Yamcha as Jackie Chun and him leapt into the ring. "...it's rematch time!"

"Don't forfeit!" hollered Turtle from the stands. "That's lame!"

"What?" uttered Oolong. "How dare you!"

"That forfeiture had meaning!" argued Puar to Turtle. "It-"

"Arguments of meaning from a meaningless sidekick are worthless!" spat Turtle. "Now shut up and watch!"

"I hate it when I have to watch..." whimpered Puar.

"That sounded wrong," murmured Oolong. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Puar, shut up!" cried Yamcha with a shake of his fists at his floating, squirrelly sidekick. "You're too loud!"

"You're the lout here," huffed Jackie Chun at Yamcha. "Not the squirrel,"

"I said loud!" corrected Yamcha.

"And I said lout," agreed and asserted Jackie Chun. "Boy!"

"You already have to pay for the last tournament, Jackie Chun!" scoffed Yamcha at Jackie Chun. "Don't run your tab up any higher!"

"You have much more to pay for than I do son," asserted Jackie Chun to Yamcha. "Being mighty isn't being righteous,"

"Are we fighting or preaching?" asked Yamcha. "Well?"

"Come at me then," sighed Jackie Chun. "With all you've got!" he yelled.

"Ahh!" cried Yamcha as he burst into a sprint and rocketed towards Jackie Chun! "I'll finish this swiftly!"

"Go Yamcha!" cheered Bulma and Chi-Chi from the audience. "Woo!"

"Go me!" cheered Jackie Chu just a moment before Yamcha attempted to crash into him with an elbow strike! However, Jackie Chun countered the elbow strike by grabbing the elbow in hand and then horizontally rolling Yamcha into a throw! But Yamcha about-faced in the middle of that throw and then kicked Jackie Chun in the chin as he was flung away. "Gek!"

"What's the matter Roshi?" cackled Yamcha as he blasted himself into another charge by kicking the ground with just the tips of his toes! "Didn't expect to struggle?" he cooed as he arrived before Jackie Chun and then booted the elder into a backward skid.

"I didn't expect to hear this much yapping!" answered Jackie Chun as he bulked up and then cast off his shirt. "Brace yourself!" he shouted as he surged towards Yamcha!

"If you aim to beat me..." chuckled Yamcha as he caught a punch and then countered with a kick. "...you'd better employ that Max Power state!" he spat even as Jackie Chun ducked his kick and then gut punched him into doubling over.

"I am not Roshi!" insisted Jackie Chun as he followed up with an uppercut to Yamcha's jaw! "How's that‽"

"Yamcha!" cried Bulma and Chi-Chi as Yamcha backwardly hurtled. "Nnnooo!"

"It's alright," answered Yamcha as he dropped onto his feet and then lowered himself into his lupine stance. "That irksome relic would have the upper hand here, I admit, if I didn't have this!" he continued as the air around him was blow into a gale by the force of a spike in his ki!

"Jackie, look out!" cried Krillin in terror. "It's the Kamehameha!"

"No!" interjected Atticus and Goku in a scream. "That's-"

"Raijūgafūfūjinken (雷獣牙風風神拳, Thunder Beast-Fang Wind God Fist)!" chanted Yamcha as he assumed control over the electrons that surrounded him by imbuing his ki into those electrons!

"I-I-Is that my Thunder Shock Surprise‽" cried Jackie Chun as Yamcha armored his hands in claws of electrical ki and then rushed towards Jackie Chun. "Unbelievable, when did you-" 

"This battle is over!" declared Yamcha as he arrived before and assaulted Jackie Chun, attacking with bites of his electrical ki as he clawed at Jackie Chun! In response, Jackie Chun screamed in sheer terror and then vaulted over Yamcha. However, Yamcha about-faced in an instant and then electrocuted Jackie Chun as he seized Jackie Chun's ankle. As Yamcha's electrified ki conducted out of Yamacha's hands and into a course throughout Jackie Chun, Jackie Chun brightened and burned with the glow and heat of a lightning strike! "And that's that!" laughed Yamcha as he flailed Jackie Chun overhead and then slammed Jackie Chun face-first into the ground! "Give me a count, ref!" he demanded as Jackie Chun sizzled, sparked, and spasmed on the ground.

"That's awful..." bemoaned Krillin as the countdown started.

"...he did the same to Goku, did he not?" cooed Yamcha with a flex of his hands and a glimmer of his lightning. "Fairplay is what it is!"

"I admit that's fair," conceded Jackie Chun as he arose from the ground and into a stand. "But that's a dangerous technique," he warned as he about-faced towards Yamcha. "You can kill someone with that, Yamcha!"

"So it's alright for you to electrocute a kid, but it's a crime when I shock you?" asked Yamcha. "Fucking hypocrite!"

"You're missing the point!" huffed Jackie Chun. "These abilities that you're developing, that Rōgakiryūken and now this Raijūgafūfūjinken, they're harmful if not lethal!" he warned.

"That's the entire point," yawned Yamcha. "Martial arts is about power and power is techniques and transformations!" he insisted in a snarl. "It's easy for you to judge with that Max Power transformation of yours, but most of us can't transform, so we have to refine our techniques into weapons in order to stand a chance!" he argued in a howl. "In order to not fall behind damn it!"

"Martial arts is about improving lives and protecting the weak!" corrected Jackie Chun. "Making a point and taking a stand!" he continued. "You've become stronger, but you've become more wicked too, because you're crafting your techniques to kill rather than to protect!" he stressed. "You could have defeated that lad without dismembering him like that, but you didn't, because the fairness that you seek is fouling your-"

"Enough!" roared Yamcha as he altered the aura around each of his hands from claws into the fanged head of a wolf! "Rairōgafūfūjinken (雷狼牙風風神拳, Thunder Wolf-Fang Wind God Fist)!" he snarled as he struck at Jackie Chun!

"Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" screamed Jackie Chun as he armored himself in an aura of Kamehameha which deflected Yamcha's fist and lightning alike! All of the audience — competitors and spectators alike — gasped and gawked as Jackie Chun's aura broke through Yamcha's guard and thereby exposed Yamcha to the possibility of receiving the same thrashing that he had dealt to Tien! "But mercy..." sighed Jackie Chun as he dispelled his Kamehameha without so much as touching Yamcha, much less thrashing him. "...and restraint are the Turtle School Way," he stressed to Yamcha.

"Ahh..." uttered Yamcha as Jackie Chun about-faced and departed. "...what?" he uttered as Jackie Chun leapt out the ring. "Why? You! Hey you!" he cried in a rage. "I don't want your mercy!" he yelled. "Your pity!"

"God damn it, sorry Kami!" swore Turtle after Jackie Chun left the ring. "That son of a-"

"It has meaning!" insisted Puar to Turle. "Deep, philosophical-"

"It's lllaaammmeee!" complained Turtle. "And he's a lame motherfu-"

"He can do the Rōga?" gasped Goku after Jackie Chun's departure. "He's been holding back on us!" he laughed.

"I can do the Rōga?" questioned Jackie Chun himself as he left. "It appears that the Kamehameha has more to teach me," he chuckled. "How foolish of me to think myself its master, when i had yet to draw out its full potential!"

"A battle between Rōgas would have been enlightening," sighed Atticus as Yamcha departed from the ring in a rage. "But, although I didn't get to see and study the Rōga in action, I got to see another of that Yamcha's tricks!" he snarled. "To think he knows the Thunder Shock Surprise! There is absolutely no way that the Turtle Hermit taught that to him, so did he learn it through observation and recreation?" he wondered.

"You're so cool Yamcha!" crooned Chi-Chi as she rushed and seized Yamcha. "The coolest ever!"

"D'aww..." awed Bulma. "...Yamcha and his little sister are so sweet together," she laughed.

"I'm not touching that," huffed Oolong. "No sir. No way!" he refused.

"And with that..." gulped Atticus as he eyed Goku. "...it's finally time," he sighed.

"To face Goku!"

Chapter Text

"Chiaotzu, Goku, you're up!" called the announcer. "Come on in! The ring's fine!"

"Alright!" cheered Goku as he leapt onto the ring and then started to stretch. "Alright! Chiaotzu! Alright! Come on! Hurry up! Let's fight! Alright!" he excitedly yelled.

"Goku is stoked!" laughed Krillin at Goku's jubilation. "He really wants this fight it seems," he noted.

"Alright, alright..." chuckled Atticus as he climbed into the ring. "...I'm here, Goku!"

"Alright, alright!" cheered Goku as Atticus and him stared one another down. "I'm here too, Chiaotzu!"

"Are you ready?" asked the announcer as the audience crawled to the edge of their seats in anticipation. "I said, are you ready‽"

"What is this ambience?" growled Yamcha in his thoughts as clouds darkened the sky and roared with thunder! "This isn't even the finals!" he complained. "Damn Goku, hogging the spotlight!"

"Chiaotzu versus Goku, huh?"

"Gak!" cried Bulma and the others as they noticed the Turtle Hermit among them. "Wh-wh-where did you come from‽" questioned Bulma.

"The bathroom," lied the Turtle Hermit as he eyed Atticus and Goku with interest. "By my oh my, what strong youth," he mused.

"Are you ready‽"

"We're ready!" asserted Atticus and Goku as they both dropped into low stances. "Always ready!" laughed Goku. "Born ready!" cackled Atticus.

"Then begin!"

"Yah!" cried Atticus and Goku as they appeared at the center of the ring and cratered the ground underneath them, causing the entire ring to ripple like an ocean wave as they did so! Atticus and Goku clasped their hands together, pushed, and squeezed as their clash flung the announcer out of bounds and razed the ring into a ruin!

"You call that restraint‽" complained Yamcha as Atticus and Goku butted heads, frothed at their mouths, and strained themselves in their push to ram through one another! "You complain about m-"

"Quiet!" demanded the Turtle Hermit as Atticus and Goku backed off from one another with an instantaneous leap and a release of one another's hands. "And watch," he cooed as Atticus landed into a skip and Goku landed into a stance. "Amazing!"

"They're not doing any- ahh!" screamed Oolong as Atticus and Goku appeared before him and in a clash of forearms. Subsequently, Atticus backed into flight. While Goku kicked the sky itself in order to propel himself into a soar.

"Awaawaaa!" gasped Krillin as Atticus and Goku disappeared and reappeared, again and again, across the air and ring! "F-f-fast!" he screamed as Atticus and Goku dropped into the ring and then rushed one another.

"Ahahaa!" laughed Goku as Atticus blocked his punch and then countered with a lock! "This is the best!" he cheered as he headbutted Atticus into a stumble and then kicked Atticus skyward!

"Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, Five Strong Dodon Waves)!" chanted Atticus as he corrected his midair posture and then discharged a Dodon Ray from all 5 of his right hand's fingers!

"Kamehameha (亀破滅波, Turtle Destruction Wave)!" called Goku as he charged and fired a Kamehameha at the 5 Dodon Rays! However, as soon as the Kamehameha clashed with the 5 Dodon Rays, Goku detonated the Dodon Rays by detonating the Kamehameha!

"He exploited their explosive nature as a weakness‽" realized Atticus as Goku burst into a sprint and then rocketed towards him. "As fast a learner as always!" complimented Atticus as Goku and him clashed their fists with mutual punches. "You can do that thing, right‽" asked Atticus as he kicked Goku in the chin and then hammered Goku into a plummet. "Don't hesitate! Don't worry!" he demanded as he followed Goku with a plummeting soar!

"That thing?" asked Goku as he avoided an Atticus punch by ducking with his landing. Afterward, Goku erupted into a headbutt that impacted with Atticus stomach and launched Atticus skyward.

"Confusion? Or deception? Which is it?" wondered Atticus as he arose from his flight more than Goku's strike. "Goku can definitely perform the Rōga if Master Roshi could perform it," he theorized.

"Can you come down, I want to strike and wrestle!" asked Goku in a polite and serious tone, earning himself a laugh from Atticus as he did so. "Did you see a funny?"

"Alright!" agreed Atticus as he ceased to fly and dropped into a landing. "No running!" he shouted as Goku and him blurred into a flash and then rammed one another with their shoulders!

"That worked‽" cried Krillin and the Turtle Hermit in disbelief as Goku dropped into a leg sweep that actually managed to trip Atticus up. However, as he felled, Atticus leaned back and pointed his index fingers at Goku. This caused Goku to cringe in fear and then leap into a retreat rather than strike at Atticus while Atticus was vulnerable. "That worked‽" repeated Krillin and the Turtle Hermit as Atticus fell safely and then leapt onto his feet.

"Ahh..." gasped Goku as Atticus cackled and smirked at him. "...you got me!" he laughed.

"I am accustomed to dodging those with flight," admitted Atticus in a hum. "But I've adapted, so let's go!" he declared as he leapt into a pounce upon Goku! "Hiyaayaaa!" howled Atticus as he attacked Goku with a barrage of overhead punches, applying his fist's impact with the air or Goku himself as a means of overcoming gravity and remaining above Goku! At the same time, Goku backed closer and closer to the edge of the ring as he dodged and parried the punches!

"I got you!" exclaimed Goku as he caught Atticus's fist in his hands and then about-faced as he powerfully threw Atticus! However, after being thrown by Goku, Atticus kicked the air exactly like Goku did earlier and thereby ricochet himself into striking Goku with a tackle!

"Close!" hissed Bulma as Atticus and Goku became entangled with one another and randomly rolled across the ring. "So close!"

"Ha!" gasped Atticus and Goku as they both kicked one another in the gut and into rolls away from one another. "Man..." groaned Atticus and Goku as they arose into a stand. "...you're strong!" they admitted in a mutual snicker.

"Alright!" called Goku as he amassed his ki and arced his arms into the flourish of a Kamehameha. "Let's see you take this on!"

"It's a Kamehameha!" cried everyone in the stands as Goku...

...clenched his fists?

"No it's a Rōga!" claimed Krillin, the Turtle Hermit, and Yamcha as Goku channeled the energy of the Kamehameha into his feet and hands! However, Atticus disagreed with a shake of his head and then elevated an eyebrow at Goku.

"Sarugakiryūken (猿牙亀流拳, Monkey-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" chanted Goku as he accelerated himself into a ki-powered roller-skate by discharging a jet of the Kamehameha out of his feet!

"Saruga‽" cried the Turtle Hermit and Yamcha in disbelief as Goku blurred into a flash and then circled the ring as more of a light than a person!

"Fast!" gasped Atticus as Goku overwhelmed his senses with his skating speed. "Faster than the Rōga by far!"

"Ahahaahaaa!" cheered Goku as he skated straight towards Atticus and slammed a punch into Atticus' chest! At the same time, Goku augmented the power of his punch by discharging a jet of the Kamehameha out of his wrist!

"It's faster, yet safer too‽" grunted Atticus as Goku knocked him into a soaring streak and straight into 1 of the ring's statues! "Goku, by God, you really are..."

"...a genius," finished Krillin and the Turtle Hermit in a gulp.

"Is it over?" asked Goku as he halted his Saruga and skidded to a stop. "Aww..."

"I-I-I guess I should count," decided the announced. "One-"

"I'm alright!" asserted Attics as he arose from the debris of the statues and then cracked his neck. "Somehow," he admitted as blood collected in his mouth.

"But can you fight?" questioned the announced towards Atticus. In response, Atticus grinned and then leapt over the announce and over to Goku. "I guess he can folks! This battle continues!"

"Are you gonna do one too?" asked Goku of Atticus. "Because, if you don't, I think I'm going to win now," he warned.

"I can't believe I somehow underestimated Son, freaking, Goku!" chuckled Atticus as he accessed the energy of his psionics and began to apply that energy to his ki! "Don't worry, Goku, I'll face your Saruga with my Psyki (超能気 Chōnōki, "Supernatural Ki")!" he declared as he ascended his ki into psyki by energizing his ki with his telekinesis!

"It's that move!' cried Krillin as Atticus created psyki for the second time. "Goku!"

"It's alright though!" insisted Yamcha as Goku activated his Saruga for the second time. "Chiaotzu is definitely slower!" he cackled.

"No..." refuted the Turtle Hermit. "...being faster, by itself, may not be enough against that," he warned to his students. "He's combining his ki with another power!" he revealed.

"A-a-another power" questioned Yamcha. And then it clicked for him. "Chiaotzu's psychic powers!" he realized in a snarl. "He's been cheating with his innate, psychic powers this entire time!"

"Catch me if you can!" chuckled Goku as he began a run and then escalated that run into an extremely fast skate! As Goku circled the ring, the air followed Goku and consequently hastened into a tornado's winds!

"A-a-absolutely unbelievable!" laughed Yamcha as Goku caused gales worthy of a hurricane with his running speed alone! "You can't fight speed like that!" he insisted as Goku assaulted Atticus as a blur of motion, crashing a gale of wind into Atticus as he hit Atticus with a punch! However, Atticus endured the punch without an inch of movement or a meep of sound! "What‽" gasped Yamcha as Atticus adopted a guard and then began to block each and every last one of Goku's high-speed strikes without trouble!

"It's as if the brat is punching a steel wall!" commented Turtle as Atticus was blitzed with kicks and punches that pounded Atticus from head to toe! Goku flashed like lightning as he sped from strike to strike, but Goku didn't appear to be hitting like lightning at all!

"Guh-ow!" howled Goku as he harmed his hand with a punch to Atticus' face. "H-h-how are you so tough?" he questioned as he ceased his skating and skidded to a stop in the middle of the ring.

"Kotaichi no Henka (個体値の変化, Alteration of Individual Values)!" announced Atticus to Goku and in a cackle. "I am able to control my ki with my telekinesis as well as I am to control any other object with my telekinesis," he revealed as he caused a rock to float in the air and then dropped the rock into a plummet. "Because of that, my control over my ki trumps yours," he declared. "I am able to alter the effect of my ki with a thought, changing that effect from hardness to power or speed on a whim," he cooed.

"A-a-absolute control over ki‽" gasped the Turtle Hermit while Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha just blinked in confusion at Atticus' explanation. "I-i-incredible. Unbelievable!"

"Ahh, I'm getting hungry..." complained Goku as he began to tire and weaken. "...why am I so hungry?"

"The Kamehameha, the Rōgakiryūken, and your Sarugakiryūken are constant expenditures of ki," asserted Atticus to Goku. "As such, they are extremely expensive to maintain," he revealed. "Applying them liberally will quickly tire you," he warned.

"Ah-ah-ahh!" gasped Goku. "R-r-really?"

"Hey!" called Atticus into the stands. "Food please," he demanded.

"What? uttered the announcer at Atticus. "A-a-are you planning on feeding your opponent?" he questioned.

"I'll defeat him at his finest, not because I hunkered down and waited him out," huffed Atticus. "So food please!"

"H-h-he's giving Goku another chance to fight at his fullest‽" gasped Krillin. "Why‽"

"That damn show off!" spat Yamcha. "He's embarrassing Goku, mocking him!" he argued. "Don't take it Goku!"

"R-r-really?" gasped Goku at Atticus. "Are you serious?" he questioned.

"Of course," agreed Atticus as Bulma arrived with a bucket — an actual bucket — of ramen. "Enjoy,"

"Wow!" exclaimed Goku as he accepted and began to eat the ramen. "Thanks! You're the best!" he cheered.

"I-I-I didn't expect this folks, but then again, Chiaotzu and Goku have been full of nothing but surprises today!" shouted the announcer. "Although I don't think this should become a habit..."

"Alright, I can fight now!" declared Goku as he finished the ramen. "I can fix the Saruga too!" he insisted.

"I'm glad to hear that, but Goku, I have a secret technique too!" revealed Atticus in a cackle. "And it's even more powerful than my psyki!"

"What‽" gasped Krillin and Yamcha in surprise. "H-h-how?"

"I figured..." mused the Turtle Hermit. "...a student of that talent?" he sighed. "There is no way that the Crane Hermit didn't teach him that foolish technique," he spat.

"That foolish technique?" questioned Yamcha. "You don't mean..." he murmured. "...no!"

"Psykikōhō (サイ気功砲, Saikikōhō, Psychic Ki Cultivation Cannon)!" chanted Atticus as he applied his psyki to the energy of his life itself and then discharged the product as a projectile. Before Goku could react, a blast of cubical and enlivened psyki crashed into Goku and then began to drag Goku into an impact and rip through the ring's stone!

"Ahh!" cried Bulma and company as Atticus intensified the Psytri-Beam in order to push Goku closer and closer to the edge of the ring. "Goku!"

"Ro-Ro-Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" cried Goku as he armored himself in the Kamehameha and then grabbed the Psytri-Beam. "Haa!" he screamed as he curved the Psytri-Beam upward and then parried the Psytri-Beam into the sky! Afterward; Goku dispelled his Rōga, gritted his teeth, and then lunged into a pounce upon Atticus.

"Letting him eat was a mistake," admitted Atticus as Goku began to harry him with punches! "He's copying me too!" he noticed as Goku attacked the air as much as Atticus in order to remain aloft!

"Sarugakiryūken (猿牙亀流拳, Monkey-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" chanted Goku as he discharged a jet of Kamehameha from the heel of his foot and thereby kicked Atticus faster than Atticus could react and harder than Atticus could stomach! Afterward, Goku about-faced into another kick that he also empowered and hastened with the Sarugakiryūken!

"You got him on the ropes Goku!" cheered Yamcha as Goku's kick to Atticus' mouth removed teeth and threw Atticus into a whirl! Following that, Goku applied the Rōgakiryūken to rocket himself towards Atticus and then another Sarugakiryūken in order to punch Atticus face-first into the ring's stony surface! "Yeah!"

"He's applying it intermittently, rather than perpetually, in order to conserve energy without losing power or speed!" deduced Atticus as he dropped face-first into the ground and as the announcer began a count. "He's also combining the Rōgakiryūken and the Sarugakiryūken's strengths!" he noted. "He's forcing me to reveal my hand, huh?"

"I guess that's that," hummed Turtle Hermit as the announcer counted higher and higher. "He could have won, but he gave Goku too many chances," he lamented.

"As to be expected," sneered Yamcha. "There is no way that Goku was going to-"

"He's back on his feet!"

"Yay!" cheered Goku as Atticus arose into a stand. "What you got?" he asked, knowing that Atticus had more to show.

"Beating you at your best..." groaned Atticus as his arms stiffened. "...for the sake of Tien, I have to beat Yamcha and you at your best!" he declared as he divided the energy of his ki and psionics.

"Now what is he doing?" asked Oolong as Atticus applied an amount of his ki to his brain! "Wait..."

"Ch-Ch-Chōnōryoku!" cried Krillin as Atticus buffed the energy of his psionics and then applied that enhanced energy to his ki. "And psyki at the same time‽"

"It's nothing like a Super Saiyan, but even still, it call this little move my Super Psychic (スーパー サイ気ック, Sūpā Saikikku) technique!" laughed Atticus as he empowered himself to his limit. "As my brain becomes stronger, my psychic powers become stronger! And as my psychic powers become stronger, I can make my ki stronger!"

"Of course, because it cost ki to make my brain stronger..."

"...diminishing returns is a thing. As, eventually, the cost of ki is greater than the increase in power!"

"But that bridge will be crossed when that bridge is reached!" exclaimed Atticus in his thoughts as Goku and him dropped into their preferred stance. "For now let's finish this, Son Goku!"

"Really?" scoffed Yamcha as Atticus invisibly powered up. "A Super Psychic, really?"

"I don't know..." interjected Turtle. "...I like it," he decided.

"Are you even Turtle?" he questioned in a shout at the turtle. "Tch, Goku, take him out!" he yelled.

"Alright then, here I come, Chiaotzu!" announced Goku as he applied the Rōgakiryūken to burst into a dash towards Atticus! Afterward, Goku dispelled the Rōgakiryūken and then prepared another Sarugakiryūken!

"Come!" goaded Atticus as Goku approached him. "Son Goku!" he laughed as Goku arrived before and lashed out at him. However, as Goku attempted to punch Atticus, Atticus attacked Goku with his telekinesis! More specifically, Atticus altered Goku's angle a little and thereby caused Goku to miss his punch! At this point, Atticus attack the exposed Goku with a palm strike to the gut and then blasted Goku with a Gogododonpa!

"Ahh, no!" cried Bulma as the Dodon Rays carried Goku into the sky and then exploded into an ignition! "Nnnooo!"

"You bastard!" cried Yamcha as a burning Goku dropped out the Dodon Rays' smoke and then fell face-first into the ground and out the ring. "Goku!"

"H-h-hot, hot, hot!" complained Goku as he rolled and squirmed outside of the ring. "I'm burning! I'm on fire! Help!"

"Heh heh heh," cackled Atticus as firefighters and medics rushed to extinguish and tend to Goku. "Call the match?" asked Atticus of the announcer.

"Y-y-you can't!" interjected Yamcha as he leapt into the ring. "G-Goku couldn't lose! Not to a Chiaotzu! Not to you!" he spat at Atticus. "Y-you cheated! You used those psychic powers of yours!" he growled. "That isn't martial arts! That isn't technique!"

"They aren't illegal," asserted the announcer to Yamcha. "And they aren't anymore of an advantage than that ki power thing that you used," he argued.

"Ki and psychic powers are not the same!" screamed Yamcha. "Ki is earned, while psychic powers are just something that bloodsucking doll was born with!" he spat.

"Yamcha!" gasped Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Puar.

"He isn't a cheater," asserted Goku with a raise of his hand. "He didn't fly when he could have, he let me eat when he didn't have to, and he stopped using that super tough thing," he noted. "If anyone is the cheater, it's me!" he sighed. "I'm sorry for asking you not to fly," he apologized. "That wasn't very fair of me," he realized in hindsight.

"That's alright Goku," hummed Atticus. "I was happy to oblige, so don't worry about it,"

"See?" laughed Goku as he smiled towards Yamcha. "He's not a cheater, he's a good guy!"

"Don't be fooled Goku!" cried Yamcha. "This bastard isn't fighting fair!" he insisted. "It's not fair the he has ki and psychic powers too! While the rest of us-"

"Alrighty then, how about this, I'll defeat you..." began Atticus in a snarl.

"...with no psychic powers at all!"

"E-e-excuse me‽" growled Yamcha with bared teeth. "You? A mere Chiaotzu! Defeat me? Without your psychic powers‽" he roared. "As if!"

"Then you accept my challenge, you dastard‽" shouted Atticus at Yamcha. "You ready to scrap‽"

"Fine then!" agreed Yamcha in a snarl. "Battle me! Mano-a-mano! No psychic powers! Only ki and muscles and real talent!" he insisted.

"Yamcha, you coward, that's not fair!" interjected Krillin in a scream. "Face him at his full power you two-faced snake!"

"What did you just call me‽" asked Yamcha of Krillin with a glare. "Do you want to fight me too, Krillin‽"

"Your battle is with me!" shouted Atticus, causing the announcer to be flung out the ring by the fury of his ki! "You fake Yamcha!"

"As you wish!" howled Yamcha as as he clad his hand in electricity, prompting Goku to retreat from the ring. "Raijūgafūfūjinken (雷獣牙風風神拳, Thunder Beast-Fang Wind God Fist)!" he chanted as he crafted the electricity into claws and then slashed at Atticus!

"Darling, please, he just finished a bout!" begged Chi-Chi as Atticus began to duck and weave Yamcha's electrical slashes. "Let him rest a little, please!"

"Darling?" parroted Bulma with a blink. "Wait a minute..."

"My attacks are far greater than yours!" asserted Yamcha as he clawed at and pursued Atticus. "Only a single strike and you'll-"

"To high!" declared Atticus as he avoided a clawing and electrocution by dropping into a float under Yamcha's waist. Subsequently, Atticus back-flipped and flew into a kick that struck Yamcha's chin! Afterward, Atticus erupted into a flight forward and thereby lunged into a punch which struck Yamcha in the gut! "Your concentration on containing those electrons..." continued Atticus as he avoided another electric slash by ducking into a flight between Yamcha's legs! Afterward. Atticus elbowed Yamcha in the spine and then flew into a grab of Yamcha's hair! "...leaves you open!" he yelled as he pulled Yamcha off the ground and then threw Yamcha into a whirl!

"Wow!" cheered Goku and Krillin as Yamcha flailed and hurtled and then impacted with a nearby statue! "He flies so well!" exclaimed Goku.

"Yeah," agreed Krillin. "And I fought that," he bragged. "Unlike someone here,"

"Ahh..." uttered Goku at the flex. "...uhh, I-I'll fight it next time!" he huffed.

"That attack doesn't scare me Yamcha," cooed Atticus as Yamcha dropped to his feet and then pushed himself off the stature. "And it won't strike me," he promised.

"Oh really?" huffed Yamcha as he altered his claws into the heads of wolves! "Let's test that theory, Rairōgafūfūjinken (雷狼牙風風神拳, Thunder Wolf-Fang Wind God Fist)!" he chanted as the electrical heads of wolves rocketed away from his hands and straight towards Atticus.

"What?" gasped Atticus as bodies elongated from the heads and then crashed into sprints towards Atticus. As such, Atticus came to be circled by a duo of electrical wolves! "They detach‽"

"Sanjūgafūfūjinken (三重牙風風神拳, Triple-Fang Wind God Fist)!" chanted Yamcha as each of his electrical wolves arced into a bolt of lightning and then lunged into a pounce upon Atticus! In response, Atticus ducked under 1 of the wolves and then leapt over the 2nd wolf. However, as Atticus focused on the wolves, Yamcha closed the distance and then electrically mauled Atticus with a double palm strike to Atticus' chest! "Yes!" he cheered as his attack both electrocuted Atticus and knocked Atticus into a backwards skid. At the same time, the electrical wolves howled and then struck Atticus with synchronized tackles! "And now I'll finish the job with my Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" declared Yamcha as he armored himself in an aura of the Kamehameha and then blasted himself into a flying jump kick aimed at the electrically paralyzed Atticus' forehead!

"Dodonpa (どどん波, Dodon Wave)," exclaimed Atticus as he discharged a Dodon Ray from his index finger and then swerved that Dodon Ray away from the ground and into Yamcha's chest!

"Wh-wh-what‽" cried Yamcha as his aura of the Kamehameha broke on impact with the Dodon Ray! Subsequently, as the Dodon Ray crashed into and scorched Yamcha, Yamcha heaved from the pain and then retched as he was tossed into a tumble!

"You believed I couldn't fire a Dodon Ray while electrified into paralysis?" cackled Atticus as he recovered from his electrocution at Yamcha's hands. "Or did you forget that the Dodon Ray is superior to the Kamehameha?" he cooed as he ceased to smolder and his numbness resided. "Whether it's an aura or a beam, a Kamehameha is a Kamehameha," asserted Atticus as Yamcha clutched at his chest and struggled to stand. "And thus at a disadvantage against a piercing Dodon Ray rather than the scorching one that I use when I'm holding back,"

"H-h-he beat the Rōga that simply‽" gasped Krillin as Yamcha clenched his fists and quivered with rage. "That's it then," he decided. "The match is settled!"

"A-a-as if!" refuted Yamcha in a snarl. "I can defeat you with or without the Rōga!" he insisted as he captured electrons within his ki! "Rairō-" he began, but then Atticus blasted 1 of his hands with a Dodon Ray! "Ahh!" he screamed as his blasted and now blistered hand was ignited by the Dodon Ray! At the same time, the captured electricity conducted into the flames and then shocked Yamcha! "Aughaaaaa!"

"Without a foundation of observation, speed, and strength..." huffed Atticus as Yamcha seethed and writhed. "...even the most powerful of techniques are useless," he sneered. "I know that Dragon Ball has taught you that Yamcha," he cooed.

"Sh-sh-shut up!" snarled Yamcha. "Y-y-you're a Chiaotzu! Just a Chiaotzu! You're not better than me!" he spat. "You're not stronger than me!" he wheezed. "Damn you! You're lucky the Dodon Ray can counter the Kamehameha!" he whined.

"Alright, how's this, no Dodon Rays?" offered Atticus to Yamcha. "I'll beat you without the Dodon Ray and my Psychic Powers!" he promised. "And I'll abstain from flying too!" he snickered.

"Eh‽" cried everyone in the stands at Atticus' suggestion.

"H-h-he wouldn't, would he‽" gasped Oolong. "He's already at a disadvantage with no psychic powers and no rest!" he noted. "If he handicaps himself any further, there's no way that he'll win!"

"Don't do it Chiaotzu!" begged Krillin. "Don't be stupid!"

"You really think you can beat me like that!" howled Yamcha as he armored himself in the blue of his Kamehameha and then burst into a destructive flight towards Atticus. "Alright then, take this, Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!"

"You haven't realized that technique's weakness yet‽" roared Atticus as Yamcha closed in on him. "Ha!" shouted Atticus as he channeled his ki into the air in order to blow that air into gales and straight towards Yamcha!

"A kiai‽" gasped Yamcha as the air clashed with his aura of the Kamehameha and then detonated that aura with their impact, causing the aura to exploded upon and mangled Yamcha! "Auguhaghauahuaaaaaa!"

"Oh my kami," gasped Turtle as Yamcha crashed at Atticus' feet and fell into the infamous pose. "I may be a goddamn turtle, but this guy?" he snorted. "This guy is a scrub!"

"Goku and Krillin countered my Dodon Rays by detonating them with their Kamehameha," cooed Atticus to Yamcha. "An aura of the Kamehameha is strong but volatile Yamcha," he scoffed. "It's able to be detonated just as the Kamehameha is able to be detonated," he revealed. "As an ambush tactic, or a last resort, it's useful," he admitted. "But it's no Super Saiyan," he snorted.

"D-d-damn you!" coughed Yamcha as he arose into a kneel but failed to force himself into a stand, even as the announcer began a countdown! "I-I-I dedicated months to refine that!" he screamed at Atticus. "A-and Goku and Krillin just ruin it for me? Just like that? In less than day‽" he complained. "Th-th-th-that's not, that's not fair!"

"I battled Goku and Krillin with everything that I had..." growled Atticus at Yamcha. "...I embraced and learned from our rivalry!" he hissed. "You rejected a rivalry with Tien, while I accepted the challenge presented to me and evolved, because I am an actual fighter while you are a mere pretender!" he spat towards Yamcha. "Without being challenged, without facing failures and hardships and struggles, you'll never reach the top Yamcha!" he yelled.

"Y-y-you believe you can compete with the namekians and saiyans and all the shit that is to come‽" wheezed Yamcha. "You believe it matters if you train or whatever‽" he yelled. "E-e-enjoy this time while you can, you fool!" he gurgled as blood pooled in his mouth. "B-b-because it's ephemeral! E-e-eventually, all Earthlings like us, we'll become irrelevant and you know it!" he laughed.

"You believed you could, didn't you?" asked Atticus in return. "Isn't that why you invented these new techniques?" he questioned.

"..."

"You believed in your potential and power, you exhibited faith in yourself, but you succumbed to temptation and terror," continued Atticus. "Afraid of irrelevance, and fearing the inevitability of the narrative, you coped with an indulgence in vice and thus fell into petty villainy," he sighed. "I hope you learn a lesson and right your ways..." he hummed. "...but, for justice's sake, I must punish you," he declared.

"Wh-wh-what are y-you going to do to me?" asked Yamcha as Atticus floated over to and then towered over him. "Y-you're not going to kill me, right? Right‽" he sniffed.

"As if I'd let you off that easy," cooed Atticus as he connected Bulma, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, and his minds together. "I'm exposing you," he announced as Bulma, Chi-Chi, and him learned the extent of Yamcha's improprieties and infidelities! "And allow those you cheated and preyed on to decide your fate," he cackled as he dropped into a gentle landing and then wandered off, having already attained the championship by countdown.

"Eh?" squeaked Yamcha as Bulma and Chi-Chi glared at and stalked towards him with weapons in hand! "N-no! Not this! Anything but this! Ah! Ahh! Aaahhh-"

❧ ❧ ❧

"Don't forget your dragon ball and power pole Goku," called Atticus after Bulma and Chi-Chi beat the every-living shit out of Yamcha and the medics haulted Yamcha off to the hospital.

"Oh!" gasped Goku. "Right, thanks!" he giggled as he ran to seize his thing.

"Chiaotzu, now that the Crane Hermit has abandoned Tien and you, what do you intend to do?" asked the Turtle Hermit as Goku and Krillin procured the 4-star dragon ball and power pole. "Where do you intend to go?"

"Tien doesn't know that yet, so I can't say at the moment," hummed Atticus. "I'll have to see how Tien reacts to the news," he elaborated. "Also, of course, I'll be busy ensuring the recovery of Tien from what Yamcha did to him," he added.

"I see..." mused the Turtle Hermit. "...well, after you've informed and taken care of Tien, both of you should consider coming to my isle to train in the Turtle School," he offered. "For there is much potential within you,"

"I doubt that Tien would accept this offer, but I'll consider it for myself and give it to him," answered Atticus to the Turtle Hermit. "Thank you," he added with a bow.

"Alright, it's best that we eat and rest," asserted the Turtle Hermit. "That's the best way to recover from a fight after all," he claimed.

"Krillin and I will have to make up for Tien and probably Yamcha's absence," mused Atticus as everyone else left and made their plans. "I believe I ensured Krillin's survival..." he hummed as he noted that Goku had both his 4-star dragon ball and the power pole this time around. "...which I hope does not interfere in the Saiyan Saga's progression into the Namek Saga," he gulped. "Either way though, because of Yamcha, Tien's redemption has hit a snag," he groaned. "Dissuading him from enacting revenge upon Yamcha will be difficult," he sighed. "If not impo-"

"Hey, umm, hello?"

"Hello?" called Atticus as he about-faced towards the call and beheld a girl. The girl appeared to be around Chi-Chi, Goku, Krillin, and his actual age. That is; instead of appearing as a midget tweenager like Atticus as Chiaotzu, Goku, and Krillin; she appeared as a 15-year-old freshman in high school. In addition; the girl exhibited azure and shoulder-length hair, blue-grey eyes, and marred yet porcelain skin. And the girl was dressed in a carmine and fur-lined tube top, a pair of elbow-length, fingerless, and fur-lined gloves; a pair of carmine and fur-lined hot pants, and a pair of fur-lined and thigh-high boots.

As Atticus eyed and frowned at the girl, the girl scrutinized Atticus and then smiled with a smoothness and strength that Atticus had not seen since before his reincarnation as Chioatzu. "Are you the boy that won the tournament?" asked the girl at a dawdling pace and with an ingenuous tilt of her head. Atticus blinked at the question and then frowned further. Atticus could not identify the lass, yet Atticus felt a mote of recognition. "Hello?"

"I am," confirmed Atticus in a quick and sharp tone. Although as he remembered Tambourine, he immediately regretted that response. "Why?" he questioned as he applied his ki to sharpen his senses and scanned his surroundings with this telepathy. At the moment, while exhausted and injured, Atticus could not afford to be ambushed by any of King Piccolo's demonic and mutant Namkeians. Actual, even at his full health and power, Atticus couldn't discern if his strength surpassed Tambourine. After all, Goku defeated Tambourine after a fall and presumed Zenkai. As such, considering Goku and his relative strength, it's likely that Goku and him were equal to or even weaken than Tambourine. And unlikely that Goku and him were already stronger than Tambourine.

"I believe they said that you won..." began the girl in a giggle. "...10,000,000 zeni for your victory?" she asked, earning her a glare of suspicion.

"It's five hundred thou..." began Atticus, but then he blinked as he checked the zeni noticed that it was 10,000,000 instead of 500,000! "...yes, it's ten million," he confirmed as it dawned on him that he ignored the announcer for most of the tournament and thus missed the reward's shift in size. This alarmed Atticus, but more than that, it confused him. How? When? Why?

"You're absolutely loaded then!" cheered the girl, causing Atticus to cease his rumination and focus on the situation. "In that case, uhh, do you think you can afford to let me tag along with you?" she questioned, causing a click to ring in Atticus' head and Atticus' frown to drop into a gawk. Although Atticus considered the existence of filler, Atticus didn't expect it. After all, the concepts in fanfiction didn't exist in this world. So why would the concepts of filler exist in it? Yet before Atticus was a beautiful, blue-eyed, and blue-haired gold-digger of an ingénue...

...an anime extra, a filler among the filler, Maron!

"Pretty please?" begged Maron as if persuading a stranger was that simple. Atticus and Maron had yet to introduce themselves to one another, yet Maron expected Atticus to let her stay and travel with him?

Unbelievable.

"Why?" asked Atticus with a deeper frown than usual. "Just why?" he genuinely questioned.

"My boyfriend dumped me for this lady named wife," answered Maron in a coquettish laugh. "So I'm stranded and stuff," she explained in a hum.

"She's already boyfriend-hopping?" awed Atticus. "As a teenager? What?" he realized. "Does she just not have a home then?" he wondered. "Her boyfriend was cheating with her, so was she a mistress or prostitute or something?" he groaned as he pondered the possibilities.

"Do you have anyone or anyplace to go to?" asked Atticus with a rub of his temple. "I can take you the-"

"Not really," answered Maron with a blink. "At least I can't remember or think of anyone," she clarified. "Anyone that tolerates and wants me,"

"Damn it," swore Atticus with a grimace at Maron's words. "Before any of King Piccolo's demon clansmen find Tien, I need to heal Tien with a senzu, so I don't have time for this!" he growled to himself. "She'll get in the way, slow me down, I can't just leave her stranded and vulnerable," he decided in an internal sigh. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

"You can come with me," agreed Atticus in a deep sigh. "I am Atticus," he continued. And then he blinked. "I mean Chiaotzu," he corrected. "My name is Chiaotzu, what's yours?"

"Maron!" answered Maron, confirming Atticus' guess as she did so. "And thank you!" she cheered with a raise of her arms and a spin.

"Goku-like," mused Atticus as he noted Maron's childishness and straightforwardness. "She can probably ride the flying nimbus," he theorized. "Alright, for now, I'll levitate you," he decided next.

"Eh?" uttered Maron. "Levi-ahh!" she cried as Atticus applied his telekinesis to her and then lifted her overhead. "I-I-I'm floating‽"

"I am going to share that telekinesis with you," added Atticus as he applied his telepathy to bestow Maron with a share of his telekinesis and understanding. By doing so, Atticus allowed Maron to control her flight herself.

"I'm flying?" gasped Maron as she circled an empty space with her soar. "Wow!"

"Maybe I'll buy a car," considered Atticus as he ascended into flight himself. "First I need to see, and hopefully talk with, Tien," he decided in his mind. "Come Maron," he ordered as he flew out the stadium with Maron in tow.

Chapter Text

May 8th, of Age 753

"I'm sorry,"

"It is not me..." huffed Atticus as Yamcha dragged himself into the hospital room that Maron, Tien, and him were in. "...whom you need to apologize to," he snarled.

"B-be reasonable!" shouted Yamcha. "H-h-how am I suppose to apologize to Tien while he's in a coma‽" he yelled.

"I am being reasonable," asserted Atticus in a snort. "The fact is that you harmed Tien," he growled. "As such, your expression of regret has to be made to Tien," he stressed. "Otherwise-"

"Alright, fine, I get it!" interjected Yamcha. "How can I help Tien?" he murmured next.

"We have few options and even less time," began Atticus in a hum. "Already there are disappearances throughout the world," he revealed in a sigh. "He's begun his reign of terror,"

"The Great Demon King..." whimpered Yamcha. "...Piccolo," he groaned. "So soon?"

"In accordance with the manga," cooed Atticus. "We both knew this,"

"I, uhh, I mean..." stuttered Yamcha. "...I didn't think things through okay‽" he confessed in a yell. "I didn't want to get hurt like that! To have my leg snapped in two! I just wanted to win for once! To not be Yamcha!" he sniffed. "I wasn't thinking about the fucking Demon King at the time!" he stressed. "It wasn't my intention to remove Tien from the equation!" he yelled.

"Calm yourself," demanded Atticus in a sigh. "What's done is done," he insisted. "We're here now, so let's live in the now," he urged.

"F-f-fine," agreed Yamcha. "Our options, uhh, perhaps a senzu bean?" he suggested. "We can go to Korin's Tower and retrieve a senzu for Tien!"

"I considered that," admitted Atticus. "But that's a long trip," he bemoaned. "I fear for the safety of Tien while I am gone," he elaborated. "Considering, you know, Tambourine," he warned.

"C-c-can we defeat him?" asked Yamcha of Atticus. "Do you think we can defeat that monster?"

"I fear he'd kill us," answered Atticus in a groan. "In the anime at least, Goku lost to Tambourine," he noted. "But endured, returned, and then trounced him," he continued. "I can't determine if we're relative to or surpassed by that Goku that surpassed Tambourine through a zenkai..." he sighed. "...but I am certain that, in the manga at least, Goku could have defeated Tambourine if Tambourine had not destroyed the nimbus," he added.

"So if it's the anime Tambourine, we're fucked!" growled Yamcha with a look at Maron. "While if it's the manga Tambourine, he's as fucked as Maron!" he halfheartedly laughed.

"What?" uttered Maron as she redirected her attention away from the TV and towards Yamcha. "What was that?"

"Mind your tongue Yamcha," demanded Atticus of his fellow fighter. "In Maron and my presence, you'll respect Maron, understand?" he stressed.

"Fine," agreed Yamcha without argument. "But if she is the Maron I think she is, the Maron from the Garlic Junior filler arc, that means..." he continued in a gulp.

"...we are dealing with the anime and stronger Tambourine," finished Atticus in Yamcha's stead. "And thus are dead men walking," he huffed.

"Alright, how is this, we buy a flying recreational vehicle..." began Yamcha. "...a hoverhome they call it," he elaborated. "In order to ferry Maron and Tien as we fly to Korin's Tower," he finished.

"You're alright with that?" asked Atticus with a blink. "You earned that zeni," he asserted. "You at least-"

"Can do this to atone for what I did to Tien," interjected Yamcha. "We combine our earnings to purchase a reliable and sizable vehicle," he elaborated. "Because comfort and stability for Tien is vital," he noted.

"It's a good plan," complimented Atticus. "Let's do it," he urged.

"Also, after the bean heals Tien, we attempt to contact Kami," added Yamcha. "And see if he lets us use the Room of Spirit and Time!" he chimed.

"We need to save that for the androids," argued Atticus. "Or maybe the saiyans?" he considered. "No..." he murmured. "...for Namek," he decided. "After we defeat Nappa and Vegeta, we'll enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in order to train for Namek," he declared.

"Are we even going to Namek though?" he questioned. "When it comes to Nappa and Vegeta, I intend to survive!" he spat.

"As do I..." admitted Atticus.

"...which means that, unless Piccolo dies in that fight, there will be no need to go to Namek!" laughed Yamcha. "There will be no need to fight Frieza and his men!"

"But without Namek, there is no Super Saiyan," asserted Atticus. "And without the Super Saiyan transformations, we can't defeat the androids," he warned.

"We can find and kill Gero right the fuck now," argued Yamcha. "And we should," he asserted. "Before his creations and him hurt and kill a lot of people!"

"Alright but what about Majin Buu?" asked Atticus. "What if Babidi arrives here with Dabura but no Super Saiyan 2?" he cooed.

"We're fucked," admitted Yamcha. "But, damn it, I don't like Super Saiyan!" he complained.

"Yes you do," laughed Atticus. "You don't like that you can't have it yourself," he snickered.

"That's true," grumbled Yamcha. "Ugh,"

"We can't handle the Hyperbolic Time Chamber yet anyway," added Atticus to the conversation. "So we go to Fortuneteller Baba instead," he cooed.

"Huh? What? Why?" asked Yamcha. "What can she do for us?"

"Conjure a deceased, Namekian elder to help us," answered Atticus. "We earn a favor from her and have her summon a Namekian elder to unlock our potential," he revealed.

"Th-th-that's ingenious!" exclaimed Yamcha. "We'll become so strong!" he laughed. "Yes!"

"I had hoped that awakening Tien's potential would provide Tien with the capabilities that the Crane Hermit's corruptive training and evil upbringing stole from him," murmured Atticus. "But even if it does not, I am sure that he'll appreciate the increase in progress and power," he cackled.

"Then we have a plan," hummed Yamcha. "We buy the hoverhome, get the beans for TIen, defeat Fortuneteller Baba's fighters in order to have our potential unlocked, and then kill the shit out of those demonic-ass, mutant, Namekian fucks!" he summarized.

"Are we going somewhere?" asked Maron with a look over to Atticus. "And you said something about an RV, right?" she continued in a hum. "A boyfriend of mine loved those!"

"Do you know the place that he purchased them from?" asked Atticus with a blink. "Can you take Yamcha there?"

"M-m-me?" gasped Yamcha. "Why me‽" he hissed. "Do you have any idea what Bulma, Chi-Chi, and my other women will do to me if they see me with-"

"I have to stay with Tien," explained Atticus in a huff. "And an injured Tien and an injured Yamcha are begging to be found and killed by Tambourine if they're both in the hospital used by the World Martial Arts Tournament," he huffed. "It's already dangerous for me and Tien to be here, but for Tien and you to be here without me is suicidal," he sighed.

"An alone and injured Yamcha is also easy prey though!" argued Yamcha. "I'll be found and killed!"

"He can't detect your ki, because he doesn't know your ki," countered Atticus. "And though he may have your face, all you need to do is hide it," he stressed. "An alone and injured Yamcha is easy pickings, yes, but an alone and injured nobody will be ignored," he cooed. "Disguise yourself, follow Maron's lead, keep a low profile, and purchase the RV," directed Atticus. "Simple, yes?"

"Easy for you to say!" complained Yamcha. "But fine," he relented. "It's a risk, but a risk is better than a sure thing," he sighed. "And that bastard is destined to find and kill us if we do nothing,"

"I know the place!" chimed Maron as soon as Atticus and Yamcha finished quibbling. "And, if there is going to be 4 of us, I know just the model that we need too!" she giggled.

"Let's buy for bigger," urged Atticus. "In case of guests, tagalongs, or visitors," he elaborated. "It's not as if we're disposing of it after the mission after all," he noted.

"Alright!" agreed Maron. "Maybe for 6, no, 8!" she suggested. "I know an 8-man hoverhome that is just pppeeerrrfffeeecccttt for this!"

"Excellent," cooed Atticus. "Then I'll leave this to Yamcha and you," he hummed.

"Yes!" cheered Maron. "Leave it to us!"

"Yay?" uttered Yamcha as Atticus handed the zeni to him. "Alone on a shopping trip with a beautiful girl, how did Dragon Ball manage to make this a nightmare?" he wondered as Maron and him departed from the hospital room.

❧ ❧ ❧

"So far, so good..." cooed Yamcha — whom had artfully disguised himself with the biggest-ass kasa hat that he could find — as Maron and him departed from a dealership and into a parking lot.

"Maron!"

"...or not good," groaned Yamcha as a giant of a man — around the height of 5 Krillins and the width of 3 Krillins, and clothed in naught but boots and underwear — crashed in front of Maron and him, cratering the ground as he did so and launching the nearby vehicles into tumbles! After the arrival of the man, Maron blinked in confusion. While the man awaited recognition. "Who the fuck are you?" asked Yamcha after an entire minute of waiting for the man and Maron to say something.

"Tell him Maron!" demanded the man of Maron. "Tell him who you belong to!"

"Uhh..." uttered Maron with another blink. "...Anthony?"

"It's Antoine!" corrected the man in a shout. "Antoine the Great!" he declared.

"Anthony the Great‽" gasped Yamcha. "That Andre the Giant wannabe‽" he questioned.

"You wanna be crushed‽" hissed Anthonyoine at Yamcha. "Keep shit-talking and I'll stomp you!" he warned.

"What do you want Anderson?" asked Maron before Antoine and Yamcha could escalate the situation. "You can keep or throw away my things if that is what this is about," she huffed.

"You bitch!" swore Andersontoine. "You think you can leave me, Antoine the Great, after all the money I've spent on you‽"

"What are you talking about?" huffed Maron. "You kicked me out that house, you dumped me, remember?" she spat.

"You dated Andrew the Great?" asked a confused but curious Yamcha. "How?" he questioned. "You're, like, 15 right?" he noted. "Maybe even 14? How did you even get in this situation?"

"Dad," answered Maron in a huff, inflicting Yamcha with immediate and profound regret as she did so. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?" spluttered Yamcha. "It's obvious what! What the fuck! That's what!"

"Shut up!" spat Andrewtoine at Maron. "Don't talk back to me!" he yelled as he reached for Maron. However, before he could seize Maron, Yamcha clawed into 1 of his finger and then dragged him into a lift overhead. "What‽"

"What do you mean..." grunted Yamcha as he applied his ki to lash Amberntoine overhead and then slam Andytoine face-first into a monster truck! "...what?" scoffed Yamcha as Antonioine's sheer mass and size squashed the monster truck into a flat sheet! "Didn't you fight in the prelims of the World Martial Arts Tournament?" he remembered as he dragged Anastasiatoine off the truck and then flung Ansleytoine into an embedment within the dealership's wall! "You lost to Krillin! What did you think was going to happen if you picked a fight with me‽" he sneered.

"Can we go now?" asked Maron in a grumble. "Like, right now?"

"We can go whenever and wherever you want," answered Yamcha. "Although don't quote that to Chiaotzu," he added quickly.

"Can I drive?" asked Maron in a gasp. "Pretty please?"

"Absolutely," agreed Yamcha. "Because I don't know how t-"

"You..."

"What?" uttered Maron and Yamcha as they about-faced in time to see Andreastoine pushed himself out of the dealership's wall!

"...what do you mean, what‽" growled Anditoine as he became green, grew in size, and sprouted the antenna of a slug from his head! "I am not Anthony, Anderson, Andrew, Amber, Andy, Antonio, Anastasia, Ansley, or Andreas!" he howled as he became taller than the dealership itself and towered over Maron and Yamcha! "I am Antoine the Great, and I'll crush you flat!" declared Antoine as he bent into a deep lean and then lashed at Maron and Yamcha with an open palm! As Antoine's hand hit an area of the lot's pavement, Antone's hand fragmented that area of pavement into a fusillade of rocky shrapnel!

"How in the King of the Worlds?" cried Yamcha as he deflected the entirety of the fusillade with a burst of his fastest punches! Afterward, Yamcha grabbed Maron and then leapt over Antoine's rock-shattering swipe!

"Coward!" cried Antoine as Yamcha landed into sprint away from him. "Face me!"

"I ain't running!" shouted Yamcha as he arrived at Atticus, Maron, and his hoverhome. At this point; Yamcha allowed Maron to drop onto her feet, nodded reassuringly at Maron, and then sped towards Antoine!

"Be crushed!" laughed Antoine as his foot ascended over the dealership's roof and then dropped into a plummeting stomp towards Yamcha! "Ahahaahaaa!"

"Gah!" cried Yamcha as Antoine's foot caught him in its descent and embedded him face-first into the ground! "F-f-fuck that hurts!" he swore as Antoine crushed him further and further into the pavement. "Get off me!" he demanded as he armored himself in an aura of the Kamehameha and then blasted Antoine's foot with enough force to push Antoine into a trip!

"Wh-wh-what the?" exclaimed Antoine as he crushed the dealership with his fall onto it. As Antoine crushed the dealership, a billow of debris exploded into the lot and formed a fog of soot!

"Rairōgafūfūjinken (雷狼牙風風神拳, Thunder Wolf-Fang Wind God Fist)!" chanted Yamcha as he appeared before Antoine and then discharged each of his dual and electrical wolves into a pounce upon 1 of Antoine's eyes! As the electrical wolves conducted into Antoine's eyes and evaporated the liquid within, Antoine clawed at his face and howled in pain! During this time, Yamcha descended into a plummet towards Antoine's face and thereby kicked in Antoine's nose with a powerful stomp! Afterward, as Antoine prodded and pulled on the indentation where his nose used to be, Yamcha backflipped through the air and then landed atop a car carrier trailer.

"Wh-wh-what's your deal, your problem with me, ya bastard‽" howled Antoine as a bloody mist erupted from his sizzling eyes like steam from a geyser! At the same time, in a fit of rage, Antoine dropped the entirety of his enormity into a swipe at Yamcha! "Aren't we the same‽"

"Yes!" agreed Yamcha as he grabbed Antoine's giant hand by the oversized palm and then halted Antone's swipe with a push and a stomp that totaled the car carrier trailer! "And that's my problem!" he admitted as he applied his Raijūgafūfūjinken to electrocute Antoine into a seizure-like spasm! "Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" he screamed as he cast aside Antoine's hand and then clad himself in the cerulean ki of his Kamehameha! Subsequently, Yamcha erupted into a flight towards the falling Antoine and then kicked Antoine square in the chin! As Yamcha blasted Antoine's chin with a Kamehameha-powered kick, Antoine arose into a backflip and then somersaulted through South City. Afterward, building after building was bisected into a roof-less ruin as Antoine rolled over and smashed through them!

"Ahh, ahhhhh, aaaaaahhhhhh!" screamed Antoine as he barreled through and demolished South City's structures. "H-h-how could I lose‽ E-even with this power! Ahh, aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" he cried as he careened face-first into a skyscraper with a spherical top and then dropped back-first onto another parking lot.

"Oh shit!" swore Yamcha as Maron and him beheld the destruction that Antoine and Yamcha's fight had wrought upon South City. "W-w-we should go!" asserted Yamcha to Maron and in a gulp of terror. "N-now!"

"Okay!" chimed Maron as Yamcha hopped into their hoverhome with her and then slammed the door shut. "What do you want to listen to on our way to Papaya Island?" she asked as she flew Yamcha and her off the lot and into the sky!

"Ave Satanus!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"I asked you to keep a low profile..."

"Alright, hear me out, all of that wasn't my-"

"...and you destroy South City‽" asked Atticus with a frown and growl and a point at the TV. "King Piccolo and Tambourine definitely know where we are now!" he snapped.

"No one could recognize me!" assured Yamcha. "I wore a hat!" he stressed. "The biggest hat!"

"It was the biggest hat," confirmed Maron. "The biggest that I've ever seen," she declared.

"Ha!" giggled Yamcha. "That's what she- actually that doesn't work here," he sighed.

"Oh my Tien," groaned Atticus. "Alright, Yams, look at this," he sighed as he rewound the news.

"What?" asked Yamcha as Maron and him eyed the news. "What is it?"

"What do you mean, what?" huffed Atticus. "Doesn't he look like, I don't know, a Namekian to you‽" he questioned in a shout.

"Oh!" exclaimed Yamcha. "Oh shit," he swore. "I-I-I didn't even notice!" he yelled with a grab and pull of his hair. "Ahh! What the fuck? Ahh!"

"Even worse, check this out!" insisted Atticus as Antoine coughed up a cracked egg and then reverted to his usual appearance and size. "I believe that egg came from King Piccolo," he theorized. "And that it corrupted and empowered An-whatever with that power to transform," he whistled.

"N-n-no way!" gasped Yamcha as he rewind and rewatched the news again and again and again. "Th-there is just no way!" he spat. "That guy, Annabelle..."

"You know that's not his name,"

"...he fought in the World Martial Arts Tournament!" asserted Yamcha. "Th-th-at m-m-means he is on the k-kill list, right? Right‽" he spluttered. "That means King Piccolo would kill him, not transform him!" he stressed.

"Yes," agreed Atticus. "But no," he groaned. "Something has changed," he stressed.

"Maybe it's a coincidence?" considered Yamcha. "That Dragon Quest villain, Nimzo, he also looked like a Namekian!" argued Yamcha. "M-maybe the guy ate a bad egg that corrupted him into a Namekian wannabe!" he laughed.

"Maybe..." admitted Atticus. "...or maybe King Piccolo is enslaving the martial artists of the world by force-feeding them his eggs," he proposed. "Corrupting them into demon clansmen whom indulge in nefarious pleasure without restraint or restriction," he snarled.

"Leave me alone," huffed Yamcha. "All of that really was an accident this time!" he insisted.

"I didn't mean you," chuckled Atticus. "Make no mistake, Yamcha, I believe you can redeem yourself," he asserted to Yamcha. "This is the Dragon Ball world after all," he mused. "Where mass murderers on a planetary scale can redeem themselves," he noted. "Compared to Vegeta, you aren't that big of a deal,"

"I am both insulted and relieved by that," grumbled Yamcha. "But thanks?" he murmured. "So does this mean that Tambourine isn't going to kill us?" he wondered. "But rather, change us into demons?" he gagged. "I don't want to be green man!"

"It appears that these demons can disguise themselves," continued Atticus with a deep frown. "So any contestant of the World Martial Arts tournament whom we meet..."

"...could be a demon in disguise‽" gasped Yamcha. "What the fuck?"

"It also appears that becoming a demon has made them stronger too," noted Atticus. "How strong though?" he wondered. "I can't determine that; as such, among these contestant-demons there could be enemies with the power to seriously threaten even us," he warned.

"And here I believed we only had Tambourine to worry about," groaned Yamcha. "Alright, meeting's over, we need to get moving," he insisted.

"We bought food, hygiene products, and a lot of other supplies in town," revealed Maron to Atticus as Atticus, Yamcha, and her began to mobilize. "With cash left over!"

"Excellent," cackled Atticus. "I'm glad you're here with us Maron," he added. "You've been a great help to us,"

"Aww..." giggled Maron at the compliment. "...thanks Chiaotzu!"

"Less flirting and more moving our asses away from the Tambourine train!" hissed Yamcha at Atticus and Maron. "Move, move, move!"

"Right," agreed Atticus as Maron and him rejoined Yamcha in the work.

❧ ❧ ❧

"Unbelievable," gasped a humanoid pterodactyl, the demonic and mutant Namekian named Piano, as he levitated over South City and observed the cuffing and then transportation of Antoine the Great. "Anyone that can defeat a Great Namekian like that..." he murmured with a shake of his head. "...how could anyone with that kind power remain unknown to us?"

"He..." began a boy floating next to Piano. A boy with a chiseled physique, dark skin, and a basketball-sized and curly afro. At the same time though, atop his forehead, the boy exhibited the antenna of a Namekian! Also, outlined in red, there were gill-like and struckthrough patches of pink on the boy's arms and stomach! "...was wearing a vvveeerrryyy big hat," explained the boy to Piano.

"Accursed kasa!" snarled Piano. "The bane of every informant," he spat. "Our father and king wants every participant, and I mean every participant, found and inducted Pamput!" he stressed to the boy. "This anonymous hero is likely one of them," he theorized. "So I need you to seek them out and turn them," he ordered.

"Am I allowed to rough them up?" asked Pamput in a cackle. "Because I don't think-"

"You're encouraged too!" answered Piano before Pamput could finished. "Fuck them up, Pamput!"

"As you command!" laughed Pamput. "I'll bring them down and then bring them in!" he sneered and snickered.

"It's best that you disguise yourself," added Piano. "As if you appear before them in your demonic form, before you are able to confront them, they'll notice you and retreat," he warned.

"Understood," cooed Pamput.

"You're not going to disguise yourself are-"

"Muh powah iz invinzible!" declared Pamput as he flew off to investigate the nearby Papaya Island, ignoring Piano's warning as he did so.

"Grr," growled Piano as Pamput departed. He then eyed the police van that was in the middle of transporting Antoine the Great to prison. "If you accept the demon egg, it integrates into your physiology in an unremovable way," he snarled as he aimed a hand at the police van! "While if you reject and resist the demon egg..." he continued an instant before he discharged a fireball of magic from his hand and into a hurtle towards the police van! "...you're able to be purified of your taint by the removal of the demon egg," he snorted as the fireball impacted with the police van and then melted the police van into a radiant and scorching slush!

"After you become a demon, there is no redemption. There is no return to the time before," declared Piano as he about-faced away from the football field-sized lake of magma that he had just melted into South City's streets! "There is only our way..."

"...or the Snake Way!"

❧ ❧ ❧

They called it the Z Carrier.

And it was an aerial, capsulated, and double-decker motorhome. As both a home and a hovercar as well; the Z Carrier was a massive yet mobile vehicle boasting 2 bathrooms, 8 bedrooms on the 2nd floor, a cab room for the driver and a few passengers, a cinema room, a dining room, a kitchenette, a lounge, and more!

"Clothes," bemoaned Atticus as he monitored Tien — whom Maron, Yamcha, and him had laid in a bed upstairs — and observed Tien's vitals with a tablet. "We need to buy some clothes for comfort, disguise, and protection," he elaborated.

"Another shopping trip?" gasped Maron as she flew the Z Carrier and listened to the conversation at the same time. "Me, me, me!" she cheered. "Pick me! I want to go shopping again!"

"Absolutely not!" interjected Yamcha. "After that disaster in South City? No sir! No way!" he refused. "Besides there is nowhere to buy from," he argued.

"Can't we drop into Central City and then make our way west to that tower?" suggested Maron. "We're already heading North, to avoid anyone coming from South City in search of us, so It's kind of on the way?"

"K-K-King Piccolo could be there!" hissed Yamcha. "And he's the very last person that we want to run into right now!" he stressed.

"We can drop into Fungus Town," asserted Atticus. "Where Bulma bought clothes and Goku, Puar, and Yamcha defeated the Rabbit Mob," he clarified in a coo. "After that we can make a beeline for Korin's Tower,"

"Fungus Town, huh?" mused Yamcha. "I doubt we'll find trouble there," he sighed. "But I'm not in the best of shape; cuz of what Chi-Chi, Bulma, and you did to me in the tournament; so that Antlion the Magnificent business really strained and tired me," he complained.

"Alright, alright..." chuckled Atticus. "...I get it," he snorted. "Maron and I will go into town, while you remain in the Z Carrier and watch over Tien," he relented.

"Yes!" cheered Yamcha. "I mean, uhh, thank you," he chuckled. "You can count on me to guard and nurse Tien!" he promised.

"Just keep the tablet on you and listen out for problems," groaned Atticus at Yamcha. "If there are complications, call Maron and me. And make sure to follow the instructions that the tablet presents and reads out to you," he instructed. "Understand?"

"Aye-aye captain!" agreed Yamcha. "Will do!"

"It's been a while since I've gotten to pick out my own clothes," giggled Maron, causing Atticus and Yamcha to glance at one another and then quiver in revulsion. "This should be fun!"

"Your boyfriends chose your clothes for you?" asked Atticus despite his reservations with the topic. "Repeatedly?"

"No," murmured Maron. "My dad did," she revealed. "Actually..." she continued under her breath. "...I've been dressed to impress for as long as I can remember," she whispered more to herself than to Atticus and Yamcha.

"That is not what that phrase means," asserted Atticus. "I hope," he gulped. "I may need to-"

"Shut up!" swore Yamcha at Atticus. "Read the room!" he urged in a groan.

"Is your dad your guardian at the moment?" asked Atticus with a blink. "Or are you a runaway?"

"I am not sure," answered Maron in a murmur. "Antoine broke the cycle, disrupted the pattern, when he kicked me out and left me stranded," she continued. "Stranded without a boyfriend or a dad to direct me," she elaborated. "All of my boyfriends were chosen by dad, and all of my boyfriends paid dad for the privilege of possessing such a trophy, but now I have the choice and now I am not for sell," she laughed. "Now I am free I think," she realized. "And I don't think I'll be returning to my paternal shackles,"

"So you're a runaway?" asked Atticus, earning himself a head wallop from Yamcha. "Ow!"

"Yes," decided Maron with a nod. "Yes I am," she giggled. "Isn't that grand?"

"All of us may be runaways," added Yamcha. "Chiaotzu and Tien from the Crane Hermit," he noted. "And me from my parents," he snorted.

"Yamcha has parents‽" gasped Atticus. "Wh-wh-who are they‽"

"Of course I have parents!" spat Yamcha at Atticus. "I'm a human! Not a saiyan, triclops, or vampire! A normal, regular-"

"A couple of runaways flying and living in a luxurious vehicle like this?" interjected Maron in a laugh. "How silly! How stupid, yet it's the truth!" she awed. "We're all on an adventure, aren't we?" she questioned. "An adventure that fairy tales will be written about,"

"An adventure that is going to kill us," snorted Yamcha. "Probably sooner than later," he warned.

"An adventure without danger is a journey but not a story," asserted Maron to Yamcha. "You are concerned, but don't worry, I am sure that all of us will arrive at our happily ever after," she hummed.

"There is Mushroom Forest," called Atticus as Maron began to fly the Z Carrier over a fungal woodland. "Keep a lookout for Fungus Town," he ordered.

"Roger that!" agreed Maron in a giggle. "You can count on me!"

"He can't count," cackled Yamcha. "At least, not without his fin- ow!"

"I can count!" growled Atticus with a clenched fists, as Maron caught sight of Fungus Town and directed the Z Carrier into a landing...

Chapter Text

"Well, well, well..."

"Huh?" uttered Maron as Atticus and her departed from the Dressmaker's shop in Fungus Town with bags upon bags upon bags of clothes. "Are you talking to us?" asked Maron as Atticus and her beheld a woman atop 1 of Fungus Town's hemi-spherical structures. A woman boasting a fair and immaculate complexion, the deft figure of a supermodel, and an afro of curly and purple hair. Although the woman was conservatively dressed in a sleeveless shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and a pair of running shoes; as Atticus and Maron continued to eye the woman; the both of them could feel her powerful spirit of seduction!

"...if it isn't the Big Hat with the Big Rack duo!" laughed the woman as she eyed Atticus' enormous kasa and Maron's enormous- "The grapevine has spoken of you!"

"Damn it Yamcha!" swore Atticus he further hid his face by further lowering the kasa's tip. "I knew this would happen!"

"What are you hiding beneath that hat, boy?" asked the woman in a sneer. "Is it your pathetic size?" she snickered. "Cuz you looked a lot bigger on the screen baby,"

"Wh-wh-why does it feel like she isn't talking about my height‽" complained Atticus. "I am adequately sized for my age!" he yelled at the woman.

"Of what, 6? Or 8 at the most!" snorted the woman at Atticus. "Shouldn't you be in an elementary school or something?"

"I apologize, but, who are you?" asked Maron of the woman, as Atticus lent his telekinesis to her and thus enabled her to move their purchases in an orbit around herself. "And what do you want?"

"I am Ranfan the Succubus!" announced Ranfan in a cackle. "And I have been dispatched here by our Lord-and-Savior Piano himself as a sentry in wait of you World Martial Arts Tournament fighters!" she revealed.

"H-h-he posted sentries‽" gasped Atticus in his mind. "D-does that mean we are liable to run into these guys anywhere in the Dragon World?" he considered. "What makes you think that either of us were a fighter in that tournament?" huffed Atticus, aloud, to Ranfan. "I am far too short and weak, while Maron is too Maron!" he insisted as he mentally ordered Maron to flee with their purchases.

"You can't fool me, Big Hat!" growled Ranfan as she burst from the rooftop and into a descent and lunge towards Atticus. "Zenshin Netsuken (全身熱拳, Full-Body Heat Fist)!" she chanted as she augmented her friction with her evil ki and thereby heated herself into an ignition! At the same time, she assumed control over her flame by channeling her evil ki into the flame!

"They are stronger!" confirmed Atticus as Ranfan became a fireball and then blasted him with an explosion as she crashed into him! The denizens of Fungus Town screeched in terror as the blasted Atticus flew from house to house by slamming straight through wall after wall! "Damn it..."

"Easier and faster than I thought it would be..." cooed Ranfan as she pushed aside anyone in her path and strut through the smoke and wreckage. "...but if he's dead, instead of a demon, he'll become a zombie right?" murmured Ranfan with a blink. "A-a-and Piano-sama will be crossed with me!" she realized in a screech. "Though I wonder if I can blame this on one of the oth-"

"There is..."

"Huh‽" gasped Ranfan as a crimson and eye-shaped gleams emerged from the smoke and radiated a scarlet spotlight! "Wh-wh-what is tha-"

"...no need for that!" interjected Atticus as he burst out the smoke and then mushed Ranfan in the face! Ranfan babbled incoherently as Atticus' hand smothered her and then screeched as Atticus shoved her into a skyward whirl! Subsequently, Atticus appeared above Ranfan and then hammered Ranfan into a plummet! At this point, Ranfan crashed face-first into the forest of mushrooms outside of Fungal Town. She then cut a fissure and glade into the ground as her face skidded across that ground!

"How many of you are there?" questioned Atticus as he dropped into a landing near Ranfan. "Where are you posted? What cities, landmarks, towns, and villages I mean," he clarified.

"Y-y-you..." coughed Ranfan as she arose onto her knees with a push off the ground. "...a-a-attacked my face!" she cried with a glare over her shoulder. "Wh-who attacks the face of a lady like that‽"

"I am aware of your seductive techniques," huffed Atticus at Ranfan. "And I bet they won't work if you have a butterface," he snickered.

"Y-you monster!" screeched Ranfan. "Th-th-that's irredeemable! Unforgivable! The worst of the worst!" she sniffed as she rose to a stand and then seized her shirt. "B-but, heh, you don't know a thing about my newest and strongest Irojikake (色仕掛け, Sexual Charm) yet!"

"You're beneath these demeaning methods and desperate measures," declared Atticus to Ranfan. "Before your demonization or whatever, you could burn your enemies with a friction punch!" he noted in a shout. "You don't need to-"

"Need?" interjected Ranfan an instant before she surprised Atticus by tearing off her bra and shirt alike! "Baby, I'm an exhibitionist! I don't need to, I wwwaaannnttt to!" she revealed as her hair ignited into a miniature Sun and thereby warmed her torso! Afterward; her arms, back, chest, hands, and shoulders began to glisten and perfume with her sweat!

"This is inappropriate," complained Atticus as he concentrated on Ranfan's face rather than her exposed torso. "And it's not going to wwwooorrr..." he continued as he dropped into a stance but then started to wobble."...hhhaaatttt have you done to me?" he asked as his eyes disobeyed him and plummeted his sight.

"I am not just Ranfan, boy! I am Ranfan the Succubus now!" giggled Ranfan as she applied her ki to her sweat in order to enchant and evaporate her sweat into a pheromonal vapor! "Even with a pure heart or a sage's self-control, you can't ignore or resist my seductive wiles!" she cheered as she burst into a sprint towards Atticus!

"All of the sages whom I have met seem to lack self-" argued Atticus as Ranfan closed the distance and then kicked him into a flailing spin! After a few seconds of spinning, Atticus crashed face-first into a mushroom and then dropped onto his butt. However, before Atticus could recover, Ranfan appeared before Atticus and then kicked Atticus off his butt and into a stand and stumble! Atticus attempted to discern Ranfan's intentions by eying Ranfan's limbs; however, Atticus' eyes disobeyed his ego's logic in favor of indulging his id's lust. That is, despite the pain and seriousness of the situation, Atticus couldn't divert his gaze from Ranfan's bosom!

After Atticus' failure to overcome the pheromone and regain his senses, and as Atticus erected a generic guard to protect his head, Ranfan attacked under Atticus' guard by kicking Atticus in the stomach! Subsequently, as Atticus hunched over into a retch, Ranfan jumped into a knee strike! At this point, as Ranfan kneed him in the face and knocked him into a dirty slide on muddy ground, Atticus attempted to bypass his compromised sight by focusing on Ranfan's scent and sounds. However, all Atticus could hear was explicit moaning. And all Atticus could smell was the musk of sex. "Are you serious‽" complained Atticus as Ranfan grabbed his kasa and then hurled by his kasa and into a skyward whirl!

"Remember this!" asked Ranfan as she appeared above Atticus and then hammered Atticus into a plummet that cratered the ground! "Doesn't feel good, does it?" she asked as she blasted herself into a drop by flaring her hair into fiery jet of propulsion! Afterward, Ranfan booted Atticus with her descent and thereby stomped Atticus into an embedment within the ground. Despite this though, as Atticus coughed up gore and then glared at Ranfan, all Atticus could focus on was Ranfan's mammaries. "This is over," chuckled Ranfan as she dug into her pants pocket and then magically pulled out a basketball-sized demon egg. "Maybe instead of pushing it down your throat, I'll shove this up your ass!" she considered in a snicker.

"Or maybe you can Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, Five Strong Dodon Waves) yourself!" retorted Atticus as he clawed the ground with 1 of his hands...

...and then discharged 5 Dodon Rays into that ground, at point-blank range!

"Oh..." uttered Ranfan as the Dodon Rays illuminated a cackling Atticus and her. "...ssshhhiiitttt!" she yelled as the Dodon Rays detonated on impact with the ground and then exploded into an impact with Atticus and her! After the discharge of the Dodon Rays, all across the entirety of the forest of mushroom-like trees, an earthquake began to uproot the trees! At the same time, a charred and hurtling Ranfan impacted with and then ping-ponged off many of the trees that managed to remain standing.

"Not unconscious yet?" called Atticus as Ranfan bounced off a surviving tree and then dropped onto her knees. "Let's remedy that," he cooed as he arrived before Ranfan with a crashing descent from the sky!

"My beautiful face, my luscious skin, you villain!" complained a scorched and smoldering Ranfan as she forced herself into a limping stand. "Baby, I'll cut off your dick and make you suck it like a pacifier!" she screeched as she displaced her complexion of embers with green skin and then sprouted a pair of antenna that were curved into a heart shape! "The allomones that I generate in this state can affect any creature and even kill them with an overdosed!" she bragged in a snicker as even the goddamn mushrooms started to stiffen and swoon! "You'll die simping for your slayer, you pale-skinned twa-" 

"You'll burn the pheromone, right?" cooed Atticus to Ranfan, causing her to blink and then gawk in horror at the implications of Atticus' words. "If you attempt to use Irojikake and your Zenshin Netsuken at the same time, it'll fail, because you'll burn the pheromones with your Zenshin Netsuken," continued Atticus as he blasted himself with a Dodon Ray that ignited him from head to toe!

"Wh-wh-what‽" cried Ranfan as Atticus ignited himself into an inferno and then smirked at her. "A-a-are you insane‽" she questioned in terror. "Piano-sama, save me!" she begged as she about-faced into a bumbling and desperate run away from Atticus.

"Dddrrraaagggooonnn..." roared Atticus as he erupted into his fastest flight possible and then enchanted his flame with his ki. "...Fffiiisssttt (龍拳, Ryūken)!" he chanted in his continued roar as he blew out Ranfan's back by hitting Ranfan's back with the mightiest punch that he could muster! At the same time, Atticus altered his flame with his ki and thereby blasted Ranfan with a Chinese dragon-shaped flame! As the blast of draconic flames carried Ranfan into a drag through the ground, Atticus ended his flight with a halting step. Atticus then beheld the blast's detonation into an explosion of fire which rocketed Ranfan into the sky. "Now that's hot," chuckled Atticus as Ranfan dropped face-first into the ground and then lied in place, burned into an ember for the second time and smoldering in her unconsciousness.

❧ ❧ ❧

"It should have been me!" cried Yamcha — literally mind you — as Atticus cleaned and stitched up his open wounds with a needle, his telekinesis, and some thread. And as Maron flew the Z Carrier and hummed merrily. "Not him!" he continued in a wail, as he banged his fists upon the cab room's glove department. "Why did I fight Anaya the Great while he fought Ranfan the Violet-Haired Baddie with a Fat Ass‽" he complained in a tormented yell. "Aaauuuggghhhaaa!"

"Shut up!" demanded Atticus with a frown and growl. "And listen," he huffed. "Ranfan called herself a sentry," he stressed to Yamcha. "A sentry! They have sentries! Why do they have sentries‽"

"Does that mean you boys are going to be fighting every time we land?" asked Maron in-between her humming of a song. "It's a good thing we bough extra medical kits then..."

"It sounds like it," groaned Atticus at the thought. "Although I destroyed the kasa, because of our last purchases, we have better and more disguises to use," he noted. "So maybe we can avoid those fights," he suggested.

"I d-d-doubt it," grumbled Yamcha in-between sniffs. "Damn you lucky-"

"There was nothing lucky about that fight!" interjected Atticus in a yell. "Want me to kick your ass like she kicked mine‽"

"Boys, boys!" shouted Maron after Atticus blew up on Yamcha. "Enough squabbling! What are we going to do now?"

"It's been, like, only a day or two since King Piccolo's awakening right?" asked Yamcha in a huff. "Even with their flight and speed, they can't have enough people to place a sentry in every location in the world! Can they?" he questioned.

"Even if they demonized every person in the world, because of the enormity of the world, there still would not be enough people to keep watch on literally every place in the world," confirmed Atticus in a huff. "But if they limited their sentries to canon locations, even if they are only demonizing the most notable participants of the World Martial Arts Tournament, they could definitely have enough people to watch each and every last one of them!" he hissed.

"B-b-but if they're limiting themselves to canon locations, does that mean, that King Piccolo is like us‽" he questioned. "C-c-could that be why his tactics have changed?" he whimpered.

"I can't say," growled Atticus. "But it's possible," he conceded.

"Is that a problem?" ask Maron, whom only halfway understood what Atticus and Yamcha were talking about. "Also it's getting dark and I'm getting hungry," she added in warning whine.

"If I was King Piccolo, the place that I would most protect and watch..." growled Atticus with a clench of his fists.

"...would be Korin's Tower!" gasped Yamcha in agreement. "So that Goku doesn't get the Ultra Divine Water and its Zenkai!" he hissed. "And thus fails to procure the strength to win!"

"So there will be sentries at our target?" sighed Maron. "And, by the sound of it, the strongest of them," she added.

"Meaning Tambourine!" theorized Atticus and Yamcha in unison. "Damn it!" they swore.

"That just means that we need to go to Fortuneteller Baba's first, right?" interjected Maron. "You're able to become stronger there, yeah?" she remembered.

"Y-y-yeah!" confirmed Yamcha with a fanged grin. "That's right!" he agreed. "We can detour to Fortuneteller's Baba, because as far as most people think, she has absolutely nothing to do with this arc!" he declared.

"B-b-but my Tien..." complained Atticus in a sniff. "...he needs the senzu!" he stressed.

"He also needs to be alive to eat it and heal," argued Yamcha. "And none of us will be alive if we go to Korin's Tower and find Tambourine or worse waiting for us!" he stressed.

"Yam Yam is right," asserted Maron as she comforted Atticus with a simple yet soothing touch. "And Tien is strong," she added in a laugh. "If we nurse him, he'll survive, I promise!" she declared with a nod of reassurance. "Okay?"

"Fine," relented Atticus. "We are off to Fortuneteller Baba's palace then," he sighed.

"We'll get stronger and then kick Tambourine's ass!" laughed Yamcha. "Yeah!"

"Yeah!" agreed Maron in a giggle.

"Yeah," agreed Atticus in whisper. "Yeah!" he chuckled louder. "We will!"

"Before that though, as I said, it's getting dark," reiterated Maron. "We need to find a place where we can safely land this thing," she urged.

"Or create one," added Atticus as he finished with his bandaging, cleaning, and snitching. "Bring us to a hover and I'll build a campsite for us with my powers," he offered.

"I'll help," offered Yamcha as Atticus and him arose from their seats. "Just choose a spot, Maron, and we'll clear it out!" he added.

"Oh..." uttered Maron at the offer. "...yay!" she cheered at the implication. "Alright, let me see then!" she giggled as she excitedly scanned their surrounding landscape from their bird's eye viewpoint.

❧ ❧ ❧

"You aren't a human again, but you're knocked unconscious, which means that you accepted the demon egg rather than rejected it," mused Pamput as he observed Ranfan. "Even so..." he continued as he crushed Ranfan's head under his foot! "...our clan has no need for losers!" he giggled as he blasted Ranfan's head with a discharge of ki out of his foot's sole! After the blast decapitated and then disintegrated Ranfan, Pamput eyed the setting Sun and then smirked.

"According to the locals..." cooed Pamput as he arose into the sky with a demonic flight which was fueled by magic. "...they've gone West!" he laughed as he flew over Fungus Town's massacred population and razed structures. As he did so, he admired the death and destruction that he left in his wake and then focused himself on his mission. "I'll..."

"...I'll catch and defeat them for sure!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"The beach, the beach, the beach!" cheered Maron and Yamcha as they scurried out the Z Carrier — with Maron dressed in a pretzel swimsuit and Yamcha dressed in a pair of swimming trunks — and towards the waters of a beach illuminated by the brightest light that the Z Carrier's headlights could muster.

"Who dips into the ocean in the middle of the night?" asked Atticus as he sat cross-legged and next to Tien, whom Atticus had laid atop a beach towel on the beach. "Be careful!" he called out to Maron and Yamcha as they reached the sea.

"Don't worry..." retorted Yamcha in a snort. "...we'll try not to have too much fun without you!"

"Why don't you join us, Chiaotzu?" asked Maron in a giggle as Yamcha dove into the sea at a speed that splashed her with a tiny wave! "Because of Tien?"

"I can't swim that well," answered Atticus in a shout. "Although I can fly through the water," he admitted. "It's not the same though,"

"The actual reason is because it's fun!" added Yamcha as he arose out the ocean like a dolphin and then flopped into plummet. "And you know how much he's against any amount of fu-" he began before a plop into the sea silenced him.

"Amazing!" awed Maron at Yamcha's dive and jump. "You're like a carp!"

"A carp?" snorted Yamcha as he emerged from the ocean and into a jump and spin. "Baby, I am a dragon!" he declared an instant before his return to the sea.

"A bold claim to make in this world," noted Atticus in a snort, albeit far quieter than what Maron and Yamcha could hear. He then eyed Tien with a frown. "Who are we?" he questioned to the comatose Tien and himself as well. "Before the Crane Hermit adopted us, Tien, who birthed and raised us?" he wondered. "Did they abandon us? Did we lose them? Or were they murdered and us stolen?" he sighed.

"Even a fanservicy, filler gag like Maron has history in this world," continued Atticus as he eyed Maron and Yamcha laughing and playing in the sea. "So Chiaotzu, Tien, and Yamcha probably do to," he mused. "But I can't remember anything that this body experienced before I incarnated into it," he lamented. "And I can't think of anyone I can ask about my origins except maybe the Crane Hermit and you," he groaned with a retch. "Or rather the Snake Hermit, the wretch!" he spat.

"Come on Chiaotzu, just a moment in the water with me, please?" begged Maron in a giggly shout. "I can help you float! Or maybe even teach you how to swim!" she offered.

"Aww yeah!" chimed Yamcha after the invite and in his sleeziest tone yet. "Come on dude! You can't say no to that!" he insisted. "And don't try to use Tien as an excuse!" he shouted before Atticus could begin an attempt to use Tien as an excuse. "I can keep an eye on him for you!"

"I have burns, open sores, and open wounds!" groaned Atticus at Maron and Yamcha. "Do you have any idea how much pain I will be in if I let saltwater-"

"I'd hate to ruin you people's fun..."

"What‽" uttered Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha in unison as they heard an unfamiliar voice overhead!

"...aww phooey, that's a lie, because I'd love to ruin your fun you filthy humies!" cackled Pamput as he descended from the darkness of the night sky and exposed himself to Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha. "Masenkō (魔閃光, Demonic Flash)..." began Pamput as he aligned his palms atop one another, faced his palms away from himself, and then lifted his palms overhead. "...hhhaaa!" he cried as he both discharged ki from his palms and thrust his palms towards Maron and Yamcha! After its discharge, the blast of golden ki glowed like the noontime Sun and soared straight towards Maron and Yamcha!

"Ahh..." gasped a Yamcha as the blast began to boil the surrounding water as it neared Maron and him. "...oh shit!" he swore an instant before Atticus flew onto the scene and then deflected the Masenko with a dexterous, fast, and powerful swipe! "...Chiaotzu!" he exhaled in relief and worry as Chiaotzu's hand flinched and smoldered from the strain of the swipe.

"Ahahahaa, barely managed to parry that one, eh?" giggled Pamput as Maron and Yamcha began to frantically and hurriedly swim towards the shore. "This will be fun then!"

"Who are you?" asked Atticus in a growl and with a clenched of his damaged fist. "Another demon clansman of King Piccolo?" he questioned.

"Another?" asked Pamput in a hum. "That means, haha, that settles that then!" he declared with a fanged grin. "You're the big hat!" he accused in a sneer. "While that bitch is your big rack!" he spat as he discharged and flung a flash of his golden ki at Maron — whom was arriving at the shore with Yamcha — with just a flail of his arm and a point of his index finger!

"How‽" questioned Atticus at the casual discharge of ki without any charging time or special technique! "Shit!" he swore as the flash of golden ki descended into a streak towards Maron and Yamcha, as if it was a shooting star!

"I got this, Rairōgafūfūjinken (雷狼牙風風神拳, Thunder Wolf-Fang Wind God Fist)!" called Yamcha as he generated and hurled lightning at the ball of ki! After being flung, each bolt of lightning changed into the shape of a wolf and then howled with a pearl of thunder! Subsequently, the 1st wolf bit into and charged the ball of ki! While the 2nd wolf crashed into the ball of ki in order to parry that ball of ki with their electromagnetic repulsion of one another! "Ahh right, I'm awesome. I'm a bada..." began Yamcha as the ball of ki careened into the horizon...

...and then crashed into a distant and enormous hill, whereupon it detonated into an explosion which flattened the hill into a plain!

"...aaahhh!" screamed Yamcha as he beheld the complete and instantaneous obliteration of a hill larger than most neighborhoods! "What the fuck‽"

"Dodonpa (どどん波, Dodon Wave)!" growled an irate Atticus as he attacked Pamput with a Dodon Ray!

"Pathetic!" giggled Pamput as he blocked the Dodon Ray with the fangs of his smile, causing the Dodon Ray to ricochet into the sky as he did so. "My turn!" he snickered as he attacked Atticus with a Dodon Ray, blasting Atticus into a plummet as his Dodon Ray crashed into Atticus' chest and then detonated into an explosion of fiery ki!

"He copied it‽" gasped Yamcha as Atticus dropped head-first into the sea. "How‽"

"And down goes the hat!" howled Pamput in a hyena's laughter. "Antoine and Ranfan deserved to die if they lost to that trash!" he snorted as he eyed the ocean for any signs of Atticus' survival.

"Angus?" gasped Yamcha. "Angus the Great?" he questioned. "H-h-he's dead?"

"And that Ranfan woman too?" asked Maron as Yamcha and her began to carry off Tien towards the Z Carrier.

"Tis the fate of humans and losers..." insisted Pamput as he about-faced towards Maron and Yamcha. "...like you!" he declared as he elevated his hands overhead. "Masenkō (魔閃光, Demonic Flash) ha!" he chimed as he discharged his golden ki into a surge towards Maron and Yamcha! "Bye-bye now!" he called as the Masenko neared his targets!

"Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, Five Strong Dodon Waves)!"

"What‽" gasped Pamput as 4 Dodon Rays burst out from the ocean and then crashed into him with explosive and fiery impacts that floundered him! At the same time, a 5th Dodon Ray emerged from the ocean and then flashed into an explosive and fiery impact with the Masenko!

"Fly!" urged Atticus as he arose from the ocean and then flew into punch that struck the floundering Pamput in the face! After his fist impacted with Pamput and knocked Pamput into a lengthy and uncontrolled whirl, Atticus eyed Maron and Tien and then nodded in reassurance. "Go!"

"But-"

"No buts!" interjected Yamcha as he dragged Maron onto the Z Carrier by hauling Tien faster and harder than before. "I'll put Tien to bed! You get on the wheel and take off! Now! Let's go, let's go!"

"Guh, quite the sting that was, you're stronger than I thought!" admitted Pamput as he halted his whirl and then rocketed into a vanish! "Mayhap Piano-sama was right?" he considered as he quickly reappeared at Atticus' side. "Maybe you'll make a competent demon after all!"

"I'm fine as a plenty strong human!" declared Atticus to Pamput as he about-faced towards the demonic kickboxer. "And Piano, you say?" he huffed. "So you are a demon clansman of King-"

"Better watch out!" cackled Pamput as he erupted into a flying knee which doubled Atticus over as it impacted with Atticus' stomach. Following that, Pampaut attacked with his free leg and thereby kicked Atticus into a look upward! At this point, Pamput lashed out with a fist which impacted with Atticus's chest as it punched Atticus into a soar! "Teehee!"

"F-fast! Strong!" complained Atticus as he crashed into the ocean with enough force to generate a massive, tidal wave! "Even faster and stronger than Goku with the Rōga and Saruga!" he noted as his blood pooled in the surrounding water.

"I'm not done!" insisted Pamput as he descended into a dive with his flight, breaking the ocean's surface as he impacted with that surface and thereby cleaving the ocean into a pair of tidal waves! "You're the best punching bag that I've had in a lllooonnnggg while!" he snickered as his bisection of the ocean exposed Atticus by removing the water that Atticus had been submerged within. Subsequently, Pamput crashed into a crouch upon the floor of the ocean and then then burst into a sprint!

"Chōnōki (超能気, Supernatural Ki)!" chanted Atticus as he augmented his ki with his psionics and then empowered himself with that enhanced ki. Subsequently, as Pamput arrived before him and attacked with a duo of punches, Atticus caught Pamput's fists in his hands!

"You made yourself stronger!" detected Pamput with a smirk. "I like that!" he giggled as he kicked Atticus' hip with a lash of his leg, paining Atticus into releasing his hands as he did so. Pamput then blasted Atticus into the distance with a punch and then chased Atticus down with a sprint! "Beating someone is better the longer they resist! And the longer they survive!" explained Pamput as he caught up to Atticus with his sprint and then kneed Atticus in the face with a lunge! Afterward, Pamput converting his flying knee into a flying kick by lashing out his folded leg in a manner that stomped Atticus' face! "Aww..." complained Pamput as his booting of Atticus' face caused Atticus to fall face-first into the floor of the ocean. "...is it over?" he sighed as the area began to be filled by the ocean's water.

"A-a-an entire year..."

"Huh?" uttered Pamput as the area around Atticus and him became hot in an instant and then began to grow hotter by the second! "Something is wrong!" he deduced as the nearby seawater began to evaporate in the middle of its rush to fill in the gap within the ocean! "Wh-wh-what are you doing‽"

"...f-for an entire year, I experimented with and honed my ki and psionics," bemoaned Atticus as he combined his Psyki and Super Brainpower techniques and thereby enhanced himself into a Super Psychic! "Y-y-yet you demons, and that saiyan, you're able to match the results," he laughed as he arose into a stand and then dropped into a stance. "It's frustrating, the pointlessness of this struggle, and yet..." he murmured with a smirk. "...I can't give up," he mused. "I can't give in! I can't let myself lose! I can't resign myself to uselessness!" he yelled. "I can't and I won't!"

"Shut up!" demanded Pamput of Atticus. "Stop talking! Stupid human!" he hissed. "You believed, you really thought, you could defeat demons as a fragile human‽" he questioned in a roar and with a soar! "Idiot!" he screeched as he blitzed Atticus with his dashing flight and punched Atticus into a falling lean! Subsequently, a berserk Pamput clasped his hands together and then hammered Atticus with his clenched fists! As Atticus began to black out from the damage and pain, Pamput awoke Atticus with a knee to Atticus' stomach and then back-flipped into a kick which launched Atticus skyward! At this point, Pamput appeared above Atticus and then bashed Atticus' face in with a flurry of jabs. Afterward, Pamput attacked with a kick which he lashed towards Atticus' neck...

...however, as Atticus beheld the incoming kick, Atticus blinked as the kick slowed. That is, Atticus began to experience the moments of his present situation in slow motion. And at the same time, Atticus began to experience Chiaotzu's life as Chiaotzu's memories stirred within him! At this moment, as Atticus closed in on his death, Atticus began to learn the life that he'd been transmigrated into. His birth, his childhood, his death to a mob that blamed a plague on his psionic talents, his reanimation into a vampire by the Crane Sage, and then his training by the Crane Sage and with Tien. At this final moment of his reanimation, Atticus attained an awareness of Chiaotzu that eluded him for an entire year!

"Huh?" uttered Pamput as Atticus abruptly dodged his kick with a duck forward! Pampus then gasped as Atticus flew into a grab of his hair and then lashed him into a plummet! "Wha-" began Pamput an instant before he crashed back-first into the sea and then feel further into the ocean!

"It's been here, all along, it's been here inside me!" laughed Atticus as he casually and cheerily flew into a frolic upward! "His memories, and his path to power, its always been here!" he yelled as Pamput emerged from the ocean and into a lunge towards him! "I can't lose now, I'm unstoppable!"he declared as he deftly evaded Pamput's lunge with an elegant and quick spin! Subsequently, at the end of his evasive spin, he kicked Pamput's back with his leftover momentum! As Pamput's back was booted by Atticus, Pamput's back bent into a crescent and Pamput himself howled in pain! As Pamput's howl resounded throughout the sky, Atticus clasped Pamput's hair and then dragged Pamput face-first into a punch! As Atticus' fist bashed and blooded Pamput's face, Pamput clenched his fangs in fury and Pamput then chopped Atticus' hand in order to detach Atticus' hand from his hair. Afterward, Pamput attacked Atticus with a hook which Atticus ducked and then an uppercut which Atticus weaved!

"Stop moving!" complained Pamput as he followed up with a kick aimed at Atticus' face. However, Atticus evaded the kick by falling into a plummet and then righting himself into a soar away. "Hey!"

"Don't worry..." cooed Atticus as he arced into a flash towards Pamput and then instantaneously punched Pamput into both a hunch over and a visceral vomit! "...I'm not running!" howled Atticus as he followed up with a kick which launched Pamput skyward!

"Guh!" gagged Pamput as he applied his flight to halt his rise and then glared at and seethed over Atticus. "H-h-how‽" he questioned in a rage and spat. "Y-you, you albinic bastard, what have you done to yourself‽" he questioned in a roar!

"I've entrusted my growth to my humanity," answered Atticus...

...as he appeared before Pamput without warning and then blasted Pamput into a plummet with a mere punch!

"Augh!" cried Pamput as he crashed into and then skid through the ground. After Pamput's fall, as Pamput attempted to arise into stand, Atticus appeared before Pamput and then dropped Pamput with a gut punch! "Aaauuuggghhhaaaa!" gagged Pampt as the impact of the punch dropped him into a kneel before Atticus. "B-b-but I-I'm finally..." he wheezed as he looked up at Atticus. "...not now! Not like this!" he yelled as he arose into an uppercut which Atticus evaded with a retreating skip. "Not to a human!" he insisted as he both chased after Atticus and elevated his hands over his head! "Masenkō (魔閃光, Demonic Flash) ha!"

"Chōdodonpa (超どどん波, Super Dodon Wave)!" chanted Atticus as he challenged the point-blank Masenko with a point-blank Super Dodon Ray, causing a clash of fiery ki against gold ki! As the Masenko and the Super Dodon Ray clashed with one another, the beach began to be cooked by the Masenko and the Super Dodon Ray's heat. More specifically, the beach's sand began to melt and vitrify! While the beach's water began to evaporate into steam! As such, before even a minute's passing, all of the beach became a desert of glass and lava! By this point in time though, the Masenko broke into halves as the Super Dodon Ray pierced it! The Masenko then dispersed into harmless sparkles as the Super Dodon Ray punched through it and then slammed into and zapped Pamput!

"Kotaichi no Henka (個体値の変化, Alteration of Individual Values) is flawed," cooed Atticus as Pamput burned from the extreme heat of the Super Dodon Ray and fidgeted from the excruciating sting of the Super Dodon Ray! "All of your athletic attributes; your durability, your endurance, your speed, your strength, and such; are all augmented by your ki at the same time and in the same way. However, while I am using Kotaichi no Henka, I am able to augment all of those attributes in different ways," he continued in a hum. "The idea is simple but tactical; while I am approaching a foe or dodging a foe's strikes; I augment my speed without augmenting my durability, endurance, strength, and whatever. So that all of the energy that would go into durability, endurance, strength, and such and such. All of that energy goes into speed instead," he revealed. "And that, of course, causes the enhancement of my speed to be greater than it is without Kotaichi no Henka," he noted.

"I can change any of my athletic attributes at any time..." hummed Atticus. "...so, as I said, the idea is simple but tactical. Whenever I block, I augment my durability by itself. When I am charging or evading, I augment my speed by itself. And when I am striking, I augment my strength by itself," he reiterated. "At base, Kotaichi no Henka is exceptional, but it's flawed too," he asserted. "If I am damaged while my durability is neglected, the damage is magnified manifold," he noted. "As such, any augmentation other than durability is extremely risky," he bemoaned. "At base, Kotaichi no Henka is powerful but risky,"

"B-b-but you, you bald rodent, you risked it all just now didn't you‽" accused Pamput in a retching wheeze. "Th-that power, that speed, you attained that through Kotaichi no Henka didn't you‽"

"I ain't the gambling sort," bloodily coughed Atticus. "But yes," he confirmed with a rare smile. "Because I discovered a means of mitigating the risk," he revealed.

"Wh-wh-what‽" exclaimed Pamput in a shout. "You can mitigate, no, that doesn't make sense!" he spat.

"I almost died fighting you, and as I came close to death, everything slowed down," murmured Atticus to Pamput. "In the distant past, as a mob murdered me before my reanimation into a vampire, everything slowed down as that mob stabbed me to death," he remembered.

"S-so what?" asked Pamput in a spat. "Are you saying that thrashing made you stronger‽" he questioned in a shout.

"I am not a saiyan," refuted Atticus in a sight. "I advance through Pure Progress, not Zenkais!" he stressed. "But that dilation of mental time, the effects of a near-death experience, it's a human power and the secret weapon that I needed to perfect the Kotaichi no Henka!" he cackled.

"Y-y-you're applying your trauma as a weapon‽" cried Pamput as he deduced Atticus' exploit. "You're giving yourself extra reaction time by giving yourself a near-death experience‽"

"Ayup," confirmed Atticus in a snicker. "I am able to activate and deactivate the feeling of a near-death experience with my telepathy," he clarified. "And then augment the effects of that near-death experience when I augment my brain with my ki or my psyki in this case," he added in a laugh. "Altogether, I accelerate my comprehension of my situation. And I decelerate my experience of my time. By doing so, I augment both my observational prowess and my reaction speed too!" he declared. "You aren't capable of hitting me before I can detect and react to you, because everything is clearer and slower to me than it is to you. And thus, without fear or worry, I can use my Kotaichi no Henka to maximize my results and minimize my waste!"

"I, a mere human with my human telepathy!" began Atticus with a clench of his fist and a proud stand. "Can defeat you, a mighty demon with Namekian magic!" he cackled in a smug tone. "By awakening to and harnessing the human Power of Confronting Death (臨死の力, Rinshi no Ryoku)!" he finished in a shout.

"A-a-am I going to be a loser again?" asked Pamput of Atticus in a gulp. "Am I going to be a weakling again?" he whimpered.

"You aren't weak," asserted Atticus to Pamput. "It's difficult for even gifted humans like us to measure up to the supernatural," he admitted. "But through facing hardship, we are able to improve our tactics and refine our techniques," he declared. "We are able to overcome the supernatural and stand tall as warriors,"

"You really think that?" coughed Pamput as he abruptly bulked up and then flexed his inflated muscles! "Th-then you haven't, endured the harshest training, ONLY TO BE OVERCOME BY A TODDLER!" he roared as his body ballooned into a swell...

...and then popped into a splash of viscera‽

"What‽" gasped Atticus as Pamput deposited his flesh and innards like a snake shedded its skin! That is, after Pamput inflated to his limit, another Pamput burst out of the original Pamput with explosive force! Subsequently, the living and new Pamput cleaned and dried himself with a flare of his fiendishly golden ki! "Th-th-that was an incredible, no, unprecedented usage of Namekian regeneration!" he awed and deduced as Pamput fidgeted, glowered, and wheezed.

"You can't defeat might with tactics and you can't overcome talent with training!" asserted Pamput to Atticus as his afro began to fade to hair-shedding and his brown complexion mutated into green skin! "B-become a demon, or die as a human, those are your only options in this unfair world!" he roared as he surged towards and tackled Atticus, carrying Atticus away from the beach and into a curved zoom!

"F-f-faster?" gagged Atticus as the impact of the tackle caused blood to erupt out his mouth and nose! "Can't breathe!" he complained as his blood choked him and Pamput hurled him into a plummeting whirl! "Damn it!"

"This is the end, Gekiretsu Kōdan (激烈光弾, Fury Light Bullet)!" called Pamput as he amassed his bright and golden ki between his cupped hands and then launched that ki at the plummeting Atticus with the mightiest push that he could muster! "I win, Big Hat!" he exclaimed in a screech!

"I-I..." coughed Atticus as he dislodge the blood in his nose and throat with a retch.

"...I don't think so!"

"What‽" cried Pamput as Atticus' bare hands clasped onto his Light Grenade and then held his Light Grenade in place! "Noo! You can't just-"

"Reikō..." began Atticus as he applied his psyki to the Light Grenade in order to control the Light Grenade's movements with his telekinesis. At the same time, Atticus also erupted into a flight towards Pamput and then headbutted Pamput as his flight rammed him into Pamput! "...Kyōhanshō (霊光鏡反衝, Spirit Light Mirror Repulsion)!" he finished as he compressed the Light Grenade into invisibility and then released the Light Grenade as a very visible Spirit Reflection Blast, which careened into the headbutted and recoiling Pamput at point-blank range!

"Ahh, aaauuuggghhh, gggaaahhh!" hollered Pamput as the Spirit Reflection Blast bulldozed him an instant and then dragged him into outer space! At the same time, the Spirit Reflection Blast burned into Pamput's body and then incinerated Pamput from the inside-out. "NNN000ooo..."

"Thank you..." exhaled an exhausted Atticus as Pamput disappeared into the greatest heights of the night sky and then exploded like a firework, illuminating the region as a whole as he did so. "...for making me stronger!" he laughed as he about-faced away from Pamput's brilliant end with a midair turn and then erupted into a flight towards the Z Carrier.

Chapter Text

May 9th, of Age 753

"No Shenron, no wish, why?" asked Yamcha as Maron and him brought folding chairs into Atticus' room upstairs, placed and unfolded their chairs besides Atticus' bed, and then sat before a bedridden Atticus. "What's happening to the plot?"

"I ensured that Goku didn't leave his dragon ball and power pole behind," answered Atticus as Maron showed him the tablet and thus Tien. "And thus made sure that Krillin didn't encounter and perish to Tambourine," he groaned. Because his grievous and many wounds were paining him whenever he spoke.

"That means..." murmured Yamcha as Atticus' words parsed through his thoughts. "...Goku and the others didn't discover King Piccolo's return," he realized. "Goku didn't fight Tambourine 2 days ago on the 7th and then kill him a day ago on the 8th," he continued in gasp. "Although, sometime yesterday, Cymbal may or may not have been killed by Goku or Yajirobe while pursuing the Dragon Balls for King Piccolo," he considered.

"Or Cymbal and Tambourine may be cooperating to find and transform all of the World Martial Artis Tournament's most notable fighters," added Atticus with a frown and in a huff. "Rather than collecting the Dragon Balls,"

"Ain't no way that King Piccolo ain't collecting the Dragon Balls," asserted Yamcha. "Cymbal is collecting Dragon Balls. I am sure of that! Trust me on that! Alright?" he insisted. "I also don't think that King Piccolo would waste Cymbal or Tambourine's talent on finding and transforming fighters," he added in a snort.

"Considering the fact that both Pamput — if I am remembering that fighter and his name right — and Ranfan mentioned Piano, and the fact that Ranfan carried and threatened to use a demon egg on me..." murmured Atticus as he contemplated Yamcha's arguments and assertions. "...it has to be Piano who is finding and transforming people," he decided.

"Cymbal is collecting dragon balls, Piano is building an army, while Tambourine is killing specific targets who are special threats," theorized Yamcha in a growl. "Our approach backfired because our intelligence on our opponents and the situation was wrong," sighed Yamcha. "We aren't dealing with just King Piccolo and his mutant sons, and we aren't dealing with the canon storyline, we are dealing with an entire horde of Namekian wannabes!" he stressed. "And among that horde are powerful and serious threats like that Pam Pam guy," he warned.

"King Piccolo can detect both the death of his spawn with his powers and the dragon balls with the Pilaf Gang's radar," coughed Atticus with a frown. "He'll know that Angel, Pamela, and Randy have been killed," he noted. "And where they have been killed," he added.

"He'll be angry, concerned, or something enough to send Tambourine our way," groaned Yamcha. "Even if it's the manga Tambourine, as depleted and injured as we are now, we can't defeat him," he lamented. "Because of the damage that I sustained in the tournament, until I have healed properly, I can't fight at my full strength!" he complained with clenched fists and a snarl. "S-so, damn it, it appears that we gambled and lost," he sighed. "We're toast,"

"No we're not!" interjected Maron with a slam of her hands upon Atticus' bed. "We're alive and conscious, so it's too early for us to give up!" she asserted.

"Maron is right," agreed Atticus. "If it comes down to it, I am Chiaotzu, remember?" he chuckled towards Yamcha. "I'll clinch with Tambourine and explode myself," he decided. "That'll give you time to-"

"No!" interjected Maron a second time. "We're all going to survive this!" she snapped. "Chiaotzu, Tien, Yamcha, and I! All of us are going to survive together, win together, and then..." she sniffed as she teared up. "...and then?"

"Train together?"

"Live together!" hissed Yamcha as he irritably smacked the back of Atticus' head. "You bloodsucking, color-less prat!" he hissed in scolding. "Look at what we have done?" he continued with a clasp of his face and a deep sigh. "Look at what I've done, damn it. I've made another girl cry," he groaned as he remembered Bulma and Chi-Chi's teary if violent wrath. "Damn it!"

"We have to heal, so we have to lay low, thus maybe we should bow out of this arc?" considered Atticus. "Hide somewhere until-"

"No," refused Maron and Yamcha before Atticus could even finish. "I am not a spectator!" spat Yamcha by himself next. "I am a warrior!" he insisted. "And I-I-I am not g-going to hide scared!" he snarled.

"These demons kill even each other without hesitation, purpose, or remorse," added Maron. "I doubt that, in the meantime, they'll leave people unharmed," she murmured. "If they conquer the world or whatever, if that boy and girl are any indication, I'll become nothing but a cake and a rack," she noted. "That may not have mattered to me in the past, but at this moment, I don't want to be that Maron again," she asserted.

"We can't defeat our foes, and save the world, with stubbornness alone," asserted Atticus to Maron and Yamcha. "We need a plan,"

"Korin's Tower," answered Maron, causing Atticus and Yamcha to elevate their eyebrows at her. "Mayhap it's being guarded by Tambourine, or perhaps Tambourine is seeking out and slaying targets," she continued in a murmur. "It's definitely guarded regardless, but if we divide our forces and maximize our speed, I think we can win!" she declared.

"Huh?" uttered Atticus and Yamcha. "Divide our forces?" questioned Atticus. "What forces?"

"Atticus, if you can lend me your telekinesis..." began Maron with a close of her eyes. "...I'll carry Tien and you to Korin!" she offered in a shout.

"What‽" spat Atticus. "Th-th-that's insane!"

"No!" interjected Yamcha. "That is the way!" he agreed with a smirk. "I'll distract the sentry, while Maron carries Tien and you to Korin!" he cackled. "So that Korin can heal Tien and you with senzu beans and then Tien and you can reinforce me," he added to Maron's plan.

"You believe Maron can climb Korin's Tower..." began Atticus with a grind of his teeth. "...and that you can distract 1 of the stronger demon clansmen‽"

"Yes," confirmed Maron and Yamcha as they looked and then nodded at each other. "We can!"

"Guh..." hissed Atticus at Maron and Yamcha's confidence and insistence! "...if that's the case, fine, I'll participate in this plan," he sighed.

"Alright!" cheered Maron with a hop off her chair and into a stand. "We'll fly straight there!" she declared as she ran off.

"That means I'll need to get Tien ready," huffed Yamcha as he arose from his seat as well and then folded the 2 chairs as he retrieved the 2 chairs. "While you need to focus on refining your techniques," he added without looking at Atticus. "Because your development, well, our development does not stop here!" he declared as he departed with the chairs in hand.

"I didn't expect this, but..." murmured Atticus as he eyed Tien through the tablet and then smiled. "...it appears that Maron and Yamcha have become mighty rivals!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"P-p-please stay your tracks, stranger!"

"I am afraid that we cannot," declared Atticus as Maron and Yamcha hiked through the Sacred Land of Korin's sparsely forested woodland. "For our destiny, or mayhap our doom, has already been foretold," he insisted...

...from the inside of a backpack that Maron was wearing. Alongside Tien? What‽ How was that poss-

"I implore you to listen before you refuse," begged Upa as Maron and Yamcha neared him with Atticus and Tien in tow. "Th-th-there is a monster ahead!" he warned. "A big, horned monster!"

"Where is your father, Upa?" asked Yamcha of Upa with a frown. "Is Bora alright?"

"Huh?" uttered Upa. "D-d-dad? You're asking about my dad?" he questioned. "You know him?"

"Yes," answered Atticus and Yamcha in unison. "Long story," they added together as well.

"Oh, uhh, well then..." stuttered Upa. "...h-h-he's hurt," he admitted in a sniff. "B-by the monster! The demon!"

"As we thought," sighed Maron as she comforted Upa with a head pat, causing the boy to blush in embarrassment as she did so. "There is a sentry here,"

"The fact that Bora and Upa are alive means that it's definitely not Tambourine," noted Yamcha. "And probably not Cymbal or Piano himself,"

"Thus it's another of the tournament fighters instead," deduced Atticus. "As we expected," he sighed.

"It's either Giran or Nam," asserted Yamcha. "Among the candidates, those 2 are the best choices because they're the most powerful," he argued.

"If it's Giran, be careful of his gum," groaned Atticus in warning. "While if it's Nam, keep the fight as grounded as possible," he suggested.

"A-a-are you going to fight the monster?" asked Upa in a gasp. "Nnnooo!" he urged. "He'll kill you!" he warned.

"We know," admitted Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha together.

"Y-you know?" asked Upa with a gawk. "B-but if you know that, how could you, why would you?" he questioned.

"I entrust my fate to my humanity," answered Atticus with a sly smile. "And my friends,"

"I refuse to return to servitude," answered Maron. "Or abandon my friends,"

"I must atone for my sins," answered Yamcha. "And clear the path for my friends,"

"Y-y-your friends?" awed Upa as Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha reminded him of Goku. "I-I understand," he resigned in a sigh. "Go,"

"Thank you Upa," hummed Maron as Yamcha and her marched past him and towards Korin's Tower!

❧ ❧ ❧

"I didn't expect you, and yet, I knew this day would come," announced Yamcha as he approached the Anti-Guardian of Korin's Tower. And as Maron circled the confrontation in the distance, awaiting the chance that was to come from Yamcha's distraction.

"You..." breathed the Anti-Guardian in a gruff huff and then a ferocious and furious snarl! "...from the tournament!" he spat at Yamcha. "Bastard!"

"Your anger is justified," admitted Yamcha in a shout, as his approach halted about a football field away from Korin Tower. "And your hatred righteous!" he continued as he clawed off his gi's tunic and thereby exposed his muscled torso. "But this corruption that you have been subjected to, this demonization, it ill suits this occasion!" he proclaimed in a snarl.

"Mmmyyy corruption‽" asked the Anti-Guardian as he began a earthquaking stomp towards Yamcha! "I am barely a demon when faced with you!" he growled with clenched fists and gnashing teeth!

"I'll accept any judgement, any punishment, from the man within you..." proclaimed Yamcha in a sniff as he started a trek towards the Anti-Guardian. "...but from foul King Piccolo's taint, from one polluted by that demonic Namekian's touch, I reject such a stained vengeance!" he yelled as the Anti-Guardian and him accelerated into a dash!

"Whether you accept justice, or whether you reject vengeance, is irrelevant Yamcha!" asserted the Anti-Guardian as Yamcha and him broke into their fastest sprint! "Because you face neither justice nor vengeance here, but rather a DEMON KING'S WRATH!" he screamed an instant before Yamcha and him both erupted into a leap towards one another!

"You aren't a demon king anymore..." cried Yamcha as the Anti-Guardian and him clashed with a cross of their forearms and then headbutted one another as they peered into one another's eyes! "...Ox King!" continued Yamcha just a moment before the Anti-Guardian, a demonized Ox King of all people, advanced his headbutt into overpowering Yamcha's headbutt and slinging Yamcha into a tumbling whirl!

After Yamcha crashed face-first into and cratered the ground, an ache awoke in Yamcha and then screamed like a toddler subjected to torture! At the same time, all of Yamcha's bones creaked as loud as any scream. And all of Yamcha's muscles spasmed and swelled! Despite this, Yamcha arose onto his feet and then faced towards the flying Ox King with a pained and slow turn. 

"I guess it's not just participants of the tournament," growled Yamcha as the Ox King frothed from his fury and vibrated from his wrath. "Antlion the Great, the reason he was in South City, he was a sentry wasn't he?" realized Yamcha in hindsight. "But he detected Maron and left his post..." he theorized. "...because you demons are incapable of restraining yourselves," he snorted. "You can't contain your darkest impulse even when you're ordered to," he sneered as he about-faced again...

...and then ran!

"You will not escape, Desert Bandit Yamcha!" roared the Ox King as he burst into demonic flight towards the retreating Yamcha! As Ox King and Yamcha disappeared into the horizon, Maron grimaced at Yamcha's prospects of survival but then scowled in a Atticus-like way as she steeled herself.

"Here we go," gulped Atticus as Maron arrived at Korin's Tower and then eyed it with incredulity. "Neither Kami nor Korin are familiar with us, so flying isn't possible," he warned as he felt Maron consider just soaring to the top. "If we fly before we earn their respect by proving our strength, they'll smite us," he clarified.

"I understand," groaned Maron. "That my nails are toast that is," she lamented as she clasped onto a groove of Korin's Tower and then hauled herself off the ground and into a hug of the tower. Subsequently, Atticus augmented Maron's brawn with his telekinesis...

...but not Maron's flexibility or stamina. As such, even as Maron conducted the climb with the help of telekinesis, the climb still drained Maron's endurance and strained Maron's muscles! "This is nothing," asserted Maron as she began the hardest and longest moments of her life. "Nothing at all!"

❧ ❧ ❧

"Yamcha, prepare to die!" roared the Ox King as he descended upon Yamcha in a dive, like a raptor swooping upon its prey! "Butsushitsu Shutsugen Majutsu (物質出現魔術, Magic Materialization)!" chanted the Ox King as he conjured a pike from his demonic magic and then employed that pike in powerful and swift thrust!

"He can cast spells?" asked Yamcha in his thoughts as he evaded the incoming spearhead with a lean...

...and thereby allowed the spearhead to crash into and detonate the ground!

"What‽" exclaimed Yamcha as the dirt of the ground exploded into a maelstrom of sand and then swept him into its vortex! "He caused a sandstorm with a simple thrust?" he realized as he was buffeted into a full-body hemorrhage and dragged into a hurtle of an orbit! After a just a moment of being carved into and hauled around by the sandstorm, Yamcha beheld a break in the flurry of sand and then the blade that had done the breaking! "Shit!" swore Yamcha as an axe's blade carved into his pecs, crashed through his ribcage, and then flung him out of the sandstorm!

"That's not enough!" insisted the Ox King as he barreled through and dispersed the sandstorm with a furious march towards the soaring Yamcha! At the same time, the Ox King elevated a tomahawk overhead and then flung that tomahawk towards Yamcha! "Ryūketsuno (流血角, Blood-Soaked Horn)!" he snarled as his enchanted ki — that is, a combination of his evil ki and evil magic — flowed into the blood staining the blade of the tomahawk! Subsequently, the arcane blood breathed in and heated oxygen! By doing so, the arcane blood ignited itself into an inferno of ki and magic!

"More new powers?" complained Yamcha as a buzzsaw of flame, ki, magic, and steel swirled towards him! With a fearful grimace, a blood-covered Yamcha cratered the ground with a stomp and then cut a fissure into the ground as he gradually halted himself with the resultant skid! Following that, as the buzzsaw flew and then sawed into Yamcha's throat, Yamcha armored himself with an aura of the Kamehameha in order to forcibly and quickly remove the buzzsaw from his throat! However, before Yamcha could attend to his bleeding and burning throat, the Ox King arrived before Yamcha and then pummeled Yamcha with a punch! "Heavy!" heaved Yamcha as the fist of the Ox King crashed into him like a runaway train and knocked him into a rolling tumble! As Yamcha bounced off and fell onto the ground, again and again and again, the Ox King charged Yamcha with a lunge and then conjured an enormous hammer!

"Maketsuchi (魔血槌, Demonic Blood Hammer)!" growled the Ox King as blood erupted out of his fingers and then coated the hammer in his hands! Afterward; the blood expanded its volume, grew into organic tissue, integrated itself into the hammer, and then layered itself over the hammer!

"Rairōgafūfūjinken (雷狼牙風風神拳, Thunder Wolf-Fang Wind God Fist)!" cried Yamcha as the Ox King attacked him with a blood-colored, demonic, fleshy, and gigantic hammer! At the same time, Yamcha discharged an electrical wolf into a face of the hammer and then equipped his forearm with an electrical head of a wolf! By doing so, Yamcha charged the hammer with electricity and then evaded the hammer with a faster-than-normal roll as his forearm and the hammer magnetically repelled one another! However, as the face of the hammer crashed into the ground rather than Yamcha, the face of the hammer detonated an explosion of flames with a sanguine tinge! As that explosion impacted with and then scorched Yamcha, notably, it cauterized Yamcha's wounds! At the same time though, it battered and burned Yamcha. And it threw Yamcha into a whirl. However, Yamcha balanced himself in midair and then landed into a lupine stance! "Now. I. Strike!" howled Yamcha as he armed himself with claws of electricity and then burst into a sprint towards the Ox King! "Raijūgafūfūjinken (雷獣牙風風神拳, Thunder Beast-Fang Wind God Fist)!"

"As if that'll work, Maketsurugi (魔血剣, Demonic Blood Swords)!" spat the Ox King as he cast the demonic hammer into the horizon. Afterward; by applying his blood, ki, magic, and Namekian regeneration in conjunction with each other; the Ox King conjured and forged a malevolent pair of scimitars! As such, as Yamcha reached and slashed at the Ox King, the Ox King managed to parry the slashes with his scimitars!

"The blades are conducting and then confining the electricity!" realized Yamcha as his barrage of clawing and electrical strikes were blocked and deflected by the Ox King as the Ox King marched rearward rather than toward! "Damn it!"

"Now perish!" demanded the Ox King as he deflected Yamcha into a downward overextension and then retaliated with a rising slash! However, Yamcha equipped his free hand with an electrical head of a wolf and then guarded himself by magnetically repelling the slash with the electrical wolf's head! "Bastard!" complained the Ox King as his attack blasted Yamcha into a rearward skid rather than slashed straight through Yamcha! At this point, as the Ox King discarded his electrified scimitars, Yamcha adopted a fanged grin and then erupted into a lunge towards the Ox King.

"Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" howled Yamcha as he blasted himself into a pounce upon the Ox King and thereby rammed the Ox King with a tackle that tossed the Ox King into a tumble! Afterward, Yamcha dispersed his exoskeletal Kamehameha and then leapt over the Ox King in the middle of the Ox King's tumble! "Go to sleep!" he demanded as he barraged the Ox King with electrical punches! More specifically, after he charged the Ox King with his first flurry of punches, Yamcha began to change his ki from controlling electrons to controlling protons! And then vice versa! By doing so, Yamcha attracted his fists to the Ox King by coating his fists in protons. And then Yamcha repelled his fists away from the Ox King by coating his fists in electrons! Together, this 2-step cycle of electron and proton punches allowed Yamcha to accelerate and augment his punching spree! "Rōgajishakuken (狼牙磁石拳, Wolf-Fang Magnet Fist)!"

"Y-you th-thi-think that w-will b-b-be e-eno-enough?" drawled the Ox King as Yamcha bashed and bloodied his face into a mass of sanguine swellings! "To defeat the DEMON OX KING‽" he screeched as he abruptly armored his body in blood-colored, Chinese-style, demonic, fleshy, and Namekian-themed armor! Afterward, the Ox King blasted Yamcha with a headbutt as he pushed himself into a stand!

"I couldn't outpace his regeneration!" lamented Yamch as he back-flipped into a landing and rearward skid. And then the Ox King appeared before him and rocketed him skyward with a swift uppercut! "What‽"

"You'll beg Chi-Chi for forgiveness, Yamcha!" declared the Ox King as his armor dragged him into a flight towards the soaring Yamcha! "You'll bow in prostration after-"

"I'll already do that!" retorted Yamcha in a scream as he elbowed the sky itself in order to halt his rise and stop his twirl! However, by this point in time, the Ox King had managed to reach and start a tussle with Yamcha! "I'll beg, bow, cry, and wail until I pass out if I have to!" he continued as he battered his fists with punches that were rebuffed by the Ox King's armor. And as the Ox King battered his body with punches that blasted him as if each of them was the explosive shell of a tank!

"That's..." began the Ox King as he clasped his hands together and then hammered Yamcha into a plummet! "...not enough!"

"Of course it isn't!" cried Yamcha as he crashed into a kneel but then immediately rose into a stand! "Because nothing will ever be enough!" he declared as he began the flourish of a Kamehameha...

...and then electrified his ki‽

"You can't earn or quantify redemption!" continued Yamcha as he attracted protons to his Kamehameha by augmenting the negative charge of his electrified Kamehameha! At the same time, the blue of the condensed yet developing Kamehameha darkened and deepened as Yamcha charged the Kamehameha with more and more protons! Eventually, after a few moments of powering up, the Kamehameha's absorption of protons caused the Kamehameha's charge to change from negative to neutral. "Because it's an act of grace, a gift that is given by the heart and soul!" roared Yamcha as he ceased to enhance the electrons of his Kamehameha and thereby displaced the Kamehameha's neutral charge with a positive charge! "And I'll not betray that grace by losing to you!" screamed Yamcha as he applied the ki of his Kamehameha to contain, direct, and enhance the protons of his Kamehameha! By doing so, Yamcha discharged an explosion of ki and protons into a radiant and sapphire soar towards the Ox King! "Rōgahameha (狼牙破滅波, Wolf-Fang Destruction Blast)!"

"I'LL ENDURE!" asserted the Ox King as the blast of electrical positivity changed its front into the electric head of a sapphire wolf and then howled and surged towards him! "WHILE YOU! WILL! FFFAAAUUUAAAGGGHHHAAAUUU!" he cried as the Canine Kamehameha bit and blasted through his grasp with its fangs, gnawed through and obliterated his armor, and then sunk into a surge throughout his body! "Ahh, aaahhh, aaauuuggghhhaaauuu!" he shrieked as the Canine Kamehameha electrocuted him into vomiting King Piccolo's demon egg, energized the demon egg with an immediate vaporization, and then exited him without inflicting any further harm upon him! "I..." wheezed the Ox King as Yamcha appeared beneath the Ox King and then caught the Ox King as well as he could. "...tried to kill you," he noted in a puzzled voice.

"Those blessed with grace are burdened to give grace," answered Yamcha as he landed into a kneel and then laid the Ox King down. "At least..." he continued with a sad smile. "...that is what I believe will lead me to my redemption,"

❧ ❧ ❧

"You barely made it, but that's making it, so welcome," hummed Korin as Maron lashed her arms into a sling that threw Atticus, Tien, and herself through a hole at the base of Korin Tower and into a flop within the basement of Korin Tower. As Maron crashed onto the basement's floor, Atticus and Tien fumbled out the backpack and into a sprawl. "First that one..." decided Korin as he pressed pressure points on Tien with his staff and thereby puppeteered Tien into swallowing a senzu bean! "...then this one," he continued as he fed Atticus next. "So that I can save the best for last!" he laughed as he fed Maron too.

"Guh!" gagged Atticus, Maron, and Tien as the beans' magic ravaged yet rejuvenated them! "Wh-wh-what happened?" questioned Tien with a clasp of his head and then a rickety stand. "D-did I lose?"

"Yes," answered Atticus, Korin, and Maron in unison.

"H-huh?" gasped Tien as he beheld Korin. "Where am I?" he questioned.

"Korin Tower," answered Atticus and Korin in unison. "I am Korin," added Korin in a chuckle. "Good to meet ya,"

"Chiaotzu!" gasped Tien as he finally noticed Atticus in full. "And another girl‽" he added in a bigger gasp as he spotted Maron. "I-I-Impossible!"

"Stop doing that!" complained Atticus in a sniff. "D-damn it Tien!" he cried, literally.

"Chiaotzu, what's wrong?" asked a confused Tien. "Wh-why are you crying?"

"You were in a coma for 2 days straight," revealed Maron to Tien, causing him to gawk in surprise. "We came here to heal you with the sanzu beans!" she giggled.

"Senzu beans," corrected Atticus and Korin together. "How do you know that?" questioned Korin at Atticus with a raised eyebrow. "Have rumors spread of my stash?" he wondered.

"Uhh, well, can I have another for Yamcha?" asked Atticus. He then beamed as Korin gave him the requested senzu bean. "Thanks!" he laughed as he amassed his ki and then burst into a flight out the tower. "I gotta save Yamcha!"

"That guy I was fighting?" asked Tien as Atticus departed. "Hey, Chiaotzu!"

"I can explain," interjected Maron. "But it's a lllooonnnggg story," she added in warning.

"Well I, for one, love stories!" exclaimed Korin in a laugh. "Especially the long ones. Helps pass the time. So come upstairs," he urged. "You can orate the story to baldy and I over some tea,"

❧ ❧ ❧

"I'm sorry Tie-"

"Don't," interjected Tien before Yamcha could finish. "We battled, I lost, that's it," he asserted to Yamcha as Atticus, Korin, Maron, the Ox King, Yamcha, and him settled in chairs around a table. "I'm actually glad," he added in a cackle. "A challenge, a rival!" he laughed. "I didn't expect this, but it's wonderful!"

"Chiaotzu and you are freaks," gagged Yamcha at Tien's excitement. "Although I am glad too," he added in a chuckle. "And I thank you Tien," he murmured. "This means more to me than you can ever understand,"

"We're already on the subject, so listen up Yamcha, I am impressed that you're improving and redeeming yourself," asserted the Ox King to Yamcha. "As such, as long as you don't backslid and repeat your transgressions, there is no feud between us," he sighed. "Consider that my payment to you for saving me from my own weakness," he snorted.

"You don't need to repay-"

"Do not shame me, Yamcha!" spat the Ox King at Yamcha. "I. Am. Repaying you," he reiterated. "Yes?"

"Yes," agreed Yamcha in a sigh. "Thank you,"

"That brings us to the matter at hand," noted Korin in a purr. "The Great Demon KIng Piccolo's rampage throughout the world!"

"Give it to me straight Korin!" demanded Atticus in a shout. "Can I defeat him?" he questioned.

"At base no," answered Korin in a sigh. "But..." he added, causing Atticus and Yamcha to blink as he did so. "...with the power of your techniques, yes," he revealed.

"What‽" gasped the Ox King and Yamcha, the only other people to know how powerful KIng Piccolo truly was. "Wh-wh-what technique‽" questioned Yamcha with a look at Atticus. "Do you mean his psyki?"

"That, alone, can't defeat the Great Demon King," snorted Korin at Yamcha's guess. "But it has been 500 years, half a millennium, since I've seen the Art of Mortality (必滅の武術, Hitsumetsu no Bujutsu) that he's reinvented," he elaborated. "And if the boy applies the Art of Mortality to augment his employment of his psyki, he can win," he declared.

"Th-th-the Art of Mortality?" asked Maron, the Ox King, Tien, and Yamcha.

"An ability that is limited to mortals," answered Korin in a hum. "Those capable of death, fear, and weakness!" he elaborated. "Attaining any class of divinity or immortality seals the technique," he noted. "As such, generally, a jiāngshī like you can't learn and use it," he snorted.

"B-b-but he has despite that?" asked Tien. "Chiaotzu has learned this mighty power?"

"Indeed," confirmed Korin. "Partially," he stressed. "You aren't a complete jiāngshī it seems," he mused. "Your body is corrupted, but somehow, your soul is untainted," he noted. "You're able to access your humanity, and thus the Art of Mortality, through that mortal and pure soul of yours," he elaborated. "But it's limited, stunted, and weakened," he warned. "You attain effects of the mind yes, but less than even 1% of the bodily power that it produces, although you make up for that with your psyki," he clarified.

"The Power of Confronting Death, there is more to it?" asked Atticus with a blink. "Although, despite my incompetence, you said that my current form of that power is enough to kill King Piccolo right?" he questioned. "Right?"

"Yes," reiterated Korin. "But..." he added in a sigh. "... you already know what will happen if he manages to strike you while you're using that power," he warned.

"I'll die," acknowledged Atticus. "Instantly,"

"What‽" cried Tien. "He can't be hit even once‽" he gulped. "If that is the case, he isn't stronger!" he spat.

"If he guards, he can endure a 1000 blows," answered Korin with a shake of his head. "But any attack that bypasses his guard, whether by luck or by skill or by tactics, will instantly slay him," he stressed. "That reward of strength comes with the risk of weakness," he warned.

"Th-th-that's far too risky!" argued Tien in a shout. "We can't rely on, o-on that!" he yelled. "You can't rely on that, Chiaotzu!"

"We don't have any other option," hissed Atticus. "A confrontation with the Demon King and his strongest is fast approaching," he warned. "And we have to win!" he stressed. "Not just for ourselves, but for our whole world!"

"We do have other options," corrected Korin. "And I think you know what it is," he cooed.

"Fortuneteller Baba!" remembered Maron. "Awakening your potentials!"

"Betting on that is just as risky," admitted Yamcha in a groan. "We don't even know if that hag is capable of finding a Namekian whom is able and willing to awaken our potential," he continued. "Also..." he added in a huff. "...I actually don't want to depend on a Namekian's power to defeat a Namekian threat!" he sneered.

"That is ego speaking," huffed Maron at Yamcha. "You can indulge in that after we have saved the world, Yamcha!" she snarled.

"I see that you're the brains of this operation," laughed Korin at Maron's snarl towards Yamcha, causing Atticus and Yamcha to snicker. "But, in addition to that hypothetical solution, there is a current and present solution too," he asserted. "The Chōshinsui (超神水, Ultra Divine Water)," he cooed.

"Isn't that just poison?" asked Yamcha in a scoff. "It's death for humans like us," he huffed in an irked tone. "And nothing mo-"

"It didn't kill Olibu," revealed Korin, causing Yamcha to gasp and then remain silent in his surprise! "I admit that it destroys you, yes, but it also remakes you," he elaborated. "If you have the ki to remake yourself," he added in warning. "If you boast the ki of a true warrior, you survive. If you don't, you die in extreme pain," he cooed. "Simple but terrible, yes?"

"It's the same risk!" asserted Maron and Tien in furious shouts! "It's-"

"My decision," insisted Atticus. "Please respect that," he requested. "Please!"

"I, I can't just..." refused Tien. "...you know I can't allow this!"

"If I die, Tien, you all can can defeat King Piccolo another way and then wish me back to life," added Atticus. "Alright?"

"What are you talking about‽" spat Tien. "Wish you back to life? What? This isn't a fairy tale! It's not a game! You can't just-"

"It's a long story, but with the Dragon Balls, we can indeed make and realizes those sorts of wishes," asserted Yamcha to Tien. "Although, honestly speaking, I hate the idea of you leaving me in the dust Chiaotzu!" he complained. "After all, I have no intention of replacing one Goku with another!" he sneered. "But it's fine, it's fine I guess!" he relented in a sigh. "So we'll do things this way,"

"Atticus and I will do this," corrected Korin in a feline hiss. "The rest of you should go enact your other plans rather than wait around doing nothing," he ordered.

"Did he just say my actual name?" gasped Atticus in his thought. "Bastard has been cavorting through my mind!"

"Who is..." began Maron with a blink. "...Atticus?"

"So that's the name, huh?" snorted Yamcha. "Alright, fine, we will leave Chiaotzu in your care," he sighed to Korin. "Come on guys. We are off to Fortuneteller Baba's!" he announced.

"I am glad that we bought our hoverhome oversized!" laughed Maron as the Ox King and Yamcha dragged a kicking and screaming Tien off. "As, because of that, there are enough rooms and space for even someone as large as you Mr. Ox King sir!"

"..."

"..."

"...there is another risk," announced Korin as soon as Maron, the Ox King, Tien, and Yamcha were gone. "After your creation, your creator forgot to place a sealing tag on you, which allowed his evil ki to leak and your good ki to return," he revealed.

"And that disrupted the process of vampirization?" guessed Atticus. "Enough to let me use the Power of Confronting Death?"

"Actually..." began Korin with a frown. "...it diminished the final result," he stressed. "You aren't a full human, you aren't a full jiāngshī, but you also aren't a hybrid of the two," he asserted. "That is, you aren't half-human and half-jiāngshī. You aren't anything stereotypical like that. Instead, you are an incomplete mess!" he stressed. "Animated enough to reclaim your soul from its afterlife, but not really and truly undead,"

"In other words, the Crane Hermit had absolutely no idea what the fuck he was doing when he reanimated me," groaned Atticus. "I bet his lazy ass used a process he got out of a reanimation for dummies book or something," he theorized.

"As you're changed by the Ultra Divine Water, you'll become either a full human or a full jiāngshī," warned Korin. "A person or a vampire," he stressed.

"A hero or a monster," chuckled Atticus. "Just my luck," he snorted.

"Are you okay-"

"If you kill me?" asked Atticus. "Yes," he consented. "If I become a monster, a vampire, kill me. But also, tell the others to resurrect me as a full hu-"

"It will destroy your soul," interjected Korin. "You can't create a jiāngshī when a soul is present, that is why they're made from corpses," he explained. "Becoming a jiāngshī when your soul is present will destroy your soul," he warned.

"Complete destruction is the real risk then?" he questioned. "And no Dragon Balls can bring me back from that," he sighed. "Right?"

"Right," confirmed Korin. "You will disappear and I will kill myself in penitence," he sighed. "Because I won't be able to kill or even slow down the terror that you'll become," he warned.

"So instead of trading one Goku for another, if things go wrong, we'll be trading one King Piccolo for another," grumbled Atticus. "Let's get this over with before I think it through," he demanded.

"Very well," agreed Korin as he hopped over to a shelf and then retrieved a kettle. "It's all yours," murmured Korin in a somber tone. "Best of luck to you,"

"Best of luck to us all," hummed Atticus an instant before he accepted and chugged the Ultra Divine Water!

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...was that i-" began Atticus an instant before blood erupted out his mouth and splattered onto his torso! "Th-th-there it is!" laughed Atticus as a blade carved his cells apart from one another, chopping the entirety of his self into its myriad pieces and then separating those shreds in the single-most torturous way! Bit-by-bit, Atticus' body disintegrated into a goo of pain and terror! At the same time though, instead of dying from that liquefaction and within the passing of a single thought, Atticus began to convert his ki into organelles and gradually rebuild his molten organs. As such, instead of melting into a sanguinary slushy, Atticus began to buckle and ripple as his body broke down and reformed. Again and again and again!

As Atticus clenched his fists into a goop and gnashed his molars into a sludge, he was maddened by pain's peak but then rationalized by terror's zenith. That is to say, Atticus was driven into insanity but then frenzied into sanity! For even the greatest heights of insanity could not process and sustain itself in this situation! As such, escaping into insanity was not an option. Indulging in madness was not an option! Even accepting death and fading into the muck was not an option! As the Ultra Divine Water was draining Atticus' ki and then employing that ki to reconstruct Atticus, without any regard for Atticus' desires or needs! Thus, the only option that Atticus had was to wait!

As Atticus' brain degenerated and regenerated, Atticus' consciousness disappeared and reappeared. And Atticus' memories faded and resurged! For an instant, Atticus became Chiaotzu in truth. And then the following moment, Atticus became whom he had been before his reincarnation into Dragon Ball's world. Subsequently, Atticus cried out for Tien to save him! But then Atticus forgot that Tien was anyone but some loser side character that fell off harder than Humpty Dumpty! Afterward, Atticus coached himself to endure the pain. And then Atticus questioned why he was suffering so...

...when he could have just left everything to Goku?



"All of this pain for a potential release without the Zenkai that Son Goku got with it," scoffed Atticus at Chiaotzu, as Atticus and Chiaotzu appeared in the darkness of their subconsciousness. "All of this suffering for strength that'll be surpassed by the next arc," he sneered. "This is nothing to Raditz..."

"... you are nothing to Raditz, to this world!" asserted Atticus to Chiaotzu. "It's beyond human limits, bigger than human potential!" he argued. "You are dying for the glory of a moment that you'll never reach! You are hurting us, Chiaotzu! Killing us! And for what? For what, Chiaotzu? For what reason are you striving to save this world?"

"For what reason are you striving to be the strongest‽"

"For his reasons," answered Chiaotzu to Atticus with a determined frown. "For his sake, I'll pursue the strength at the universe's zenith!" he declared. "For my Tien..."

"... for our Tien," agreed Atticus as Chiaotzu and him merged together. "We can't give up!" decided Atticus and Chiaotzu in a shout together! "We can't give up when he didn't after decades of irrelevance! We can't give up while he pushes himself and strives towards the top! We can't give up while we can be the instrument of his rise and the rival that strengthens him into the strongest!"

"We can't give up while he is our friend!" cried Atticus and Chiaotzu as their body completed its rebirth and as they stood tall as a completely human warrior!

May 10th, of Age 753

"The first success in thirteen tries," whistled Korin as he beheld an Atticus with fair rather than pale skin; black, silky, and waist-length hair with shoulder-length bangs, amber eyes with a gilded glow, and blush-less cheeks! "Wow!"

"This is different than Goku," realized Atticus as he detected an increase in both his ki and his psionics too! "Both of my powers have risen in strength!"

"Of course they did," chuckled Korin with a smile. "The Ultra Divine Water augments anything that you trained, and you trained both of your powers, didn't you?" he cooed. "You've earned great power through the endurance of greater suffering," continued Korin a hum. "You've awakened your potential, not been gifted with strength, so this might is solely yours," he stressed.

"I-I-I built this, huh?" asked Atticus in a laugh. "Me?"

"Yes you," confirmed Korin. "Not Chiaotzu," he hummed. "You," he stressed. "You've come a long way marebito," he laughed.

"Can you direct me to King Piccolo?" asked Atticus of Korin. "So that I can end this?"

"Of course," agreed Korin as he place his staff's tip on Atticus' forehead and then used his own telepathy to let Atticus feel King Piccolo's ki! "Come here later and I'll teach that to ya," he offered.

"Will do!" promised Atticus with a smile. "Thank you Korin!" he shouted as he about-faced into a sprint.

"One last thing!" added Korin as he beamed Atticus with magic. "Butsushitsu Shutsugen Majutsu (物質出現魔術, Magic Materialization)!" he chanted as he changed Atticus' clothes into an ankle-length, Hanfu, long-sleeved, slitted, and turtleneck robe; a sleeveless and v-neck undershirt; a pair of fingerless gloves; and a baggy pair of Hanfu pants tucked into a pair of Hanfu boots! Most notably, the backs of both the gloves and robe were emblazoned with a pair of stylized whiskers! "Good luck!" called Korin as Atticus erupted into flight and soared away to vanquish the Great Demon King!

"Fast!" gasped Atticus as he rocketed through the sky swifter than he suspected to, even as he held himself back in order to preserve his stamina. "Faster than my former maximum, even without exerting myself or improving my ki with my psionics!" he noted in awe at his gains. "So this is my potential unleashed?" he mused with a smirk. He then accelerated his flight into a thunderous zoom! All across the continent, a boomed echoed in the sky as Atticus crossed the continent in a few seconds and than slowed into a leisurely soar over an airship.

"Hhheeerrreee's..." cackled Atticus as he abruptly dropped into a plummet through the airship's deck and then cratered the floor of the airship's interior as he landed within that interior! "...Chiaotzu?" he murmured as he beheld the Great Demon King Piccolo...

...confined to his throne?

No. That is, King Piccolo was not confined to his throne. But rather, King Piccolo was confined to a mechanical throne. Around King Piccolo's ankles and wrists were fetters of ki-siphoning steel which shackled King Piccolo to the throne. And Around King Piccolo's mouth was a gas mask-like pump which was sucking demon eggs out of King Piccolo and then taking those demon eggs to the very beginning of a belt conveyor system. As Atticus' eyes followed 1 of the demon eggs' path along the conveyor belt; Atticus watched as the demon egg was doused in a liquid substance that gnarled and shrunk them, dried with heat, then polished into a shine...

...and then dropped into a pile of demon eggs that Mai, Pilaf, and Shu were labeling and packaging. At first, Atticus gaped at King Piccolo's imprisonment and torment. And Atticus gawked at the demon egg factory as a whole. However, after a minute of puzzlement, Atticus grabbed the mask atop King Piccolo's face and then ripped that mask off of King Piccolo! As King Piccolo coughed and wheezed; Atticus eyed King Piccolo's restraints, felt their ki lust, and then left them in place and untouched. "What happened to you?" asked Atticus of the former Great Demon King. "Who did this to you? To the Pilaf Gang? To our world?"

"M-m-my son," answered King Piccolo in a pained and soft whimper. "Th-th-that damn traitor, Piano!" he revealed a wheeze. "H-h-he did this to me. To us. All of us," he coughed.

"So it's actually the Great Demon King Piano, huh?" growled Atticus as hindsight made it obvious. At the same time, Atticus floated up to and grabbed King Piccolo's face. Subsequently, Atticus applied his telepathy as a means of erasing King Piccolo's memories and then forcing King Piccolo to spit out his first and last Namekian egg! "Damn that bird!" he swore as King Piccolo fell limp and soulless. Afterward, Atticus disintegrated King Piccolo with an injection of his ki and then levitated the Namekian egg into an orbit around himself.

"I prefer the term avian dinosaur over bird..." heard Atticus as a fireball appeared before and crashed into him! "...and it's Demon Emperor Piano (ピアノ魔皇帝, Piano-magōtei)!" clarified Piano as Atticus clasped the fireball with his telekinesis and then cast the fireball into an explosive impact with a nearby wall! As the airship was blasted by the fireball and encumbered with a gaping hole, Atticus beheld Piano emerge from the factory's shadows and then glare towards him.

"You betrayed your father?" asked Atticus of Piano as Piano and him faced and glared at one another. "Why?"

"He betrayed me!" insisted Piano in a snarl. "By birthing me as his servant rather than his son!" he spat. "All of this-"

"Is impossible," asserted Atticus as he interrupted Piano. "I-i-it's been 2 days! Maybe 3? 4?" he guessed as he looked around at the eggs, the factory, and the throne. "How? When?"

"I convinced King Piccolo to let me venture into the Northern Mountains..." began Piano in a cackle. "...where I ambushed Gero!" he ecstatically laughed. "I ate the brain of Gero in order to extract and inherit the man's superintelligence!" he revealed in a squawk! "So guess what? No more androids! Cawcacacacaaa!"

"Wh-wh-what?" gasped Atticus in surprise. "Y-you what‽"

"All I had to do was combine Gero's intellect and Piano's lore..." continued Piano in a snicker. "...after I managed that, I invented these machines in seconds!" he snickered. "Then I just cast the Magic Materialization spell," he snorted. "After all, why build when you can summon?" he cooed.

"A-a-absorption isn't one of Piano's powers!" growled Atticus. "Is it?" he wondered.

"It's a magical power," giggled Piano. "I fucking Moro'ed that bitch!" he sneered.

"So what?" groaned Atticus. "You betrayed your father and then exploited him to raise an army?" he snorted.

"I applied him as an asset to build an empire!" corrected Piano. "A cyber-demon empire in the future!" he clarified. "Whereupon I'll conquer the universe before it conquers us!"

"You mean before it conquers you," accused Atticus. "You aren't attempting to defend anyone but yourself!"

"Anyone but us!" insisted Piano. "Anyone but actual, real people!" he stressed. "Everyone else here are but drawings on a paper or pixels on a screen," he scoffed. "But all of us isekai?" he cooed. "We are the ones who matter! The ones to protect! The ones who are real! We are the only ones of any worth!" he argued.

"Your asshole demons attempted to kill Yamcha and I multiple times!" screamed Atticus at Piano. "Multiple times!"

"An honest mistake," insisted Piano. "Really! I didn't know that you guys were-"

"Liar!" accused Atticus in a hiss. "Besides; you can't enslave the universe in the name of personal safety; you selfish, sociopathic, stupid twat!" he roared. "And you can't defeat this universe, overcome this world, by manipulating others and stealing talents!" he snarled. "You'll never become the strongest, rise to the top, with weak shit like that!"

"I'M ALREADY AT THE TOP!" declared Piano in a dinosauric roar as he conjured a metallic wire within each of his sleeves and then expanded those metallic wires into a stretch throughout the airship's interior! "For I am the Demon Emperor Piano, the RULER OF THIS WORLD!" he continued as the airship and demon eggs became entangled within and pierced by the stretching wire! Afterward, the airship and demon eggs began to be drawn into an implosion towards Piano!

"Korin!" called Atticus in a screch of telepathy as he grabbed Mai, Pilaf, and Shu with his telekinesis. "Catch!" he begged as he flew out the hole in the airship and then quickly wrapped Mai, Pilaf, and Shu around the Namekian egg.

"What are you doiiinnngggaaahhh!" screamed Pilaf as Atticus telekinetically tossed the Namekian egg towards Korin Tower with Mai, Shu, and him in tow! "Prick!"

"What is he..." gasped Atticus as Piano assimilated the airship, conjured machinery and metal, and the demon eggs into a cyber-demonic exoskeleton of sorts. "...doing?" he whispered as Piano encased himself within an enormous, evil, and living machine! This machine appeared as a Chinese dragon with a glistening and metal back, a fleshy and green belly, the head of pterodactyl, eyes which were bugging out of its head and resembled the blaster of the cyborg Mercenary Tao, an absurdly lengthy tongue which also resembled the blaster of the cyborg Mercenary Tao, a humanoid and thus Porunga-like torso, as many arms as a centipede had legs, and fingers which also-also resembled the blaster of the cyborg Mercenary Tao! Most notably though, 6 of the 7 dragon balls were embedded in an incomplete circle and within the machine's forehead!

"Behold the Earth's newest sovereign and strongest warrior, Eternal Piano (エターナル ピアノ, Etānaru Piano)!" exclaimed Piano from inside the machine, from inside the Eternal Piano! "I'll be adding the cells of your friends to my power soon, Chiaotzu!" he laughed as beams of ki erupted out of pores in the Eternal Piano's back and then rocketed into sky! After a moment or two, one-by-one and over the passage of time, all of the other planets in the solar system began to brighten into visibility...

...as the beams of ki reached and scorched their surfaces into a shimmer that surpassed the sparkle of the Sun itself!

"Bring it on!" demanded Atticus despite the Eternal Piano's display of force. "Demon Emperor Piano!"

"As you wish!" cackled Piano. Subsequently, the Eternal Piano accelerated into a demonic flight towards Atticus! "You measly human warrior, Chiaotzu!" he sneered as Atticus burst into a flight towards the Eternal Piano and him!

In a flash, Atticus and the Eternal Piano clashed in a midair ram of one another and detonated an explosion that forcibly separated and threw them! Afterward, Atticus and the Eternal Piano began to dot the sky with explosion as the flashed throughout the sky and repeatedly slammed themselves into one another! All across the Earth, animals and people alike crooked their necks upward in order to marvel at the spectacle and tremble at the violence! Eventually though, Atticus and the Eternal Piano clashed fists as their crashed into a mutual punch! As Atticus and the Eternal Piano met a punch with a punch, they accidentally generated a powerful shockwave that rippled into space and sundered the Moon!

At this point, the Eternal Piano attacked with a lash of its tail! At the same time, the nearest arms — that is, the arms that were closest to the area of impact — attacked Atticus with a duo of punches! However, Atticus deflected the arms' punches with knifehand and lashing strikes! He also parried the the tail's whiplash with a kick! By this point though, the Eternal Piano aimed its blast-liker tongue at Atticus and then cackled as it fired ki as a laser! As the Eternal Piano attempted to blast Atticus with a laser from its tongue, Atticus encased himself in a field of his telekinesis and thereby protected himself with a psionic shield!

Afterward, Atticus applied a measure of his telekinesis to the Eternal Piano's tongue in order to curve the Eternal Piano's tongue into lasering the Eternal Piano's underbelly! "Cheating dastard!" complained Piano as he deactivated the Eternal Piano's laser in order to stop torching the Eternal Piano's underbelly. In the meantime though, Atticus erupted into a skyward soar and then kicked the middle of the Eternal Piano's tongue! "What‽" gasped Piano As Atticus bisected the Eternal Piano's tongue by empowering his kick with an effective yet fleeting Kotaichi no Henka!

"I can grow a second tongue!" hissed Piano as the Eternal Piano beamed ki out of its pores in order to quickly rocket itself into a soar! By doing so, the the Eternal Piano blitzed Atticus with a flash-like flyby and hailed Atticus with punches as each of its arms passed by Atticus! In addition, as the Eternal Piano attacked Atticus with its fists, the Eternal Piano discharged explosions of ki from the fists' pores! As such, the Eternal Piano barraged Atticus with blasts and punches at the same time! However, as the Eternal Piano attacked, Atticus countered!

Atticus assaulted the blasts' ki with his telekinesis in order to assume control over and deflect that ki! At the same time, Atticus applied his ki to empower his fists and then deflected the Eternal Piano's punches with his own punches! As such, as the Eternal Piano attacked and passed Atticus, Atticus defended himself by employing his ki and psionics separately yet synergistically! Afterward, Atticus grabbed the passing tip of the Eternal Piano and then lugged the Eternal Piano into a whiplash! In an instant, the Eternal Pinao lashed through the sky and then slammed into the surface of the world! As the Eternal Piano crashed into the ground, the Eternal Piano cratered the entirety of an island into a submergence underwater!

After the destruction and flooding of the island, the Eternal Piano arose into a clap and lunge towards Atticus! As Atticus blocked the clap by catching the Eternal Piano's hands within his own hands, the Eternal Piano's blaster-like and bulging eyes gleamed with an infusion ki! However, Atticus closed the Eternal Piano's eyelids with his telekinesis and thereby detonated the incoming ki laser within the Eternal Piano's skull! "Aughaaa!" screamed Piano as the blast of ki crashed into and seared him! Subsequently, Atticus charged the Eternal Piano with his flight and then crashed into the Eternal Piano's chin with a flying kick!. "Uuuwwwaaa!" cried Piano as Atticus kicked the Eternal Piano into a skid through the water!

"You can't fight, you're just a thief!" accused Atticus as the Eternal Piano recovered with a soar upward! He then chased the Eternal Piano into the sky. "You enslaved, exploited, and used others..." he grunted as the Eternal Piano and him clashed their fists a second time. "...just as King Piccolo sought to use you!" he roared as his fist cracked and then crashed through the Eternal Piano's fist, allowing him to destroy the entirety of the fist with a hook punch! "You improved nothing, learned nothing, as you stole and used wantonly!" he shouted as all of the Eternal Piano's blasters fired their ki lasers and all of the Eternal Piano's pores erupted with ki! "And because of that, you CAN'T AND WILL NOT DEFEAT ME!" he proclaimed as the Eternal Piano attacked him with enough ki to scorch the Solar System! "Piano!"

"BURN! HUMAN!" demanded Piano as he arced and discharged the entirety of his ki into an implosion towards Atticus! However, Atticus activated the Art of Mortality with his telepathy and ascended into a Super Psychic with his telekinesis! Afterward, Atticus allowed each of the ki lasers to reach him and then started swiping! "I-I-Impossible!" gasped Piano as Atticus began to chop each and every laser with a knifehand strike and thereby parry each and every laser into outer space! As Atticus chopped and parried, Atticus blurred into a flash of movement and a flurry of swings! Atticus became a haze of light and psyki as he perceived, reacted, and struck swifter and swifter and swifter still! Eventually, after Atticus accelerated into a disappearance from Piano's sight, Piano gawked in horror at the fact that a seemingly empty space was parrying his rays and then hastily rocketed the Eternal Piano into its most rapid retreat upward!

However, because of Atticus' enhanced perception, Atticus detected and reacted to the Eternal Piano's retreat the instant the retreat started! That is, Atticus began to hinder the Eternal Piano's retreat by parrying the Eternal Piano's lasers into striking the Eternal Piano! Afterward, as Atticus deflected the last of the lasers into knocking the Eternal Piano out the sky, Atticus accelerated into his fastest flight and then bisected the Eternal Piano with an individual punch! Following that, Atticus caught the Eternal Piano's torso with a crash into the rim of that torso. Atticus then flung the Eternal Piano's torso into a skyward whirl! As Piano fell and repeatedly ricochet within the Eternal Piano's cockpit, Atticus amassed his life and psyki together and then fired that life and psyki into the largest Psytri-Beam that he could muster without killing himself! "Shin Psykikōhō (実サイ気功砲, Shin Saikikōhō, True Psychic Ki Cultivation Cannon)!" chanted Atticus as, in the flash of an instant, both the Eternal Piano's torso and Piano himself were blasted with the Psytri-Beam...

...and then immediately obliterated into a void!

"I did it!" gasped Atticus as the entirety of the Eternal Piano's torso and Piano vaporized into a void in the world. At this point, Atticus descended into his normal state and then relaxed with a sigh. "It's over," he wheezed as the dragon balls fell out the sky and landed around him. "Huh..."

❧ ❧ ❧

"Thank you for letting me use your dragon ball, Goku..." spoke Atticus as Goku and him assembled the dragon balls at the beach of the Turtle Hermit's isle. "...it's a big help!"

"It's alright Chiaotzu," chuckled Goku with a big, dorky smile upon his face. "I am going to train by traveling the world!" he explained in a laugh. "So I can just find Grandpa's dragon ball while I am doing so," he noted.

"Even so, thank you very much," insisted Atticus with a bow. "And sorry for the trouble,"

"As I said, it's no problem," reiterated Goku. "No trouble at all!"

"Alrighty then..." continued Atticus with a look at everyone in the background. Bulma, Chi-Chi, Krillin, Launch, Maron, Oolong, the Ox King, Puar, Tien, Turtle, the Turtle Hermit, and Yamcha together and waiting! "...let's do this, rise Eternal Dragon!" he called with a raise of his arms! After Atticus' call, the dragon balls began to brighten! While the sky began to darknen! Subsequently, the dragon balls exploded with light and then that light rose into the sky! Eventually, the light assumed a Chinese dragon's shape and then materialized into Shenron!

"Amazing every time," chimed Yamcha as Puar and him awed at Shenron together. "Every time..."

"Come, tell me thy wish!" demanded Shenron in a thunderous voice! "Wait..." he murmured under his breath as he eyed Atticus. "...you!"

"Eternal Dragon!" called Atticus in the loudest shout that he could muster. "I wish for you to restore the lives and purity of those affected by King Piccolo's release from his seal!" he requested. "Return the dead to life as their original race and revert those demonized into their original race!" he clarified.

"That's definitely two wishes, but fine, your wish..." answered Shenron as he applied his divine and draconic magic to purify and resurrect Piano's victims! "...has been granted!"

"Wahoo!" cheered everyone at the news. "No more Namekian hellspawn to worry about!" laughed Yamcha.

"Atticus," called Shenron as he finished granting the wish. "You are allowed 2 more wishes," he revealed.

"What‽" exclaimed everyone present.

"My creator empowered me to grant a second and third wish and then rewarded those 2 wishes to you," explained Shenron. "Those who aspire to bravery and encourage hope, I exist to reward such warriors," he elaborated. "You acted with courage and gave hope to many, and by doing so, earned the respect of my creator and this reward!"

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Goku in a gasp. "More wishes!"

"I-I-I can't believe it!" gasped the Turtle Hermit. "The creator of the dragon balls though?" he questioned. "Who could such a person be?"

"Kami..." gasped Yamcha at the news. "...was watching?" he realized. "That guy," he laughed. "Could have helped a little!" he complained.

"I still can't believe that a dragon that grants wishes exist!" laughed Maron. "Much less that Chiaotzu has earned..." she continued. And then she blinked. "...he said Atticus too!" she realized. "That's the second time this has happened!"

"By the way..." gulped Shenron. "...I used the second wish to grant a part of the first wish," he admitted. "So you actually only have one wish le-"

"Awww!" whined everyone at the revelation. "Really Shenron?" asked Bulma of Shenron. "You really doing this?"

"What is final your wish?" asked Shenron of Atticus. "Well, warrior‽"

"My wish?" breathed Atticus as he considered his options.

"I wish..."

Chapter Text

May 7th, Age 756

Atticus arrived early and first.

As Atticus arrived, a downpour of rain fell into a shower upon the grounds of the temple that hosted the World Martial Arts Tournament. Despite this though, as Atticus became the first to sign up, Atticus' dryness endured the torrential weather! At first glance, the droplets of rain seemed to be touching Atticus without wetting Atticus. However, among those with exceptional observation and or powerful senses, an analytical and attentive gaze revealed the psykionic sparks that Atticus was summoning to vanquish the water!

"You are the champion from the last tournament, yes?" asked an administrative monk after Atticus signed up. "My my, how you have changed! Dohohoo, hit a growth spurt did you?" he awed in a chuckle. "Interested in a by?"

"Absolutely not," answered Atticus in a snort. "It's against tradition," he noted.

"We are considering new policies and procedures," explained the monk with a shrug. "The amount of applicants, the monetary reward, and the number of viewers are increasing year-by-year," he sighed. "As such, we are conceiving means of streamlining things,"

"Ahh," hummed Atticus with a nod of understanding, "Sorry then,"

"I accept the apology's sentiment, but it's unnecessary," laughed the monk. "After all, as the champion from last year, your opinion is paramount and respected," he stressed.

"I see," mused Atticus. "Alrighty then, Tien, you're up," he called as he about-faced away from the monk with a midair turn and then floated away.

"About time," chuckled Tien as his kasa — of all things — protected him from the rain. "You're chatty today," he noted as he signed up. "Excited?"

"Yeah," admitted Atticus with a frown for frown's sake. "A little," he added in order to control the damage to his reputation as a somber warrior. "Just a little,"

"Ecstatic then," snorted Tien as he finished signing up. "As to be expected I guess," he mused as Atticus and him departed from the sign up and into a stroll. "It's been 3 years," he noted in a soft tone.

"For you," added Atticus in a scoff. "I've kept in touch," he asserted.

"Have you now?" chuckled Tien with a smirk. "Care to explain why?" he questioned.

"D-d-do I need a reason?" asked Atticus with a blush. "I don't!" he asserted before Tien could answer. "Contact for contact's sake is fine!" he insisted.

"Yyyooouuu llliiikkkeee hhheeerrr," purred Tien at Atticus. "Don't you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the celibate and dense warrior cliché‽" spat Atticus at Tien. "The kind that is ignorant of romance?"

"As if I'd let that stop me from teasing you," answered Tien a snicker. "Sorry Chiaotzu, but you're not that luc-"

"Hey!"

"Look," urged Atticus in order to switch the subject. "Our saviors have arrived," he chuckled in a fond tone as Tien and him happened upon Maron and Yamcha!

"Chiaotzu!" exclaimed Maron as she dashed up to and then hugged Atticus. "Oh how I've missed you!" she squealed as she squeezed and swung Atticus. "It's been too long!"

"My man, Tien!" called Yamcha as Tien and him approached one another and then bumped their fists. "Please don't break my leg," he begged in a chuckle.

"I'll consider mercy, but no promises," answered Tien a laugh. "Gotten stronger?" he questioned.

"You betcha!" declared Yamcha in a snicker. "Don't believe for a second that I've let the two of you get ahead of Goku, Krillin, and I!" he added in a cackle. "We convinced Annin, the Taijō-Rōkun (太上老君, Supreme Elderly Lord) in charge of the Furnace of Eight Divisions, to take in and train us!" he revealed, causing Atticus to gawk and Tien to just raise an eyebrow.

"You know her Chiaotzu?" asked Tien of Atticus. "Another rival of yours?" he snorted.

"Sh-sh-she's a goddess of the Other World!" answered Atticus in a stammering yell. "An agent of King Yama, master of the patented Yama Lock!"

"A goddess, huh?" mused Tien with a smirk. "Such a thing, such a woman, exists?" he questioned in a snicker. "Interesting!" he laughed. "This will be a fun tournament then!" he declared.

"Even the flames of that furnace is harmless to Goku, Krillin, and I now! As we've bested the flames after enduring and exerting ourselves within its heat!" boasted Yamcha. "So you guys are going to get squashed!"

"Don't be so sure..." cooed Tien with a knowing smile. "...after all, I've learned much and strenuously trained under Korin," revealed Tien. "So I am more than ready for this tournament!"

"Eh?" uttered Yamcha. "Korin had something special to teach you?" he questioned.

"He's encountered members of my people and learned their powers," elaborated Tien to Yamcha. "So; with his help; I've managed to awaken, discover, and hone more of my potential," he revealed. "And attained my eye's full power in the process!"

"Y-y-you awakened your eye's full power‽" gasped Yamcha. "R-r-really?"

"Really, really!" confirmed Tien. "Chiaotzu also trained with Korin for a time," he added. "But after he fully learned and then fully mastered the Art of Mortality, as well as a few other skills, Chiaotzu accepted an offer to train under Kami instead of Korin," he continued in a hum.

"I figured," grumbled Yamcha with a cross of his arms and a purse of his lips. "Even after the awakening of our potential, and all of our personalized and special training, he's ahead of us right?" he questioned.

"Can't say," hummed Tien. "We decided to save our showoff for the tournament," he laughed.

"Makes sense," admitted Yamcha in a sigh. "Man..." he complained with a look at Atticus and Maron. "...that guy may actually do it," he decided in a laughed. "He may actually overcome this stupidly unfair world!"

"But, my oh my, look at you Chiaotzu!" exclaimed Maron as Tien and Yamcha began to focus on Atticus and her rather than just one another. "You're a big boy now!" she exclaimed as she released Atticus and then smiled down at him. "You're handsome, well, you're pretty!" she giggled. "And a just a little taller too!"

"Y-y-you didn't have to retract handsome from my description!" complained Atticus in a hiss towards Maron. "Much less replace it with pretty!" he complained. "And I am perfectly tall, not merely a little taller!" he insisted next, despite his status as the tiniest of their unit.

"Adorable!" exclaimed Maron at Atticus' complaints. "Oh I am sssooo happy that you're still such an adorable little guy!" she giggled.

"I am not adorable!" complained Atticus in a spat. "I am a warrior!"

"Calm down Chiaotzu," urged Tien as Atticus raged like a toddler rather than a warrior. "You're embarrassing yourself,"

"Isn't it supposed to be embarrassing us‽" cried Atticus. "Stupid Tien!"

"Back then you didn't grow that much..." mused Yamcha as he came face-to-face with and irritated Atticus by dramatically and gradually leaning over. "...despite the fact that you wasted your wish on growing taller!" he snorted.

"I did not!" asserted Atticus in a shout. "I asked for my age and my bodily development to be synchronized," he clarified in a huff. "I was an 8-year-old when I became a jiāngshī, but jiāngshī don't age, so I just stayed an 8-year-old for like 7 or 8 years straight!" he complained in a snarl. "All I asked the Eternal Dragon to do was age my body to the maturity that was stolen from me," he sighed. "I did not ask him to make me taller you twat!"

"I can tell," retorted Yamcha in a snort. "Anyone could!" he added in a snicker.

"Shut up!" spat Atticus in a fit of petulant rage. "Or I'll tear off your di-"

"Chiaotzu!" hissed Tien. "Stop that," he demanded in a scolding tone of voice. "We've discussed this, have we not?" he scoffed.

"He hasn't changed at all!" complained Atticus with a bite of his lips and clench of his fists. "Treating me like a toddler!"

"By the way, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and I have an announcement to make!" declared Maron. As she did so, Yamcha blinked and then blushed.

"An announcement?" asked Atticus with a blink of his own. "I called you telepathically, like, yesterday," he noted. "Couldn't you have told me then?" he questioned.

"Read the room!" demanded Tien and Yamcha as they simultaneously smacked the back of Atticus' head.

"Y-y-you're both going to regret that in the ring!" sniffed Atticus in a teary warning. "Damn it!"

"He's chatty and emotional today," mused Yamcha. "Don't you think?" he questioned towards Tien,

"Yeah," agreed Tien. "I believe he is nervous," he asserted.

"I am not nervous!" refuted Atticus in a scream. "Alright, Maron, what do Yamcha and you need to tell-"

"Hey!"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus as a familiar lad approached their group. "Krillin!" he cheered as Krillin jogged up to and smiled at them. "My man!"

"Chiaotzu!" cheered Krillin as he bumped fists with Atticus. "You finally grew!" he laughed.

"As did you!" chuckled Atticus as Krillin and him eyed one another's height. "But I'm taller!" he exclaimed with a raise of his arms into the air. "Awesome! Wahoo! Yes!"

"Oh shut up," huffed Krillin as Atticus celebrated. "You aren't even that much taller!" he noted in a snort.

"Chiaotzu!" scolded Tien at Atticus' celebrations. "Stop!"

"Alright, alright!" agreed Atticus in a chuckle. "I can feel your power though," hummed Atticus as he detected and measured Krillin's ki. "You've grown much stronger!"

"Of course!" confirmed Krillin with a smirk. "I'm going to make you regret underestimating me, remember?" he cooed.

"I remember!" cackled Atticus with the biggest grin that he could muster. "I've remembered and waited, Krillin!"

"Congratulations," chuckled Krillin to Maron and Yamcha. "Hopefully, I'm next!"

"H-h-hey!" complained Atticus as Krillin spoke to Maron and Yamcha rather than humored his theatrics. "Don't ignore me!" he whined.

"Someone is touchy today," cooed the Turtle Hermit as Good Launch and him approached the gang. "All that screaming and shouting is unbecoming of you Chiaotzu," he scolded.

"Y-y-yes sir," admitted Atticus in a sniffle. "I'll quite down," he sighed.

"Told you," snorted Tien at Atticus. "Also, greetings!" he called to the Turtle Hermit.

"I almost can't fathom the growth of you youngsters," admitted the Turtle Hermit as he eyed Atticus and Krillin in particular. "Chiaotzu, Krillin, you've grown really well," he asserted.

"Heh heh heh..." chuckled Krillin at the compliment. "...thank you master!"

"Finally," huffed Atticus. "Someone acknowledges it!"

"Say thank you," urged Tien and Yamcha to Atticus.

"Have you boys signed up?" asked the Turtle Hermit with a tilt of his head. "Well?"

"No..." admitted Krillin and Yamcha in a whisper. And then both disappeared to sign themselves up for the tournament!

"Haha!" laughed Maron at Krillin and Yamcha's rush. "They're so silly!"

"So stupid," corrected the Turtle Hermit with a roll of his eyes. "Are you boys prepared though?" he questioned.

"Absolutely," asserted Tien. "More than prepared," he stressed. "You'll see!"

"Do you think Jackie Chun will be entering?" questioned Atticus towards the Turtle Hermit. "Do you think he can keep up?"

"Nah," answered the Turtle Hermit with a shake of his head. "I believe he's done, but, maybe in the future," he considered.

"What a shame," sighed Atticus. "But I understand," he added with a smile.

"Another of your rivals?" laughed Tien at Atticus. "Eh, Chiaotzu?"

"Of course," confirmed Atticus in a chuckle. "A precious rival to surpass," he hummed. "Not just as a fighter, but as a mentor once I start teaching," he noted.

"We're far from mastery Chiaotzu," asserted Tien. "Far, far from it!"

"Maybe you are," cackled Atticus.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it," snorted Tien. He then chuckled and smile. "Little rascal you!"

"No!" cried Atticus as Tien grabbed and noogied him. "Stahp!"

"Ahh, chill Tien, she's here!" called Yamcha as Krillin and him returned from signing in...

"It's been a while!"

...and as Bulma, Oolong, and Puar exited a taxi!

"Gah!" cried Atticus as Tien abruptly dropped him face-first into the ground.

"Jt's Bulma!" cheered Launch and Maron as they beheld their fellow, blue-haired girl.

"And she's even sexier than- gah!" cried the Turtle Hermit as an abrupt bend of his fingers — courtesy of Atticus' psykionic telekinesis — blocked him from fondling Bulma's ass. "I get it, I get it!"

"You haven't changed," complained Atticus and Bulma as the both of them glowered at the Turtle Hermit. "But you have!" exclaimed Bulma as she caught sight of Atticus. "Wow!"

"Changes a plenty here," asserted Krillin as Atticus and Bulma ogled one another. "And that's certainly one of them,"

"And he insisted that I should leave Bulma to Vegeta," snorted Yamcha under his breath. "Yet the moment he pretties himself up, he-"

"Guys!"

"Goku!" cheered everyone as Goku arrived onto the scene, grinning and waving.

"Y-y-you've grown!" gasped Bulma, Launch, Oolong, Puar, Tien, and the Turtle Hermit!

"Hasn't he?" chuckled Krillin with a knowing smile.

"Amazing, isn't it?" hummed Yamcha with a nod.

"Everyone's here," declared Atticus with a look at the squad. "Get signed up Goku," he urged. "Can't have you missing this tournament!"

"Right!" agreed Goku with a nod. "Can't miss our rematch after all!" he declared with a smirk.

"The adult Goku..." mused Atticus as Goku challenged him with a defiant gaze and then departed to sign up. "...he's finally here!"

"You cut your hair?"

"Ahh..." uttered Atticus as Bulma approached and spoke to him. "...yeah," he confirmed. And indeed, although Atticus' bangs were braided to appear as Chinese dragons and remained shoulder-length, the rest of Atticus' black and glossy hair had been cut and styled into a pixie cut.

"Hey, I just noticed, the rain isn't touching you?" added Bulma with a blink and then a gawk. "H-how?"

"I'm blocking it," answered Atticus simply. "What?"

"H-h-he's blocking it?" asked the Turtle Hermit in surprise. "H-how? I don't see! What kind of precision and speed? I-is he that good now‽" he wondered.

"Is it a barrier?" asked Bulma as she neared and then reached towards Atticus. "A force field?"

"Not really," answered Atticus as Bulma contacted emptiness rather than any sort of surface. "I'm actively deflecting the rain," he elaborated. "It's good training!"

"U-u-unbelievable!" gasped the Turtle Hermit. "H-he's improved his telekinesis to unbelievable heigh- Bulma what the HFIL are you doing?" he questioned as Bulma actually touched Atticus.

"Maybe it's a layer?" asked Bulma as she felt Atticus from his face...

...downward.

"Or a suit?" suggested Bulma as she continued to fondle Atticus in search of his secret. "An aura thing? But invisible?"

"Bulma stop," interjected Maron as she removed a bloody-nosed and drooling Bulma from Atticus' personal space. "You pervert!"

"Hey, Chiaotzu, we need to change!" called Goku after Atticus' molestation at the hands of Bulma. "Let's go!" he shouted.

"R-r-right..." murmured Atticus as Tien dragged him off to the changing room with the others. "...wait, I don't need to be lugged and ordered around like a ki-"

❧ ❧ ❧

"Alright!" exclaimed Atticus as Tien and him finished changing into a black, calf-length, and slitted chángshān with both an amber-colored embroidery of catnip flowers on its front and a circular emblem of Korin's whiskers emblazoned on its back; a pair of black and fingerless gloves; a black and Chinese-style pair of trousers; and a pair of black and Hanfu-style boots...

...and as Goku, Krillin, and even Yamcha finished changing into the gi of their Turtle Hermit school.

"Are you guys the Plant School now?" chuckled Krillin as he eyed the front of Atticus and Tien's uniform. "Did you find a Plant Hermit to train under?"

"Haha," snorted Tien at Krillin's tease. "You'll regret that in the ring twerp," he warned.

"I attempted to call us the Cat School, but Korin and Tien veto'ed me," grumbled Atticus with a cross of his arms and a scrunch of his face. "Apparently the cat despises factionalism," he elaborated.

"Or the Cat School is just a terrible name," considered Krillin in a snicker. "If it's a feline, it has to be a Lion or a Tiger!" he declared.

"LIon is taken!" revealed Atticus in a snarl. "And the Tiger is cliché!" he insisted. "Do you have any idea how generic a Tiger School would b-"

"The actual reason is that, despite our falling out with the Crane Hermit, our fighting style is still the Crane Hermit way," interjected Tien in a serious tone. "The Crane Hermit adopted, conditioned, and trained us," he stressed to Krillin. "From our childhood until only 3 years ago," he murmured. "We can't cast off the fundamentals that he ingrained into us," he stressed.

As Tien explained, Atticus frowned and then nodded in resignation. Afterall, during the Demon Emperor Piano incident, Atticus didn't hesitate to kill an opponent . While Yamcha didn't hesitate to spare an opponent. All of Atticus' opponents; Pamput, Piano, and Ranfan; died. While both of Yamcha's opponents, Antoine the Great and the Ox King, survived. In other words, by instinct, Atticus had fought as a Crane murderer. While Yamcha had fought as a Turtle warrior.

"Yet," added Atticus to Tien's assertion. "We can't cast off that foundation just yet," he clarified. "But we'll cast it off someday," he insisted in a sigh. "Mayhap when we're old and restructuring our style for students," he mused with a smile.

"Alright guys, we're all dressed, so let's move out!" called Goku in a giddy voice. "Off to the preliminary we g-"

"I am afraid..."

"Huh?" uttered Atticus, Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha as a child — around Atticus, Goku, and Krillin's former height — arrived before them in a confident but hasty stride. More specifically, a 3-year-old child of the Namekian race!

"...that I must remove you from this tournament and return you to the Lookout!" asserted the child in a chirp. "Atticus!"

"Call me Chiaotzu," corrected Atticus to the child before Goku, Krillin, and Tien could question the term. "Also, huh?" he uttered.

"Y-y-you're..." gasped Yamcha with a gawk and point. "...b-b-but you should be! By now, by the time of the tournament! Wh-what have we done‽" he spluttered.

"What is he talking about?" asked Krillin with a blink. "Are you lost twerp?" he questioned.

"I am Piccolo, not twerp!" asserted the child, an infantile Piccolo, to Krillin. "I'll destroy you!" he hissed in warning.

"Piccolo..." called Atticus in a scolding tone of voice. "...what have I told you?" he questioned.

"Ah, right, sorry," apologized Piccolo with a downcast gaze. "B-but he started it!" he complained.

"I didn't mean offense?" asserted Krillin to Piccolo. "Chiaotzu, you know this kid?" he questioned.

"He is Kami's son," answered Atticus to Krillin. "Piccolo," he cooed with a smile.

"Hi," called Piccolo with a wave. "Humies!" he added in a huff.

"I'm a human too, y'know?" cackled Atticus towards Piccolo. "You calling me a humie, Piccolo?"

"You aren't a human!" argued Piccolo to Atticus. "You're a psychic!" he stressed. "Humans aren't telepathic or telekinetic!"

"Aren't you forgetting General Blue?" asked Atticus with a smirk and a tilt of his head. "Are you claiming that he isn't a human too?"

"Blue and you are mutants!" grumbled Piccolo. "Not humies, but rather muties!" he giggled.

"We are human mutants," argued Atticus to Piccolo. "We are a bit different from general humans, as we possess powerful and rare talents, but we are still humans," he hummed.

"This brat... began Krillin with a blink. "...is God's son?"

"Call him Kami," demanded Atticus and Yamcha in unison.

"B-b-but why‽" asked Krillin.

"Alright, little Piccolo, why does Chiaotzu need to leave?" asked Tien in a huff. "What is so important that it can't wait until after this tournament‽"

"It has to wait!" interjected Goku in a shout. "Atticus is the champion!" he noted. "He has to participate, right?"

"No!" answered Piccolo to Goku. "He can skip, and he shall skip!" he asserted in a huff. "Daddy says that there is trouble!" he yelled.

"Trouble?" asked Goku and Tien with their hands on their hips and a look down upon Piccolo. "What trouble?"

"Important and pressing trouble," guessed Atticus in a sigh. "I am apprenticing under Kami for the position of Kami," he revealed to Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha. "As an apprentice of the Earth's guardian, obviously, important issues come before important tournaments," he noted with a shake of his head. "Sorry,"

"Aww..." bemoaned Goku. "...really?"

"Now that's a buzzkill," grumbled Krillin.

"A pity," scoffed Tien.

"A damn shame you mean," asserted Yamcha. "But it can't be helped," he insisted in a sigh. "Go," he urged.

"Do your best!" cheered Goku and Krillin after Atticus bowed to everyone and as Atticus departed with Piccolo.

❧ ❧ ❧

"I did it!" announced Piccolo to Mr. Popo; as Atticus and him dropped from their flight and into a landing on the Lookout. "Can I have a treat?" he begged as Atticus continued onward towards Kami.

"I apologize Atticus," groaned Kami as Atticus approached him and Mr. Popo rewarded Piccolo with flavored water. "Cutting your reunion short, depriving you of your participation in the tournament, I-"

"It's alright Kami," asserted Atticus as he acknowledged Mr. Popo's presence with a bow and then arrived before and focused on Kami. "Now what's the issue?"

"There is a crisis in our sector of the Universe that King Yama is desperate to resolve," answered Kami, causing Atticus to gasp as he did so. "He's contacted every guardian in the sector in search of a suitable warrior," he sighed. "Considering the seriousness of the situation, I had to mention and volunteer you," he insisted.

"Is this common?" questioned Atticus. "This kind of recruitment and task?"

"No," answered Kami with a murmur. "Not at all," he stressed. "I believe this is a desperate measure, a last resort of sorts," he speculated.

"That explains the novelty and urgency," mused Atticus. "Alright," he exhaled. "I am ready,"

"Thank you," exhaled Kami in relief. "Now follow me..."

❧ ❧ ❧

"They could have done this the entire time‽" questioned Atticus as he departed from a door in the Check-In Station and out a door on the Lookout...

...of a different planet than Earth!

"I guess it makes sense," continued Atticus in a murmur as he arrived and looked upon the extraterrestrial lookout. "Access to the Other World is a Guardian's burden and privilege; as such, every guardian's lookout can be reached from the Other World," he hummed as he approached and then looked over the edge of the lookout. "Whoa!" awed Atticus as he detected a flood of psionic waves inundating the planet underneath the lookout!

Among official planets of the universe, all of them boasted a degree of life that was distinct from their inhabitants' life. And all but a few of them boasted ki too! However, planets with any amount of godly ki and or psionic powers were rare! As such, a planet with an enormity of godli ki was limited to the Sacred World of the Supreme Kais. While a planet with an enormity of psionic power was nearly unheard of.

Nearly.

"All of the creatures native to this planet, all of the locals that is, they're extinct here..." grumbled Atticus as he fought a gluttonous but instinctive urge to siphon the planet's psionic power out of the environment and into his himself! "...right?" he mused in a whisper as he detached his ki and psions — the energy and particles of his psychic powers — from one another and then emitted his psions as a rebounding signal!

As Atticus' psions explored the planet and then returned to Atticus, Atticus psions acquired data on the planet and then brought that data to Atticus' brain for interpretation into a perception. As a result, Atticus developed an extrasensory perception of the planet! This ability to analyze an area from a distance and with a particle of power, this Far-Seeing Technique (遠見の術 Tōmi no Jutsu), was taught to Atticus by Korin and then trained by Kami. Although Kami and Korin employed their mana — the energy and magic of their magical powers — rather than psions.

"Are these conquerors or survivors?" asked Atticus as he detected a glut of people in pockets throughout the world. "They're coalesced into fortresses rather than settlements," he noted as he observed their places of residences. "Although I can't discern much in this psionic smokescreen of a world," he complained as his farsight was fogged up and intermittently jammed by the planet's psionic wave!

At this point, Atticus collected as many of his psions as possible and then combined his ki and the psions together! Notably, rather than control and empower his ki by energizing his ki with his psions, Atticus actually and fully fused his ki and psions into a novel and perfect psyki! That is, Atticus amalgamated his ki and psions into an energy and particle of power — into a psyki — that was both ki and psions at the same time! By doing so, Atticus attained an efficient form of permanent psyki! At the same time, Atticus also attained the benefits of a maximized Super Brainpower — of a full-powered Super Psychic — without a depletion of his ki and thus a duration limit!

"My psyki is able to bypass these psionic waves..." observed Atticus as he discharged a faint, psykionic signal into the lower realm of the world. "...but it may be perceptible to scouters," he considered in a sigh.

As both a ki and a psion, a psyki was detectable to any sensor that could detect ki or psions. As such, in order to apply his psionic powers without the risk of being sensed, Atticus had to detach his psyki into ki and psi-

"A fight," gasped Atticus as he detected ki in use. "4 against 1, conquerors attacking a survivor?" he noted and then theorized. At the same time, he arose into a flight skyward and then dropped into a plummeting soar into the lower and physical realm of the world! As Atticus descended from the divine lookout and into the mortal sky, Atticus focused on the ki that he sensed and then frowned. "Compared to Earthlings, these beings are exceptionally strong!" he noted in a snarl. At the same time, he arrived over a densely forested plain and beheld a chase rather than a fight.

Among the 5 combatants in the fight, ki-wise, the biggest of them was the strongest of them. This big 'un appeared as an Earthling of the human race but distorted in an uncanny way. That is, the big 'un's body was darker and larger on its left side than its right side! And the big 'un's complexion was flushed with a burnt orange-red tint. At the same time though, not unlike an Earthly human at all, the big 'un exhibited red velvet cake-colored hair which was braided into a chest-length and lone pigtail. And a big-ass chin marked with an x-shaped scar. However, the big 'un's clothes dispelled any notion that the big 'un was an Earthly human. As big 'un was clad in a cuirass exhibiting an oversized, pointy, and spiky pauldrons; an arm warmer for his larger and left arm and a gauntlet for his right and smaller arm; a pair of pants-like leg warmers over a pair of trousers, and a pair of boots!

After the big 'un; the 2nd strongest was an adult, female, and violet-eyed saiyan dressed in a short-sleeved bodysuit, a cuirass without pauldrons, a pair of gloves, and a pair of boots. While the 3rd strongest was a trio of identical individuals. Each member of the trio exhibited flabby, hairless, and layered skin which was a coral yet dark pink color. At the same time though; the cap of their head, the entirety of their torso, the entirety of their feet and legs and waist, and their forearms were mechanical rather than organic. That is, all 3 members of the trio were cyborgs rather than fully and naturally organic!

"Ahahahahaaa!" cackled Amond as his 3 Cacao Soldiers and him blasted Selipa out of the sky and then chased the saiyan woman into her plummet towards the woods! At the same time, Amond and the Cacao Soldiers continued to discharge ki out of their hands and into lightning strike-like surges towards Selipa! However, Selipa accelerated her descent adding her ki to the energy of her fall and then arced into a soaring and swift wade through the woodland. As Selipa did so, the bolts of ki missed Selipa and then rammed into the surrounding trees! "Believe you can hide, little rabbit?" giggled Amon as the Cacao Soldiers activated their scouters and detected Selipa's location in the thickets of the woods.

"Heh heh heh..." cackled Selipa as Amond and the Cacao Soldiers beelined towards her by crashing through the trees of the woods. "...the only thing that I am hiding is this!" she cried as she about-faced in midair and then hurled a ki sphere as Amond rammed through a tree! Subsequently, before Amond could finish ramming through the tree and thereby see the ki sphere that was surging towards him, the ki sphere arrived behind the tree and then crashed into Amond as Amond crashed through the tree! "Got him!" cheered Selipa as the ki sphere detonated into an explosion which seared Amond's face and smashed Amond's scouter! Afterward, as Among clenched his face and howled in pain, Selipa attacked the Cacao Soldiers with a flurry of ki shots...

...however, all of the Cacao Soldiers allowed Selipa to blast their bodies with ki in favor of guarding their scouters, causing Selipa to gasp and then growl.

"Thought you could outsmart us bitch‽" hissed Amond as the Cacao Soldier smoldered but stood undamaged! Afterward; doors on the Cacao Soldiers' forelegs, legs, pauldrons, and torso opened with a swing! Then each of the Cacao Soldiers discharged an enormous and fiery jet of ki in the manner of a rocket ship! As the blaze of ki rushed towards Selipa and scorched the woods into soot, Atticus abruptly appeared between the blaze and Selipa! "What‽" gasped Amond as Atticus blurred into a ram of Selipa and then dragged Selipa into evading the exhaust of the Cacao Soldiers' rockets! Following that, Atticus and Selipa became entangled in one another's limbs as they fell into a roll!

"An interloper?" questioned the Cacao Soldiers in unison as they closed the doors on their frames and then eyed Atticus with their scouters. "Analysis deduces this entity as an adult male of an Earth-borne human subspecies," they continued as they conducted their scan. "The average power of these beings is 5 BP, while the Earth's highest known power is 500 BP," they noted in a snort.

"Are you sure?" asked Amond with a frown, as Atticus and Selipa rolled and rolled... "There are human mutants on other planets, like that monster Recoome, whom are really str-" ...until they slammed into a tree. "Never mind,"

"Ow," complained Atticus as Selipa and his roll into the tree and separation from one another. "Not my best entrance," he lamented as Selipa and rose into a stand.

"Who the fuck are you‽" asked Amond and Selipa as Atticus cleaned dirt off himself with the force of his telekinesis.

"Chiaotzu," answered Atticus to Selipa and with a smile. "Do you mind if I participate in this tussle?" he asked next.

"Amond, the big one, is mine!" insisted Selipa to Atticus. "But you can do as you like to the drones," she allowed in scoff.

"As if!" cackled Amond with a crack of his knuckles. "Cacaos says that you're an Earthling and that you Earthlings have a meagre power between 5 and 500!" he revealed in a snicker.

"What?" groaned Selipa at the news. "Are you kidding me?" she asked with a look towards Atticus.

"Amond, hold it..." interjected 1 of the Cacao Soldiers with a deep frown. "...something is wrong here,"

"I-I-Is his power higher or something‽" asked Amond with fear in his voice and Selipa with hope in her voice.

"Negative," answered the Cacao Soldier, causing Amond to grin and Selipa to grit her teeth. "I am clocking him at 500 BP," he clarified with his deepest frown yet. "But if that battle power-rating is true, he could not have-"

"Attack!" ordered Amond in a giggle and with a point towards Atticus. "Kill that weakling!"

"Amond, if his battle power was 500 in truth..." continued the Cacao Soldier as the other 2 Cacao Soldiers and it burst into a literally rocketed soar towards Atticus! "...there is no way that he could have saved Selipa from tha-" he warned as he arrived before and punched towards Atticus! However, Atticus abruptly attacked with a diagonal kick that lashed skyward and sliced him in half! Afterward, Atticus dropped his elevated leg into a stomp that swiftly tore through a 2nd Cacao Soldier! Subsequently, Atticus flew into a flip forward and then soared into a stomp that tossed the 3rd and final Cacao Soldier into a whirl!

"Huh‽" gasped Amond as an airborne Atticus angled himself into an upright posture and then discharged a clear-colored and dim Dodon Ray from his index finger! Following that, as the 3rd Cacao Soldier began to recover and respond, the Dodon Ray crashed into the 3rd Cacao Soldier and exploded the 3rd Cacao Soldier into bloody giblets and oily scrap! "D-d-did his power rise‽" he guessed in horror at the situation.

"Nah," answered Atticus as he dropped from a float and into a stand. "I just have the Aura of a Warrior (戦士のオーラ, Senshi no Ōra)," he explained in a snicker.

Among creatures of the Earth, at base, only 18 to 26% of the available energy in food and ki is converted into functional power rather than wasted work. However, as another application of either controlling his ki with his psions or fusing his ki and psions into psyki, Atticus is able to augment his psyki's efficiency to their maximum by diminishing his psyki's exothermic interactions to their minimum! That is, by depriving his psyki of both its emanation of heat and its emission of light, Atticus enhances his psyki with energy that is generally wasted!

"A warrior?" scoffed Amond at Atticus' claims. "As if!" he sneered. Afterward, he began an earthquaking flare of his ki! "More like the Aura of an Interloping Wuss!" he spat as his flare of ki caused fissures to form in the ground and then spread throughout the whole of the woodland! Afterward, Amond disappeared as he flashed towards and lashed out at Atticus! "I'll deal with you..." began Amond as he arrived before and attempted to punch Atticus! However, Atticus both caught Amond's fist in his left hand and grabbed Amond's forearm with his right hand! At the same time, Atticus flowed from that catch and into both a flight and throw upward! "...myself?" uttered Amond as Atticus lifted and swung him into a skyward whirl! "What‽"

"You're awfully strong..." admitted Atticus as he appeared above Amond's hurtle into the sky and then casually front-flipped into a kick which swatted Amond into a tumble! "...for a skill-less thug," he added in a scoff. In response, Amond gnashed his teeth and then halted his hurtling plummet with an opposing soar towards Atticus!

"Before power, skill is worthless!" asserted Amond in a roar as he arrived before Atticus! "Take this!" he demanded as he began a combo of punches. However, Atticus chopped the wrist of Amond's fist in order to divert the Amond's fist into a missed punch. Immediately afterward, Atticus flailed his knifehand into a poke of Amond's eyes! "Aaauuuggghhhaaaa!" cried Amond as Atticus' bashed Amond's eyes with his index and middle fingers. Afterward, as Amond screamed and writhed, Atticus concentrated psyki into his knuckles and then jammed those knuckles into Amond's exposed throat! "Youaubaustard!" gurgled Amond as he bled inside his throat and flailed at Atticus with slapping swipes! "Ahh!"

As Amond attacked, Atticus ducked the first swipe and then fell into a plummet under the second swipe! Afterward, Atticus back-flipped into a kick as he flew into a rise towards Amond! By doing so, Atticus arose and flipped into a kick that launched Amond into a look and soar upward! As he arose from the impact of the kick, Amond clenched his teeth until they cracked from the strain! Subsequently, as he returned his sight and snarl towards Atticus, Amond discharged a fusillade of ki out of his hands! However, Atticus began to evade the fusillade by flying in a horizontal and jerky manner! As Atticus darted from side-to-side and dodged each and every ki missile, Amond double downed on ki-spamming rather than shifted tactics!

"When he began firing his ki, he crippled his defense..." noted Atticus as he arose into a surge towards Amond and dodged the ki missiles with a series of swerves! "...I can exploit that!" he noted as he quickly reached Amond and then suddenly struck Amond with an uppercut! Following that, as Amond abruptly fell and deeply leaned into a reel, Atticus dropped into an elbow strike upon Amond's face and thereby dropped Amond into a plummeting whirl! At this point, Atticus dove into a downward flight towards the falling and hurtling Amond. After Atticus flew past Amond, Atticus clasped his hands together and then hammered the incoming and twirling Amond in the chest and into a horizontal soar!

"Awawaawaaaugh!" cried Amond as he arced into a curved descent and then crashed face-first into the ground. "Gaugha, that does it, this game is over!" he seethed and shouted as he arose into a kneel. "Cacao!" he called in a roar, causing both of the remaining Cacao Soldiers to instantly rise upright!

"They're alive‽" gasped Atticus and Selipa as the doors on the Cacao Soldiers' pauldrons and torso opened!

"They're drones you idiots!" explained Amond in a laugh and sneer, as a Cacao Soldier discharged a fiery jet of ki into a scorching stream towards Atticus. And as the other Cacao Soldier discharged its fiery jet of ki towards Selipa! "Burn!" demanded Amond as 1 of the fiery jets of ki ascended into a flight towards Atticus! And as the other, fiery jet of ki impacted upon and then swept up Selipa!

"Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, Five Strong Dodon Waves)!" chanted Atticus as he discharged 5 Dodon Rays, 1-by-1. The 1st of the Dodon Rays blasted the fiery jet of ki that was streaming towards Atticus, the 2nd and 3rd Dodon Ray each crashed into and detonated 1 of the 2 Cacao Soldiers, while the 4th and 5th Dodon Ray plummeted into a swoop towards Amond! As the 4th and 5th Dodon Ray neared Amond, Amond blinked at the close-to-invisible Dodon Rays and then screeched in terror as the Dodon Rays slammed into and toasted him! As Amond began to burn and flail, and as the Cacao Soldiers exploded into fleshy morsels and mechanical parts, Atticus burst into a flight towards Selipa. As Atticus arrived before the burning Selipa, Atticus dispelled the flames with a flick of his hands! Afterward, as he dropped from his flight and into a landing skid, Atticus caught Selipa in his arms.

"B-b-bastard got me," seethed Selipa in a wheeze, as Atticus finished his skid and then gently held her. "Wh-what are you doing, Gine? Wh-why are you still here?" she questioned in a second wheeze. Atticus blinked at Selipa's words and then a realization struck him.

"This is Bardock's..." gasped Atticus as he recognized Selipa. "...but she should be dead!" he noted in an internal whisper. "If she is alive, either there has been a change in canon and history, or she is connected to the people and substance that King Yama sent me to-"

"Aaaassssss..." screeched Amond, whom was burning with fire and fury alike, as he appeared in the distance and in a fiery flight towards Atticus!

"Gine, leave me, run!" urged Selipa in a yell. "Y-y-you don't deserve what we deserve," she wheezed.

"You are confused," asserted Atticus to Selipa. As he did so, he calmly and gently laid Selipa on the ground. Subsequently, Atticus about-faced into a sprint towards Amond!

"...hhhooollleee!" drawled Amond in a frothing rage as Atticus and him neared one another. Subsequently, Amond and Atticus clashed fists with one another and then erupted into a flurry of kicks and punches. "I! Will! Kill you!" screeched Amond as he began to beat Atticus in the brawl and into a retreat. As Amond and Atticus brawled in the woods, Amond and Atticus discharged flashes of ki and those flashes of ki surged through and torched the trees of the woods! At the same time, as Amond and Atticus battered one another, Amond and Atticus cratered the woods with holes that were measurable in miles!

"Not so tough in a tussle, are you kid‽" cackled Amond as he punched Atticus in the face and into a rearward skid! "All of that cheap shots and fancy flying ain't helping you now!" he roared as he aimed his right hand's index and middle fingers at Atticus! "Planet Bomb (プラネットボム Puranetto Bomu)!" he chanted as he amassed his ki into his index and middle fingers...

...and As Atticus erupted into a flash-like lunge towards him!

"Wha-" began Amond as Atticus arrived before him within a mere moment's passing. Afterward, Atticus caught Amond with half of a hook and then completed the hook as he decapitated Amond with a flight-powered punch!

"Hikōbushi (飛行拳, Flying Fist)," cooed Atticus as he batted Amond's head into a bloody roll and then dropped into a frolicking skip. "I analyzed the flow of your ki when you attacked me with that barrage of ki shots..." he hummed to Amond's crying and gnashing head. "...and detected that you diminish your durability, divert ki away from hardening your physique, when you fire your ki," he revealed. "After that, I awaited a chance to exploit that weakness of yours," he snickered. "Because it's the attack that kills that matters, not the blows that you endure to ensure that kill," he asserted...

...as he detected a plethora of psionic signatures soaring towards him!

"Reinforcements?" realized Atticus as around a dozen Cacao Soldiers appeared in the horizon! "Shit!" he swore as he flew to and then scooped up Selipa. Not long after, by the time the Cacao Soldiers arrived before Amond's headless torso and then found Amond's decapitated head, Atticus and Selipa were deep in 1 of the fissures that Amond had opened within the woodland. "Damn scouters..." he swore as he bored and flew through the ground with a purely psionic telekinesis rather than a psykionic telekinesis, allowing him to avoid being detected by scouters as he dug and escaped underground! Eventually, after he deemed Selipa and his distance from the Cacao Soldiers to be sufficient, Atticus drilled to the surface and then flew to the hidden and higher realm of the world. At that point, Atticus combined his ki and psions into psyki and then flashed to the lookout of the world!

As soon as Atticus arrived at the lookout, Atticus dropped into a hover towards the lookout's temple. Following that, Atticus applied his telekinesis to open a series of the temple's doors. He then hovered to a guest room within the temple. At this point, Atticus laid Serida down onto the bed and then laid his hands upon Selipa's bosom and stomach. Subsequently, Atticus applied his psyki to Selipa as both a catalyst and a nutrient as well! As Atticus did so, Atticus began to fuel and hasten the healing processes within Selipa.

"I should have brought a senzu bean..." groaned Atticus as he attended to Selipa, desperate to save her life and decipher the mystery of her presence in the present.

Chapter Text

May 8th, Age 756

"You know that I am a saiyan, right?" asserted Selipa to Atticus, early in the morning of May 8th. Atticus blinked at the assertion, ceased to infuse psyki into Selipa, and then removed its hands from Selipa. Atticus then fell into a slump within a nearby chair.

"Yah," answered Atticus as he further settled into his slump. "You're a ki-prone, sapient, and simian species of megafaunal and situational therianthropes," he continued in a yawn.

"What?" uttered Selipa.

"You're geniuses with ki, pretty smart, look almost exactly like humans except you have a monkey's tail, and you become giant monkeys when your eyes are exposed to moonlight," reiterated Atticus in simpler terms. "Pretty rad,"

"Did you forgot the part where we are murderous and ruthless warriors!" added Selipa in a growl. "Huh‽"

"That's an idiosyncratic tendency rather than a phenotypic trait," argued Atticus as he interjected in a snort. "So-"

"What?" interjected Selipa. "What the fuck are you saying?" she questioned. "Speak plainly!"

"The evil is personal not racial," reiterated Atticus in simpler terms. "You aren't evil because you're a saiyan, you evil because you're a bi-"

"Fuck you," interjected Selipa in a spat at Atticus. "My point stands though!" she added. "You're aware that I am a saiyan warrior, yeah?" she questioned.

"I am aware that Bardock, Borgos, Leek, Shugesh, Taro, and you were a Saiyan squad in the Frieza Force," answered Atticus in a snort. "And I believed that Dodoria killed most of you," he added with a frown. "All of you except Bardock and Leek, apparently, but I don't understand why those 2 were separated from you at the ti-"

"How the fuck do you know all of that‽" asked Selipa in a shout. However, after Selipa's shout, Selipa's body imploded into a muscle spasm! "Fffuuuccckkk!" she cried in a furious and tearful wail, as her body collapsed into the mattress and then roiled with tremors. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"The mouth on that woman," murmured Atticus with a shake of his head. At the same time though; Atticus arose onto his feet, placed a hand on Selipa's shoulder, and then ended Selipa's muscle spasm with an infusion of his psyki. "Don't push yourself," he groaned with a roll of his eyes.

"D-d-damn those traitors!" hissed Selipa as Atticus calmed her muscles and dulled her pain. "I-I'll make them pay for this!" she swore.

"Traitors?" hummed Atticus as he once again removed his hand from Selipa. "What do you mean, traitors?" he questioned.

"Why do you care‽" asked Selipa in a snap. "Why are you helping me‽" she questioned a yell.

"Calm yourself," urged Atticus. "Or you'll hurt yourself," he warned.

"A-a-answer the question!" spat Selipa. "What do you want from me‽"

"Answers," declared Atticus. "About your situation and yourself," he elaborated. "That's it,"

"Answers for answers then," offered Selipa in a snarl. "I answer you, you answer me, deal?"

"Alrighty then," agreed Atticus. "Ask away,"

"Who are you?" questioned Selipa in a snarl. "An agent of the Frieza Force? The Heeters Institute?" she theorized.

"I am Atticus Charlwood, but most call me Chiaotzu," begun Atticus in a snort. "I am an agent of the Other World and an apprentice of Kami, the current Guardian of my home planet Earth," he continued in a hum.

"An agent of the Other World?" asked Selipa in a growl. "And a Guardian? As in a Guardian god?" she questioned in a scoff.

"You've encountered and fought Guardian gods?" asked Atticus with a blink.

"That counts as a question!" declared Selipa in a snicker. Atticus blinked at the declaration and then grimaced. "Ha!"

"Tch," hissed Atticus. "Whatever," he sighed. "Answer," he demanded.

"Plenty of times," answered Selipa in her snicker. "They declared themselves defenders of the planet and deities ordained by the powers that rule the universe, but they died as easily as most people of their worlds," she yawned. "Are you actually an apprentice of such wimps?" she questioned. "Because you're far stronger than any-"

"I am," answered Atticus with a smirk. "You asked a question, and I gave an answer," he cooed.

"Eh?" uttered Selipa. "No!" she cried as she realized her blunder."Damn it!"

"How are you alive?" asked Atticus of Selipa. "I am certain that Dedoria killed you!" he insisted. "So you should be dead!"

"That fat fuck killed me and my squad," confirmed Selipa in a growl. "Afterward, in the afterlife, I endured a hell like no other..." she snarled. "...until the Crusher Corps drenched my skeleton in the Extract of Might or whatever," she revealed. "And that, apparently, resurrected me?"

"The Crusher Corps? The Extract of Might?" murmured Atticus in his thoughts. "Are these the people and substance that King Yama tasked me to terminate?" he considered.

"My turn!" huffed Selipa. "Why did you help me, a saiyan warrior?" she questioned. "To answer these questions?" she sneered.

"Because I could," answered Atticus with a shrug. "I didn't know what or who you were at first," he elaborated. "I detected the fight and departed to intervene, because I believed that was the right thing to do,"

"Answer truthfully!" demanded Selipa. "You damn lia-"

"That is the truth!" insisted Atticus. "I am an apprentice of a Guardian, remember?" he continued in a sigh. "Being a goody two-shoes is my future job," he snorted.

"I ain't an Earthling," countered Selipa. "Defending me isn't your duty as a Guardian of the Earth," she noted.

"Considering my conscription into this mess, it appears that my duties extend further than my planet," grumbled Atticus. "You called the Crusher Corps traitors," he continued with a frown. "How are they traitors?" he questioned.

"That bastard, Turles, asked me to bring him to his planet," revealed Selipa in a snarl. "Bardock, Borgos, Leek, Shugesh, and I conquered this planet for Frieza. However, after that conquest and because of psychic powers or whatever, Frieza cleared the location of the planet from most records," she revealed.

"Holy shit.." swore Attichis as Selipa spoke. "...this is Kanassa!" he realized. "From the movie!"

"Turles agreed to resurrect the squad; Bardock, Borgos, Gine, Leek, and Shugesh; if I brought him here," revealed Selipa in snarl and sniffle. "But as soon as we arrived here; as soon as Turles and his boys confirmed that this planet was Kanassa; that bastard Turles abandoned me to his men's sadistic whims!" she roared. "He allowed those bastards, Amond and Cacao, to hunt me like prey! Like some victim!"

"That confirms it," hummed Atticus. "The Crusher Corps are the cause of the disruptive and illegal resurrections that King Yama tasked me to terminate," he noted. "The Extract of Might, I bet it's related to the Tree of Might," he theorized.

"My turn!" growled Selipa. "How do you know who I am? And who my squad are?" she asked in a snap.

"That's because of Goku," answered Atticus in groan. "You're apart of his life, and I've learned his life's story, and thereby learned of you," he elaborated.

"Who the fuck is Go- damn it!" swore Selipa. "I-I-I didn't finish!" she insisted. "That doesn't count! It doesn't count damn it!"

"You would call him Kakarot," answered Atticus in a chuckle. "As he is Bardock and-"

"Gine's son!" gasped Selipa. "Bardock and Gina's son, that Kakarot, you know him‽" she questioned.

"Aye," confirmed Atticus. "He arrived on Earth in a pod," he explained with a smile. "Afterward, he was found and raised by his adoptive grandfather Gohan," he revealed. "He is called Goku rather than Kakarot though," he stressed. "And he is the mightiest of my rivals,"

"He's become powerful if he rivals you," murmured Selipa. "Their babies, somehow and someway, their babies Kakarot and Raditz lives," she whispered.

"What is the Extract of Might?" asked Atticus of Selipa. "And why are the Crusher Corps here?" he added.

"It's the fruit juice of the Tree of Might," answered Selipa, earning herself an inquisitive stare. "I'm serious!" she hissed. "It's an extract from a fruit of a Tree of Might," she huffed. "At least, that's what Turles told me," she snorted. "That bastard's engineers, Lakasei and Rasin, believe that Kanassa's powerful psychosphere could fuel a machine of theirs," she continued in a serious tone. "A device that'll energize the Extract of Might and then materialize that energy into a Seed of Might!" she revealed.

"They're attempting to convert this Extract of Might into a Seed of Might?" mused Atticus. "I am early," he realized. "The Crusher Corps aren't cultivating and devouring fruits of the Tree of Might. Yet. Instead, they are attempting to procure a Seed of Might so that they can start that shit,"

"Did Turles lie to me, or is it true that Planet Vegeta..." began Selipa in a murmur. "...and all of its people?"

"Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta in order to eradicate the Saiyans," answered Atticus, causing Selipa to gawk and then tear up. "Only a handful survived,"

"A-a-an asteroid..." cried Selipa in-between sniffles and wheezes. "...h-he said an asteroid did it!" she spat.

"Frieza lied," explained Atticus. "An asteroid is just the official story rather than the real story,"

"Bastard!" wailed Selipa. "I earned an eternity in Hell, I almost endured an eternity in Hell, because of the everything that I gave to the Frieza Force! And to Vegeta's Army!" she spat. "After all of that, an entire lifetime of service as a warrior, I am repaid with treason and rewarded with a void!" she laughed in a mirthless and miserable tone of voice. "I abandoned my pride as a saiyan in service to that tyrant, I allowed my babies to be exploited as interstellar weapons, I betrayed close friends of mine when I fought the tuffles whom took us in, I conquered dozens of planets for that thankless tyrant, I participated in the slaughter of trillions..." she seethed with a spasmic tremble. "...for nothing," she realized in a whisper. "All of those atrocities, all of that sacrifice and suffering, all of it amounted to nothing!"

"I'm sorry," apologized Atticus as he attempted to comfort Selipa with a hand on Selipa's shoulder. Atticus attempted to find more to say, but Atticus found himself lacking the words.

"Why?" asked Selipa. "Why are you sorry for a saiyan?" she questioned.

"I am sorry for Selipa," corrected Atticus. "For this person,"

"You are sorry for a monster!" snapped Selipda. "I am a monster!" she stressed. "I am a failure of a mother, a murderer, a traitor!" she continued. "I-"

"And I am an assassin!" snapped Atticus in turn. "At the behest of the Crane Hermit, I killed whenever I was told to kill and killed whomever I was told to kill," he continued in a sigh. "I butchered men, women, and even children for that man," he noted. "Or rather..."

"...for myself," admitted Atticus. "To avoid being killed, I killed," he clarified. "And killed, and killed, and killed!" he hissed. "I've abandoned that man, and I've ceased to kill pettily and wantonly, but a murderer is a murderer even after their murdering stops," he lamented in a somber tone. "My actions as an assassin of the Crane School, and your actions as a Saiyan warrior, they define our past. They are an eternal mark on our record, a sin that taints us, but they do not dictate our future and they do not limit our present," he stressed to Selipa. "As long as we act to be better, we can be better,"

"You believe that nonsense?" asked Selipa in a murmur. "Really?"

"Really," answered Atticus with a smile. "Now I need to sleep and think," he asserted to Selipa. "And you need rest too," he stressed. "We can continue this game after a nap or two," he yawned. Afterward, despite a retort from Selipa, he allowed himself to doze off.

❧ ❧ ❧

"An army?" asked Atticus as, in the afternoon of May 8th, he detected a familiar plethora of psionic signatures. "Shit!" he swore as he leapt into a stand and then rushed out the temple!

"Enemy human located!" announced a Cacao Soldier as Atticus arrived to find the lookout surrounded by around a 1,000 of the Cacao Soldiers! "Analyzing capacity of ki and psions," hummed each and every Cacao Soldier as Atticus was scanned by their scouters. "Alert! Alert! Alert! Calculating evident and hidden power at a grand total of 5,000 BP!" they announced in a collective gasp.

"They bypassed my power suppression?" gasped Atticus at the Cacao Soldiers' words. "By analyzing en masse rather than as individuals," he deduced with a smirk. "I can exploit that!"

"5,000 BP, huh?" cooed a dandy of a man as he arose into Atticus' view and in front of the Cacao Soldiers. The man appeared as a conventional human with fair and immaculate skin, bulky yet defined muscles, and darkly teal hair which was tied into a ponytail. He wore a scouter over his left eye, a coral pair of cylindrical earrings, and an entire necklace of dangling and gleaming jewels. In addition to a pink and sleeveless shirt underneath a cuirass exhibiting an oversized and pointy pauldrons, a pair of fingerless gloves, a pair of pink leg warmers, and a pair of boots. 

"Come for a second thrashing?" questioned Atticus to the Cacao Soldiers as he allowed his psyki to flow naturally rather than suppressed. As he did so, he confirmed his power level to the Dandy as the Dandy's scouter detected the increase in Atticus' evident power. "Or were you just leaving?"

"The female, the saiyan, is she within?" asked a Cacao Soldier with a look towards the temple. "Relinquish the woman to us," he ordered.

"You're too late," asserted Atticus to the Cacao Soldiers. "She's already left!" he lied with a look away.

"Analyzing for deception," cooed the Cacao Soldiers. "Analysis complete!" they declared after a moment of scanning Atticus with their scouters. "This bitch is lying!"

"Damn scouters!" hissed Atticus with a gnash of his teeth. "They can't even do that!" he complained. "This Cacao guy is cheating!"

"Clever of you to shelter in this temple," chuckled the Dandy as he eyed the lookout. "A dead god's heavenly realm is typically unnoticeable and unreachable..." he cooed as his gaze returned to Atticus. "...typically," he snorted. "I am Daiz, a former prince of the Planet Kabocha and its Pukinpa Dynasty!" he announced to Atticus in a loud and proud voice! "While you are but a foolish and ignoble interloper whom is in no position to resist!" he added in a sneer. "So stop wasting our time and surrender the woman, now!"

"You abandoned Selipa, betrayed her to your comrades' sadism, so why chase her?" asked Atticus of the Cacao Soldiers and Daiz. "To avenge Amond's death upon her?" he guessed.

"Allowing any injured saiyan, even that low-class and pathetic toy of a woman, to recover is suicidal!" answered Daiz in a snort. "After you harm them, you kill them! It's simple stuff, yeah?" he laughed.

"I can't even refute that," admitted Atticus. "Betraying Selipa, and then letting Selipa survive and thus zenkai, would indeed be stupidly suicidal!"

"Bugger off!" demanded Atticus of the Cacao Soldiers and Daiz. "And I'll let you live," he offered.

"You'll let us live?" asked Daiz with a blink. "We are letting you live, little man!" he corrected in a shout. "You are outnumbered and overpowered too," he stressed. "I also boast a power level of 5,000 BP!" he revealed with a smirk. "You can't the Cacaos and me at the same time!" he stressed.

"Bet!" cackled Atticus as he began to bounce on his toes and excitedly flex his limbs. "All of you fight me, no restraints, at the same time!" he goaded in a snicker. "I die if you win, you leave if I win!"

"Are you bluffing?" asked Daiz with a gnash of his teeth. "The captain of our Crusher Corpse, mighty Turles, desires to recruit you," he revealed in a snarl. "As long as you surrender that woman, you'll be spa-"

"Beat me and I'll serve," interjected Atticus. "How's that?" he laughed.

"Very well," snarled Daiz. As he did so, all of the Cacao Soldiers dropped into a soar and swoop towards Atticus. As the Cacao Soldiers coalesced into an implosion upon Atticus, Atticus applied his psykionic telepathy to himself and thereby forced himself into the mental state of a near-death experience! Subsequently, as the Cacao Soldiers arrived before and attacked Atticus, Atticus burst into a charge and then chopped through a Cacao Soldier with a knifehand strike! After Atticus bisected that Cacao Soldier, Atticus decapitated another of the Cacao Soldiers with a palm strike!

"Wh..." began Daiz as Atticus deflected a Cacao Soldier's punch with his forearm and then grabbed that Cacao Soldier's arm. Following that, Atticus dragged the Cacao Soldier into a flail as he slammed the Cacao Soldier into a smash through the surrounding Cacao Soldiers! At the end of the flail, Atticus flung the Cacao Soldier overhead and and then slammed the Cacao Soldier into a smash upon its fellow Cacao Soldiers! "...at?" finished Daiz as Atticus about-faced into a crescent kick which blasted a bounty of the Cacao Soldiers with the concussive force of its revolution! Afterward, Atticus about-faced again and then attacked another Cacao Soldier with a punch! As Atticus' fist crashed into the Cacao Soldier's face, Atticus hurled the Cacao Soldier into a slam through other Cacao Soldiers!

"Bad!" admitted Daiz as a contingent of the Cacao Soldier discharged their ki as missiles that separately soared into streams towards Atticus! However, Atticus batted each and every ki missile with a chop and thereby deflected each and every ki missiles into impacting and obliterating the Cacao Soldiers that fired them! "This is bad!" conceded Daiz as Atticus appeared before a Cacao Soldier and then cratered the Cacao Soldier's face with a jump kick! At the same time, by kicking that Cacao Soldier in a manner that ricochet him towards another Cacao Soldier, Atticus began a cycle of kicking and then ricocheting off the Cacao Soldiers! Subsequently, as Atticus bounced from one Cacao Soldier to the next Cacao Soldier, Atticus applied claws and chops to literally rip through all the Cacao Soldiers whom had the misfortune of being on the path of his ricochet! "I don't understand what's happening..." continued Daiz as Atticus' chops and claws decapitated and or dismembered the Cacao Soldiers, causing the floor of the lookout to become bloody with the giblets of internal organs and oily with the tatters of technology! "...but it is really, really bad!"

"It's the Power of Confronting Death (臨死の力, Rinshi no Ryoku)!" declared Atticus as he bisected a Cacao Soldier with a jump kick, landed into a pirouette, and then rocketed into a surge towards Daiz! Afterward, as Atticus careened into Daiz, Atticus clocked Daiz with a punch and thereby launched Daiz into a rearward skid! "Our battle powers are the same, that's true, but our combat prowess couldn't be further apart!" hissed Atticus as he appeared before Daiz and then kicked Daiz into a look sideward! Subsequently, as Daiz retaliated with a swipe, Atticus ducked under Daiz's swing and then kicked Daiz's legs in a manner that swept Daiz into a trip! At this point, as Daiz began to fall, Atticus halved a Cacao Soldier with a kick as he rose into a stand and then seized that Cacao Soldier by the eyes sockets! Afterward, Atticus augmented the Cacao Soldier's chassis with his psyki and then flung the Cacao Soldier like a javelin! As a result, the Cacao Soldier crashed through dozens of its fellows and then dropped off the lookout! Around the same time, Atticus back-flipped into a plummet upon Daiz and then booted Daiz's face as he kicked Daiz with that plummet!

As Atticus bashed the back of Daiz's head into an embedment within the floor, an array of Cacao Soldiers became a bullet of cyborgs by condensing their formation as densely as possible. As such, the Cacao Soldiers barreled into Atticus as a group rather than as individuals! However, as the Cacao Soldiers crashed into and dragged off Atticus, Atticus crushed the face of their flight leader with a hook! Afterward, Atticus exploded into a flurry of jabs! As each of the jabs carved fissures into the Cacao Soldiers' heads and crashed through the Cacao Soldiers' skulls, the Cacao Soldiers dropped out their formation and plummeted into a ragdoll-like and rolling tumble! As such, before even a mere moment's passing, Atticus broke the bullet of Cacao Soldiers as he decapitated its final member with a flash of lightning-like punch!

"He acts and reacts relentlessly..." complained a Cacao Soldier as his fellows and him attempted to barrage Atticus with blasts of their ki! "...as if nothing overwhelms or surprises him!" he hissed as Atticus casually deflected the blasts with bops of his fists and thereby parried the blasts into blasting the Cacao Soldiers rather than himself! At the same time, Daiz exploded into a soaring surge towards Atticus and then lashed at Atticus with a punch! However; by the time Daiz arrived before and attacked Atticus; Atticus detected Daiz, evaded Daiz with a gentle lean, and then fiercely kicked Daiz into a skyward whirl! Subsequently, Atticus disappeared from sight and then reappeared into an uppercut upon Daiz's chin! And after that uppercut, Atticus angled himself with his flight and thereby kicked Daiz into a smash through the closest Cacao Soldiers!

"Guh..." grunted Daiz as he fell into a landing and rearward skid. "...you increased your power? Or, perhaps, th-th-the calculations failed?" he questioned as he collapsed into a kneel at the end of his skid. "The scouters were wrong?"

"I've decreased my power," lied Atticus as he appeared before Daiz and then crossed his arms. "Gradually over time," he cooed with a smirk.

"I-I-Impossible!" gasped the Cacao Soldiers as the group of them scanned Atticus with their scouters. "You!" growled the Cacao Soldiers as they read Atticus at 5,000 BP again. "You're full of sh-"

"Got you!" exclaimed Atticus as he channeled an explosion of his psyki into the currents of light that the Cacao Soldiers' scouters were emitting towards him! By doing so, Atticus conducted his psyki through the scan of the scouters and straight towards each and every last one of the Cacao Soldiers! "Scan this!" screamed Atticus as his psyki arced into a surge, coursed into and throughout the Cacao Soldiers in an electricity-like manner, and then detonated into an explosion within the Cacao Soldiers!

"Hah‽" cried Daiz as all of the Cacao Soldiers ballooned into an inflation and then popped into an oily and sanguinary splatter of tatters and viscera! "What‽"

"Those devices explode when overloaded and thus they input the ki that they scan rather than interpret the ki that they scan," cackled Atticus to Daiz. "That meant that I could channel my psyki through their scans and straight to their users!" he revealed in a snicker.

"They aren't limited to scanning you tool..." asserted Daiz in a spat. "...they're able to access databases, allow communication, and even record sounds and video!" he revealed. "So the boss of even Mighty Turles himself, our King Tarble, has heard and seen you!" he sneered.

And then it started.

"Huh?" uttered Atticus as Daiz began to heal at random and started to swell up too! Subsequently, as all of Daiz's injures rejuvenated in seconds, Daiz became bloated with inflamed muscles and covered in enlarged and pulsating veins! "Someone is channeling their ki into him..." deduced Atticus as Daiz continued to grow in height and width! "...through his scouter's signal‽" he realized as he sensed ki in the scouter's wifi! "They copied me‽"

"Ahaha, ahaha, ahahaahaaahaaaa!" giggled Daiz as he became larger and larger in a manner that Atticus quickly recognized. "You've done it now!"

"This is a Great Ape's ki?" growled Atticus as Daiz attained a Great Ape's size without exhibiting any of a Great Ape's simian traits! "How‽"

"Behold the blessing of King Tarble!" exclaimed Daiz as he finished his growth at a height that was double the height of the lookout's temple! "Behold the power and reach of a royal saiyan!" he continued as he discharged his ki into a kiai, a ki-based shockwave! As that kiai fragmented the lookout into plummeting stones, it also cracked Kanassa's heavenly realm by resounding throughout and shaking Kanassa's heavenly realm!

"Selipa!" gasped Atticus as he burst into a hop and then commenced to skip from stone to stone! However, before Atticus could reach the lookout's temple, Daiz condensed his ki into its maximum pressure and its minimum size! Daiz then discharged that ki as an explosion...

...which disintegrated the lookout into a sandstorm of soot, fragmented the lookout's temple into a hail of stones, and shattered the extradimensional space of Kanassa's heavenly realm!

"Cacao dispatched some drones to find them!" called Daiz into the microphone of his now oversized scouter, as the crumbling stones of the temple appeared in Kanassa's sky and then hailed upon Kanassa's surface! "We can't let Selipa-"

"You..." coughed Atticus as he arose from a hill of the lookout's stone and as another army of the Cacao Soldiers flew onto the scene. "...you destroyed my only way home and killed Selipa!" snarled Atticus as he attempted but failed to find the ki of Selipa.

"There you are!" cackled Daiz as he heard Atticus' complaints and then lurched into a soar towards Atticus! "Still think you'll win‽"

"I'm blasting the Power of Confronting Death at full power..." complained Atticus as Daiz arrived and attacked faster than the Power of Confronting Death could helpfully slow down! "...but he's so fast that it's as if his movements aren't in slow motion at all!" lamented Atticus as Daiz blitzed him with a giant kick which instantly launched him overhead! Afterward, Daiz appeared above Attiucs and then booted Atticus into a cratering impact with the ground!

Subsequently, as Atticus arose onto his butt and then furiously hammered the ground with his fist, Daiz burst into laughter and then jolted into a soar towards Atticus! Although Atticus armored and augmented himself with the Aura of a Warrior, Daiz broke through Atticus' guard as he crashed into Atticus! Daiz then dragged Atticus into, through, and out a mountain! As Atticus and Daiz burst out the mountain; Daiz booted Atticus into a horizontal soar, flashed into a flight over Atticus, and then hammered Atticus into a vertical plummet! As Atticus crashed face-first into the ground, Daiz crashed into a landing nearby and then kicked Atticus into another skyward whirl! 

"Are you done resisting?" asked Daiz as he accumulated ki inside of his mouth. "Either way, I'm ending this now!" he declared as he exhaled his ki into a stream towards Atticus! "Perish you tiny twat!"

"I can't..." murmured Atticus as Daiz's beam roared and rushed towards him. "...I can't lose this way!" he spat as he augmented his fight-or-flight response and then combined that augmented fight-or-flight response with his augmented near-death experience! At the same though, Daiz's beam crashed into Atticus like a flood of water and then dragged Atticus into outer space! "I can't lose to a giveaway, nonsensical, and petty transformation like that!" declared Atticus as he grabbed Daiz's beam and the hurled Daiz's beam into an impact with Kanassa's nearest satellite! After the beam crashed into and destroyed 1 of Kanassa's moons, Atticus flew into a plummet straight towards Daiz!

"Wha-" began Daiz as Atticus blitzed him with a bombardment of punches and blurred into a flurry of sparkles! As Atticus barraged Diez with his flight-guided and flight-powered punches, and as Atticus overwhelmed Daiz with his shimmering speed, Daiz cried out in a fury and then discharged his ki into another explosion! After that explosion impacted with and then swept away Atticus, Daiz charged bolts of ki in his hands and then hurtled those bolts towards Atticus. However, Atticus bashed each of the bolts into a deflection by hitting each of the bolts with a punch! "How is that possible‽" questioned Daiz as he flew into a lunge towards Atticus and then pummeled Atticus with a punch! However, after Daiz knocked Atticus into a rearward soar, Atticus jerked into a returning soar towards Daiz and then lashed out with a punch...

...that struck Daiz's elbow and then sundered Daiz's forearm!

"Aaauuuggghhhaaaa!" screeched Daiz as blood gushed out his arm's stump and as his forearm hurtled out of sight! However, as Daiz panicked and screeched, Atticus attacked! Atticus broke Daiz's shoulder with punch and then chopped off Daiz's stump with a knifehand strike! Afterward, Atticus caved in Daiz's chest with a punch to Daiz's torso! At this point though, a berserk Daiz bashed Atticus with a powerful uppercut! However, after Atticus was carried into a partial rise, Atticus batted away Daiz's fist with a punch and then flew into a jump kick that knocked Daiz into a plummet!

After Daiz crashed into the ground, Atticus appeared between the fingers of Daiz's remaining hand. Subsequently, Atticus clawed into 1 of Daiz's fingers and then dragged Daiz off his feet! This allowed Atticus to fling Daiz overhead and then yank Daiz headfirst into the ground! Afterward, Atticus erupted into a jump kick that crashed into Daiz's chest and thereby launched Daiz into a rearward and upside-down skid! As Daiz's face carved a fissure into the ground, Atticus appeared behind Daiz and then punted Daiz into a skyward whirl! Atticus then appeared before Daiz and clashed fists with Daiz! As Atticus and Daiz matched punches with one another, Atticus and Daiz's fists discharged an extraterrestrial shockwave which destroyed Kanassa's 2, remaining moons!

Not long after, Atticus broke through Daiz's fist and then descended into a flying punch that sliced through Daiz's arm! As Daiz began to howl in pain, Atticus hammered Daiz's mouth shut with a rising stomp upon Daiz's jaw! Afterward, Atticus back-flipped and flew into a kick that swept Daiz like trash in the wind! Atticus then caught up to Daiz with a flying lunge in order to punch Daiz face-first into the ground!

"Th-th-this can't be happening..." asserted an arm-less and bleeding Daiz as he attempted to crawl into a retreat in a snake-like way. "...K-K-King Tarble, m-my liege! My lord! P-power! I need more power!" he begged into the microphone of his scouter.

"Daiz!" called a concerned Cacao Soldier. However, before the Cacao Soldiers could intervene, Atticus appeared before the Cacao Soldier next. "Y-y-yo-" began the Cacao Soldier an instant before Atticus grabbed the Cacao Soldier by the face!

"I am sick and tired of you!" spat Atticus as he channeled his psyki into the signal of the Cacao Soldier's scouter. "All of you!" heard each and every Cacao Soldier in the universe as Atticus conducted his psyki through their scouters' signal and straight to them! "AND THESE SCOUTERS!" added Atticus as he caught Lakasei, Rasin, and even fucking Turles in the crossfire of his assault upon the Cacao Soldiers! Although Turles managed to remove his scouter in time to save himself; the Cacao Soldiers, Lakasei, and Rasin cried out in fear and pain as Atticus detonated the scouters and them into an explosion!

"H-h-how is this possible?" asked Daiz, as the destruction of his scouter resulted in a shrink of his size! "H-h-how did I lose? Wh-wh-while in the form of a Great Ape! J-j-just what, ugh, wh-wh-what are you‽"

"It's the Art of Mortality (必滅の武術, Hitsumetsu no Bujutsu)," answered Atticus as he dropped in front of Daiz and then looked down upon Daiz. "There are beings capable of enhancing their ki with their rage, well, the Art of Mortality enhances the user's ki with the user's pain and terror," he began to elaborate in a snort. "The closer to death that I feel, the more that my adrenaline flows and my blood pumps, the more power that the Art of Mortality provides!" he continued. "It's based on feelings rather than reality though," he noted. "So any attack against me, regardless of whether the attack hits me or just threatens me, will make me stronger. And any damage that I exhibit, regardless of whether the damage was inflicted after or before I activated the Art of Mortality, will also make me stronger," he cooed. "The Art of Mortality also comes with the effects that are granted by the Power of Confronting Death, as the Art of Mortality exist as a perfection of the Power of Confronting Death, so it's as much of a defensive technique as it is an offensive technique!" he added as he began to charge psyki within his right hand.

"Aha, ahahahaaa..." coughed Daiz with a smirk. "...f-fancy moves?" he snorted towards Atticus. "Th-that's all you got?" he questioned.

"It's all that I need," asserted Atticus towards Daiz. "They beat you, didn't they?" he spat.

"M-m-maybe so," conceded Daiz. "B-but King Tarble, he is able to access the Ōzaru's power without becoming the Ōzaru, and can even induce an Ōzaru transformation in himself and others at-will!" he revealed in a snicker. "Against a fake like me, that measly power of yours has prevailed, but against a real and royal saiyan warrior‽" he continued in a shouting sneer. "Y-y-you'll fall!" he asserted. "A-a-all of us, everyone like us, will fall to those whom can transform!" he wheezed.

"King Tarble?" asked Atticus with a blink. "V-V-Vegeta's baby brother, that Tarble?" he questioned. "Th-th-that's impossible!" he gasped in a panic. "He's a banished, gentle, and talentless weakli-"

"Pft!" snickered Daiz before Atticus could finish. "Pwahahahahahahahaha!" he laughed at a riotous volume. "Are you serious‽" he questioned in a snort. "King Tarble broke his older brother's arm, and cracked opened his older brother's skull, when he was just a toddler!" he chuckled. "Gentle? Talentless? Weak? As if!"

"The Tarble of this timeline is a vicious warrior," awed Atticus with a bite of his lip. "And has declared himself King rather than limited himself to the Prince title?" he wondered. "I-i-it can't get worse than this," gulped Atticus as he considered the implications of the news. "An isekai, royal saiyan who has had a decade or longer to exploit their foreknowledge and strengthen themselves!" he hissed. "He's aware and capable of so much!" he internally screamed. "And he may be coming to Earth with Nappa and Vegeta! Or possibly with Raditz!" he theorized.

"M-m-my boss, Mighty Turles, h-he isn't stupid," continued Daiz in a grunt. "Y-y-you defeated a Great Ape, e-e-even if he is stronger than me, he isn't stronger than me while I am a Great Ape!" he chuckled. "S-s-so you don't need to worry about us anymore," he insisted. "Y-y-you can just-"

"Yeah..." began Atticus as he blasted Daiz's face with his charged bolt of psyki! As that blast energized Daiz's face and then Daiz's head as a whole, it began to expand in slow motion and thus explode into a gradual and painful vaporization rather than an immediate and painless vaporization. "...no," refused Atticus as Daiz screeched in torment. "I ain't Goku," he asserted as he detected the ki of Turles in order to discern Turles' location.  He then rocketed into a soar towards Turles. "I am a Crane, not a Turtle!" he accepted as Daiz's cries for death resounded throughout the sky as a thunderous wail!

"Turles!" roared Atticus as he blazed through the sky like a burning meteor and then jerked into plummet towards an attack ball-type spaceship. At this point, Atticus blasted the carapace of the spaceship with a bullet of his psyki and thereby blew a hole into the spaceship! Atticus then came face-to-face with Turles as he crashed into an explosive landing within the spaceship. "You!" continued Atticus as his crash landing quaked and scorched the spaceship! And as Turles about-faced into a gawk at him.

"You found me without a scouter?" questioned Turles in a snarl. "Interesting..." he mused as he noticed Atticus' wounds. "...King Tarble asked me to keep a lookout for people with that power," he revealed. "As he desired to learn that power,"

"The Extract of Might is in a compartment within this ship, huh?" huffed Atticus after he finished infiltrating and reading Turles' thoughts.

"Wh-wh-what?" uttered Turles as Atticus arose into the air and through the hole in the spaceship. "How did you-" began Turles before Atticus conducted a massive measure of psyki into his index finger and then discharged that psyki into a surge towards Turles. "Oh shit!"

"Sūpā Dodonpa (スーパーどどん波, Super Dodon Wave)!" chanted Atticus as Turles dodged his Super Dodon Ray with a frantic leap and thereby enabled the Super Dodon Ray to hit the spaceship at its maximum power! Subsequently, as the Super Dodon Ray detonated into an explosion, Turles was blasted by an impact with that explosion! While the spaceship was blown into burning scrap and charred smithereens!

"No!" cried an ignited Turles as he arced out of his exploding spaceship and then flopped onto the ground. "M-m-my dream! The extract! The seed! The tree!" he wailed as he arose onto his knees and then beheld the crater that had been his spaceship.

"I allowed her to die by negotiating and playing with you scum!" acknowledged Atticus as he activated the Art of Mortality and then attacked with an augmented Super Dodon Ray! "I allowed my arrogance and hesitation to grant you the opportunity to slay Selipa!" he asserted as his Super Dodon Ray blurred into an impact with Turles and then exploded into a flame with the mass and reach of the sea! "I acted cocky and that cockiness cost me someone that I had every opportunity and power to save!" he seethed as Turles burned, flailed, and screeched within the flames of his Super Dodon Ray. "Why did I even leave her on this planet‽" he questioned in a shout. "I could have moved her into Other World and then taken her to the Earth's lookout or something!" he noted in a wrathful yell.

"You desire to eat the Fruit of Might, you desire this planet's power, then you can fucking have it!" swore Atticus as he attuned his brain to Kanassa's planetary and psionic wavelength. Afterward, Atticus consumed the entirety of Kanassa's psionic wave by draining every last psion out of Kanassa's psionic wave! At this point, Atticus accumulated an amount of his psyki onto his index finger's tip and then fused Kanassa's psions to that psyki! Atticus then discharged a 3rd and impossibly large Super Dodon Ray straight towards Turles! As the Super Dodon Ray careened into Turles as a flash of light, the Super Dodon Ray heated Kanassa into an incandescent shine! As a result, for just a moment, the brightness of Kanassa's surface exceeded the brightness of Sun!

Afterward, as the Super Dodon Ray impacted upon and incinerated Turles, Kanassa dimmed yet glowed still. Atticus blinked at the brightness and then frowned at the results of his tantrum. Across the entirety of Kanassa, all of the continents were melting into molten rock! And at the same time, eruptions of lava were evaporating and filling in the ocean! Atticus blinked at the devastation a second time and then eyed his index finger in horror at his strength and revulsion at his wrath. Atticus allowed himself to attack without restraint and lash out without thought; and by doing so, Atticus completely destroyed the habitability of Kanassa. Although Bardock and his saiyan squad genocided the Kanassans, they had not extinguished Kanassa's wildlife. That is, Bardock and his saiyan squad ended the life of the people. Not the life of the planet as a whole.

"I am no Guardian..." murmured Atticus as he beheld the consequences of his fury. Atticus could control his psyki with perfection. As such, Atticus could have prevented this. Atticus could have restrained the Super Dodon Ray. Atticus could have killed Turles without even resorting to the Super Dodon Ray!

But he didn't.

"...I am a monster too," decided Atticus as he applied his Far-Seeing Art to scan Kanassa for a spaceship. "I burned the nearby people to death, but their ship survived," he noted as he scried on a fortress of the Frieza Force. "H-h-hurry," he urged as he burst into a flight towards the spaceship. "I need to hurry,"

Chapter Text

Atticus found the spaceship...

...but he couldn't pilot or even start the damn thing. As such, Atticus couldn't escape the hellscape of magma and quakes that he'd blasted Kanassa into. Instead, all Atticus could do was contemplate and figure out his mistakes.

As such, at this point, Atticus began to realize that the Art of Mortality was extremely flawed. Activating the Art of Mortality began with causing and then enhancing both a fight-or-flight response and a near-death experience. The adrenaline rush of the fight-or-flight response augmented the body's emotional intensity, locomotive performance, and physiological senses. While the effects of the near-death experience both accelerated the body's comprehension of situations and decelerated the body's experience of time.

After the enhancement of the fight-or-flight response and the near-death experience, the fight-or-flight response and the near-death experience were combined in a manner that synchronized and synergized their traits. Athletic capabilities, observational prowess, and reaction speed were all skyrocketed. And all emotions — especially fear and pain — became enduring, intelligible, and potent. This allowed — or even directly incited — the improvement of ki with an infusion of pain and terror!

As a result, altogether, the Art of Mortality was able to augment battle power at the cost of expending ki. Although the Art of Mortality was capable of limitlessly powering up the user, albeit with an accrual of recoil throughout its usage and a diminishing return as it exhausted the user's ki, it achieved that power up at the cost of creating and exacerbating psychological turmoil. After all, both the effects of a fight-or-flight response and the effects of a near-death experience were severe and traumatic. So of course, combining the effects of a fight-or-flight response with the effects of a near-death experience would be exponentially more severe and exponentially more traumatic!

As such, all activations of the Art of Mortality caused mania in the user and deregulated the emotions and inhibitions of the user. Although this allowed the emotional enhancement of ki to be maximized, it also allowed the emotions of the user to bypass the morality and sanity of the user. In Atticus' case; his cruelty, fury, and guilt bypassed his martial restraint and then drove him into lashing out in a petty and superfluous way. The Art of Mortality allowed Atticus to defeat a Great Ape; but at the same time, the Art of Mortality caused Atticus to destroy Kanassa in a maniacal rampage...

...is what Atticus wanted to believe.

However, while the Art of Mortality was flawed, the Art of Mortality wasn't the issue. The Art of Mortality wasn't the problem. Atticus was the issue. Atticus was the problem. For the Art of Mortality didn't destroy Kanassa. Atticus destroyed Kanassa. Atticus, in a fit of guilt and pique, destroyed Kanassa as he killed Turles. Just as Atticus, in an indulgence of needless and petty spite, cruelly killed Daiz in a slow and torturous way.

Although Kami and Korin had firmly lectured and repeatedly stressed to Atticus that calmness in a fight was paramount, Atticus hadn't learned the lesson and practiced their wisdom. Instead, Atticus gave himself to pity and surrendered himself to wrath. The Art of Mortality didn't fail Atticus; but rather, Atticus failed Atticus. Atticus failed Kanassa and Selipa. Atticus failed Kami and Korin. And most of all, Atticus failed Tien. Atticus failed Maron, Tien, and Yamcha by embracing the Crane School that lurked within him and indulging in the Crane Hermit's sadism and wickedness!

"Is this the example that you want to set for your friend?"

"A murderer is a murderer even after their murdering stops..." begun Atticus with a bite of his lip. "...but those murders do not dictate their future or limit their present," he continued in a sigh. "As long as I act to atone and attempt be better, I can be better, but I must make sacrifices and put in work," he asserted to himself. "I promised to Selipa that we could be better, I promised to Tien that we could be better, and I promised to Yamcha that we could be better!" he reminded himself in a sniff. "So I have to be better than this!"

And with that declaration to himself, even while marooned on a molten planet, Atticus resolved to survive! After all; in order to become the better person that Atticus expected Selipa, Tien, and Yamcha to become; Atticus had to survive!

After Atticus escaped the fumes and heat of Kanassa's magma by finding a mountain peak to perch upon, Atticus began to heal himself. Contrary to the Kais, Majins, Namekians, and Yardrats; Atticus' healing wasn't magical. Instead, Atticus' healing was ki- and psion-based. That is, Atticus applied his psyki as both a catalyst and a nutrient as well! By doing so, Atticus could fuel and hasten the healing processes. Unfortunately, because Atticus' healing was less magical and more scientific, Atticus' healing was comparatively slow and relatively weak. Dende, Kibito, and Majin Buu could heal injuries in an instant! While Atticus healed injuries in a day at the fastest and a week at the slowest. However, although Atticus couldn't heal swiftly, Atticus could endure injuries that would kill most people and then gradually and perfectly recover without any scarring whatsoever!

As Atticus attempted to enhance and hasten his healing with meditation, to avoid the depression of pitying and rebuking the self, he contemplated on his goal to rise as strongest. And the painful reality of his situation. After his battles with Amond, Cacao, and Daiz; and after his murders of Lakasei, Rasin, and Turles; Atticus did not grow much stronger. Instead, Atticus began his conflict with the Crusher Corps and Tarble with a base power of 5,000 BP. And Atticus ended his conflict with the Crusher Corps and Tarble with a base power of 5,000 BP. After all, as a human martial artist rather than a saiyan warrior, Atticus developed through Pure Progress rather than Saiyan Power.

Although Atticus' exhibition of 5,000 BP max was phenomenal for the Dragon Ball era that he was in; in the grand scheme of things, it was weak! After all, it was Age 756 and the battle with Frieza was due in Age 762! That is, in just 6 years, Atticus had to be prepared to scrap with Frieza of all people! Even if Atticus elevated his base power level by 20,000 every year; a complete fucking impossibility at his current rate of rising strength; Atticus would have a base power level of 125,000 BP...

...which was almost 5x lower than 1st Form Frieza's base power level of 530,000 BP!

That's right, even if Atticus acquired gains that were ridiculously steep, Atticus would fail to surpass even the 1st form of Frieza! Much less the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th form! And much less the 4th form at its maximum power! In fact, even if Atticus grew by 20,000 BP a year and lived for 100 years, Atticus' base power would cap at 1,645,000 BP! Which was still more than a 100,000,000 — a hundred million — lower than Frieza's maximum power! That was the bleak and painful reality of Atticus' situation. Even if Atticus devoted the entirety of his life to surpassing Frieza, and even with gains that were impossibly ridiculous, Atticus could not and would not even come close to surpassing Frieza!

Because Frieza was the fucking strong, in order to prevail, Atticus couldn't depend on ordinary training. As Atticus had to break the limits of ordinary progress! That is, he had to break the power scale into shreds and then disintegrate those shreds into vapor...

...he had to break through the ceiling of conventional power and rise into the skies of legendary power!

During the entirety of his first week on Kanassa, Atticus focused on recovering and surviving. Atticus applied his Far-Seeing Technique to find steam. And then he used his psykionic telekinesis to liquidize that steam into water! By doing so, Atticus could collect and drink the water that he needed to survive. Atticus also allowed his Aura of a Warrior to bask in the light of the local Sun, capture the energy of that light, and then conserve that energy within itself. Afterward, Atticus applied his Aura of a Warrior as the fuel and nutrients of both his recovery and his sustenance too! In other words, Atticus applied his Aura of a Warrior to capture and consume the energy of sunlight!

At the end of Atticus' first week on Kanassa, Atticus finished healing and started training! Atticus began by collecting the debris of Kanassa's moons, applying his Far-Seeing Art and his psykionic Telekinesis in conjunction with one another in order to find and move the moons' rubble. Afterward, Atticus combined the debris and Kanassa with one another. And at the same time, Atticus applied his psykionic telekinesis as a means of condensing and molding the debris and Kanassa into a perfect and smaller sphere!

By adding the mass of Kanassa's moons to Kanassa, Atticus elevated the gravity of Kanassa as a whole. And by condensing Kanassa and molding Kanassa into a perfect and smaller sphere, Atticus elevated the gravity of Kanassa's surface! At this point, Atticus could contract Kanassa in order to heighten the surface gravity of Kanassa or expand Kanassa in order to lower the surface gravity of Kanassa. That is, Atticus could decrease Kanassa's size as a means of engaging in gravity training and increase Kanassa's size whenever he decided to lighten the stress of that training!

At face value, augmenting gravity seemed useless. After all, a being capable of destroying a planet with a punch could definitely endure a 500 multiplier of their relatively trivial weight. As an example, at 5'3" — an inch below Bulma, but also an inch over Krillin — and 180 lbs of hard-earned and iron-like muscle, Atticus only weighed 90,000 lbs in 500x the Earth's gravity. Although 90,000 lbs appeared to be a lot, 90,000 lbs was less than a blue whale's 290,000 to 330,000 lbs! And far, far less than a mountain. Much less a planet!

However, ki boasted energy. Which meant that ki boasted mass too. Which meant that ki was burdened with weight! As such, as the gravity of Kanassa increased, both Atticus' body weight and Atticus' ki weight increased too! And while Atticus' body weight didn't hamper Atticus at all, Atticus' ki weight hampered Atticus a lot! As the ki became difficult to endure, harder to imbue, and laborious to move! So all applications of the ki — even basic infusions and elementary projectiles — became difficult to execute and even more difficult to maintain!

At the same time, as Atticus endured and exerted himself in gravity that he intensified over time, he also brought Kanasa closer and closer to the local Sun by moving Kanassa with his psykionic telekinesis. Of course, bringing Kanassa closer to the Sus did not enhance Kanassa's gravity. However, bringing Kanassa closer to the Sun harshened Kanassa's environment and thereby intensified Atticus' training. That is, in addition to enduring extreme gravity, Atticus also endured extreme heat and extreme winds as well! Of course, eventually, Atticus adapted to both the gravity and the heat as well! That is, after months of training, Atticus became bored and casual with the conditions on Kanassa rather than challenged by those conditions. And Atticus just couldn't make Kanassa any more challenging to live and train on than he already had...

...as such, in order to further his training, Atticus developed a Forced Evolution (強制進化, Kyōsei Shinka) of his base — and only — form. That is, like Trunks and Vegeta in their Grade 2 and Grade 3 states of the Super Saiyan form, Atticus applied ki to his muscles and thereby energized his muscles at the cost of inflating his muscles! By doing so, although Atticus didn't really transform, Atticus bulked up into an empowered but exhausting state. Contrary to Trunks and Vegeta though, Atticus didn't intend to fight with his Forced Evolutions. But rather, Atticus intended to train with his Forced Evolutions!

That is, as he conditioned himself in — and practiced his techniques within — the extreme gravity and extreme heat of his extreme Kanassa, Atticus assumed a forcibly evolved state of his base form and then endured the strain of his Forced Evolution in order to exploit that strain as stress training! At first, Atticus only applied a Grade 2 state of his base form in his training. However, eventually, Atticus acclimated to that Grade 2 state and thus could endure that Grade 2 state without stress or time limit. At this point, Atticus began to employ the Grade 3 state in his training instead! But eventually, over time, Atticus acclimated to the Grade 3 state too and thus attained a Broly-like dexterity and stamina within it! That is, contrary to Trunks and Vegeta whom abandoned the 2nd and 3rd grades of Super Saiyan, Atticus actually fully mastered the 2nd and 3rd grade of his base form...

...so, in order to continue making progress in his training, Atticus invented a 4th Grade and 5th Grade!

Because any energization of the muscles directly incited an inflation of the muscles, like a balloon being filled with gas, the energization of the muscles was limited in scope. Because if the energization exceeded the limits of the muscles and the skill of the user, the energization would explode the muscles into a gory pop! However, Atticus ascertained that he could apply ki to contract his muscles as he applied ki to empower his muscles. By doing so, Atticus could counteract the explosion of his muscles with an implosion of his muscles!

This allowed Atticus to contract his 2nd Grade state into a base state-sized 4th Grade State, and it allowed Atticus to contract his 3rd Grade state into a 2nd Grade-sized 5th Grade state! At the same time though, it exacerbated the expensiveness of the Forced Evolution to a ridiculous and unprecedented cost. If Atticus had intended to use his 4th Grade and 5th Grade states in battle, because of their breakneck depletion of ki and difficulty to maintain, his 4th and 5th Grade states would have been the most terrible techniques in the universe! However, because Atticus intended to use his 4th and 5th Grade states in training instead, his 4th and 5th Grade states were the most wonderful techniques in the universe! As, because his 4th and 5th Grade states were difficult and exhausting to use, his 4th and 5th Grade states aided Atticus in further pushing and refining his strength!

As Atticus basked in and consumed sunlight, collected steam to compress into drinking water for himself, endured gravity that was a 100x times stronger than the Earth's gravity, energized his muscles into hellish and horrific inflations, exposed himself to heat as hot as the surface of Venus itself, and practiced his techniques; Atticus also analyzed and contemplated the effects of emotion upon ki. Many fighters in the universe could strengthen themselves with their wrath! As they could apply their anger as an energy that improved their ki's potency; and by doing so, they could convert their Fury into a power up! But few of those fighters could access their fury, fuel their ki with their rage, without submitting to their temper's whims and then succumbing to the vice of wrath!

Although the Art of Mortality applied the emotions of fear and pain rather than the emotion of rage, at their core, the Art of Mortality and Fury were the same. That is, although the Art of Mortality and Fury applied different and distinct emotions, the Art of Mortality and Fury's processes and sensations were the same. For the act of accessing anger with Fury felt the same way as the act of accessing fear and pain with the Art of Mortality. And the danger of embroiling and losing oneself to one's fury functioned in the exact same way as the danger of embroiling and losing oneself to one's mortality! As such, without the calm and control that Kami and Mr. Popo attempted to explain and instill within Atticus, neither Atticus nor any other warrior could not exploit the Art of Mortality or Fury's full power. Neither Atticus nor any other warrior could hone the Art of Mortality or Fury into the perfect superweapon.

As such, as the final and mental part of his training, Atticus began to condition his ego to endure the Art of Mortality's exacerbation of his fear and pain. That is, Atticus attempted to calm himself during the Art of Mortality's effect period and then control his fear and pain rather than succumb to the temptations of his terror and the vice of his wrath. However, as Atticus mentally and physically pushed himself to the limits of his creativity and sanity, Atticus began to doubt the Art of Mortality's worth. After all, ultimately, both the Art of Mortality and the Power of Confronting Death were the embrace of fear and pain as a means of exploiting the maladies of mortality. As such, even if Atticus achieved a complete control over his ego and perfected the Art of Mortality, Atticus couldn't eliminate the Art of Mortality's effects without eliminating the Art of Mortality's power source too. That is, Atticus couldn't eliminate the Art of Mortality's risks without eliminating the Art of Mortality's strengths.

At this point, Atticus concluded that the Art of Mortality could not be perfected. Because the Art of Mortality was already perfect. The Art of Mortality did exactly what it was supposed to do. That is, the Art of Mortality allowed the exploitation of fear and pain as a source of strength. As one's fear and one's pain rose, one's power rose with them. As such, it allowed comebacks by converting damage — which induced pain and inspired terror — into power! Any attempt to hamper the pain and reduce the terror, any attempt to control the Art of Mortality, all such attempts would diminish the Art of Mortality rather than improve the Art of Mortality. All such attempts defeated the purpose of the Art of Mortality. Because the Art of Mortality was a desperate measure for a desperate time, not a replacement for a transformation. That is, it was not a means of supremacy. But rather, it was a means of survival!

However, although the Art of Mortality couldn't be perfected, the Art of Mortality could be modified into a new and stronger technique! After all, Atticus altered his combination of ki and psions into a fusion of ki and psions. He altered his Alteration of Individual Values, his Kotaichi no Henka technique, into the Aura of a Warrior. He altered and combined his Aura of a Warrior and bad healing technique into a makeshift photosynthesis. And he altered the Power of Confronting Death into the Art of Mortality to begin with! So altering and improving upon the Art of Mortality wasn't beyond Atticus' capabilities or experience! As altering, combining, and improving on techniques was just what Atticus did as a martial artist!

Of course, actually evolving the Art of Mortality and deciding to devolve the Art of Mortality were different things. After all, creating a technique and learning a technique were different things. The Crane Hermit and the Turtle Hermit had to experiment for 50, fucking, long years in order to invent the Dodon Ray and the Kamehameha. While Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha learned the Kamehameha in less than a decade. Much less 5 decades! And Chiaotzu and Tien learned the Dodon Ray, and many other techniques, even faster! At the same time though, while altering a fully learned technique into a new technique could be much easier and faster than creating a new technique from scratch, the alteration had to be minimal and specific. Because if Atticus' alterations to the Art of Mortality were not minimal and specific, if Atticus attempted to alter the Art of Mortality without any schematics or theory, Atticus could end up fiddling with the Art of Mortality for decades!

But Atticus didn't have a decade, much less 5 decades like the Craner and Turtle Hermit. Instead, at the most, Atticus had 5 years to ascend into a legend and battle Frieza on Namek. While at the least, Atticus had maybe even less than a year to prepare himself for a showdown with Tarble! As such, blind experimentation and even decent hypotheses weren't an option for Atticus. As Atticus couldn't depend on destiny to hand him a power up or technique, and because he was Chiaotzu and his rivals were Frieza and Tarble of all people, Atticus couldn't depend on luck or talent. Instead; Atticus needed a practical and reliable theory based on facts, lore, and precedents! As such, among all the aspects of the Art of Mortality that Atticus could focus on, Atticus decided to focus on the Art of Mortality's ability to access emotions and then convert those emotions into ki! After all, the existence of Fury confirmed to Atticus that the ability wasn't specific but rather variable...

...as such, in theory, any emotion could be accessed and converted into ki. In theory, there was an ability for every emotion in existence. However, in practice, there appeared to be a bias towards Fury. And the only other canon powers that were related to emotions, or at least a fighter's mentality, were Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct themselves. However, if the Art of Mortality's risks were unacceptable, Fury's risks were absolutely unacceptable. After all, exactly as Gohan succumbed to Super Saiyan 2's wrath against Cell, Atticus succumbed to the Art of Mortality's wrath against Daiz and Turles. As such, Atticus had no reason to think that he could handle Fury any better than he could handle the Art of Mortality. That left Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct as Atticus' impossible but only options.

First and foremost, if Atticus boasted the calm discipline and perfect serenity to use Ultra Instinct, Atticus wouldn't be marooned on a molten planet. Second, although Atticus was blessed with psychic powers and devoted to his martial training, Atticus lacked the skill and talent to even start training in Ultra Instinct. As, compared to the Goku in both the anime of Dragon Ball Super and the manga of Dragon Ball Super, Atticus was greatly lacking in experience and training. As arrogant as Atticus could be by thinking that he could become the strongest as Chiaotzu of all people, Atticus was not delusion enough to think that he could learn even the Principles of Ultra Instinct in 6 years or less.

Next, yes, Atticus was an apprentice of Kami. As such, yes, Atticus was a candidate for divinity. However, ultimately, Atticus was not the Guardian of Earth yet. As such, Atticus wasn't a deity yet. And thus, Atticus didn't exhibit godly ki yet. And without godly ki, Atticus couldn't employ an Ultra Ego: Omen or an Ultra Instinct: Omen. Much less Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct themselves. At the same time, even if Atticus was the Guardian of Earth at the moment, that didn't mean that Atticus would attain godly ki. After all, Kami was the Guardian of Earth. But Kami didn't have godly ki...

...right?

Uhh, regardless of whether Guardians of the Earth and Kami had godly ki or not, Atticus was not the Guardian of Earth. Atticus was not Kami. and Atticus did not have godly ki! However, Atticus did have an idea. After all, during the Moro Arc and the Tournament of Power before that, the Turtle Hermit applied the Principles of Ultra Instinct to enhance his evasive prowess. And during his arc, Granolah appeared to apply a form of Hakai without godly ki. Although Granolah had the blessing of the Cerealian Dragon Balls, and the Turtle Hermit had centuries of experience and training, the fact remained that godly skills appeared to have mortal variants. That is, although an amount of godly ki was needed to use the Omen or Perfected versions of Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct. If an Ultra Ego: Omen existed at all that is. Applying the Principles of Ultra Ego or Ultra Instinct didn't require anything but the correct mindset and the proper skill!

Actually, as Atticus considered the idea of the Principles of Ultra Ego, Atticus realized that the Art of Mortality and Ultra Ego were eerily similar to one another. As both the Art of Mortality and Ultra Ego allowed a fighter to augment their capabilities in combat with the damage that was inflicted upon them. However, while the Art of Mortality applied damage's incitement of pain and terror. Ultra Ego applied damage's incitement of passion! Both the Art of Mortality and Ultra Ego applied damage as a source of strength; however, the Art of Mortality and Ultra Ego applied that damage in different ways.

As Atticus considered the Art of Mortality and Ultra Ego's similarities more and more; eventually; Atticus decided that the Art of Mortality was an inferior, immature, and mortal version of Ultra Ego. As Atticus could conceive that any Art of Mortality-user whom forsook the maladies of their mortality, any Art of Mortality-user whom managed to overcome their pain and terror, would displace their fear and hurt with their love of violence! That is, Atticus could conceive that the Power of Confronting Death had been the first step towards Ultra Ego. And that the Art of Mortality had been the 2nd step towards Ultra Ego. And that he was looking for the 3rd step. The next step on his path to Ultra Ego...

...and his rise as a God of Destruction?

According to the anime of Dragon Ball of Super, the act of becoming a God of Destruction, that act altered you in some way. That is, it changed you in a horrible and irreversible way. Atticus always considered the decision to embrace Godhood of Destruction, the decision of Toppo to transform, to be inconsequential in its vagueness. However, after being corrupted into destruction by the Art of Mortality, Atticus could comprehend the decision's weight. Atticus could now understand.

All of it began with the Power of Confronting Death, the embrace of fear as a form of power. After that, the Art of Mortality augmented the fear with pain and began the corruption of your personality. Following that, as the Art of Mortality desensitized you to fear and pain, you would embrace fighting for fun rather than survival and thus lose your original self to your love of violence. Anyone that desires to fight, also desires to win. And the desire to win easily and quickly leads to a desire to destroy! And it's that desire to destroy, that desire to dominate and obliterate your opponent, that fuels a God of Destruction!

It was the decision to dominate and obliterate, the decision to fight not for justice but rather for victory, that allowed Toppo to attain the Energy of Destruction and become a God of Destruction. A decision that Atticus didn't intend to make, a path that Atticus didn't intend to tread. Yet a decision that Atticus had already made, and a path that Atticus had already took. After all, Atticus already fought for the fun of it rather than for survival. And against Amond, the Cacao Soldiers, and Daiz; instead of defeating them as efficiently and fast as possible; Atticus decided to dominate and humiliate them. Atticus decided to destroy them for his ego's sake rather than Selipa's safety. And after the death of Selipa, Atticus' desire to destroy erupted to the forefront and Atticus destroyed Kanassa as he destroyed Turles.

Atticus already acted like a Candidate of Destruction, like Toppo and Vegeta, rather than like a Candidate of Guardianship. Atticus just didn't accept that behavior and its emotions and apply them as his source of strength. As Atticus came to this conclusion and realization, Atticus also came to the decision that fleeing his natural path was pointless. That is, attempting to avoid the destroyer's path was pointless. As Tien had been right. The Crane Hermit conditioned and trained Tien and him into assassins, into destroyers! And neither Tien nor him could cast off the destructive fundamentals that the Crane Hermit had ingrained into them. Atticus and Tien were cranes, not turtles, through and through. Whether they liked that or not...

...but there was more than one way to be a crane.

Although the desire to destroy one's enemies and opponents, the desire to humiliate those enemies and opponents as one overwhelms and vanquishes them, was the common and conventional desire of a destroyer. Atticus believed that there was more than one "Desire to Destroy" (破壊欲, Hakai-yoku) that a destroyer like him could embrace and exploit. Atticus believed that there was more than one path that Tien and him could take. Atticus believed that Tien, Toppo, and him were not irredeemable. Atticus believed that Tien, Toppo, and him were not irreversibly stained.

Atticus believed that, while a destroyer was a destroyer even after their destruction stopped, their destruction did not dictate their future or limit their present. Atticus believed that they could atone, and attempt to be better, as long as they made sacrifices and put in the work. Atticus believed that they were not doomed to either mediocrity or villainy! Atticus believed that they could rise as the strongest without submitting to their vices, that they could overcome the injustices and unfairness of their world, and that belief revealed to Atticus what his desire to destroy was!

"Hah..." chuckled Atticus as an amethyst aura of energy emerged from his eyes as an eruption of purple and then encased him inside a shroud of violet! "...to think that it's been here, to think that all along, it's been here inside of me this entire time!" cheered Atticus as he annihilated his psyki with a desire to destroy rather than augment his psyki with that desire to destroy. At the same time though, as Atticus annihilated his psyki, Atticus converted his psyki into the energy that was emerging from his eyes and encasing him in a shroud! Before long, Atticus completed the destruction of his psyki and the generation of that psyki's replacement! That is, Atticus began the corruptive and irreversible process of procuring the godly and legendary Power of Destruction (破壊の力 Hakai no Chikara)! "This desire to destroy, or rather, my desire to destroy all of the injustices and unfairness of this world!" laughed Atticus as he discarded his ki and psions and thus psyki in order to gain the Aura of a Destroyer (破壊者のオーラ, Hakaisha no Ōra), a mortal and significantly weaker form of the Energy of Destruction (破壊のエネルギー, Hakai no Enerugī)!

"I'll be the one, my Tien, to destroy our obstacles and discover our path to power!" declared Atticus as his aura erupted out of its purple shroud and then quaked Kanassa as as a surge of tremors! "I'll be the one to clear the path and lead the way!" he promised as, after enduring extreme guilt and hellish training on Kanassa...

May 15th, Age 757

...for the entirety of a year, Atticus attained a chance of defeating Frieza! As, although Atticus didn't attain any actual capability to defeat Frieza, he attained the potential to surpass Frieza!

However, around the same time as Atticus' ascension, the air became cooler and dimmer than Atticus could remember. Atticus blinked as a chill and darkness embraced him and then excitedly grinned as he felt the magic of Shenron for the second time in his life!

"I have been beckoned to bring you out of hiding and into the open!" announced Shenron as he appeared around Atticus in a coil which spiraled to the world's zenith! "Are you alright with that?" he boomed he as circled and eyed Atticus.

"Who beckons you?" asked Atticus in an excited giggle, elated that his friends were wishing-

"He calls himself..." began Shenron in a coo. "...Tarble,"

"What‽" exclaimed Atticus in a horrified shriek. Atticus assumed that Kami and or the others would noticed that something was wrong and wish him back onto Earth. As such, after being marooned for a month, Atticus realized that something was wrong. However, despite this, Atticus didn't expect that something to be Tarble of all things! "Yes!" accepted Atticus in a roar! "Bring me back to the Earth, now!"

"As you wish," agreed Shenron as he amassed his draconic magic and then granted Tarble's wish! Subsequently, Atticus disappeared from Kanassa and then reappeared atop the roof of a skyscraper. After Atticus' appearance on Earth. Atticus blinked at his change in environment and scenery. Subsequently, Atticus approached the edge of the roof and then beheld Bridgetown with confusion.

Among all the cities, towns, and villages of the Earth; there were few like Bridgetown. Almost all of Bridgetown was built atop crescent terraces that were cut and dug into a canyon's mountainside, while the rest of Bridgetown was built along the cliffsides of the canyon's peaks. Because the canyon's river separated many of the canyon's mountainsides from one another, an array of bridges crossed from mountainside to mountainside and thereby connected the mountainsides to each other.

"Why this place?" considered Atticus as he eyed Bridgetown with suspicion. "Damn it, what's going o-"

"Baal Blast (バール ブラスト, Bāru Burasuto)!"

"An ambush with a sniper?" considered Atticus as a beam of ki flew into the sky and homed in on his heart! However, Atticus backhandedly bashed the beam with a casual swipe and thereby deflected the beam's ki into a meteoric plummet! As that ki crashed into 1 of Bridgetown's streets, that ki cratered the street by detonating into an explosion! "He believed he could kill me with a mere sniper?" scoffed Atticus as he amassed his aura into a fiery and roaring surge! Subsequently, Atticus applied his aura as the medium of his telepathy and then emitted his aura as a rebounding signal! "You can hide your ki..." he conceded as his aura radiated throughout and scanned Bridgetown. "...but you can't hide your thoughts," he declared as he detected a the sniper with his telepathy and then seized the sniper with his telekinesis.

"What‽" uttered the sniper as he felt the grab of Atticus' telekinesis. He then grimaced as Atticus dragged him off a nearby peak and into a haphazard, involuntary, and soaring whirl! As the sniper hurtled through the sky and towards Atticus; Atticus caught sight of and recognized the sniper. As the sniper exhibited fair and immaculate skin; green, spiky, yet wavy hair; a green left eye; and a red right eye hidden undeath an eyepatch-like scope. And the sniper was dressed in a tunic-like vest over a short-sleeved and snug shirt, a double-buckled and sash-like belt, a pair of buckled and finger-less gloves, a baggy pair of pants, and a pair of buckled boots.

"Are you..." began Atticus as he dragged the sniper straight into his right hand's grasp and then held the sniper by the neck and over the edge of the skyscraper's roof. "...Granolah?" deduced Atticus as the sniper, as Granolah, aimed his index and middle finger at Atticus' forehead and then bit his lip into a bloody mess!

"Gr-Gr-Granolah Baal!" corrected Granolah in a hiss. And as he amassed his ki into a concentration within his index and middle finger. Immediately afterward, Granolah discharged his ki out of his fingers and into a ray! However, as Granolah attempted to blast Atticus at point-blank range, Atticus flung Granolah into a hurtle and then shielded himself with a shroud of violet! As a Baal Blast broke on impact with Atticus's shroud, Granolah applied his alien flying technique to halt his hurtle and then levitate in place.

"Granola Bar?" asked Atticus in a groan at the horrible pun. "Ugh! What are you even doing here?" he added in a snort and with a frown.

"He's following orders," answered Granolah's scope. Atticus blinked at the response from the scope of all things and then detected a familiar and haunting ki signature imbued within the scope's signal.

"Tarble!" hissed Atticus as he blitzed Granolah with his telekinesis and thereby crushed Granolah's scope in an instant! "Not a second time!" he insisted as Granolah gawked in surprise and then grimaced in terror.

"Did you really think..." heard Atticus and Granolah from Bridgetown's city-wide and emergency sirens. "...that it would be that easy?" cackled Tarble through Bridgetown's intercoms. At the same time, across Bridgetown's neighborhoods and streets, all of the local people began to convulse!

"A-a-ahh, no, stop Tarble!" cried Granolah as Tarble's ki conducted out of electromagnetic signals like wifi and into the bodies of each and every bystander within Bridgetown! At the same tine, about half of those bystanders began to choke on their innards as those innards erupted out their nose and spilled out their throats! "I can handle this!" he insisted in a teary yell. "I can handle this! Please! Stop! I can-"

"I am able to hack more than just scouters now," cooed the city's intercoms in Tarble's voice, as Granolah's insistence and plea was ignored by the King of Saiyans. "So you can't stop me, you beta bitch!"

"He's attacking them with the rejuvenation of the Great Ape transformation?" deduced Atticus as many of Bridgetown's citizens began to deflate into floppy sacks of saggy skin, because their bodies were digesting themselves as the fuel of a harmful and infinite regeneration! "He's causing a cancer to consume and emerge from them by employing the Ōzaru transformation as a weapon!" he continued as he focused on the ki of Tarble.

"Bastard..." growled Atticus as the other half of Bridgetown's population began to enlarge into Great Apes, all at once and thus in the hundreds of thousands! "...just who the hell are you‽" he questioned in a scream.

"You're aware of who I am," asserted Bridgetown's intercoms in a snort. "You killed my men on Kanassa, remember?" he noted in a scoff. "And thought you could flee home and hide, huh?" he accused.

"So you are Tarble," growled Atticus. "You are-"

"King!" stressed Bridgetown's intercoms, stressed Tarble, in a yell. "Tarble," he continued in a haughty snort. "Now answer me, worm!" he demanded in a sneer. "The Crusher Corps and their leader, my subordinate Turles, it was you that killed them right?"

"Fuck your questions!" cursed Atticus in response. "You fucking killed Seripa!" he accused in a shout. "You know that you fucking killed Seripa, rig-"

"So?" asked Tarble in a laugh. "What about that ancient bitch?" he yawned.

"Y-y-you knew?" asked Atticus in a gasp. "About the Extract of Might? About the resurrection of Seripa? About-"

"Duh," answered Tarble in a snort. "I confiscated the Crusher Corps' scouters when I subjugated them and then replaced their scouters with scouters that were linked to the network of my organization," he elaborated in a hum. "All of their actions were recorded and all of those recordings were saved," he revealed. "I allowed Turles to attain the Extract of Might and I allowed Turles to attempt to produce a Tree of Might, because I intended to kill Turles and then steal the tree for myself," he revealed in a snort. "Allowing the Corps and him to smash before I terminated them, even if they didn't indulge in that opportunity, was just basic decen-"

"Your arrogance is astonishing..."

"Huh?" uttered Tarble as, all of a sudden, all of the Great Apes ceased to grow and commenced to shrink. "How are you-"

"...it's as if you've forgotten that you stole that trick from me!" exclaimed Atticus as he assaulted Bridgetown's signals with his aura and thereby began to distort the ki that Tarble had infused into those signals! At the same time, Atticus amalgamated his aura into Tarble's ki and then channeled his aura through Tarble's ki! Subsequently, Atticus channeled his aura through Tarble's ki and straight to Tarble himself! Atticus then affected Tarble with his telepathy as his aura reached and sunk into Tarble!

"Shit!" screamed Tarble as Atticus and his consciousness were connected by Atticus' telepathy. And as Atticus and his consciousness was drawn into a mental simulation of the world! "How? Where?" questioned Tarble as — from his viewpoint — Atticus and him appeared to arrive in an area with the ambience of a generic hyperspace, an empty and featureless sky, and a flat floor of plain and rectangular tiles.

"Listen here..." began Atticus he burst into flight towards Tarble and then flew into a punch that struck the miniature Vegeta in the face! As Atticus' fist crashed into and cratered his face, Tarble leaned into a rearward reel but then lurched straight through Atticus' punch! "...you isekai trash!" spat Atticus even as Tarble headbutted him and then kicked him into a rearward skid. "I ain't letting you turn this world into your power fantasy!" snarled Atticus as Tarble and him blasted the ground into lava with just a dash towards one another! Subsequently, as Atticus and Tarble closed in on one another, Atticus and Tarble erupted into a flying lunge and then headbutted one another as they rammed into one another!

After their headbutts, Atticus and Tarble barraged one another with a flurry of kicks and punches! Before long though, Atticus caught one of Tarble's punches and then curved that punch into a lash that slung Tarble upward! But Tarble brightened with a glittering ki, halted his rise with levitation, and then rained sparkles towards Atticus! As the sparkles streamed towards Atticus, each of the sparkles expanded into an explosion of incinerating light! However, Atticus amassed his aura into his index finger and then discharged that aura as a Dodon Ray which blasted through the infernal and plummeting radiance! At this point though, Tarble appeared behind Atticus and then blitzed Atticus with a flying punch which dragged Atticus into a rising soar!

After being dragged into the sky, Atticus flipped over Tarble's punch with a forward roll over Tarble's punch and then kicked the back of Tarble's head with that flip! Atticus then dropped into an elbow and flying strike which knocked Tarble into a plummeting whirl! However, Tarble arced out the whirl by rotating into a soar upward! At the same time, Tarble amassed a handful of ki and then discharged the ki as a pair of rising and spiraling streams! In response, Atticus assaulted the paired streams with his telekinesis and thereby bent the paired streams into a U-turn towards Tarble! But Tarble detonated the paired streams into a duo of explosions and then endured those explosions as he rose up to and struck Atticus with an uppercut!

As Atticus arose from being punched in the chin, Atticus attacked with a kick that lashed into Tarble's chin! As such, Atticus and Tarble backwardly hurtled away from one another. However, Atticus and Tarble quickly recovered by righting and stopping themselves in mid air. At this point, Atticus concentrated his aura into his index finger. While Tarble clad himself in a cloak of his ki! Afterward, as he pointed his index finger towards Tarble, Atticus discharged his aura into a roaring and searing surge towards Tarble! While Tarble expanded his ki into an explosion focused into a rapid stream towards Atticus!

"This ain't shit and you ain't shit, human!" grunted Tarble as his Galick Gun collided against and then contested Atticus' Super Dodon Ray! "This bullshit, illusory world means nothing!" he huffed as the Galick began to implode inward and towards him, because the Galick Gun was being overpowered and pushed by the Super Dodon Ray! "It proves squat! You fucking nobody, you fucking weakling!"

"Y-y-you think so?" asked Atticus as the Galick Gun was pierced by his Super Dodon Ray! However, instead of being hit and scorched by the victorious Super Dodon Ray, Tarble blasted the diminished Super Dodon Ray with an energized punch and thereby deflected the Super Dodon Ray into a hurtle out of sight. At this point, Atticus and Tarble blurred into a soar towards one another and then clashed fists as they punched one another's punch! Atticus and Tarble then erupted into another flurry of kicks and punches! As Atticus and Tarble attempted to beat one another to death, Atticus and Tarble also began to disappear from their location and then reappear at another location!

Eventually, Atticus and Tarble appeared in midair and attempted to blast one another with directed explosions of their aura/ki. As Atticus and Tarble's explosions impacted with one another, Atticus and Tarble flattened their aura/ki into a thin wall between them! Unwilling to wait, Atticus and Tarble clawed through the aura/ki wall and consequently fragmented the aura/ki wall into a precipitation of projectiles! As beams of aura/ki hailed throughout the plain, Atticus and Tarble clasped one another's hands and then flared their aura/ki into a maelstrom of radiant wind! As Atticus and Tarble buffeted one another with their burning and cutting aura/ki, they gazed into one another's eyes and glared into one another's souls!

"Wh-wh-what the fuck are you‽" asked Tarble as the air became more and more devoid of his ki. Because Atticus' aura was overpowering Tarble's ki for the second time and thus pushing Tarble's ki out of the surrounding and turbulent vortex of wind! "You aren't an Earthling, you aren't a human!" he accused as Atticus dragged him out of his levitation and then flung him into a plummet! Afterward, Tarble crashed face-first into the ground and thereby detonated an explosion of rubble as his impact shattered the surface's tiles!

"I am Chiaotzu," answered Atticus as he dropped into a landing before a dirty, rising, and seething Tarble. "And I am the one that will destroy the injustices and unfairness of this world," he declared as he stood tall over Tarble.

"Ch-Ch-Chiaotzu?" whispered Tarble as he eyed Atticus with a look over his shoulder. "Fucking, goddamn, that pathetic weakling Chiaotzu‽" he roared as he assumed control over the simulation and finished his rise to a stand!

"He's copying my telepathy too‽" gasped Atticus as Tarble applied his ki as if they were psions and thereby emulated Atticus' telepathy! "Fucking, goddamn saiyans!" he complained as Tarble dismantled the simulation and thereby returned Atticus and his consciousness to reality!

"Anything you can do, I can do better, for I can do everything better than you!" heard Atticus and Granolah as an attack ball arrived above Bridgetown and blasted out Tarble's voice through its intercom. "I am, after all, an elite and royal saiyan warrior!" laughed Tarble.

"Monkey see, monkey do?" retorted Atticus in a scoff. "As the monkey makes a fool of himself too!"

"Fucking racist," snorted Tarble. "Granolah, kill him!" he ordered in a spat.

"I-I-I..." growled Granolah as Atticus distanced himself from Granolah and dropped into a fighting stance. "...I'm not taking anymore orders from you!" he spat towards the attack ball.

"Excuse me‽" huffed Tarble in a sneer. "Are you an amnesiac or just an idiot?" he questioned in a snarl. "I'll beat you to death with Monaito's decapitated head if you don't kill that fucking human right the fuck now!" he threatened.

"Not after I've found you and killed you, Tarble!" interjected Atticus in defense of Granolah's decision. "I don't know why you brought me back to the Earth, Tarble, but that was a big mistake on your part!" he continued as he amassed his amethyst aura into a gleaming tower of violet! "I'm far stronger than the Chiaotzu that you saw on Kanassa, and I'm far stronger than you!" he declared.

"B-b-brought you back to Earth?" parroted Tarble in a whisper. "I believed you detected my ki and hid from me, I believed you were already on the Earth, but instead you were still on Kanassa this entire fucking time‽" he realized in a shout. "Fffuuuccckkk! He got me! He tricked me! Fuck! But how were you even still stuck on Kanassa‽"

"Ahh..." uttered Atticus with a blink. "...hahaahaaaa!" laughed Atticus at a thunderous volume yet with downcast eyes. "I couldn't fly the ship," he admitted in a squeaking whisper.

"Wh-wh-what?" uttered Tarble. "Even fucking Goku could-"

"Shut up!" demanded Atticus. "It's harder than it looks!" he insisted.

"Alright, I've had and heard enough, take this!" hissed Tarble an instant before his ki erupted from the attack ball like magma from a volcano and then radiated throughout Bridgetown as a ray of telepathy! "AND OBEY!" continued Tarble as Atticus and Granolah's bodies were illuminated by his ki and as Atticus and Granolah's minds were infiltrated by his telepathy.

"I-I-it's like G-Goku copying the K-K-Kamehameha!" deduced Atticus as Granolah and him were assaulted by a coercive lull! "H-he sees it, he un-understands it, and then he uses i-it!" slurred Atticus as Granolah and him were burdened with an impulse to obey Tarble! However, Atticus amassed his aura within him and then clashed his aura against Tarble's ki! "Get out!" roared Atticus as the clash discharged Tarble's ki out of his body and mind!

"What a fun little toy you make, Granolah!" cackled Tarble through both the attack ball's intercom and Granolah's body, as Granolah about-faced and smirked straight towards Atticus! "And what a great tool you've given me, Chiaotzu!" continued Granolah in Tarble's stead, as Tarble brightened Granolah's left eye into a crimson gleam and Granolah's right eye into a radiant scarlet! At this point, Granolah erupted into a flight towards Atticus and then quickly rammed Atticus off the roof the skyscraper! As Granolah dragged Atticus higher and higher into the air with his skyward tackle, Atticus clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth in frustration at the situation. Eventually though, Atticus backflipped in Granolah's grip and thereby kicked Granolah in the chin and into a plummeting reel!

"Brainwashing, really?" complained Atticus as Granolah's descent halted into a hover. "How did you even get Granolah to serve you in the first place?" he questioned as Granolah straightened himself in the stiff manner of a zombie. "Why are you doing this? Why are you even here? Why-"

"By conquering his planet..." answered Granolah in Tarble's snort. "...enslaving the Sugarians and taking Monaito hostage," he continued in a yawn. "All apart of my plan to defeat Frieza of course," he revealed.

"The Cerealian Dragon Balls?" guessed Atticus with a frown. "Then why come here?" he questioned.

"Because, although I have the dragon ball that Monaito kept in Granolah and his house, those dumbass Sugarians can't find the second one!" huffed Granolah in a sneer. "The Cerealian Dragon Balls are different from the Earth Dragon Balls in important ways..." he continued in a snicker? "...for the Cerealian Dragon Balls don't have a cooldown between wishes. The Cerealian Dragon Balls are able to affect a person without their consent and without giving them knowledge of the parameters surrounding the wish. And the Cerealian Dragon Balls are able to ascend your power beyond your current limitations!" he elaborated.

"At the cost of your lifespan," added Atticus in a sneer. "Remember, dumbass?"

"At the cost of my lifespan if I am empowering myself with my potential," corrected Granolah, causing Atticus to gawk in horror as he did so. "I can wish for the Cerealian Eternal Dragon, for mighty Toronbo, to concentrate and expend Granolah's lifespan and potential into power that is given to me rather than him!" cheered Tarble through Granolah's of all people, without any semblance of shame in his voice! "Even if he can't do that, I can gain the power of the strongest and then restore my lifespan by having Toronbo transfer the lifespans of Granolah and the Sugarians to me!" he noted.

"To complete my rise as the strongest, all I needed was Bulma's dragon radar so that I could finally find those damn Cerealian Dragon Balls again and again and again, and coming to Earth enabled me to get it!" cooed Granolah. "As cute as his efforts to spy on me are, especially that pathetic strategy of attempting to bug my ships or listen in on me through the scouters that he gave to my company within his Frieza Force army, even Frieza doesn't know shit of what is to come! As such, the only person that can stand in my way is YOU!" he hissed towards Atticus.

"Your ability to affect the faster-than-light and intergalactic signals of scouters and such meant that, no matter where in the universe I am, there is always the chance that you can hack into the dragon ball radar or my ship or any other tech that I am using!" spat Granolah in a yell. "All you have to do is hack my ship while I am in space or hack the dragon ball radar, and I'll be dead or my plans ruined!" he stressed. "Your existence is the only problem with my scheme AND I WILL NOT HAVE IT!" he yelled as he arranged each of his hands into a pistol-shaped gesture!

"Salada Baal..." continued Granolah as Tarble's ki coursed into his arms and hands. Subsequently, Tarble's ki catalyzed Granolah's arms and hands into a Great Ape transformation and thereby empowered and enlarged Granolah's arms and hands! "...Blast (サラダ バール ブラスト, Sarada Bāru Burasuto)!" screamed Granolah as he augmented his ki with the Great Ape's power and then discharged that ki out of his index and middle fingers. As a result, a duo of eruptions exploded out of Granolah's fingers and then integrated into a single stream as they spiraled around one another and towards Atticus!

"Oh..." cried Attius as the Salada Baal Blast blitzed and crashed into him. "...ssshhhiiitttt!" he screamed as the Salada Baal Blast burned through his Aura of a Destroyer in an instant and then dragged him skyward as it scorched through his skin too!

"I'll be sending Baby, Broly, and Cooler to join you rrreeeaaalll soon!" cackled Granolah as he aimed the Salada Baal Blast towards the Sun and blasted Atticus into outer space!

"A combination of the Evolved Left Eye and the Great Ape..." mused Atticus as he began to feel the heat of the Sun on his back. "...abusing the dragon balls as a free power up, copying techniques without having to learn or practice them, stacking transformations!" he seethed as he accessed his desire to destroy and thereby armored himself in his Aura of a Destroyer! "After everything that happened on Kanassa, after all that death and destruction and meditation and training, as if I'd lose to shit that weak!" he snapped as he applied his Aura of a Destroyer as a force of telekinesis that energized the Salada Baal Blast rather than impacted with the Salada Baal Blast! Subsequently, Atticus exerted that telekinesis in a manner that redirected the Salada Baal Blast around him and then towards the Earth and Granolah! "Reikō Kyōhanshō (霊光鏡反衝, Spirit Light Mirror Repulsion)!"

"Huh? That's! What‽" gasped Granolah as the Salada Baal Blast arced around Atticus for no reason from his viewpoint and then beamed straight towards the Earth and him! "What the fuck just happened‽" he cried as the Salad Baal Blast arrived before he could do much in response and thus forced him to catch it with his bare hands! "Aaahhhoootttt!"

At this point, as Granolah caught and held off the Salada Baal Blast, Atticus arrived and began to burn within the Sun! However, after burning for just a moment or two, Atticus began to capture the heat and light of the Sun within his aura! After he absorbed as much heat and light into his aura as he could, Atticus erupted out of the Sun and then flashed into radiant soar towards the Earth and Granolah! Eventually, with an astral aura of amaranthine flames and amethyst light, Atticus crashed straight through the Salada Baal Blast with a kick and then that kick slammed into Granolah's chest as it stomped Granolah into the ground!

"Aaauuuggghhh!" gagged Granolah as Atticus booted him into an embedment within the ground! At this point, Atticus dropped into a kneel and then grabbed Granolah's face with his right hand. "This again‽" complained Granolah as Atticus clashed his telepathy against Tarble's telepathy and thereby dragged Tarble and him back into another mental world! "Stop this Chiaotzu, come on, you can't win!" huffed Tarble as Atticus and him appeared in a psychedelic and rainbow river of thoughts and viewpoints. Subsequently, Atticus and him armored themselves in an aura of their willpower and then burst into a comet-like flight towards one another!

"I can!" insisted Atticus as Tarble and him blazed through the collective consciousness of the Earth's lifeforms! "And I will!" he snarled as Tarble and him began to ram into and rebound off one another! As Atticus and Tarble impacted with one another, they burst through the exterior of a mental world within the psionic universe and thus crashed into the mind of a person! And as Atticus and Tarble slammed into one another, they ripped through that mind and tore into another mind! As such, each time Atticus and Tarble collided with one another, the appearance of Atticus and Tarble's environment changed dramatically and instantly!

"E-E..." began Tarble as Atticus and him careened into a punch of one another's faces! "...enough!" he screamed as he blasted Atticus by detonating his entire projection of his self into an explosion of his thoughts! After Atticus was blasted out Granolah's mind and the psionic universe as a whole, Granolah abruptly and deeply poked Atticus' chest with his index finger and pinky. "Get off!" he demanded as he blasted Atticus with electricity by condensing electrons around his index finger and pinky and then discharging those electrons as lightning! As the blast of electricity crashed into Atticus and then pushed Atticus into a rearward skid, Granolah clasped his hands into fists and then leapt into a stand!

"That ability, that electrical manipulation, copied from Yamcha‽" theorized Atticus as the current of electricity fizzled out into a vanish within him. Around the same time, Tarble aimed his fists at Atticus and then cackled as he fired a grenade of ki from each of his fists.

"Bang, bang!" cackled Tarble as his grenades of ki arced over to Atticus and then detonated into dual explosions, which blasted Atticus across a Bridgtown street and into a nearby office building! As Atticus' blood boiled out his burns and into a crimson steam, Granolah broadened a sadistic smile and then commenced to fire the grenades en masse! "Boom, boom!"

"Jūjūdodonpa (十銃どどん波, Ten-Gun Dodon Wave)!" chanted Atticus as he aimed all of his fingers at the grenades hurtling towards him and then discharged a Dodon Ray from each of them! After the 1st of the Dodon Rays detonated in front of the grenades in order to detonate the grenades, the 2nd of the Dodon Rays countered the explosion of the grenades by crashing into the explosion of the grenades and then exploding itself! Following that, as Granolah continued to fire the grenades, 3 of the other 4 Dodon Ray pairs came closer and closer to Granolah as they copied the 1st Dodon Ray pair! Eventually, the final Dodon Ray Pair arrived before Granolah himself and then blasted Granolah into a hurtle as they detonated in Granolah's face!

"You are going to leave!" declared Atticus as he disappeared from the interior of the office building and then reappeared in front of Granolah! "Him!" he continued as he caught Granolah by the wrist and then flung Granolah into a rearward soar! "Alone!" he snapped as Granola crashed back-first into and bent a nearby utility pole! Subsequently, Atticus blurred into a dashing punch which knocked Granolah through the utility pole! Atticus then blasted Granolah with the brightest — and thus the most distracting — Dodon Ray that he could muster without preparation. As Granolah caught the Dodon Ray in his right hand, Atticus circled and flew to Granolah's side. As such, after Granolah cast the Dodon Ray overhead and into the sky, Atticus ambushed Granolah with a jump kick to Granolah's face! However, at the same time, the Dodon Ray arced out of its ascent and into a descent! As such, after Atticus kicked Granolah into a cartwheel-like hurtle through the air, the Dodon Ray plummeted onto and scorched Atticus!

"H-h-he copied my copy of the Spirit Reflection Blast‽" complained Atticus as Granolah halted his hurtle and then landed into a rearward skid. However, by the time Granolah corrected his posture and dropped onto his feet, Atticus amassed his aura inside his throat and then assaulted Granolah with a scream of his telepathic wrath! Granolah blinked as the psionic sound crashed into him without impact and then grimaced in pain as the psionic sound started to tear Tarble and his thoughts apart from one another!

"I bet I can do that too!" asserted Granolah as he amassed his ki in his throat and then countered Atticus' psionic scream with a psychic shriek! As Atticus' psionic scream clashed with Granolah's psionic shriek, the scream and shriek rebounded off one another and then resounded throughout Bridgetown! All across Bridgetown, bystanders with Saiyan tails were deprived of their sapience for a second or two as even the echoes of the scream and shriek flayed their minds into thoughtlessness! "See‽" cackled Granolah as Atticus and him ceased their hollering and as he lunged into a surge towards Atticus! At this point, Granolah amassed an amount of his ki around his arms and then began to cycle that ki like the blade of a chainsaw!

"What the fu-" screeched Atticus as Granolah attacked him with a chop empowered into a nasty slash by the rotating and sharp ki! At the same time, Atticus ducked the slash as he front-flipped into a handstand and then kicked Granolah in the jaw! After his hand-standing kick rocketed Granolah into the sky, Atticus arose into the flight while upside-down and then front-flipped into a punch that struck Granolah in the stomach! Atticus then dropped into a plummeting soar in order to evade an elbow strike from Granolah! Subsequently, Atticus blasted the ground with a Dodon Ray and thereby hastened himself into a rising uppercut that struck Granolah in the chin! At this point, Atticus flew into a front flip over Granolah and then a hasty kick off Granolah's spine! As Granolah bent rearward from the force of the kick, Atticus jerked into a lurch towards Granolah and then rammed Granolah face-first into the ground!

"Guh!" grunted Granolah as he arose with enough force to fling Atticus off his back and into a rearward soar! "I'll rip you to shreds!" screeched Granolah in Tarble's voice as his body bulked up to a muscular but ridiculous swell! At the same time, Granolah attained the facial features and fur of a monkey! Afterward, Granolah blurred into a flash of motion as he lunged towards Atticus! However, as Granolah arrived before Atticus and punched at Atticus' face, Atticus casually evaded the punch by hovering into a tilt! Atticus then booted a crater into Granolah's face as he kicked Granolah into a hurtle upward. "ENOUGH GAMES!" seethed Granolah as he dropped into a flying plummet towards Atticus and dropped his fists into a hammering strikes upon Atticus' head! But Atticus caught the falling Granolah's fists with his forearms and deflected the fists' hammering power by kicking Granolah into a rolling tumble over him! Causing a confused Granolah to drop face-first into a haphazard roll!

"You can copy my moves..." admitted Atticus as Granolah about-faced and arose into a charge towards him! "...but you can't copy my skill with them," he asserted as Granolah attacked him with a clawing and long-winded swipe! Afterward, Atticus approached Granolah instead of attempting to evade Granolah. So that he could catch Granolah's arm by the bicep and wrist! At the same time, Atticus applied Granolah's forward momentum as a means of swinging Granolah overhead and then throwing Granolah into a whirl! "You can buff yourself up by stacking as many stolen transformations as you can..." continued Atticus as Granolah's face carved a fissure into 1 of Bridgetown's streets! "...but just as a God of Destruction once said!" he began as Granolah began to complete the Great Ape transformation by both developing a tail of all things and growing in size!

"Power derived solely from instinct..." cackled Atticus as his aura destroyed his fear, pain, and rage and thereby empowered itself with the energy of that fear, pain, and rage; allowing Atticus to calm and empower himself at the same time! At the same time, Atticus combined the Aura of a Destroyer and the Aura of a Warrior together! As such, as Atticus conserved the Aura of a Destroyer's energy by diminishing the Aura of a Destroyer's exothermic interactions to nearly zero, the Aura of a Destroyer became a clear — and close to invisible — Aura of a Destructive Warrior (破壊士のオーラ, Hakaishi no Ōra)! "...is unbounded!" declared Atticus as he blitzed Granolah as Granolah grew in size and then crashed fist-first into Granolah's stomach! Immediately, Granolah and Tarble cried out in extreme pain as Atticus doubled Granolah over and then launched Granolah into an orbit around the Earth! Subsequently, as Granolah arrived behind Atticus because of his orbit around the Earth, Atticus about-faced and flew into a punch that slammed into Granolah's face and then smacked Granolah face-first into the ground!

"H-h-he can't move?" complained Granolah as his body failed to respond to Tarble's telepathy. "I'LL MAKE HIM MOVE!" decided Tarble as he attempted to puppeteer Granolah's body with his telekinesis. However, Atticus appeared atop the back of Granolah and then clashed Tarble and his telepathy against one another. "Really‽"

"Now take this Tarble!" spat Atticus as Tarble and him appeared in an illusory and mental world for the 3rd time. "My love, my anger, and ALL OF MY SORROW!" he exclaimed as he began to flood the mental world with his guilt, insecurities, and other vulnerabilities!

"Y-y-you G Gundam bitch!" hissed Tarble as Atticus attacked him with emotions that he refused to respond with in kind. "You're a bitch, you know that? A beta bbbiiitttccchhh!" he screamed as Atticus finally overcame his telepathy and thereby removed his will from Granolah!

"And you're a coward!" howled Atticus as he attacked the attack ball with a Dodon Ray and thereby detonated the attack ball into an explosion and rain of scrap! "Fight me like a man and I'll beat you in person just like I beat your puppet!" he declared in a roar that shook the whole world! "Not that I am going to let you run if you decide not to..." he mused as he attempted but failed to detect Tarble's ki and mind. "Shit!" he swore in a hiss. "It appears that, in addition to brainwashing, he's also developed the power to hide his mind from others' telepathy," he noted in a snarl. "I've accidentally given him wwwaaayyy too much!"

"I also can't feel..." continued Atticus as he attempted to detect his family and friends' ki. "...did he, did Tarble‽" he questioned in a snarl!

"Chiaotzu?"

"Kami!" cheered and gasped Atticus as Kami detected and hacked into his scrying. "You're alive!"

"I am," confirmed Kami in a chuckle. "As are you," he noted. "We feared the worst," he sighed. "Allow me to inform you of the situation," he requested.

"Pppllleeeaaassseee do," begged Atticus. "What is going on, Kami? What's happened?"

"About a year ago, after you departed from the Earth, there was an attack on the World Martial Arts tournament," began Kami in a groan. "Tao and Tsuru, your former masters, blew up Papaya Island with a bomb and thus killed everyone whom had been spectating the tournament," he revealed in a snarl.

"E-e-everyone‽" gasped Atticus in horror. "E-e-even-"

"Yes," confirmed Kami in a sigh. "Even your friends," he murmured. "Tao and Tsuru were in league with General Copper of the Red Ribbon Army," he continued. "They attempted to kill every martial artist at once in order to facilitate their rulership of the world," he explained. "Their bomb failed to kill many of the warriors though. Such as Goku, Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha. And even folk like Chi-Chi, King Chappa, Pamput, and Ranfan," he laughed. "But the deaths of the spectators meant that the Dragon Balls had to be used to resurrect the spectators rather than return you to Earth," he lamented.

"I see," sighed Atticus. "And I understand," he added with a nod.

"No," interjected Kami in a sigh. "You do not understand," he stressed. "I considered resetting the dragon balls early, and I had more than enough power and skill to do so..." he admitted in a groan. "...but after I discovered your survival from Shenron and observed your training, I decided to let you remain there," he admitted. "I considered the cracking of the dragon balls to be riskier than letting you stay there," he murmured. "I am sorr-"

"No," interjected Atticus. "You were absolutely right to leave me there," he insisted. "I ain't capable of dealing with the Black Star Dragons," he noted with a shudder. "None of us are," he warned.

"How do you know about..." begun Kami. "...oh wait," he remembered. "That's right," he laughed. "But to continue, earlier today and far after that nonsense with the Red Ribbon Army, an alien army arrived on the Earth," he continued in a growl. "After the aliens' arrival, all of the electronics on the planet were hacked by their leader Tarble and that let Tarble manipulate the news and such," he noted. "Even after Raditz beat Goku to an inch of his life, almost nobody noticed the presence of the saiyans," he hissed. "As Krillin and others found Goku and brought him to Korin to be healed with a senzu bean, Nappa and Vegeta destroyed East City and thus finally revealed themselves to every ki sensor on the planet," he huffed.

"However, by the time Goku was brought to and left on Korin's tower, the army of Tarble attacked West Coty en force!" continued Kami. "They broke into Capsule Corps, killed Bulma, stole both Bulma's dragon radar and the dragon balls that Bulma had collected to wish for your return, and then began to demolish and loot West City," he spat. "Eventually though; Blue, Chi-Chi, Euphemia, Farmer John, Garlic Jr, Gevo, Karashi, Krillin, Maron, the Ox King, Pamput, Prince Fury, Ranfan, Tien, Yamcha, Yuan Sh-"

"I get it!" interjected Atticus before Kami could finish. "Anyone and everyone that felt the ki was there!" he assumed. "And assaulted the army in its entirety though?" he questioned with a frown. "And won?"

"No," answered Kami with a shake of his head. "The aliens defeated them, handily, and would have killed them all if the Ox King had not distracted them," he elaborated. "Needless to say, as the cost of his heroics, the Ox King died," he sighed. "But in exchange, Maron was able to-"

"H-h-hold on a second!" spat Atticus as he digested Kami's words. "Th-th-they killed Bulma‽" he questioned in a shout. "A-a-after she already died once too..." he realized in a sniff and squeak. "...no,"

"Yes," confirmed Kami. "I am sorry," he sighed. "But there is hope," he added. "If we can survive this situation, which we can, there is hope to revive Bulma despite the fact that she has died twice," he asserted.

"The Namekian Dragon Balls, right?" he groaned. And then he blinked. "Or the Cerealian Dragon Balls!" he gasped. "I can find the missing dragon ball with my Far-Seeing Technique, no doubt, I just need to get a hold of the 1 that Tarble has too!" he schemed.

"Wait, let me finish, please?" requested Kami before Atticus could finish plotting. "As the Ox King distracted the aliens and died to their might, Maron cast a spell which teleported everyone onto the lookout with-"

"M-M-Maron has magic? asked Atticus in a splutter. "What‽"

"Maron agreed to become Fortuneteller Baba's apprentice, so that Fortuneteller Baba could have Maron tell fortunes in her place and thus have Maron make her money in her place, in exchange for Fortuneteller Baba arranging the awakening of Tien and Yamcha's potential," explained Kami. "But that was around when you defeated the Demon Emperor Piano," he noted. "So she must have been hiding that from you, hoping to surprise you I bet," he theorized.

"In 3 years, I didn't even notice. I didn't even suspected it!" gasped Atticus. "Ugh..." he groaned next. "...I am a terrible friend!"

"Regardless, after everyone arrived in the lookout, I cloned myself by dividing my ki and spirit in half," continued Kami. "I cast an illusion spell in order to both hide the lookout and create a fake lookout for the aliens to find and tear down," he cackled. "While my clone and Mr. Popo confronted the alien force on that lookout in order to deceive our enemies into thinking that they captured me and destroyed my lookout," he snorted.

"Do I need to rescue your clone and Mr. Popo?" asked Atticus with a deep frown. "Particularly Mr. Po-"

"That clone is dead," interjected Kami. "Although Mr. Popo is fine," he added. "After the aliens' king and leader, Tarble, made all 3 of his wishes on the Earth Dragon Balls. He-"

"He got 3 wishes‽" questioned Atticus in a scream. "Why did he get 3 wishes?"

"A deal," answered Kami. "The clone offered to give him 3 wishes on the dragon balls instead of just 1 wish, in exchange for him not destroying the planet or massacring its people," he elaborated.

"You actually believe he is going to honor that promise?" asked Atticus in a growl.

"No," admitted Kami in a snort. "After all, as soon as he made all 3 of the wishes, he killed the clone," he revealed. "Which allowed me to complete the deception," he cooed. "After the clone was killed, I changed the dragon balls into stone and thus confirmed my death in Tarble's eyes," he snickered. "Now the aliens and him believe, in full, that they destroyed the lookout and me,"

"Alright, that's a start at victory here, I understand the vision," hummed Atticus. "I assume that everyone entered the Hyperbolic, uhh, I mean the Room of Spirit and Time?"

"Correct," confirmed Kami. "I applied my magic to upgrade the Room of Spirit and Time," he elaborated. "So that Goku and many others, far more than just 2 people, could enter and train within it without dying from starvation or thirst," he hummed. "Also, because of your stranded status and work, I was able to call in a favor from King Yama," he added. "Who contacted King Kai and convinced King Kai to conduct the training!" he revealed.

"So everyone is going to have an entire year of training with King Kai as their trainer‽" gasped Atticus with a smile. "This is going to work!" he snickered. "With this, we've wo-"

"But the only reason why Tarble hasn't completed his goals, the only reason why Tarble hasn't destroyed the planet or enslaved all of its people or worse, is because of the fear of you that I instilled within him," interjected Kami in a nervous laugh. "So if he believes you're dead or missing or not a problem for even a few moments..." he gulped.

"...right," realized Atticus in a gulp. "He can do a lot of damage to the Earth before everyone gets out," he groaned. "However, as long as he isn't immortal or something, I believe that I can distract him for a day or two," he sighed. "H-h-he's not immortal, right?" he questioned. "Th-that wasn't one of his wishes, right‽"

"He attempted to become immortal, yes, but he decided not to after Shenron told him that immortals are incapable of strengthening themselves," hummed Kami. "You attain absolute regeneration when you become immortal in the realest sense, as such, you're eternally healthy but also eternally the same," he warned. "You can't grow physically and thus you can't grow stronger,"

"That's an enormous relief," exhaled Atticus. "Alright, if not immortality or power, what did he..." he continued an instant before he noticed something in the sky. "...oh," uttered Atticus as, now that Granolah and Tarble were not distracting him, he finally noticed Planet Cereal dominating the morning sky! "OH!"

"After he decided against immortality, he attempted to collect the Cerealian Dragon Balls with a wish..." added Kami with a grimace. "...but, fortunately for us, all dragon balls can't affect other dragon balls," he revealed. "As such, after failing to receive the Cerealian Dragon Balls and rejecting immortality, he asked for Planet Cereal to be moved into a close but safe orbit around the Earth,"

"Which means that, with the dragon radar that he stole from Bulma and any of his many spaceships, he can fly to Planet Cereal and collect the Cerealian Dragon Balls right the fuck now!" realized Atticus in a spat. "And if he does that, and if Toronbo grants his wishes, he'll become virtually unstoppable!" he whined. "I-I-If he wasn't afraid of me hacking into his spaceship in order to kill him in outer space..."

"...he'd already have won," agreed Kami. "In fact, he attempted to have that boy kill you after he wished you out of hiding, so that he could finish his plot without worry," he noted.

"But, wait, that's only 2 wishes!" noted Atticus. "He brought Planet Cereal here as his first wish and he brought me here as his 3rd and final wish, alright, but what about his second wish?"

"He asked for all male Earthlings with sapience, absolutely all of them, to be changed into saiyans," answered Kami.

"He..."

"Which he accomplished by bullying the Earthlings into permitting the transformation," growled Kami. "Allowing him to bypass the rule of-"

"...WWWHHHAAATTT‽" screeched Atticus as he began to observe Bridgetown's denizens and noticed that, among those gawking and or taking pictures and video of him, all of the boys and men had Saiyan tails! "Y-y-you have to be kidding me!" he cried.

"I am not," groaned Kami as Atticus freaked out. "Now hide your power, hide your thoughts, and make your way to the lookout Chiaotzu with that boy in tow," advised Kami. "Have a senzu bean, or maybe two, because that boy and you are both need to be at your full strength to distract the invaders while the others train to defeat them," he insisted.

"..."

"Chiaotzu?"

"...FFFFFFUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKK!"

Chapter Text

"Atticus,"

"Korin," chimed Atticus as he descended from a flight and a into landing within the obloid and residential tip of Korin's Tower. Subsequently, after Atticus laid Granolah onto the floor, Atticus accepted a pair of beans and a stack of clothes from Korin. "Thanks!"

"So..." hummed Korin as Atticus ate 1 of the senzu beans and thereby healed himself in an instant! "...who's this punk?"

"Granolah," answered Atticus as he changed into a black and sleeveless tunic, a black pair of baggy and Metamoran pants emblazoned with an amber embroidery of catnip flowers, and a black pair of slip-on shoes. "Could be a problem," he admitted even as he fed the second senzu bean to the unconscious Granolah.

"Leave him to me then," suggested Korin with a nod of reassurance towards Atticus. "I'll contact him in a dream, speak to him with my telepathy, and try to pacify and prepare him," he promised as he plopped the tip of his staff onto Granolah's forehead.

"Thanks," sighed Atticus. "Anymore senzu beans?"

"Almost all of them are going to be needed for tomorrow," asserted Korin in a sigh. "So none that I can spare," 

"As to be expected," sighed Atticus in turn. "Oh well," he continued as he about-faced away from Korin. "I doubt that Tarble is going to just lie in wait," he huffed. "So I need to get out there,"

"Wait," called Korin with a frown. "After you leave..." he began in a sigh.

"...I can't return," finished Atticus in Korin's stead. "Because we can't afford to even hint at Kami's deception," he continued in a groan. "Even healing with a senzu was probably too much of a hint," he lamented.

"But that couldn't be helped," asserted Korin in his firmest voice. "Ain't no point to the deception if you die and then Tarble wins," he noted.

"Fair," agreed Atticus. "But, right, we need to be careful with our telepathy," he added. "Absolutely no ki-based or psionic telepathy," he stressed. "Only magic, and even then, don't push our luck," he insisted.

"I've heard that he adapts and copies extremely fast..." murmured Korin. "...but that easily? And that fast? It's too fast," he noted. "Even for a saiyan, it's too fast to be a natural talent," he warned.

"Can't Goku do the same thing though?" questioned Atticus towards Korin. "He copied the Kamehameha after Master Ro- uhh, I mean, after the Turtle Hermit used it," he noted in  a stammer.

"That ability is different from Goku's talent," argued Korin with a shake of his head. "I can feel it," he stressed. "Literally," he elaborated. "I feel magic at work," he hummed.

"M-m-magic?" asked Atticus in a gasp. "H-he has magic‽" he questioned. "Maron has magic, Tarble has magic, who else has magic that isn't supposed to‽" he wondered.

"No, no, no..." interjected Korin. "...it's different from Baba, Kami, Maron, and my magic," he stressed. "It's not that he is casting a spell, but rather, he's enchanted with a spell," he explained. "You can conceive of it as a cheat of sorts," he suggested.

"A cheat‽" gasped Atticus. "He has a cheat skill‽" he realized. "Like an Isekai protagonist‽" he groaned. "H-h-have you felt any magic like that on Yamcha or I?" he questioned towards Korin.

"You believe this saiyan is like Stewart and you?" hummed Korin. "That he is an aberrant reincarnation?"

"H-h-his name is Stewart?" awed Atticus after Korin doxed Yamcha. "Holy shit!"

"Focus," demanded Korin in a snort. "Also no," he added. "There aren't any enchantments on Stewart and you," he clarified. "No cheats. No gifts. Other than that knowledge of yours that is," he chuckled.

"Aren't we the same though?" asked Atticus with a frown. "All 3 of us, and Piano, we're all outsiders to this world," he continued in a grumble.

"Are you the same?" questioned Korin in a rhetorical tone of voice. "Piano, Stewart, Tarble, and you I mean," he elaborated. "Stewart has conversed with me about his experience in this world, and compared to our conversations about your experience, there is a clear difference," he revealed.

"Huh?" uttered Atticus with a blink. "A clear difference?" he asked. "W-w-we aren't the same?" he questioned.

"You awoke in the middle of Chiaotzu's life and without Chiaotzu's memories; as such, you adapted to that body rather than inherited that life," began Korin with a look away from Atticus and towards Granolah. "Your approach towards death caused Chiaotzu's memories to present themselves to you; yes, but that is not the same as having those memories. That is not the same as having inherited those memories," he stressed. "You acquired a bit of Chioatzu's memories in a flash, but didn't actually attain Chiaotzu's full memory,"

"Stewart..." murmured Atticus as he began to deduce Korin's point. "...has the memories of Yamcha?" he questioned.

"All of them," confirmed Korin with a nod. "As if Stewart and Yamcha were one and the same," he declared. "The body is mirrored by the soul; as such, the body's memories and personality and stuff are possessed by the soul too. When the body and the soul are synchronized, such as in the case of Stewart's soul and Yamcha's body, any change to one changes the other in the same way. So the body's memories become the soul's memories and vice versa," he noted. "But when the body and the soul are misaligned or just entirely unaligned, such as in the case of Chiaotzu's body and your soul, the body and soul's memories are distinct and separate from one another," he stressed.

"This body and my soul aren't on the same wavelength?" asked Atticus with a look at his hands. "There is a clash?"

"A clash isn't how I would describe it," asserted Korin. "There is a disconnect," he corrected. "Your body's consciousness and your soul's consciousness aren't connected into a synonymity; instead, your body's consciousness is disconnected — and thus distinct — from your soul's consciousness," he revealed. "Your body is the haunt of your soul rather than the host of your soul,"

"Uhh, so basically, I am a ghost possessing the body of Chiaotzu?" summarized Atticus. "Rather than a body with a soul?"

"Correct," confirmed Korin. "You're a ghost possessing the living yet soulless vessel that is Chiaotzu's body," he elaborated. "You're able to access the body's experience and assume control over the body's operation, but you aren't able to attune with the body and thus awaken to the body's memories," he finished in a hum. "You aren't the same as Yamcha,"

"I assumed that all of us isekai are the same," admitted Atticus with a frown. "But even Yamcha and I aren't the same?" he groaned. "This complicates things," he complained.

"All that matters is that you understand that Tarble's mimicry isn't natural or normal," asserted Korin to Atticus. "So don't think you can outmaneuver or outsmart it, alright?" he hissed. "Don't even try!"

"Alright!" acknowledged Atticus in a shout. "Beating it with greater power or greater skill seems to be the best bet then," he noted.

"Don't underestimate that saiyan," urged Korin. "I'm aware that you've attained the Aura of a Destroyer and can combine it with your Aura of a Warrior, but even with the boost in power that came with taking that first and major stop on the Destroyer God's path, that Tarble's base power is more than double your own," he revealed in warning. "To defeat him in a direct and fair fight, with your base power, you'll need to use an Omen — or at least the Principles — of the Power of Destruction and hope it surpasses whatever transformations he has at his disposal," he declared.

"Yeah," agreed Atticus in a groan. "I could feel his ridiculous strength, if my calculation and comparison is correct, he's almost as strong as Frieza in his first form!" he hissed with a shiver. "I can't defeat him if I have to fight others and him at the same time," he admitted. "I can beat him 1v1, I know I can, but it's not that simple this time!"

"You don't need to defeat him," chuckled Korin. "Just buy some time," he stressed. "Buy a day for the others and they'll do the rest,"

"Alright," conceded Atticus as he began to depart. "I'll give him some trouble then," he cackled mischievously.

"We both know that it's going to be the other way around," snorted Korin as Atticus leapt out the tower and then plummeted into a soar! "Kamispeed, Atticus!"

"Kamispeed, Korin!" called Atticus as he armored himself in his Aura of a Destructive Warrior in order to conceal his energy from Tarble and then arced into a flight over the Sacred Land of Korin. Subsequently, he accelerated into a blur in the sky as he hastened into a soar towards West City.

After less than a second of soaring, he arrived and halted into hover over West City. At this point, Atticus beheld a burning dump rather than a futuristic metropolis. All areas of the city were blotted in the shadows of skyscraping smoke and dotted with the flames that were producing that smoke. At the same time, an array of canyons were carved into the city's landscape. As if a barrage of beams had cut through the ground and slashed through the town! And all but a few of the buildings were alit with flames, blasted into a crater, crumbled into a heap, and or riddled with tears.

As Atticus beheld the destruction that Tarble and his warriors wrought upon West City, Atticus analyzed the city's rubble by applying his aura as the medium of his Far-Seeing Technique. Not long after, Atticus applied his aura as a medium of his telekinesis too and thereby levitated a pair of bodies out a pile of rubble and into a soar towards him. "We'll bring you back," insisted Atticus as he brought the corpses of Bulma and the Ox King into a hover near him, confirming their deaths to himself as he did so. "I promi-"

"Aha!"

"Shit," swore Atticus as a beam of ki blurred into a flash towards him and then crashed into Ox King's corpse, causing the corpse to detonate into an explosion of fiery gore as it did so! As Atticus' body and Bulma's corpse were enveloped by the explosion as well, Bulma's corpse fragmented into giblets and then incinerated into soot! Subsequently, Atticus blinked as he was buffeted with flames and flesh. He then clenched his fists as he frowned and glowered towards a bisected, crumbling, and distant skyscraper.

"I knew that at least 1 of you weaklings would return for the corpses!" laughed a chunky and lofty man with a turquoise complexion, a dreadlock and purple tuft as the only hair on his head as a whole, a pair of large and pointy ears, a pair of big and blue lips, a pair of long and muscular arms, and a bulky potbelly of a torso. The man was dressed in a necklace which was laced with 4 fangs and 2 tusks, a vest which exhibited an upturned collar and only reached to his midriff, a pair of armbands, a buckled and loincloth-like sash over a pair of baggy pants, and a pair of boots. Most notably though, the man was wearing a scouter over his right eye. A brand of scouter that Atticus quickly recognized as Tarble's trademark!

"Did you know..." began Atticus in a huff towards the man, towards the Heeter known as Oil, after he appeared behind Oil in an instant. "...of the consequences as well?" questioned Atticus as Oil blinked at Atticus' disappearance and then fearfully looked over his shoulder to see Atticus standing behind him!

"He's as fast as Tarble him-" began Oil an instant before Atticus grabbed his wrist and then pulled him into a throw! "Ahh!" screamed Oil as Atticus hurled him into a back-first impact with a nearby wall! Subsequently, as Oil became embedded in the wall by his impact with the wall, Atticus applied his aura as a means of interfacing with Oil's scouter.

"Scouters!" spat Atticus in a disgusted tone of voice, as his aura conducted into the scouter's signal and thereby infiltrated the network of scouters! Immediately afterward, Atticus amassed an amount of his aura in each of the network's nodes and then applied his aura as an explosive which detonated each of the network's nodes! At this point, all across not just the Earth but the Universe as a whole, computers and scouters and such began to detonate in and on the faces of their users!

"Ahh!" cried Oil as his face was burned by an explosion of flames, ki, and molten scrap! Not long after, a burst of ki crashed into Atticus and Oil as a psionic wave! "You bastard!" swore Oil in Tarble's voice, as Atticus' aura clashed with the psionic wave and thereby discharged the psionic wave from Atticus' thoughts! "Stay out of my tech!"

"Get off my world and liberate Monaito and the Sugarians," demanded Atticus in turn. "And I'll let bygones be bygones and leave your technology be," he offered.

"You believe you can coerce me‽" hissed Oil in response. "You altered your ki, changed it clear-colored instead of purple, yeah?" he continued in a murmur, as Tarble remembered Atticus' defeat of Granolah. "That alteration changes your ki rather than suppresses it! That is, it changes your ki into a form that empowers and hides the ki even while the ki is unsuppressed!" he deduced in a snarl. "You bypassed my detection with that change in your ki," he realized in a snort. "An ability to bypass the detection of ki without resorting to the ki's suppression, an ability that I can't copy from a..." he growled. "...I hate it, it's so unfair!" he spat. "Chiaotzu, you bastard, you're really the worst! In every possible way, you're really the worst possible opponent for me when I am this close to winning in this world!"

"Are there conditions for his copy power?" considered Atticus as he dropped his Aura of a Destructive Warrior and listened to Oil and Tarble. "Is it energy?" he wondered. "He's always applied his copying through the detectors of scouters and such, because in order to copy a technique, he has to detect the energy of the technique?" he continued in a hum. "He has been able to copy my telekinetic and telepathic techniques whenever either he or his scouters could have detected the aura or psyki of those techniques," he noted. "While he hasn't been able to copy the Aura of a Warrior and its variants, because their energy is hidden from both his perception and his scouters too?" he theorized. "If I am correct, I am able to attach the Aura of a Warrior to a technique as a means of both improving the technique and preventing Tarble from procuring and using the technique!"

"Oil, destroy him!" commanded Oil as Oil began to return and Tarble began to depart. "Or your nephew and sister will become as dead as your brothers!" he groaned with bared fangs, clenched fists, and a determined glower!

"Elec and Gas are dead, but Macki and a nephew are alive? Macki and her son?" deduced Atticus as Oil erupted with ki which exploded throughout and razed the skyscraper! Subsequently, Oil bit his lips in terror and then grabbed the lace of his necklace‽ "His instincts!" gasped Atticus after Oil clasped the lace of his necklace and as the skyscraper imploded into a topple! "Is he awakening them or giving into them?" he wondered as Oil bisected the lace with a brutal yank and thereby ripped the necklace in twain! Afterward, Oil blasted Atticus into a rearward soar as his eruption of ki expanded into an explosion of ki! As Atticus was blown into the sky, Oil began to double in height and muscularity! He also attained horns which elongated out of his forehead's temples and faced downward rather than upward. Lastly, Oil's bit of dreadlocked hair grew into an ankle-length and dreadlocked ponytail!

"The Evolved Left Eye and that form, their multipliers are either nearly the same or really the same," grunted Atticus as he beheld the Inner Nature Unleashed (覚醒状態 Hon'nō no Kaihō Jōtai) form that Oil had taken and as he halted his rise into the sky. "But Granolah's base power was more than 3x weaker than Oil's base power," noted Atticus as Oil arose from the burning heap that remained of the skyscraper and then blazed into a blurring and fiery flight towards Atticus. "So even a Granolah that's combining the Evolved Left Eye and Wrathful can't compete with the Fury power-up that comes with that form's multiplier power-up!" he groaned as Oil and him clashed fists and consequently cracked the Earth's sky with fissures of an outer space-like void!

"Even the Heeters are stronger than they're supposed to be!" complained Atticus as Oil's fist batted aside Atticus' fist and thus broke through Atticus' punch! Subsequently, Oil's fist crashed into and cratered Atticus' face as it launched Atticus into a plummeting and rearward soar! However, as Atticus fell towards the ground, Atticus angled his descent in a manner that allowed him to land into a rearwardly skidding stand. Following that, Atticus halted his skid with a stomp and then readied himself as Oil soared into a surge towards him! "Listen man..." groaned Atticus as he allowed Oil to careen into him...

...but also clasped Oil's hands as Oil and him headbutted one another!

"...before creation comes destruction," declared Atticus as he conducted his aura into Oil as a psionic shockwave, destroyed the Fury that was powering Oil up, and exploited that destruction as a means of generating more aura for himself‽ "I can't destroy your energy or matter, because I have no idea how to use the Hakai, but I can destroy your emotions and thoughts!" revealed Atticus as he applied the Principles of the Power of Destruction (破壊の力の原理, Hakai no Chikara no Genri) to augment himself and diminish Oil at the same time!

"So that crutch of fury that you're depending on, that mindless power of rage that you have surrendered yourself to..." hissed Atticus as he crushed Oil's hands within his grip and then flung a howling Oil into a hurtle skyward! "...it's not going to win this fight for you!" he spat as he abruptly appeared above Oil with clasped hands and then diagonally hammered Oil into a plummet through a row of skyscrapers!

"Aughaaa..." cried Oil as he burst out a pile of soot. And as the deprivation of his rage caused him to awaken in control of his inner nature. "...wh-wh-what just happened?" he questioned as Atticus dropped into a landing near him and then stalked towards him. "B-b-bastard, you're alive, I failed‽"

"You're conscious, if that's the case, stand up and strike!" demanded Atticus in a furious yet gentle tone of voice, causing Oil to gawk at him and then growl in a petulant rage. "If you can't fight, I can't punish you," he complained in a huff as an awakened and stronger Oil erupted into a lunge towards him. As Oil barreled towards Atticus, Atticus blinked at Oil's clumsy leap and then closed his eyes as Oil neared and swiped towards him! Subsequently, Atticus dodged Oil's swipe with a leap sideward. Then, as Oil cratered the ground with the impact of his palms, Atticus jolted into a kneeing and soaring strike upon Oil's hip! After Atticus kneed Oil into a rolling and sideward tumble, Atticus abruptly ascended into the sky and then just as abruptly descended into a kick which slammed into Oil's stomach and thereby stomped Oil back-first into the ground! At this point, Atticus kicked Oil in the chin and into a backward yet front-flipping hurtle!

"D-damn it!" cried Oil as he clawed into the ground as means of halting his hurtle. "Stay still!" he demanded as he applied his position and strength to fling himself like a sling-shotted stone! Oil blasted a canyon into the cityscape as he flung himself into surge towards Atticus and then lashed out with a second swipe towards Atticus' face! However, Atticus chopped Oil's wrist in a manner that deflected the lash into an inward miss! Afterward, Atticus leaned into a punch which slammed straight into Oil's face and thereby tossed Oil into a tumbling whirl!

"Attacking like that, with those clawing and sweeping swipes, are you a bear or a man?" asked Atticus as Oil continued a haphazard roll down a West City street. "Your attacks are direct, your movements are superfluous, and your pace is slow," he criticized as Oil halted himself into a hover and then hastened himself into a soar towards Atticus! "You have no skills or tricks, no tactics or techniques, you're just large and strong and that's it?" he questioned as Oil grabbed the ground, raised a rock overhead as he ripped the rock out the ground with his soar, and then swung the rock at Atticus! However, Atticus discharged a Dodon Ray from his finger as he poked the rock with the finger. This allowed Atticus to blast through the rock with the Dodon Ray and then clenched his hand into a fist that punched Oil's face into a ripping and scarlet swirl!

"AAAUUUGGGHHHAAA!" screeched Oil as blood erupted from his face like a geyser and as his face imploded into a maelstrom of skin! "Wwwaaauuuggghhh dddiii yyyooouuuu dddhhhuuu‽" he continued as he clawed at his face and dropped into a kneel!

"If you ever attack an innocent person again, or bring harm to the undeserving again, I'll break more than your face!" warned Atticus as Oil's pain reverted Oil's transformation and thus significantly weakened Oil! "Now get your nephew, get your sister, and get off our world," ordered Atticus as he about-faced and strode away from Oil.

"N-n-noaugh!" called Oil as he dropped into a pathetic wiggle and then randomly reach out with a hand that futilely grasped at the air. "I, augh, I cangha!" he insisted in a teary yell. "Pleaugh!"

"You fucking..." swore Atticus at the gall of Oil's plea. "...you denied the dignity of even a grave to your victims, as you enriched yourself with slaughter and theft!" he cried as he faced and glared towards Oil. "Billions died for your gain, beyond billions in fact, yet you fucking..." he hissed with a shake of his head. "...you fucking dare?" he questioned in a sigh. "We fucking dare?" he groaned and then sighed. Afterward, Atticus about-faced away from Oil and then applied his Far-Seeing Technique. Now, Atticus didn't know Macki's ki signature. As such, Atticus couldn't detect Macki with his ki sense. However, Atticus did know Macki's appearance. As such, Atticus could perceive and recognize Macki with his Far-Seeing Technique!

After Atticus concealed himself within his Aura of a Destructive Warrior and detected Macki with his Far-Seeing Technique, Atticus dragged Oil into a orbit around him with his telekinesis and then erupted into a flight towards Macki. Atticus and Oil accelerated across the Earth as flashes of light in the sky as Atticus beamed straight to the Frypan Kingdom, the home and land of the Ox King! "First you kill the man and then you take up residence in the man's home?" growled Atticus at Oil as Oil and him arrived above the castle of the Ox King. Across the castle's courtyard, there was both an army of extraterrestrials establishing a garrison and that army's fleet of spaceships. While across the nearby village, there was blood flooding the streets and the corpses of the locals heaped into organic piles of soot.

After Atticus analyzed the environment and situation, Atticus amassed an amount of his aura and then discharged that aura as a psionic shockwave! By doing so, Atticus attacked the consciousnesses of the extraterrestrials and thereby erased the extraterrestrials' sentience into a state of temporary thoughtlessness! Subsequently, as all of the extraterrestrials fell into a pseudo-unconsciousness and thus halted in place, Atticus accelerated Oil and himself into a crash through one of the castle's upper windows and then crossed his arms as he eyed the child and woman within. "What the hell‽" gasped Macki as, from her viewpoint, Atticus and Oil appeared out of nowhere and then broke into her room without warning! "Brother‽"

Macki appeared around Bulma's height — loftier than Atticus but shorter than Goku — and boasted a complexion which was immaculate and turquoise. She also exhibited a petite physique, chin-length and darkly purple hair which was braided and tied into a dreadlock ponytail, a pair of lengthy and pointy ears, a pair of blue eyes, and a pair of purple lips. And she was dressed in a buckled neckband, a necklace which was laced with 4 fangs and 2 tusks, a round-collared blouse with puffed and short sleeves, a bosom-less and corset-like vest equipped with a knee-length mantle, a pair of shorts which resembled her blouse, and a pair of thigh-length go-go boots!

"Your brother lost!" began Atticus as he hurled Oil into an impact with Macki, knocking Macki and Oil into a tumble as he did so. "I'll cover your escape this time but don't expect my grace to be repeated in the fu..." he continued until he eyed the toddler in the room with Macki. Macki and Tarble's child; whom boasted fair skin with just a tinge of the Heeters' turquoise skin tone, a mullet of purple and spiky hair, a pair of lengthy and pointy ears, a pair of purple eyes, a pair of purple lips, and a Saiyan's simian tail! And most notably; Macki and Tarble's son was dressed in a blue jumpsuit, a white cuirass devoid of pauldrons, a pair of white gloves, and a pair of white boots. "...hi," called Atticus as he marveled at just how much Macki and Tarble's son resembled Tarble and Vegeta.

"Hi!" called the toddler with a jump and wave. "Peat!"

"Pete?" questioned Atticus in a chuckle.

"No!" corrected the toddler with a balloon of their checks. "Peat!"

"High name igh Peagh," explained Oil an instant before Machi hurled Oil off of her and into an embedment within the ceiling! "Ghaaaugha!"

"Are you an idiot, Oil‽" cried Macki as she blazed to Peat's side and then dragged Peat into her embrace. "Did you really think..."

"...did you really think I didn't expect this to happen?" heard everyone in the room an instant before a beam burst out of the ceiling and consequently impacted with Oil's back! Immediately; as the beam conducted into Oil and heated Oil into an infernal shine; Atticus appeared behind Macki and Peat and then applied his aura as a barrier that engulfed Macki, Peat, and him within its protective wall! Subsequently, as Macki called out to Oil in a screech of sorrow and terror alike, the beam detonated Oil into an explosion of gory steam and then erupted into and throughout the room as a flash of incinerating light! Immediately, the barrier began to crack from the impact of the light. As such, with a grimace and then a growl of relent, Atticus exposed himself to the light in order to focus on protecting Macki and Peat over himself!

"I call that my Dodongōmyō (どどん光明, Dodon Gleam of Wisdom)," cackled the Tarble as he arrived from the ceiling's hole and descended from a flight into a landing within the molten room. Around the same time, as the Dodongōmyō burned Atticus' complexion into an ember, Atticus began to blacken and smolder! "And you a bleeding-heart fool for thinking you could rescue my son and tramp," he continued in a snicker as Atticus bit his lip, Macki glared, and Peat looked throughout the room in search for where Oil vanished to. "I assigned Oil to that post, and encouraged him with that threat, just to lure you out you stupid twat!"

"I ain't got a problem with fighting you 1-on..." began Atticus as he applied his aura as a form of life support. And just an instant before Nappa, Raditz, and fucking Vegeta burst out the ceiling and landed in the molten room with Tarble! To make matters worse, just a moment later, dozens of saiyans burst into the room by ramming through the room's walls! "...-shit," swore Atticus as Macki, Peat, and him were surrounded by Tarble and his troops. "Go!" urged Atticus as he both banished his barrier and blasted the floor, causing Macki and Peat to drop into a lower story and forcing himself into a levitation. Subsequently, Atticus accelerated himself into a blurring flight in order to break through the ceiling overhead!

"After him idiots!" demanded Tarble as Atticus broke out the castle and rose into the sky! "Allow him to escape and I'll neuter you!"

"Are you serious, Tarble?" asked Vegeta as Atticus began to be chased by Raditz and the newly recruited saiyan warriors. "You delayed our operations, diverted this many of our soldiers away from their tasks, just to kill one-"

"I didn't exempt Nappa and you," answered Tarble in a cold tone of voice as he crossed his arms and then eyed Vegeta with a scowl. "Go," he ordered in a soft yet threatening voice. As Nappa flinched at the tone and then flew off to join the jumping, Vegeta glared at Tarble and gnashed his teeth.

"You aren't the only son of Vegeta here, Tarble!" spat Vegeta as Nappa departed. Tarble bristled at the defiance and then faced Vegeta with a haunting and slow turn. "You aren't the only Prince of Sai-"

"Prince?" interjected Tarble in a snarl. "I am the King, not a Prince!" he corrected as he flew into a lean over Vegeta so that he could tower over Vegeta. "It's Peat and you who are princes!" he continued in a sneer that spat on Vegeta's face! "And so it's Peat and you who are of the same worth that I, as a prince, was to our dear and departed father!" he huffed as he distanced himself from Vegeta with a rearward and slow soar. Subsequently, Tarble discharged his ki into a psionic signal and then purred as that signal struck Macki and Peat.

"Tar..." choked Vegeta with clenched fists and teeth, as Tarble applied his telekinesis to Macki and Peat in a manner that choked and dragged Macki and Peat into a float in front of Vegeta and him. After that, Tarble flicked his hand as he flung Macki and Peat onto the floor's molten surface.

"M-M-My King Tarble, Great King Tarble, please..." began Macki in a stammer and with a tremble. At the same time; Peat closed his eyes, curled up, and then silently wept and whimpered. "...I can explain everything!"

"I am explaining..." asserted Tarble as he forced Peat into a stand and then imperiled Peat with his telepathy! "...an important matter to my subject," he continued with a hateful look towards Vegeta. "Who has deceived himself into believing that a prince is special, despite the fact that I am living proof that a prince ain't shit to their king," he sneered.

"Father just-"

"Abandoned me, just like my bitch of a mother Selipa, when he decried me as weak and then launched me to that planet of savages!" interjected Tarble before Vegeta could even start. "He disposed of me, exiled me, until I gained power! Until I strengthened myself enough for him to take me back!" he growled as he accessed both the Great Ape power that Peat had inherited from him and the Inner Nature power that Peat had inherited from Macki! "That, brother, is the place of a prince!" he asserted to Vegeta in a snap. "That, brother, is Peat and your place!" he insisted as he forced Peat into a transformation‽ "You are my subjects, my tools, and my weapons!" stressed Tarble as Peat attained an ape's facial features, expanded into a mass of muscles as his sinews swelled to a zenith, and grew horns which both elongated out of his temples and faced downward rather than upward. At the same time; Peat attained claws, fangs, and even talons too! And most notably; Peat's eyes, hair, and lips changed from purple to turquoise! "So, big brother, you can choose to obey..." began Peat rather than Tarble, albeit in Tarble's voice, as he grabbed a horrified Macki's arm...

...and then ripped it straight off with a violent yank!

"...or you can be made useful," cooed Peat as he became drenched in the blood that was gushing from a howling Macki's arm-less shoulder! At the same time, Vegeta felt Tarble infiltrate his thoughts and then not-so-subtly threaten his will. "Which will it be?" asked Peat and Tarble in a coo together. After a bite of his lip, and after a bulge of his muscles as he clenched his fists in indignation, Vegeta gulped into a swallow and then left the room with a rocketing soar.

"That's right bitch," spat Tarble as Vegeta departed to join the jumping of Atticus. "And you, whore, clean and patch yourself up," added Tarble in a scoff towards Macki. "I doubt little Petey will be surviving this transformation, so we'll be making a new one real soon," cackled Peat as he erupted with ki which powered him up and then left the room with a rocketing soar too!

❧❧❧

"Ahaha, you coward, think you can escape?" cackled Raditz as an army of saiyans, Nappa, and him followed Atticus into a quick soar towards the nearby village. "Huh?" uttered Raditz as Atticus abruptly dropped from his flight and then landed on the roof of a house.

"Escape?" laughed Atticus as the army of saiyans arrived before and surrounded him. "This ain't my getaway, this is your gravesite!" he revealed in a snicker. At the same time, Atticus applied his aura to his body as both a biological catalyst and a metabolic resource as well. However, instead of accelerating and fueling his body's healing processes, Atticus accelerated and fueled another aspect of his metabolism instead. "All of you can die here and then rot with the innocents that were slaughtered by Tarble, or you can flee, and I promise to spare you," he offered as he applied his Art of Humanity (人類の武術, Jinrui no Bujutsu), his alternative to the Art of Mortality and the Power of Confronting Death, to dilate his personal sense of time without emulating or enduring a near-death experience!

"Anyone that dares to flee will be hunted and killed by me!" asserted Nappa to the horde of saiyans. "Understa-" he continued until Atticus appeared before him in an instant of movement and then imploded his stomach with a punch! Subsequently; Atticus arose into a knee which impacted with Nappa's chin, lashed his leg into a stomp that struck Nappa in the torso, and then finished with a backflip which allowed him to kick Nappa in the face and into a rising whirl!

"What?" cried Raditz after Atticus blitzed and hurtled Nappa before he could react!. At this point, Nappa gnashed his teeth and then flew into a forced halt of his rise and whirl. Afterward, Nappa clad himself in his ki and then discharged that ki with an elevation of his index and middle fingers! Immediately, an eruption of ki exploded out of Nappa and straight towards absolutely everyone and everything in Nappa's vicinity! However, Atticus assaulted that explosion of ki with his aura and thereby began to maneuver that explosion of ki with his telekinesis! "What‽" repeated Raditz as Atticus arced the explosion into a flight out of space and elicited a gawk from Nappa as he did so! "What did you-"

"Alright..." cooed Atticus as he elevated his hands to his face and then outstretched his fingers. "...Taiyōken (太陽拳, Solar Fist)!" cackled Atticus after he amassed his aura into his hands and as he discharged that aura as a flash of psionic radiance!

"Aaauuuggghhhaaaa!" cried Nappa, Raditz, and each and every saiyan as Atticus blinded them with the Solar Flare technique! At the same time; as the aura of the Solar Flare entered the eyes of Nappa, Raditz, and the other saiyans; the aura of the Solar Flare influenced their bodies in a manner that meddled with their personal sense of time! By doing so; the aura of the Solar Flare caused Nappa, Raditz, and the other saiyans to continue experiencing the pain and radiance of the Solar Flare even after the Solar Flare was done and gone!

"Tajūjūdodonpa (多重十どどん波, Multiple Ten Dodon Rays)!" continued Atticus as he began to discharge Dodon Ray after Dodon Ray from each of his 10 fingers! As a result; as Nappa, Raditch, and the other saiyans endured a prolonged Solar Flare; Atticus blasted each of them with a Dodon Ray which knocked each of them into a plummet as it scorched them into a smolder!

"Now that's some bad juju..."

"Shit!" swore Atticus as Vegeta barreled into him with a flying knee which crashed into his stomach! Afterward, Vegeta clubbed Atticus with a hook punch and then lifted Atticus with a uppercut! Following that, Vegeta clasped hold of Atticus' leg and then flung Atticus into a plummeting whirl! After Atticus crashed through a roof and then cratered the floor of a house, Peat abruptly appeared behind Vegeta as if he had instantly transmitted himself onto the scene!

"...don't you think, big brother?" laughed Peat as he discharged an emission of Tarble's ki. Subsequently; as Tarble's ki radiated to and then sunk within Nappa, Raditz, and the other saiyans; Nappa, Raditz, and the other saiyans were each forced into and healed by an incomplete, Ōzaru transformation! 

"This is bad..." admitted Atticus as Nappa, Raditz, and the other saiyans doubled in power after they were healed by Tarble! "...I can't keep letting Tarble heal them, or they'll quickly surpass and throttle me!" he conceded with a grimace. Subsequently, Atticus arose out the house and into a flight skyward. Eventually, Atticus halted into a levitation in midair and then peered at the saiyans threatening his world. "This agony and anxiety though..." he continued aloud as he applied his Aura of a Destroyer to the pain that was tormenting him and the terror that was welling within him! "...it's exactly what I need!" cackled Atticus as he both calmed himself with the destruction of his fear and empowered himself with the generation of more aura!

"That abnormal ki..." murmured Peat as Atticus brightened and empowered himself with the Principles of the Power of Destruction! "...that defeated Granolah and hindered me!" he spat.

"You aren't going to copy this, Tarble?" asked Atticus in a call towards Peat, causing Peat to blink and then scowl. "As I expected then," cackled Atticus with a smirk. "You can't copy a being's experience, mentality, or skill; just their techniques!" he snickered. "As such, an ability that is dependent on a mentality that you lack is impossible for you to replicate," he asserted. "You can copy this ki, but you lack the mentality to use it, so your copy doesn't work!"

"As if, Chiaotzuuuuuuuuu!" refuted Peat in an earth-quaking yell! "That ability is inefficient!" he argued in a huff. "You're accessing others and your emotions with your telepathy and then destroying those emotions with that irregular power of yours..." he deduced in a huff. "...because that destruction enables you to generate more and more of that power," he snorted. "But that's just an addition of power rather than a multiplication of power!" he noted in a snicker. "You're adding to your power, while I am able to multiply my power, so it's obvious which is superior!" he stressed. "At the same time, the body derives emotions from hormones you idiot!" he added in a snicker. "You aren't able to emote without limit, eventually, you'll emotionally exhaust yourself and thus lose the source of your strength!" he noted. "After that you'll be finished you hack! That ability is an attempt at godhood that has failed spectacularly, a counterfeit Energy of Destruction without even a percentage of the power that it's parodying!"

"That ability..." begun Atticus with a sparkling smirk. "...defeated you, Tarble!"

"You defeated Granolah!" heard everyone in the sky as a mental screech erupted out of the Ox King's castle and then flooded the sky as a psionic thunder! "Not me!" asserted Tarble in everyone's minds as he assaulted their brains — no, their consciousnesses — with his stolen telepathy! "You believe you're better than me, you believe you've earned more than me, you believe you're the superior warrior‽" seethed Tarble in a snarl. "You're an assassin, a contract killer, a coward hiding in the shadows and killing those weaker than you!" he noted in a spat. "The Crane Sage, Tao, and Tien coddled you compared to what my parents did to me! Compared to what that bastard Vegeta and that bitch Selipa did to me! I was abandoned rather than adopted! I was bid to endure loneliness without support rather than comforted by a fellow student! As you endured the harshest of training, I suffered through the most terrible of wars! While you were fighting for a payout, I was fighting for survival! You were blessed with an intrinsic power and the requisite talent to use it, while I am cursed to emulate others and thus fail to stand on my own!"

"I am a real warrior, one that has been to the gates of hell and returned stronger time and time again, while Frieza and you are mere pretenders!" argued Tarble in a frothing gargle of unmitigated wrath! "I deserve power, I've earned my rule, yet this unfair world would deny me the power and rule that I suffered for!" he complained in a psychic snarl. "So what I have not been fairly given..." continued Peat in the place of Tarble. "...I WILL TAKE!" he declared as he directed all of the nearby saiyans — including Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta — into a soar towards Atticus!

"Hikōbushi (飛光拳, Flying Light Fist)," chanted Atticus as he altered his Aura of a Destroyer into the light of the Solar Flare technique. However, instead of attempting to blind anyone with a discharge of that light, Atticus energized himself with that light instead! At this point, as the Earthlings-turned saiyans began to reach and lash out at Atticus, Atticus accelerated himself into an ascending flash of light and thereby evaded a punch to the face! After dodging the punch, Atticus elbowed the crown of the responsible saiyan's head with an abrupt descent! "Inochigiri (命切, Life-Cutter)!" added Atticus as he elbowed the saiyan into a hurtling plummet! At the same time, Atticus applied the concepts of the Tri-Bream — which augmented the energy of its user by expending the life of its user — as a means of attacking the life within the saiyan!

"Accelerating himself with light and then attacking not just the body of his opponent but the life of his opponent too?" mused Peat after Atticus dropped the first of the saiyans. "The body can be healed, but that life can't be restored with anything but time, so it's a counter to my regenerative techniques," realized Tarble with a scowl.

"I am an assassin..." admitted Atticus as a deluge of saiyans rushed him in a swarm! Afterward, a barrage of kicks and punches bombarded Atticus as the flurry of saiyans charged and lashed out at him! All around Atticus, from every angle and every direction, the army of saiyans raced and struck towards Atticus! "...so I am able to kill or spare at-will!" continued Atticus as he ducked a kick and then grabbed the fist of an uppercut! Subsequently, Atticus carried the uppercutter into a cartwheel away from the ki slash of a knifehand strike! At this point, Atticus' cartwheel flailed the uppercutter into an impact with an incoming saiyan and then Atticus flung himself into an uppercut with that impact's recoil! "And I am a coward, a craven that killed in terror and submitted to a villain's whims!" he confessed as he flashed into an uppercut that knocked a saiyan into a rising whirl!

"I ain't endured what you have," conceded Atticus as he deflected a fist with a kick and then employed that kick's momentum in a knifehand strike to the neck of the puncher! After Atticus dropped the puncher, Atticus began of dance of jerking movements in order to evade a multitude of strikes from a plethora of saiyans! Eventually, Atticus caught one of the punches of a saiyan and then flung that saiyan into a lash upon the other saiyans! And after that lash piled up the saiyans, Atticus released the saiyans into a toss! "I awoke in the body of Chiaotzu, but not at the beginning of Chiaotzu's life, so I awoke in a body that was conditioned and experienced rather than newborn and powerless..." noted Atticus as Raditz arrived before him with a posse of saiyans!

"Alright, this ends here, you little..." growled Raditz as he allowed his boys to attack Atticus ahead of him. As the first of those saiyans approached and attacked Atticus with a flying knee, Atticus blasted the saiyan with a Dodon Ray and then caught the charred saiyan by a handful of the saiyan's shirt. Afterward, Atticus cast the charred saiyan into the incoming saiyans and thereby enveloped the incoming saiyans in the charred saiyan's smolders! "...fuck!" swore Raditz after Atticus blazed into the smokescreen and as his posse of saiyans fell out the smokescreen and into plummeting and unconscious whirls! At this point, Atticus emerged from the smokescreen with a saiyan in hand and then hurled that saiyan towards Raditz! Although Raditz casually deflected the saiyan with a knifehand strike, by that point, Atticus managed to reach Raditz! "Shit!" cried Raditz as Atticus burst his kidney with a punch, broke one of his ribs with an elbow strike, and then hammered him in the face as he knocked him into a plummet!

"...but that doesn't mean I have not endured suffering or put in work!" corrected Atticus towards Peat and thus Tarble. "I've endured loneliness and pain, I've given up opportunities and sacrificed time, as I've fought the injustices and unfairness of this world!" he screamed in a snarling tone of voice. "I ain't devoid of impurities, I ain't pure of sin, but I ain't justifying and perpetuating society's torments like you!" he spat. "I am better than you, I have earned more than you, and I am the superior warrior because I am still trying damn it!" roared Atticus as he burst into a flight towards Peat! "While you've fucking given up!" accused Atticus, as Nappa blocked Atticus' charge by charging himself and clashing fists with Atticus! "You ain't attempting to better the world or even yourself, but rather, you've given up Tarble! You've lost to your misery and pain, and that's led you to resort to savagery and shortcuts!" he hissed as he ducked a hook from a Nappa and then front-flipped into a stomp upon Nappa's face! Subsequently, Atticus discharged a Dodon Ray from each of his fingers and thereby rocketed his stomp upon Nappa's face into a toss of Nappa into a whirl!

"Maybe you were born into the harshest life possible, maybe you were forced to kill and steal to survive, maybe you once strengthened yourself by struggling through trials and tribulations..." continued Atticus as he barreled through a charging, dozen saiyans by flashing into a soaring and surging tackle! "...maybe, maybe, maybe you deserved and earned everything in the world! But all that you deserved, all that you have earned, it's all in the past! Because at this moment and time, you're just a pathetic and sniveling thief, not a true warrior!" declared Atticus in the howl of a wolf — worthy of Yamcha himself — as he clawed through a horde of saiyans by hailing them with punches! "Maybe there was a time where an Atticus and a Chiaotzu was inferior to you, but at this moment and time, there ain't a chance in HFIL that I'll lose to anyone pathetic enough to weaponize their own baby boy!" declared Atticus as he flew and fought his way towards Peat by knocking out saiyan after saiyan with punch after punch!

"Wh-wh-what do you know of war‽" growled Peat as he applied an emission of his ki as an emulation of Blutz Waves. Subsequently, by exposing his saiyan slave-soldiers to his blutz wave-like ki, Peat began to force each of those saiyans into an Ōzaru transformation! "There is no decency, fairness, mercy, or righteousness in true war!" he argued as he assumed control over the Great Apes with his telepathy and then directed the Great Apes into exhaling their ki into a surge towards Atticus!

"Tch!" hissed Atticus as he arced over a beam of ki and then dodged another ki stream by jerking into a sideward soar! At this point, Peat began to disperse his ki throughout the planet as a whole and exert that ki as a force of telekinesis! Subsequently, Peat assaulted the ki of the Earth's lifeforms with his telekinesis and thereby began to energize and maneuver that ki with his telekinesis. "Th-th-that is..." gasped Atticus as Peat drained the ki out of everyone and everything that he could by dragging the ki out their owners with his telekinesis! "...my Spirit Reflection Blast‽"

"Children, men, and women alike are butchered in real war; you bleeding-heart fraud!" spat Peat as he empowered his Great Ape soldiers with the ki of the world and then guided those Great Apes with his own strengthened telepathy! "Even a baby is a capable shield or effective sword, as I should know, as dear ol' dad saw to it that I endured an infancy of weaponization myself!" asserted Peat as the beams of his Great Apes were enlarged to be miles wide! Consequently, as the air of the planet was burdened by currents of ki as large as mountains, the Earth began to brighten and burn! As such, around the battlefield itself, the air became a firestorm and the earth a maelstrom of molten rock! Almost immediately, the castle and village of the Ox King disappeared into the flames of lava as the lava incinerated and melted those structures!

"He's destroying the planet!" growled Atticus as he accelerated beyond the flash of lightspeed, appearing to clone himself as his celerity divided his image from an individual into a line of people! At the same time, Atticus coaxed the Great Apes into firing skyward and into space by soaring straight and upward to the Earth's zenith! As the Great Apes all fired at the same and skyward spot, the beams of the Great Apes collided with and combined with one another! At this point, Atticus about-faced into a halt and towards the ki waves. "Reifūba (霊封波, Spirit Containment Wave)!" chanted Atticus as he applied his Aura of a Destructive Warrior, the Evil Containment Wave, and his Spirit Reflection Blast in conjunction with one another and thereby discharged and guided an invisible maelstrom of sealing wind!

"I don't sense a thing, but I am absolutely sure that he just did something terrible!" deduced Peat — or rather, Tarble — as the ascent of the Great Apes' ki waves was halted by the ki waves' impact with and then infusion within the Reifūba! "Another of the Spirit Reflection Blasts that he coped from Genkai?" he considered as the beams of the Great Apes continued to be inhaled and sealed within the Reifūba, and as the Reifūba continued to descend and form into a sort of tornado! "Ahh, no, this is worse!" he realized as the Reifūba began to devour the environment's ki too, causing the extinguishment of the flames in the sky and cooling the flood of molten rock into mountains of solid stone! At the same time, all of the ki that Peat was draining was falling into the Reifūba rather than flowing into Peat! Which caused the Reifūba to grow at a dangerously rapid rate until Peat stopped his theft of the Earth and friends' ki! "It's an altered Evil Containment Wave!"

"There are aggressors and debauchers in war, yes, but there are also defenders and moralists!" argued Atticus as his Reifūba contacted the ground and thereby finished its formation into a tornado! At the same time, all of the Great Apes immediately and instantaneously reverted into their base form as Tarble and their ki ki was dragged into the Reifūba and then expended as the fuel of the Reifūba! "Battle ain't just defeat and victory, it ain't just losing and winning! Battle is a contest of efforts and ideas alike! So achieving a victory in war isn't just defeating your enemies in the fight, it isn't just managing to survive or procuring the win, it's attaining your goals on your terms!" asserted Atticus as the gales of his Reifūba sapped the saiyans of their strength and slashed at the strings that were tugging Peat! "You broke in the war on this world and have surrendered to the terms of this world, and because of that, you'll accept even the most pathetic of victories as a win!" sneered Atticus as Vegeta amassed his ki into the densest and firmest infusion that he could muster! Afterward, Vegeta accelerated himself into a charge that crashed into the Reifūba with enough of an impact to disperse the Reifūba into an explosion of wind! "So while you may be a survivor, Tarble..."

"...you ain't no true warrior!" screamed Atticus as he descended upon the distracted Vegeta like a fucking meteor and then discharged an explosion from his fists as he hammered Vegeta in the skull! "You're a bitch!" cursed Atticus after he bashed Vegeta into a descent through the depths of the Earth and then an eruption out the Earth's opposite side! "A coward with power but no pride! No standards! No truth but victory even if those victories are worthless!"

"Are you finished mouthing off..." hissed Peat as Atticus began the final flight and push towards him. At the same time; Nappa, Raditz, and many other saiyans arrived between Atticus and him and then burst into a charge towards Atticus!

"...only if you're finished hiding behind a child!" answered Atticus as he blocked a punch from a saiyan with his forearm and then countered with a punch that slammed straight into that saiyan's face and life! Afterward, as that 1st saiyan fell into a plumet and lapsed into unconsciousness, another of the saiyans attacked Atticus with a blade of ki which carved through 1 of Atticus' cheeks and eyes! However, this earned the saiyan a boot to the neck and then a kick into a plummet! Subsequently, Nappa barreled into a ram of Atticus as he careened into a punch of Atticus' stomach! Atticus bit his lip as he was punched but then clawed into Nappa's arm! Afterward, Atticus dragged Nappa into a front flip and as he somersaulted with Nappa in hand! Not long after, Atticus released Nappa as he threw Nappa into a whirl! As Nappa crashed into and detonated the ground, Raditz ambushed Atticus with a blast of ki that pierced through and scorched Atticus' torso!

"You idiots!" cried Peat as Atticus barfed out blood and then cackled into a smirk. "All of that damage without a follow through to slay him is just-" he continued an instant before Atticus abruptly erupted with an explosive generation of power! Both Raditz and the other saiyans blinked as an amethyst explosion of power surged towards them and then shrieked as that explosion impacted upon and ravaged the life within them! Immediately afterward, the aura brightened into the most radiant of sparkles as it continued its expansion and thus surged towards Peat as well! "Damn it, Reifūba (霊封波, Spirit Containment Wave)!" he hissed as he amassed a billow of his ki into a cloud enclosed around him. After that, he expanded and hastened the ki into a gale that roared and surged outward as a sideward tornado!

"He copied it‽" gasped Atticus as his aura exploded into an impact with the Reifūba and thus began to empower the Reifūba as it was ensnared within and expended by the Reifūba! "Any detection of a technique enables him to replicate the technique then!" deduced Atticus in a snarl. "The clairvoyance of his ki sensing, and the readings of his scouters, are only required when he isn't there to experience or perceive the technique himself!" he realized. "Damn it, Korin was right, I couldn't outmaneuver or smart it!"

"This battle is over, Chiaotzu!" laughed Peat in Tarble's voice as the Reifūba blew through Atticus' aura and then enveloped Atticus within its winds! At this point, Peat and Tarble beamed and cackled as Atticus' aura began to be sapped out of Atticus and siphoned to Peat! "You can't endure this forever you ha-"

"This!" interjected Atticus as his aura brightened enough to glow through the Reifūba's winds! "IS!" he continued as he commenced to fuel himself with the horror of the Reifūba, an agony that broke the confidence and courage of demon kings and evil gods alike! Of King Piccolo and Zamasu alike! "MY TECHNIQUE!" he roared as his aura erupted out of as another explosion and as that explosion overwhelmed and ripped through the Reifūba! "You can't defeat me with my moves!" he spat as he altered his aura into light and then accelerated himself with that light, launching himself into superluminal surge towards Peat as he did so! "Bring every man, commit every sin, resort to every trick; and all you'll do is make me stronger!" he snapped as he arrived before Peat in an instant. Subsequently, as he began a punch towards Peat, Atticus aligned his aura of light with the fist that he was punching towards Peat! "Dragon Fist (龍拳, Ryūken)!"

"That ain't enough!" asserted Peat as Atticus altered his aura from a beacon of light into a dragon of light! "It's not even close!" cackled Peat as his chest puffed up and then took the Dragon Fist without trouble!

"It's exactly..." began Atticus in a cackle of his own, as the Dragon Fist erupted from his fist and then freely and individually pushed Peat into a soar! "...what it needs to be!" he revealed as his Dragon Fist bit onto Peat in order to hold Peat within its maw! Afterward, the Dragon Fist carried a confused Peat in its mouth as it flew towards and then munched upon Macki next!

"What are you..." grunted Peat as the Dragon Fist began to haul Macki and him skyward. "...are you‽ Shit! No!" he cried as the Dragon Fist dragged Macki and him into a flash through outer space...

...and then a bright and explosive impact upon Planet Cereal‽

"Hiryūkō (飛龍光, Flying Dragon Light)!" chanted Atticus after Macki and Peat's crash landing on Planet Cereal. "They can't die in space if they exit it faster than it kills them, and without a signal, you can't control them when they're that far from you!" cooed Atticus as he doused for and felt a strain in Tarble's telepathy.

"Y-y-you angled your approach, directed your position, with that in mind from the start!" realized Tarble in another of his telepathic waves. "You kept Macki and Peat in your senses, and in your plans and thoughts, this entire time‽"

"I already failed to protect someone once..." answered Atticus in a murmur. He then looked at a distant mountain and straight towards the spectating Tarble! "...so of course I did my damnedest to make sure that didn't happen again," he asserted as he burst into flight towards Tarble!

"A bit more, just a little more, and he'll be the easiest of pickings..." mused Tarble as Atticus approached him as a blur of violet wrath! "...get up Vegeta," ordered Tarble through his telepathy. "You aren't incapacitated or unconscious, so you aren't done," he huffed. 

"..."

"Vegeta!"

"...no," refused Vegeta in a snarl. "Th-this Earthling, this human, you're embarrassing our proud race of warriors by-"

"Are you concussed?" considered Tarble with a frown. "Or dumber than normal today?" he wondered. "That is twice, Vegeta!" he noted. "You've argued with me, the king that can kill you with a thought, twice today!"

"Make it thrice," added Vegeta in a snort. "I've been listening..."

"I really didn't know that you could do that, you surprise me, Vegeta!" interjected Tarble in a sneer of mock surprise. "But don't just listen, obey!" he demanded. "Your drivel of an opinion is unneeded, because there are no honorable warriors, only the vanquished and the victorious!" he spat. "Now carefully consider if you prefer to be the vanquished or the victorious, Vegeta, and then decide whether you're going to obey my orders or perish on the spot!" he warned.

"...to and watching you, brother, despise yet emulate our father," continued Vegeta without any regard for Tarble's words. "Despise and yet emulate Frieza," he added in a growl. "E-e-even after your exile, when we were kids, you declared me a rival when you defeated me and spared me rather than vaporize me," he remembered. "You'd become a super saiyan you said, you'd change our people and protect our race you said, yet all you've become as the king is more of the same!" he accused in a shout. "O-o-our people, you've replaced them rather than restore them, and you intend to oppress them as slaves rather than train them into warriors! You've given up on rising into the super saiyan and resorted to strengthening yourself with tricks and wishes! You're abusing your family and people as much as father abused our people and you," he stressed. "A-a-after you became Frieza's pet, you-"

"Death Psycho Bomb (デス サイコ ボム, Desu Saiko Bomu)," interjected Tarble as he applied the ki that was communicating with Vegeta as ki that detonated Vegeta instead, causing a continent-sized explosion on the other side of the planet! Not long after though, Atticus barreled into Tarble with a headbutt that launched Tarble into a plummeting whirl through the Earth! "Fucking..." huffed Tarble as he jerked his plummet underground into a skyward soar towards Atticus! At the same time, Tarble altered his ki into an emulation of blutz waves and thereby forced himself into an Ōzaru transformation! "...upstart!" roared the Great Ape Tarble as he appeared below Atticus before even a moment's passing and then blasted Atticus with an oversized uppercut! "You are nothing to a saiyan!" spat Tarble as Atticus disappeared into the sky as a twinkle and then started a twirl through outer space!

"Fuck he's strong..." swore Atticus as he blazed into an impact with the core of Jupiter and then chopped that core in half as his impact rammed him through that core! At this point though, Atticus accelerated himself into a reversal with his Flying Light Fist and thereby returned to Tarble in seconds! "...but not strong enough!" screeched Atticus as he arrived in the atmosphere of the Earth and then descended into a punch towards Tarble's nose!

"Hikōbushi (飛光拳, Flying Light Fist)!" cackled Tarble after he evaded Atticus' punch as a flash of light and as he lurched towards Atticus with a shimmering stomp! Atticus gawked at the giant's speed and then grimaced as he was kicked into a plummet and then stomped underground! Subsequently, Tarble clasped Atticus with the foot that kicked and stomped Atticus. Following that, Tarble backflipped with Atticus in foot and then — in the middle of that backflip — released Atticus into a skyward throw! Tarble then discharged an explosion of his ki from his mouth and into a refined stream towards Atticus! But Atticus forced a halt to his rise with a hover in place and then  retaliated with a Dodon Ray!

Immediately, the aura concentrated into the Dodon Ray pierced through the ki that was streaming towards Atticus and then scorched Tarble's maw as it surged into Tarble's mouth! Although Tarble clenched his face and gnashed his teeth in pain, Tarble didn't drop his focus on Atticus as Atticus erupted into a flight towards him! As such, as Atticus charged into a downward and empowered punch towards Tarble, Tarble dodged with a rearward soar and then jerked into a knee which struck Atticus like a train! Tarble then followed through with a punch which rocked Atticus into a seizure as it swatted Atticus into a tumble! After Atticus was dropped into a rolling and spasmic tumble, Tarble both flailed a hand into a lash towards Atticus and leapt into a lunge towards Atticus. Subsequently, Tarble embedded Atticus face-first into the ground as he hammered Atticus with a palm slap!

"Kaaa..." began Tarble as he assaulted Atticus with the charge of a Kamehameha‽ "...meeehaaameee!" he continued as the blue of his charging ki burned into and coursed throughout Atticus!

"Haaaaaaaaa!" chanted Atticus as he assumed control over the Kamehameha with his telekinesis and then discharged that Kamehame into an explosion of sapphire! "Reikō Kyōhanshō (霊光鏡反衝, Spirit Light Mirror Repulsion)!" he continued as he blasted Tarble at point-blank range and thereby dragged Tarble off of him and into the sky! Afterward, as the deflected Kamehameha dragged Tarble into the planet's zenith, Atticus altered his aura from amethyst to clear of color as he changed his Aura of a Destroyer into his Aura of a Destructive Warrior! Then Atticus blitzed the rising Tarble as a flash of fury which ping-ponged Tarble throughout the welkin of the world! Eventually, Atticus's barraged ended with him hammering Tarble face-first into 1 of the ocean's seas! However, contrary to Atticus' expectations, Tarble evaporated the sea as he impacted with the sea's water and thereby fogged the the locale with steam!

"I didn't think he'd evaporate that much water just by hitting it..." admitted Atticus as he became enclosed and hidden within the sea steam. Then Tarble erupted of the steam's veil and punched Atticus into a rearward soar. "...what‽" he questioned as he rose out the steam and then slammed back-first into Tarble's chest‽

"An advancement..." began Tarble as Atticus about-faced towards Tarble and beheld that the Great Ape's body was bulkier than normal and that the Great Ape's hair was lengthier and spiker than usual! "...of the Great Ape, beyond a Grade 2 or Grade 3 or whatever!" revealed Tarble as Atticus eyed Tarble's final form with horror. "I call it an Evolved Great Ape (大猿の進化, Ōzaru no Shinka) because Great Ape 2 is stupid," he laughed with a tinge of venom in his tone of voice. "It's 3x as powerful as the Great Ape, which means, that I am 30x as powerful as-"

"I'mma call it Greater Ape (大大猿, Daiōzaru)," decided Atticus in a gasp of joy. "Because it's a bad pun on Great King Ape (大王猿, Daiōzaru) that I am sure Toriyama would have loved! And it lets me call Goku's inevitable successor transformation the Greatest Ape (大大大猿, Daidaiōzaru)!" he explained in an excited tone of voice.

"It's the Evolved Great Ape form!" asserted Tarble with finality and in a snarl. "My form, my name!" he argued.

"It won't be your form after I've killed you and trained Goku to use it!" countered Atticus as he aroused his aura into a dim yet flame-like surge and then hurled himself into an impact upon Tarble's chest! Tarble grunted as Atticus impacted with his chest and then howled as that impact progressed into a ramming soar!

"You aren't going to win!" howled Tarble as he deflected Atticus off of him with just a puff of his chest and then exploded into a soar towards Atticus! Subsequently, Atticus and Tarble appeared before one another and then clashed their fists in a contest of punches! "Because that isn't how it works in this world!" he snapped as his enormous fist repelled Atticus' fist, allowing his oversized punch to strike the entire front of Atticus' body! As Tarble clobbered Atticus with his giant punch, a crack formed in Atticus' skull and then lengthened into a spread throughout the rest of Atticus' skeleton! Consequently, blood erupted from Atticus' skeleton and then exploded out of Atticus' skin! "I've been fighting since I was an infant, training since I was a toddler, and I ain't even close to defeating Frieza!" he revealed in a seething spat.

"My base is weaker than his first form and this form is just an equal match with his second form!" complained Tarble as he began a flurry of punches which hailed upon Atticus like ice in a snowstorm! "Even if I became a Super Saiyan 2, not a mere Super Saiyan but a full-powered Super Saiyan 2, Frieza at his full power would still be more than twice as powerful as I would be!" he screeched as the 1st of his punches bashed Atticus into a bloody vomit and then cut the Earth in half with just the recoil of its strike upon Atticus! "I endured the hell of life as a low-ranked saiyan, I fought and killed and suffered and trained, yet all of it amounted to nothing!" he raged as he ravaged Atticus and the Earth with his strikes! "Everyone was killed! Everything was lost! All of that effort amounted to nothing, all that I endured amounted to squat! All of it was a pointless waste!" he spat as he ended the flurry of punches with a kick that stomped the bloody, burned, and mutilated Atticus into a whirl!

"I was born a weapon..." gasped Tarble as Atticus fell and hurtled like a ragdoll until he eventually plunged into the sea! "...I have lived as a weapon and I will perish as a weapon, unless I make others the weapon!" stressed Tarble to himself in a whisper. "This is the only w..." he continued before he felt the planet tremor! "...hat?" he questioned as the bisections of the Earth were forced into their original and proper spots and then melded into a united world! "Didn't you hear me, didn't you listen, didn't you understand‽" screamed Tarble as Atticus arose from the ocean and finished fixing the planet with his global telekinesis! "Why are you bothering with this nonsense, why are you holding yourself to these standards, why are you still trying when it won't work‽" he spat as he blazed into a fiery soar towards Atticus! "Why are you fighting when you can't win‽"

"I can win, I will win, and I won't stop trying!' answered Atticus as he amassed aura from his anger, his fear, his guilt, his pain, his regrets, and his sorrow! He endured them all without succumbing to their temptations, experienced them all at their zenith, and then expended them all so that he could move on and power through! As Tarble approached Atticus as a fireball of simian wrath, because of the Aura of a Destructive Warrior's clearness, Atticus appeared to become the generator of a hurricane rather than the generator of a ki shroud! That is, just as air blew invisibly yet visibly, Atticus' aura churned in an invisible yet visible manner! The aura churned into a ferocious maelstrom of sheer and unrelenting will! Which Tarble careened into and through as he crashed into and punched Atticus...

...without eliciting even a flinch of movement from the guardian-in-training‽

"The chances don't matter and the math don't matter, Tarble!" asserted Atticus to Tarble. At the same time, Atticus' aura blasted Tarble into a rearward skid through the water and carved into Tarble as it did so! As Tarble bled from a plethora of slashes and was blown into a unwilling withdrawal, Atticus' aura continued to grow in size and hasten into a tempest! As the aura's celerity and mass rose, the aura began to escape Atticus' regulation and thereby tinge with violet! However, as an Aura of a Destroyer slowly but surely displaced the Aura of a Destructive Warrior, Atticus grew in power rather than lessen in power!

"Th-th-this feeling!" gasped Tarble as Atticus became enclosed in a tornado of violent violet and then focused and thinned that tornado into a tower. Afterward, Atticus began to condense and implode that tower of violet into a confinement within himself! That is, in an attempt to augment his Aura of a Warrior into a form that was greater than the Aura of a Destructive Warrior, Atticus applied the concepts of confinement that enabled the perfection of Super Saiyan Blue! "It's almost as if, as if..." growled Tarble as the aura amassing within Atticus caused Atticus to expand in size and glow like the Sun! Subsequently, Atticus ballooned from and choked on the power that was welling within him. However, after a bite of his lip and then a bloody gnash of his teeth, Atticus attempted to force that power into settling within him.

"...as if he's transforming!" realized Tarble as all of Atticus' bodily energy began to be displaced by Atticus' aura rather than enhanced or supplemented by Atticus' aura. Consequently, Atticus' bodily energy erupted out of Atticus as an explosion of pure radiance and then flashed outward as a refulgent tempest! "As if he's becoming a Great Ape!" panicked Tarble as Atticus became enclosed within the gales of a luminary wind. At this point, after the Aura of a Destroyer displaced Atticus' bodily energy and as the Aura of a Destroyer settled into a seep throughout and within Atticus, Atticus' body deflated to its natural size and then settled into stability rather than transform in any way.

"G-G-Goku, in the manga, made it seem so simple..." laughed Atticus as his body ached and brimmed with the Aura of a Destroyer! "...s-s-so straightforward, when i-in fact, it's more complicated and m-more difficult than i-i-i-it looks!" he complained in a snickering wheeze. At the same time, as he altered the Aura of a Destroyer within him into another Aura of a Destructive Warrior, Atticus changed the color of his iris from purple to silver! "Allowing your energy to escape, allowing your energy to radiate out of you as a shroud of splendor, is a waste," continued Atticus in a grunt of pain and strain alike. "All of this time, while I augmented my Aura of a Destroyer's efficiency with my Aura of a Warrior, I didn't augment my Aura of a Destroyer's longevity. And all of this time, as my aura gradually but inevitably leaked into a vanish, I counteracted that leak by generating new aura rather than maintaining old aura. So in order to amass my aura, in order to increase my power, I forced myself to generate my aura faster than I lost my aura. Although that was effective, it wasn't efficient..." he Atticus in a sheepish snicker. "...but if I can confine my aura within myself, I can halt the leakage of my aura, and that'll improve or maybe even perfect my Aura of a Destroyer!"

"No additions of notable significance and another lack of multiplication too?" questioned Tarble after he analyzed Atticus' brand new Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior (破壊士のオーラの完成, Hakaishi no Ōra no Kansei)! "A disappointing end to a futile struggle then!" he continued in a giggle and with a lunge...

...straight into a kick which rocketed him through the sky‽

"Wh-wh-wha- huh‽" uttered Tarble after Atticus blitzed him with a jump kick and an instant before Atticus booted him into a mountain‽ "When did we-" he continued as he crashed into the mountain with enough force to detonate the mountain into an explosive sandstorm! At this point, as the air and debris of the sandstorm dragged Tarble into a skipping tumble, Atticus appeared before a rising Tarble and then embedded his fist into the Greater Ape's stomach! Immediately, Tarble choked on the gore of his ravaged stomach and then leaned over into a scarlet vomit. After Tarble's vomit, Atticus burst into a leap to Tarble's face and then kicked Tarble into a rearward and rising somersault! However, almost immediately, Tarble accelerated himself into and with a flash of light! As a result, Tarble jerked into a lunge towards Atticus and then lashed out with a palm slap which swatted Atticus face-first towards the ground!

Subsequently, Atticus crashed into a plow through the ground and into the Earth's mantle of molten rock! While Tarble dived into the mantle with his flight and then ignored the magma as he rushed towards Atticus! However, Atticus amassed an amount of his aura into the magma that he was submerged within and then began to maneuver that magma as Tarble neared him. Tarble blinked as a current of magma hastened into a stream towards him and then screamed as that magma morphed into a serpentine shape! At this point, a Dragon Fist of magma bit onto Tarble and then dragged Tarble into an explosively rapid rise! In an instant, the Dragon Fist erupted out of the ground with Tarble in its maw and then exploded into a rocky and searing tempest!

"Aaauuuggghhhaaa!" cried Tarble as the explosion cast him into a crash through a mountain's peak! And as he fell into an impact upon the sands of a wasteland. As Tarble fell upon the sand, he accidentally knocked the sand into a tidal wave! At the same time, Atticus arrived in a charging flight and then punched straight through that sandy tsunami as he raced towards and rammed into Tarble! Tarble gritted and hissed through his teeth as Atticus' collided with and punched his gut! But then Tarble arose into a flying and kneeing strike upon Atticus! As all of Atticus creaked and quivered from the impact of that strike, Tarble clasped his hands together and then hammered Atticus face-first into the ground! At this point, Tarble bellowed a shriek of simian wrath and then dropped his full mass and power into a stomp upon Atticus! As Atticus and the Earth were booted by Atticus, the Earth began to break like a cracking egg and implode into itself...

...until Atticus' aura of telekinesis clasped the collapsing planet within its firm grip and then forcibly molded the planet into its natural and stable state! "A-a-are you fucking kidding me‽" complained Tarble as Atticus emerged into Tarble's view by lifting Tarble off him and into a rearward stumble! After Tarble balanced himself into a halt of his tumble, Atticus arose into a flight and then grinned‽ "You aren't winning!" screamed Tarble as he blitzed Atticus as a flash of light and thereby booted Atticus into a rearward soar! Afterward, Tarble amassed his ki within his mouth and then discharged that kit as a roar rather than a stream! As the creatures of the desert heard the roar's sound, the creatures aged into dust and thus joined the sand as the energy of their lives were ravaged by that sound!

However, as an alteration of the Tri-Beam's concepts, Atticus augmented his life with his aura rather than enhanced his aura with an expenditure of his life. This allowed Atticus to endure the roar of senescence without being putrefied into a rotting sand! Afterward, Atticus cackled at a seething Tarble and then erupted into a lunge towards Tarble! Tarble bit his lip in a rage and then erupted into his own lunge towards Atticus! At this point, as Atticus and Tarble charged one another with a leap towards one another, Atticus and Tarble blasted a crater into the desert and that crated expanded into hole that subsumed the wasteland as a whole! Afterward, Atticus and Tarble clashed fists with enough force to explode the Moon with the recoil!

"Nooo!" cried the Man-Wolf as Atticus and Tarble followed up with a flurry of punches and a rise skyward! At this point, Atticus and Tarble arced across the sky and circled the world, again and again and again, as they battered one another's fists with one another's punches! At this point, Atticus and Tarble bashed their fists into clash after clash as they contested one another's endurance and power. As Atticus deflected a punch with a punch, the punches' recoil resounded throughout outer space as a shockwave of sorts and then ripped Mars to shreds! And as Tarble parried a punch with a punch, another recoil's shockwave struck and tore up Venus! Atticus cackled at the destruction...

...and then disappeared from Tarble's view?

"What‽" gasped Tarble as Atticus appeared in front of Tarble's torso without a blur or even a flash of movement! Subsequently, Atticus pushed Tarble into plummet and then laughed as Tarble quaked and slammed into the ground! "Faster! Stronger!" cried Tarble as Atticus dropped into a flash of a plummet towards him! "How‽" he questioned as he evaded a plummeting stomp by flying into a roll! However, Atticus kicked the Earth as he stomped the ground and thereby followed up with a lunge towards the rolling Tarble! In an instant, Atticus caught up to Tarble and then kicked Tarble into a rocketing soar! "All of that damage, all of his pain and wounds, they're still strengthening him rather than weakening him!" realized Tarble as Atticus blitzed him with a solar soar and then hammered him into the icy mountain range that was the Yunzabit Heights! At this point, Tarble arose from the frozen ground and into a punch from Atticus that slammed him straight back into that ground!

"He's able to apply his ki as life support and that enables him to endure and fight with impossible-to-survive wounds!" deduced Tarble as he discharged his ki into an explosion which impacted with and repelled Atticus! "That ability to boost himself with the damage that he takes, by itself, it's a feeble gimmick rather than a real threat. After all, Granolah defeated Ultra Ego Vegeta without resorting to any special tactics or techniques..." hissed Tarble as Atticus closed the distance in an instant and then cratered Tarble's torso with a punch! Although Tarble countered with a kick that lashed towards Atticus like a whip, Atticus arced over the kick with his flight and then jerked into a kick of his own! "...but combined with endurance like that, combined with that life support technique, and it's overpowered! It's unfair!" complained Tarble as Atticus kicked him in the face and into rolling tumble!

"Bbbaaassstttaaarrrddd!" cried Tarble as Atticus clasped his fur, dragged him into a flash of a flight, and then flung him face-first and through a mountain! As Tarble crashed through the mountain, fell into a roll, and then leapt into a skidding stand; Atticus appeared overhead in the sky and then smirked into a snicker. "I'll blast you to bits! Burn you into dust! I'll disintegrate you until there is nothing to strengthen or support!" declared Tarble as he amassed his ki into a swell within him and then cupped his hands together‽ "4x..." began Tarble as he discharged his ki into a dense sphere between his cupped hands and then expanded that sphere as he slowly separated his hands from one another! At the same time, Tarble altered the color of that ki from sapphire to transparent...

...as he applied the Aura of a Warrior to that ki‽

"...Big Bang Kamehameha (四つ倍ビッグバンかめはめ波, Yotsubai Biggu Ban Kamehameha, "Four-Fold Big Bang Turtle Destruction Wave")!" finished Tarble as he directed and expanded the sphere into an explosion towards Atticus! As Tarble attacked Atticus with his 4x Big Bang Kamehameha, Tarble discharged an explosive recoil that resounded towards and then shredded both Jupiter and Mercury! At the same time, the Earth as a whole began to quake and the entirety of the Yunzabit Heights evaporated into a combination of steam and a stony vapor! Tarble cackled in glee at the overwhelming power of his wave and then grinned as the 4x Big Bang Kamehameha neared Atticus without a response from Atticus! "He couldn't even react to its speed!" assumed Tarble as the 4x Big Bang Kamehameha crashed into a direct and explosive hit upon Atticus! "He-"

"Super..."

"Eh?" uttered Tarble as Atticus began to charge a Dodon Ray even as he disintegrated within the 4x Big Bang Kamehameha‽ "He allowed himself to be hit!" realized Tarble as Atticus augmented himself with death's fear and pain! "He's allowing himself to perish!" screeched Tarble as Atticus charged the Dodon Ray with the entirety of his life, pain, and terror!

"...Dodon Wave (スーパーどどん波 Sūpā Dodonpa)," chanted Atticus in a gentle laugh as he fired the Super Dodon Ray into an impact upon and then pierce through the 4x Big Bang Kamehameha! Subsequently, the Super Dodon Ray blasted through Tarble in an instant and then commenced to incinerate Tarble from the inside-out! At this point; as Atticus cackled in glee at the hit and Tarble cried in horror at the situation; Atticus and Tarble were enveloped, overwhelmed, and then vanquished by one another's waves! At this point, after a brutal and extensive fight, Atticus and Tarble vanished from the world.

❧❧❧

"I..." heard Atticus as his death on Earth led to an undeath in the Outer World. "...I deserved that," groaned Tarble as Atticus and him found themselves at the back of the ghostly line to the Check-In Station! "You're a Chiaotzu," he huffed. Not as a human or a saiyan. But rather, as a sort of wisp. "So I should have expected you to resort to a suicidal tactic," he noted.

"I managed a tie," exhaled Atticus as he recognized Tarble by Tarble's voice. "I ain't satisfied with that; however, at least I saved the world," he huffed.

"As if," interjected Tarble in a snort. "Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta weren't my only elite saiyans on your world," he revealed in a sneer. "And even if they were, even my fodder have the power to ravage that weak world of yours" he spat. "They can't finish the plan, as you destroyed the dragon radar when you destroyed me, but they can and will-"

"Kami tricked you," revealed Atticus to Tarble before Tarble could finish. "You destroyed a fake lookout and my friends are in the Hyperbolic Time chamber," he specified in a yawn.

"K-k-Kami what?" asked Tarble in a gasp. "I copied an illusion-making spell," he realized in a whisper. "I can cast illusions, I could employ illusions, this entire time‽" he screamed.

"You can copy even a magical technique without even knowing what the technique does or is‽" asked Atticus in a stammer. "Th-th-that's not fair!"

"You are the definition, the incarnation, of unfairness!" retorted Tarble in a snap. "You affect and detect emotions with the empathic features of your innate telepathy rather than any semblance of skill with the technique," he accused in a growl. "You're able to access emotions easier than everyone else and then exploit those feelings as fuel to generate more and more power," he grumbled. "You're able to access and expend other people's experiences, as if their passions and sentiments were your own, before they can! Not because you're a martial artist, but rather because you're a mutant! A natural-born psychic! A telepath!" he seethed with a wrathful writhe. "And to make matters even more unfair, you can conjure and control emotions too..." he guessed in a groan. "...can't you?"

"I am a clairvoyant, a telepath, and a telekineticist," elaborated Atticus in a hum. "I am able to change emotional states rather than conjure emotions from nothing or erase emotions into nothing; that is, I am able to alter any emotional state into any other emotional state," he explained. "Anger to apathy, happiness to sadness..." he hummed. "...attempting to emotionally exhaust me was futile, yes, because my emotional state isn't hormone reliant," he revealed. "My brain is built different from most people; as a result, it functions in a unique way. Because of that; I don't emote, feel, and think in the same way as most people. I am affected by hormones, yes, but I am not dependent on them like most people," he summarized.

"You're able to affect emotions, objects, and thoughts in equal measure..." hissed Tarble. "...because you were born different! Because you were born special, you're able to control everyone and everything with just your mind‽" he questioned in a snarl. "How is that fair?" he asked with a wiggle. "If I had been born with that power, if I had that power as a prince, I could have-"

"Abused it to dominate everyone weaker than you?" answered Atticus in Tarble's stead. "You already did that through violence," he added in a snort.

"I could have saved the saiyans by stealing the strength of the weaklings holdings us back!" he asserted in a spat. "I could have saved our world!"

"You already could have done that," countered Atticus. "You already could defeat your father, you already could conquer your people, and you already could lead your race into a retreat that saved your species!" he stressed to Tarble. "All you had to do to was flee to a new planet and stop warring with worlds, but you wanted to rule rather than save, so you stayed!" he accused in a shout. "You are the ideal isekai, Tarble! You were born with all the knowledge, all of the power, all of the status, all of the talent, and all of the willpower that anyone could need to rescue the saiyan species!" he shouted in a tizzy! "But you choose to live as a saiyan rather than rescue them from themselves, you choose to let them perish rather than relinquish their warring ways, you choose to emulate evil rather than fight it!" he screamed in a spat upon Tarble. "You choose this, Tarble! You choose death for others, for the saiyans, and for yourself!"

"i-I-I couldn't do that..." refuted Tarble with a tremor of his wisp. "...after billions were butchered by these hands, after billions died to empower me and return me to my royalty and world, I couldn't ever resort to that!" he sniveled. "All of the children like me, all of the kids that were dispatched to other planets to perish or prove themselves, do you have any idea how insulting your suggestion is to them‽ Do you have any idea how much your suggestion invalidates their struggles and triumphs‽" he spat. "All of us committed genocide and endured hell in order to grow into the mightiest warriors in this universe, so if all of us hid in obscurity and lived in peace, what would have been the point of our sins and suffering‽" he yelled.

"All of that didn't even work though," answered Atticus in a sigh. "All of that abandonment and bloodshed didn't make the saiyans the strongest. It just made them the vilest! he noted. "You aren't ignorant of that too!" he added in a snarl. "Nappa, Raditz, Vegeta, and you all know that you saiyans aren't shit in this universe!" he snapped. "That's why all of you are a coward at heart, desire immortality, live as a pawn, or resort to wishes!" he spat. "By continuing and defending the practices of the saiyans in spirit, with your dreadful parentage of Peal and your horrific rule of your species' survivors, didn't give meaning and purpose to the sacrifices of the system's victims! No! All you did was doubled down on the pointless sacrifices of a stupid system!"

"It ain't about being right, as that is a pointless subjective, it's about feeling right!" declared Tarble. "About feeling pride rather than-"

"You don't feel pride, you don't feel right, you feel trapped!" interjected Atticus in a shout. "Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta; now they believe in the idiocy of the saiyan way and feel pride in their tyranny and violence," he admitted. "But I've been in your mind, I've felt your soul, so I know that you know better!" he hissed. "I've been there Tarble, I've been stuck as a villain, I've been trapped in wrongdoing!" he continued in a sigh. "I've endured guilt, I've experienced that pain and hated that sensation, but that guilt is a signal rather than a torment or a weakness," argued Atticus to Tarble. "It's a sign that things aren't the way that you want them to be. So accept your guilt, embrace your guilt, Tarble!" he urged. "As that guilt as much a part of you as your pride," he whispered.

"I'm dead," murmured Tarble. "I'm dead, and I ain't being wished back, so there ain't no-"

"There's always a point!" interjected Atticus to Tarble. "There is always a possibility," he stressed. "You're dead, your life is over, but your undeath starts here," he noted. "A murderer is a murderer even after their murdering stops, yes, but those murders do not dictate their future or limit their present," he declared to the soul of Tarble. "As long as you act to atone and attempt to be better, you can be better, but of course you must make sacrifices and put in work," hummed Atticus. "You can change, Tarble, you can choose to improve yourself. You can choose to redeem yourself. And I'll advocate for that chance to be given to you, I'll aid you for as long as is needed and possible, so long as you resolve and work towards a better you," he promised.

"Y-y-you'll do th-that, f-for me?" asked Tarble a gasp of a whimper. "For a monster? For a saiyan? After everything I did, after I killed you, you'll save me?" he questioned. "Why?"

"Because I'm a monster too," answered Atticus with a gentle smile. "Alright, I'm going now," hummed Atticus as he about-faced away from Tarble and arose with his flight. "I'll ask King Yama to put you on the redemption track," he promised with a look over his shoulder and towards Tarble. "Don't make me regret that Tarble." he requested an instant before he rocketed into a soar!

"Tarble arrived here as a wisp, yet, I am here in a body?" questioned Atticus as he flew over and past the line of souls towards King Yama's office. "C-c-could it be that, is it possible that..."

"...they've judged me redeemed?"

Chapter Text

"So..." began a colossal giant of an ogre with literally red skin; a black mane composed of a beard, shoulder-length hair, a mustache, and sideburns; and beady, black eyes. This ogre was dressed in a purple helm with a pair of horns, a purple suit, a white dress shirt underneath his suit's jacket, an orange tie, and a pair of black dress shoes. And the ogre was seated behind a desk of mahogany wood; a desk which was littered with a cup holding a number of writing utensils, documents of all sorts, a nametag, a notebook, a phone, and a pot with flowers planted within it.

"...the cause of the resurrections were an extract from a fruit of the Tree of Might?" continued the ogre, King Yama, in a huff. As he did so, he grabbed his notebook and then shuffled through the pages. "And the rapscallions that abused that extract were this Crusher Corps?" he hummed as his shuffling stopped.

"Amond, Cacao, Daiz, Lakasei, Rasin, and the saiyan Turles," clarified a boy — or rather, an incredibly short and really young man — standing before King Yama. The man was cursed with a height which was shorter than the Turtle Hermit but taller than Krillin, yet blessed with a lithe yet muscled physique. And the man also exhibited a bisque skin tone; black, silky, and pixie cut hair with a braided pair of Chinese dragon-shaped and shoulder-length bangs; and amber eyes with a gilded glow. Lastly; the man was dressed in a black and sleeveless tunic, a black pair of baggy and Metamoran pants emblazoned with an amber embroidery of catnip flowers, and a black pair of slip-on shoes.

"I remember them..." awed King Yama in a gasp. "...what a case they were!" he whistled. "You dispatched them on Kanassa, did you not?" he noted.

"Alongside any innocents on the planet at the time," admitted the man, obviously Atticus/Chiaotzu, in a murmured sighed. "Because I-"

"Ha!" interjected King Yama in a hearty laugh. "What innocents?" he questioned in a snort.

"H-h-hu-what?" spluttered Atticus. "Wh-what do you mean, what innocents‽"

"If I remember correctly, which I do..." answered King Yama in a snort and with a shuffle through his notebook's pages. "...ahh, that's it!" he cheered as he found the pages that he'd been looking for. "Bardock and his gang of genocidal mercenaries massacred the population of that world," he read in a snort. "That attack of theirs wasn't random though," he noted in a snort. "A contingent of the Frieza Force's scientists begged for the conquest of that planet, because they desperately desired to investigate the planet's psionic waves," he revealed in a snarl.

"Th-th-that's..." murmured Atticus with a shake of his head. "...even if it was them, that doesn't-"

"You accidentally burned those goons to soot when you melted the planet," continued King Yama without consideration for Atticus' murmurs. "Which, I admit, was an act of iniquitous negligence," he agreed. "As you didn't know that the other people on the planet were sinners," he noted. "But you also didn't know that your attack would damage the planet like that," he added. "You accidentally killed bystanders rather than decided to kill bystanders, so your intent is pure of sin. And because you didn't kill innocents, but rather sinners, your results are also pure of sin,"

"I am not sure if I agree with that logic," admitted Atticus with a shake of his head. "I was, quite literally, apocalyptically reckless," he stressed.

"You were inexperienced," corrected King Yama. "But the alleviation of your guilt isn't why we are here today," he continued with a few more page shuffles. "It appears that Lakasei, Rasin, and Selipa died on Kanassa; but the rest of the resurrections were spared?" he questioned.

"The rest of the..." began Atticus with a blink. "...of course there were others," he realized in a groan. "Is there any connection between those resurrected and Tarble?" he asked with a frown. "Because the Crusher Corps were subjects of Tarble,"

"Huh..." hummed King Yama with a frown. "...that explains a lot," he mused as he returned to shuffling through his notebook. "Before the genocide of the saiyans, a platoon of saiyan warriors were murdered by this Tarble," he revealed in a whistle. "After the genocide of the saiyans though; all of them were resurrected even before Lakasei, Rasin, and Selipa were!"

"Nappa, Raditz, and Vegeta weren't my only elite saiyans on your world,"

"The platoon that was resurrected, a group of saiyan warriors that bypassed the genocide by dying before it and then being resurrected after it, are those the elite saiyans that Tarble mentioned?" considered Atticus with a grimace. "It appears that Tarble deceived Kami and me as much as Kami and I deceived him..." he noted.

"I can make that Tarble talk as a rehabilitative requirement," offered King Yama while Atticus was deep in thought. "Regardless though, without the Extract of Might that you destroyed, it appears that further resurrections were impossible," he noted. "As, after your arrival and battles on Kanassa, the resurrections stopped!"

"About that..." interjected Atticus with a blink and then a frown. "...are the dragon balls a problem too?" he questioned. "Because, well, they also resurrect people," he noted. "A lot,"

"Yes," admitted King Yama in a snort. "They affect the balance of karma, of the negativity within sin and the positivity within virtue, in a potentially tumultuous way," he warned.

"The Shadow Dragons," hissed Atticus with a bite of his lip. "It's all over if they're released," he gulped. "We CAN NOT handle them at the moment,"

"However, despite that, the Supreme Kai allows their existence and usage," added King Yama with a shrug. "More specifically, the Supreme Kai allows magical resurrections but forbids resurrection through science and technology," he elaborated.

"Eh?" uttered Atticus with a blink. "Th-th-the Supreme Kai?" he gasped. "D-d-do you m-mean Shin‽" he questioned.

"Oh?" uttered King Yama in a snicker. "Already aware of the Kaiōshin, eh? Kami has been teaching you well!" he laughed. "But indeed!" he confirmed in a thunderous voice. "Our Supreme Kai, the mighty Shin, assigned this task to the Grand Kai! Who delegated the task to the Kais! All 4 of whom delegated the task to me. While I delegated the task to the Kamis. One of whom delegated the task to you!" he elaborated.

"Mighty Shin?" wondered Atticus with a blink. "Well, he is stronger than Frieza..." he remembered. "...but, even still, mighty doesn't feel like the right descriptor for him," he mused. "All 4 of them, you say?" asked Atticus with a blink. "So not just the East Kai; our King Kai; but rather the North, South, and West Kai as well?"

"Correct," confirmed King Yama. "Regardless of that though, Atticus, you need to focus!" demanded King Yama.

"Right, right, right..." agreed Atticus in a sigh. "...so this task came all the way from the top, huh?" he mused. "Does that mean that I can get the Grand Kai to teach and train me?" he questioned.

"After enduring isolation and the strictest of training for an entire, lonely year; and then battling a royal saiyan to the death; your first thought is to train more‽" asked King Yama in a groan. "Are you certain that you are not a saiyan yourself?" he questioned in a snort. "Mayhap you were a saiyan in your past li..." he continued as he open and shuffled through his book. "...huh?"

"Is something wrong?" asked Atticus with a frown and a squirm. "Everything alright?"

"You aren't accounted for," answered King Yama in a murmur. "You appeared to have been born in the system and then incarnated into the world," he clarified with a scratch of his head. "But that's not possible, that's not right, that's-"

"Can you rephrase that?" requested Atticus. "Born in the system?" he parroted with a shake of his head. "What does that mean?"

"The birth of a creature is the birth of a soul, unless the creature is given a soul by transmigration," began King Yama. "However, all of the souls in the system of transmigration are souls that were born or created and then died," he stressed. "All of them except yours that is," he noted. "Your soul appeared in the system! It was not placed into the system, it spawned there!" he revealed with a bite of his lip. "It appeared without fanfare; as a result, it failed to be noticed,"  he huffed. "I assumed that there was approval and arrangements for your input into transmigration and reincarnation into the world..." he growled. "...but it appears that I assumed wrong!" he spat. "And that my assumption had consequences!"

"I-i-is it the same for Piano, Tarble, and Yamcha?" asked Atticus in a gulp. "Are they also-"

"No,"

"What?" uttered Atticus as King Yama began to shuffle through his book again. "Wh-wh-what do you mean, no‽" he spat. "I know for a fact that they are just like me!" he argued.

"And I know for a fact that they are not," asserted King Yama to Atticus. "The Demon Emperor Piano, former name Asato Tabara. The King of the Saiyans Tarble, former name Carlito de la Guerra. And the Desert Bandit Yamcha, former name Stewart Wix. All 3 of these souls, and many others, arrived into our cosmos because Lord Beerus destroyed the Reincarnation Game in an improper way," declared King Yama with an inarguable certainty ringing in his voice. "The board of that game should only be dismantled or destroyed after the game is ended rather than before," he clarified in a groan. "By destroying the board without ending the game, Lord Beerus allowed the board a moment to draw in random souls and then release those souls into our world," he grumbled. "Although Vados and Whis caught and returned the 2 souls that Lord Beerus and Lord Champa had been playing with, they didn't capture and return any of the souls that were accidentally and randomly drawn into our reality," he stressed.

"So Piano, Tarble, Yamcha, and apparently many others were drawn into this world by Beerus' negligence?" hissed Atticus. "Th-th-that tracks with Beerus," he admitted in a groan. "But I'm different?"

"You're different," confirmed King Yama. "My ogres captured and reincarnated the souls that Beerus marooned in our reality..." he continued. "...but there were so many of them — and so suddenly — that we had to mass reincarnate them without regard for specifics," he murmured. "Asato, Carlito, and Stewart were not given equal opportunities for virtue," he admitted. "After all, Asato was reincarnated as a demon clansman of all things," he noted. "While Carlito was reincarnated as a saiyan!" he sighed. "Because of our culpability in Asato's descent to evil, I allotted amnesty to Asato. And because of our culpability and your personal request, I am going to offer redemption to Carlito," he hummed. "I believe that it's fair to judge Stewart normally though," he added. "The bastard,"

"Korin said that there is a disconnect between my body and my soul," remembered Atticus. "Is that disconnects because of the impropriety of my reincarnation?" he theorized.

"Most certainly so," agreed King Yama. "After all..." he continued with a grimace as he looked through his notebook again. "...that body and its life does not belong to you," he squeaked.

"Elaborate," demanded Atticus with a frown. "What do you mean by that, exactly? What do you mean that this body and life does not belong to me?" he questioned. "Cause if it doesn't belong to me, well, who does it belong to‽"

"Asato is Piano, Carlito is Tarble, and Stewart is Yamcha..." began King Yama in a gulp. "...because all 3 of them were born in their body and only Stewart didn't immediately remember his preincarnation," he continued. As he did so, he began to fiddle with his tie. "You, however, are not Chiaotzu," revealed King Yama. "As you were not born in that body and your are not the body's original soul,"

"WHAT‽"

"Calm!" demanded King Yama as Atticus' aura burst out of him like an eruption of lava from a volcano and then crashed through the ceiling of the office as it rocketed into the Otherworld's sky. "Calm yourself, Atticus!" he begged as Atticus' aura outshine the the Otherworld's radiance and thus painted the Check-In Station with a tinge of violet! "Calm! Calm, please! Please!"

"I am not the original..." heaved Atticus as his body bloated into a muscular swell and convulsed into earthquaking spasms! "...there was another‽"

"There was an another," confirmed King Yama with a grimace and a look at his notebook. "An original," he groaned. "You appeared in the system as a soul without warning and then was transmigrated without anyone knowing that the transmigration even happened," he revealed. "Your appearance was observed and recorded by the system itself, of course..." he added with a flourish of his notebook. "...but it wasn't noticed and responded to by any of us," he elaborated. "Any of the monitors and operators and such," he stressed. "Because of that, when there was a mistake in your reincarnation, absolutely nobody noticed and responded to it. Because of that, when your arrival and reincarnation removed Chiaotzu's soul from Chiaotzu's body, absolutely nobo-"

"I MURDERED CHIAOTZU‽" interjected Atticus in scream that shamed thunder with its volume. "I murdered him and stole his-"

"You did not murder him," asserted King Yama with a wince. "And you didn't steal his life," he insisted in sight. "If anyone is responsible for this, it's the ogres and I! Because we did not notice and revert or stop this," he stressed. "It appears that Chiaotzu arrived up here in the Otherworld when you arrived down there on Earth..." he continued in a groan and with another look at a page within his notebook. "...as a child who died before maturity, I gave Chiaotzu levity in his sentencing. Despite that levity though, because of the Crane Hermit's influence on the lad, I judged him in need of rehabilitation," he sighed. "It appears that he's completed that rehabilitation though and is enjoying Heaven,"

"I-I-I'm not his Chiaotzu," breathed Atticus as his aura contracted into him. "I'm not Tien's, I took Tien's, what have I done?" questioned Atticus with a look at his hands and then his bangs and his clothes. "What have I done to his body? To his life‽ To his world‽"

"Listen, the ogres and I will sort this out, so why don't you just move on into your afterlife?" suggested King Yama with a pull of his collar. "You can go to Grand Kai's planet and receive super training!" he added in a nervous snort. "You like training, yeah? That'll take the edge off, right?"

"F-f-fine," grunted Atticus with a leak of power and then sudden twitches. "B-B-Bulma," he added in a somber tone. "Did Bulma come through here?"

"Bulma?" asked King Yama with a frown at Atticus' leakage and twitching. "Oh!" he exclaimed after a few shuffles through his notebook. "I sent her below!"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus at that news. "What? WHY?"

"Well she did shoot a child in the face," answered King Yama with a shrug. "And not by accident too," he snorted.

"That was one time and it was years ago," argued Atticus in labored breaths. "C-c-come on! Also it was Goku and he was fffiiinnneee!"

"Alright, alright!" relented King Yama in a snort. "I'll have Bulma brought up, just go already, you're holding up the..." he began in a snarl. And then he blinked and noticed. "...are you alright?"

"I don't know," admitted Atticus as his breathing hardened and hastened into rapid wheezes. "S-s-something is wrong!" he warned as his aura began to brighten and churn within him! "I can't-"

"A-A-Atticus? Atticus! ATTICUS!" cried King Yama as Atticus' aura of purple divided into a gloom of ruby shadows and a glow of sapphire sparkles! Or in other words, as Atticus' aura descended and divided into an evil ki and a good ki! "STOP!"

"C-c-can't!" hissed Atticus as his evil ki and good ki began to bisect his body with their repulsion of one another! "R-r-RUN!" he ordered an instant before his evil ki and good ki ripped his body into vertical halves!

"By the Four and Grand Kaiōshin!" gasped King Yama as Atticus broke in half. "What is happening to this man‽" he wondered as each of Atticus' halves...

...reformed itself into a new person‽

"Ack..." coughed Atticus as he awoke in a new body formed from the right half of his old body. A new body with a dark chocolate-colored and heavily scarred complexion, a height between Krillin and Master Roshi, and a lithe yet muscled physique. Atticus' new body also exhibited an afro of billowing and black hair with the texture of wool, beady and cerulean eyes which gleamed with the ocean's shimmer, and a full-fledged nose of all things! And Atticus' new body was dressed in a black, hooded, and long-sleeved tunic; a black pair of fingerless gloves; a black pair of baggy and Metamoran pants emblazoned with a cerulean embroidery of catnip flowers; and a black pair of Hanfu boots. Lastly, Atticus' new fingernails were notably painted blue.

Meanwhile, another body formed from the left half of Atticus' old body. A new body with an immaculate and impossibly white complexion. In addition to Chiaotzu's canon and original height. And a lithe yet muscled physique. This new body also exhibited black, silky, and pixie cut hair; a pair of chest-length bangs with bat-shaped braids; beady and crimson eyes which were as dimly lit as the embers within a pile soot; Chiaotzu and Krillin's characteristic lack of a nose; a mouthful of fangs rather than teeth; and claws rather than fingernails. And the new body was also dressed in a black, sleeveless, and v-neck tunic; a black pair of baggy and Metamoran shorts emblazoned with a crimson embroidery of catnip flowers; and without any shoes whatsoever! Lastly, the new body's toenails were notably painted red.

"...what?" uttered Atticus as he beheld the left body with the right body. "What?"

"J-J-Jiāngshī!" screeched King Yama as soon as he beheld the left body. Subsequently, King Yama erupted into a flight through his office's wall and towards Snake Way! "We must-"

"No," spoke the left body after his arm elongated into a lash towards King Yama and as his claws pierced and seized King Yama's throat!

"Fast!" noted Atticus as he attempted to help King Yama by leaping into a lunge towards the left body. At the same time, King Yama began a screech...

...but then disappeared into the faintest flash of red, as the claws of the left body liquidized him into a slush and then slurped that slush into a vanish!

"How‽" questioned Atticus as he arrived before the left body and then cratered the left body's face with a punch! As Atticus' fist knocked the left body into a soaring whirl, the elongated arm of the left body contracted into its normal size. "Absorption? Like Buu? Or Cell? What?" considered Atticus after his punch and as the left body crashed into and cratered the front of King Yama's desk!

"You..." called the left body as it fell out the crater within the desk and into a kneel on the floor. "...aren't as strong as before?" laughed the left body as it arose into a stand and revealed a newfound lack of a halo‽

"It's alive‽" gasped Atticus at the sight. He then blinked and reached towards where his halo should be. "I AM ALIVE‽" he realized as he noticed that his halo was missing too! "What? How? How are we alive now?" he wondered with a bite of his lips. "D-d-did he, or it, absorb King Yama's life?" he theorized.

"Are you catching on?" hummed the left body as it arose into a stand and then smirked towards Atticus. "I attained the king's life when I drank his soul, but you did nothing to resurrect yourself, yeah?" he continued with a flick of his hand and a flourish of that hand's claws.

"Y-y-you DRANK his SOUL‽" cried Atticus with a gawk and tremble. "I-i-is it alive within you‽"

"I digested it into nothingness," clarified the left body in a nasty snicker. "As did you it seems," he noted with a smirk. "For we are bound!" he declared in a shout. "Bound by a connection of life," he elaborated. "I die? You die," he stressed. "You die? I die," he continued. "At the same time, if I live, it seems that you live as well. And vice versa," he cooed.

"Fission (分裂 Bunretsu)!" deduced Atticus in a spat. "B-b-but how? And why?" he wondered.

"All of this began when you drunk the Ultra Divine Water," revealed the left body with a haunting and knowing smile. "You believed you became a human..." he cooed in a snicker.

"...but I didn't?" guessed Atticus with a clench of his fists. "I-I-I failed that day? I lost my soul‽"

"Not exactly," refuted the left body. "The body of Chiaotzu was, well, the body of Chiaotzu! Not the body of you!" he began to clarify in a giggle. "You were a demon, a disembodied ghost, in possession of the body of Chiaotzu. Not the body's original and real soul!" he noted. "So you applied the effect of the Ultra Divine Water to a body with a ghost rather than a real soul, that is, you applied that effect to a soulless thing!" he shouted in a thunderous voice. "The only possible result of that mistake was a Jiāngshī! The only possible result of that stupidity was me!" revealed the left body, the Jiāngshī, as it began a march towards Atticus.

"But you created an impossibility in defiance of the lack of possibilities," continued the Jiāngshī in a snarl. "You attained a ghostly power that surpassed vampirism; that is, you became the greater undead between the two of us," he huffed. "I awoke in my body and found myself possessed and subjugated by you!" he spat. "I couldn't complete my emergence into the world, I couldn't finish my body's transformation into a vampire, because my power was being diluted and suppressed by your power!" he complained. "All I could do was endure the horrors of humanity, mortality, and that pathetic righteousness of yours!" he sneered.

"Until now?" noted Atticus as the Jiāngshī arrived before him.

"Until now," confirmed the Jiāngshī in a giggle. "I don't have a soul, so when Tarble destroyed my body, Tarble destroyed me for good," he admitted in a growl. "But I am a body, not a soul, so the body's recreation meant my recreation!" he laughed. "These fools recreated me when they recreated your vessel, when they allowed you to have your Earthly body in this Otherworld!" he clarified. "And when they caused that body and your soul to reject one another, when they revealed the truth to you, they gave me the opportunity to release myself from you subjugation!"

"You caused a fission with the rejection..." realized Atticus with a blink.

"...and thus split the body into a half with me and a half with you," finished the Jiāngshī. "A half with evil ki and mad psions, and a half with good ki..."

"...AND NOTHING ELSE!" revealed the Jiāngshī as it blitzed Atticus with an uppercut. As Atticus arose into a crash through the ceiling of the office, Atticus choked on gore stuck in his throat and found himself staring upward. After a blink and then a cough that failed, Atticus amassed ki at the bottom of his throat and then blasted the gore with that ki! After belching out a radiant vomit in order to save himself from suffocation, Atticus descended his gaze into a glare towards the Jiāngshī and then halted into a hover in midair.

"I can't feel my psychic strength," seethed Atticus as the Jiāngshī opposed his glare with a fanged and mocking smile. "All of my psions, all of my telekinesis and telepathy, all of that really was taken by him it seems!" he spat. "But I don't need such talents!" he insisted as he amassed an Aura of a Destructive Warrior at the cost of destroying his good ki and then confined that Aura of a Destructive Warrior within himself! "Because I have skill, because I have techniques!" he declared as he discharged an explosion of his body's natural rest energy!

"Your Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior, right?" cooed the Jiāngshī after Atticus' power up. "Y'know, you aren't the only person in this world..." continued the Jiāngshī as he also amassed an Aura of a Destructive Warrior and then confined that Aura of a Destructive Warrior within himself! "...with a desire to destroy!"

"He can use the aura‽" gasped Atticus as the Jiāngshī's embroidery and eyes became as silver as his! "How can..." he seethed before he suddenly twitched. "...huh?"

"You feel it, yeah?" cooed the Jiāngshī as he arose into a flight towards Atticus. "During your duel with Tarble, you didn't have a moment to notice this, but I did!" he bragged as he arrived at Atticus' elevation.

"Y-y-you..." spat Atticus at the Jiāngshī, albeit with a grimace as he started to suspect that the Jiāngshī knew everything that he knew! "...how much do you-"

"It's like Super Saiyan God," asserted the Jiāngshī. As he did so, of course, he accidentally answered Atticus question and confirmed Atticus' suspicions! "Our Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior is like Super Saiyan God in the anime and movie," he clarified. "Achieving the that aura alters and augments the base form into..."

"...well, let's call it a Mortal Beyond Destruction (破壊を超えた人間, Hakai o koeta Ningen, "A Human Who has Surpassed Destruction")," decided the Jiāngshī as Atticus and his embroidery and eyes reverted from silver and into their respective, base colors! "Just as Goku adapted to Super Saiyan God in order to become a Saiyan Beyond God, we've adapted to the Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior in order to become a Mortal Beyond Destruction!" he specified. "Our adaptation to the aura allows us to confine and refine the aura by instinct," he explained with a smirk. "All aspects of the aura is automatic, effortless, and thoughtless now..."

"...because this is the brink of a real transformation!" argued the Jiāngshī to Atticus. "An actual, destructive, transcendent transformation!" he laughed. "A Super Saiyan of our own!"

"Bullshit!" refuted Atticus in a snarl. "How could you know that?"

"Can't you feel it?" asked the Jiāngshī. "We are BRIMMING with power!" he cackled. "All that is necessary is a push..." he cooed. "...and we'll transcend!"

"As if I'd let you!" growled Atticus. "You killed King Yama, you-"

"A necessary sacrifice," asserted the Jiāngshī to Atticus. "Apply that beautiful brain of ours for a second, we can't kill one another without killing both of us, because we are linked!" stressed the Jiāngshī to Atticus. "Because of the baptism of our guts in the Ultra Divine Water, because the both of us were conjoined in a ghostly possession for years, or because we died together? It doesn't matter! The reason doesn't matter! All that matters is that we are one in some way!" declared the Jiāngshī.

"Wh-wh-what does that have to do with killing King Yama‽" asked Atticus in a growl. "You didn't just kill the king, you destroyed him!" he added in a roar. "Erased his existence from-"

"Because of Chiaotzu!" answered the Jiāngshī in a laugh. "Chiaotzu and I are connected just as you and I are connected," he cooed. "I'll ascend to my full power if I break into Heaven and drink Chiaotzu's soul!" he revealed in a shout of a snicker. "I'll break the ceiling and procure a transformation in doing so, yes, but that ceiling isn't as far as it should be..."

"...because of the fission," finished Atticus in the Jiāngshī's stead. "Just as Kami and Piccolo are weaker than the Nameless Namekian..."

"...the both of us are weaker than we were when you fought Tarble," cooed the Jiāngshī. "We could defeat Tarble by applying our Mortal Beyond Destruction form in conjunction with the Principles of the Power of Destruction, yes, but we're still weaker!" he spat. "Attaining a diminished power by drinking Chiaotzu's soul is short-sighted and stupid when we can instead perform a three-way fusion of sorts," he argued. "I am able to combine with Chiaotzu and you, so I am able to act as glue that sticks Chiaotzu and you together," he revealed. "It'll be the fusion of the millennia, greater than the potara themselves!" he bragged. "Our combination would dwarf even Frieza in power, combined with our skill and techniques, we'd dominate the setting in no time at all!"

"A fusion of three?" murmured Atticus with a shake of his head. "A fusion of two is capable of enormous jumps in power, so how strong would this fusion of three b- THERE IS NO WAY THAT I AM DOING THAT DUMBASS!" shouted Atticus after pondering for a second or two. "I ain't forcing Chiaotzu into a fusion with us; erasing Chiaotzu, you, and myself in the process; just to shortcut ourselves to strength!" he spat.

"Aren't you being selfish?" huffed the Jiāngshī.

"NO!" refuted Atticus. "Not at all!"

"Think of all that we could do with that power though!" argued the Jiāngshī. "We could defeat Frieza and dismantle the planet trade!" he offered. "We could protect everyone, save everything!"

"I am already capable of defeating Frieza, with some training, and I WILL defeat Frieza!" spat Atticus. "I'll defeat Frieza, and I'll do it without resorting to you!"

"You just don't understand..." sighed the Jiāngshī. "...but that's fine, because I don't need you to understand," he cackled. "All I need is to bring Chiaotzu, you, and myself together for the fusion and then the new us will understand everything as I understand it!" he noted.

"You ain't getting your hands on Chiaotzu!" hissed Atticus as he burst into flashing soar towards the Jiāngshī. The Jiāngshī cackled at Atticus approach and then clashed fists with Atticus as Atticus and him punched at one another! Subsequently, the Jiāngshī clasped Atticus' fist in his grip and then clawed into Atticus fist! Atticus hissed in pain at the seizure and then kicked the Jiāngshī in the balls‽ However, the Jiāngshī moaned in masochistic pleasure at the torment and then swung Atticus upwards. "Wh-wh-wah!" cried Atticus as the Jiāngshī rotated Atticus and himself into a superluminal and vertical whirl! After disorienting Atticus with their spin, the Jiāngshī released Atticus into a hurtling plummet and thus a slam through the Check-In Station's roof!

"Pain is power in this state," giggled the Jiāngshī as he descended face-first into a meteoric soar towards Atticus. "And boy do I lllooovvveee power!" he declared as he blitzed Atticus in midair and thereby hammered Atticus through the Check-in Station's floor!

"C-c-call for help!" urged a nearby office ogre, as Atticus and Jiāngshī caused a collapse of the Check-In Station's floor! "H-hurry!"

"I've been trying but nothing is working!" cried another office ogre with a corded phone in hand, as the Jiāngshī's aura hacked the signal of their phone and lied about the situation!

"Attacking carelessly will just strengthen this twat!" realized Atticus as the Jiāngshī and him broke through the floor of the Check-In Station and then crashed into the clouds of gold that were beneath the Check-In Station. At this point, as the Jiāngshī attacked Atticus with a punch, Atticus bashed the Jiāngshī's wrist with his forearm and thereby deflected the punch! At the same time, Atticus applied his hips into a lurch towards the Jiāngshī and then punched the Jiāngshī into a rearward soar! Following that, Atticus erupted into a jump towards the Jiāngshī and then kicked the Jiāngshī into a rising soar as well. After the Jiāngshī diagonally soared through the foundation of the Check-In Station and into the office of King Yama, Atticus abruptly appeared behind the Jiāngshī and then elbowed the Jiāngshī in the neck and into a whirl!

"Attacking my vitals with Hikōbushi (飛光拳, Flying Light Fist), huh?" scoffed the Jiāngshī as he dropped into a cartwheeling, face-first, and haphazard roll along the ground. "You're attempting to end the fight, attempting to kill me and yourself, as fast as possible!" he deduced as he cartwheel into a handstand, continued into a normal stand, and then halted himself with a powerful stomp! "But I am the Jiāngshī, I am a vampire, I am UNDEAD!" he reveled in a shouting snicker. "I don't have lethal places to strike!" he bragged. "An attack upon my neck? Ha! You could attack my brain, heart, spine, or whatever! And the result would be the same!"

"Only a blast will end him then," growled Atticus as the Jiāngshī mocked him. "But with his access to and knowledge of my techniques..."

"...you can't destroy me!" finished the Jiāngshī in Atticus' stead. "Nijūde Fugendodonpa (二十腕普賢どどん波, "Twenty-Armed Samantabhadra Dodon Wave")!" chanted Atticus and the Jiāngshī, at the same time and in the same voice, as the both of them discharged a Super Dodon Wave from each and every last one of their fingers! As soon as Atticus and the Jiāngshī began to fire upon one another, an argent gleam blinded the office ogres as it enveloped the Check-In Station with an enduring flash of white! Subsequently, a blast of silver erupted from each of Atticus and the Jiāngshī's fingertips and then meandered into a soar towards another blast of silver! As Atticus and the Jiāngshī's blasts barreled into one another, the blasts began to blow the entirety of the Check-In Station into a chalky and fiery maelstrom of power and shrapnel!

"Alright..." exhaled Atticus as the Jiāngshī and his blasts collided and detonated. "...here we go," he whispered as he actuated and then augmented both an adrenaline rush and a fight-or-flight response within himself! However, instead of enhancing the fight portion of the response, Atticus exacerbated the flight portion of the response! Following that, Atticus accelerated himself into a dim yet luminary and silvery soar with his Hikōbushi technique.

"T   h   e     A   r   t   .   .   ." chimed the Jiāngshī as Atticus began to outpace him with ridiculous speed. However, instead of attacking the Jiāngshī before the Jiāngshī could react and speed up, Atticus focused on reaching and saving each and every ogre within the Check-In Station! ".   .   .   o   f      M   o   r   t   a   l   i   t   y   !" finished the Jiāngshī as Atticus finished grabbing and then hurtling the ogres to safety! Afterward, the Jiāngshī accelerated himself with light too and then blurred into a clash of fists with Atticus! "And here I thought you'd never use it again!" he laughed as Atticus and his blasts caught up to Atticus and him. Subsequently, Atticus and the Jiāngshī were blown up with the Check-in Station and consequently hurtled into the Otherworld's sky!

"Y-y-you're able to use the Art as well?" gasped Atticus as the Jiāngshī and him halted themselves in midair and then soared towards one another!

"No," admitted the Jiāngshī as Atticus and him crashed into one another and erupted into a flurry of kicks and punches! "I am able to draw out more of our power, exert more of an effort without tiring or weakening myself, because I AM UNDEAD YOU IDIOT!" cackled the Jiāngshī as it landed a punch on Atticus' face and then seized Atticus by the teeth. "Ahahahaaa, ahahahahaaa!" howled the Jiāngshī as he elongated his arm into a heft of Atticus overhead and then retracted his arm in order to drag Atticus balls-first into his knee! As a blood-curling scream erupted from Atticus, the Jiāngshī basked in Atticus' pain by connecting Atticus and his mind with his telepathy. At the same time, the Jiāngshī forced Atticus to scream into his throat by kissing Atticus as Atticus screamed!

"Whatthefuckoff!" demanded Atticus as he kicked the Jiāngshī away and off him. "You bastard!" he literally spat. "Ugh!"

"You know you like that!" asserted the Jiāngshī in a laugh at Atticus' fury and pain.

"Y-y-you were in my head!" retorted Atticus in another spat. "You know I-"

"I liked it, you liked it, same thing!" insisted the Jiāngshī.

"It's really not!" screamed Atticus. "Fucking rapi-"

"But it will be once Chiaotzu, you, and I are one!" declared Jiāngshī in a giggle. "Once we are fused together and have the power to make everyone and everything our toys!"

"That ain't happening!" declared Atticus as his aura burned his emotions as kindling and then flared into shimmer of silver within his skin! "Because I am killing you here!"

"I can not die, so you can't kill me, but rather only destroy me!" refuted the Jiāngshī in a snort. "If you die, I die. So if I am destroyed..." he continued in  a coo.

"...are you destroyed as well?"

"What?" uttered Atticus with a blink. "If he is destroyed, will I disappear from existence with him?" he considered with fear in his heart. "No! Stop that! Don't be selfish! You have to-"

"An opening!" cackled the Jiāngshī as he appeared before Atticus in an instant and then bashed Atticus' face with a palm strike! At the same time, a door appeared behind Atticus and then opened as Atticus crashed into it!

"EH‽" gasped Atticus as the Jiāngshī mushed him through the door and into the Earth's sky‽ "WHAT‽" he cried as he fell for a moment but then halted himself into a hover. "How did you-"

"When I absorbed King Yama, I attained King Yama's authority and otherworldly powers," revealed the Jiāngshī with a Cheshire and fanged grin. "All of his access to all of the otherworldly realms, all of his capability to judge the mortals of our worlds, all of that is MINE now!" he cheered in a giggle.

"Not for long!" declared Atticus as he blurred into a flash towards the Jiāngshī...

...and then crashed face-first into an invisible wall?

"Huh?" uttered Atticus after his inexplicable impact with nothing. "What did you do‽"

"I banned you from the otherworld," answered the Jiāngshī with a shrug. "You're stuck on that side of the universe; while I feast on Heaven's souls and find Chiaotzu," he continued in a cackle. "After I've captured Chiaotzu and powered up; I'll come for you; and then Chiaotzu, you, and I will fuse into the strongest vampire in all the worlds!" he claimed as he closed the door in a mockingly slow way.

"No!" roared Atticus as he attacked the closing door with his fists, bashed the invisible wall with punches, yet failed to so much as scratch the door before it closed in full and then vanished into the wind. "God damn it!" he swore with a clench of his fists. "He's aware of everything that I knew before his birth, so the lookout is probably locked out of the Otherworld too, but..."

"...the Cerealian Dragon Balls," considered Atticus with a look up at Planet Cereal. "After I've dealt with the elite saiyans that Tarble left behind, I can use the Cerealian Dragon Balls to get into the Otherworld and take out that Jiāngshī," he hoped. "I can-"

"Chiaotzu?"

"Eh?" uttered Atticus as the air brightened with a cerulean tinge. Subsequently, all of the cerulean coalesced into a gleaming implosion of sapphire and then expanded into a magical portal! "Magic?" gasped Atticus as a woman emerged from the portal. A woman with azure and shoulder-length hair; blue-grey eyes; and immaculate, porcelain skin. The woman was dressed in a black witch hat; a backless, black, and fur-lined tank top; a pair of black, fur-lined, and daisy dukes-style shorts; and a pair of black, combat boots which — of course — were also lined with fur. As soon as Atticus and the woman's eyes met, the woman blinked in confusion...

...and then blitzed Atticus with a flash of movement which captured Atticus in a hug.

"Chiaotzu!" wailed the woman as she held, squeezed, and swung Atticus in her arms. "O-o-oh, how I've missed you!" she sniffed. "I-I-It's been too long! Way too long, Chaiotzu!"

"Y-y-you..." murmured Atticus as he nuzzled into and returned the woman's hug. "...you recognize me, Maron?" he questioned as Maron released him.

"Of course!" confirmed Maron with a nod and a wipe of her tears. "Your ki is a bit scarier, and your psions vanished, but it's still your ki!" she stressed. "It's still you, Chiaotzu, right?"

"Mhm," confirmed Atticus in a hum...

...and then he blinked.

"You can detect ki‽" asked Atticus in a gasp. "S-s-since when‽" he questioned.

"Duh," giggled Maron with a grab of Atticus' hand and a proud smile. "I have been learning and training too!" she revealed. And as Maron spoke, Atticus remembered what Kami had told him.

"Maron agreed to become Fortuneteller Baba's apprentice..."

"...she must have been hiding that from you, hoping to surprise you I bet,"

"You actually learned magic, real spells, from Fortuneteller Baba‽" gasped Atticus. "Th-th-that's amazing!" he awed. "I attempted to learn magic multiple times and failed every time!" he revealed. "While you, well, look at you!"

"Did that old slug spoil you‽" asked Maron in a huff. "I aught to change him into a real slug for that!" she continued with her cheeks puffed out. "I wanted to reveal the secret to you!" she whined. "Not have it exposed by that crone!"

"Th-th-the emergency made it necessary," asserted Atticus to Maron in a half-hearted laugh. "S-so let him off easy, alright?"

"Alright," grumbled Maron. "But did you tan?" she questioned with a title of her head. "And changed your hair, and is that a nose?" she mused. "Plastic surgery?"

"No!" refuted Atticus in a whine. "It's a lllooonnnggg story," he groaned.

"I have time," hummed Maron. "So tell, tell, tell!" she demanded. "Tell me, what caused this dramatic makeover?" she inquired. "Perhaps a girlfriend?"

"I..." began Atticus with a frown and then a sigh. "...I ain't Chiaotzu," he murmured. "I am the Chiaotzu that you know, that you met at the tournament," he clarified quickly. "But I ain't the Chiaotzu that Taopaipai, Tien, and Tsuru knew," he confessed. "I ain't the real Chiaotzu," he sniffed. "I am-"

"Atticus, right?" guessed Maron with a covered mouth. "What Korin and Little Piccolo called you, Atticus, yeah?"

"Eh?" uttered Atticus. "Y-y-you knew?"

"Not really?" admitted Maron. "But I heard others call you Atticus and knew something was up with that," she explained in a him. "I didn't think you were an identity thief though,"

"I-i-it's not identity theft in that way," insisted Atticus. "I am, uhh, a ghost?" he summarized. "A ghost that possessed Chiaotzu's body," he continued with a shake of his head. "A ghost that kicked out Chiaotzu's soul and stole Chiaotzu's body,"

"What did you do that for?" asked Maron. "That's so not like you," she noted. "As it's not very nice,"

"I didn't do it on purpose," answered Atticus with a look away. "I awoke in Chiaotzu's body," he groaned. "But apparently, when I entered Chiaotzu's body, Chiaotzu was kicked out of the body!"

"That isn't possession then," argued Maron. "And it isn't theft," she added. "It's bad luck,"

"B-b-bad luck?" spluttered Atticus. "What?"

"Bad things happen at times," asserted Maron. "They just happen," she reiterated with a shrug. "Everything isn't a fault of someone, y'know. Sometimes a thing just is," she stressed.

"That's a bit depressing," sighed Atticus. "Where is the karma in that?"

"Everything isn't karmic silly," laughed Maron at Atticus. "You're always considering evil and good, righteousness and wickedness, and that's great but it's also a little stupid?" she continued, earing herself a gawk from Atticus as she did so. Being called dumb by Maron, of all people, was not a low that Atticus ever thought he would sink to. But here he was. Yet it did not bother or enrage him? More surprised him? "You aren't a demon, just a dude with horrible luck," insisted Maron.

"I guess so," accepted Atticus with a close of his eyes. "I guess that makes sense?"

"Of course it makes sense," giggled Maron. "Because it's obvious," she insisted. "Either way, that body, it's a different one?" she guessed.

"I am not sure," admitted Atticus. "it's complicated," he groaned. "But I'll assume that it is," he decided.

"Alright, if that's so, we can just give the old body back to Chiaotzu then!" suggested Maron. "With the dragon cubes!"

"I guess that's possible?" considered Atticus. "Also they're dragon b-"

"You look nice by the way," added Maron as she floated up to Atticus and then fluffed Atticus' hair. "Especially the fro," she giggled as she continued to observe and play with Atticus' hair. "It flows in the wind, like my hair, yet it's as dense and fluffy as a sheep's wool? How does that work?"

"Th-th-thanks?" stammered a stunned Atticus. "So do you," he added in a shy whisper. "As always,"

"As always?" asked Maron with a pause.

"You look as beautiful as always," clarified Atticus, clearly and loudly. But then he clammed up and his face scrunched up, clearly discomforted and embarrassed by his words. The charm of Goku and the confidence of Yamcha were traits that Atticus clearly lacked! "N-n-now the saiyans..." continued Atticus as he about-faced away from Maron and focused on the ki signatures throughout the Earth. "...I can feel them fighting the others, we need to-"

"Aha..." interjected Maron as she clawed into Atticus' shirt and then dragged Atticus into facing her once more. "...no," huffed Maron in a scalding tone of voice. "Tell me," demanded Maron in a whisper. "Tell me Attie,"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus as Maron faced him towards her and forced him to look upon her. "T-t-tell you what?" he asked as he beheld Maron's gaze and matched Maron's stare.

"Chiaotzu, no, Atticus..." began Maron with a grimace and then a hardened and steely visage. "...am I beautiful like a doll?"

"No!" answered Atticus in a harsh snap. "That's not what I mea-"

"Then am I beautiful like a daughter?" continued Maron, causing Atticus confusion as she did so. "Or, perhaps, like a sister?"

"Oh..." gasped Atticus as he began to realize what Maron was asking of him. "...no," he admitted in  a squeak. "N-n-not like that,"

"Then I am beautiful like a woman?" asked Maron with a smile. "Like you'd want me to be your woman?"

"You are a more beautiful and more powerful and more wonderful woman than I could ever had realized when the both of us met at the end of that tournament," answered Atticus, without confidence but with full honesty instead. "You carried me to Korin's Tower, you endangered your life and endured great pain and massive strain, all for my sake," he remembered and voiced. "I always liked you, but after you carried me that day, I came to fully love you," he confessed.

"Then, I ask again, tell me," demanded Maron. "Everything, Atticus! All of it. As much as you can, as much as you know!" she insisted. "Allow me to be with you on this journey, rather than left behind and in the dark!" she complained in a crying whine.

"B-b-but..." gulped Atticus at the thought. "...it's insane," he warned. "And a lot!" he stressed.

"All of this is insane," laughed Maron. "And I have time," she snorted. "Can you make time?" she questioned. "For me? For us?" she added.

"..."

"Atticus?"

"...I can," agreed Atticus in a sigh. "I will," he promised.

"Then I do," chimed Maron with a smile. "When that time comes," she sighed. "For now though, lover..." she giggled and swooned. "...tell me,"

Chapter Text

May 16th, Age 757

It began...

...with a peal of thunder!

Which awoke Nappa from a nap on a pile of riches and skeletons and then frightened Nappa into a leap and then a stand. After his leap into a stand, Nappa glared at the lightning in the sky then pressed the side of his head. "Damn that human..." swore Nappa, as his contact with flesh rather than metal reminded him that his scouter had been trashed by Atticus. "...is that just lightning or a person?" he grumbled with a shake of his head. "If I had a scouter, I could-"

"Think fast!"

"Shit!" swore Nappa after an arc of the lightning descended into a flash towards him and as that arc of lightning impacted upon his torso! Subsequently, the arc of lightning blasted a dent into Nappa's torso and then launched Nappa into a rearward skid through the streets and structures of West City!

"Yes..." cooed the arc of lightning, or rather, Yamcha as it became clear that he had just blitzed and kicked Nappa. "...I am sick of you saiyans' shit!" spat Yamcha, as Nappa emerged from a pile of rubble and then glared towards Yamcha with a snarl in his throat.

"I remember you..." snarled Nappa as he glowed a radiant and seething white. "...all of that confidence that you had in your victory, yet your back broke on my knees and your face was painted into a smear on these streets!" he remembered in a snicker.

"Ayup," admitted Yamcha in a laugh and with a shrug. "If the brat from That Time I Reincarnated into Yamcha could defeat you with ease, then surely, I could defeat you with equal if not greater ease..." he continued in a sigh. "...is what I thought before you revealed that you were stronger than you were supposed to be," he huffed.

"A brat? Defeat me? What?" growled Nappa with a twitch. "Was your brain smeared onto these streets too‽"

"You wouldn't understand," answered Yamcha. "You aren't an isekai, just a consequence of an isekai," he continued in a more serious tone of voice. "I can't expect everyone to be as they're supposed to be..." he noted. "...so I can't expect things to be as easy for me as it was for that brat!"

"Alright, enough of this rambling, I'm ripping you to shreds!" declared Nappa as he leapt into a pounce upon Yamcha and then lashed at Yamcha with a punch! However, Yamcha blocked the punch with his forearm and then clawed into Nappa's fist with electrical fingernails. "Aaaauuuggghhhaaaa!" hissed Nappa as Yamcha electrocuted and flung Nappa at the same time, causing Nappa to crash through a nearby truck's windshield and drop face-first into the driver's seat!

"I'm far, far stronger than I used to be Nappa!" warned Yamcha as Nappa bit his lip in a rage and then detonated the entirety of the truck with an discharge of his ki! "So if you desire to live this time, you better surrender!"

"I am the one that is far stronger!" asserted Nappa as he about-faced towards Yamcha. "I've doubled in power, THRICE, since the beatdown that I gave you last time!" he revealed as he amassed the power of the two zenkais that Atticus had granted him! "That would give me a power level of 240,000 BP, almost half as strong as our Great King Tarble himself!" he bragged as he blasted the entirety of West City's remains into a crater with just a lunge which rocketed him towards Yamcha! And then bashed a dent into Yamcha's face as he blitzed Yamcha with a punch!

"N-n-no doubt..." coughed Yamcha through gritted teeth and gory vomit. Subsequently, Yamcha backwardly dropped into a handstand then flew and swung himself into a leg sweep! "...from a fight or two with Chiaotzu, yeah?" cackled Yamcha as Nappa buckled from the leg sweep and then dropped into a fall! Yamcah then flew into pounce upon Nappa in order to grab Nappa by Nappa's face and then mush Nappa head-first into the ground! "He beat you that bad, huh?" asked Yamcha in a cackle that infuriated Nappa into a tremor of unbridled wrath!

"Shut up!" demanded Nappa as he kicked Yamcha off him and into a rise. However, after the kick launched Yamcha skyward, Nappa began to glow with a ruby tinge and Yamcha with a sapphire tinge. Nappa blinked at his crimson shine and then gagged as a punch ravaged his stomach into a sanguine vomit! "Wh-wh-what‽" wheezed Nappa as he abruptly found himself in the sky with Yamcha rather than standing on the surface.

"Rōgajishakuken (狼牙磁石拳, Wolf-Fang Magnet Fist)!" chanted Yamcha as he attacked Nappa with a fist which plummeted Nappa with a repulsion of Nappa rather than a strike upon Nappa! In an instant, Nappa disappeared from Yamcha's position in the sky and then reappeared in a slam that smashed West City's crater into a valley! Afterward, Nappa arose into the sky just as swiftly and then crashed into Yamcha's fist as Yamcha attacked with a punch!

"B-b-bastard!" cried Nappas as he began another descent fueled by another punch's repulsion. However, as Nappa began to be pushed, Nappa lashed out at Yamcha and thereby seized Yamcha's wrist! "Got you!" he declared as he halted his plummet by holding onto Yamcha!

"Not the smartest tactic..." cackled Yamcha as he discharged his ki into a cerulean flash of lightning‽ "...Raijugawa (雷獣皮, "Thunder Beast Pelt")!" continued Yamcha as he appeared to convert his ki into lightning and then conduct that lightning into Nappa! As soon as the electrocuted Nappa howled in pain and released Yamcha, Yamcha continued where he left of by punching Nappa into a plummet! "With my new Raijugawa technique, I can change my ki into Denki (電気, "Electricity") now and change that denki's polarity too!" cooed Yamcha as Nappa detonated the ground with the impact of his plummet! "Negative?" he laughed as his aura of cerulean ki crackled and sparked. "Positive?" he hummed as his aura changed from cerulean to scarlet and thus from negative to positive! "I can charge my denki into either polarity and charge you with that polarity whenever I strike you!"

"What kind of fucking nerd shit is this‽" spat Nappa as he arose into a stumble and swatted away the smoke that surrounded him with a swipe of his hand. "You can charge and shock me with that denki thing, huh?" he noted in a snarl and as he glowed with ki that was a pure and radiant white! Subsequently, Nappa applied the force of his ki as a means of discharging Yamcha's denki from its infusion within him. By doing so, Nappa dispelled his positive charge and thus ended his ruby shimmer! "Well then, charge this, worm!" sneered Nappa as he discharged his ki with an elevation of his index and middle fingers!

"Okay," agreed Yamcha as he elevated a hand overhead and then flashed his fangs with a huge smirk. "Denkidama (電気玉, "Electric Energy Sphere")," cooed Yamcha as he assembled electrons from the environment and with a modified Spirit Bomb technique! Subsequently, arcs of lightning appeared in the sky and then convened into a flash and surge towards Nappa's explosion! In an instant, the electricity of the flash charged the explosion with electrons and then those electrons conducted through the explosion...

...and straight to Nappa!

"Wha..." was all that Nappa managed to say before a deluge of electrons ripped into and then surged throughout him! As the electrons scorched and tore through Nappa from the inside-out, Nappa's body was paralyzed into a perfect silence. While Nappa's soul quaked the Otherworld with its screams! "...aaaAAAAAAUUUGGGHHH!" screeched Nappa in his thoughts, as his explosion fizzled out from his focus on his pain over his power!

"I am able to amass electricity from the world as easily as I am able to generate lightning from scratch," added Yamcha in a snicker. "At the same time, whether I am conducting electricity through my ki or conducting that electricity through your ki, the principle is the same," he revealed in a coo. "So while the Thunder Shock Surprise can't gather lightning as well as the Denkidama or generate lightning like the Raijugawa, it can be used to bypass your ki and directly strike you!"

"Y-y-you..." wheezed Nappa with a drop onto his knees and bloody drips of crimson drool falling from his mouth. "...ain't the only one that learned a new technique!" he revealed as he opened his right hand and revealed a sphere of white‽

"That..." gasped Yamcha as Nappa bloated into a muscular swell and then commenced to grow into a Great Ape! "...is a Power Ball!" he recognized in a snarl. "When did you-"

"Aha, ahaha, ahahahahahahahhaaaaa!" cackled Nappa as he continued to grow in size and distort into a simian terror! "This is the end for-"

"You ain't trained that well enough,"

"What?" uttered Nappa as a feral grin distorted Yamcha's visage. At the same time, Yamcha assembled an electrical wolf with his Denkidama and then discharged that electrical wolf into a flash of lightning! "No!" cried Nappa as the electrical wolf bit onto Nappa's tail and then sawed through Nappa's tail with the sparks of its teeth!

"You assume that Great Ape form wwwaaayyy too slowly," scolded Yamcha in a snicker, as the cutting of Nappa's tail halted and reversed Nappa's transformation! "You can't expect me to just let you transform, y'know? You have to be able to quickly transform in order to use it in a war like this,"

"B-b-bastard!" complained Nappa in a spat. "You have no honor!" he accused. "Ahh, but, that matters not!" he added in a snicker and a wheeze...

...because even just starting the transformation was all that Nappa needed to recover from his wounds and zenkai!

"What would a saiyan like you know of honor?" sneered Yamcha as Nappa erupted out of the valley and into a surge towards him! "Kaiōden (界王電, "World King Lightning")!" he chanted as he charged his body's electrons with the Kaio-ken rather than his body as a whole!

"Kaio..." began Nappa as Yamcha abruptly appeared before him as a crimson flash of lightning! "...wha-blarghauuu!" gagged Nappa as Yamcha punched him in the face and into a spinning top-like whirl! Afterward, Yamcha arced into a crescent of scarlet and thereby slammed into Nappa's back! "Ahhh, ahhh, aaaaaauuuuugggghhhaaaaaa!" cried Nappa as Yamcha carried him into a U-turn and then face-first into the molten surface of the valley! After Yamcha crashed Nappa through a lake of lava, Yamcha kicked off Nappa's back and into a leaping and rearward somersault.

"I'll give you this last opportunity to surrender," called Yamcha as he halted into a hover and then literally looked down upon Nappa. "Even if you were as strong as Tarble in his base, which you are not by the way, you still couldn't defeat me dude," he warned as Nappa arose from the dirt and lava and in a seething tremble.

"Me..." hissed Nappa at the mere thought of surrender. "...surrender to TRASH like YOU‽" he roared as he became empowered and enlarged by his Fury, becoming as bulky and large as the Ox King himself as he did so! "I, an elite saiyan, will NOT surrender to a MERE HUMAN!" insisted Nappa he blurred into a disappearance and then reappeared in a the middle of a swipe towards Yamcha! Yamcha blinked at Nappa's swipe and then was knocked into a plummet by the swipe! Subsequently, Yamcha chuckled at the hit and pain and then jerked and righted himself into a soar towards an incoming and roaring Nappa!

As Nappa and Yamcha crashed into one another in midair, Nappa and Yamcha punched one another in the face! Afterward, Nappa kicked Yamcha with a lash of his leg! After the kick though, Yamcha bit and clawed into Nappa's leg! As Yamcha's biting and clawing elicited a pained scream of terror from Nappa, Yamcha dragged Nappa into a plummeting soar and thereby slammed Nappa back-first into the ground! At this point, Yamcha dashed into a kick of Nappa's face and thereby forced Nappa into a stand. After a bloody cough, Nappa grabbed Yamcha by the shoulders and then headbutted Yamcha as he pulled Yamcha inward and towards him! Following that, Nappa blasted Yamcha with a discharge of ki from his mouth!

However, Yamcha armored himself with denki and then conducted the denki through the blast and straight to Nappa! As Nappa was electrocuted into a paralysis and a scream, Yamcha armed himself with claws of electricity and then leapt into a piercing pounce upon Nappa's torso! "Raijūgafūfūjinken (雷獣牙風風神拳, Thunder Beast-Fang Wind God Fist)!" cackled Yamcha as he clawed into and seized Nappa's torso. Afterward, Yamcha flew Nappa into a rearward somersault and then tossed Nappa into a whirl! After crashing face-first onto the ground and the into a roll, Nappa clobbered the ground with a hammering punch and thereby flipped himself into a scrunched and seething stand. As blood dripped from Nappa's wounds, Nappa became even madder and even stronger and then threw himself at Yamcha!

Nappa arrived before Yamcha in less than a moment's passing and then bashed in Yamcha's face with a hammering punch! But then Yamcha bit into Nappa's hand with electrical fangs‽ "Raijūga Shingaken (雷獣ヶ真牙拳, Thunder Beast's True Fang Fist)!" gurgled Yamcha as blood flooded his mouth, and as he dragged Nappa into a flail with a lash of his neck and torso! Subsequently, Yamcha flung Nappa into a rearward soar and then followed up with a jump and kick towards Nappa! "Rōgakiryūken (狼牙亀流拳, Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" howled Yamcha as he blasted Nappa's stomach with a Kamehameha-powered jump kick and then flew and front-flipped into pummeling Nappa with Kamehameha-powered punches!

"E-e-enough!" demanded Nappa as he flailed into an uppercut and thereby punched Yamcha skyward! Afterward, Nappa erupted into a furious soar towards Yamcha and lashed at Yamcha with a palm strike! However, Yamcha blocked Nappa's palm with a cross of his arms and then conducted denki into Nappa's palms! "I-I-I SAID ENOUGH!" asserted Nappa as he endured the pain and overcame the paralysis and then seized Yamcha! "Now DIE!"

"You first," hissed Yamcha after Nappa grabbed Yamcha's arms with one hand and as Nappa lashed at Yamcha's head with his other hand. At the same time, Yamcha applied his Kaio-den to the electricity that he had injected into Nappa and thus... "Raijūga Higaken (雷獣ヶ飛牙拳, Thunder Beast's Flying Fang Fist)!" ...directed and empowered that electricity into disemboweling and dismembering Nappa from the inside-out! After Nappa's arms and legs were cut off and dropped into a plummet, and after Nappa's stomach was splayed into sanguine strips, Yamcha dismissively flicked Nappa's chin and thereby snapped Nappa's neck into a rearward stare upward. As Nappa choked for a moment and then dropped into a plummet, he eyed Yamcha's disgusted gaze of judgement and thus felt the rage within him surge to its zenith!

"NO!" refused Nappa as an aura of cyan rage destroyed his irises and pupils‽ At the same time, the aura of rage emerged from Nappa like mist from water and then layered itself atop Nappa and into the shape of Nappa's silhouette. "NOT BEFORE YOU!" declared Nappa as he forcibly lowered his neck into place and then halted his plummet.

"What bullshit is..." murmured Yamcha at Nappa's defiance of every law of nature. "...Super Saiyan Rage?" he realized in a whisper, as the aura of rage reminded him of Super Saiyan Rage Trunks' internal, second aura of cyan wrath! "Except without the Super Saiyan?"

"I don't lose, WE lose!" insisted Nappa as he began to discharge his newfound power into an explosion without restraint or structure, aiming to destroy the planet as a means of indirectly killing Yamcha! "ALL OF US LOSE TODAY!"

"As if!" hissed Yamcha as he descended with a flight which outpaced Nappa's explosion. By doing so, Yamcha managed to position himself between the Earth and the explosion. "Electricity is from the electromagnetic interaction, while the electromagnetic interaction is from the electroweak interaction..." noted Yamcha as he augmented the Kaio-den's effect upon his electrons, increasing it from a Kaio-den x2 all the way to a Kaio-den x5! "...so while I can't naturally transform, my electrons can!" revealed Yamcha as he energized his electrons into an ascension from electromagnetic particles into electroweak particles! Subsequently, Yamcha began to change from an electromagnetic organism into an electroweak organism! That is, Yamcha began to transform!

"H-h..." stammered Nappa as Yamcha attained an enlarged and excessively muscled physique; lustrously onyx, rigidly spiky, and waist-length hair; and a combination of a wolf's ears, eyes, fangs, and tail! In addition, Yamcha's forearms and forelegs were armored in black fur. And lastly; Yamcha's left eye, the fingernails of Yamcha's left hand, and the toenails of Yamcha's left foot were all a negative sapphire. While Yamcha's right eye, the fingernails of Yamcha's right hand, and the toenails of Yamcha's right foot were all a positive ruby! "...humans can transform‽" gasped Nappa as he beheld Dire Yamcha (ダイア ヤムチャ, Daia Yamucha)! 'Since whe-"

"I can transform," corrected Yamcha as he began the flourish of the Kamehameha. "Into my Dire Wolf (ダイア ウルフ, Daia Urufu) form, because of my research and my training and my WILL to protect my people and planet from SCUM LIKE YOU!" screamed Yamcha as he amassed denki with an electroweak flavor and then discharged that denki into a stream towards Nappa! "Dairōgahameha (大狼牙破滅波, Dire Wolf-Fang Destruction Blast)!" chanted Yamcha as he blasted through Nappa's explosion with his electroweak Kamehameha; and as he did so, disintegrated Nappa in an instant of radiant vaporization!

"Chiaotzu..." sighed Yamcha after he finished Nappa off and reverted his transformation into a return to his base and electromagnetic form. "...I tried, but he wouldn't-"

"I know,"

"Eh?" uttered Yamcha as he heard Atticus before he felt and then saw the boy. "Ch-Ch-CHIAOTZU‽" gasped Yamcha as Atticus and Maron blurred into his sight and then halted in a hover before him. "Right?" he continued as he analyzed Atticus' aura and eyed Atticus with confusion. "No?"

"Yes," corrected Atticus and Maron together. "It's a long story," they added together.

"You're a ni-"

"Stop!" interjected Atticus before Yamcha could finish. "Don't make me fight you," he groaned in warning.

"Eh, uhh, right!" coughed Yamcha into his fists. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he apologized profusely. "But what has happened to you and where have you been?" he questioned. "It's been 2 years man!" he complained. He then blinked. "Well, uhh, 2 years for us!" he corrected. "Just 1 for you, I think?"

"Call me Atticus for now," asked Atticus in a groan. "It's alright, because Maron knows everything now," he revealed.

"Everything?" asked Yamcha in a gasp. "Like everything, everything?"

"Everything, everything!" confirmed Maron with a smirk. "Stewart," she added in a giggle.

"Do not call me that!" demanded Yamcha in a hiss. "I actually prefer Yamcha over Stewart!" he huffed. "Also that'll endanger my marriage,"

"YOU'RE MARRIED‽" asked Atticus in a gasp and yell. "To who‽" he questioned.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Maron and Yamcha as both of them facepalmed at Atticus' ignorance. "You're as bad as Goku," huffed Yamcha. "I was going to tell you about it at the tournament, because I just knew that you hadn't noticed a thing..." continued Yamcha in a snort.

"...just as I was going to tell you about my magic at the tournament," added Maron. "But that mission of yours took you away from us for an entire year!" she complained in a sniff. "And then all of us was locked in that horrible room for another year!"

"It wasn't that bad..." chuckled Yamcha, earning himself a glare from Maron as he did so. "...okay it was that bad," he admitted. "But at least my babies are stronger for it!" he cheered.

"YOU HAVE A BABY‽" questioned Atticus in a scream. "A-a-and you brought them into the Room of Spirit and Time‽" he added at a louder volume. "Are you INSANE‽"

"Actually they were born in there," corrected Yamcha. "So-"

"That's even worse!" complained Atticus. "What were you thinking?"

"I didn't think it through per se..." answered Yamcha in a chuckle. "...it's more that I realized a bit too late that a year is longer than 9 months?"

"Baka," spat Atticus and Maron at Yamcha. "But just tell me!" begged Atticus. "Who is the mother?"

"Launch," answered Maron and Yamcha in cooperative snort.

"Because you beat Tien," deduced Atticus in a gasp. "Because you are the bad boy in this timeline!" he screamed. "She fell in love with you instead of Tien, which considering the fact that Tien is an ace, is probably for the best!"

"The best thing to happen to me that is..." hummed Yamcha. "...at least until I learned that impregnating one of them impregnated both of them and that both of them had to give birth separately!" he added in a groan.

"What?" uttered Atticus. And then he blinked. "WHAT‽"

"That's why there are two of them," groaned Maron. "A boy and a girl, kinda-sorta twins, and what a hassle they were in that room,"

"You are a mess, you know that?" huffed Atticus towards Yamcha. "You are the Vegeta of this timeline,"

"Vegeta would be the Vegeta if you had not killed him!" argued Yamcha in a hiss. "How did you kill Tarble and Vegeta but NOBODY ELSE‽" he complained.

"I didn't even kill Vegeta!" asserted Atticus in a hiss back. "Tarble killed Vegeta," he revealed in a snort. "And Oil by the way," he added. "But nobody gives a fuck about Oil,"

"He defeated and recruited Granolah, liberated Macki and Peat, and slew Tarble," elaborated Maron in a huff. "That is more than what we managed so zip it!"

"How did you manage any of that?" grumbled Yamcha. "Without a year in the Room of Spirit and Time?"

"I attained a new power and developed new techniques while stranded and training on Kanasa for a year," answered Atticus with a frown. "After..."

"Kanasa?" asked Yamcha with a blink. "From the Bardock movie?" he remembered. "What?"

"It's a long and painful story," interjected Maron. "That you don't have to go into again so soon," she asserted to Atticus.

"Thank you..." whispered Atticus to Maron. "...but yeah," he continued towards Yamcha. "Let's not breach that subject, that topic, right now," he requested.

"You fucked up, didn't you?" deduced Yamcha in a snort. "You-"

"Yamcha!" hissed Maron.

"Fine!" relented Yamcha. "Sheesh!" he huffed. "I can kinda understand why Kanasa, of all places, would be the perfect place for a psychic to train..." continued Yamcha with a frown. "...but what I don't understand is how are you so strong‽" he reiterated as he sensed Atticus' strength through Atticus' suppression.

"Yamcha!" interjected Maron in a shout. "We just-"

"It's alright," groaned Atticus. "Thanks Maron, but that one is alright," he clarified. "An evolution of technique," answered Atticus to Yamcha. "I attained the Aura of a Destroyer-"

"A WHAT‽" interjected Yamcha in a scream. "As in a God of-"

"Let me finished!" begged Atticus. "After I attained the Aura of a Destroyer, I augmented the aura's efficiency by diminishing the aura's energy losses to minimum," he continued in a sigh. "Which changed the Aura of a Destroyer in the Aura of a Destructive Warrior,"

"Fugly name," declared Maron and Yamcha together. "Sorry," apologized Marone. "But that, well, it's a mouthful!" she giggled.

"It's a combination of names!" argued Atticus in a rapid splutter. "Aura of a Destroyer, Aura of a Warrior, the combination of the two-"

"Could have been named anything, not just that mouthful of a name," asserted Yamcha. "Never do that shit again," he demanded.

"Says the tard that screams things like, Rairōgafūfūjinken!" noted Atticus in a sneer. "As if that is pronounceable!"

"In the Japanese it has ring to it!" insisted Yamcha. "Like the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki," he noted. "It's not a mouthful if it has ring to it!" he stressed.

"There is no ring to Sanjūgafūfūjinken!" spat Atticus. "All of that nonsense could be gibberish rather than kanji for all I know!"

"Boys!" interjected Maron. "Focus!"

"Fine," agreed Atticus and Maron in mutual snorts. "Regardless..." continued Atticus alone. "...in the end, the Aura of a Destructive Warrior was not enough," he admitted. "Although the Aura of a Destructive Warrior was powerful and replenishable, because it could destroy emotions as a means of energizing those emotions into more fuel for itself, it was also ephemeral and nigh-uncontrollable," he revealed. "The aura is constantly deteriorating into the argent light that it radiates with, because even when energy lost to heat and light is minimized, that energy lost is not zero," he stressed. "The aura is constantly escaping into the environment, like a puddle of water evaporating into the air, and that escape is a lost of power,"

"Ki inside remains, ki outside vanishes, it's a simple truth Atticus," noted Yamcha. "Anytime your emission or generation of ki produces an aura that isn't a barrier, that means there is a leak," he stressed. "Auras of ki are awesome, but they're also inefficient," he snorted.

"Exactly," agreed Atticus. "That is why I attempted to confine the aura within me and thus contain its power within me," he cooed.

"Perfected Super Saiyan Blue," deduced Yamcha. "From the manga, right?"

"Mhm," confirmed Atticus. "A Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior," he clarified, earning himself a groan as he did so. "What?"

"You added more to the mouthful?" asked Yamcha in the groan. "What's next?" he snorted. "Maximum Overly Perfect Aura of a Destructive Warrior King?"

"Not a bad idea..." considered Atticus.

"No, it is bad!" interjected Maron and Yamcha.

"...whatever," huffed Atticus. "I almost blew myself up, burst into an explosion, when I squeezed every morsel of my power into myself and then trapped that power within me," he continued with a shudder at the thought. "It actually hurt, it hurt a LOT!" he warned. "But it didn't meet my expectations, instead, it surpassed them!" he laughed. "I didn't notice during the fight with Tarble, because I was fighting Tarble, but I adapted to the Perfected Aura of a Destructive Warrior like how Goku adapted to the Super Saiyan God," he hummed. "Although I think it's more like Super Full Power Saiyan 4 Limit Breaker from Dragon Ball Heroes," he clarified. "Because all of my conventional energy, all of the energy of my mass and such, all of that energy was discharged from me as an explosion and then replaced by my aura!" he revealed. "And after that discharge and explosion, the aura became the energy of my everything. That is, the aura is my energy and my matter now. I am the aura now, I am destruction made manifest in a mortal vessel within this mortal world,"

"That's some metal as fuck wording, but what does that actually mean?" asked Yamcha with a frown. "That aura cost you something, I can discern that from its foul taste, so did you lose more of your original self when you took this next step?" he questioned.

"Yes," admitted Atticus with a frown. "I can't revert this," he revealed. "I attempted to return to my original state, and I failed," he sighed. "It appears that only death can undo a descension into a Mortal Beyond Destruction (破壊を超えた人間, Hakai o koeta Ningen, "A Human Who has Surpassed Destruction")," he warned. "It appears that it's an irreversible, permanent thing,"

"Was..." murmured Yamcha as he analyzed and eyed Atticus. "...was it worth it?"

"Fuck yes," answered Atticus and Maron in unison with one another. Atticus then blushed at what Maron meant with those words. "I-I-I already decided, on Kanasa, to follow this path," added Atticus in a cough. "So it is what it is," he asserted. "At base now, as a Mortal Beyond Destruction, my efficiency is 100% now and my leakage is 0%," continued Atticus. "I am able to amass an aura around myself..." continued Atticus as an aura of metallic violet emerged from an enveloped him. "...without the aura undergoing any deterioration or any evaporation," revealed Atticus, as the aura glimmered with light that it reflected rather than glowed with light that it radiated. "I call this characteristic the Barrier of a Destroyer (破壊者のバリヤー, Hakaisha no Bariyā)," cooed Atticus. "Because, like a barrier, it's less energetic and more material,"

"And here I thought I might be ahead of you..." grumbled Yamcha. "...I guess that explains your huge jump in power since the last time I saw you," he huffed. "And the Destroyer, huh?" he sneered. "I can detect that energy of yours, so it's destructive but not divine?" he mused. "How is that a thing?"

"You can conceive it as Granolah employing Hakai without the Energy of Destruction," advised Atticus. "I am a destroyer, but I am not a god,"

"You've blown up multiple planets," asserted Maron. "Multiple of them!"

"Divinity is a phenomenon rather than a power-tier," explained Yamcha to Maron. "The divine aren't automatically the strongest per se, but they definitely have an edge over mortals,"

"I aim to attain divine power in the future, in order to defeat Beerus, but that's not the now of our situation," he stressed. "The now of our situation is that, while I may be more powerful than ever before, I also have a clone of me that is equally as powerful!" he warned.

"I beg your pardon?" questioned Yamcha. "A clone of you? With that sort of power? What?"

"I can..." began Atticus as he attempted to beam the information into Yamcha's knowledge with his psionic telepathy, only to discover and then remember that his psionic telepathy was now the Jiāngshī's psionic telepathy. "...damn it,"

"Allow me," giggled Maron as she cast a magical telepathy onto Atticus, Yamcha, and herself.

"Ooohhh..." drawled Yamcha as Atticus and Maron informed him of the situation with Maron's telepathy. "...that is bbbaaaddd," he gulped. "Absorption is broken as fuck," he warned. "Absorbing average humans allowed Cell to overcome Super Namekians and Super Saiyans after all," he noted. "If Chiaotzu's effect on the Jiāngshī is like the Androids' effect on Cell, well, we're FUCKED," hissed Yamcha. "But the entirety of the universe will be more than fucked if the Jiāngshī gets Chiaotzu and you of all people," he noted.

"That's why we won't let that parasite get either of them!" asserted Maron. "Atticus is mine after all!"

"Bold!" laughed Yamcha. But then he noticed Atticus react to the statement and blinked. "Are you guys a thing‽" he squealed.

"F-focus Yamcha!" demanded Atticus with an embarrassed puff of his cheeks. "We need to-"

"No, no, no!" interjected Yamcha. "You dithered informing Maron of our secrets, you can dither indulging me!" he cackled. "Maron, Maron, Maron!" he continued in a joyous laugh. "Did you actually beat Bulma of all people!" he questioned.

"Ayup!" declared Maron in a giggle of pride. "Was there ever any doubt though?"

"Ohoho, don't let Bulma hear you say that!" giggled Yamcha. "Oh man, we have to tell eve-"

"We don't have time!" interjected Atticus in a shout. "We need to defeat the saiyans and procure the Cerealian Dragon Balls!" he insisted.

"Defeat the saiyans?" scoffed Yamcha at the thought. "The aliens and them are an infestation at this point," he noted. "So they're not going anywhere anytime soon,"

"They have to go before the next full moon," asserted Atticus. "Because if all of them become a Great Ape and rampage at the same time, the planet is toast!"

"Well they ain't got nowhere to go but the Home For Infinite Losers," retorted Yamcha. "Because Doon launched all of their ships into space, remember?"

"Doon?" asked Atticus with a blink and then a frown. "Who is Doon?"

"He's 1 of the Seven Super Saiyans of Superior Speed, Strength, and Strategic Thought," answered Maron with a roll of her eyes at the name. "The elite lackeys of that Tarble twat,"

"Super Saiyans‽" gasped Atticus. "Tarble had Super Saiyans‽"

"Of course not," sneered Yamcha. "They just call themselves that," he stressed. "They're 7, elite, high-class saiyans whom were promoted to their status by Tarble himself," he elaborated. "They aren't as strong as Tarble, obviously, but they're still very, very, VERY strong,"

"Alongside Nappa, each of the 7 assumed control over a portion of Table's warriors," continued Maron in Yamcha's stead. "And then their armies and them battled each other, and the Red Ribbons, for rulership of our world," she huffed.

"Th-th-the Red Ribbons?" asked Atticus with a blink. "What do you mean the Red Ri-"

"Only 4 of those armies survived that shit show," snorted Yamcha. "Doon, Lima, Nappa, Squa, and each of their armies!" he elaborated in a snarl. "Doon assumed control over South City, Lima over North City, and Squa over Central City," he noted. "While Nappa was left with the ruins of West City,"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus. "But there are other cities and towns and villages..." he noted.

"Apparently; Doon, Lima, and Squa were all angry at Nappa for destroying East City for no reason," giggled Maron. "While Tarble and Vegeta were alive and in control; they could not punish Nappa for his stupidity; but after the battle and the following negotiation of territories..."

"...they asserted to Nappa that if they caught him in a house, they'd jump and kill him on the spot," snickered Yamcha. "I believed Kami to be joking when he told us that, until I detected Nappa in the ruins of West City that is,"

"So they bullied Nappa into homelessness and then he got killed by you?" asked Atticus with a frown. "He earned that fate, yeah, but poor guy,"

"No no no!" interjected Maron in a huff. "Atticus, he deserved worst!" she insisted in a snarl. "He's committed the massacre of millions for the fun of it, enslaved hundreds of thousands of people into his soldiers and thralls, and razed towns and villages!" she noted. "He's a bad man!" 

"As an expert at genocide; that is, literally a professional at slaughtering worlds..." murmured Atticus at the news of Nappa's rampage. "...I should have expected Nappa to be capable of enacting mass murder and theft at this scale and speed," he noted. "But, well, what the FUCK?" he swore. "How did Nappa manage that in a morning?" he questioned. "It's been less than a day since I killed Tarble!"

"It gets worse," asserted Yamcha in a groan. "Because that Doon guy has been abducting the children distorted into saiyans by Tarble's wish and then launching those children into space," he added.

"Eh‽" uttered Atticus. "WHY‽"

"It's a saiyan tradition," answered Yamcha in a gag. "The saiyan way," he groaned. "And, believe it or not, it gets worse," noted Yamcha. "In order to attain all of the spaceships that he needs to fire abducted children towards unprepared worlds as glorified, living missiles; Doon has been stealing the fuel and ships of his rivals," he revealed. "Most of Lima, Nappa, Squa, and his ships — that is, most of Tarble's fleet of ships — has been repurposed and used as cradles of death," he stressed. "As such, when I said that the aliens and saiyans are not going anywhere but HFIL, I meant that they can't go anywhere but HFIL!" he spat. "We either kill them all or let some of them stay," he warned. "There aren't enough ships left for most of them to leave on!"

"Why did the others just let Doon do that‽" asked Atticus in a scream. "Don't they intend to leave at some point?"

"Their aims don't require ships, so fighting Doon over the ships wasn't worth it," answered Maron with a shrug. "Lima has had her people searching for the Cerealian Dragon Ball that is on Earth somewhere," she noted. "Lima has also had her people searching for any other dragon radars that may be on the planet and any Earthly scientists that could make such a radar,"

"Lima has the entire, fucking, goddamn planet to search through," noted Yamcha. "So, uhh, yeah," he snorted. "Her forces are spread too thin to fight or stop Doon's forces," 

"While Squa is attempting to create a human-saiyan society in the image of the saiyan-tuffle society?" added Maron in a confused tone of voice. "Apparently he believes that humans are the reincarnations of the tuffles and that this is his chance to redeem the saiyans' slaughter of the tuffles?"

"Squa is a crackpot, old-timer of a saiyan who is on the brink of weakening from his advance age," snorted Yamcha. "Although he is extremely skilled and really strong, especially for a saiyan, he will not be that skilled and strong for long. And, overall, he is not that long for this world too," he added. "He appears to be against conquest per se, as he is aiming for coexistence rather than exploitation or genocide or any such thing,"

"Regardless of his senility and superstition, Squa is teaching the new saiyans — the men changed into saiyans by Tarble's wish — the do's and don'ts of saiyans..." admitted Maron with a frown. "...like not staring at bowls of cereal or mooning people,"

"He's educating them about their Great Ape transformation's triggers," deduced Atticus. "That is, huh, actually helpful?"

"Yeah," agreed Maron. "It is," she reiterated. "So it's probably best to leave Squa be for now," she argued.

"At the moment, Squa poses the smallest threat to the world," agreed Yamcha with a nod. "While Lima, well, her aims for the dragon balls are nebulous and possibly problematic..." he noted.

"...but they're also easy to make moot," realized Atticus. "If we attain the Cerealian Dragon Balls and horde them, Lima can't get and use them, and thus Lima is neutralized as a threat!"

"Bingo," cooed Yamcha with a nod. "Which, of course, leaves Doon and Nappa as the primary targets," he declared. "Euphemia and her Red Ribbon group are dealing with Doon and his lot," he continued in a snort. "While all of us martial artists are dealing with Nappa and his pricks,"

"Euphemia? Red Ribbons? What?" asked Atticus. "You're allied with the Red Ribbons?"

"That's a lllooonnnggg story," chuckled Maron. "Which began last year," she continued in a hum. "At the tournament!"

"Where Bulma and others were killed..." whispered Atticus as he remembered Kami's words. "...by a bomb?" he remembered with a snarl. "Planted by the Crane Hermit and Mercenary Tao‽"

"Bulma..." murmured Maron with a sniff. "...we'll bring her back, right?" she asked. "Right‽"

"If we can," answered Yamcha in a sight. "I doubt that the Cerealian Dragon Balls can grant that wish without a cost though," he added in warning. "So we'll have to go to Namek and use the Namekian Dragon Balls," he groaed. "Which is, well, which is just fan-fucking-tastic!"

"What happened to Tao and Tsuru?" asked Atticus with a frown. "Are they dead? In prison? What?"

"General Copper is dead, you don't know that dude, but he was the mastermind of that shitstorm," answered Yamcha in a spat. "But Tao and Tsuru, huh?" he huffed. "They're alive..."

"...and thus saiyans now," noted Atticus in a growl. "I need to take them down before they adapt to their new powers," he stressed.

"I'm coming with you," asserted Maron to Atticus. "Alright?"

"Of course," agreed Atticus with a nod. "Just be careful," he begged. "They're honor-less," he warned.

"They aren't going to be able to aim for Maron, because I am coming too!" added Yamcha in a snicker. "I'll deal with Tao, while you deal with Tsuru," he offered.

"All 3 of us will deal with those losers together!" giggled Maron at the thought. "The 3 of us, reunited, on another adventure together!" she sighed. "It's a dream come true!"

"Let's add in Denna, Launch, and Suppa with the old Z-Carrier for transport!" suggested Yamcha. "Maybe even Tie-"

"NO!" interjected Atticus in a scream. "Launch is okay," he clarified in a murmur. "Denna and Suppa, I assume your kids from their names, are fine too," he sighed as he calmed and composed himself. "But I can't face Tien like this," he stressed. "Not in this form,"

"As you wish," relented Yamcha in a sigh. "But you'll have to face him eventually though," he warned. "As Atticus rather than Chiaotzu,"

"I know," groaned Atticus. "But not now," he pleaded.

"Give him time," asked Maron of Yamcha. "He's been through a lot, y'know?"

"That's true," realized Yamcha. "You died man," he whistled. "After enduring that hellish isolation and training for a year, you fucking died!" he spat. "Are you okay?"

"Avoiding emotional and mental stress is easy with the powers of a psion," answered Atticus in a snort. "But, uhh, I don't have the powers of a psion anymore," he noted with a gulp. "So I hope there isn't, like, a trauma warranty,"

"Are you for real?" groaned Yamcha. "Alright, fuck it, let's move it," he demanded with a shake of his head. "So that we can get this new road trip on the way!"

Chapter Text

They called it the Z Carrier...

...but it was different from the Z Carrier that Atticus remembered. Although it was still an aerial and capsulated motorhome, it was not the double-decker that Maron and Yamcha bought in South City. But rather, it was a triple-decker instead!

On the 1st and boarding floor of the new Z Carrier, at the front was the cab room for the driver and a few passengers. After the cab room was a foyer; that is, the area for boarding and disembarking from the Z Carrier. This foyer could double as a lounge; as it was furnished with sofas, a table, and a television on the wall. Beyond the cab room and foyer was a combination of a dining room, a kitchenette, and a pantry. Lastly, at the end of the floor, there was a bathroom on the right and a staircase on the left.

Atop the 2nd floor was 10 bathrooms, 10 bedrooms, and the hallway that separated them. The 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th bathrooms and bedrooms were beautifully labeled as belonging to Chiaotzu, Maron, Tien, and Yamcha respectively. While the 8th, 9th, and 10th bathrooms and bedrooms were crudely and hurriedly labeled as belonging to Denna and Suppa, Blue (Good) Launch, and Yellow (Bad) Launch respectively. And the 2nd, 4th, and 6th bathrooms and bedrooms were left as guest rooms. Lastly, at the end of the floor, there was a large and ornate staircase.

All of the 3rd and final floor was a combination of a cinema room and a meeting room. Above the cinema pit was a circular, meeting table. And currently seated around that table was Atticus, Good Launch, Little Piccolo, Maron, and Yamcha. While atop Launch's lap was Denna, Good Launch and Yamcha's blue-haired son. And atop Yamcha's lap was Suppa, Bad Launch and Yamcha's blonde-haired daughter. Both Denna and Suppa were pudgy toddlers, yet noticeably sinewy too. As if Yamcha had them lifting weights, a circumstance that Atticus feared to be perfectly possible...

"The bomb that destroyed Papaya Island also destroyed the original Z Carrier," explained Yamcha to Atticus, as Suppa held and munched through a whole apple by herself! "So we, uhh, acquired a new one,"

"Acquired?" asked Atticus as he noted that suspicious tone of Yamcha's voice.

"Bought," corrected Yamcha in a nervous laugh. "We bought it,"

"Didn't Bad Launch just stea-"

"Either way!" interjected Yamcha, cutting off Maron as he did so. "We have guestrooms, so we can host Little Piccolo if necessary," he asserted in a forced laugh. "Isn't that exciting little man?"

"Ambivalent," answered Little Piccolo in a snort, as he allowed Denna to reach for and seize his fingers. "I am the ambassador of GOD, of Kami, not some child!" he huffed towards Yamcha. "I've been dispatched here to- oh is that for me?" he gasped as Denna offered him an apple. "How gracious of you. Thank you Little Yamling," he hummed as he accepted and then began to chew through an apple himself.

"Apologies," chuckled Atticus as Denna, Piccolo, and Suppa ate apples together. "Kami and Popo are busy directing the fight with the saiyans, so they asked me to babysit for a while,"

"And we're busy fighting saiyans!" argued Yamcha in a huff. "What an inconsiderate, old slug!"

"Piccolo is a good and helpful lad though," chimed Launch as Denna made her proud. "He won't be a bother,"

"That's true..." admitted Yamcha as he focused on Little Piccolo's ki. "...although, something is wrong with him," he argued with a frown. "Like, why is he growing so slow?"

"He isn't a demon," explained Atticus with a smile. "I forced King Piccolo to give him a normal reincarnation this time, so he's more like Dende than the canon Ma Junior," he elaborated.

"That's disappointing, but if that was the case, shouldn't he be weaker?" asked Yamcha with a frown. "Instead of stronger?"

"Kami and I have been training him," explained Atticus. "And then the chamber happened too, right?" he inquired in a rhetorical tone.

"Yeah..." admitted Yamcha in a sigh. "...but I was questioning it then too," he stressed. "Something is up," he warned. "Something wrong,"

"Icanhearyou," huffed the Little and Munching Piccolo at Yamcha. "Iamnotahuman, Iammore, donotcompareourspeciesweakling,"

"Namekians are so last season, y'know?" sneered Yamcha. "Replaced by the saiyans!"

"Whilehumanswereneverinseasonatall," countered Little Piccolo in a snort. "Y'knowbothAtticusandyouareheldbackbyyourhumanityratherthanstrengthenedbyit, right?" he snorted.

"Shut up," demanded Yamcha in a growl. "Little Prick more like it..." he sniffed. "...regardless though, I can't sense the Hermit or the Mercenary," he revealed in a snarl. "They're hiding their power,"

"I can," announced Atticus as his aura of violet emerged into a layer on his skin and then quivered with ripples! "But..."

"...they'll detect your scrying, yeah?" deduced Maron in a sigh. "You can't detect them with your current Far-Seeing Technique, which lacks a magical or psionic trait, without them detecting your energy and thus you," she clarified.

"Correct," confirmed Atticus with a nod. 'Which means..."

"...they'll know that we're coming," snorted Yamcha. "Let them," he urged. "We shall DESTROY them!" he declared. "You can destroy them, literally, right?" he noted.

"Wrong," corrected Atticus with a shake of his head. "I can destroy emotions, sensations, and thoughts..." he mused in a sigh. "...but I can't destroy a material, physical thing," he stressed. "Not yet at least,"

"Eh?" uttered Yamcha with a blink and then a gawk. "Wh-wh-what's the point of that‽"

"Actually a lot," answered Atticus in a chuckle. "The body is your domain, but my domain is the mind," he asserted with a stare of stern tutelage. "Before creation comes destruction..." he noted in a snort. "...I create energy for myself by destroying my emotions, sensations, and thoughts," he revealed. "As I emote and feel more, I have more to destroy and thus more energy to produce and use," he summarized. "That is the application of destruction in a mental sense, that is the Principle of the Power of Destruction (破壊の力の原理, Hakai no Chikara no Genri),"

"A derivative of Fury, no?" noted Yamcha in a snort. "Applying one's feelings as one's muscles, huh?" murmured Yamcha. "That's a bit esoteric and gimmicky, yeah?"

"And a bit difficult for a man bereft of his psionic talent," added Maron with a frown. "No telekinesis..."

"...and no telepathy to cheat with," added Yamcha in a sneer.

"It ain't cheating!" argued Maron in a huff. "It's as fair as ki and magic and whatever!"

"It's absolutely cheating!" insisted Yamcha. "And yes, I will die on that hill, Maron!"

"It is what it is," interjected Atticus, before Maron and Yamcha could continue their spat. "I'll be fine though," he insisted.

"Will you?" questioned Yamcha in a sneer. "If the Principles of Ultra Instinct leads to, well, Ultra Instinct..."

"...that means the Principles of the Power of Destruction leads to Ultra Ego, right?" deduced Maron.

"H-h-how much did you tell her, Atticus‽" asked Yamcha in a gasp.

"How much did you tell Launch?" retorted Atticus with a glance at Good Launch.

"Everything," answered Good Launch and Maron in a giggle together.

"Simp," spat Atticus and Yamcha at one another. "I had a good reason, unlike you!" accused both next.

"Boys, boys!" interjected Launch. "Focus, please?"

"Fine!" relented Yamcha. "Your adaptation to that aura, and the aura itself, are excellent gains..." he continued with a frown towards Atticus. "...but do they equal your losses?" he questioned in a sigh. "The abilities that Jiāngshī possesses, how many of those powers do you still have? Can your Art of Humanity even function without your telekinesis and telepathy?" he inquired. "Absolute control of your energy through telekinesis and cellular detection with your telepathy, without those, can you heal others and yourself?"

"No..." admitted Atticus in a groan and then a look at the bruises that he earned fighting the Jiāngshī. "...my Art of Humanity, my healing and life support, is not magical but rather medical," he elaborated. "I apply data from my telepathy to diagnose myself and then conduct a surgery through telekinesis," he continued in the deepest of sighs. "It isn't a power, but rather a skill, but it's a skill with a tool," he stressed.

"A tool that you lack now," finished Yamcha in Atticus' stead. "You realize that without healing or life support-"

"I am aware of Ultra Ego's weaknesses," interjected Atticus. "And I am aware that the Principles of the Power of Destruction share that weakness,"

"The Jiāngshī lacks that weakness though," noted Maron. "It'll continue growing stronger after you hit your limit and start weakening,"

"It also can feel without limit too," added Yamcha. "It'll augment its aura faster and greater than you can," he stressed. "Letting it outpace and then overwhelm you!"

"It also lacks mortality," argued Atticus. "And because of that lack of mortality, it can't employ the Art of Mortality,"

"The Art of Mortality can't overcome its superior upgrade!" hissed Yamcha. "You believe you can combine the Art of Mortality with the Principles of the Power of Destruction, right?" he guessed in a sneer. "You amp yourself with the Art of Mortality and then destroy the emotions that the Art of Mortality produces," he continued in a snort. "You'll augment yourself with the benefits of the Art of Mortality without debilitating yourself with the detriments of the Art of Mortality, yeah? And that'll beat the Jiāngshī, yeah?"

"Wrong," continued Maron in Yamcha's stead. "You can destroy the emotions, but you can't destroy the strain," she stressed. "The damage that you'll endure, to your form and mind, from the exertion of a fight-or-flight response and near-death experience combined!"

"When you could endure and heal through that strain, and thus ignore that strain, that idea would work..." conceded Yamcha. "...but you can't endure it or heal it as you are now!" he spat. "The accelerated experience and adrenaline rush of the Art will exhaust you fast by itself, but it'll exhaust you even faster if you combine it with the Principles and then push both the Art and the Principles to their zenith!" he warned. "You'll exhaust yourself just matching the power of the Jiāngshī and then you'll lose that power rather swiftly!"

"I'm sorry Atty, but if you fight the Jiāngshī as you are now, you'll lose," affirmed Maron, as she gently laid a hand on Atticus' shoulder. "It has all of your strengths and none of your weaknesses,"

"You've fallen off!" asserted Yamcha in a cackle.

"I have not fallen off!" hissed Atticus with a glare towards Yamcha and a lean over the table. "I just-"

"Can't employ most of your techniques. Because they weren't martial techniques, but rather, they were psionic techniques!" interjected Yamcha. "And all of the techniques that you can use, you can't handle them as long and well as could before," he added in a yawm. "At the moment, among all the has-beens in the world, you're the textbook-"

"Yamcha!" hissed Launch and Maron at Yamcha.

"If he fights, loses, and is subsumed into that vampire; our families and friends will be in danger!" countered Yamcha in a shout. "And the world," he added as an afterthought. "And I guess the universe as well, but-"

"I can defeat the Jiāngshī!" insisted Atticus with a cross of his arms and drop back into his seat. "I..."

"See what I mean?" snorted Yamcha to Launch and Maron. "If we aren't firm with him, he won't understand!" he stressed. "Also, no you can't!" he spat towards Atticus. "You lack both the necessary power and the proper tools!" he argued. "You can't beat it to death as that'll just make it stronger, you can't blast it to death cuz you lack the power, and you can't even seal it because the Evil Containment Wave would just fuel the Principles!" 

"...I just need a push myself," murmured Atticus.

"What?" uttered Yamcha. Afterward he bared his fangs, bit his lip, and then growled loudly! "What part of this are you not under-"

"Why?" asked Launch, silencing Yamcha as she did so. "Why does it need to be you?"

"Because the Jiāngshī and I..." began Atticus in a sigh. "...are connected," he revealed. "Like Kami and Piccolo,"

"Eh?" uttered Little Piccolo. "What do you mean?"

"Huh?" uttered Yamcha. "So?" he continued with a shake of his head. "Even if killing the Jiāngshī kills you, we can just wish you back," he snorted.

"The Jiāngshī can't be killed," corrected Atticus in a groan. "It has life, but it does not live per se," he stressed. "It's undead, so..."

"...it can only be destroyed," revealed Maron in a sigh. "And the destruction of the Jiāngshī may or may not bring about the destruction, the erasure, of Atticus too,"

"What‽" gasped Yamcha at Maron's revelation. "No..." he continued in a snarl. "...no that's unacceptable!" he spat with a leap onto his feet. "Absolutely not!"

"It has to be destroyed," asserted Atticus. "If that means destroying me along with, then so be-"

"NO!" shouted Yamcha. "It shall NOT be!"

"And this is why it has to be me!" spat Atticus as he arose onto his feet as well. "Because I am the Destroyer, because I-"

"A destroyer of what, exactly?" scoffed Yamcha. "You can't Hakai, remember?"

"A destroyer of injustice!" answered Atticus. "And unfairness!"

"You call this fair? You call this justice? You call this the right thing to do?" asked Yamcha in a huff. "How is abandoning your existence, abandoning the lives that we have built here together, righteous‽"

"I created the Jiāngshī," answered Atticus firmly yet somberly as well. "Anyone it consumes, it destroys," he revealed in a seething whimper. "Anytime it drinks, it obliterates a soul!"

"And because of that, you believe that you deserve destruction?" asked Yamcha of Atticus. "You believe that you deserve to disappear?" he growled. "Do you believe that as well‽" he snapped towards Maron. "Do you believe that Atticus deserves this, huh Maron‽"

"Yamcha-"

"No!" hissed Yamcha. "Don't you Yamcha me! Aren't the two of you supposed to be together‽" he questioned. "How can that happen if he vanishes, huh‽" he snapped. "How are you okay-"

"I AM NOT OKAY WITH THIS!" answered Maron with a shout. "B-b-but what can we do?" she questioned. "The dragon balls can't affect anyone stronger than their creator; and at this point, the Jiāngshī is far mightier than Guru, Kami, and Monaito combined!" she sniffed. "We can't wish this away, Yamcha!"

"It is what it is," added Atticus with a look away. "It's too late," he sighed. "We were too-"

"It is NOT too late!" insisted Yamcha in a snarl. "And this ISN'T right!" he added. "Punishment isn't redemption!" he stressed. "Being beaten by Bulma and Chi-Chi for cheating and worse, being punished for my shittery, wasn't my redemption!" he noted. "It was just a consequence!" argued Yamcha. "You won't balance the scales of right and wrong, you won't redeem yourself, by fucking off into oblivion Atticus!"

"What actions could make up for the obliteration of a soul?" asked Atticus in an anguished cry. "Multiple, numerous, UNCOUNTABLE souls!"

"Our crimes aren't made up for, they aren't negated, and they aren't wiped!" corrected Yamcha in a sigh. "They are balanced by redemption, but they are not undone," he continued in a murmur. "Achieving that balance of right and wrong, when you're absolutely sure that you are completely irredeemable, can feel impossible..." he admitted in a sniff of his own. "...but being deleted won't right your wrongs, Atticus! It just lets you run from them!"

"I-I-I ain't running!" insisted Atticus. "I-"

"Then fight, Atticus!" demanded Yamcha. "Fight to find the way, the way to win, because if anyone can do it..."

"...it's definitely you," agreed Maron with a smile and a sniff. "It's definitely you who can find a way to win this Attie!"

"Hey..."

"...if Father dies, I die too?" asked Little Piccolo after a moment of silence between everyone. "Why didn't anyone tell me this‽"

"Ahh, bah, bu?" answered Dennis to Little Piccolo. "Da wawu!"

"Wabuwa?" added Suppa. "Wa wa wu wa!"

"Fair..." admitted Little Piccolo. "...but they could have hinted at it or something!"

"Ahh..." uttered Launch as the babies and Little Piccolo argued with each other? "...well, why don't we eat off all this passion?" she suggested in a giggle at the little ones' antics. "Before we decide what to do about that hermit and mercenary?"

❧ ❧ ❧

Among all the cities, towns, and villages of the Earth; there were few like Bridgetown.

Most of Bridgetown was atop crescent terraces that were cut and dug into a canyon in the middle of a mountain range, while the rest of Bridgetown was along the cliffside of the canyon's summit. At the bottom of the canyon, a lengthy and meandering river separated Bridgetown into 2 halves. During the low tide, there was a beach between the canyon's steeps and the river's water. But during the high tide and or heavy rain, the beach disappeared under a flood of river water!  Fortunately, an array of bridges crossed over the river and to separated terraces.

Atop 1 of the aforementioned bridges, a duo of men stood in wait. The 1st of the 2 men exhibited a lengthy face, a bald spot between a disconnected pair of tufts which each resembled a bird's wing, a narrow and pointy nose, pair of sunken cheeks, and a mustache which was separated into a floppy pair of sagging spikes. He was also dressed in a beanie with a crane's likeness, a pair of red-tinted sunglasses, a changpao robe, and a pair of puffy trousers tucked into a pair of boots!

Meanwhile; the 2nd of the 2 men exhibited the countenance of a 40 to 50-year-old rather than an 80- and higher-year-old like the 1st man. He boasted black and waist-length hair which was braided into a pigtail, beady and black eyes, a narrow and pointy nose, and a crescent mustache. He also dressed like the 1st man, except he wore sandals and socks! And, of course, he lacked the sunglasses. Most notably though, both the 1st man and the 2nd man exhibited a saiyan's tail and had their tail tightly wrapped around their waists.

"Are you sure that ki belonged to Chiaotzu, of all people?" asked Mercenary Tao as the Crane Hermit and him eyed the skies together. "Even though it felt nothing like-"

"Nothing like?" interjected the Crane Hermit in a dismissive fusion of a scoff and a snarl. "Are you an idiot, Tao?" he questioned in a sneer. "It's different, that's for sure, but it's definitely the same signature!"

"I'll be your murderer if you do not watch your mouth, brother..." hissed Mercenary Tao at the Crane Hermit. "...now shut up!" he demanded as the Crane Hermit and him felt a ripple in their skin and then quickly recognized the ripple's sensation and signature. "They're approaching,"

"That we are!" confirmed Yamcha in a shout and as Atticus, Maron, and him appeared in the horizon and in the middle of a soar! Not long after; Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha arced into a plummet towards the bridge that the Crane Hermit and Mercenary Tao were standing upon!

"It appears that the idiot is you, brother..." snorted Mercenary Tao as Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha landed on the bridge. "...Chiaotzu is not among them,"

"Oh Chiaotzu is among them alright..." asserted the Crane Hermit as Atticus and him caught one another's gaze and then glared at one another. "...or should I say, Atticus?"

"Atticus?" asked Atticus with a blink and then a frown, while Maron and Yamcha gasped and then looked at one another in surprise. "How do you..." continued Atticus in a gulp. "...know that name?"

"Apprenticed to Kami, the Guardian of our world, and yet ignorant of the truth?" cooed the Crane Hermit. "What a fool you are, Atticus!"

"I asked how you know that!" repeated Atticus in a scream. "I never revealed that to you!" he snarled. "I-"

"Didn't need to," cackled the Crane Hermit. "For I've know longer than you have!"

"Atticus, you say?" murmured Mercenary Tao as Atticus seethed and the Crane Hermit snickered at his former pupil's wrath. "Ahh..." uttered Mercenary Tao after a moment of pondering the situation. "...I recognize, I remember, that welp!" he revealed in a snort.

"How many people have you revealed your secret too?" asked Maron of Atticus in a huff. "And here I thought I was special..."

"Only you!" answered Atticus to Maron. "Everyone else that knows is either like me, and thus knew enough about Dragon Ball for it to have been obvious to them that I was an isekai, or..."

"...read your mind, right?" deduced Yamcha. "Is that how it is, Crane‽"

"As if I'd answer to a filthy student of that rancid Turtle!" spat the Crane Hermit at Yamcha. "But don't underestimate me," he continued in a sneer. "A mere mind-reading? Ha! As if it's that simple!"

"Oh..." uttered Maron after the Crane Hermit's jeers. "...you did it," she accused in a gasp. "That is how you know!"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus and Yamcha together. "Maron, what?" questioned Yamcha.

"It appears that your broad is smarter than you are!" laughed the Crane Hermit. "How-"

"WATCH..." spat Atticus with enough venom to kill every whale in the sea! "...your mouth!" he warned with a clench of his fists. "Crane!"

"Hihihihi, did I strike a nerve there?" cooed the Crane Hermit as Atticus eyed him with hate. "Attached to this floozy are you? My oh my! I must say, if I had known that..." he continued in sadistic snicker.

"...I would have made her death far more painful!"

"What?" uttered Atticus at the Crane Hermit's words. And then he blinked and it clicked. It became obvious to Atticus what the Crane Hermit was talking about. It became oh so obvious...

...that Bulma had not been the only one to perish from the bombing of the tournament.

"I'll kill you," hissed Atticus at the Crane Hermit, causing a crack to form in the bridge as the energy of the hiss reverberated through and tore through the bridge. "You-"

"Atticus..." called Yamcha in warning. "...control yourself, he's playing you," he stressed. "He knows he is outmatched, so he is trying to rile you up in order to wea-"

"I expect nothing less from a student of mine," interjected the Crane Hermit in a laugh. "Chiaotzu, you fool, Tao and Tien and you are all cut from the same cloth! My cloth that is!" he continued in a snicker that earned him a snort from Mercenary Tao. "Mercy and restraint are the Turtle's way, not our way! Not the Crane's way!" he noted. "As if I would ever spare anyone my vengeance, MY WRATH, upon you Chiaotzu!" he snarled. "And as if any of my students, as if any Crane like you, would spare me after I have spited them! As if any of my pupils would ever be so WEAK!"

"A-a-are you serious?" growled Atticus with a shake of his head. "You blew up the World Martial Arts Tournament, you killed so many people, just to spite me‽" he shouted. "Just because I left your pathetic school‽"

"Left?" questioned the Crane Hermit in a snicker. "How have you left the school, Atticus?" he snorted. "You are a Crane, through and through, and you'll ALWAYS be a Crane!" he insisted in a snort. "Because you were a Crane even before I brought you into this world!"

"Eh?" uttered Maron and Yamcha as well. Afterward, Mercenary Tao and them eyed Atticus together. "What does he mean by that?" asked Yamcha in a gulp. "Atticus? What does he mean by that‽"

"I..."

"...there is another risk," announced Korin as soon as Maron, the Ox King, Tien, and Yamcha were gone. "After your creation, your creator forgot to place a sealing tag on you, which allowed his evil ki to leak and your good ki to return," he revealed.

"And that disrupted the process of vampirization?" guessed Atticus. "Enough to let me use the Power of Confronting Death?"

"Actually..." began Korin with a frown. "...it diminished the final result,"

"...was not the best person," admitted Atticus as it dawned upon him that the Jiāngshī had developed to full maturity from his ki and thus his ki had to have been evil ki rather than good ki!

"You were the best person," refuted the Crane Hermit. "The best person, the best soul, whom I could have chosen to replace the soul of that useless Chiaotzu!" he giggled as Atticus and Yamcha blinked and then gawked at his words. "You were brutal yet cowardly, entitled yet hard-working, obedient yet prone to violence, passive yet wrathful!" he noted in a snicker. "All I had to do to make you into a murderer was to threaten you, while Chiaotzu and Tien clung to a foolish pride and resisted my teachings even when threatened!"

"Crane..." growled Atticus.

"Don't be mad at me for what you are, boy!" interjected the Crane Hermit in a snap. "As I said, you were a Crane before I brought you into this world! You always was a coward, you always was a murderer, you always was-"

"You know NOTHING about me!" snapped Atticus in turn. "How could you, you of all people, know SHIT about my life‽" he snarled.

"I know that you left bodies in the grave lllooonnnggg before I brought you here!" countered the Crane. "The only thing I did was make you abandon the gun and use your hands like a man!"

"That..." gasped Atticus. "...it was them or me!" he insisted.

"It's always them or you, isn't it?" cooed the Crane Hermit in retort. "As it should be," he approved in a cackle. "Don't you remember what I taught you, Atticus? All of this, all of our existence, is a game!" he declared with a hihihihi. "A game with losers and winners, where either they are the losers or you are the loser!" he shouted. "So yes! Absolutely yes! It was them or you! It is them or you! And it will always be them or you! Either they are the winners, or you are the winner, Atticus!" he stressed. "You feel this, you know this, so why did you abandon a fellow winner like me for those loser FOOLS in service to that blasted Turtle‽"

"Abandon you?" scoffed Atticus. "YOU ABANDONED TIEN!" he reminded the Crane Hermit in a shout.

"Tien didn't understand. You know that Tien never understood!" countered the Crane Hermit. "You know that Tien was not like us! He was not a true Crane! He was not a true killer! A true winner! He was just a tool with uses!"

"You are just like them alright..." growled Atticus at the Crane Hermit. "...acting as if we're family or friends and then exploiting us after you've lulled us into your thrall!" he spat. "You demand loyalty as you give none yourself!"

"Atticus..." gasped Yamcha as he began to put two and two together. "...were you a gangbanger‽"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" snapped Atticus at Yamcha. "Why does everyone get to shoot at others to defend themselves except me‽" he questioned. "Why does everyone get to stand their ground except me‽" he complained. "I just wanted to go to school!"

"No no no!" interjected the Crane Hermit. "You wanted fear, you wanted power, you wanted respect!" he argued. "You wanted the fear, power, and respect to MAKE people leave you alone! Don't they know who you are? Don't they know not to mess with you? Don't they know you can destroy them with a pull of the trigger?"

"Shut up!" spat Atticus at the Crane Hermit. "You don't know what you are-"

"Make me shut up!" dared the Crane Hermit. "Like you've made so many others," he added in a cackle.

"Enough of this prattle!" interjected Mercenary Tao in a sneer. "Why have you come here?" he questioned in a snort. "To bore me to death with this pointless talk, or fight me and perish?"

"Don't flatter yourself Tao," snorted Yamcha. "Even with the power of a saiyan, a has-been like you is absolutely no match for us!"

"I'm killing the taller twerp," asserted Mercenary Tao to the Crane Hermit. "Painfully and slowly,"

"You aren't killing anyone ever again!" asserted Maron to Mercenary Tao. "Neither of you are!" she added to the Crane Hermit.

"But I am sure that Atticus will!" laughed the Crane Hermit, causing Maron to glare at him as he did so. "Tell me boy, how many people have you killed since I've stopped making you do it?" he cooed. "And how many classes have you gone to in the meantime?"

"Guh..." grunted Atticus with a bite of his lip.

"...yeah," snorted the Crane Hermit. "It's as I thought," he chuckled. "You've chased power here as you chased power at home," he snorted. "And anyone who opposed your so-called peace, anyone who threatened you, you slaughtered!"

"I..."

"...oh shut up!" huffed Maron at the Crane Hermit before Atticus could finish.

"Please," agreed Mercenary Tao. "Shut up!"

"Our dads are exactly the same it seems," noted Maron to Atticus. "They blame us for circumstances and consequences of their creation," she huffed. "Atticus didn't choose to kill people, you coerced him into murder in order to enrich yourself! Atticus didn't choose to neglect his schooling, you just didn't give him that option to begin with!"

'Convenient excuses," retorted the Crane Hermit. "From an ignorant, useless woman!"

"That you hide behind," added Maron. "Blame, blame, blame all you want..." huffed Maron. "...but it doesn't matter and it will never matter ever again," she asserted. "Because Atticus is mine now," she stressed. "And both of us are becoming who we want to be, not who our fathers think we are!" she declared.

"..."

"...Izuru, is he my nephew?"

"No you idiot!" shouted the Crane Hermit and Yamcha at Mercenary Tao.

"Then stop saying that you brought him into this world," complained Maron and Mercenary Tao together. "Sheesh!"

"I love this woman..." laughed Atticus in his mind. "...I've had some bad luck Izuru, and I've been a bit of a demon as well, but that doesn't matter," decided Atticus in a laugh aloud. "I ain't going to be the Atticus I was in the past, or the Chiaotzu that you made me into!" he declared. "I'll be a Crane, that's unavoidable, but I ain't going to be your Crane!"

"Then you'll be a loser instead, Dodonpa (どどん波, "Dodon Wave")!" wailed the Crane Hermit as he discharged an evil ki from his index finger and into a surge towards Maron...

...who conjured a portal to consume the Dodon Ray and then immediately regurgitate the Dodon Ray into a returning surge towards the Crane Sage‽

"Oh she's not actually harml- eugha!" gagged the Crane Sage as his Dodon Ray crashed into and detonated upon his face! At the same time, Maron clad her hands in her magic and then discharged that magic into a flash of sapphire! As the flash illuminated everyone on the bridge, the flash teleported them off the bridge and into a hilly and rocky wasteland! With everyone atop a butte of their own.

"Ha!" laughed Yamcha as he recognized the region that Maron had chosen as a battleground. "You really did let her know everything, didn't you?" awed Yamcha as an agonized Crane Hermit clawed at a flame that was searing the skin off his face! "There really is no better place to fight a saiyan than the site of Goku and Vegeta's first battle!"

"That Goku battled that Vegeta?" asked Mercenary Tao in awe and a bit of terror. "Impossible!"

"Aware of Vegeta, eh?" hummed Yamcha towards Mercenary Tao.

"It was his brother, Tarble, who blessed Izuru and I with the power to slay you," elaborated Tao. "The power that Goku, Tarble, and Vegeta themselves bear!"

"The power of a saiyan, yeah?" scoffed Yamcha as the Crane Hermit arose onto his butt with an extinguished flame but a molten face as well.

"You bitch!" spat the Crane Hermit at Maron. "After I'm done killing Atticus-"

"Watch yourself, you old thing!" interjected Maron in a snarl. "I'm not as merciful as Atticus and Yamcha!" she warned.

"Before we start this, I haven't fought a human-turned saiyan before, so tell me..." requested Yamcha with a smirk. "...did you gain greater ki with your saiyan transformation? Or did your ki remain the same even as your race was shifted?"

"It grew," answered Mercenary Tao with a smirk of his own. "As if every battle that I have ever fought, as if every day that I have ever trained, as if all of my battles and training had more worth than they did before!" he cackled. "A form of, well, let's call it retroactive talent!"

"Eh?" uttered Yamcha. "N-n-not a flat increase, but a relative rise?" he gulped. "Th-th-through retroactive talent‽"

"Don't lose your nerve Yamcha," giggled Maron. "Or do," she redecided. "So we can swap!"

"I'm not losing my nerve!" asserted Yamcha in a yell. "But this is important, serious ne-"

"You're about to lose more than just nerves, boy..." interjected the Crane Hermit as he arose onto his feet and then darkened as if he had just stepped into shade! "...experience and finesse aren't shit without the strength to use them," he admitted as his darkening emerged from him as a misty shadow! "But they do magnify power when they're present with strength!" he asserted as his aura of darkness began to gleam with a merlot tinge!

"Is that..." awed Maron as she began to recognize what was happening to the Crane Hermit.

"...what I think it is?" gulped Yamcha as he recognized the Crane Hermit's transformation in two ways.

"You didn't experience King Piccolo as I experienced him, you didn't experience the shadow and terror of the Great Demon King's wickedness!" accused the Crane Hermit as Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha beheld his Evil Aura! "You didn't perceive the strength of his villainy!"

"This is exactly why I knew we had to deal with Tao and you as soon as possible," growled Atticus after the Crane Hermit's assumption of the Evil Saiyan transformation! "You..."

"...he's becoming a demon?" deduced Maron as the Crane Hermit began to become a Demon Clansman in addition to an Evil Saiyan! "Like those enslaved by Piano!"

"No..." refuted Atticus with a shake of his head. "...not like them," he elaborated as the Crane Hermit became bulkier and taller but didn't mutate. "They applied the evil, while he's mastered it!"

"The best demon isn't the demon that's distorted by their evil and mangled into a monstrosity..." cackled the Crane Hermit as the Earth quaked from the strain of hosting his transformation! "...but rather, it's the demon who avoids that distortion and thereby draws on their evil in full!" he revealed in a snicker. "That is, the best demon is the demon like King Piccolo! And now, with the blessing of centuries and delusion, I have become the Crane Demon King (威鶴大魔王, Izuru Daimaō, "Almighty Crane Great Demon King")!"

"An augmentation of a Demon Clansman form combined with the Evil Saiyan transformation..." deduced Atticus as he eyed the Crane Hermit and then grimaced. "...it's ridiculously strong! Even for the Crane Hermit, even for Izuru, this is bonkers!" he complained with a shake of his head. "Attaining the Evil Saiyan form, after becoming a saiyan, allowed him to skip steps!" he realized. "The absolute chore of controlling and energizing your evil, an ability like the Devilmite Beam but aimed towards yourself rather than your target, the Crane Hermit didn't have to invent or learn a safe technique that does such a thing," he noted in a snarl. "Because the Evil Saiyan form gave that power to him for free! As such, after he became an Evil Saiyan, all he had to do was things he already knew how to do. That is, control the evil ki with the mastery of a sage,"

"Uhh..." uttered Yamcha as the air began to fracture into lightless sparks and the area dimmed into a dusk's twilight! "...are you going to be okay?" asked Yamcha with a gulp and look towards Atticus.

"We'll be fine," answered Atticus as Maron nodded towards Yamcha. "Just take care of Tao,"

"Take care of me, you say..." sneered Mercenary Tao an instant before 2 auras emerged from him and then erupted into an explosion skyward! "...what makes you believe that he can do that?" he questioned as he applied an aura of cyan rage to contain and control an aura of shadow and villainy!

"That is..." gasped Atticus as he beheld Tao's trump card. "...like the Berserk Blue!" he deduced in a snarl. "Izuru contacted Tao with his Aura of Evil and that contact infected Tao!" he reasoned. "Vegeta added the Aura of Evil to his own power, controlled the aura rather than be controlled by it, by confining and dominating the Aura of Evil within the aura of his Super Saiyan Blue!" he noted. "That allowed Vegeta to attain a Berserk-Controlled Blue, yes, but Tao is not Vegeta! Tao does not have any aura, much less a Super Saiyan Blue aura, that he can use to confine and control the Aura of Evil!" he complained. "So how is Tao able to-"

"Are you shitting me‽" screamed Yamcha as he beheld Mercenary Tao's hybrid transformation. "More of this Saiyan Rage (サイヤ人怒り, Saiya-jin Ikari) bullshit‽"

"What?" uttered Atticus and Maron at Yamcha. "Saiyan Rage?"

"It's Super Saiyan Rage, but without the Super Saiyan!" explained Yamcha to Atticus and Maron. "A form of Fury that isn't a technique, but rather a transformation! It's to Fury what the Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct forms are to the Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct techniques!" he clarified. "Nappa did this shit too!"

"Hihihihi..." cackled the Crane Hermit. "...I awakened that power within Tao when I blessed him with a touch of my villainy," he revealed in a sneer. "Compared to the Demon King's power, it's truly pathetic, yet the brat prefers it!"

"Prefer it to being your thrall," elaborated Tao. "You attempted to control me with your evil, dominate my mind, and failed!" asserted Tao in a snort. "Because of this power within me!"

"The Aura of Evil's berserk effect is enhancing that Saiyan Rage thing," warned Atticus to Yamcha. "The buffs are magnifying one another rather than just stacking, so even though his base power is pretty small, you need to be-"

"I KNOW!" interjected Yamcha in a spat. "I can detect ki too, remember?" he huffed. "So just deal with your Crane!"

"Fine!" relented Atticus as Yamcha and his energy flared into a rise! That is, as Atticus armored himself in his Aura of a Destroyer and then elevated that aura into a rising and skyscraping tower! While Yamcha discharged his electricity into a flash of lightning which meandered into a skyward and thundering zap! Subsequently; Atticus, Crane, Tao, and Yamcha bellowed out a chorus of screams which shook the wasteland as it thundered throughout the world!

"Careful..." urged Maron to Atticus and Yamcha, an instant before the boys leapt into a lunge towards the brothers! In response, the Crane Hermit and Mercenary Tao nodded at one another and then rocketed towards the boys! Subsequently, Atticus and the Crane Hermit clashed their forearms into a cross before Tao and Yamcha managed to even get near one another.

"Behold the dark's strength, Atticus!" spat the Crane Hermit as he attacked Atticus' eye with a knifehand thrust! But Atticus evaded the knifehand by flying into a sideward swivel! Afterward, Atticus gyrated his hips as he soared into an uppercut towards the Crane Hermit's jaw! However, the Crane Hermit back-flipped into a kick and thereby leaned under the uppercut! Before the completion of the kick though, Atticus accelerated his flight and thereby evaded the kick with a rolling and skyward soar! As the Crane Hermit finished his flip and kick, the Crane Hermit aimed his index fingers at Atticus and then discharged a fiery yet lightless ray from each of his index fingers! "Dodonka (どどん火, "Dodon Fire")!" howled the Crane Hermit as he attempted to blast Atticus with a duo of infernal shadows! Not long after, Atticus halted his roll and soar into a stare towards the incoming Dodon Flames!

"Hikōbushi (飛光拳, Flying Light Fist)!" chanted Atticus as he accelerated himself with an auroral light and thereby began a plummeting and radiant zigzag! Subsequently, Atticus dodged the Dodon Flame by flashing into a rigid spiral around the Dodon Flames! Atticus then blurred into a downward and meteoric punch towards the Crane Hermit's face! However, as Atticus neared and punched towards the Crane Hermit, the Crane Hermit cackled and then let Atticus punch him‽ "Eh?" uttered Atticus as the Crane Hermit avoided the full impact of his punch by detonating into the dimmest of flames and then dispersing into a firework of sable sparks! Afterward, the flames amassed themselves into an ephemeral flare of gloom as they flashed behind Atticus. And then the flames immediately reformed themselves into the Crane Hermit‽

"Kikōka (気功火, "Energy Cultivation Flame")!" cooed the Crane Hermit as he chopped the nape of Atticus' neck and thereby detonated the life within Atticus! As a result, Atticus burst into the bleakest and darkest of flames! "Hihihihi..." snickered the Crane Hermit as Atticus became enveloped within a hellish umbra and burned from the inside-

"I can do that too," interjected Atticus as he expended his ignited life and thereby dispelled his umbral wreath! As the Crane Hermit blinked at the counter and then growled in petulant rage, Atticus amassed the energy of his expended life at his index finger's tip and then discharged that energy as a Dodon Ray aimed towards the Crane Hermit! "Dodonkōpa (どどん功波, "Dodon Cultivation Wave")!"

Immediately, the Crane Hermit arose into a flight over the Dodon Ray and then dropped into a kick towards Atticus! But Atticus blocked the jump kick with a brisk punch and then countered with a flight into a rising uppercut! However, the Crane Hermit abruptly ascended at the speed of the uppercut and thereby avoided the uppercut! Subsequently, the Crane Hermit angled himself into a face-first soar towards Atticus and then armed each of his hands with a dusky inferno as he barraged Atticus with a flurry of knifehand strikes! At the same time, Atticus armored his hands with his aura and then batted away the Crane Hermit's chops with a bombardment of punches! In response, the Crane Hermit brightened the flames of his knifehand strike and thereby flashed Atticus with a...

"...Taiyōken (太陽拳, "Solar Fist")!" cawed the Crane Hermit as his flames gleamed with an infernal light which seared Atticus' sight! As Atticus became blinded and pained by the radiance of the Solar Flare, the Crane Hermit aimed his flurry of knifehand strikes at Atticus' vitals and then snickered as his strikes struck and torched the wind!

Wait...

"...what?" uttered the Crane Hermit as Atticus avoided each and every last one of the Crane Hermit's strikes with the gentlest of leans and the slightest of turns! Eventually, after dozens of evasions, Atticus cratered the Crane Hermit's face with a jab and thereby ended the Crane Hermit's flurry of strikes! Following that, Atticus arose into a flight which kneed the Crane Hermit in the stomach, clasped his hands together, and then hammered the Crane Hermit into a plummet! "Guh, h-h-how‽" questioned the Crane Hermit as he forced himself into a hover and thereby halted his plummet. At the same time, Atticus began a descent into a stomp towards the Crane Hermit! As such, after the Crane Hermit about-faced towards Atticus, Atticus completed his drop into a stomp upon the Crane Hermit's chest and thereby kicked the Crane Hermit into a back-first slam upon the stony surface of the wasteland!

However, instead of cratering the ground with his impact upon the stone, the Crane Hermit dispersed into flames and those flames roared into a soaring surge towards Atticus! Subsequently, the Crane Hermit became a bolt of hellfire and flashed into a searing strike towards Atticus! But Atticus avoided the bolt with a backward lean and then rearwardly soared into a somersault as the bolt jerked into a plummeting and returning strike! At this point, the bolt erupted into a fiery lunge towards Atticus and then morphed into the Crane Hermit as it neared Atticus! In response, Atticus halted his somersault with a kick off the sky and into lunge towards the Crane Hermit! Following that, Atticus and the Crane Hermit crashed into a headbutt of one another and then glared and growled at one another!

After a brief moment of snarling and staring, the Crane Hermit dispersed into flames and then those flames soared to the world's zenith! As soon as the flames arrived at the atmosphere's edge and before the Sun's visage, the Crane Hermit emerged from the flames and then imbued his power into the rays of the Sun! "There is no predicting or protecting yourself from this!" declared the Crane Hermit, an instant before he aimed and augmented the Sun into blasting half of the planet with a blinding and dizzying light! As the blast of clamor and light crashed into Atticus and many others, all of them were blinded and deafened as if the Crane Hermit had detonated a flashbang in their faces!

At the same time, the Crane Hermit conjured a flame of the night's twilight by igniting the life of the planet itself! Afterward, the Crane Hermit discharged multiple pillars of that umbral wildfire from the surface of the wasteland and then melted valleys into the wasteland as he moved the pillars into a slide towards Atticus! As the dark and fiery pillars blazed into a loom over Atticus, Atticus discharged his aura into a comet's tail-like and full-body jet! As a result, Atticus charged the dark flames of the pillars and rocketed himself into a soar towards the Crane Hermit! As Atticus approached the Crane Hermit at full speed, yet also arced his flight around each and every pillar, the Crane Hermit gnashed his teeth and then lashed out with scorching and shaded whips!

That is, a blaze of the Crane Hermit's darkness erupted from the Crane Hermit's wrists as the Crane Hermit flailed towards Atticus and then flashed towards Atticus as a swerve of tenebrous wildfire! But Atticus abruptly and briskly jerked himself into seamless zigzags and thereby soared over or under each lash of the searing shadows! At this point, the Crane Hermit bit a bleeding burn onto his lip and then began to discharge Dodon Flame after Dodon Flame from each and every last one of his fingers! "Nijūjita Maradodonka (二十舌魔羅どどん火, "Twenty-Tongued Mara Dodon Flame")!" cawed the Crane Hermit as he darkened the the day into a night and hailed Atticus with a rain of rays! "Everyone's lucks runs ou-"

"Luck?" scoffed Atticus as his aura shrouded his hands in a violet wreath! "I can detect ki, moron!" sneered Atticus as he began to deflect the Dodon Flames with punches of his violet wrath! And as he continued closing the distance between the Crane Hermit and him! "Blind me? Deafened me? Doesn't matter!" he declared as he arrived before the Crane Hermit and then bashed the Crane Hermit with a punch! A punch which contorted the Crane Hermit's face as it quaked the Crane Hermit's skull! As blood and bone erupted out of the Crane Hermit's face, the Crane Hermit choked on fragments of his skull and teeth! At the same time though, the Crane Hermit attacked Atticus with a brisk yet fiery kick which melted the skin off Atticus' stomach! As Atticus flinched from the molten pain, the Crane Hermit jerked into a rising soar towards Atticus and thereby kneed Atticus in the chin and into a rearward somersault! Afterward, the Crane Hermit caught Atticus with a grab of Atticus' ankle and then flung Atticus into a plummet!

Before Atticus could crash into the ground, Atticus about-faced towards a descending Crane Hermit and then began to deflect a flurry of kicks and punches! As Attics blocked or deflected the Crane Hermit's kicks and punches, the Crane Hermit seethed into a seizure of unholy wrath! Eventually, the Crane Hermit dispersed into a fiery gloom and then encircled Atticus as a firestorm of molten shadows! At this point, blazes of darkness commenced to erupt out the firestorm and into piercing and scorching surges towards Atticus! However, Atticus accelerated himself with an auroral light and then cackled as he dodged each and every flash of night as a flash of light! After Atticus dodged dozens of the lightless surges, a Crane Hermit abruptly emerged from the firestorm's funnel and into a jump kick upon Atticus' face!

"This bastard..." coughed Atticus after the Crane Hermit's jump kick knocked out a number of his teeth! And as another Crane Hermit emerged from the firestorm's funnel and into a overhead punched which slammed into his face! "...he's dividing himself by emulating the Multi-Form Technique (四身の拳, Shishin no Ken)!" deduced Atticus as blazes of darkness continued to emerged from the firestorm's funnel and as the 2 Crane Hermits continued their assault upon him! Immediately, a Crane Hermit attacked Atticus with a flying kick swerved towards Atticus' head! While another Crane Hermit attacked Atticus' gut with an uppercut! At the same time, a barrage of blazes began to close in on Atticus and the Crane Hermits! Yet Atticus armored a forearm and a foreleg in his aura...

...and then cackled at the challenge‽

Subsequently, Atticus blocked the kick with his forearm and the punch with his knee! As Atticus did so though, Atticus adhered his aura to the Crane Hermits' fist and leg! Afterward, both of the Crane Hermits were dragged into a levitating and sidewards tilt! As Atticus evaded a fiery gout of umbra by flying into a rotation! At this point, Atticus accelerated and angled his rotation into a turbulent whirl and then hurtled the Crane Hermits into the firestorm's funnel by just releasing the Crane Hermits from his aura! At the same time, by calculating the turbulence of his whirl rather than randomizing that turbulence, Atticus dodged the emerging and flaring gouts of umbra! As soon as the Crane Hermits crashed into the firestorm's funnel, the Crane Hermits dispersed into flames and then integrated into that scorch of a tornado! Meanwhile, the blazes ceased to erupt from the firestorm and Atticus halted into a hover and a smirk.

"This begins to bore me, Atticus!" complained the Crane Hermit as he compressed the firestorm into himself and then eyed Atticus with a glare. "You can damage me in your futile struggle, but you can't defeat me with those middling strikes!" he declared as he detonated his hair and mustache into a gloaming wildfire! "Because NO MERE HUMAN can defeat the DEMON KING!"

"You claimed that you conjured my soul and then displaced Chiaotzu's with it, right? But you lack the magic to perform that sort of summoning and tampering," asserted Atticus to the Crane Hermit as the both of them gazed into one another's hateful stare. "You had support," accused Atticus. "Who?"

"Hihihihi, indeed!" admitted the Crane Hermit with his arms behind his back. "He called himself the Author of Delusions (妄想の作者, Mōsō no Sakusha)," continued the Crane Hermit in a hum. "And claimed himself the creator of the delusion that is our reality and world!"

"And you believed him?" asked Atticus in a snort. "You believed that shit?"

"Fuck no," cackled the Crane Hermit. "But he enabled my growth, gave me magical secrets and mystical techniques, in exchange for me helping him lull more of his people into this world," he snorted.

"Eh?" uttered Atticus. "I-I-I'm not..." he continued in a gulp. "...the only one you've summoned‽"

"Of course not," confirmed the Crane Hermit in a snicker. "After the death of my Master Mutaito, I agreed to assist the AoD and thus have been performing the ritual of summoning for more than 300 years," he revealed in a snort. "You are merely my one, personal summon," he elaborated. "My pet project rather than my obligatory work..."

"...a better Chiaotzu to serve you," finished Atticus in the Crane Hermit's stead. "A better, more obedient, and more pliable slave. Yeah?"

"Yeah," confirmed the Crane Hermit. "After I kill you, I'll conjure replacements for the souls of Maron and Tien and then make them into the perfect students that you failed to be!" snickered the Crane Hermit as he exploded into flames and then formed himself into a crane-shaped and jet-black phoenix! "BURN ATTICUS, BURN AND DIE!" cawed the Crane Hermit as a black gale of heat emerged from his feathers and then impacted upon Atticus as an incinerating wind! Subsequently, as the Crane Hermit began to melt the surface of the wasteland and roast the surface of Atticus' skin, the Crane Hermit flapped his incendiary and murky wings and thereby flew into a blazing and shadowy soar towards Atticus!

"You..." breathed Atticus as the Crane Hermit neared and seared him! "...I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT THEM!" he cried as his aura emerged from him like the eruption of a volcano and then flashed into an impact with the Crane Hermit! As the aura crashed into the Crane Hermit, the aura collided with the Crane Hermit's consciousness and then forced itself into the Crane Hermit's mind‽ "I will not let you hurt my Maron and my Tien like you hurt your Chiaotzu!" spat Atticus as he applied his aura as if it was psions and thereby broke into the Crane Hermit's psyche! That is, as he achieved an artificial and manual telepathy rather then employed his lost, natural telepathy!

"You believe you can control my will, the DEMON KING's will, Atticus‽" asked the Crane Hermit as Atticus and him appeared the middle of his mindscape and then flew into a headbutt of one another! "You were born with your telepathy, while I earned my telepathy, so you aren't a match for me you spoiled twat!"

"I-I-I..." growled Atticus as blood erupted from the Crane Hermit and his foreheads and then filled the mindscape with an ocean of scarlet! "...I am the master now!" asserted Atticus as his bleeding ceased entirety, and as the Crane Hermit's bleeding doubled in quantity and speed alike! "Hakai (破壊, "Destruction")!"

"Wha..." asked the Crane Hermit as Atticus' aura began to conduct into his mind like lightning into steel! "...no!" screeched the Crane Hermit as he detected that his emotions, sensations, and thoughts were vanishing into the winds of the world! "No, p-p-PLEASE no! D-d-don't do thi- NO, ssstttOOO..." begged the Crane Hermit as Atticus' aura energized the entirety of his mind and then erased that mind into a perfect, psychological void!

"Stop?" murmured Atticus as he awoke in physicality and then beheld the Crane Hermit halt in midair. "Mercy ain't the Crane way, remember?" noted Atticus, as the Crane Hermit lost his transformation and then mindlessly plummeted into a thoughtless whirl towards the wasteland.

"Izuru!" gasped Mercenary Tao as he kicked Yamcha into a rearward skid. "You damn weakling!" he growled as he rocketed himself into a surge towards the Crane Hermit!

"And where do you think you are going?" asked Yamcha as he arced around Mercenary Tao with his flight and thereby positioned himself between the Crane and Tao! "This game is over, Tao!" announced Yamcha as he augmented his electrons by a multiplier of 2 and then blitzed the leaping Tao with flashes of lightning and and a flurry of slashes! "Kaiōden (界王電, "World King Lightning")!" chanted Yamcha as he clawed into Mercenary Tao with electrically sharpened hands and thereby diced Mercenary Tao into embers and giblets alike! "Raijūgafūfūjinken (雷獣牙風風神拳, Thunder Beast-Fang Wind God Fist)!"

"And that's that," chimed Maron as Atticus and Yamcha landed on a rock, and as she appeared before Atticus and Yamcha with a teleport. "I almost interfered, y'know?" she admitted to Atticus.

"You could have helped me, y'know!" complained Yamcha as the Crane Hermit crashed into the ground and then melted into the molten mush on the surface of the wasteland.

"And you could have Kaiōden from the start," retorted a levitating Maron in a scoff. "But you chose to make things difficult for yourself,"

"Shut up," huffed Yamcha. "An Evil Saiyan and and a Saiyan Rager..." continued Yamcha with a frown. "...that's not normal, something is wrong,"

"It's definitely Cereal," answered Atticus with a look up at Planet Cereal. "Not box cereal..." he added, causing Maron to lower her hand as he did so. "...but that planet," he elaborated with a point at Planet Cereal.

"Blutz Waves," deduced Maron and Yamcha at the same time.

"Ayup," confirmed Atticus in a sigh. "Because of the blutz waves of Planet Cereal, the bodies of the saiyans are expecting a Great Ape transformation and thus preparing themselves for a Great Ape transformation," he elaborated. "But the bodies are not actually being triggered into the Great Ape transformation, so there is a lot of preparation and readiness for a transformation that isn't coming. A bunch of preparation and readiness that other, rarer transformations are able to exploit!"

"But why isn't the Great Ape triggering?" asked Maron in a huff. "If there are blutz waves, there is the Great Ape, right?"

"Blutz Waves have wavelengths though and the blutz wavelength of Planet Cereal is abnormal..." answered Atticus with a frown. "...it's enough to stimulate a saiyan's body it seems, but it appears that it's not enough to trigger a saiyan's body into the Great Ape transformation," he noted. "As such, while a saiyan can become a Great Ape by staring at the Earth or a moon, a saiyan can't become a Great Ape by staring at Planet Cereal,"

"But they can employ Planet Cereal as a shortcut to even stronger transformations‽" added Yamcha in a growl. "Fucking saiyans man!"

"It is what it is," giggled Maron at Yamcha's vexation. "And what is it? A great idea! That's what it is!" added Maron in a cheer. "We can wish that the Earth and the Moon are like breakfast cereal!"

"To avoid the doomsday of everyone going Great Ape at the same time?" gasped Yamcha at the idea. "Aha!" he laughed merrily. "That's it! That's definitely the wish!" he agreed in a giggle of his own.

"Good idea Maron!" agreed Atticus as Maron dropped from her float and into a landing between Yamcha and him. "Maron?" questioned Atticus as Maron aimed her hands at Yamcha and him...

...and then began to heal them‽

"You can heal‽" gasped Atticus and Yamcha as their damaged flesh regenerated and their expended ki recuperated!

"Ki is cool, but magic is cooler!" bragged Maron. "But the greater the energy of the target, the greater the magic has to be to heal them," she revealed in a sigh. "So the healing has to be sparse, alright?" she stressed.

"Makes sense," hummed Yamcha. "Alright, the Cerealian Dragon Balls, how are we going to procure them?" he questioned.

"I've relearned telekinesis and telepathy," began Atticus as he applied his aura to manually perform telekinesis and thereby lifted a molten butte into a rise. "And, y'know, I have my Far-Seeing Technique (遠見の術 Tōmi no Jutsu)," he noted in a snort. "So- the dragon ball is in Central City,"

"God damn it!" swore Yamcha at the news.

"What did I do?"

"Kami!" cheered Atticus, Maron, and Yamcha as the 3 of them heard the Namekian in their minds.

"First and foremost, while the 3 of you were distracted by Crane and Tao, there was an incident at your Z-Carrier," began Kami t-

"WHAT‽" screeched Yamcha. "What happened‽"

"Everyone is fine, they were ambushed by thieves emboldened by their new saiyan strength, but Little Piccolo dispatched the thieves before they could hurt anyone or steal anything," assured Kami to Yamcha.

"Few..." gasped Yamcha. "...oh that's a relief," he wheezed. "Don't scare me like that,"

"You mostly scared yourself..." snorted Atticus and Marron.

"Shut up!" spat Yamcha at the couple. "What else did you call to tell us, Kami?"

"I couldn't help but to notice that Atticus was scrying," answered Kami in a hum. "Are you looking for those Cerealian Dragon Balls?"

"Yes," confirmed Atticus with a nod. "We need the wishes," he stressed.

"Bring the Cerealian Dragon Balls to me, and I can drain their magic into the Earth Dragon Balls..." offered Kami. "...allowing us to recharge and strengthen the Earth Dragon Balls!"

"Eh?" uttered Atticus with a blink. "Is that okay? Is that wise?" he asked Maron and Yamcha.

"Any dragon balls capable of distorting people without their permission shouldn't exist," answered Maron in a huff. "The Cerealian Dragon Balls are a problem through and through, Attie!"

"I agree with Maron," corroborated Yamcha in a huff of his own. "Tarble may have been able to expend people's life and steal their potential with the Cerealian Dragon Balls," he noted in a snarl. "The very fact that even might have been a possibility is more than enough of a reason to get rid of the Cerealian Dragon Balls," he stressed. "They are dangerous as fuck!"

"Alright," sighed Atticus. "I hope Granolah and Monaito understand," he gulped. "But we'll bring them to you Kami!"

"Good luck retrieving them then," chimed Kami. "And in the battles to come!"

Chapter Text

May 16th, Age 757 - Before the Battle with Crane

"It's been a long wait, but..." cooed an adolescent boy on the cusp of manhood.

The boy bore a canon Chiaotzu-level of shortness. Yet he also boasted a bull-necked, chubby, and heavy-set physique with bulging and veiny muscles! That is, despite his lack of stature, the boy exhibited the physique of a power-lifting strong man! In addition, atop the boy's blubber and muscle, a coat of navy blue fur covered every part of the boy. Well; every part except for the boy's chest, the boy's face, and the palm's side of the boy's arms. Lastly, the boy possessed cat-like ears atop his head...

...yet also a cat-like, saiyan's tail?

"...my opportunity for revenge, no, our opportunity for revenge has finally presented itself!" cooed Puar who — because of Tarble's wish — possessed the body of a feline saiyan! Atop a cliff that loomed with the height of a skyscraper and into an overlook of a sandy beach; Puar stood amidst 8, other saiyans. Both Puar and the other saiyans were all eying the beach's only structure. Or rather, more accurately, all 8 of them were eying the structure-like vehicle that was the Z Carrier!

"Yes..." agreed Diān Hóng as Good Launch departed from the Z Carrier with her babies in pursuit, like ducklings following their mother. "...both Launch and Yamcha will pay for their crimes, for their sins, today!"

"Uhh..." uttered Lián with a deep frown, and their gaze settled on Denna and Suppa, as Good Launch prepared the beach for a picnic. "...is this really the right thing to do?" he murmured with a shake of his head. "I know that is the Launch, but-"

"But NOTHING!" spat Hóng in a snarl. "That bitch killed my wife, shot a hardworking woman in the face, while robbing the bank that she worked at!" he snapped. "She chose to kill and steal..."

"...so now we choose to return the favor," cooed Ròuguì as he aimed a hand straight towards Denna and Suppa and then beamed his ki out of his hand and into a surge towards the toddlers! "We'll paying them back with interest, yahahaa!"

"Ahahaaa, yes!" cheered Puar as Ròuguì's beam of ki careened into a descent upon Denna and Suppa without a reaction from Launch. "Fuck you, Yamch-"

"Babu‽" huffed Suppa as she about-faced into an abrupt backhand which crashed into the beam of ki...

...and then halted the beam of ki‽

"Eh?" uttered Puar as Suppa blocked the attack on her brother, mother, and herself. Subsequently, Suppa grunted in pain and strain and then parried the beam of ki into a return to its sender! "EH‽" screeched Puar after Suppa backhanded the beam into a ricochet towards him and the other saiyans!

"Did that baby just-" began Sūyóu an instant before Ròuguì's beam crashed into and detonated upon Ròuguì's face!

"Huh?" uttered Good Launch as Ròuguì's beam blew Ròuguì's head off and exploded upon the rest of the saiyans too! As Puar and the other survivors were blasted into a scatter, a billow of the cliff's debris descended upon Good Launch and her children...

"Fuck!" swore Puar after he arced into a drop and as he crashed face-first onto the beach. "Damn it, what in Beerus' name was that?" he wondered as he arose into a stand, heard a sneeze of all things, and then...

"Who the FUCK are you lot‽"

...began to be blasted a second time, except this time with bullets rather than ki!

"Fffuuuccckkk!" screeched Puar as Bad Launch fired upon him with a submachine gun and thereby shot him with a spray of steel! Although the bullets didn't hurt Puar, the bullets did electrocute Puar with their infusion of ki! "That bastard, that bitch Yamcha, he charged Launch's bullets with his electrical ki‽" deduced Puar as he burned and convulsed from the thunder of the wolf!

"As if I'd let you..." hissed Hóng as he burst into a flight towards Bad Launch! "...kill anyone else with that vile weapon!" declared Hóng after he blitzed Bad Launch with his flight and as he snatched Bad Launch's submachine gun out of Bad Launch's hands!

"Shit!" swore Bad Launch as Hóng hefted her submachien gun overhead and then swung her submachine gun at her face...

"Awawa!"

...until Denna appeared between Bad Launch and Hóng that is and thus was hammered by the submachine gun in Bad Launch's place. After Denna was pistol whipped into the ground, Bad Launch convulsed with rage and then punched Hóng straight in the nose! As soon as Bad Lunch's fist impacted with Hóng's face, a discharge of electricity erupted from Launch's wedding ring and then surged into Hóng's face!

"Be careful" called Puar as Hóng's face boiled into an inflation and then exposed Hóng's skull as it popped Hóng's face into a scarlet vapor! As Hóng clawed at the exposed front of his skull and dropped into a roll of torment, Bad Launch retrieved her submachine gun and then snarled at Puar and pals. "Her armaments are charged with Yamcha's lightning!"

"Fuck that, and fuck this broad, and her fucking kids!" raged Zhū as he amassed his ki into his hands and then loosed a pair of ki streams towards Bad Launch and her kids! Immediately, Suppa hurtled herself into a somersault and then landed between the beams and her family. However, before the beams could reach Suppa, the beams were intercepted by a blur which knocked the beams into the sky! "What‽"

"What‽" agreed Puar as the blur halted in place yet remained fuzzy? At the same time, the beams in the sky began to brighten into daytime stars! Not long after, both of the beams arced into a descent towards the beach!

"Thou art fools to threaten those under the protection of..." began the blur an instant before the beams fragmented into a rain of rays! As the rain of rays ambushed the saiyans with their descent, the rain of rays crashed into and disintegrated all but 4 of the remaining saiyans! The rain of rays also blackened the sand with burns and thereby dotted the sand with marks which spelled out... "...The Great Piccolo!" declared Little Piccolo as the blurring of his image ended with the rain of rays!

"This is a fight, not a game!" scolded Bad Launch as Little Piccolo appeared in a Ginyu Force and Great Saiyaman-like pose. "These bastards mean to slaughter us twerp!"

"We mean to avenge ourselves upon you, you thieving whore!" declared Hóng as he arose from his roll and then glared at Bad Launch with his exposed eyeballs! "You killed my wife, ruined my life, so now I'll-"

"That guy's alive‽" gasped Little Piccolo in horror at Hóng's survival. At the same time, Puar and Zhū arrived at Hóng's side. While Lián eyed Denna and Suppa with a gaze of guilt and then left with a rapid soar. "I-I-I didn't think I needed to target him when he had a wound like that!"

"You call this a fight, Widdle Piccolo?" sneered Puar with a crack of his knuckles. "Perish the thought, Namekian scum! This ain't a fight, IT'S A SLAUGHTER!" he insisted as he appeared before Little Piccolo in an instant and then caved in Little Piccolo's face with a punch! As Puar punched Little Piccolo into a rearward skid through the beach's sand, Hóng drew a katana from the katana's saya and then leapt into a lunge towards Bad Launch! At the same time, as Suppa attempted to intercept Hóng, Zhū appeared between Hóng and Suppa and then kicked Suppa into a roll through the sand!

"Attack me, not my twerps!" demanded Bad Launch as she fired at Hóng with her submachine gun! However, Hóng deflected the gunfire with slashes of his sword! Hóng  then reached and slashed towards Bad Launch! However, Denna crouched into a scrunch and then sprung into a surge towards Hóng's slash! Subsequently, Denna bit upon the blade of the katana as he reached the slash and then held that blade in his teeth in order to snap the blade with the sheer speed of his surge! After Denna broke Hóng's blade and thereby disrupted Hóng's slash, Bad Launch jammed the barrel of her submachine gun into the nose hole of Hóng's exposed, facial skull...

...and then pulled the trigger!

Around the same time, Suppa maneuvered from her roll and into a rearwardly skidding stand. Suppa then punched a ray that Zhū had beamed towards her. After she burst Zhū's ray into sparkles with naught but the strength of her strike, Suppa disappeared from sight and then reappeared at the side of Zhū. Zhū gawked at the speed of the toddler and then yelped as Suppa backflipped into a kick which struck him in the jaw! Subsequently, Suppa dropped into a handstand and then rocketed herself into a jump kick upon Zhu's cheek! Afterward, Suppa clasped her hands together as she front-flipped into a hammering strike upon Zhū's skull! After her attack bashed Zhū face-first into the ground, Suppa clasped a handful of Zhū's long and silky hair and then flailed Zhū overhead and into a cratering slam upon the ground!

"Guh..." grunted Little Piccolo as he halted his skid with a stomp. Puar cackled at the damage he'd inflicted upon Little Piccolo with his punch and then charged with flexed muscles! "...so this is a saiyan's strength?" questioned Little Piccolo as Puar charged into him with a flurry of punches! At the same time though, Little Piccolo closed his eyes and then evaded a punch with a lean that was nearly as slight as it could possibly be! "I'm not impressed," scoffed Little Piccolo as he continued to dodge Puar's punches by instinct rather than reaction!

"Is that..." gasped Puar as Piccolo continued to easily evade his punches. "...Ultra Inst- no, it can't be!" he cried as he backwardly leapt into a rearward and skyward soar. And then amassed an aura of ki around himself as he assumed a T-pose and halted into a hover in midair. "I'll blow your Dende-looking ass to bits, Cross-T Wave (クロス ティー波, Kurosu Tīha)!" roared Puar as his aura of ki exploded into a T-shaped wave and straight towards Little Piccolo!

"Oh!" gasped Little Piccolo as just the approach of the Cross-T Wave baked the beach's sand into glass! Afterward, Little Piccolo braced himself with a wide stance and then blocked the Cross T-Wave with the palms of his hands! "I know what to do here, Reikō Kyōhanshō (霊光鏡反衝, "Spirit Light Mirror Repulsion")!" chanted Little Piccolo as he applied his ki as telekinesis and upon the Cross T-Wave! Subsequently, Little Piccolo compressed the Cross T-Wave into a sphere of ki between his palms and lowered his palms to his side as he did so. Following that, with a shout and a thrust of his palms in Puar's direction, Little Charge discharged the sphere of ki into an explosion towards Puar!

"Th-th-that move is not even from DBZzzeeeuuuggghhhaaaa!" complained Puar as the Spirit Reflection Blast crashed into him and then dragged him into the sky!

"But this is, Gekiretsu Kōdan (激烈光弾, Fury Light Bullet)!" added Little Piccolo as he amassed a chunk of his ki into a radiant sphere, detected Puar's location with his ki sense, and then flung the sphere towards Puar! As soon as the Light Grenade exited Little Piccolo's hand, the Light Grenade blurred into a flash of the most radiant yellow and then flashed into an impact with Puar!

"Uhh..." uttered Bad Launch as she picked up a sobbing and wailing Denna and then strode towards Suppa...

....whom was furiously flailing Zhū's corpse by its hair, in order to repeatedly slam Zhū's corpse face-first into the ground! Again and again and again! Without any end in sight. And without any hamper in her power and speed. "...Suppa?" called Bad Launch as she neared her powerhouse of a toddler. "Hey, hey! Suppa!"

"Awa?" answered Suppa as she both halted in the middle of a swing and released Zhū's corpse into a skyward and somersaulting whirl.

"Come ere girl," cackled Bad Launch. Immediately; Suppa cheered at the invitation, leapt into Bad Launch's free arm, and then snuggled into her mother's bosom as the explosion of the Light Grenade shone upon Bad Luanch, Denna, and her. "Aren't you the cutest little robber?" she giggled as Denna, Suppa, and her looked upward to see Little Piccolo flashing into the sky.

"I can feel your ki!" shouted Little Piccolo as his flight neared the cloud of smoke that had been produced by his Light Grenade's explosion. "I know that you're alive you, uhh, thief!"

"Can you feel it rise too?" asked Puar as he dispelled the smoke with a ki-powered wind and thereby revealed that he had become a cat-eared and cat-tailed Great Ape.

Wait...

"...WHAT‽" cried Little Piccolo as Puar blitzed him with a rocketing soar and then swatted him into a tumble! After Little Piccolo corrected his posture and then cratered the ground with a drop into a kneel, Puar appeared before Little Piccolo and then punched Little Piccolo into another rearward skid! "Sh-Sh-Shapeshifting (変身, Henshin)!" whimpered Little Piccolo, as Puar changed into a cat-furred snake and then hissed into a leap towards Little Piccolo!

"You aren't the only one to learn from Chiaotzu!" spat Puar just a moment before he bit a fist that Little Piccolo tried to punch him with! Subsequently, Puar flailed himself into the lash of a whip and thereby launched Little Piccolo into an upward whirl! "I beheld Chiaotzu's fights with Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha. And after I did so, I endeavored to emulate his Chōnōryoku (超脳力, Super Brainpower) technique!"

"Y-y-you b-bit me!" hissed Little Piccolo as he ended his whirl and faced himself towards Puar. "You bit me, you stupid little-"

"The brain controls not just any mental, mutant powers that you may have. But also instincts, intellect, and intuition too!" interjected Puar as he assumed his base from and then changed each of his forearms into the barrel of an enormous machine gun! Subsequently, Puar began to fire the barrels as if they were full machine guns! "Augmenting my brain is the same as strengthening my talent!" he revealed as his bullets neared Little Piccolo and then shocked Little Piccolo by piercing straight through Little Piccolo's bones and flesh! "Adapting to this body, copying and learning from other people's techniques, all of that is easy when your brain is juiced up!" he cackled as he beheld a Little Piccolo that was dotted with holes and drenched in the Namekian's purple blood! "Bullets are a lot stronger and swifter when they're fueled by the Great Ape's power, yeah?"

"Pikowu!" cried Denna and Suppa as they beheld the bloody and gawking Little Piccolo. "Nuwuu!"

"Combining the magic of Shapeshifting with the power of Wrathful, huh?" coughed Little Piccolo before he expanded himself into a sphere with an inflation of sorts and thereby filled his bullet wounds with flesh‽

"Wh-wh-what?" gasped Puar after Little Piccolo deflated himself to his normal shape and finished healing himself with Namekian regeneration! "Tha-tha-that Cell-like regeneration, how? How? HOW‽ Even your canon self couldn't-"

"You aren't the only one to learn from Atticus!" answered Little Piccolo with a fanged smirk. "You should have learned the Kotaichi no Henka (個体値の変化, Alteration of Individual Values) instead though!"

"Aha!" cheered Bad Launch alongside her babies. "Don't scare us like that, twerp!"

"You applied that buffing technique, Chiaotzu's stat technique, to your healing‽" deduced Puar with a gnash of his teeth. "A-a-as if that matters though!" he roared as he altered his forearms into flamethrowers and then discharged a pair of fiery jets towards Little Piccolo!

"You'll find that it does, in fact, matter!" declared Little Piccolo, as he burst into a flight towards the flames‽ Subsequently, Little Piccolo cackled in glee as he healed and soared through Puar's fiery jets without so much as a wince at the pain!

"Th-th-that's not..." began Puar after Little Piccolo arrived before him and as Little Piccolo cratered his face with a punch! "...fffairghudaofnad!" he whined as the energy of the punch scrunched his face into a twist and then swirled the rest of him into a whirl!

"Makankōsaken (魔貫光殺拳, Demon's Penetrating, Killing Light Fist)!" chanted Little Piccolo as Puar contorted into a spherical spiral and then hurtled into a meandering and skyward soar! "Complain less, improve more, that is how you overcome thief!" declared Little Piccolo as he aimed his index finger at the airborne Puar and then began to charge a Dodon Ray...

...an instant before he and many other people on the planet were blinded and deafened by the Crane Hermit's solar flare!

"Aaauuuwwwaaa!" cried Little Piccolo as he became blinded and deafened for a mere moment. For after that moment, Little Piccolo healed his hearing and sight with his Kotaichi no Henka rather than wait for them to recover on their own. "He escaped with the Solar Flare?" assumed Little Piccolo after his recovery and as he beheld a lack of Puar in the sky. "That cowardly, dirty, little TTTHHHIIIEEEFFF!"

"TTTHHHIIIEEEFFF!" agreed Denna and Suppa in a scream and wail of their own.

"Oh so you can say that just fine, huh?" scoffed Bad Launch at Denna and Suppa. "You brats, I swear..."

"Bad Mama Launch!" called Little Piccolo as he dashed up to Launch and the Yamlings. "It's over! We won!"

"Ahh, yeah, good job little guy...." lied Launch with a congratulatory pat of Little Piccolo's head. "...but this ain't over," mused Bad Launch with a shake of his head. "That damn squirrel will definitely be back some day. Back with more people to support him. After all..."

"...there is no shortage of folk whom Yamcha and I have crossed,"

❧ ❧ ❧ 

"P-P-Puar!" gasped Yamcha while standing in the foyer of the Z Carrier. "Puar was 1 of the thieves‽"

By this point; Atticus, Maron, and him were all back in the Z Carrier. Bad Launch was listening and sitting on the sofa, while Denna and Suppa were sleeping with their heads atop Bad Launch's laps. Meanwhile, Atticus and Maron were floating with their legs crossed and side-by-side with one another. While Little Piccolo was practicing his punches in the dining room nearby.

"Kami?" called Atticus in a huff. "You forgot to mention-"

"Little Piccolo said they were thieves," answered Kami in a huff. "He didn't give me names,"

"Cowardly, thieving weaklings!" asserted Little Piccolo in a shout. "I crushed them!"

"A-a-are they okay?" asked Yamcha with a kneel beside the couch and a look upon his toddlers. "Th-th-they aren't-"

"Pft!" snorted Bad Launch at Yamcha's concern. "The babes inflicted more damage than they took," she noted. "Well, Denna is as harmless and sweet as my alter ego, so he didn't really attack anyone per se," she admitted. "But dear Kami, Suppa, ahaha!" she laughed. "She beat one of them to death with her bare hands!"

"WHAT‽" screeched an appalled Yamcha, causing Suppa to cackle in her sleep. "By the Supreme Kais of yore..."

"Why is Puar angry enough at you to attack your family like this, Yamcha?" asked Atticus in a groan. "Puar and Yamcha are supposed to be-"

"We aren't Puar and Yamcha though," interjected Yamcha. "Not really. And, well, let's say that I wasn't the friend to that Puar that the actual Yamcha was to his Puar,"

"We all have our histories," added Maron. "So-"

"Don't give us that shit," hissed Bad Launch at Maron. "We aren't the same toots. I ain't a victim, I'm a victimizer! And I've been proud of that!" she admitted in a snort. "All of those guys had motive against me, or Yamcha, or both of us, and as saiyans, they finally had power too! So of course they sought vengeance upon us," she yawned. "I ain't complaining. I'd do their same in their shoes. I just wish they'd left the tots out of it," she grumbled.

"I am sure that they had wishes that you didn't respect, Launch..." groaned Maron. "...so they'll have no interest in respecting yours,"

"Ayup," agreed Bad Launch. "But the problem stands," she noted.

"Can we use the dragon balls to revert these dudes to humans or whatever race they used to be?" questioned Yamcha. "Please? Pretty please?"

"The Earth Dragon Balls can't affect someone with its magic without their knowledge or permission," asserted Atticus to Yamcha. "It's why Shenron couldn't forcibly teleport Goku back to-"

"I know the rules!" interjected Yamcha. "But-"

"Do you actually believe..." began Atticus in a snort. "...that Puar will just permit Shenron to take away his new powers?" asked Atticus in a snort.

"No," agreed Yamcha in a groan. "M-m-maybe the Cerealian Dragon Balls then?" he offered.

"Maybe it can affect more than 1 person at a time..." conceded Atticus. "...but even if it could do that, if Puar responds by training, he'll become a greater threat than he is as a nepobaby saiyan," he warned. "After all, Little Piccolo said-"

"So all that will accomplish is prolong the inevitable," interjected Bad Launch with a snort. "It be better to find the squirrel and then kill it!"

"Kill Puar?" murmured Yamcha. "After everything I- he's gone to far, yes, but still..." he moaned.

"Intimidation is my strong suit Yam," cackled Bad Launch with a brandish and flourish of a revolver. "If you beat him down, I can make sure he never stands up to us ever again," she cooed. "No killing necessary,"

"A confrontation is inevitable regardless," asserted Atticus to Yamcha. "Best to face this problem rather than run from it,"

"I ain't been running!" hissed Yamcha at Atticus. "There just wasn't anything to say..." he argued. "...except, well, what I have been too afraid and too prideful to say," he admitted.

"Atticus and I can collect the Cerealian Dragon Balls by ourselves, so Launch and you should find and settle things with Puar," insisted Maron in a sigh. "I am sure that Kami can find him for you,"

"Absolutely," confirmed Kami in everyone's thoughts. "He is beyond your senses, as he is able to suppress his ki, but he is not beyond Atticus and my sight,"

"I'll guard the Yamlings," added Little Piccolo in a hum. "So that Launch and you don't have to worry about them while you deal with the squirrel,"

"It's a date then!" cackled Launch as Yamcha clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth. "My kind of date!"

"Fine!" relented Yamcha in a snarl. "Damn that Puar!" he continued in the same snarl. "Becoming a problem at the worst possible time, I'll wring his neck for this!" he swore. "But fine! Launch and I will hunt and talk down Puar..." he relented. "...but before that, Atticus, fight me!"

"Huh?" uttered Atticus with a blink. "Why are you pulling a Majin Vegeta?"

"I don't trust you Atticus!" answered Yamcha in a sneer. "I don't trust you to not delete yourself while I am gone!"

"Yamcha..." groaned Atticus. "...considering the danger that the Jiāngshī poses, you know that-"

"ALL I know is that you can't disappear until Goku, Krillin, and I have avenged our losses upon you!" retorted Yamcha in a spat. "So can't delete yourself killing some nobody from nowhere! You have to survive this!"

"We all have to survive this," added Maron in agreement. "Just as we all survived that Demon Emporium, Pietro!"

"I bet Piano would have loved that title..."

"Don't you have a war to be directing‽" asked Atticus of Kami in a hiss. "Also, what does any of that have to do with me fighting you?"

"You're able to employ your telekinesis and telepathy without Chiaotzu's innate powers as a psionic, but that doesn't mean that your power has returned!" answered Yamcha in a spat. "You're diminished from your fission with the Jiāngshī, like the Nameless Namekian when he fissioned into Kami and Piccolo!"

"Excuse me?" interjected Little Piccolo. "The Nameless Namekian?"

"Later!" hissed Yamcha at Little Piccolo. He then returned his stare to Atticus. "I am aware that you augment your brain in order to enhance your talent, I am aware of the capabilities of your Super Psychic state, so fight me Atticus!" he continued in a huff. "You'll advance to a higher level if you battle an opponent whom is stronger than you, yeah?" he argued. "Well..." he added in a snicker. "...advance or lose that is!"

"Wh-wh-what makes you believe that you are stronger than me‽" spluttered Atticus in a high-pitched and irked tone of voice. "I'll have you know that I also have a year of-"

"Think?" interjected Yamcha in a sneer. "I've been stronger than you since the last tournament!" he declared in a laugh. "A fact that Kami saved you from learning the hard way!"

"All this back and forth and shit-talking is going nowhere..." interjected Launch in a groan. "...are you boys going to fight or what‽"

"Fight," answered Atticus and Yamcha together.

"Awesome," cackled Launch. "Maron, can you conjure a portal for us to watch through?"

"Mhm," agreed Maron in a hum. "But before that, Atticus, we need to talk," she stressed. "Now,"

"Of course," agreed Atticus with a nod. "What's u-"

"In private!" hissed Launch, Maron, and Yamcha in unison. "You are so tactless dude," snorted Yamcha. "I have no idea how you pulled Maron with that single-digit social quotient of yours,"

"Even without my telekinesis, I have more than enough energy to pull a single wo-" began Atticus in a huff, before a giggling Maron grabbed his hand and pulled him off towards the stairs.

"They're going to fuck," assumed Launch with a smirk. "So our babes will have some friends pretty soon,"

"It's Atticus," refuted Yamcha in a snort. "They're going to talk about their feelings," he mocked in a sneer...

"Can we talk about Crane?"

...that was immediately proven right, after Maron dragged Atticus into her room and then locked the door behind Atticus and her.

"We can," agreed Atticus as Maron and him sat at the edge of her bed. "What about him though?"

"I feel that you're holding a responsibility that isn't yours to shoulder," began Maron with a deepening frown. "That you're burdened by something, hampered by it, and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with why you believe you weren't the best person in your past," she explained. "Something to do with why the Crane Hermit choose you, right?"

"Ahh..." gulped Atticus at a squeak's volume. "...that," he sighed. "The Crane Hermit didn't lie," he admitted in a sigh.

"Care to elaborate?" requested Maron. As she did so, she gave Atticus a smile and a put a hand on Atticus' lap. "Attie?"

"I accepted the gun," continued Atticus with another shake of his head. "No one forced me to take it," he stressed. "I found it, pocketed it, and took it with me everywhere I went," he murmured. "I knew it was trouble, yet..."

"Why?" asked Maron. "What brought you to that point?"

"A gang," huffed Atticus. "Gangs," he corrected. "All of the gangs and the idiots within them," he sneered. "Admittedly, I hated them," he snarled. "I felt that they hated me, so I hated them," he explained. "They attacked me, heckled me, and robbed me in their squads," he spat. "If they beat me in a fair fight, I could concede to deserving that, but they bullied me by ganging up on me with their numbers," he complained. "They cheated!" he hissed.

"So you cheated in return?" deduced Maron. "With the gun?"

"With the gun," confirmed Atticus with a nod. "They attacked me, despite my distance and pleas, so I shot them," he elaborated. "A bullet in every head, in every heart, in every organ I thought to be vital!" he stressed. "But those boys..."

"...honestly, they were just like me," noted Atticus. "They were afraid, they were desperate, they were obedient like a pawn to those using them as tools," he clarified in a sigh. "They acted as their gang leaders ordered them too, and I shot them for it," he stressed. "They hurt me, that is true, but they didn't kill me," he noted. "And despite the fact that I knew, I fucking knew, what it was like to be a victim of violence..."

"...when the Crane Hermit put me in those boys' situation, when I had to choose whether to die in dissent or harm in obedience, I choose to harm just like they did," growled Atticus. "I ain't better than those boys," he asserted. "I am worse," he argued. "Because at least they never killed anyone," he stressed. "Yet they got gunned down, while I survived," he lamented. "They didn't do anything in my world that I have not done in this world," he noted. "So why is it that they got gunned down while I survived?" he questioned. "Why did they die in vice, while I get to pursue virtue? How is that fair?" he asked in an incredulous tone of voice. "How is that justice? How is that karma? How is that right?"

"Destiny isn't a matter of right and wrong," asserted Maron. "Attie..." she continued in a sigh. "...some people get a chance to change, and some people don't," she admitted plainly and succinctly. "There is no fairness or justice to that truth. It. Just. Is," she stressed. "Fate is just like that,"

"Then I'll destroy fate!" retorted Atticus in a snarl. "Every fate with their fickle judgements, and all of the injustice and unfairness of his world, I'LL DESTROY THEM ALL!" he seethed.

"Even if it you have to destroy yourself to do so?" asked Maron in a sniff. "Even if you have to end what we have just started?"

"Maron..." uttered Atticus with a bite of his lip. "...that day was mistake," he sniffed. "That day when I drunk the water, instead of just leaving to Goku, it was the biggest-"

"Don't call that day a mistake!" interjected Maron in a thunderous yell! "That adventure, the decisions that we made those days, they aren't mistakes!" she insisted.

"But..." uttered Atticus in a whimper. "...because of those days, the Jiāngshī-"

"That doesn't matter!" asserted Maron. "That stupid vampire doesn't fucking matter!" she hissed. "Maybe it was a mistake..." conceded Maron in a huff. "...but more than a mistake, it was a struggle!" she stressed. "Those boys, Crane, Piano, and Tarble have all been tribulations. Yes! But the choices that you decided upon, and the lessons that you learned thereafter, they are what made you who you are now!"

"And who you are now, who you are today, is not the monster you may have been yesterday," argued Maron. "You aren't the Atticus that Crane conjured into this world, and you aren't the Chiaotzu that Crane trained you to be, you are the Atticus whom I love," she asserted as she cupped Atticus' cheeks. "And that Atticus, the man whom you have become through effort and endurance, is not a monster..."

"...nor is he a destroyer," added Maron with a deep and direct stare into Atticus' eyes. "But rather a preserver," she argued. "A savior,"

"Tarble arrived here as a wisp, yet, I am here in a body?"

"C-c-could it be that, is it possible that..."

"...they've judged me redeemed?"

"Maron..." breathed Atticus as he clasped Maron's hands with his own and then gently pressed his forehead against Maron's. "...thank you," he hummed with a sniff. "I don't deserve you,"

"And neither do I deserve you," laughed Maron as Atticus and her enjoyed one another's touch. "Which is why it's so wonderful that destiny isn't fair,"

❧ ❧ ❧

"The girls are watching Atticus!" laughed Yamcha as Atticus and him appeared — by means of a Maron-made portal — on a barren and hilly island with an active and erupting volcano! "Better not disappoint!"

"Are you sure that you're up for this, Yamcha?" asked Atticus as a billow of the blackest smoke began to fog up the island. And as an eruption of lava both fell into a rain upon the island and illuminated the smoky isle with its fiery light! "I may not be a destroyer god..." he admitted as he aroused his aura into an eruption from his person and a gleam of its violet wrath! "...but I am still more than capable of destroying you,"

"What's a destroyer wannabe like yourself..." retorted Yamcha as he charged himself with a blue, electrical ki of negativity and then covered himself with an electrical, positive, and red ki! "...to a rabid wolf like me‽" he exclaimed as he brightened and burst into a radiant and scarlet surge towards Atticus!

"Oh shi-" gasped Atticus as Yamcha appeared before him as a bolt of crimson lightning and then kicked him in the face! "That aura and his body are charged with opposite polarities..." deduced Atticus as he lashed out with a punch that Yamcha evaded with a flash sidewards! "...so the aura is able to drag the body into its flashes of motion!"

"Hirōgajishakuken (飛狼牙磁石拳, Flying Wolf-Fang Magnet Fist)!" chanted Yamcha as he attacked Atticus with a barrage of blurry and clawing palm strikes! However, Atticus energized himself with an auroral light and then erupted into a front-flipping leap over Yamcha's strikes! Subsequently, as Yamcha about-faced into a charge towards Atticus, Atticus landed into a crouching and rearward skid. "Ain't that easy Atticus, Rōgajishakuken (狼牙磁石拳, Wolf-Fang Magnet Fist)!" cackled Yamcha as Atticus became alit with a charge of crimson positivity and then blurred into a face-first impact with Yamcha's fist!

"He conducted the current through my energy guard‽" deduced Atticus as Yamcha blasted Atticus' face by discharging electricity from his fist! After blasting Atticus into a hurtle, Yamcha appeared before Atticus in an instant of magnetic movement and then cratered Atticus' torso with a jump kick! At this point, Yamcha followed up with an airborne and roundhouse kick to Atticus' face. However, after Yamcha's kick to his face, Atticus lashed out and seized Yamcha's ankle! Subsequently, Atticus flailed Yamcha into a single spin with him and then slammed Yamcha face-first into the ground! As Yamcha gasped at the impact and pain, Atticus flailed Yamcha overhead and then flung Yamcha into a rocketing soar towards the volcano! Immediately, Yamcha bisected the mountain of the volcano as he crashed through that volcano and then disappeared into the horizon!

"He's fluid and skilled with his techniques..." noted Atticus as the upper bisection of the mountain crashed onto the island and then exploded into a flash flood of sand and stone! Not long after, Atticus abruptly appeared over the edge of the eruption of lava and into another drag towards Yamcha's fist! " ...but most of all, he's tricky!" observed Atticus as he blocked Yamcha's punch with his telekinesis and then hurtled Yamcha with that telekinesis! "I can detect electricity as well as you, Yamcha!" asserted Atticus as he applied his telekinesis to the electrical ki that Yamcha had charged him with and then discharged that electrical ki from himself!

"As dependent upon your psionics as always, Atticus!" accused Yamcha in a laugh. He then applied his flight to halt his hurtle...

...before he performed the flourishes of a Kamehameha‽

"Raijūgahameha (雷獣牙破滅波, Thunder Beast-Fang Destruction Wave)!" chanted Yamcha as a beam of electricity erupted from his palms and straight towards Atticus! Subsequently, the beam contorted its endpoint into the head of a wolf and then distorted the entirety of itself into a wolf‽ "Get him, pochi!" cackled Yamcha as a cerulean, electrical, Kamehameha wolf charged into a sprint through the sky and a surge towards Atticus!

"H-h-he's not just tricky!" admitted Atticus as he avoided the claws of the electrical wolf by dropping into a fall! Subsequently, Atticus blinked as he felt Yamcha fire the Kamehameha a second time. Atticus then gawked as another bolt of Kamehameha lightning streamed under of him and then transformed into a crimson wolf that howled and rose towards him!

"My brand new Sanjūgafūfūjinken (三重牙風風神拳, Triple-Fang Wind God Fist)!" revealed Yamcha as Atticus abour-faced towards the crimson wolf and then armored himself with his aura in an attempt to block the claws of the second wolf! However, the aura conducted the claws like metal conducts electricity and thus the claws managed to slash themselves into a surge throughout and zap of Atticus! Subsequently, as the claws conducted into and electrocuted Atticus, the rest of the wolf also conducted into and electrocuted Atticus! And then the charge of the second wolf's electricity attracted the first wolf into a lightning strike upon Atticus! "This ain't as easy or simple as you thought it would be, is it?" giggled Yamcha as he appeared above an electrically paralyzed Atticus, clasped his hands together, and then hammered Atticus into a plummet!

"I've been fighting savages and shadows for too long..." hissed Atticus as he crashed into a cratering kneel upon the ground. "...I've forgotten what a fight with a real martial artist feels like," he admitted as he arose into a stand and looked up at Yamcha. "He can combo anything and everything that he throws at me, so this isn't the brawl that my fight with Tarble was. Like my battle with Crane, this is a duel! A match of skill as much as strength!"

"What the fuck?" swore Yamcha as Atticus arose and eyed him without any burns or scratches whatsoever! "His base power would have to be more than twice my own in order for him to just walk off direct hits like that!" he noted in a snarl. "Is this the Art of Mortality? Perhaps the Power of Destruction?" he considered. But then he shook his head and sighed. "No..." he admitted. "...he's just that much stronger than I am, damn it!"

"Are these the improvements that you made for the World Martial Arts Tournament?" asked Atticus as he cracked his neck with his hand. "Changing from the Desert Bandit Yamcha into this Thunder Yamcha (神鳴りのヤムチャ, Kaminari no Yamucha), huh?"

"Acting as if you're winning, just cuz your base power surpasses mine, you've become arrogant Atticus!" accused Yamcha in a growl. "I do like the sound of Thunder Yamcha though..." he admitted under his breath. "...but this is just the beginning of what I can do now, vampire!"

"Time's a wasting, Yamcha!" retorted Atticus in a snort. "We got shit to do, remember?"

"Fine!" howled Yamcha. "Kaiōden:.." he screamed as he augmented his electrons with a multiplier of 5 and thus energized his electromagnetic field into an electroweak field! As soon as Yamcha's electromagnetic field became an electroweak field, Yamcha became dotted with enlarged, glowing, and protrusive veins! And the entirety of the Earth began to quake! Subsequently, all of the clouds in the Earth's sky began to collapse into an implosion towards Yamcha! And as they did so, they carved into and clamored throughout the Earth by roaring and swirling into tornados!

"Yamcha," called Maron in warning. After acknowledged Maron's warning with a grunt, Yamcha attempted to hasten his transformation. Arcs of of electricity flashed into lightning and rained as sparks, and gales roiled in the sky with a howl that was louder than the thunder, before Yamcha abruptly changed in form and power alike!

"...Dire Wolf (界王電・ダイア ウルフ, World King Lightning: Dire Wolf)!" chanted as he completed his transformation from his base and electromagnetic from into his custom and electroweak form!

"He augmented himself with a multiplier of 5, yes, but that multiplication wasn't the result but the trigger!" awed Atticus as he beheld Dire Yamcha for the second time but scrutinized it for the first time. "He applied the Kaio Ken as a transformative trigger? Like the Moon for saiyans?" he deduced in a gasp and growl. "Applying the Kaio Ken not as a boost, but rather as a trigger, by doing that he has enhanced himself by 10x as much as he should!" he noted. "H-h-he has a 50x multiplier, so h-he's basically become a Super Saiyan!"

"Still think you're in the lead, Atticus?" cackled Yamcha as he dropped into a landing near Atticus. And then appeared before Atticus with his fist lodge into Atticus' stomach. Atticus gagged at the impact of Yamcha's punch and then hurtled into the sky as he was launched by the uppercut that followed! "Felt that one, huh?" continued Yamcha as he appeared above Atticus and then booted Atticus face-first into the ground! After Atticus crashed into the ground, with enough force to imprint his silhouette into the stone, Atticus arose into backflipping flight and then landed just in time to be punched into a rearward skid. "Ha!"

"Guh..." hissed Atticus as his blood choked and filled his mouth. After the biggest spit in his life, Atticus blurred into a shimmer of sorts and then duplicated that shimmer into a swarm‽ "...you ain't the only one with tricks, Yamcha!" asserted Atticus as the blur of each shimmer began to fade and thereby reveal dozens of duplicates of Atticus‽

"Afterimages created from light rather than speed, huh?" deduced Yamcha as the Atticuses burst into a charging flight towards him! "Did you forget that I can detect ki too?" he scoffed as an Atticus duplicate arrived before him... "This ain't-" ...and then hit him with a punch‽ Knocking him into a stumble as it did so! "What‽" uttered Yamcha as another duplicate jump kicked him in the face, and then as a 3rd duplicate kicked his legs with a sweep and thereby knocked him into a tumble! At this point, a 4th duplicate kicked the falling Yamcha in the stomach and thus punted Yamcha into a rolling tumble!

"Zanzōdaiyōken (残像太陽拳, Afterimage Solar Fist)!" chanted Atticus as a growling Yamcha reversed his tumble by rocketing into a springing surge towards him! However, an Atticus duplicate appeared between Atticus and Yamcha and then blocked Yamcha's headbutt with a cross guard! After that duplicate halted Yamcha's surge towards Atticus, another duplicate appeared to attack Yamcha with a punch to Yamcha's face! However, Yamcha evaded the punch by flying into a lean under the punch and then kicked through the duplicated by flying into a spin! "You can't hit them, but they sure can hit you!" cackled Atticus as Yamcha was grabbed by the duplicate that he kicked through and then thrown into a whirl towards Atticus! At this point, Atticus kicked Yamcha upward and then an airborne duplicate hammered Yamcha downward! This allowed Atticus to follow up with a punch that slammed into Yamcha's face as it threw Yamcha into another whirl!

"Combining the Solar Flare and Telekinesis..." deduced Yamcha as he collected himself with a shake of his head and then dodged a duplicate's jump kick with a falling flight onto all-fours. "...you control light in order to create images of yourself and empower those images with the strength of your telekinesis!" he snorted as he arose with a constant discharge of electricity from his hands and then clapped his hands together. "But it's nothing that I can't do better with my Denkidama (電気玉, Electric Energy Sphere)!" he declared as he amassed ambient electrons into clones of himself and then dispatched them to fight Atticus' clones!

"Ahh..." uttered Atticus as Yamcha assaulted and thus busied Atticus' clones with clones of his own! Yamcha then, of course, blitzed Atticus with a punch to the face. "...shi-" began Atticus as Yamcha's fist knocked him into the ocean and then a slam through a nearby tsunami!

"You aren't a match for me anymore, Atticus!" declared Yamcha as he discharged electricity from the ocean by drawing upon the electrons of the ocean's water! This allowed Yamcha to blast Atticus with an electrical explosion and thereby hurtle Atticus into a rise! Subsequently, Yamcha applied his Denkidama to the gasses in the sky and thereby blasted the airborne Atticus with another electrical explosion! Following that, Yamcha continued to detonate explosion after explosion and thereby ping-pong Atticus through the sky! Eventually though, Atticus bloodily coughed and then disappeared from sense and sight‽

"Huh?" uttered Yamcha as Atticus became completely invisible to his eyesight and ki sense! "Did he run?" he questioned an instant before Atticus appeared before him in midair and then roundhouse kicked him with a midair spin! "Guh, why you little..." gagged Yamcha as he recovered and then swiped at Atticus with a kick of his own! However, Atticus disappeared for the second time and then Yamcha found himself kicking nothing but the wind. "...coward!" he screamed as he dropped into a stance and then looked around for Atticus. "Is this actual invisibility or sheer speed?" he wondered an instant before Atticus appeared beneath him and then booted him into the sky!

"Nijūde Fugendodonpa (二十腕普賢どどん波, Twenty-Armed Samantabhadra Dodon Wave)!" added Atticus as he discharged a Dodon Ray from each every last one of his fingers! Yamcha blinked at the 20 Dodon Rays and then enlarged himself by inflating his muscles with his ki! "What in the..." gasped Atticus as the bulked up Yamcha allowed each and every Dodon Ray to crash into and then burst upon his muscled and supersized torso! Afterward, with a cackle and giggle, Yamcha deflated to his normal proportions.

"Are you done hiding?" asked Yamcha in a snicker. He then dived into an instantaneous and rocketing swoop upon Atticus! "You little bitch!" howled Yamcha as he doubled Atticus over his fist with a gut punch and then launched Atticus into the sky with an uppercut! As Atticus gagged at the impact and pain of punch, Yamcha appeared beside Atticus and then punched Atticus into a rocketing soar that tore a vacuum into the welkin! "I'M THE CHAMPION NOW!" laughed Yamcha as he burst into another flash towards Atticus and then felt a foot impact with his face‽ "Wh-wh-WHAT?" cried Yamcha as Atticus appeared with a foot on his face and then booted him into a plummet!

"I admit it Yamcha, you're really strong..." breathed Atticus as Yamcha crashed into into the ground with a cratering crouch and then immediately leapt into a surge towards Atticus. Subsequently, Atticus caught a punch from Yamcha with a casual grasp and thereby caused Yamcha to gasp in horror. "...but I'm still stronger," he asserted as his aura consumed his pain and then flared from its newfound strength! Subsequently, Atticus discarded Yamcha's fist with a fling of Yamcha's hand to the side and then punched Yamcha in the stomach! Following that, as Yamcha doubled over from the pain and punch alike, Atticus continued the punch by flying into a plummet and pushing Yamcha with that plummeting punch! At this point, Atticus flashed to the ground with Yamcha in tow and then slammed Yamcha back-first into that ground!

However, after a bloody cough, Yamcha immediately kicked Atticus off of him! "You think you won?" spat Yamcha as he arose onto his feet and as Atticus landed on his feet. "As if, Atticus!" he screeched as he energized his muscles with his ki in order to enlarge them with a forced inflation of their sinews! "This is Super Yamcha (スーパー ヤムチャ, Sūpā Yamucha)!" he declared as he assumed a Grade 2 state of his Dire Wolf form!

"Th-th-that power..." gasped Atticus as he beheld the peak of Yamcha's power and fruit of Yamcha's training. "...it's a match for Frieza in his second form and Tarble at full power!" he noted in awe at Yamcha's strength! "He achieved that power, the power to save this world from Tarble, not as a destroyer..."

"...but as a human?"

"With human knowledge, human tenacity, and human will!" chuckled Atticus at the sight. "Th-th-that's amazing, Yamcha!" cheered Atticus in a shout. "You're amazing!"

"I know," giggled Yamcha at the praise. "And the winner!" he added as he burst into clasping the hands of Atticus and then contesting Atticus' strength with a march and push! "I ain't letting you power up!"  he snarled an instant before Atticus and him cratered the ground with their pushing steps and then headbutted one another with enough power to rang their skulls!

"You don't have that option anymore..." hissed Atticus as Yamcha and him glared at and pushed one another! "...because of Maron!" he declared as his aura began to gleam with a green tinge!

"Maron‽" asked Yamcha in a grunt of a shout, as he advance his 2nd Grade evolution of his Dire Wolf form into a 3rd Grade that was bulky beyond practicality! However, because Atticus and Yamcha were grappling at the moment, the 3rd Grade's flaws were moot and thus not a problem! "You think your girlfriend is going to save you from this loss?"

"Think?" laughed Atticus as his aura began to brighten from the gleam's growth in size and increase in splendor! "I know!" he asserted as an aura of emerald ki appeared beneath the Aura of a Destroyer and then began to expand within the Aura of a Destroyer‽

"What in the world..." gasped Yamcha as the Aura of a Destroyer cried out in a rage, exploded into a tangle of tentacles, and then lashed out in a spasmic tizzy! "...are you doing‽" he questioned as the Aura of a Destroyer beat Atticus and him with it lashes! At the same time, Yamcha analyzed Atticus with his ki sense and then gasped. "Y-y-you're insane!" he screamed as Atticus accessed all of his body's cells with this telepathy and then drained the entirety of his ki reservoir with his telekinesis! "He is copying Super Saiyan 3!" deduced Yamcha in a mental scream. "All of his blood and flesh, absolutely ALL of it is being deprived of any and all of the ki that it has! All in an attempt to climb to the genuine limit of his power! All in an attempt to emulate the peak of power ups!"

"Anger, fear, guilt, pain, regrets, sorrow..." continued Atticus as his aura was covered by his ki and then crushed by his ki! After a final scream and seizure, the Aura of a Destroyer became compacted and confined within the aura of ki! Afterward, the Aura of a Destroyer began to be energized by the aura of ki and into a lightning that resembled Super Saiyan 2 and 3's sparks! "...I don't need any of them when I have her love!" declared Atticus, as the Aura of a Destroyer became the Current of a Destroyer (破壊者の気流, Hakaisha no Kiryū). That is, as the Aura of a Destroyer became an aspect of Atticus' ki rather than a consumer and displacer of Atticus' ki!

"He augmented all of his ki, all of the ki that that his aura was destroying as fuel and all of the ki that he drew out by emulating Super Saiyan 3, he augmented all of that ki with his love for Maron‽" realized Yamcha as Atticus overpowered him and thereby pushed him into a rearward skid! "And then conquered the Power of Destruction with the Power of Love (愛の力, Ai no Chikara)?" he gagged in revulsion at the thought. "Destruction dominated by love, rather than the other way around, is the exact opposite of Heles!"

"D-d-depending on Maron now, Atticus?" chuckled Yamcha in a stammer, as he descended from his Grade 3 state and into his Grade 2 state. And as he beheld and felt the massive power of an Aura Beyond Destruction (破壊を超えたオーラ, Hakai o koeta Ōra, "An Aura Which has Surpassed Destruction")!

"Before creation, comes destruction..." quoted Atticus as he accessed the Current of a Destroyer that was coursing through his ki and then applied its Barrier of a Destroyer effect to his ki. By doing so, Atticus abruptly halted his ki's leakage and thus immediately overcame Super Saiyan 3's weakness! "...is this what that phrase truly meant?" he wondered. "The creation of a new power that follows the destruction of the old one?"

"He's ascended beyond myself and Tarble, and to the level of Frieza's 3rd form..." admitted Yamcha as he eyed Atticus' aura of green and sparks of violet! "...while he's in a position where he is primed for a transformation!" he noted as he observed that Atticus' body was as filled to the brim with his Aura Beyond Destruction as it had been with his Aura of a Destroyer. "Atticus, you bastard, I now have absolutely no doubt..."

"...that you will be the one to defeat Frieza!"

"A destruction that is not for ego's sake, but rather for love's sake, is that the mentality that is needed for that power?" asked Yamcha in a hum. "For destruction's domination by love?"

"Mhm" confirmed Atticus with a nod. "I believe in fairness, I believe in justice, so injustice and unfairness are things I desire to destroy..." he admitted. "...but love is what gives that fairness and justice worth," he stressed. "Justice without love is mere pretension after all,"

"And the Jiāngshī?" asked Yamcha next. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I admit it, alright?" chuckled Atticus. "You were right," he conceded. "I can't disappear," he agreed. "Achieving that fairness and justice, at the cost of hurting and leaving behind those whom love me, it's self-righteous stupidity,"

"Damn straight it is!" huffed Yamcha. "I can't believe that I had to kick your ass for you to learn that,"

"Is that what happened here?" snorted Atticus as Yamcha descended to his base form. "I'll defeat him without destroying myself, so that we all survive together," he promised. "So that Maron and I can be together,"

"And so that I can kick your ass at the next tournament," added Yamcha. "You ain't keeping that title buddy!"

"We'll see about that at the next tournament!" retorted Atticus. "If there ever is another tournament..." he added as he remembered that the Red Ribbons blew up the island that the World Martial Arts Tournament always took place on. "...shit,"

"Are you boys done?"

"Not even close," answered Atticus and Yamcha in unison. They then eyed one another and laughed.

"Alright, alright..." giggled Maron in unison with Atticus and Yamcha. "...just remember that we have an afterlife of souls to save," she added in a stern tone of voice.

"You're about 8x stronger than before..." deduced Yamcha as he began to hop in preparation for another session of sparring. "...which makes sense, as Super Saiyan 3 is only 8x stronger than the Super Saiyan form that it upgrades," he noted. "I can handle a Kaio Ken with a 5x multiplier without trouble, but any higher than that, and I begin to feel the pain," he continued as he ceased his hopping and dropped into a stance. "I ain't attempted a Dire Kaio Ken before..."

"...but a Dire Kaio Ken with a x8 multiplier!" cackled Yamcha as he ascended into his Dire Wolf, Grade 2 state and then augmented that with a Kaio Ken! "Let's see how well that does against you, Atticus!"

"As you wish," acceded Atticus as he flared his ki into gleaming with its green light and shimmering with its sparks of violet! Subsequently, Atticus also dropped into a stance and then flashed a satisfied smirk. "My rival!"

Chapter Text

"So here we are..." sighed Maron as Atticus and her hovered in the sky and over Central City. "... Central City," she murmured with a cross of her arms. "Home,"

"Are you afraid of him?" asked Atticus. As he did do, he placed a hand on Maron's shoulder. After a breath that was deep and loud, Maron clasped the hand on her shoulder and then looked and smiled at Atticus.

"What do I have to fear from him now?" asked Maron in a forced, half-hearted laugh. "I am beyond that fear, I believe that firmly because I should be far beyond fearing that terrible man, and yet..." she continued with a nibble of her lip.

"...and yet you fear him?" reiterated Atticus in a sigh. "You know, you don't have to-"

"I want to," corrected Maron with a float away from Atticus and then a look straight into Atticus' eyes. "I need to,"

"Alright," accepted Atticus in a sigh. "Ready?"

"I should be asking you that," giggled Maron. "You're doing the heavy lifting after all,"

"The Cerealian Dragon Balls aren't that heavy," chimed Atticus, earning himself another giggle as he did so. Although confused by the extra giggles, Atticus didn't question the snickers. Instead he aroused his ki into an emergence from himself and then directed his ki into an emission towards Planet Cereal. As soon as Atticus' ki arrived upon Planet Cereal, Atticus employed his Far-Seeing Art and thereby scanned Planet Cereal for the Cerealian dragon ball that was lost somewhere on its surface. Not long after, Atticus found that Cerealian dragon ball and then seized the Cerealian dragon ball with his telekinesis. At this point, Atticus casually dragged the Cerealian dragon ball off of Planet Cereal and into a bright and fiery soar towards his right hand!

"I can hear Tarble crying foul from the Otherworld," cackled Maron as the Cerealian dragon ball arrived before and was caught within Atticus' right hand. Subsequently, Maron encased the Cerealian dragon ball in a magical portal and thereby teleported the Cerealian dragon ball straight to Kami! "Last one," hummed Maron as Atticus applied his farsight to find the Cerealian dragon ball in Central City and then applied his telekinesis as a means of dragging that Cerealian Dragon Ball into a flight towards Maron and him!

"And it's coming in hot..." groaned Atticus as Maron and him beheld both the incoming Cerealian dragon ball and an incoming saiyan, whom was being dragged towards Atticus and Maron by his double-handed hold on the Cerealian dragon ball. Atticus and Maron also beheld an entire horde of saiyans following behind the saiyan that was clinging onto the Cerealian dragon ball. However, both Atticus and Maron disregarded the horde and focused on the saiyan with the Cerealian dragon ball in hand. As that saiyan boasted a basketball player's height of 6'6", a brawny build with the idealized musculature of a sculpture, and porcelain yet scarred skin. He also bore azure, chin-length, and curly hair which was styled into a mullet. In addition to both blue-grey eyes and a blur-furred tail!

"Th-th-that hair! That fur on his tail! C-could he be‽" asked Atticus in a gulp of nervousness. "N-n-no..." he refuted as he detected the blue saiyan's ki. "...I can detect his ki, so it's not god ki," he noted in a sigh. "He's not a Super Saiyan Blue, he's-"

"My father,"

"Your father?" gasped Atticus after Maron's whisper. And as the blue saiyan halted into a hover by letting the Cerealian dragon ball go to Atticus' left hand. "Your father!" realized Atticus in a snarl and with sparks of violet erupting from his person and flashing into fuchsia lightning! However, at the same time, Maron retrieved the Cerealian dragon ball from him and then teleported that Cerealian dragon ball to Kami. Subsequently, before Atticus could act on his rage...

"GueSS wHAt?"

...the Jiāngshī assaulted Atticus with a roar of telepathic thunder, causing Atticus to claw at his head and curl into a fetal position. "i'M bAcK!" announced the Jiāngshī in a cackled that ravaged Atticus's sanity as it roiled Atticus' thoughts!

"You're alive, daughter?" questioned the blue saiyan, just as Maron detected the Jiāngshī's telepathy and noticed Atticus' torment. "All of this time, this entire time, you've been- BITCH!" howled the blue saiyan with a clench of his fists and gnash of his teeth. "You dare to defy me, to ignore me, to leave ME‽" he raged as he rushed Maron with a-

"Shut up!" interjected Maron as she blitzed her father as a flash of sapphire sparkles and then flailed herself into the hardest haymaker that she's ever thrown in her entire life! As Maron flew up to and lashed out at the blue saiyan, the blue saiyan blinked and then Maron's fist impacted with his face. As Maron punched the blue saiyan into a rearward and rocketing soar, and as blood burst out of the blue saiyan's face and sprinkled into the welkin, the blue saiyan appeared to become a comet with a sanguinary tail! Subsequently, the blue saiyan hurtled beyond the farthest reaches of the Earth's atmosphere and into the depths of outer space!

"Attie!" cried Maron as she dismissed the blue saiyan's existence from her thoughts and flew to Atticus' side. "Let me-"

"It's alright," asserted Atticus as he ceased to claw at his head and unfurled himself. "I'm alright," he insisted as Maron and him became encircled by the saiyans whom had followed the blue saiyan and Cerealian dragon ball. "It just caught me by supr-"

"Are you sure about that?" cooed the Jiāngshī as a darkness overtook the light within the sky!

"No..." breathed Maron as Atticus, the saiyans, and her beheld the darkening of the sky with horror.

"...no he didn't!" continued Atticus in Maron's stead. "No way!"

"YES WAY!" refuted the Jiāngshī in a laughter that pierced into Atticus' psyche! It then applied its telepathy to assume control over the saiyans that had Atticus and Maron surrounded. Subsequently, as the Jiāngshī dominated the minds of the saiyans, the eyes of the saiyans began to glow red with vampirism! "Your ability to become invisible, hack signals, and hide your power allowed me to rampage throughout the Other World unimpeded!" revealed the Jiāngshī in a hum and snicker. "Ambushing and consuming the Kais was sssooo easy! Almost a bore really!" it bragged in a drawl. "All I had to do was distract their strongest students and then swoop in while those warriors were gone!"

"And as you ate the kais, you attained their farsight," finished Atticus in the Jiāngshī's stead. "Allowing you to scry throughout the whole of the universe, and thus keep an eye on Kami, right?"

"Bingo," confirmed the Jiāngshī. "I am in control of your Kami, Atticus!" it continued in a sneer. "I had him recharge and upgrade the Earth Dragon Balls for me! And in accordance with my needs! And now I'll be employing all of the power of Shenron without any of the rules!"

"Attie!" cried Maron as Atticus began to glow with the magic of Shenron. Immediately, Maron attempted to counteract Sheron's magic with her magic. However, the Jiāngshī assaulted Maron with the brainwashed saiyans and thereby foerced Maron to protect herself rather than save Atticus. "Get out of my way!" demanded Maron as she conjured portals in the path of the saiyans. Although the saiyans attempted to break in midair; ultimately, each of the saiyans flew into a portal and then found themselves boiling and suffocating in outer space!

"It's alright Maron..." assured Atticus as Maron about-faced towards him and then began to cast a spell. At this point, Atticus beamed with a loving smile...

...and then disappeared in the middle of Maron's spellcasting.

"...I'll be back,"

❧ ❧ ❧

Above the buildings of Gingertown, and amidst the town's sprawling streets, an army of saiyans was battling a contingent of the Z Warriors whom had sequestered and trained themselves within the Room of Spirit and Time.

"Th-th-that ki!" gasped Tien after he bodied a saiyan with a kick and and then felt Shenron fuse Atticus, Chiaotzu, and the Jiāngshī together! "Chiaotzu? I-i-is that Chiaotzu‽"

"Eh?" uttered Goku as he caught a saiyan's punch with his finger and then kicked the saiyan in the chin! "I think it is..." agreed Goku as the aforementioned saiyan dropped face-first onto the ground and fell unconscious. "...yeah!" he confirmed with a nod and smile. "That's definitely Chiaotzu!"

"But that was the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, too right?" noted Krillin as he bashed a saiyan's face with a punch and consequently hurtled that saiyan into a slam through a building's wall! "Kami couldn't recharge them without resting, right? That's what he said, right? So how is Shenron here‽"

"I don't know..." admitted Tien with a bite of his lip. "... and I don't like being kept in the dark!" he spat as he leapt into a soar towards Chiaotzu's location!

"Hey!" cried Krillin as Tien ditched Goku and him.  "We're kinda in the middle of a battle here, remember‽" he shouted in a snarl.

"Nappa is already gone, I felt him lose to Yamcha, so you guys should be fine without me too!" insisted Goku as he erupted into a flight of his own and then pursued Tien! "I'll be back!"

"Goku!" complained Krillin as Goku ditched him as well. "Not you too!"

"You should join them," argued King Chappa as he descended into a landing near Krillin. Not long after, all of King Chappa's now saiyan students descended into a landing behind King Chappa. "I can feel something wrong with Chiaotzu's ki," warned King Chappa with a frown. "It's destructive, evil, and unnatural! Completely different from how it was at the last tournament!"

"I can handle Nappa's goons by myself," added Pamput — of all people — as he decapitated a saiyan with a flying knee strike! And then kicked the head of that saiyan into a piercing slam through another saiyan's stomach! "Whether they're humans changed into saiyans, or Tarble's warriors, they don't stand a chance against me anymore!"

"If they don't stand a chance, stop killing them!" complained Krillin in a hiss. "If they're that beneath you, killing them is unnecessary!"

"Focus on your own opponents or scram," retorted Pamput in a sneer. "Don't backseat fight for me!"

"I shall temper his wrath, if I can..." offered Nam as another band of saiyans descended towards and fired ki missiles towards the Z Warriors! "...so go!""

"If you can," accentuated Pamput. At the same time, King Chappa, Nam, and him accelerated the air above them with an infusion of their ki and thereby aroused a gale which deflected the incoming ki missiles! As the ki missiles crashed and detonated in the distance, Krillin acknowledged his fellow humans' strength with a proud smile and then flew of in pursuit of Goku and Tien.

"He's at Kami's Lookout?" assumed Tien as Goku and him continued their flight towards Chiaotzu's ki. "Chiaotzu and the dragon balls are at the lookout, yeah?"

"No..." corrected Krillin as he caught up to Goku and Tien. "... it's below the lookout," he noted with a frown. "So Korin's Tower!"

"Same thing!" asserted Tien in a snarl. "And the question is the same too!"

"Why?" agreed Goku with a nod at Tien. "Why is Chiaotzu alive when Kami said that he died killing Tarble, and why is Chiaotzu at Korin's Tower?"

"Because..."

"Maron‽" gasped Goku, Krillin, and Tien as each of them heard Maron in their head!

"...that place is where all of this began," murmured Maron in Goku, Krillin, and Tien's thoughts. "It's where the Jiāngshī was born, technically, so I assume that it's where the Jiāngshī has decided to end all of this,"

"Huh?" uttered Goku with a blink. "Maron..."

"...what are you talking about?" asked Krillin after a blink of his own. "Jiāngshī? What?"

"Th-th-that damn water!" spat Tien at a thunderous volume. "You mean the water, yeah?"

"Water?" asked Goku and Krillin. But then Goku blinked. "K-K-Korin's sacred water‽"

"The Ultra Divine Water," corrected Maron in a groan. "I'll make this quick," she decided. Subsequently; Marron applied her magical telepathy to easily and instantly exposit the Jiāngshī situation to Goku, Krillin, and Tien!

"That cat's stupid water awoke a Jiāngshī within Chiaotzu‽" snarled Tien in a yell. "I knew that I should never had allowed-"

"Tien..." interjected Maron in a sigh. "...Chiaotzu, well that Chiaotzu, he isn't-"

"I know that!" revealed Tien in the same snarl that he had yelled in. "I know that Chiaotzu isn't the original Chiaotzu!" he clarified in a dismissive snort. "I've know that for years now!"

"Wh-wh-what?" uttered Maron. "What, you, WHAT‽"

"The Crane Hermit attempted to avenge Atticus and my abandonment of him by revealing to me that Atticus was not Chiaotzu," elaborated Tien in a grumble. "Crane asserted that there was dark magic that could meddle with reincarnation and that he had replaced and slew Chiaotzu with that dark magic,"

"And you believed him?" asked Maron in an incredulous tone of voice. "Just like that?"

"Fuck no," admitted Tien. "But, just in case, I asked Korin about the matter while Atticus was studying and training with Kami..." he added in a sigh. "...and he confirmed that Chiaotzu's body and soul were disconnected from one another, as if Chiaotzu was a ghost that was possessing the body rather than the natural soul of the body,"

"I am so confused," admitted Goku with a shake of his head. "Chiaotzu is not Chiaotzu?"

"Chiaotzu is a fraud," explained Krillin to Goku. "A Fraudzu!"

"I couldn't accept, no, I couldn't even believe that the Crane Hermit had murdered and replaced by best friend — my brother — without me even noticing!" snapped Tien. "So I asked Fortuneteller Baba if she could bring Chiaotzu's soul onto the Earth for a day..."

"...and she could," whispered Maron. "And she did! She proved it to you by reuniting you!" she gasped. "Wait a minute! Hold on! Are you telling me that you met with the original Chiaotzu, through a deal that Baba and King Yama have with one another, without King Yama putting two and two together‽" she questioned in a scream. "I-if that is true, if that actually happened, a-a-all of this really is the ogres and his fault!"

"I've been aware that Chiaotzu isn't, well, Chiaotzu ever since that day," continued Tien in a murmur. "But Chiaotzu, the Chiaotzu that all of you know that is, didn't know that," he stressed. "He didn't know that there was another, original Chiaotzu! He didn't know that his arrival killed someone and that he was living someone else's life!"

"And he'd feel terrible if he did, yeah?" deduced Maron in a huff. "Is that what you told yourself, is that how you justified it to yourself, as you let him live a lie‽"

"He'd blame himself," asserted Tien. "You know that he-"

"Should have been given that opportunity, that truth!" insisted Maron. "You're always babying him, coddling and infantilizing him, rather than respecting him!" she continued in a huff. "Atticus was just as scared to tell you the truth as you were to tell him. But why? Why is it that Atticus and you love one another, but neither of you trust one another‽"

"I don't exactly understand any of this..." began Goku before Tien could respond to Maron. "...but if Chiaotzu isn't Chiaotzu and you know that Chiaotzu isn't Chiaotzu, why do you treat Chiaotzu like he is Chiaotzu?" he questioned. "Is Chiaotzu a Chiaotzu to you in his own way?"

"What?" uttered Krillin and Maron together.

"Yes," answered Tien with a nod. "It's exactly that, Goku!" he reiterated in a shout.

"I understand," chuckled Goku.

"We don't!" complained Krillin and Maron.

"Chiaotzu and Chiaotzu are different people, yes, but both Chiaotzu and Chiaotzu are brothers to Tien," elaborated Goku in a laugh. "Both care for Tien and Tien cares for them in turn,"

"That makes sense?" acknowledge Krillin. "At least, I think it makes sense..."

"We don't have anymore time for such talk!" interjected Tien as Goku, Krillin, and him arrived within sight of Korin's Tower. "We're almost there!"

"I'm almost there, Attie!" added Maron as she conjured a portal ahead of Goku, Krillin, and Tien. Afterward, Maron emerged from that portal and then joined Goku, Krillin, and Tien's soar towards Korin's Tower. "You'll be back?" continued Maron in a hiss. "Of course you'll be back, because I will be bringing you back myself!"

Not long after; Goku, Krillin, Maron, and Tien arrived at Korin's Tower and landed within the obloid and residential tip of Korin's Tower. As they did so; they found Chiaotzu standing in wait...

...alongside Kami and Korin‽

"You've arrived," acknowledged a Chiaotzu; albeit a Chiaotzu whom was different from Atticus as Chiaotzu, the canon Chiaotzu, and the Jiāngshī as Chiaotzu. As this Chiaotzu exhibited an impossibly white complexion, but he also exhibited heavily scarred skin. This Chiaotzu was equal in height to Krillin, but he also exhibited Atticus and the Jiāngshī's lithe yet muscled physique. This Chiaotzu exhibited Atticus' afro of billowing and black hair with the texture of wool, but he also exhibited the Jiāngshī's pair of chest-length bangs with bat-shaped braids. This Chiaotzu exhibited a beady, crimson, and left eye which was as dimly lit as the embers within a pile soot. But he also exhibited a beady, cerulean, and right eye which gleamed with the ocean's shimmer. This Chiaotzu boasted a full-fledged nose, contrary to the canon Chiaotzu and Krillin, but he also boasted both fangs rather than teeth and claws rather than fingernails. This Chiaotzu displayed blue fingernails, but he also displayed red toenails. And this Chiaotzu was dressed in a black, hooded, and long-sleeved tunic. And a black pair of fingerless gloves. But he also was dressed in a black pair of baggy and Metamoran shorts emblazoned with a crimson and cerulean embroidery of catnip flowers. And he was devoid of any footwear whatsoever!

"Chiaotzu?" asked Tien as he beheld the Chiaotzu before Goku, Krillin, Maron, and him. "No..." he realized as he detected an evil ki within the Chiaotzu and eyed the Chiaotzu's random sparks of violet! "...you're the fusion‽"

"I am Chiaotzu, Chiaotzu, and Chiaotzu combined!" answered the Chiaotzu in a dignified huff. "Atticus Charlwood, Chiaotzu, and the Jiāngshī reunited and united!"

"Against Atticus and Chiaotzu's will!" added Maron in a hiss.

"And controlled by the Jiāngshī's will alone, because that is what the Jiāngshī wished for!" added the Fusion Chiaotzu atop of Maron's hiss. "An advantage of a dragon ball fusion over the dance and the rings..." it continued in a cackle as Maron glared harder and harder at it. "...is that you can customize the fusion to your liking!"

"All I'm hearing is that Chiaotzu and Chiaotzu won't feel a thing as we beat you down!" interjected Goku as he began a disciplined yet excited stretch. "Yeah?"

"Y-y-you..." cackled the Fusion Chiaotzu with a grab of its stomach. "...b-beat ME? Is I am NOW?" it continued an instant before its telekinesis dragged Kami and Korin's faces into its clawed grasp! "I'd like to see you try," it cooed as its claws liquidized and then sucked up Kami and Korin!

"You monster!" exclaimed Goku as he leapt from the middle of a stretch and into a surge towards Fusion Chiaotzu. However, Fusion Chiaotzu appeared face-to-face with Goku and then kicked Goku into a face-first puncture through the ceiling!

"H-h-he blitzed Goku‽" gasped Krillin as Maron, Tien, and him entered the fray with a rush towards the Fusion Chiaotzu! "Damn it!"

"As expected from you..." cooed the Fusion Chiaotzu as Tien arrived before it first and then attacked it with a kick! "...Tenshinhan!" it continued as it dropped into a flight under Tien's kick and then flashed into a rising uppercut which struck Tien in the jaw! "You assessed the situation, rather than leapt into it unprepared!" it hummed as Tien backflipped from the impact of the uppercut but then casually and gracefully landed into a kneel. At the same time, it beheld a crimson and erratic gleam where the iris and pupil of Tien's 3rd eyes used to be! "You've already activated your Evolved Central Eye (中目の進化, Chūboku no Shinka), huh?"

"Hyakubai Taiyōken (百倍太陽拳, "Hundred-Fold Solar Fist")!" chanted an approaching Krillin as he channeled his ki into the lighting of the room and then energized that lighting into-"

"That ain't gonna work!" interjected the Fusion Chiaotzu as it assaulted the energized light within its telekinesis and thereby dragged the energized light into the grasp of its right hand‽ "After all, that is a Crane technique!" it added as it bashed Krillin's face with the glowing palm of its right hand and thereby blinded Krillin with Krillin's own Solar Flare!

"Actually..." cackled Maron after she circled the distracted Fusion Chiaotzu and as she clasped the crown of the Fusion Chiaotzu's head! "...it did work!" she declared as her magic conducted through her fingers and then straight into-

"Nope!" refuted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it blasted Maron with its telekinesis! As the blasted Maron arose away from the Fusion Chiaotzu and towards the ceiling, Maron clawed the Fusion Chiaotzu's scalp as her cling on the scalp failed to keep its hold!

"Damn it!" swore Maron as the Fusion Chiaotzu's blast of telekinesis flung her into an embedment within the ceiling. "I! Will! SAVE YOU!" hissed Maron as she aroused her cerulean magic into a barrier of sapphire!

"No," asserted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it aimed an index finger at Maron and then began to charge the same sort of Super Dodon Ray that had obliterated Tarble! "You won-"

"Kaiō-ken (界王拳, "World King Fist")!"

"Kaiō wh..." asked the Fusion Chiaotzu as it abandoned the Super Dodon Ray and then about-faced into catching Goku's punch! "...at did you THINK was going to happen, huh?" it questioned as it dragged Goku into a flail and then flung Goku towards Maron! "That I wouldn't know about that little trick of yours?"

"TIMES TWENTY!" added Goku as he augmented his Kaiō-ken and blazed into a fiery surge towards Maron? As Goku accelerated into a charge towards Maron rather than the Fusion Chiaotzu, the Fusion Chiaotzu blinked at Goku's attack upon Maron...

...and then cried out in a fright as Maron's aura of magic teleported Goku behind it!

"SHIT!" swore the Fusion Chiaotzu as Goku crashed fist-first into its back and then pushed it into a soar straight towards Tien!

"Kikōyaken (気功八拳, Energy Cultivation Eight Fist)!" howled Tien as he both complemented his Evolved Central Eye with an Evolved Left Eye (左目の進化, Saboku no Shinka) and equipped himself with 6, extra arms! Subsequently, Tien attacked the incoming Fusion Chiaotzu with an octet of punches and Goku drove the Fusion Chiaotzu into an impact with those punches!

"That bitch's magic is a problem..." asserted the Fusion Chiaotzu as blood emerged from its mouth. Immediately afterward, the Fusion Chiaotzu's arms elongated into a stretch and then the Fusion Chiaotzu stabbed into Goku and Tien's backs with his claws! "...while the rest of you is but a snack! A treat of this vampire!" it snickered as Goku and Tien cried out in horrific pain and then liquidi-"

"No!" roared Krillin as he bashed in the Fusion Chiaotzu's face with a flying knee strike and then kicked the Fusion Chiaotzu's into a cartwheel that tore the Fusion Chiaotzu's claws out of Goku and Tien!

"Huh?" uttered the Fusion Chiaotzu after it cartwheeled into a landing stumble and then found Krillin face-to-face with it again! At this point, Krillin flew into a midair roundhouse kick upon the Fusion Chiaotzu's face and thereby dropped the Fusion Chiaotzu onto its hands and knees. "WHAT‽"

"What?" uttered Goku and Tien in agreement, as Krillin punched the Fusion Chiaotzu onto its feet with an uppercut and then vanished into the wind! "I..." uttered Goku as he attempted to find Krillin but failed‽ "...I can't detect him!"

"Nobody can," asserted Maron as she emerged from a portal and then landed behind Goku and Tien. "He's entered the No Ego Zone (無我の領域 Mūga no Ryōiki, "Domain of Selflessness") after all,"

"I can't detect his mind! It's as if he's an object without thoughts, and he is hiding his ki too!" complained the Fusion Chiaotzu an instant before Krillin elbowed it in the side and into a wall! "Without my ki and mental senses, detecting this little shit at that speed is troublesome!"

"But not impossible..." admitted Maron as the Fusion Chiaotzu abruptly caught a full-speed Krillin in a dashing lariat. The Fusion Chiaotzu then back-flipped and flew into a landing stomp upon Krillin's stomach! "...Goku, Tien!" called Maron after the Fusion Chiaotzu embedded Krillin back-first into the floor and as the Fusion Chiaotzu aimed an index finger at Krillin's face!

"Dodonpa (どどん波, Dodon Wave)," huffed the Fusion Chiaotzu as it fired a Dodon Ray at Krillin's face...

...but into 1 of Maron's portal, as Maron conjured that portal at the last possible second!

"Shit!" cried the Fusion Chiaotzu as its Dodon Ray emerged from another portal and then struck it in the back! Not long after, a x20 Goku and Double Evolved Eye Tien arrived before the Fusion Chiaotzu and then assaulted the Fusion Chiaotzu with a flurry of kicks and punches!

"Th-th-thanks," coughed Krillin as Maron helped him onto his feet. However, as soon as Krillin stood up, Goku crashed into Krillin and then dragged Krillin into an impact with a wall! At the same time, Tien crashed into the ceiling and then dropped face-first onto the floor in front of Maron.

"I am done with the fucking portals!" spat the Fusion Chiaotzu as it amassed its green ki into a sphere and then conducted the Current of a Destroyer into that sphere! "Hakai (破壊, Destruction)!" chanted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it directed the sphere into a surge towards Maron and Tien! "Bye bitch! Bye witch!" it giggled as the Hakai accelerated towards Maron and Tien faster than either of them could react!

"Maron..."

"...Tien!"

"...no,"

"No,"

"NO!"

"NO!"

"Guh..." grunted the Fusion Chiaotzu as the Hakai abruptly curved into a flight over Maron and then dusted the entirety of Korin's Tower as soon it touched the tower's wall! "...b-b-but I made a wish!" whined the Fusion Chiaotzu as Goku, Krillin, Maron, and it were caught in a downpour of Hakai sand and thus dragged into a plummet towards the surface!

"The Eternal Dragon can't affect a creature against the creature's will if its creator is weaker than the creature," cackled Maron as the Fusion Chiaotzu, Goku, Krillin, Tien, and her crashed into the ground with the downpour of Hakai sand. Not long after, everyone — except Krillin — emerged from the Hakai sand as if the Hakai sand was water. "By changing the Eternal Dragon's rules, you didn't make it possible to bypass the old rules, you only made it possible for the Eternal Dragon to grant wishes that can not and WILL NOT last!" screamed Maron as she enchanted the Hakai sand with her magic and then flung and hardened the Hakai sand into missiles!

"I ain't defusing per se, so that aspect of the wish is remaining strong, but my dominance within the fusion is losing its strength!" hissed the Jiāngshī as it destroyed Maron's missiles with its own flurry of punches! "As Atticus and Chiaotzu are arising into consciousness and challenging my control of the fusion, they're also dividing the energy of the fusion between the 3 of us and that is limiting me to only a third of our fusion's stre-"

"Kienjin (気円刃, Energy Circle Blade)!"

"Ki-WHAT‽" gasped the Jiāngshī after he broke a missile of a sand with a punch and as Krillin erupted out of that broken missile's sand! At this point, a blade of cycling and golden ki elongated from Krillin's right hand and then sawed into the Jiāngshī's arm as it struck the Jiāngshī's arms! As blood erupted out of the Jiāngshī's sawed and stabbed arm, the Jiāngshī blasted Krillin with his telekinesis and thereby knocked Krillin into a rearward skid! "You bald bastard!" roared the Jiāngshī as it blitzed Krillin with a dash and then found a Kaiō-ken kick to his face from Goku!

As Goku followed up with a punch; the Jiāngshī caught the fist of Goku, elbowed Goku in the stomach, and then kicked Goku into a skyward whirl! At this point though, Krillin appeared before the Jiāngshī and then booted the Jiāngshī in the face! However, the Jiāngshī endured the stomp without giving an inch and then lashed out with a punch! This allowed the Jiāngshī to daze Krillin with a jab and then slap Krillin face-first into the ground! Subsequently, Tien ambushed the Jiāngshī with 4 punches to the Jiāngshī's face and then Krillin arose into a back-flipping kick upon the Jiāngshī's chin! While in midair and upside down, Krillin armed himself with a Power Pole latched to his back...

...and then revealed that Power Pole to be a katana's saya, by drawing the blade of the katana out of that saya! "Kientō Zanra (気円刀斬等, Energy Circle Sword Cuts)!" chanted Krillin as he attacked the Jiāngshī with a flash of slashes. Because the Jiāngshī could neither detect Krillin's energy nor read Krillin's thoughts, the could neither detect the energy of the slashes nor discern the pathway of the slashes from Krillin's thoughts! Instead, the Jiāngshī had to depend on its physical senses. But the Jiāngshī quickly found those physicals senses to be lacking as Krillin hacked into it and slashed through it!

"Taiyōken (太陽拳, "Solar Fist")!" chanted the Jiāngshī as it blinded Krillin out of desperation and then broke the blade of Krillin's katana with a punch which slammed through that blade and then straight into Krillin's face! As Krillin crashed back-first into and cratered the ground, Goku axe kicked the Jiāngshī with a descent upon the Jiāngshī and then Tien 4-punched the Jiāngshī into a rearward skid!

"Uhh..." uttered Krillin as the Jiāngshī halted its skid with a stomp and then snarled at Goku, Tien, and him. At the same time, the Jiāngshī began to discharge a fuchsia lightning and then began to heal its slash wounds‽ "...since when could Chiaotzu do THAT‽" complained Krillin as the Jiāngshī fully and perfectly regenerated in a second! "And HOW is he doing that‽"

"He calls it the Breath of Destruction (破壊の気息, Hakai no Kisoku)," answered the Jiāngshī in a cackle. "All of our bodies depend on the energy and functions of our metabolism, but that metabolism is imperfect and limited. That is, its ability to create and distribute energy is inefficient..." it clarified as Goku, Krillin, and Tien were joined by Maron. "...so he came up with the idea of applying his mortal Power of Destruction as a component of his metabolism! As that allows his metabolism to create and distribute 100% of the energy within its fuel!" it cooed. "So anything that the body of a human can do, my body can do perfectly! The body of a human can heal; and as such, I can heal perfectly!"

"He?" asked Krillin, while Goku and Tien blinked in confusion at the Jiāngshī's science.

"He means Atticus," answered Maron in the Jiāngshī. "Chiaotzu, I mean. My Chiaotzu that is. He's stealing my Chiaotzu's newest technique!"

"Even if his body's metabolism is perfect, he isn't perfect, so there is still a way to win!" insisted Goku as his aura of the Kaio-ken flared to the height of a skyscraper! "And we're going to find it!"

"Yeah!" agreed Krillin and Tien, as the blade of Krillin's sword elongated like the Power Pole and fixed itself as it did so! And as Tien brightened the crimson within his central and left eyes!

"Aaahahahahaaa!" cackled the Jiāngshī at Goku's insistence. "Even with just a 3rd of this fusion's base power, I am a MONSTER true, so there isn't any way for you mortals to win!"

"So you say..." cooed Krillin as he blurred into a couple of flashes and then charged the Jiāngshī as a gang of images rather than as an individual! "...but let's see how you handle this, Tazanzō Zanra (多残像斬等, Multi-Afterimage Sword Cuts)!" chanted each image of Krillin as each of them darted towards the Jiāngshī and readied their katana!

"Shishin no Kaiō-ken (四身の界王拳, World King Fist of Four Bodies)!" added Tien as he divided into 4, 2-armed individuals and then empowered each of his 4 selves with a 4x Kaiō-ken! By doing so, Tien cloned himself without diminishing his power!

"Kaiō-ken no Kansei (界王拳の完成, Perfected World King Fist)!" roared Goku as he collapsed the aura of his 20x Kaio-ken into a confinement within himself and then burst into a sprint towards the Jiāngshī and with the 4 Tiens!

"Now that is a dangerous technique!" admitted the Jiāngshī as Krillin's blurs blurred into extra images and then circled the Jiāngshī with their flight and as a flurry of silhouettes! "I can detect neither his ki nor his thoughts, so discerning which is a flash and which is a Krillin is some tough work!" noted the Jiāngshī as Krillin's blurs began to charge in groups and chop at the Jiāngshī with their katana. "But I have the Power of Confronting Death (臨死の力, Rinshi no Ryoku), so..." cooed the Jiāngshī as its experience of the situation slowed and its perception of the situation strengthened! "...you can't defeat me with that old trick!" it asserted as it armored its fist with its telekinesis and then began to defend itself from each of the actual and corporeal Krillin's slashes by deflecting Krillin's blade with punches!

"That's just the start!" asserted all 4 of the Tiens as they augmented their life with a 2x Kaiō-ken and then expended that extra life as a means of momentarily powering themselves up‽ "Kaiōkikōken (界王気功拳, World King Energy Cultivating Fist)!"

"All the power of the Tri-Beam, without any of the price‽" deduced the Jiāngshī as 2 of the Tiens accelerated into an instantaneous kick of its face! At the same time, another 2 of the Tiens accelerated into an instantaneous kick upon the Jiāngshī's legs and thereby swept the Jiāngshī into a trip! Subsequently, Krillin appeared before the Jiāngshī while the Jiāngshī was in the middle of the trip and then slashed through the Jiāngshī's eyes! At this point, all 4 of the Tiens assaulted the blinded Jiāngshī with a collective kick that launched the Jiāngshī skyward! And then Goku appeared above the Jiāngshī and hammered the Jiāngshī into a plummet! Subsequently, a flurry of Krillins darted above, around, and under the Jiāngshī as Krillin ravaged the Jiāngshī with slashes!

"We got him!" cheered the Tiens as the Jiāngshī neared them...

...but then vanished?

"What?" uttered the Tiens as the Jiāngshī achieved invisibility through a combination of the Solar Flare and its telekinesis!

"Gogododonpa (五剛どどん波, "Five Strong Dodon Waves")!" chanted the Jiāngshī as it blasted each of the Tiens with a Dodon Ray! At the same time, as 4 of the Dodon Rays impacted with and scorched a Tien, the 5th Dodon Ray crashed into the ground and detonated an explosion which launched the Jiāngshī skyward! "Nijūjita Maradodonpa (二十舌魔羅どどん波, "Twenty-Tongued Mara Dodon Wave")!" continued the Jiāngshī as it discharged a Dodon Wave from each of its 10 fingers.

"That's not gooaaauuuggghhhaaaa!" screeched Krillin as the Jiāngshī guided the Dodon Rays into both Krillin and his afterimages, allowing the Jiāngshī to blast Krillin into burn without needing to discern the fake Krillins from the real Krillin!

"Krillin! Tien!" cried Goku as he arced into a flight towards the Jiāngshī by detecting the Jiāngshī's ki! "Sarugakaiō-ken (猿牙界王拳, Monkey-Fang World King Fist)!" exclaimed Goku as he arrived before the Jiāngshī! At the same time, Goku allowed the aura of his Kaio-ken to erupt out his wrist as a jet of propulsion! By doing so, Goku accelerated and augmented a punch into hurtling the Jiāngshī as it instantly struck the Jiāngshī in the face!

"Combing the Kaio-ken with that old Saruga..." grunted the Jiāngshī as it became visible and as Goku blitzed it with a kick that struck its stomach! "...you must be desperate, SON GOKU!" howled the Jiāngshī in laughter, as it clasped its hands together and then hammered Goku into a plummet! Afterward, as Goku crashed into a crouch upon the ground, the Jiāngshī charged a Super Dodon Ray atop his index finger and then smirked as Goku flinched in terror. "This is goodbye..."

"...to that finger of yours!" asserted Krillin as he ambushed the Jiāngshī as a flash and then cut off the Jiāngshī's index finger with a slash of his Power Pole katana! The Jiāngshī blinked as its index finger's lost and then screeched as the index finger's Super Dodon Ray detonated in his face! After the explosion of the Super Dodon Ray, all 4 of the Tien appeared in the explosion's smoke and then attacked the Jiāngshī within that smokescreen! "I can heal, but Krillin and Tien?" gasped the Jiāngshī as all 4 of the Tien blasted him with a Tri-Beam and then enhanced their Tri Beams with the Kaio-ken! "How are they fine‽"

"Kikōkaiōhō (気功界王砲 , Energy Cultivating World King Cannon)!" chanted all 4 of the Tiens, as they blasted the Jiāngshī into a crash into and embedment within the ground! And as Maron appeared beside Goku and then healed Goku with her magic! Subsequently, 3 of the 4 Tien disappeared as they expended the entirety of their existences on their respective Tri-Beams!

"MMMAAARRROOONNN!" howled the Jiāngshī as it arose from its embedment underground and hefted Tien's Tri-Beams overhead as it did so! At the same time, the Jiāngshī armored and augmented itself in an aura of its green ki and purple sparks! "You bitch!" it swore as it tossed the Tri-Beams into the sky and towards Tien.

"Ahh!" screamed Tien as he barely dodged the tossed Tri-Beam. And then the Jiāngshī appeared beneath Tien, grabbed Tien's ankle, and threw Tien back-first into Maron! "Shit!"

"I-i-it's getting stronger!" warned Krillin as the Jiāngshī destroyed its pain and rage and thereby fueled itself with more power! "How is it getting stronger‽"

"You've ANGERED me NOW!" announced the Jiāngshī as brightened from its green ki and thereby illuminated the planet with rays of verdant! "And NOW you'll PAY!"

"You don't scare me!" declared Goku as he bulked up into a Max Power state, clad himself within a MAX Power Kamehameha, and then empowered that MAX Power Kamehameha with a x20 Kaio-ken! "Kairōgakiryūken (界狼牙亀流拳, World Wolf-Fang Turtle School Fist)!" howled Goku with all of the lupine savagery of a Yamcha! "Maron!"

"Don't you fucking-" swore the Jiāngshī an instant before Maron applied her magical portals to teleport Goku into being face-to-face with the Jiāngshī! "Damn it!" cried the Jiāngshī as Goku attacked it with a x20 MAX Power Kamehameha-powered punch and as it attempted to block that punch its forearm! "Aaauuuggghhhaaa the pain!" cried the Jiāngshī as Goku's attack cracked the entirety of its forearm! "The pain is SSSOooo-just kidding!" chimed the Jiāngshī as it augmented itself with its damage and then casually deflected Goku's punch with a elegant flail of its forearm! "You believed you could defeat the monster with that shit?" sneered Jiāngshī as it axe kicked Goku with a front flip and thereby knocked Goku into a plummet that punched through the planet! "As if!" continued the Jiāngshī as it clasped Goku with its telekinesis and thereby dragged Goku through a second smash through the planet and straight into a punch to the face!

"Haven't won yet!" retorted Goku as he bit the fist of the Jiāngshī and then enhanced his jaws with the Kaio-ken‽

"Augha!" cried the Jiāngshī as Goku bit off its hand! Subsequently, the Jiāngshī's back-handed Goku into a descent with its wrist and then its hand regrew in a second! "You little..."

"We aren't getting anywhere with brute force!" hissed Krillin as he caught the falling Goku and then glared up at the Jiāngshī. "We have to stop that technique! Or we're finished!"

"I-I-I can do that..." huffed Maron as she healed Goku. "...b-b-but I need-"

"To rest!" asserted Goku as he dropped From Krillin's arms and onto his feet. "You're exhausting yourself by healing us too m-"

"I know that!" interjected Maron in a yell. "I'll save Attie or succumb trying!" she added in a snap. "So don't worry about me!"

"Maron..." whined Goku. "...that's not okay!"

"Goku! Maron!" called Tien as the Jiāngshī began to elevate its ki a second time. "Focus on the problem!"

"That is..." murmured Maron as the Jiāngshī's power skyrocketed!

"...the apex of our power!" asserted the Jiāngshī in a hum. "The Art of Humanity actuates an adrenaline rush and a near-death experience as its means of strengthening its user, while the Principles of the Power of Destruction destroys emotions as its means of strengthening its user!" it continued in a sneer. "Combine them together and you have the Art of a Destroyer (破壊者の武術, Hakaisha no Bujutsu), where the Art of Humanity's detrimental emotions are destroyed for EVEN MORE POWER!"

"But that's false!' announced Maron in Krillin and Tien's minds. "That is not the apex of Attie's power at all!" she stressed. "It's the apex before Atticus and the Jiāngshī split though, it's the apex before Atticus attained the capability to emulate Super Saiyan 3 and thereby made the Art of Humanity obsolete!"

"Maron, what the fuck are you talking about?" asked Krillin in a gulp at the Jiāngshī's power. "And why does it matter in this situation?"

"What I am saying is that this thing DOES NOT KNOW!" answered Maron in an ecstatic shout. "What I am saying is that WE CAN WIN!" she added as she began to detail a plan to Krillin and Tien.

"I am aware of the downfalls of your foes, Goku!" announced the Jiāngshī as Krillin and Tien gawked at Maron's plans but then resigned themselves as the Jiāngshī spoke to Goku. "I have metaknowledge of the narrative pitfalls that this show's villains fell into, so I know that the first one to slay is you," it announced as it blitzed Goku with a dash up to Goku's face and then uppercut Goku in the chin and into the welkin!

"Goku!" cried Krillin, Maron, and Tien as the Jiāngshī disappeared from the ground before Krillin and Tien could react to and strike it! Afterward, the Jiāngshī appeared before Goku as Goku rose upward and then dodged a punch that Goku aimed towards its face!

"It's over, Goku!" cackled the Jiāngshī as it clawed into the arm that Goku had punched with and thus held that arm in place! As Goku cried out in pain, the Jiāngshī cackled in glee and then clawed into Goku's throat with its free hand! "This fight, your fight, is over!" declared the Jiāngshī as its claws commenced to liquify and suck up Krillin and Tien...

...wait.

Krillin?

And Tien?

What?

"What?" uttered Goku and the Jiāngshī as Goku's clawed arm appeared in Krillin's place. And as the rest of Goku appeared in Tien's place. As the Jiāngshī absorbed Krillin and Tien in Goku's place, and as Maron healed and reattached Goku's clawed arm, both Goku and the Jiāngshī eyed one another in confusion and then with terror!

"Maron swapped them!" realized Atticus, Chiaotzu, and the Jiāngshī in unison. Immediately afterward, in a fit of rage, Atticus and Chiaotzu arose into a complete consciousness within the Fusion Chiaotzu! "No, no, NO!" cried the Jiāngshī as Atticus and Chiaotzu appeared before it in the Fusion Chiaotzu's mind, and as Goku began to darken the entirety of the planet and glow with a golden ki! "I WONT LET YOU!" hollered the Fusion Chiaotzu in the Jiāngshī's voice alone, as the Fusion Chiaotzu blazed into a burning and dashing soar towards Goku! "THERE WILL BE NOSUPERSAIYANSINMYSTORY!" asserted the Jiāngshī, as the Fusion Chiaotzu arrived before Goku in the middle of Goku's transformation and then bit into Goku's throat!

"Yes..."

"...there!"

"WILL!" refuted Atticus and Chiaotzu as they pounced upon the Jiāngshī together and then tackled the Jiāngshī to the ground! "You will NOT have him!" hissed Atticus and Chiaotzu as both of them clawed into the Jiāngshī's head and then clashed their combined will against the Jiāngshī's single will! "And you will RETURN what you have STOLEN!"

"This can't be happening!" complained the Fusion Chiaotzu and the Jiāngshī in tandem, as the Fusion Chiaotzu's absorption of Goku was canceled by Atticus and Chiaotzu's clash with the Jiāngshī! "You can't DO this!" asserted the Fusion Chiaotzu and the Jiāngshī as the Fusion Chiaotzu was blasted off of Goku by an eruption of golden ki! And as Atticus and Chiaotzu began to break through the Jiāngshī's will and thereby cause cracks to form on the Jiāngshī's body in their mindscape. "I have the telekinesis! I HAVE THE TELEPATHY!"

"You inherited it, yeah..." confirmed Chiaotzu in a hiss. "...but I relearned it!" revealed Atticus in a snarl. "So you should have been spying me rather than kami!"

"Goku!" called Maron as Goku became a Super Saiyan for the first time and then felt a telepathic touch as Maron informed him of Krillin, Tien, and her plan!

"Right!" agreed Goku as he blitzed the Fusion Chiaotzu before the Fusion Chiaotzu could recover, circled behind the Fusion Chiaotzu, and then locked the Fusion Chiaotzu within a Full Nelson hold! "Enma no Katamewaza (閻魔の固め技, Yama Lock)!"

"That is not a real technique!" complained the Jiāngshī as Super Saiyan Goku held the Fusion Chiaotzu in place. "You believe you have power to restrain me?" scoffed the Jiāngshī as the Fusion Chiaotzu began to break out of the Full Nelson with but a flex of its muscles! "Compared to a fusion like me, even a Super Saiyan is NOTHING!"

"He'll hold long enough," asserted Maron as she appeared before the Fusion Chiaotzu with a teleport, clasped the Fusion Chiaotzu's head, and then pressed her forehead against the Fusion Chiaotzu's forehead.

"Damn it Atticus, damn you Chiaotzu! Don't you fools realize that you're making a mistake‽" hissed the Jiāngshī as Atticus detected Maron and then linked Maron to the telepathy too! "Atticus' bullying, Chiaotzu's murder, don't you remember that?" asked the Jiāngshī in a snarl. "The anger, the fear, the NEED for power!" it reiterated in a snap. "I am that anger, I am that fear, I AM THAT POWER!" it asserted in a roar. "All of the abuse that others subjected us to, all of the fear that others roused within us, all of that will disappear if we join our power together and reign as the strongest!"

"I-i-if we become a monster with you‽" retorted Chiaotzu in a spat. "A monster that feasts on our family, our friends, and the whole of the world‽"

"We're ALREADY monsters!" argued the Jiāngshī. "We are assassins, we are murderers, we are swindlers and thieves, and we are VILLAINS!" stressed the Jiāngshī. "We have deceived, killed, lied, and stole!" it noted. "Because we knew, no, because we learned that the only way to beat the monsters of the world is to become a monster ourselves!"

"NO!" refuted Atticus, Chiaotzu, and Maron together. "Not monsters, but people!" argued Atticus, Chiaotzu, and Maron as the 3 of them continued to fragment the Jiāngshī! "All of us are flawed, maybe even a little monstrous, but we are still people!" stressed Atticus alone. "We are capable of changing for the good as much as the ill, so NO!" shouted Atticus as Chiaotzu, Maron, and him managed to overpower the Jiāngshī! "We are not monsters, we will not become a monster, and we will not lose to a monster like you!" declared Atticus, Chiaotzu, and Maron as one. As the 3 of them did so, all 3 of them accessed the Jiāngshī's capabilities as easily as the Jiāngshī had accessed the capabilities of its victims. This allowed Atticus, Chiaotzu, and Maron to begin a Fission just as the Jiāngshī had Fissioned itself from Atticus in the Otherworld!

"I-I-I, no, I am the DEVOURER OF SOULS!" asserted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it began to brighten to the radiance of the Sun itself! "The END OF WILLS!" continued the Fusion Chiaotzu as its definition began to fade and as its form began to flicker.

"Th-th-the haunt of, no-no! No! Ssstttoooppp this! You can't, YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME! I am YOU!" whined the Fusion Chiaotzu as its body distorted into a misshapen radiance and then expanded out of Goku's grasp! "I am the desperation that leads to sin, I am the fear given reign, I am the rage without temperance, I am the VILLAIN WITHIN YOU ALL!" insisted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it ballooned from its growth and into a multicolored and shiny sphere.

"All of you are corrupt, all of you are impure, all of you are MONSTROUS!" argued the Fusion Chiaotzu and the Jiāngshī in a disembodied yet thunderous voice! As all of the Earth, and all of the Solar System as a whole, began to quake from the thunder of the Fusion Chiaotzu's voice! "So you can't deny the lull of power! And can't escape the evil that lurks within!" asserted the Fusion Chiaotzu as it brightened to the limit of it radiance and expanded to the maximum of its size! At this point, Goku and Maron knew to run. But dared not risk ANYTHING at this point. So they remained. They stayed. Until... "The challenges of life WILL drag you to me! And you WILL embrace me! In this form or the-"

...the Fusion Chiaotzu detonated from its fission.

"AAAUUUGGGHHHaaauuuggghhh!" cried Goku and Maron as the both of them were blasted by the Fusion Chiaotzu's detonation. In an instant, the battlefield became an inferno and both Goku and Maron were hurtled into a whirl! After burning in the inferno and crashing through tree after tree, Goku and Maron fell into a haphazard roll and then found themselves hailed upon by an infernal squall of trees!

Around the same time, the Fusion Chiaotzu's fission divided the Fusion Chiaotzu into both Chiaotzu and each and every last one of the Jiāngshī's victims. In an instant, all of the Fusion Chiaotzu disappeared from the world and all of the Fusion Chiaotzu's victims reappeared into the world. As such; as Goku and Maron arose out an enormous pile of scorched and toppled trees; Goku and Maron beheld Chiaotzu, Kami, Korin, Krillin, Tien, and a horde of ogres and the pure souls of Heaven!

"B-b-but this..." gasped King Yama, as he arose from the ground and eyed his hands. "...is impossible! Completely impossible!" he asserted in disbelief at his and everyone else's salvation. "Consumption by a Jiāngshī is erasure, isn't it? Right?"

"Before creation..." began Atticus as he appeared not as Chiaotzu but rather as a disembodied soul, a wisp. "...comes destruction," hummed Atticus as King Yama beheld and gasped at him. "Destruction isn't the end, King Yama, but rather the start!" he insisted in a laugh. "I combined Fission with the Power of Destruction," he revealed with a whistle. "That allowed me to recreate you all, or rather restore you all, by accessing the creation that follows destruction,"

"You applied the destruction of the Jiāngshī as a means of restoring its victims?" deduced King Yama in a murmur. "How is that possible?"

"I have an Aura Beyond Destruction," answered Attics with a ghostly shrug. "It's a culmination of my life within this world," he added in a murmur. "All of the destruction that I have wrought upon the world, brought under control, and now employed to protect and save,"

"This is unprecedented..." mused King Yama. "...but welcome," he added with a big smile. "I caused these circumstances with my incompetence and negligence, allowing the incarnation of your soul within a person whom already had a soul of their own and creating a Jiāngshī — of all things — when I honored you with a vessel," decided King Yama with a frown. "It's a disgrace!"

"Actually King Yama..." interjected Atticus with a frown. "...I believe the Crane Hermit-"

"No!" refuted King Yama with a shake of his head. "I'll hear you out, Atticus, but no!" he huffed. "I am responsible for our souls and their transmigration, that is my work!" he stressed. "I became complacent and inattentive," he insisted. "But I'll adjust my behavior and our policies to remedy that," he decided next. "So that nothing like this ever happens again!"

"I understand," hummed Atticus with a nod. "But-"

"Give it to me in a report," asked King Yama with a raise of his hand. "Allow me to fix this mess of mine and then I'll read the report and respond,"

"Alright," agreed Atticus. Afterward, he eyed Chiaotzu's reunion with Tien and then frowned. "What happens to me now?"

"How is it that the real Chiaotzu is alive and embodied?" questioned King Yama as he frowned with Atticus. "That doesn't make any sense,"

"I altered an amount of my energy into life and bestowed my body and that life onto Chiaotzu," answered Atticus in a murmur. "That body belonged to Chiaotzu, so I returned it to Chiaotzu,"

"I ain't comfortable with resurrections of that sort..." groaned King Yama. "...but it is what it is," he relented. "As for you Atticus, well, there is no body for even the Dragon Balls to resurrect you into now," he noted in a sigh. "And I can't even incarnate you as a physical spirit in your present state, because the Jiāngshī may return..." he added in a snarl. "...so all that is left to you is to reincarnate or remain a wisp,"

"Is that so?" chuckled Atticus. "Is that it?"

"It is so," confirmed King Yama. "That is it,"

"I'll be back..." murmured Atticus as he focused his gaze on Maron, whom was conversing and recovering with everyone else. Whom could see King Yama and the other ogres, but because of the diminishment of her magic, could not see Atticus and the other ghosts on the scene. "...that is what I promised her," he remembered in a whisper. "That I'll be back!"

"Atticus..." groaned King Yama. "...you can't go back," he stressed. "It's not possible! At least, not without-"

"Maybe not as Chiaotzu per se..." interjected Atticus as he returned his sight to King Yama. "...but I can as a new self," he argued. "As my next self,"

"It's a reincarnation then?" asked King Yama in a hum. "That'll cost you though," he warned. "All of your effort, all of your progress, all of it vanishes!" he stressed. "You can keep your memories and self, but everything else, you'll lose it ALL!" he stressed. "Your body, your ki, your psionics! EVERYTHING!"

"That's fine," accepted Atticus. "I'll rebuild that strength!" he asserted in a snicker. "And even if I can't..." he added in a murmur and then a whisper. "...as long as I can see her again, I'll be content even as a weakling,"

"You're choosing love..." questioned King Yama with a smile. "...over power?"

"I've always have," hummed Atticus. "My Maron and my Tien, my family and friends, they've always come first and they always will," he stressed. "That's why; unlike many of those whom I have battled; that's why..."

"...that's why I am NOT a monster," declared Atticus happily. "That's how I've redeemed my soul, yeah?"

"Yeah," confirmed King Yama with a nod. "Very well then," accepted King Yama. "Come," ordered King Yama as he aroused the magic within him and then applied that magic in assembling all of the ghost and ogres in his vicinity. Subsequently, King Yama conjured a door to the Other World and then that door opened to the Check-In Station. At this point, Atticus eyed his family and friends — Chiaotzu, Goku, Granolah, Kami, Korin, Krillin, Maron, and Tien — for the last time in a long time. Afterward, Atticus departed from the Earth as he followed King Yama and the others into the Other World.

❧ ❧ ❧

"Pa..."

"...papara,"

"Paparapapa!" heard the Crane Hermit as Mercenary Tao and his souls were conjured from Hell and into a completely dark and extra-dimensional space. "I am becoming weary of resurrecting you two," heard the Crane Hermit and Tao as in echo in the shadows.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," gulped the Crane Hermit as Mercenary Tao and him bowed to the darkness that surrounded them. "B-b-but if it p-pleases you, o-oh mighty Author of Delusions (妄想の作者, Mōsō no Sakusha), I've accomplished m-my task!"

"WHAT?" bellowed the darkness in an umbral wail. "Do you speak of that boy?" it guessed in a gasp. "Has that boy mastered the Power of Destruction‽ Really? All by himself? Without any instruction? And so soon‽"

"Yes," confirmed the Crane Hermit in a giggle. "Behold this fact in the mind of my soul, great writer..." he offered in a coo. "...for the boy felled me with a Hakai after all!"

"Interesting..." hummed the darkness. "...although an accident rather than your purposeful intent, as that boy is merely pet project after all, you've still proven your worth Crane!" it admitted. "This calls not for a punishment, but rather for a reward!" it decided. "I'll bestow you with bodies to live anew, completing your resurrections, and grant thy a request too,"

"Excellent!" cackled the Crane Hermit with a greedy jiggle. "I mean, uhh, thank you! O' migthy scriber thing!"

"No, no, no..." cooed the darkness. "...thank you, Crane," it hummed. "For bringing me one step closer to my God of Destruction Buu!"

TO BE CONTINUED