DB Multiverse

The empathetic Saiyan

Nizucchi visited villages and villages. He hadn't found anything of interest. No incredibly strong peasant, no Saiyan that was crazy enough to like of birds, flowers and children. He felt he had visited about a hundred villages when he reached the place where we left in the previous chapter. He then was very far from the city of the King .

In such remote places, it often happened that the authority of the King was contested. Actually, the authority of the King had to be renewed each time he expected anything from a faraway place. There was a reason why all the messengers mandated to conduct a census were high ranking members of the army: they had to subdue the villagers and remind them how strong the capital was.

For, indeed, many generals went from village to village to offer Saiyans to join the army, but that hadn't happened for more than 340 years, when a King had decided to go and attack the Tsuful part of the world.

After several weeks of research, flying above the sea, the Saiyan army had then destroyed a big and empty island, thinking that the Tsufuls most likely lived below it.

Today the King was training an army to face the Millenary Fighter, even though it wasn't quite official.

It was an average sized village, and well-kept houses and organised structures (such as this place in the middle of the village for Saiyan celebrations and gathering) meant an intelligent and efficient chief.

Nizucchi went down and landed at the border of the village, then he came in on foot, going towards the village center.

With his shining armor, he didn't go unnoticed - this was the goal after all – and the Saiyans watched him, or followed him. As it often happened, he was stopped in his way by an audacious girl. A young Saiyan female was in his way and clearly defied him. After all, the man had come on his own volition while he hadn't been invited. And he was obviously rather old. So she had her chance.

She spat on the ground, next to her and she hardly turned her head toward him that she saw her opponent's hand rushing toward her. The attack reached her shoulder and she was thrown backwards before she could even react. That was how Nizucchi sent her flying several yards backwards as the other villagers were laughing. He then went on his way.

Hartich had noticed the commotion and was waiting for him in the middle of the village. When the leader saw his armor, he immediately recognised his function.

“You're a great general of the King. Welcome to our village.”

He hadn't always been welcomed this way. This chief was clearly more educated than others he had met on his travels.

They prepared a banquet from scratch as fast as they could to discuss with the new-comer – they couldn't talk without eating – which resulted in all the members of the village appearing for they wouldn't want to miss an occasion to eat.

Nizucchi directly explained that he was looking for a student, a fighter to train.

“It's an honour we can't refuse.” said Hartich. “Would you like trying out some of the persons here, those you think shows potential?”

“Well... you're the chief. Show me what the strongest one of your village is worth.”

Hartich hesitated for a second then got up as he swallowed his last piece of meat.

For the fourth time in a row, Hartich was thrown on the ground by the general. The chief got up and brushed the dust and the blood and returned to his stance with dignity. Standing in front of him, Nizucchi hadn't been touched once. The villager were astonished.

They were proud of their leader. Their leader was very very strong! They knew it for he already had crushed the chiefs of the surrounding villages whenever problems arose.

And that city dweller defeated him without problem.

“You're very strong.” said Nizucchi. “It's surprising in such a faraway place. You've travelled a lot, haven't you?” The spectators rolled their eyes at this statement. “I fear you're not the one I'm looking for. I think I'm going to kill you.” And he slowly created a fire ball in his hand.

The spectators were holding their breath. Killing someone in a friendly match wasn't really polite but they didn't care enough to intervene. As for Hartich, he didn't plan on dying like this. He The warrior rushed to his opponent with rage and attacked him.

Now motivated, Hartich was much more efficient and Nizucchi took blows and let go of his fire ball. Yet the general managed to get the upper hand and broke free.

The two opponents were now facing each other from afar and while Hartich was hesitating, Nizucchi was looking in the crowd for the Saiyan who would come and stop this fight.

Because killing during a friendly match was not the done thing and only an empathetic Saiyan, or an interested one, would react to such an injustice. And given the wide gap between their level, only a coward would kill someone who was weaker than him in these conditions.

It was an interested girl who reacted. A young Saiyan girl, about Hanasia's age, who wanted, since he was now free, to live with Hanasia's father and be his wife. Age gap had never been a criteria for the Saiyan people when it came to mates.

“He's not the strongest one of the village.” she said.

“Really?” replied Nizucchi. “Maybe is there someone who'd deserve more to fight against me.”

“Or who would deserve to be killed?” naughtily retorted Hartich.

Nizucchi pondered on what these words could mean. The girl wanted to save the chief and pointed at someone else while the chief, on the other hand, seemed to want to keep this someone else hidden, so that they wouldn't be killed, if so was the plan of his opponent.

He was going to check what were their motivations.

“Killed? It depends. Most likely. Actually, yes. And if it's not that other person, then it'll be you.”

Hartich got into a fighting stance. “None here is stronger than I.”

And Nizucchi smiled inwardly for this sentence clearly was a lie! He was protecting this other person, just as the girl was protecting him.

When a Saiyan was helping another one, it was either because they obeyed that person (such was the case with the high ranking officers, or mere submission), or because they deeply loved that person. In all these cases, when they faced a death threat, the Saiyans always changed side. Except, as he had understood in the library, when it was a strange being that couldn't bear the pain of others! And whose strength came from his motivation to protect them. So all he had to do was spicing things up.

He turned towards the girl, ready to defy her, but she was gone.

Hartich took advantage of this movement to attack the distracted man, and the fight started anew. Nizucchi received some more blows, but the chieftain eventually hit the ground, dominated by the city fighter.

He was about to kick Hartich some more, even though he was defeated, when an angry voice interrupted him.

“Stooooooooooooooooooooop!”

A (n other) young girl. The one who had left had brought her. This new comer immediately made an impression on Nizucchi.

Because of his long life as a warrior, he had already met many, and many more, Saiyans so he could easily guess their strength, their level and their experience from the way they stood, the tension surrounding them or their eyes. No doubt about it, she was the strongest one of the village. But in that case, why wasn't she the leader? He could think of only one reason...

“Leave my father alone.”

Yes, the only reason possible. It happened in faraway villages that the parent wasn't deposed by his child, out of respect, at least not before some years. There were then a third suspect.

The first girl had moved and looked away, as if to say 'I don't care about what happens now'. He mentally removed her name from the list for the small family interested him more. This father who was protecting his daughter... It happened in family that had only one kid, but it never went that far.

“One of you will die. Which one will I fight?”

“Me!” the father and his daughter responded at the same time.

Nizucchi gloated. Apparently, empathy was hereditary. Something attracted his eyes. He turned towards the girl to analyse her better and saw her eyes were red. She even had cried.

Saiyan customs changed depending on the regions, but Nizucchi had never witnessed in any place of the world a Saiyan that dared appear when marks of such a weakness were visible on their face.

“Why did you cry?” The city man asked her calmly.

“That's none of your business.” she answered as calmly in return.

“It interests me because it could make me change my mind regarding the killing. If you tell the truth, of course.”

“Huh?” Hanasia was abashed by the attitude of that stranger. He was hidding something. He was testing them. He was looking for something. And she certainly wouldn't be able to defeat him.

“My mother is dead.”

“So?”

“So I cried because my mother is dead.”

Nizucchi didn't understand. It was a concept he couldn't understand. In his opinion, as in every Saiyans' opinion, the death of a next of kin could lead to a light depression, nostalgia... at best! He looked for the link between this and suffering for other... Deceased didn't suffer as they were dead! So it seemed better to focus now on her hidden powers that her desire to help other had to release.

“I defy you. If you can't stop me, I'll kill you and your father.”

Hanasia ran towards the stranger and tried to punch him, but he dodged it. She attacked again and again and Nizucchi didn't do anything besides calmly dodge and parry each blow.

The general was quite impressed by her strength, it wasn't that bad at all. He eventually hit her hard, but, to his surprise, she dodged it. He thought that, as he hadn't attacked for a long time, she didn't expect him to attack her, but she obviously had sharp reflexes.

Nizucchi kept attacking and soon enough, Hanasia found herself in a bad position. She had never fought against so strong a Saiyan. It wasn't a matter of power. But he was virtually evasive, fast, efficient... his blows almost always reached their target.

His moves were... beyond understanding and his way of fighting wasn't like the one of this village, or even the way of fighting of the neighbouring villages either.

Hanasia was starting to pant and Nizucchi considered that it was time to test her again.

“Tired already? I thought so.” Moving blindly fast, he threw a fire ball at her father.

As the chief was starring at his daughter at the time, he noticed only too late that he was the one to be attacked and didn't have any time to react. Hartich was thrown backwards in the explosion and he fell on the ground, heavily injured.

When he turned to see the reaction of the girl, he saw her furiously rushing at him.

He didn't have time to parry and, for the first time of the fight, got a truly powerful blow. The warrior was thrown backwards, and some blood drops fell from his wound. And Nizucchi smiled as he hit the earth without reacting, so glad to have found the Saiyan he had been looking for so long.

He was pinned to the ground by another violent blow. Hanasia crushed him (that's to say, she was 'flying' towards the ground in order to prevent him from moving, otherwise he'd have been able to push her away as easily as a Saiyan picks up a rock) and she dealt several punches on his face.

He shouldn't have lost concentration as he had. He now had received too many blows and he couldn't react anymore. Bullshit. He had gone too far and was going to die because of his mistake.

Hanasia eventually stopped and let go of Nizucchi. She could have killed him. Actually, given what had happened, it was surprising that she hadn't killed him. He had clearly threatened her and her father. It was logical that she finished him off.

Especially considering that he was much stronger than she was and that, if he treated himself, he could come back and go through with his threat. Even though the villagers also thought that she should have killed him, they didn't say anything.

“I won.” said Hanasia. “I forbid you to threaten the inhabitants of our village.”

“You are letting me live?” articulated Nizucchi between his painful teeth, as he looked at the sky. “You really are the one I'm looking for.”

There was a moment of surprise and then, Hanasia turned around and walked away to her father.

“Are you ok?” she asked him.

Hartich didn't answer this question, given how stupid it was (and he was used to hearing it) and what it implied (that a Saiyan could be interested in how another fared) and he got up. He was dizzy but he'd get over it fast.

“I respect your decision, but it'd have been best to kill him.”

“It won't be useful. Hey, old man!” she yelled in the other direction. “Fuck off! Our central place isn't a dormitory!”

The villagers naughtily laughed, they laughed even more because they knew that, if the stranger was too injured to leave on his own, then Hanasia wouldn't hesitate to take him by the hair or by the tail and to throw him away out.

Nizucchi slowly got up with whatever shred of dignity he still had. And then he left the village. Once he was far enough, he looked for a watering hole to wash his injured face and for food. In a few days he'd have recovered. And he'd come back.

When his mission had started, he didn't even believe in the existence of the Saiyan he was looking for. But now that he really had met this strange being, he absolutely wanted to know if her power could increase until it dominated all Saiyans...