PART TWENTY-SIX: SINISTER CREATIONS

Chapter 128

Translated by npberryhill

“Ladies and gentlemen, without any delay, we’d now like to present the next fight in our secondary competition! The first team will be West Kaioshin of Universe 1 and Nappa of Universe 13!”

The two competitors met one another in the center of the arena, the Kaioshin greeting Nappa with a friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you. I realize teamwork isn’t really your forte, or any Saiyan’s for that matter, but... given that this is a tournament, I hope you’ll not only cooperate but be that we’ll complement each other well.”

“Hmph,” Nappa growled.

She was right — he definitely wasn’t thrilled to be forced into a team battle. He was, after all, the same proud warrior who had crushed a large part of Freeza’s army all by himself. But, seeing as how she was a Kaioshin, Nappa considered himself fortunate to have been placed with her. She was powerful, strong enough that he would be far less help to her than she would to him... a frustrating fact for the Saiyan to admit.

“Alright then,” he finally muttered, but wanting to clarify his terms he quickly continued. “I accept, but I don’t want you butting-in or trying to intervene without me saying so, got it?”

“As you wish,” the goddess replied, still smiling.

The Varga Announcer continued. “They’ll be facing the duo of Jeece from Universe 8, and his partner Cell Junior of Universe 17!”

Nappa smirked. Jeece would be a perfect opponent for him, but the blue vermin on the other hand... Well, he’d be trampled for sure, even Vegeta had struggled against the little bugger. But, overall, things could still work out.

“Leave Freeza’s goon to me. Think you can handle that little mini Cell on your own?” he whispered.

The beautiful Kaioshin nodded, eyeing Cell’s offspring closely as he landed a few feet in front of them. For such a young small creature, he was very powerful. While she was quite formidable herself, the ageless goddess knew she would inevitably lose. As for her partner, she expected him to defeat Jeece without much of a challenge, allowing them to possibly team up on the Junior.

Jeece landed in the ring as well, but was instantly uncomfortable standing next to the tiny blue bio-spawn, chuckling wildly with excitement. He knew the beast was incredibly powerful, but communication of any kind, much less teamwork, seemed a long shot. What he wouldn’t have given to instead have his teammate instead be Butta, forming their magical duo — at least the little Cell had the right color scheme for his moves to stand out. Jeece felt sure he could handle Nappa without difficulty though. The way the baldy had mocked their master Freeza had been gutsy, but in the end he’d still fled with his moral victory. For that insolence, the Emperor’s loyal servant would make him pay. As for the Kaioshin, she seemed to already be lined up to face the junior, confirming who would fight who.

Cell’s spawn was incredibly impatient. He didn’t care if he had a teammate, he just wanted to crush his opponents as quickly as possible. Spreading his black wings, the child suddenly dashed forward, aiming for the Kaioshin — under the bewilderment of Jeece. Junior’s fist connected with the Kaioshin, who had raised her arm to block. But the mini-Cell spun with his momentum, swinging his right leg around full force into her face and causing the beauty to stagger. Without hesitation, he followed up his attack, pursuing the goddess with a barrage of gut punches as she attempted a retreat. Both of their teammates remained motionless, stunned by the display of power so far beyond their own abilities. Finally, having regained his composure, Jeece dashed towards the Saiyan to attack. Nappa countered reactively, but not quite quickly enough and he was punished by a kick to his right cheek. The bald warrior staggered as the red magma flew up above, forming flaming Kikohas around his body. Thirty years ago even a single one of them would’ve pulverized Nappa in an instant, but no longer. Not only was he familiar with the attack, he was far stronger now.

Nappa opened his mouth wide. “Eat this, fool!”

A beam of light burst out of his throat, and as it sped towards Jeece, the former Ginyu commando panicked and had to throw all his Ki balls in defense. Each red globe struck the beam, but impeded it only briefly as they were engulfed. As a result, Jeece bought himself just enough time to narrowly escape.

“You bloody wanker...” he cursed.

Nappa chuckled loudly, noticing Freeza’s furious face watching from his balcony. Since being defeated by Goku, the frost demon had been unable to stay put — he was constantly pacing in frustration, or at the very least tapping his foot or tail. Having his weakness exposed had lit a fire within him, and Freeza had set his mind to begin training the instant he returned home. He wouldn’t be satisfied until his improvements were enough to ensure victory over Cooler at the very least — and though he doubted he could ever equal his father, he would most certainly try. Anything was better than the humiliation he’d been dealt, having to now endure the spectacle of his soldiers being humiliated — by Saiyans and other low creatures no less.

Nappa was about to finish his fight with Jeece when he was distracted by a shockwave behind him.

“No... damn, so soon!” he angrily exclaimed.

West Kaioshin had been knocked unconscious, and appeared to be in dire condition to boot. The bio-junior’s body was swarming with blue lightning crackles, having just pummeled the goddess like a punching bag. He’d literally beaten the fight out of her, then tossed her body to the ground, ever the wild look of excitement on his face. The other Kaioshins watching nearby trembled with fury. South Kaioshin could hardly stand to observe such an atrocity, seeing his gorgeous comrade mercilessly beaten. There had been no sport in it, the competition between the two fighters had been long decided. No, Cell Junior was a purely sadistic creature. He was only a single move away from South Kaioshin intervening, regardless of the rules, and putting an end to the madness. Grand Kaioshin and Buu both looked anxiously at him.

While the Junior laughed wildly, Nappa hurried to the scene, Jeece watching silently behind. Nappa sighed as he checked the Kaioshin and confirmed sure she was still alive, realizing it was pretty much over now. All the same, he feared what might happen if he were to allow a superior being, a very goddess, to be brutally killed right in front of everyone — especially the other gods. The Saiyan then turned, standing in front of her defensively. He knew the little creature was far stronger than Freeza, and Nappa was far and away outclassed, but he wasn’t going to give up — at least not for the twenty seconds until she was evacuated. In fact, facing down against such an extremely powerful being was a bit thrilling for the Saiyan warrior. Nappa threw his fist at the creature, who merely grabbed it and began spinning around like two strings unwinding. Before the bald fighter could react, Cell Junior delivered an incredible kick to his abdomen, knocking his breath away. In the distance he could hear counting.

Twelve seconds until the Kaioshin was evacuated...

Nappa summoned all his remaining effort, returning to his feet while the junior’s back was turned, then grabbing him in a tight hug and holding on with all his might. He could feel the blue creature’s frustrations as junior squirmed and scratched, but with what time he’d bought Nappa quickly put as much distance as possible between the two of them and West Kaiohsin. Suddenly, a sharp burning pain struck his chest and Nappa was forced to release his grip — the junior’s entire body had turned red hot, even the air around him smoking. The little monster snickered as his torso slowly cooled back to normal, but nearby his father was livid. The foolish offspring had inadvertently revealed a potentially useful ability, a surprise he might’ve needed later on. Cell glanced at Tapion, who didn’t seem to have reacted or made a connection between them. On the other hand, Vegeta’s gaze had flashed towards him almost imperceptibly.

Now free, Cell Junior landed a violent punch to Nappa’s jaw and sent him crashing back near the Kaioshin. He tried to stand, running on nothing but fumes and adrenaline, but his attacker was already overhead preparing a Kikoha as he laughed wildly. The old Saiyan general swore, finally standing and crossing his arms defensively before the attack. But he couldn’t hold, and his legs failed him once again. He collapsed just as the energy attack loomed ever closer; it seemed this was the end...

But something unexpected happened next. The energy ball was deflected harmlessly into the sky, the Cell Junior’s laugh was abruptly cut off, and Nappa strained his neck upwards towards the source of the disruption. The tall shadow that had appeared belonged to South Kaioshin — and the anger on his face was powerful enough to stop the mini-Cell in his tracks.

“Neither the West Kaioshin nor Nappa are in a position to continue fighting! This match is over!” he exclaimed loudly. “Killing is expressly forbidden in the secondary tournament, and I will intervene as much as necessary to prevent it!”

Nappa was still dazed and confused. He listened distractedly at the announcement of Jeece and Cell Jr’s victory, before feeling a pair of warm hands resting on his back. Healing magic flowed into his body as his wounds vanished and strength returned. Restored, he straightened up, a smug look on his face as the two Kaioshins greeted him.

“You have my gratitude,” West Kaioshin said. “What you did was noble, Saiyan, a gesture that we will not forget.”

“It was an honorable deed,” South agreed. “Your actions were not those of the barbarous Saiyan race of the past, which knew only destruction. Perhaps we will reconsider our perspective on your people — after all, the Saiyans of the 16th and 18th universes have made great progress. Perhaps you are capable of the same.”

The gods flew away, leaving Nappa speechless. He’d only acted in order to avoid angering the Kaioshins. If he’d allowed her to be slaughtered by the little monster, standing by idly, he would no doubt have earned just the opposite reaction. He wasn’t sure how they’d misinterpreted his deeds, and returned silently to Vegeta. The Saiyan leader didn’t offer any comment, but their image had been improved, no doubt about it. He himself had refused to fight in this pale imitation of a tournament, nothing but a loser’s bracket in his mind. It would be shameful to even participate, especially with that damn Raichi here watching on.

Back on the Kaioshin veranda, East and North were engaged in worried conversation while the Grand Kaioshin welcomed back the returning companions.

“This Cell Junior defeated her without any difficulty whatsoever... many of these mortals are dangerously strong. Vegetto, Buu, Cell... Each of them is far superior to us and also possess hearts stained with the blackness of evil. There are exceptions, such as Gast or Gohan, but still...”

“Our top priority after this is over must be closing off the universes. But in the meantime, we must keep a close eye on what’s happening with the Grand Kaioshin. Whatever Buu is up to, we’re the only ones capable of discerning his true intent.”

The two Kaioshins nodded silently at one another, understanding, then turned to join the other gods. Up in the stands, the spectators were also buzzing, then the next announcement came.

“And now, before we resume the main tournament, we present the third and last match of the secondary bracket. For this fight, the first team will be Yamcha of Universe 9 and Great Demon King Piccolo of Universe 3. They’ll be facing Goten of Universe 16 and Reacum of Universe 8!”

“Say what?”

Goten’s eyes shot wide, under Bra’s contemptuous gaze. He’d have liked to be in a team with Trunks, or at the very least Piccolo — not one of Freeza’s desperately weak soldiers. Moreover, he knew their opponents were formidable. This Yamcha had been turned into a cyborg, and Piccolo Daimao was perhaps even stronger. The Piccolo he knew had been able to fight on even grounds with #17 years ago, so he had heard anyway. So there was a good chance a fully whole version of Piccolo would be stronger than even that. He was quite tense as he made his way onto the ring, his stress visible. Reacum, however, posed ridiculously without a care in the world.

“I AM... Ginyu Force Commando.... Reacum!!”

Goten facepalmed with both hands, embarrassed, even as the tall red-headed soldier beckoned him to strike a pose as well. Unable to refuse the prodding, the youngest son of Goku sighed then modeled a ridiculous dance move that he and Trunks had been practicing in secret (thanks to Gotenks). He concluded it with “Special Force member... Gotenks!” The spectators cheered wildly at the display of showmanship — and naturally, both Bras buried their faces in their hands shamefully.

Standing opposite them, Yamcha was already in a fighting stance, staring unflinchingly at Goten. Neither of his opponents seemed all that threatening, but he knew Saiyans to be resourceful fighters — the smart thing would be to neutralize him first. Realizing his teammate still hadn’t arrived, Yamcha turned towards the Universe 3 balcony. Dr. Raichi’s eyes shot to the entryway as well, perplexed. Piccolo Daimao finally appeared, only he seemed different... changed. His outward appearance seemed normal enough, but he was filled with an intense anger, evidenced in the darkness around his eyes. Gast could feel it palpitating off of him, watching him closely, but after a brief reflection he determined it to be on account of the inward struggle within Piccolo — good having been awakened in him the previous day.

But Daimao was merely following orders. “Don’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Babidi had instructed him. “You are not permitted to use anything more than your normal strength, lest someone suspect your allegiance. Be on your best behavior, understand?”

Daimao entered the ring, following his master’s instructions, and joined Yamcha on their side of the arena.

“It’ll be nice fighting with you,” Yamcha greeted him. “Now listen, I’ll take care of the young Saiyan on the left — he’s the stronger of the two. You make sure to defeat that Frost Demon Soldier quickly, then we can team up against Goten if needed. What do you say?”

Piccolo turned his icy stare to the cyborg, and after a short pause nodded his confirmation. Immediately, the two fighters rushed their opponents. Reacum didn’t have a scouter and thus, had no clue what he was really in for. The Ginyu Squad member posed once more, then threw a punch at the green being approaching him. He’d already been defeated by a Namekian once, and he wouldn’t let it happen again! He especially definitely didn’t want to give Nappa another chance to mock him.

“Reacum Fist!!” the orange-haired giant yelled.

He put all his strength into his first punch, swinging at Daimao who — vanished in an afterimage. Reacum spun to the left and the right, bewildered as he grunted puzzlingly. Nearby, he noticed Goten had transformed into Super Saiyan and was going blow for blow with Yamcha. The cyborg countered each of his attacks with astonishing vivacity and technique, but the Ginyu Commando was too preoccupied to notice more than that. He still hadn’t spotted Piccolo, and instead swung a blind swipe to his rear, expecting a sneak attack from behind.

“Reacum Boom!” he yelled as his attack missed again. Daimao was still nowhere to be found, to the point that even the Vargas began their count.

“Piccolo Daimao has dropped out of sight and will be disqualified if he doesn’t reappear within fifteen seconds.”

Assuming the Namek had gotten scared and run away, the Ginyu Force member put his hands on his hips and began to laugh loudly. But suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his hair and begin yanking him upwards. He yelped aloud as the ground shrank away and his body was pulled high into the sky. The Ginyu Commando finally halted, finding himself face to face with Piccolo several hundred meters above the arena — the Vargas spotted them and stopped counting. They’d followed the Namekian’s super-stretched arm up to his location.

“You thought I’d fled, vermin? Oh no no... I was just getting my footing up here...”

Still grasping Reacum by his hair, the Namek struck a violent blow with his free hand that cracked the soldier’s armor. He spat a stream of blood as the commando felt himself weaken. They were at the outer edges of the artificial atmosphere, where the air had thinned to a scarcity. Piccolo then released him and back-slapped him across the face, marking Reacum’s cheek. Then the evil Namekian dove towards the ring at full speed, holding Freeza’s soldier by his face, his fingers now digging deep into the skin. At the last moment he let go, straightening himself as his foe crashed hard and made a crater of considerable size. Yamcha and Goten were distracted momentarily, looking on, though the latter took the opportunity to sneak in an extra blow on the cyborg. Refocusing, the two resumed their battle, both being cheered on by their respective universes.

Over on the Universe 13 patio, a certain unconscious and seriously injured Saiyan had been jolted awake by Reacum’s fall. Meanwhile, Freeza’s soldier was struggling just to get back to his feet, all while Piccolo chuckled, eyes flaming. His attitude evidenced just how far he still had to go, Gast noted. But it wasn’t over yet, and the Ginyu Force member was still determined to win.

“That was pretty good,” Reacum boomed. “Kinda reminds me of my Reacum Death Driver, haha!” His face turned suddenly serious. “But now it’s my turn... I’m gonna finish you off with this! Reacum Blaster!”

He extended his hands forward and launched a powerful energy wave at Daimao, but the Demon King appeared directly in front of him and kicked the soldier hard. Reacum’s teeth were scattered in the air as he was launched across the ring, his lips bleeding, until he finally collapsed. Piccolo Daimao, licking his knuckles, then joined Yamcha who was engaged in a fierce battle with Goten. The young Saiyan was attempting to push his attacks hard enough to fit in a short range Kamehameha somewhere.

“Wait, now it’s two against one? Seriously?” he exclaimed, seeing Piccolo join in.

Yamcha smiled, kicking with his right and accompanying with a right elbow that met its’ mark in Goten’s cheek. Piccolo chained attacks together with him, clasping his hands and finding the soft of the Saiyan’s belly. Goku’s son crashed into the ground, but Piccolo was already on him pushing the assault. It was clear he was out for blood.

“I... I give up!” he announced, his voice trembling.

Thanks to the extraordinary Namekian hearing, the announcers signaled the match was over. “Goten has forfeited! Victory for universes 3 and 9!”

King Piccolo, who was leaning over Goten just a few inches from his face, slowly withdrew. But the spark of madness in his eyes was haunting to the Saiyan, and he hoped it had just been his imagination. Namekian healers came quickly, though Daimao made his way back to the apartments without a word. Yamcha, however, helped Goten back to his feet.

“Well,” he whispered, “you make a tough opponent! You okay?”

“Yeah, I should be fine now...”

“It was a pretty interesting fight, and exciting,” the cyborg said with a smile. “You’re strong, young man. Keep training, don’t rely entirely on fusion, you’ve got plenty potential all on your own.”

“Thanks,” Goten replied, a little embarrassed.

With a smile, they both went back to their designated observation patios, as did Reacum. On his way, the defeated Ginyu Force member was again taunted, both by Lord Freeza and Nappa — who hurled loud insults all the way from his balcony. As for Goten, he gave Bra a slap on the head for calling him incompetent, while Trunks and Gohan tried to cheer him up.

“I’m getting bored,” Vegeta of the 18th grumbled. “Are these ridiculous second-tier fights finally done?”

“Hey!” Pan exclaimed. “I’m competing too, I’ll have you know!”

“I wasn’t talking about you,” Vegeta corrected himself. “It’s the rest of these fools who don’t know when to give up, Freeza’s men in particular — Nappa too, loud-mouthed idiot. I want to see a real fight.”

“Well if it’s a real fight you want, perhaps I might be of help,” answered a voice from nearby.

Cell had advanced near the balcony wall, to the cheers of his juniors. His fight was next, reminding Vegeta that the secondary tournament had been put on pause for the moment.

“And now, ladies and gentlemen, we will return to the main action! We call Cell of Universe 17, who will be facing Tapion of Universe 3!”