Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Broken Seal ❯ The Battle of Perfect Meadow ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The atmosphere was charged with energy causing the startled fighter's skin to tingle. The combination of familiar stimuli was enough to trigger a response within Krillin, one that had not surfaced since those final, fateful days on Namek. The sharp image of the surrounding scenery blurred into a haze of diffuse forms and ill-defined shapes, and the gentle shades of the surrounding landscape faded into indifferent monochrome as Krillin's mind let go of his physical senses. All that he could feel now was the power that surged through the air and through him. Carefully he scanned his surroundings. The warrior's consciousness probed and explored the heaving ocean of energy that was the surrounding world as it swirled and thrashed against the barriers of his mind. Suddenly his attention was grasped by two large concentrations of energy, rising over the background currents like towering swells.

Krillin turned his head sharply and glanced over his shoulder. In an instant he had located the source of the disruption. With his mind now functioning in the physical world once more, the fighter threw his arms back and sprinted around the side of his home, the force of his pounding feet shredding grass beneath them. Arriving on the opposite side of the hill, Krillin looked out across the grassy plane that sprawled out before him. There, about five hundred meters from where he stood, two figures floated ominously before one another. The greenery below them rippled outwards in concentric circles like the surface of a pond broken by thrown stones, and a trail of pockmarks of various sizes blemished the otherwise flawless landscape, stretching off to the distant horizon. They seemed to map the course of a running battle that, unluckily, was coming to a head in Krillin's back yard.

Reluctant to get much closer, Krillin remained at the crest of the hill and looked down upon the agitated pair. The first was a stout creature with a purple hide and a bulbous head. Krillin could make out little more detail as the fighter's form was broken-up by the shimmering of the warm air. One distinguishing feature however, was the creatures' garments. It was equipped with a brown and white breastplate, from which two brown shoulder pads protruded. This was a familiar costume. Krillin himself had such apparel hanging in his wardrobe. It was the uniform worn by the legions of Frieza.

The second fighter was much taller. At first, Krillin had thought it to be some bizarre demon, as its body appeared to be shrouded in thick layer of fur. This seemed logical, as many such creatures inhabited this realm. However as the atmosphere danced and quivered in the heat the fighters were generating, it momentarily revealed details then snatched them away just as quickly. In reality the second combatant was dressed in an animal pelt, with a wild bramble of black hair crowning his head.

Krillin was unfamiliar with the appearance of this fighter. However, as he peered down from his vantage point, something caught his eye. At first it seemed like little more than a trick of the light. A practical joke played by the boisterous atmosphere as it frolicked and cavorted in the heat. Then Krillin caught clear sight of it. A long, slender appendage curled away from the lower back of this fighter. It flicked uneasily from side to side, betraying the mood of its owner. This was the unmistakable calling card of a Saiyan warrior.

A sickly warm breeze now ambled across the land, carrying on it the banter of the competitors. Krillin listened as the two exchanged profanities, their angry words drifting across the landscape like a distant roll of thunder. Though Krillin's mind was occupied primarily by anxiety at the presence of these two menacing figures, he couldn't help pondering what had brought them here. He realised that it wasn't his place to pass final judgement, but still, they didn't seem like the sort of characters that would be welcome on this plane.

His train of thought was abruptly derailed however as the short purple fighter hurled a series of expletives at his Saiyan adversary that would have made even the surly prince Vegeta blush. Krillin winced,

"Ooh, he's not gonna like that." He murmured to himself.

This was an accurate assumption. The Saiyan warrior was infuriated by the verbal assault on his person and his race. Consumed by an uncontrollable, primeval rage, the fighter threw his head back and unleashed a terrifying cry. The horrid primal howl raced across the battlefield, a frightful harbinger of the carnage that would ensue. The horrifying lament sent a chill down Krillin's spine. For a moment he had to fight the urge to flee the scene.

Things were about to turn ugly. The Saiyan's power level was spiking, and now dominated the restless tides of energy that permeated the surroundings. As he summoned upon his immense reservoir of power he was engulfed in a glaring luminescence. The stems of grass at his feet rippled violently, leaning away from the fighter like a panicking crowd attempting to evacuate the site of an imminent disaster.

Krillin was losing sight of the fighters behind the throbbing veil of energy. He was still monitoring their power levels however, and had noticed that while the Saiyan was venting his fury with the aid of a spectacular light show, the opposing warrior's energy had been gradually climbing. It was becoming clear that this fighter's intention had been to draw the maximum performance from his adversary.

Krillin didn't know whether to be more impressed with the purple creature's bravery or stupidity. If his own experiences were anything were anything to go by, it was not a good idea to provoke a Saiyan. Even the seemingly endless patience of the amicable Goku had its limits, and what lay beyond was a wrath that far outstripped that of even the most potent of the evils he had faced.

This guy actually wants to fight that Saiyan, Krillin contemplated; He must be even more bored than I am. Whether or not this was true was beside the point. This skirmish was a direct threat to himself and his homestead, and Krillin's thoughts were turning to intervention.

The heat was becoming intolerable as the combatants brought the full extent of their kis to the fore. Wave after wave of seething energy rolled across the meadow as the two prepared for battle. Krillin drew his left fore arm up across his face to protect himself from the hot torrent of dust and grass. Keeping his guard up Krillin stole a glance at the fighters from between tightly squinting eyelids. He was fairly sure that they were both nearing their maximum strength.

Sure enough, the raging winds and oppressive heat abated, as did the blinding glare. Both the Saiyan and the alien had reached the zenith of their powers. As the air began to cool and the light faded, the two warriors were revealed. Seething auras of power surrounded both, and both were poised for combat.

Krillin lowered his arm and gazed down upon the pair once more. The battlefield was now eerily calm. The atmosphere had cooled significantly and now felt soothingly chilly against his clammy skin. Seconds passed like hours as the combatants sized one another up, the oppressive heat giving way to an even more oppressive sense of anticipation.

Without warning, the Saiyan let forth a second ear-piercing cry. With that he exploded into motion, kicking up a hale of dust and severed grass stems. Screaming wildly, he bore down upon his opponent, his huge grasping hands reaching impatiently towards the throat of their would-be victim.

The alien fighter, unfazed by the fury of the approaching Saiyan, smiled slyly. His raging opponent was virtually upon him when, in single fluid motion, too rapid for any but the most perceptive warriors to detect, the fighter swivelled in the air. The Saiyan went barrelling past the alien, unable to quell his own momentum. As the alien recovered from the manoeuvre, he lashed out behind himself with his right foot, making momentary contact with the small of the Saiyan's back. A small ring of light burst from the point of impact, accompanied by the sickening thud of bruising flesh.

The Saiyan cried out in pain as the attack found its target. He was now flying out of control, trailing a cloud of dust as he cruised across the plain. Unable to right himself, he took a nosedive into the unforgiving earth, flailing his limbs as he went and sending a burst of debris into the air. The sight impact was followed shortly after by a spherical shockwave that rippled outwards through the air and the ground.

The vibration of the shockwave reverberated through Krillin's body as it rushed beneath the soles of his feet. The resonance shook his insides slightly, causing his stomach to turn. Overcoming the momentary feeling of nausea, Krillin resumed his analysis of the combatants. Having closely monitored the power levels of the two fighters, he had been able to quite accurately assess their capabilities. It seemed that the Saiyan had a slight advantage in the area of brute strength, though the gap between the two was markedly smaller than the dissimilarities in their size and demeanour suggested. However, it seemed that the alien edged out the Saiyan in both speed and cunning. At least, that was the way it seemed from what Krillin had seen so far.

A few moments had passed since the Saiyan's impromptu visit to the ground. The fighter's body was still submerged beneath the foliage, leaving Krillin with the Saiyan's ki as the only means of location. But even this was becoming unreliable, as the Saiyan's energy signal was gradually dispersing as a breaker rolling onto shore. He watched as the dark cloud of debris that had hung over the battlefield like a restless spirit was slowly exorcised by the cool breeze. Though he felt little sympathy for this fighter who had played a part in the near demolition of his home, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that the confrontation had ended so abruptly. After all, this was the only action he had seen since arriving in this peaceful realm. But as Krillin began to ponder whether or to confront the alien fighter, a something caught his attention from amid the long grass.

An unruly mob of pitch-black locks surfaced from amid the orderly ranks of greenery. Slowly it rose upward, trailed by a grimy face baring an expression of sheer rage. This was accompanied by a sudden surge in the Saiyan's Ki. With renewed vigour, the fighter's energy asserted itself above the background energy. Drawing its might from the tempestuous oceans of ambient power, it threatened to sweep away all before it.

As the Saiyan's full body emerged from the tall grass, it was clear from his clenched fist and the twitching of his grotesque musculature that he had reached a plateau of anger that defied even his formidable vocalisation. Now upright, the enraged fighter slowly turned his head. The motion was slow and deliberate, like a predatory animal locating its prey whilst being sure not to startle it into flight.

Krillin felt a sensation akin to the touch of cold fingers in the depths of his chest as the Saiyan behemoth's line of sight scanned across his position. Fortunately a thick red fog of fury had blinded him to everything save his opponent who now hung in the air behind him, sniggering mockingly.

The Saiyan's thick black eye brows sank inwards towards the wrinkled bridge of his nose as he glared over his shoulder at the alien fighter, his eyes simmering in the sweltering heat of his anger. Bearing his yellowed fangs, the Saiyan emitted a rumbling snarl.

Krillin had become totally engrossed in the confrontation. His ears were pricked up, listening for any words that might be batted between the fighters. It was then that he caught wind of the Saiyan's growl.

"All right." Krillin muttered to himself, "Now its on."

He clenched his fists in anticipation of what was to follow.

With renewed ferocity, the Saiyan drove himself upwards and in a surge of energy that manifested in a short lived halo of light, he charged at his opponent once more. In that instant there was a deafening crack as the fighter's body shattered the fragile sound barrier, sending shards of noise skittering across the landscape. A trench was gouged through the once unforgiving ground as it surrendered unconditionally to the searing periphery of the Saiyan's ki.

The alien fighter raised his fists in readiness to receive the Saiyan. It seemed that this time he had no intention of evading a toe-to-toe fight. Sure enough, the alien stood his ground as his opponent dispatched his assault.

Reaching his adversary the Saiyan unleashed a hail of swipes and slashes, clawing relentlessly at the flesh of the alien with long talon-like fingernails. But as Krillin had suspected the alien was proving to be wily prey as he deftly evaded and redirected the imprecise strikes, frustrating the efforts of the Saiyan.

But equally, as the alien sought to exploit the sloppy, undisciplined style of his opponent, it appeared that each cunning counter strike did little to cause ebb in the torrent of aggression. In fact, it seemed that each blow served only to further enflame the already blazing temper of the Saiyan, encouraging him to even more lofty heights of violence.

Over and over, the fighters bombarded one another. So insanely quick were the manoeuvres that their limbs appeared as little more than slurs of light.

Krillin was thoroughly engaged in the struggle between these two totally contrasting styles of combat; The alien, with his clinical style of evasive techniques and controlled aggression, and the ancient Saiyan, with no specific technique, employing only brute strength and a bestial ferocity. It appeared that the two were balancing each other off for the moment, but in the long run, it was anybody's guess which way this fight would go. However, Krillin knew where his money would be.

The fight continued for a few minutes more, then Krillin noticed something. Tearing his gaze from the confrontation, he glanced down towards his own two fists. They were tightly clenched and held out before of him as if deployed in combat with some invisible adversary. Also, there was a sensation of warmth within the muscles in his arms that denoted recent use. Indeed, without realising, Krillin had spent the last few minutes jabbing and hooking at thin air. He had been so absorbed in the fight that still raged before him that he had begun to mimic the manoeuvres of the combatants. Taken aback by his behaviour, Krillin hastily opened his fists and stared down at his sweat-moistened palms.

This was no time for Krillin to be disturbed by his own behaviour, however. Clenching his fists once more and gritting his teeth, he resolved to intervene in the conflict. But as he made ready to take to the air, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Looking to his left, Krillin caught sight of a small speck emerging over the horizon. As the object drew near, a new sound began to emerge above the din of battle. An urgent wailing heralded the approach of the unidentified object. It seemed that the day had not exhausted its supply of incidents, as the baritone chorus of battle cries was joined by the piercing strains of a police siren.