"Nappa... what do we do?" Fasha asked beside me, whisper-shouting in a hushed tone as she stood, tensed, next to Bardock and stared down Dodoria.
"Isn't it obvious?" I shot back, narrowing my eyes at the pink monster in front of us, "We kick his ass."
Of course, doing that was much easier said than done. My scouter was fried, so I didn't know Dodoria's exact power level, but I could sense that it was damn high. He had been in the mid-20,000's on Namek, but that was a few decades from now. Right now, he was probably at least a bit weaker, even if that meant he was still close to 20,000.
By comparison, our squad was... about a tenth of that each, and that was exaggerating our strength a bit. My power level was a bit over 3,000, while Vegeta's was around 2,500, and then Bardock was our third strongest at just over a thousand. The rest of the squad - which was minus Borgos now, as if this situation couldn't get worse - were all under 1,000. After the training with Vegeta and myself for the past few weeks, they had grown in strength a lot, but even still, Tora was the 2nd strongest low-class with a power level around 900.
"Fasha, Gine, stay back and focus on beam attacks," I said bluntly as I stepped forward, taking the initiative as I stared down Dodoria, "Vegeta, we'll take him down. The rest of you, fill in where you can."
"Eh? You're not just saying that because we're women, right?" Fasha scoffed at my words, stepping forward next to me with a slight glare, "If you think I'm just going to watch as you take this prick down, then you're as stupid as everyone thinks you are."
"I'm saying it because you're weak," I shot back bluntly, causing Fasha to huff at me indignantly, "Honestly, most of you guys are besides Bardock, but at least Shugesh and Tora can do more than charge in recklessly."
"I-I can do more than that, too! Don't act like I'm just an idiot!" Fasha huffed, but I waved her off as I raised my arm to block her, and then continued to walk forward.
"And, you're better at beam attacks than anyone else, so you'll be more effective this way," I continued, causing her to blink at my words, "There's no time to complain right now, so just do what I say, got it?"
That was a lie, as I'd never seen her use beam attacks, and I had no idea if she was better at them than anyone else. But, I couldn't tell her that I was putting her in the back lines because I didn't want her to die. That would be far too out of character for Nappa, and far too soft for a Saiyan Elite. So, I had to lie. I had to make her think that I was just being a pragmatic commander, and not a man who had grown to care for her over the past weeks.
Honestly, right now, I knew that we wouldn't all make it out of this battle alive. It'd take everything I had to get through this, and I suspected that my best game plan here was to throw bodies at Dodoria and wear him down so I could snatch his exhausted body when he was too weak to dodge. But, while I knew we couldn't all survive, I certainly played favorites, and I'd do everything I could to ensure those I cared about most would survive. That was mainly Fasha, Vegeta, and Bardock, as well as Gine for Bardock's sake, in that order. After that was Raditz, who'd been pretty silent since we arrived - as it seemed that even he felt out of place amongst us - as he was still Bardock's son, and had some level of potential as Goku's brother. It was a cruel way to think, but if I had to sacrifice Tora and Shugesh to take down Dodoria, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.
"Fine," Fasha grumbled, stepping back reluctantly, though she seemed to accept my answer, "But if you get your ass kicked, don't come crying to me!"
Gine, who had been silent until now, simply nodded, stepping back to stand with Fasha.
Finally, I glanced at Bardock, and then around at the rest of the Saiyans, "Fight for your life - and by that, I mean, don't die. This isn't a foe we can take down by fighting stupidly. Back each other up, and don't let him land a blow on you, or else you'll die. We have to fight like rats."
"Like rats?" Vegeta asked, giving me a look of disgust, "We're not only going to team up on him, but we're going to fight so disgracefully?"
"If you want to live, then yes, you will," I said firmly, my expression not breaking, "This isn't the time to be prideful. We'll fight together and wear him down. That's our only way to survive. If you can't do that, then you're a dumbass who won't make it off this planet alive."
"He's right. It's shameful, but we never gave a damn about that stuff, did we?" Bardock chimed in, a gruff grin forming on his face, "Pride is for prissy elites like the prince to care about. We've always fought to survive, and this isn't any different."
"Agreed," Tora said simply, backing my words as Vegeta just gave a grunt. Finally, he raised his hands, cracking his knuckles with a grin as he stepped forward.
"Whatever, just do what you want! Just don't be mad when I take him down on my own, alright? I'll show this idiot who he's really messing with!" Vegeta declared, his Ki flaring up into a white aura around him as he shouted at Dodoria, "I'll show you why you don't mess with the Prince of the Saiyans!"
With that said, Vegeta launched forward at our pink enemy, and the fight began. His movements were a blur, a testament to the training he had received from both Bardock and myself over the past months. He was faster, stronger, and more precise than he had been before as he launched a barrage of punches forward. But, Dodoria, with his bulky, pink form, moved with a speed that didn't fit his fat body. He sidestepped, ducked, and parried Vegeta's assault effortlessly, making Vegeta's face twist with anger.
"Is that all you've got, you little monkey?" Dodoria mocked, swatting away a particularly vicious punch from Vegeta as if it were just a fly, "You're weaker than I expected! Is this really the peak of your pathetic race, huh?"
"SHUT UP!" Vegeta roared, his frustration mounting as he poured more power into his attacks. He threw a flurry of punches, each one creating a small sonic boom in the air, but Dodoria just kept dodging with a smug look on his face. Then, Dodoria's hand shot up, catching Vegeta's punch casually and causing the Saiyan Prince's eyes to go wide.
As he did, I was already launching forward, as I didn't charge straight at Dodoria, but instead, I came at him from an angle to catch him off guard as he was busy with Vegeta. My fist flew towards Dodoria's head, but he saw it coming at the last second, and he leaned back, letting my fist pass just inches from him as a burst of wind shot behind him from the missed blow.
"Two idiots for the price of one!" Dodoria giggled - I was starting to find his voice incredibly annoying already - then, with a quick movement, he brought his elbow up and slammed it into Vegeta's stomach. The Prince gasped, the air rushing from his lungs as he stumbled backward and clutched his stomach.
Before Dodoria could follow up on his attack, I was already moving, and his eyes went wide as my next fist came even faster than my last. His hand snapped up, moving to catch my swing, but he was too slow, as I slammed my fist into the side of his head, and this time, I connected. The impact was solid, and Dodoria grunted, stumbling to the side as he shot a glare at me.
"You're stronger than you look, Saiyan," Dodoria grunted, shaking his head to clear it, "But still not strong enough!"
Then, he launched himself at me, his massive body moving with a speed that was too fast for my eyes to keep track of. I braced myself, raising my arms to block as I knew I couldn't dodge, but before he could reach me, a series of small Ki blasts slammed into his side. They weren't powerful enough to do any real damage, but they were enough to make him stumble and to disrupt his momentum. I glanced over and saw Fasha and Gine standing with their hands outstretched.
"Good work!" I called out to them with a grin on my face as I took advantage of the opening.
I lunged forward, my fist connecting with Dodoria's jaw as I took advantage of his stumble. He grunted, stumbling backward even more, but he recovered quicker than I expected. He spun around mid-stumble, his leg sweeping out in a wide arc that caught me in the chest. I grunted, stumbling backward, but I managed to keep my footing, my boots digging into the fleshy ground beneath us as they carved out two small trenches.
"You annoying women!" Dodoria hissed, turning his attention to Fasha and Gine.
He launched himself at them, his fist raised and ready to strike, but, before he could reach them, Bardock was already in his path. He caught Dodoria's punch, stumbling back as he did, and his face grimaced. As Dodoria raised his other hand, ready to lay in on Bardock, he was saved as a fist came at him from behind, and Raditz's sneak attack sent Dodoria stumbling forward again. Bardock took advantage of that and quickly slammed his leg forward, pressing the side of it into Dodoria's gut and making him stumble back with a look of annoyance on his face.
"Grah! This is so annoying," Dodoria grunted, a look of anger on his face as he glared around at us, "You're all a lot tougher than I thought, but you're still just pests!"
Then, he vanished. My eyes widened as I tried to track him, but he was too fast. He was a blur of pink motion as he appeared in front of Bardock, slamming his fist into the Saiyan's gut. Bardock gasped, the air rushing from his lungs as he was sent rocketing backwards, flying hundreds of feet before he crashed into the fleshy ground with a thud. Bardock groaned as he placed his hand on the ground under him and struggled to push himself to his feet, but before he could, Dodoria was already there. He raised his foot, ready to stomp down on Bardock's downed form with a cruel smirk on his face.
"Bardock!" Tora shouted, having immediately launched himself forward when Dodoria struck Bardock, and as a result, he managed to reach the man just in time. He crouched in front of Bardock, crossing his arms in front of him to block Dodoria's attack. Dodoria's foot slammed into Tora's arms, and Tora grunted, his feet digging into the ground as he struggled to hold back the alien's attack.
"Not bad for a low-class," Dodoria grunted, a small, impressed look on his face, before his lips curved up into a cruel smirk, "But not that good either!"
He pressed down harder, and Tora grunted, his arms trembling from the strain. Then, with a final shove, Dodoria sent Tora flying backwards, and the Saiyan crashed into the ground next to Bardock.
But, before Dodoria could turn his attention back to Bardock, Shugesh had reached them. He launched himself at the pink alien, tackling him from the side. Dodoria grunted in surprise, stumbling to the side as the massive Saiyan wrapped his arms around him and tried to hold him in place.
"Get off me, you fat bastard!" Dodoria huffed, his arms flailing as he tried to shake off the Saiyan clinging to him.
Shugesh held on tight, his muscles straining as he tried to keep Dodoria in place, but it was a losing battle, as Dodoria was just too strong. With a powerful surge of Ki, he flung Shugesh off of him, sending the massive Saiyan soaring into the air. Shugesh was launched high in the air, a slight look of panic on his face as he struggled to regain control of his flight. Then, Dodoria raised his hand, a sphere of pink energy forming in his palm. He took aim, a cruel smirk on his face as he prepared to fire.
"Shugesh!" Fasha screamed, her hands raised as she launched another Ki blast at Dodoria, but she knew it would be too late.
Luckily, before Dodoria could fire, a blur of long black hair slammed into him from the side, as Raditz sucker punched him in the side. Dodoria grunted, his face only budging slightly to the side as he looked sideways at Raditz.
"You're a persistent little pest, aren't you?" Dodoria growled, lowering his hand as he rubbed at his jaw.
Raditz didn't respond, instead just lunging forward again as his fist flew towards Dodoria's face. But this time, Dodoria was ready, and he sidestepped the attack, then, with a quick movement, he grabbed Raditz by the hair and yanked him forward.
"Guh!" Raditz gasped as Dodoria yanked his head down, and his other pink fist flew up to slam into his face.
But, before he could, another Ki beam slammed into him from the side, and Dodoria was stopped once again. This time, it was Gine, her hands outstretched as she fired a continuous stream of energy at the pink alien. Dodoria grunted, stumbling to the side as he was forced to let go of Raditz as he flung his arm outwards, slamming it into the Ki-beam and deflecting it away.
"I'm getting really tired of you," Dodoria growled, turning his attention to the two Ki-blast-wielding women across the battlefield from him.
As he prepared to launch himself at Gine and Fasha, I took advantage of his attention being distracted again, and I made my move. I launched myself forward as I came at him from behind. He grunted as I reached him, wrapping my arms around his massive waist as my muscles strained while I hoisted his surprisingly heavy body into the air. Then, with a grunt of effort, I shoved forward and sent him sprawling onto the ground as I tackled him into a lying position.
"Nice one, Nappa!" Fasha cheered, her hands still outstretched as she prepared to fire another blast.
"Hold him there!" Vegeta shouted, launching himself forward with a sphere of Ki already forming in his hands.
But, before Vegeta could even reach us, Dodoria tensed, and suddenly, I was sent flying upwards into the air as a burst of Ki shot out from his body and slammed into me. I grunted, trying to regain my balance as my skin stung slightly from the heat, but my eyes went wide as Dodoria was coated in a burst of Ki as he launched upwards at me with enough force to crater the ground under him. He appeared in front of me in a blur of pink, a Ki ball already formed in his palm and jutting at my face.
My mind went blank for a second as I saw the attack coming, but then, before Dodoria could fire, he was abruptly yanked back as Bardock yanked on his leg from below, having jumped up to catch him. As Dodoria was being dragged down from the powerful yank, Raditz followed up by launching towards him and socking him directly in the face, sending the pink alien stumbling back in the air and giving me a chance to recover.
But Bardock was quickly punished for helping me, as Dodoria yanked his leg upwards. The movement had enough raw power to effortlessly drag Bardock up with it, and he was dragged up in front of Dodoria. Then, Dodoria's arm lashed out, and he slammed his fist into Bardock's face. The force of the punch cracked Bardock's nose as blood spurted from it, and his body was sent rocketing back down towards the surface of Meat with a loud crash.
Then, Dodoria spun around, looking like a blur as his leg shot out towards Raditz. The younger Saiyan was too slow to react, and he cried out as the kick connected with his gut. The air rushed from his lungs as he was sent soaring backwards, but before he could crash into the ground as well, I launched to the side. My hands shot out, catching him by the armor and stopping his momentum as we floated across from Dodoria, my eyes narrowing at him. But, despite my body aching slightly, and Bardock just being launched to the surface below, my lips curved into a grin.
We were winning. It wasn't decisive, but it didn't need to be. Dodoria had all the power to take down anyone but myself, Vegeta, and possibly Bardock, with one attack, but we weren't giving him that opportunity. The way we were fighting was very un-Saiyan-like, and I was honestly a bit surprised that it was working, but right now, I had the perfect squad for this style of fighting.
If we were a group of Elites, this wouldn't have been able to happen. Someone like Vegeta and other elites were too prideful to lower themselves to this type of mobbing, where we were practically using hit-and-run tactics. But, for low-class Saiyans, who didn't have anything to prideful about? Who had no honor to their name? For them, fighting was surviving. When they slaughtered entire planets, they didn't care about looking good while doing so. They did it because they had to, and because that was how they would survive. Whatever it took to make it off of Meat, they would do.
"I didn't know Saiyans could fight like such pussy's!" Dodoria shouted, his eyes wide with rage as he was getting more than a bit pissed off from constantly being interrupted, "But, I guess that's what I get for sending a couple of idiots to soften you up! I'll just have to pick you bastards off one-by-one!"
Then, he vanished from in front of us again, and my eyes widened as he appeared in front of Tora. The Saiyan's eyes went wide as Dodoria's fist slammed into his gut, and Tora let out a pained gasp as he hunched over, clutching at his stomach.
"Tora!" Bardock shouted, his voice a bit ragged as he launched out a dust-cloud that had formed from his body hitting the ground, and he was covered in bruises and blood, but still intent on supporting his friend.
However, he was too late. Dodoria had already turned his attention to the Saiyan hunched over in front of him, and a large, bloodthirsty grin spread across his face as he knew he was going to get a kill. Then, Shugesh launched forward, tackling Dodoria from the side, but, as Dodoria's body tensed and his feet were firmly planted, he didn't even budge this time. He just stood there, a wide grin on his face as Shugesh's arms wrapped around him, trying and failing to move him.
"Get off me, you fat waste of space!" Dodoria grunted, raising one of his arms as Fasha and Gine both fired Ki blasts at him from the side.
Both of them slammed into Dodoria's chest, and for a moment, I thought they had bought Tora some time as I saw a bit of smoke rising from the armor on the alien's chest. However, Dodoria simply tanked the blows with a light grunt, shrugging them off like they were nothing, and then slammed his palm forward. I launched forward as he did, but before Bardock or I could reach him, Dodoria's open palm slammed into Tora's face. A burst of Ki erupted from his palm, and for a split second, I saw Tora's face contort in a mixture of shock and pain as the energy consumed him.
There wasn't even a scream, as Tora's head was engulfed by the energy beam, and then, it was simply gone. His body stood there for a moment, headless, as blood pumped from the stump of his neck for a second. Then, it slumped to the ground with a dull thud. His headless corpse fell onto the fleshy red ground, a pool of blood immediately forming around the stump of his neck and staining the ground even darker. I felt my stomach squirm at the sight, but I forced it away, as I knew this wasn't the time to get emotional.
"TORA!" Bardock screamed, his voice filled with rage and grief as he finally reached Dodoria. His eyes were wide with fury, and he moved with a speed that I hadn't seen from him before as he poured all of his anger into the attack. His fist flew towards the back of Dodoria's head, and I was right behind him, my own fist slamming into the front a second later.
For the first time in the fight, Dodoria grunted as blood burst from his nose, the force of our two punches making his head spin as I saw his balance falter. His eyes went glossy for just a fraction of a second as they closed, but then they snapped open again as the pink alien recovered. His arm snapped down, wrapping the hunched-over Shugesh, who was still trying to shove him over, in a headlock. Then, with a simple, harsh movement, he twisted his grip, and Shugesh's neck snapped. The sound was sickening, and Shugesh's massive body went limp in his arms as Dodoria unceremoniously dropped it to the ground.
"TORA! SHUGESH!" Fasha screamed, her hands flying to her mouth in horror as she stared at the bodies of her fallen comrades, her eyes wide.
I froze for a second, my eyes wide as I took in the two dead bodies. This was bad - very bad. Dodoria had realized that our attacks were so weak that they barely affected him, and as a result, he realized his way of winning was to simply focus on taking us down one by one. He started with the weakest members he could get his hands on, that being Tora and Shugesh, and simply tanked out attacks as he finished them off.
Now, we were down two bodies, and all we had to show for it was a bit of blood. Bardock and I's attacks had shocked Dordoria with their power for a moment, but he had recovered already, and I doubted the minor injury was enough to weigh him down. In exchange for fighting with two fewer members, we hadn't slowed Dodoria down at all. This was bad.
"Hah..." Dodoria muttered, stumbling forward slightly as he reached up and wiped a strand of blood from his mouth, and he huffed slightly, "To think I'd actually bleed from a Saiyan's attack... I'll definitely repay you both for that!"
"DIE!"
Before Dodoria could even finish his sentence, Bardock was already moving. He launched forward again, a primal, guttural scream of pure rage tearing from his throat as he threw a punch that was far faster and stronger than any he had thrown before. His fist connected with Dodoria's jaw, and the alien's head snapped to the side, a spray of blood and saliva flying from his mouth as wind burst out behind him. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide with surprise as he struggled to regain his footing.
"DIE!" Bardock roared again, his body moving with a blurring speed as he launched a flurry of punches at Dodoria's face and chest. Each punch landed, and Dodoria grunted with each impact, stumbling further and further back.
"Be grateful, low-class! Your prince will assist you!" Vegeta's arrogant shout rang out as he launched himself forward as well, and I followed closely behind as I moved into action, realizing this was our chance. Bardock was angry, and an angry Saiyan was a deadly one.
"Guard the two women, Raditz!" I shouted as I launched forward, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep us with us anyway, and the Saiyan gave me a stiff nod in return.
In that moment, the momentum of the fight switched completely, even as we should've been on the backfoot with two fewer members. As Bardock's strength and speed abruptly rose with his anger, he was suddenly able to keep up with Vegeta and me - meaning our one-two punch had just become a one-two-three one. We were a blur of fists and feet as we hammered Dodoria from all sides, causing spit and blood to flow from his mouth as he couldn't keep up with the combined force of all three of us. I slammed my fist into his gut, and he hunched over with a gasp. Vegeta's foot then slammed into the side of Dodoria's head, sending him stumbling sideways as Bardock's fist slammed into the alien's comically tiny nose, and there was another crunch as bone gave way under the force of the blow.
Dodoria was a whirlwind of pain as he struggled to keep up, his arms flailing as he tried to block our attacks, but he was too slow - or, more specifically, he was far faster than each of us individually, but was never given the chance to respond as we worked in tandem. In that moment, we were too coordinated. We were fighting not like Saiyans, but like a pack of wolves, each of us targeting a different part of his body and wearing him down with a relentless assault. The ground beneath us was a mess of craters and blood as we hammered him, our attacks landing with a relentless rhythm. For the first time since the fight began, we were winning, and we were winning badly.
"YOU... YOU DAMN SAIYANS!" Dodoria finally screamed, his voice raw as he abruptly launched his fist upwards, ignoring Vegeta's fist slamming into his face as he didn't even try to dodge. As a result, his punch connected with Bardock's chest, sending the Saiyan stumbling backward. Dodoria took advantage of the slight opening as my punch slammed into his gut, but Bardock's follow-up was missing. His body tensed as his skin glowed, and then he flung a massive burst of energy that exploded outwards from him.
I grunted as the blast slammed into me, sending me stumbling backward, but I managed to keep my footing. Vegeta was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground with a thud, but he was back on his feet in just a second, a pissed-off look on his face as he prepared to launch himself back into the fray. Fasha and Gine were also sent tumbling backward even from their distance, and Raditz slid back a bit, but they quickly regained their footing.
However, Bardock was not so lucky. He had already been on the ground when the explosion took off, and he took the full force of the blast head-on. He was sent flying backward, his body tumbling through the air like a rag doll before crashing into the ground a dozen feet away from Dodoria.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M LOSING TO A BUNCH OF LOWLY SAIYANS!" Dodoria roared, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and rage as he glared at us, "THIS IS INSULTING! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A BUNCH OF PATHETIC WEAKLINGS, AND I'M GOING TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"
Bardock, however, was not one to stay down for long. He pushed himself to his feet, his rage not forgotten as it was clearly on his face as he launched himself at Dodoria again. His fist flew towards the alien's face, but this time, Dodoria was ready. He caught Bardock's punch in his hand, a cruel smirk spreading across his face as he yanked the Saiyan forward. Bardock's eyes went wide with surprise, and then with pain as Dodoria's knee slammed into his gut. Bardock gasped, the air rushing from his lungs as he hunched over Dodoria's knee, his body trembling.
"Pathetic," Dodoria muttered, raising his elbow high into the air before bringing it down with brutal force. There was a sickening crack as his elbow connected with the back of Bardock's neck, and Bardock's body went limp. His eyes went wide for a moment, the light fading from them as he slumped to the ground, unconscious at Dodoria's feet.
"BARDOCK!" Gine screamed, her voice filled with horror as she stared at her husband's unconscious form. Dodoria ignored her scream, raising his hand instead as his palm hovered over Bardock's body and started to glow, ready to finish off the man. A flurry of Ki blasts raced towards him from Fasha, but they were too slow.
"This low-class owes me one!" Luckily for Bardock, Vegeta's leg lashed out and slammed into Dodoria's back before he could fire. Dodoria grunted as he stumbled forward a step, the attack at just the right angle to make his arm twitch, which threw off the Ki beam enough to miss Bardock entirely and instead burn a deep trench into the fleshy ground.
Before Dodoria could recover, I was already moving, my own fist flying towards the alien's face. I slammed my fist into Dodoria's jaw, and this time, I put all of my strength into the punch. Dodoria's head snapped back with an audible crack, and he stumbled backward, his eyes wide with surprise. But, as Vegeta was already lunging to punch the back of the pink alien's head, Dodoria recovered quickly. He spun around with a speed that belied his bulky frame, catching Vegeta's punch with a grin. Then, he yanked the Prince forward, and with a brutal movement, he yanked Vegeta's arm upwards, pulling him into the air entirely, and then slammed Vegeta face-first into the ground.
There was a loud thud as the prince hit the ground, and a crater formed around him from the force. Vegeta lay there for a moment, dazed, as he started to shove himself up. But, before he could fully recover, Dodoria raised his foot, bringing it down towards the back of Vegeta's head with the intention of crushing it.
However, I was already there. I slammed my fist into Dodoria's face again, and he grunted, stumbling to the side as he was thrown off-balance and his raised foot was forced to lower to regain it. He turned to me, a snarl on his face, and he stepped forward, ducking as my follow-up punch flowed over his head, and then his elbow shot outward and slammed into my gut. Pain wracked through me as I gasped, and I was sent stumbling back as the air was pulled from my lungs. Dodoria took another step towards me, ready to follow up on his attack, but then abruptly stopped as his lips curved into a grin. He spun around, pivoting on one foot, as a blur of black came at him from his side.
"You'll pay for what you did to my father!" Raditz screamed, his fist flying towards the back of Dodoria's head, as he seemed to at least have some sort of emotional attachment to Bardock, even if they barely showed it.
But Dodoria was too fast, and he sidestepped the attack with ease.
"I'll kill you all!" He shouted, stepping forward into Raditz's guard as he lowered his head, and then jutted forward with a harsh headbutt.
His horned head slammed into Raditz's gut with enough force to lift the Saiyan from his feet. There was a wet, tearing sound as the horns impaled Raditz's stomach, and blood sprayed from the wound, coating Dodoria's head as it dripped down around him. Raditz gasped, his eyes wide with shock and pain as he stared down at the horns buried in his gut.
"How many times do I have to kill you pests before you stay down?" Dodoria growled, his lips curled into a cruel smirk as he lifted Raditz into the air with a simple upwards motion of his head.
Then he placed his palms on Raditz, and with a powerful upwards shove, Dodoria launched the impaled Saiyan into the sky. Raditz soared upwards, a trail of blood following him as he clutched at the gaping wound in his stomach. Then, Dodoria vanished, reappearing above the falling Raditz in a blur of pink motion. He raised his fist, and with a final, brutal punch, he sent Raditz rocketing back towards the ground. The Saiyan crashed into the fleshy surface with a loud crunch, and his body bounced once before lying still in a growing pool of his own blood. His body simply lay there. He wasn't moving, but I hoped he at least wasn't dead yet, but I couldn't be sure.
"RADITZ!" Gine shouted, but her scream was cut short as Dodoria turned his attention to her and Fasha, a cruel smirk on his face.
"You're the only two annoying ones left now!" Dodoria shouted, his legs tensing as he launched forward at them.
"YOUR FIGHTS WITH ME, MORON!" Vegeta roared, launching forward to intercept him from the side, but he was too slow.
Dodoria simply smirked, shifting mid-air without slowing down in the slightest. He dodged Vegeta's punch with an annoying ease, and then his arm lashed out. His large, pink hand clamped around Vegeta's face, and the Prince's shout was muffled as Dodoria flew forward, dragging him along for a minute. Without pausing, he simply slammed Vegeta face-first into the ground as they sped forward, the impact causing a trench to form as Vegeta was flipped head-over-heels on the ground.
Then, Dodoria reached the two women in a blur, his hands lashing out before they could even react. He grabbed them by their necks, their gasps of surprise choked off by his crushing grip. Then, with a brutal, simultaneous motion, he slammed both of them onto their backs, their heads cracking against the bloody ground. They both gasped, their eyes wide as their vision went blurry, and the air was driven from their lungs.
"You stupid bitches will die now!" Dodoria sneered, his grip on their necks tightening. His thick fingers dug into their throat, and both Gine and Fasha's eyes bulged, their faces turning red as they reached up to clutch at the hand clamped around their neck as their vision started to go black. Both of their bodies slumped back onto the ground, but before Dodoria could finish them off, I was on him.
I slammed into him from behind with a full-powered charge, wrapping my arms around Dodoria's torso and leveraging my huge frame to throw him off-balance. The sudden impact made him lose his grip on Gine and Fasha, who both immediately slumped to the ground, coughing and gasping for air, as they were on the verge of unconsciousness. I didn't let up, using my momentum to drive him forward as he stumbled under my weight until we both crashed onto the blood-soaked ground in a tangle of limbs. The impact was jarring, but I held on, my muscles screaming in protest as I fought to keep him pinned.
"VEGETA! USE YOUR GALICK GUN AGAIN!" I screamed back, my head not even turning around to look at Vegeta.
I was holding him down, but I knew it wouldn't be for long. Dodoria was incredibly strong, and even with the injuries he had sustained from our combined assault, he would outlast me eventually. I needed Vegeta to act fast and to land a decisive blow while I had him pinned. This was our only way to win.
"What? Are you stupid?" Vegeta shot back, pushing himself to his feet and wiping a smear of blood from his lip, "You're the one who was telling me in training to not waste energy needlessly! Now, you want me to use a full-powered Galick Gun when he'll just dodge it?"
I was a bit proud that he had taken my training to heart, but unfortunately, now was really not the time for this.
"Shut the fuck up and just do it!" I bellowed back, my muscles straining as I fought to keep Dodoria pinned beneath me, "He's not going to dodge jack shit!"
Dodoria let out a frustrated grunt at my words, and with a powerful surge of strength, he shoved me back. I grunted, the force of his push sending me sliding across the slick, bloody ground, but I didn't let go. Instead, as I was sliding, I shifted my grip, my hands wrapping around one of his thick, meaty legs. I clung on like a parasite, my fingers digging into his flesh as I refused to let him get up, and my fingernails dug into his leg so hard that they peeled off while blood poured from both my hands and his legs.
"You annoying little pest!" Dodoria hissed, twisting his body as he tried to shake me off. He kicked me in the face with his free leg, and my head snapped back, a spray of blood and saliva flying from my mouth. The impact was stunning, and I felt my vision swim, but I didn't let go. I held on, my grip tightening as I refused to be denied.
"GRAH! If you won't let go, then I'll crush your skull!" Dodoria screamed, his frustration mounting as he sat up fully. He leaned forward awkwardly as I held his leg down, his head shooting towards me. The sharp horns on his head tore across my scalp as I barely managed to shift my head and avoid a direct blow, and I grunted as blood streamed down my face, dripping onto my armor and staining the already red ground an even deeper shade of crimson. But, I didn't flinch - instead, I got even.
"Stay down!" I grunted, glaring at him. As Dodoria was leaning past me, his horns covered with my blood, I met his headbutt with one of my own, slamming my forehead into the side of his face. I felt the impact all the way through my skull, but he felt it even more, and his leg twitched as his eyes went glossy for a second, before he recovered and glared at me. He reached forward, his hands clutching at my grip at his leg, but I refused to let go, instead pulling myself up to shove his entire lower half down.
What happened next could be described as nothing more than a dog fight - a fight between two men, in a pool of flesh and blood, as they tore at each other. We wrestled on the ground, a mess of grappling limbs and splattering blood, and as we rolled around on the surface of Meat, both of our bodies became dripping in red. I could feel Dodoria's strength waning, his movements becoming slower and more desperate. He was worn down from the constant attacks he had been taking, while I had only taken a few hits and was still relatively fresh, so I was able to hold him down, if barely.
I clawed at his torso, my fingers tearing at the flesh through his shattered and cracked armor, with my fingernails ripping and shredding as I tried to find a better grip. His skin was thick and rubbery, but I was determined, and I dug in, my nails peeling back layers of his pink hide as blood spurted out. Blood welled up and coated my hands and forearms, making my grip even harder to maintain. He was like a greased pig, thrashing and bucking, but I refused to let him go.
"GET OFF ME, YOU FILTHY APE!" Dodoria roared as his fist slammed into my face, making me see stars for a second, but I refused to let go.
I pulled myself up again, wholly pinning him to the ground as he balled up one of his free fists and slammed it into my stomach, doing everything he could to throw me off, but failing. His other leg kicked out, the heel of his boot catching me in the side, and I grunted as I felt at least a few ribs shatter from the blow, but still, I held on. He was like a wild animal, thrashing and flailing, but I was an immovable object that he couldn't dislodge.
"GET OFF! GET OFF! GET OFF!" He screamed, his voice a high-pitched whine that was filled with rage, but also a hint of fear.
His other arm came around, and he began to pound on my back with his fist, each blow a painful reminder of the danger I was in as impact after impact shot through me, and I felt my bones cracking as my armor couldn't hold up. I could feel my muscles screaming in protest, my body aching from the constant abuse, but I ignored it. I ignored the pain, ignored the blood, and ignored the exhaustion that was starting to creep into my limbs. I held on, my grip tightening as I used my entire remaining strength to keep him pinned, my muscles bulging as I refused to be denied.
"You're... not... getting... away," I grunted, each word a struggle as I fought to keep him down, my eyes boring into his.
I shifted my grip, one of my hands releasing its hold on his leg and instead shooting forward to grab his throat. My fingers wrapped around his neck, my thumb pressing into the soft flesh beneath his jaw, and I squeezed. Dodoria's eyes went wide, a gurgling sound escaping from his throat as he clawed at my arm, his nails raking across my skin and drawing more blood.
"You're... going... to... die... here," I snarled, my face inches from his, my breath hot and heavy as I glared into his terrified eyes.
He thrashed beneath me, his body bucking and twisting as he fought for air. He reached up, grabbing my hand with his other one as well, and ripped my grip off of his neck, but he wasn't in the clear. I slammed it back down, trying to grasp at his neck again as he held me back. My vision was flooded with my own blood as it dripped down my head, and the world became hazy as I knew I couldn't last much longer. I was holding him down now, but he was too strong. Every fail, punch, and squirm he gave was exhausting my body, and soon, I wouldn't be able to hold him in place any longer.
Luckily, I didn't need to hold on any longer.
"NAPPA, IT'S COMING! MOVE!" Vegeta shouted from behind me, his arms raised a large, massive beam of Ki filled the air, and then shot directly towards us, "GALICK GUN!"
The beam shot forward, shaking the very air itself as it burst from Vegeta's hands. The wind around it swirled, slamming in every which direction as the force of the beam carved a trench in the surface under it. It grew closer, filling both mine and Dodoria's vision as the shockwave sent both Fasha and Gine's unconscious forms rolling a few feet to the side.
"YOU IDIOT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU'LL HAVE TO GET OFF OF ME, OR ELSE WE'LL BOTH DIE!" Dodoria screamed, his eyes wide with panic as the beam approached. For a second, he was still trying to throw me off, but as he realized I wasn't moving, his struggles became even more desperate.
I simply grinned at him, my teeth stained red as blood flowed from my mouth.
"That's the plan," I grunted, my grip on him tightening as his eyes went wide.
"Y-You... YOU INSANE BASTARD!" He screamed, drying despearetely to shove me off one last time, but I didn't budge.
Then, the beam slammed into us.
The world dissolved in a burst of searing purple light. The Galick Gun hit us both with the force of a supernova, becoming a deafening wave of sound that drowned out even Dodoria's final, terrified scream. I felt my armor disintegrate as my flesh seared and peeled away by the pure energy consuming us. For a split second, there was only pain. A hot, burning pain that was absolute and all-encompassing. Then, I twisted my head to the side, and with one thought, I made my move.
I'm sorry.
"CHANGE!"
My mouth opened, and as my body was burned to a crisp, a single beam of light shot away from the beam of death. It shot not towards Dodoria, but instead, past him. This was a sacrifice I had decided to make once I saw the direction the fight was going - one that I knew was greedy and risky. Dodoria's body had been pinned beneath me, and I could've taken it at any time. I could've protected Bardock, Fasha, Gine, Raditz, and Vegeta as I took his body, and then killed this one.
But, I didn't. My greed reared its head, and instead of valuing their lives, I valued my own. I valued my future.
With Dodoria's body, I would've hit a dead-end. I would've been forced to serve under Frieza, being far too weak to take his body, as an alien with very little potential. I would've sent Vegeta to flee to some other planet and reported all of these Saiyan's deaths to Frieza, and we would've all been safe. But, I wouldn't have been a Saiyan.
I wouldn't have a body made for fighting. I wouldn't be a part of a race that could ascend into a Super Saiyan and go even beyond. A race that was naturally adept at growing stronger, and a race that had more potential than any other. I would've been forced to live for decades as Dodoria, biding my time as I slaughtered millions under Frieza's orders and hoped for a chance to find a stronger body. I could save everyone, but in the process, I would sacrifice my own future.
As the change-beam shot across the battlefield, making a direct beeline for a slumped body, I had chosen that I wouldn't sacrifice my future. That I wouldn't sacrifice myself. That I was a greedy, selfish villain in this world, who would instead sacrifice a man who trusted me. That I would take a body with infinite potential, who shared the same genetics as the man who would one day become the strongest in this entire universe. It was a purely selfish choice, as I chose the body that would help me the most in the long-run. I chose a small downgrade that would lead me to a huge upgrade. I only had two options for bodies that surpassed Nappa's right now in pure potential, and as I couldn't be certain if Raditz was even alive anymore, I had to make my choice.
I'm sorry, Bardock.
The change-beam slammed into Bardock's unconscious form, and in a split second, both of our souls were torn from our bodies. Mine shot forward, soaring away from the Galick Gun and towards Bardock's body, as Bardock did the opposite. It shot forward, flying towards its death as it went into Nappa's burning, dying body. The Galick Gun consumed both Nappa and Dodoria, but I didn't know what happened next. I went into Bardock's body, and unconsciousness claimed me as both Bardock and Dodoria were killed.
In my fifth body, I discovered that I was the villain.
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be posted in around a week!
Or, as always, this story is updated twice as often on Patreon.com/Koyon ! Up to chapter 11 is on there!