Saiyan Soul

[The Black Knight]

The surge in power levels made every Saiyan's head turn. Their attention went to the three Saiyans standing before the village entrance. The Saiyan guard who was nearby to Mustar who was completely capable of fighting in his officer’s defense did nothing. He bared his teeth angrily as he helplessly watched as Blaze attacked his leader. Mustar growled as he felt the crushing grip on the back of his neck.

“He will make short work of all of you!” he snarled.

Lena heard the commotion and turned from Alosha to notice first that Oniyon was gone and no longer behind her. “Grisha?”

Collar didn’t like seeing Mustar in such a helpless state, but even he restrained himself. The glower that had been on his face lifted into a smirk for behind Blaze yet before Nomiya and Akiko stood the Rogue Army’s commander. His ki was oddly low, which was hard to determine if that was his actual power level or if he were using a technique to present a false one. It made him difficult to detect by any other means besides the five senses. The general was staring down at Blaze with a look of irritation.

“You must think you’re so strong attacking my men after I had ordered them not to attack anyone in this village,” Oniyon scoffed. “Release him and in exchange, I won’t destroy one of these adorable little homes. You have three seconds...”

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko
​

"You are delusional. I took our commander from you, and he does not have a sister,"

"You're stupid!" Akiko snapped back at Mustar "Grisha is Akiko's biggest brother! Not an onion guy!" After a moment of thought though, it -would- make sense that all these weak jerk faces would bow before her amazing big brother. And... if it really was her biggest brother they were talking about and they had really healed him then he was okay! Before Akiko could ask where her biggest brother was, however, Blaze spoke up, telling Nomiya to stay close to the little girl. Wham! Faster than she could follow with her eyes, Blaze had taken hold of the Grisha-napper and immobilized him.

Though the Chibi saiyan nodded when Blaze said they would protect the village, Akiko was confused. If they really were fallowing her biggest brother, why would they surround the village and take over or sell the earth? She was about to demand they take them to see this onion guy when the giant suddenly appeared in front of them. Akiko just stared for a second. He was okay... not only alive but fully healed as if nothing had happened. Akiko's eyes teared up again, but this time it was with pure joy. After worrying about him being in pain and alone for so long her brother was here! All the tension of the situation and confusion over her biggest brother's actions didn't matter in that moment. The ball of Ki vanished from her hand and, With a squeal of delight, Akiko launched herself at Oniyon. "Big Brother!" If he let her, she hugged him as best she could, given the size difference, and pressed her face against his. "Oh my gosh! Akiko was so worried! Akiko tried to heal you but you were so hurt then those nasty, stupid, smelly, ugly, faces took you away an Akiko tried to stop them but couldn't an Akiko was so worried an we looked for you but couldn't find you but you're here and you're okay!"

After speaking so rapidly that her words started to run together, Akiko finally took a breath. It took several seconds for her to remember what they were all doing before Grisha returned so suddenly, but it came back to her after looking over everyone with Nomiya powered up and Blaze holding Mustar. "Oh.. Those two that took you away from us," She started, pointing to Mustar, then Collar, "said you were taking over earth. Akiko knew they were lying though. You always tried to protect people, like Lena!" Grisha had always protected the village and when they had the tournament, seemed to enjoy the outside world too. He would never do anything to hurt so many people... right?

 

[The Black Knight]

Big Brother!

Oniyon’s eyes grew when he heard it and with Akiko suddenly pouncing the side of his head, he knew the voice hadn’t been a figment of his imagination this time. Her shrill voice rambled happily into his ear. Once the girl took a breath, he reached up to grab her, taking her from his shoulders and gazing at her as he done the Pooka long ago. Warm; a little squishy with life; tears tumbled like streamers from Oniyon’s eyes.

“Kiko!” he exclaimed.

Mustar’s mouth dropped as he couldn’t quite see what was happening, but he could imagine it. His predicament had been forgotten that easily!

Oniyon crouched with Akiko, crossing his arms about her in a warm hug as his tail happily swished. The Saiyan soldiers were staring just as blankly as they watched their leader coddle the child. “I’m sorry for making you cry. I was so weak.”

He uncrossed his arms and gazed down at her, listening to her explain how Mustar and Collar had taken him away. You always tried to protect people, like Lena! Oniyon’s tears stopped. He wiped them away with the back of his fist and stood with Akiko. A solemn expression then shadowed his face as he explained to her: “Kiko, long ago I came to this planet fleeing the destruction of my own—our own. Our home planet where all the Saiyans originate from. I had an accident where my ship landed in the lake not far from here, and I froze to what I thought was death. This village found me and saved me and my brain wasn’t quite right. The ice had damaged it, and I no longer could remember who I was. When we fought that three-eyed jerk on that remote planet, if my soldiers hadn’t found me and taken me away, then I would have died. With their sophisticated technology, they not only restored me to full health but they healed the scars that were on my brain.”

Oniyon smiled proudly. “Being here helps me recall some of my most precious memories; but if I had never landed in that lake, I would have conquered this planet long ago.” He was gazing off into the distance as though he were already pleasantly imagining its destruction. “My real name is Oniyon. I was a Saiyan general of an elite army, and now I am general of the Rogue Saiyan Army. I have ordered my men not to touch this village or its people. However…”

He grinned in amusement. “The rest of the world is free game. Just stay here. Everything will be all right. We’re together again and that’s all that matters.”

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze heard the voice behind him, and he recognized it in an instant and froze where he was. Mustar remained helpless in his grip as he slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder.

Grisha? He thought.

But... How?

He was healed. Completely healed. His eyes were back. His missing limbs were back. What in the world could do that? Akiko could heal people, but she couldn't regrow limbs or lost eyes... Right? He knew Akiko hadn't been able to restore him before he fought with the Emperor. So just what the hell is going on?

But one sentence cut through Blaze's mental haze and snapped him back to the moment: I would have conquered this planet long ago.

Blaze turned towards Grisha, dragging Mustar along, his butt scraping the frigid ground as Blaze's arm dropped while still holding his neck.

"... So..." He said coldly, his eyes matching his tone.

"This is who you really are, Grisha?" He asked.

His hand squeezed Mustar's neck until an audible crunch could be heard, causing Mustar's eyes to start bulging as Blaze's hand squeezed tighter and tighter putting unbelievable pressure on the muscles and bones in his neck.

"A would-be conquerer of the world that saved your life and of people who've done you no wrong? A conquerer of the world WE all call "Home?""

His voice was calm and soft, but the tone again matched the coldness in his eyes. But something new had arrived: Tears. Dripping slowly down his cheeks, tears of frustration, anger, and betrayal fell and half-froze along his flesh before falling to the snow around his feet.

Blaze wasn't looking at his brother anymore... He was looking at an enemy he needed to face and, possibly, destroy.

 

[The Black Knight]

Three…

Oniyon turned and extended his arm behind him. His fingers splayed and three strong gusts blew toward three homes, leaving trenches of cleared snow before blasting the ice off them. The three could-have-been attacks passed Tobias, causing his legs to give out weakly beneath him as he continued to hold Cheepers. Lena’s father fell to his knees, staring at the large Saiyan who he recognized in that moment to be Grisha. Oniyon’s hand shook before his fingers curled back into a fist. Sucking his teeth, he remembered something.

“I almost forgot that I made a promise,” he muttered. He had promised Lena that no one would harm the village or the people in it—not even him. Lena was approaching Blaze and the others with Alosha following behind her. She saw her father on his knees with a stunned look and quickly raced over to him.

“Grisha, what did you do?” she shouted in concern.

“Nothing,” Oniyon replied plainly. Lowering his arm, his attention returned to Blaze and he stared insensitively at the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “You know Blaze…out of all the people I remember and was happy to see, you are the one I surprisingly care the least about. I only remember spending so much time in your shadow…”

Lena rested her hands on her father’s shoulders. “Dad; are you all right?”

Tobias replied in shock, “I think…I think I almost died.”

Cheepers kicked out of Tobias’s weakened grip and trotted over toward Nomiya and Akiko. Lena hugged her father and helped him stand. “Grisha won’t hurt you, Dad. He promised.”

“Lena…that’s not Grisha.”

Lena frowned at her father as she felt her eyes begin to burn. “What are you saying? Of course it is. They call him Onion, but he’s still Grisha.”

“O-NEE-YOH-N!” Oniyon angrily bellowed. “I am not Grisha. Grisha was weak and brain damaged. Grisha was the one you were never happy with and that you kept comparing to Blaze!”

Oniyon then glared at Blaze. “You are no better than me. The way you inflict pain on others (hinting to Mustar). You may have also been sent here to conquer this planet, but something happened to you to make you fail. Saiyans are not sent to planets to befriend the people. They are sent to planets to subjugate them!”

Lena faced Grisha and shook her head at his claims. “You’re wrong! I wasn’t comparing you to Blaze. I only thought that Blaze was filling your head with the desire to fight and leave us. Every time you left to the mountains—to go fight, you left me alone. Sometimes for days—weeks. I just wanted you to stay Gr…” She shook her again and angrily shouted, “I only know you as Grisha! We all do. But I know why you went to the mountains. You did it to keep us safe. You wanted to become stronger to keep us safe not to take our home.”

Collar signaled to the Saiyans to take off. The fighters rocketed into the sky and flew off into separate directions. He flew over to the scene, restraining the rage he felt about seeing his friend suffering in Blaze’s grip. He interjected: “There’s a lot of sadness going on over here. I think I overheard Mustar and I being called ‘kidnappers.’ If we were kidnappers, then why didn’t you come save him? Oniyon spent a considerable amount of time in our care and not once did any of you come.”

The general hadn’t even thought about that. He stared thoughtfully at the ground, trying to find an answer for why they could have been delayed.

“Did you know that your friend is a Super Saiyan?” Collar revealed.

Oniyon’s attention rose to regard first Collar and then Blaze in surprise.

“As a Super Saiyan, he could have easily found you. He could have destroyed us all and taken you back. I don’t know if you would have survived, but the case still stands. Why didn’t he? Why didn’t they come?”

Oniyon couldn’t even speak. He had no theories to offer. He couldn’t speak for Blaze and the others…but Blaze was a Super Saiyan now? He didn’t so much as feel envious as he did feel…happy for him. As trace as it was, Grisha was happy.

Lena glared at Collar. “You…” she hissed. “You did this. You made Grisha believe he was your commander.”

“He is our commander,” Collar corrected.

“He wasn’t for the years we knew him. He was our protector. He would have never let anyone conquer this planet!”

Collar smirked. “You’re lucky we’re even here. It was Oniyon who asked us to return to Earth to find you. You were one of the first memories he had, and we return to find that you have moved on.” He gestured to Alosha. Oniyon followed Collar’s hand over to him and his fists tightened angrily.

Alosha blinked and waved his uninjured arm frantically. “Hey; I don’t know what’s going on!”

Lena was the one speechless then. She crossed her arms, feeling disturbed with how the conversation was turning out. It was like walking on egg shells. “That’s…that’s not fair. Alosha’s just a friend.”

“Is he now?” Collar asked before he questioned Alosha. “Do you like that girl?”

Alosha’s eyes were wide as he felt suddenly put on the spot. The pressure was crushing. If he said yes, then…wouldn’t that upset things? But he did like her. What was so wrong with that? But if he said no, would she have been upset? Alosha stared over at Lena. Their eyes met and silently communicated. He swallowed and answered, “I…” There was so much pressure that he closed his eyes and exclaimed, “I thought she was hot and was hoping to one day get laid!”

Lena’s face turned red and her hands went to her eyes as she thought, Dummy! You overdid it!

“WHAT!?” Tobias and Oniyon simultaneously exclaimed in anger.

Collar had a blank look on his face. For the moment, he had nothing further to say. He wasn’t expecting that response.

Oniyon marched over to Alosha and snagged him up by his good arm.

“No wait! I take it back! I was lying!” Alosha panicked.

Tobias marched over next. A metaphorical ki was swirling at his feet as his Dad powers created a twister of snow around him. Oniyon held Alosha like a punching bag for the father as Tobias roared and started wailing on him. Lena ran over and started yelling, “Grisha! Put him down! Dad! Stop that!”

Mustar mused, Why does no one care about me?

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze's tears dried up quickly as Grisha sent the three Ki waves towards the homes in the village. It did no real damage, but it could have.

A warning. He thought.

He meant business. It was clear as day. He scared Tobias and, had those been actual concentrated Ki blasts, could have killed him. But he didn't... Yet. What unfolded next was now of little consequence to Blaze. The holding of Alosha as Tobias wailed on him might have gotten a chuckle out of him had things been different. If it was actually Grisha doing it instead of this Oniyon. But there was no humor in it now.

Blaze tossed Mustar to Oniyon's feet, relatively unharmed save the bruising on his neck from where his fingers had been.

It was so much to take in. Oniyon/Grisha thinking he was in Blaze's shadow. That somehow, in his head at least, Blaze was considering himself "better" than him. Lena blaming him for taking Grisha away... He closed his eyes and took a moment to calm himself, collect his thoughts, and form his answer.

He remembered Grisha well, and there was one thing Grisha prided himself on which, if you wanted to live, you always agreed with no matter what.

"Enough!" He yelled, powering up briefly to send a single minor shockwave of Ki out to get everyone's attention.

When they were all looking at him, he snarled at Oniyon.

"Grisha was always the strongest amongst us." He growled.

"You said Grisha spent a lot of time in my shadow, but you're wrong. Because I was the one chasing after Grisha. I even tried to subtly modify part of my training regimen to toughen my body to better withstand the force of his punches. Because every time we trained he always hit harder, deeper, and with more ferocity than I ever could. And if I had any hope of catching up to him, I had to be able to take his punches before I could give them."

He looked at his right hand, which was the first side to land a punch on Grisha during training. He remembered the moment well. The first punch to Grisha's gigantic jaw landing solidly which felt like hitting a wall of thick, folded steel. It hurt... A lot. His fist landing against Grisha's jaw that day had the intended effect of making his head turn and getting him to fly back a little, but Blaze was certain he'd cracked the bones in one of his knuckles during that punch.

His glare hardened as he looked up from his fist at Oniyon.

"Grisha's our biggest brother. He's always been and probably will always be the strongest of us. He stands in nobody's shadow. And if you were two different people, I bet anything that he would kick your ass ten ways to Sunday, and then try to eat you when he was finished no matter how many teeth he was missing."

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko​

At first, everything seemed great and Akiko couldn't have been happier. She and Grisha hugged and Akiko's tail whipped about like a puppy on speed. Then he.. apologized for making her cry and being weak? Akiko had never seen him that way. The rest was a lot to take in. The home world, Grisha's brain damage. No wander he was speaking so differently! So... he really was also Oniyon and they had healed him... Akiko thought at first that maybe she had judged the ugly boogers too harshly. After all, they saved her brother when she couldn't and brought him back to earth. Yet, the more Grisha spoke, the more Akiko's smile faded. Something didn't seem quite right, but nothing could have prepared her for her biggest brother's last words.

“The rest of the world is free game. Just stay here. Everything will be all right. We’re together again and that’s all that matters.”

Akiko froze and her blood ran cold. He couldn't really mean that could he? Yet there was no hint that he was joking. The little girl was stunned into silence for a time while Grisha and Blaze spoke, Grisha made his warning move and still she felt rooted to the spot. This might be just a new nightmare. The brother she'd failed to save was haunting her again. Eventually Cheepers made his way over though, and Akiko gently picked him up. "You don't belong in Akiko's bad dreams." After snuggling the bird, Akiko regained her composure enough to move. She quickly flew over to Support Lena and confront Collar.

"You're an ugly, stinky, liar!" She snapped at the scheming warm of a saiyan. "You took biggest brother away when Akiko was too weak to fight and Big brother was fighting the Red Monster! You coulda told us- or at least Akiko, where to go to find him! An we did look! Akiko asked Blaze to feel for him every day, but he was too far away! Even for a super saiyan!" Akiko took a breath there, but didn't pause for long. "We were just leaving to look more for Biggest brother more when you got here! So you can shove it up your stinky butt!" Akiko blew a raspberry at the saiyan as if that settled things. "You just wanna use him to hurt people, but Akiko's biggest brother is the best."

Having finished her rant, Akiko looked to Lena and Aloah. The child saiyan hadn't been there for a while so she could only watch the seen unfold with poor Aloha wearing a perplexed look on her face. "Can't he lay down any time? What's Lena getting too hot got to do with it?" Shaking off the confusion for the moment, Akiko landed and set Cheepers down again. "You stay back now." After petting the cockatrice chick's head, Akiko looked to Lena, then to Her Biggest brother and Tobias. It wasn't hard to see that Aloha was terrified, or that his arm was hanging limply at his side. "Please Put him down big brother! He's hurt!" Akiko , asked hopefully, pointing out the arm. "Grandpa, you'll make it worse!" The name just sort of slipped out, but Akiko was to worried about the human punching bag getting seriously hurt to notice.

"Enough!"

Akiko's attention turned to Blaze as he spoke up and she listened intently, even nodding along with her smaller brother's words. Once Blaze finished speaking, the chibi saiyan looked back to Grisha, hopeful that Blaze could get through to him. "We love you big brother. The you that always got stronger to protect people." Akiko added softly. "Remember why we left earth in the first place? To protect it from the Red Monster. Just cause the those weak, smelly, butt faces," Pointing specifically at Collar, "Want you to take earth over doesn't mean you have to." They just got him back, Akiko didn't want to loose her biggest brother again. Or loose everyone else at his hands.

 

[The Black Knight]

The pummeling ended with Alosha lying unconscious in Lena’s arms. Oniyon and Tobias locked hands in a firm shake and nodded until Mustar landed at their feet.

Enough!

Both curiously looked over at Blaze. The Saiyan’s speech stunned the general. His eyes were wide, brows raised, and he didn’t say a thing to interrupt him. Collar flew over to Mustar, hefting his friend’s shoulders and letting them rest against his arm. He glared over at Akiko as she cursed their names. Mustar bore his teeth and groaned from the pain. Even though Blaze had spared him, he still found it difficult to move. Telepathically, Collar communicated with him:

We’re losing him.

Mustar replied, It was a bad idea agreeing to come here.

We can’t defy him. He’ll kill us.

He won’t. Do you think I would let such a terrifying power go unchecked?

What did you do?

You’ll see soon enough.

Collar almost couldn’t focus. The child’s screaming made it difficult for him to continue his conversation with Mustar. Growling at her, the Saiyan threatened, “If you don’t want to see that chicken fried, then you better shut your mouth!”

Oniyon bowed his head. His hands went to rest on his hips as his tail swished side-to-side. Tears dripped from his chin as a flattered smile curled on his lips. “Is that really what you think?” he asked Blaze and Akiko. “I couldn’t use ki; I couldn’t fly; and you always had to come pick up where I failed.”

Oniyon raised his head and he glanced over at Lena who was holding Alosha. “Kiko is right. I left this planet to stop an enemy who would have come to destroy it. I did it to not only protect this village, but you Lena. I couldn’t fathom seeing anything happen to you. I loved you Lena…”

Lena blushed and her eyes glimmered with tears.

Oniyon lightly chuckled, “I guess as Grisha I was too stupid to make it more obvious. I was gone for too long, and you’ve moved on.”

“No Grisha; I didn’t-”

Oniyon swung out his fist and a great gust stirred pillars of snow into the air. He snarled, “Shut it!”

Lena’s hands went to cover her mouth. She was hurt by him snapping at her.

“Grisha is gone! All of me is back. All of Oniyon! And you cannot fool me. I know that you both like each other…” His voice lowered as he muttered, “And I won’t get in your way.”

He then looked at Blaze. “You thought Grisha was strong. You better pray to Kami that your next opponent isn’t me. Mustar; Collar; we’re leaving.”

Collar reported, “But Sir, I’ve already dispatched the units.”

“Call them back. I no longer have a desire to conquer Earth.”

Oniyon turned toward the Saiyan ship. Collar helped Mustar to his feet. Mustar continued to massage the back of his neck.

What do we do now? Collar projected to Mustar.

I’ll handle it. Play along.

Collar and Mustar followed behind their leader as Lena laid Alosha to the side and rose to her feet. “Grisha!”

Tobias quickly grabbed Lena by the arm and stopped her from running after him. “Lena stop. He is no longer Grisha.”

Lena tried to twist her arm free from her father’s grip, “We can’t let him go! He just came back! Grisha!”

Oniyon didn’t look back. He wasn’t Grisha. With his restored memories, he knew that he couldn’t go back to being the lovable idiot they all knew. He was a conqueror, and he had an army now. The only peace he could grant them was that he wouldn’t be the one to take the planet from them.

5…4…3…

Oniyon stopped as he heard the counting in his head.

2…1…(snap)

Collar noticed how the general suddenly stopped. His eyes discreetly rolled over to Mustar who was frowning in concentration at Oniyon’s back. The two officers stopped.

Do you remember me Oniyon? I spoke to you when you were alone in the dark place.

The sound of bubbles and the hiss of an oxygen tube filled Oniyon’s ears as his eyes stared emptily in front of him. “Yes…”

Grisha is dead.

Oniyon frowned as memories of himself lying on his back in his own blood flashed before his eyes.

Grisha is dead.

Grisha is dead.

The memories soon became a fixed reality. He was back there on that desolate, carnivorous planet. The clouds were black and flashing with lightning. He saw Akiko resting her hands on Grisha’s chest, trying to save him. He walked over to the mutilated fighter and knelt next to him. Grisha suddenly surprised him by turning his head to look upon him. Blood gushed and tumbled from Grisha’s mouth as he reached out with his remaining hand toward Oniyon. Oniyon snagged his hand tightly as his eyes started to stream.

“Gri-Grisha…sorry…Grisha…w-weak,” Grisha told him.

Oniyon felt Grisha’s hand go limp in his own and watched the fighter’s eyes roll back. His eyes widened in horror as he continued to tightly grasp his hand. He clutched it in both of his hands. Grisha’s body and the surrounding environment burst into sand that was swept away into the darkness.

To everyone else, Oniyon would be seen grasping his head and screaming in what sounded like terror. Collar’s eyes were large with disturbance. His eyes darted between Oniyon and Mustar.

5…4…3…2…1…(snap)

Oniyon released his head. His chest was heaving with his pants as tears dripped from his chin. Mustar then rushed to his side. “General Oniyon! Are you all right?”

The general gazed at his ship, and then down at Mustar. Collar soon walked over and queried, “Sir?”

Oniyon didn’t respond. He was still trying to understand his environment. He felt the tears on his face and wiped at them in confusion. Collar further reported, “Sir; the units have been deployed. Awaiting your next command.”

Oniyon continued to stare around at his environment. He felt as though he were waking from a dream. “Destroy everything. Salvage only what we need.”

Mustar saluted and then asked, “And what about them?”

Oniyon turned to regard Blaze, Akiko, Nomiya, Lena, Tobias, Alosha, and the village. There wasn’t a look of recognition in his eyes. He gazed upon them as though they were fodder. He did, however, frown suspiciously at the Saiyans. “Aren’t those Saiyans?”

“Not under you, Sir.”

“Shame. They might have been useful.”

“One of them is a Super Saiyan.”

Oniyon arched a brow of intrigue. “Oh? Which one?”

Mustar pointed at Blaze (still salty). “He is, Sir.”

Oniyon smirked. “Let’s see if the rumors are true.”

The general pointed a finger in Blaze’s direction. A small red glowing speck of ki left the tip of his finger. “Dark Fruit,” he announced. The red seed suddenly expanded into a massive red orb. The snow melted beneath it, swirling in vapor around the tank-sized bomb.

Lena and Tobias stared at the energy orb in awe as black lightning raced across it. A second after, Oniyon uttered a bang as he made a firing gesture and the red orb launched like a cannon ball toward Blaze. Even if he chose to evade it, when the orb decided to detonate, it was going to take out a city block worth of space.

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze kept a careful watch on the events as they unfolded. At first it seemed they'd broken through to him. He was preparing to leave the planet with all of his forces, but that one Blaze had held by the neck seemed to be fighting to convince him otherwise. There was silence for a time, but a lot of looking back and forth and somehow, some way, it seemed to affect Oniyon. Blaze didn't know what was happening or why, but his instincts told him that Mustar was behind it all. Silent communication, no lip movement... They had to have created some kind of secret code to talk to one another without words. And it was having an effect.

Blaze took a few steps towards them as Oniyon reeled, and looked back to Nomiya.

"Stay close to Akiko!" He called back through Oniyon's screams.

Nomiya nodded and kept her hands on Akiko's shoulders, ready to grab her and fly away if she had to. And as Oniyon stopped screaming, Blaze was just barely close enough to hear that he had chosen to resume the takeover. When their eyes met, Blaze didn't see Grisha anymore. He didn't even see Oniyon from earlier. All he saw were the eyes of a savage. And as they spoke of Blaze being a Super Saiyan, he saw Oniyon bring a finger up in his direction to let fly with a red Ki orb.

In the brief instants which followed, Blaze sensed the power behind the blast and knew he had no choice. He'd have to transform at some point to deal with this threat. He'd been able to master the process of transforming in the final two months or so on the outpost planet, but even with having done so the transformation itself seemed overkill for this. Oniyon was testing him right now, and this blast was still just within the capabilities of his base form. But he had to act fast.

Powering up instantly to his base's maximum, he flew into the red orb with both hands up, catching it in his hands. He was pushed back slightly at first, but managed, through sheer grit, to bring it to a stop. Screaming out in effort, he kicked it back in the direction of Mustar and Collar.

Whatever they had been doing to him was about to stop. Because even if Oniyon decided to save them from the blast, Blaze was intent on killing them as soon as his hands stopped tingling to end whatever silent communication they'd come up with to affect Oniyon as they had.

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko​

It was a relief when Grisha set Alosha down. Akiko may not have known him well, but she didn't like to see someone innocent, especially someone weaker, get hurt. Besides, Lena liked him and despite the hurt she had carried for so long, Lena was still family. The chibi saiyan generally only resorted to threats or violence when it seemed there was no other way. Or... when someone messed with her family. "Akiko is sorry, Lena. Let Akiko help." The little girl started to work on Alosha, her gentle, blue aura overtaking the man. The worst of it was the arm and shoulder of course. The bumps and bruises were easy enough to sooth and after a few minuets, Akiko stopped and looked at her hands. She wasn't as strong as her brothers, but she was defiantly getting stronger. That was faster than before... and it barely took a toll on her at all! "Akiko got it mostly healed but he should still baby his arm a bit, okay?"

Then she heard it.

"“If you don’t want to see that chicken fried, then you better shut your mouth!”

Akiko's attention snapped to Collar. As she quickly stepped in front of her baby, glaring at the maggot. "You just try it you weak butt breath! Akiko will kick your ugly face in!" She snapped back. The chibi saiyan's aura flared up defensively for a moment, but slowly died down again as most of her attention returned to her biggest brother while he spoke... most of her attention. Akiko felt a little bit of relief wash over her again as her biggest brother seemed to come back to them.. at least a little.

"Is that really what you think?”

The chibi saiyan nodded vehemently. "Big brother... you picked us up when we failed too. All the fights we won... We would have lost without you. That's what families do." She had hoped that, even if he wasn't exactly his old self, that her biggest brother would come back to them and be nice again. However, Grisha snapped at Lena then called the maggots to leave them! For what felt like the hundredth time that day, Akiko started to tear up. "Please don't go big brother! We missed you so much! Akiko loves you!" She cried.

Desperate not to lose her biggest brother again when they'd only just got him back, Akiko flew after oniyon. However, she was only half way there when he grabbed his hands and started screaming, causing her to freeze in shock. Akiko heard Blaze yell and felt Nomiya's hand on her shoulder then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. As maggots spoke to Grisha, Akiko only grew more confused and concerned. How could he not know them now after they were just talking? How could he attack them?! "Big brother! No!" Akiko screamed, but it was too late, the fight was starting.

Akiko racked her brain frantically, on the verge of panic. What should she do?! What could she do?! As her wide eyes scanned the aria, they landed on Lena, Cheepers, and the others. "Nomiya! We gadda Protect them!"Akiko hurried back to Lena and Tobias, hovering before them so that she could be at eye level. "We gadda get everyone away from the fighting okay? Maybe in the cellars or... or um... up to the springs?" The humans were weak and probably wouldn't be a target for Grisha- no Oniyon, yet. However, they could easily get caught in the crossfire and the minions would defiantly hurt anyone in their way as they pillaged the village. Akiko and Nomiya could escort them out, then come back to help Blaze. At least, that's what Akiko hoped.

 

[The Black Knight]

Lena couldn’t believe what had happened in the next few minutes. First Grisha was leaving them, and then all of a sudden it looked as though he had one of his old fits. His subordinates were immediately at his side before Akiko and Blaze could reach him, and then he looked like someone entirely different. He gazed upon them all as though they were inferior and held no emotional attachment. She could hear her heart asking, Who was this man? When the attack was created and nearly launched at them, Lena gasped. Tobias held her protectively in his arms and then glanced over at Alosha. After Akiko healed him, Alosha started to rouse. Groaning softly, he saw the giant red death orb out of the corners of his eyes and felt his heart skip.

“Shit!” he cursed. Scrambling to his feet, he jogged over to Lena and Tobias, and as he did so, he felt the effects of Akiko’s powers. Rolling his shoulder, he said, “I’m healed all of a sudden. What’s going on?”

“We need to leave,” Tobias said with a frown. “Grisha…Oniyon…whoever he is, is a danger to us all.”

Akiko flew over to them and asked for help evacuating the village. “Buy us some time. Gathering these folks can be like herding cats,” Tobias replied.

Lena watched as Blaze repelled the attack. Why were they fighting? Why did they always have to fight? She asked Akiko sadly, “Is Blaze going to kill Grisha?”

Oniyon held out his hand and halted the orb. It hovered before him still swollen with destructive power. He drew his arm back, which moved the orb to his side. Mustar and Collar had flew several feet above the fight so they could watch. Collar finally asked, “All right; now tell me. What did you do?”

“Hypnosis. Ever since General Aruga was in command, I’ve been hypnotizing General Oniyon—mainly to prepare him to kill Aruga if he chose not to. When he killed him anyway, I had forgotten all about it until that bastard (Blaze) nearly broke my spine. I had to wait for Oniyon’s brain to finish healing. In the state it was before, I couldn’t. I destroyed this Grisha that was interfering with his true persona. What you see now is purely our Oniyon,” Mustar explained.

Collar watched in amazement. “Do you think he will be able to destroy the Super Saiyan?”

Mustar grinned and wickedly chuckled. “What you should ask is if the Super Saiyan can destroy Oniyon before Oniyon destroys him?”

Oniyon warped over to Blaze, swinging the orb at him as though it were a mace and not a mini nuke waiting to detonate and wipe everyone out around it. “Come on! Fight me! Or I’ll destroy everything you love most. As we speak my units are decimating the cities of this weak planet. Earth will be on fire before you have the balls to fight me like a true warrior!”

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze didn't expect Oniyon to take control of the Ki ball again. He was hoping it would fly into Mustar and Collar, but Oniyon seemed like he cared just enough to protect them. That, or he just wanted to-WOOSH! Blaze was knocked to his senses by Oniyon hurling the orb around like a big hammer, the near-miss causing Blaze to fly off to the side for several hundred feet in a semi-panic to avoid it before he got control of himself.

Looking back over, Oniyon was hot on his tail and looking to hit him again. But that wasn't his concern right now. He needed to take care of Mustar and Collar. If he got rid of those two, then he'd be able to focus on Oniyon.

Splitting off from Oniyon's pursuit, Blaze flew back towards the pair and charged a larger Ki blast in his left hand and a finger blast in his right pinned near his side so they wouldn't see it coming. Even if Oniyon caught up to him, he wasn't the only one who could control his Ki. Both Mustar and Collar were dead already. Their bodies just hadn't caught on yet.

Meanwhile, Nomiya helped Akiko, Tobias, and Lena with their evacuation efforts by helping keep Oniyon's forces off of them. There was no way they'd be able to race around the world to stop whatever devastation his forces were causing. They had to focus here.

"Let's hurry everyone! If you need me to fly anyone out, tell me quickly!" She urged.

 

[The Black Knight]

Blaze was running away, and the general didn’t like it. He had dodged his swing and sought out weaker targets. The corner of Oniyon’s lip arched in disgust. “You want to run from the bigger threat. I’m gonna show you what war is, boy.” He flew into the air above the village, carrying his death orb. He watched as Nomiya and Akiko were trying to heard the poor humans away from the combat zone. He couldn’t help but grin. This was going to be bad.

“Where are you going? The entire world is a battlefield!” Oniyon declared. He threw the red orb toward Nomiya and the villagers she was herding and brought his hands together thumb against thumb and turned to the side. When he drew his hands apart, a black blade of ki extended before Oniyon swung his arms apart. The narrow black ki attack followed after the Dark Fruit bomb like a sickle, cutting through the snow and round houses of Kousetsu Village as it chased the orb with every intention of detonating it.

“RUN FROM THAT! HA HA HA!”

Mustar and Collar both scowled when they sensed Blaze coming toward them. The two split up, rocketing in opposite directions to evade him. They weren’t headed back toward the village—not with Oniyon trying to blow the place. If Blaze was trying to make them his target, then they were going to lead him astray long enough for Oniyon to demolish the area and move on.

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze had considered Oniyon trying to chase him down, but not this. Not only that, but Mustar and Collar seemed intent on evading him as well.

"You're all the lowest of cowards!!" He yelled.

He had no choice. The peons could wait.

Blaze dove for the village and, charging a shield of Ki around his fist, slammed it into the sickle from the side to destabilize the Ki and cause it to dissipate harmlessly leaving just that orb. Blaze had intended to get his hands dirty and just kick the damn thing, but given that Oniyon said the world is the battlefield and that he wasn't concerned with it going towards either Blaze or the village told him the orb was more dangerous than he originally thought.

Blaze raced in front of the orb, feeling it out in that precious second he had before it reached his position.

No way... I can't stop it like this. He thought.

If he was going to send this thing away, it had to be with more drastic force than he could muster in this state.

For but a fraction of a second, Blaze transformed into a Super Saiyan and slid forward to slam a concussive burst of Ki into the base of the orb which launched it rapidly skywards. The instant it was moving skyward, Blaze transformed back into his base form and flew after it. For anyone not actually at an angle to see him, it seemed like he did that in his base form with how quickly the transformation came and went. And even then his proximity to the blast would muddy the effect of the transformation and mask its presence. The only real way to know for sure would have been to feel it. And with how fast it came and went, most wouldn't be able to.

Racing up after the orb, he sent a Ki burst into it as it reached the lower stratosphere and caused it to detonate. He wasn't expecting that, and though the main body of Ki from the explosion was far enough away not to cause him or anyone else below any damage, the concussive burst of wind which erupted from it sent him flying back down towards the Earth. Luckily, he managed to recover and landed hard on his feet looking up at Oniyon with a snarl as he floated up to meet him at eye level.

"You said to face you like a true warrior, but you know nothing of being a warrior, Oniyon. All you know is how to fight dirty, because you're too weak to win any other way."

He floated closer, his palms bleeding from the pressure of his clenched fists.

"And you know it, don't you?" He growled.

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko
​

The little girl nodded when Tobias asked her to buy them time. Okay, they could do that. "We'll keep the minions off everyone and point them towards you then okay? Or towards where you're going.." And hopefully Blaze would keep... not Grisha occupied long enough to get everyone far enough away. It didn't feel like enough, but this was the best way to help at the moment. The less Blaze had to worry about everyone else, the more he could focus on the fight. A squeak below her made Akiko Hesitate. "Cheepers No! Stay with them. Stay!" She commanded, hoping the training had paid off. The bird stopped... for now. Before Akiko could turn away though...

“Is Blaze going to kill Grisha?”

Akiko's heart stopped for a moment. "NO!" Akiko yelled it without meaning to, but tried again once she had a firmer hold of herself. "No. Course not." The little girl was assuring herself as much as Lena. She turned to the side so that she could look back at the two. "Akiko's big brother's fight sometimes but... No." As if repeating it would make things turn out that way. Grisha's brain seemed to be broken but Blaze wouldn't... he could fix it. Maybe they could get through to him again. The little girl shook her head to clear it. "Just help get everyone somewhere safe! Then we can help Blaze bring back Biggest brother without you guys getting hurt, okay?"

Akiko flew off after that, but she didn't have to go all that far to encounter Oniyon's forces wreaking havoc and from there it was a matter of trying to keep something of a buffer zone between Lena's group and the invading saiyans while saving as many people as possible. Things seemed to be going well, all things considered. Despite the size difference, the chibi saiyan could more than hold her own against this weaker fodder. A kick to the face here, a punch to the nads there... There were just so many of them. Akiko had to be careful of letting any slippery saiyan's get past her and took a couple blows in the process; nothing she couldn't easily shake off though.

No, it wasn't too bad until she head Oniyon yell from above. "No! Nomiya!" Akiko thought the worst, but Blaze dove in and saved the day. That was close... They had to finish fast. Next time they may not be so lucky. At least the saiyan invader's didn't want to be blown up ether and pulled a hasty, probably temporary, retreat. This would be their best chance to get everyone out quickly though. "Now's our chance, Big Sister!" Akiko kicked it into overdrive to round up the remaining people; carrying anyone that struggled to move quickly. Hang in there big brother.. Nomiya and Akiko will be able to help soon.

 

[The Black Knight]

Oniyon was grinning at Blaze as he watched him go through the trouble of deterring his ki attack. While he was busy with that, Oniyon swiftly flew over to one of the fleeing villagers and snatched one up. It was a woman taken from her two screaming kids. As much as she struggled and kicked in the general's grip, her head was clutched in the palm of his hand beneath her chin. Her face was squeezed between his iron-like fingers and her body was left to dangle with no support. The general patiently waited for Blaze to return to him so he could teach him more lessons about battle.

"And what does a failed Saiyan know about being a warrior?" Oniyon returned. He didn't have to present his victim. He was certain Blaze could see her clear as day as she flailed, whimpered, and screamed. "You see this (indicating the woman)? When warriors fight, these are the only things truly affected. You think they care about whether it was honorable or not? They care only about the winner. While you were busy trying to save these casualties from their inevitable demise, I just wanted you to see how easy it would have been for me to kill every single one of them."

His grip tightened about the woman's head as he held her suffering face up to him when he flew closer. "You want to save them? You need to be the triumphant. That's what war is boy. Only the victor decides the outcome."

His grin then darkly widened. "Do you think you can take her from me before I kill her?" The locks of his hair started to rise like the hackles of a beast. He was so ready to play this game.

Tobias then searched around and noticed Lena was missing. Fearfully, he turned about trying to peer over the numerous heads of the fleeing victims. "Lena!"

Lena had seen Oniyon snatch up the woman and she was sprinting over to him and Blaze. She wanted to be close enough so that he could hopefully hear her. "Grisha! Grisha stop! I know you're in there. Let her go please! This isn't you. It can't be."

Oniyon's gaze happened to discreetly stray over to Lena. Who the hell was that? In his hand that wasn't holding the woman, a red bead of ki appeared. If she remained, he was going to blast her. Meanwhile, Mustar was already making his way down to her. The girl was a problem, but she may have been what he needed.

 

[ChoShadow]

Blaze's glare didn't falter as Oniyon held the woman aloft and prepared a Ki blast.

"I don't believe I could find a better demonstration of brainwashed driven ignorance."

In the blink of an eye, Blaze's body erupted with golden Ki. His hair and the fur on his tail became a gleaming golden hue, and his eyes a shimmering teal-green. And, moving so fast that it created the illusion he hadn't moved at all from his previous position, Blaze was in Oniyon's face. And before Oniyon's brain could comprehend what had just happened, his wrist had been grabbed, twisted, and dislocated forcing him to drop the woman. And in that next instant as he comprehended what happened to his wrist, there was a fist in his stomach which sent him flying back for hundreds upon hundreds of feet through the air and knocking the wind from his unprepared lungs.

Powering down to base form, Blaze flew down to catch the woman and set her on the ground before flying after Oniyon.

Meanwhile, Nomiya had sensed Mustar's approach and powered up to her maximum.

"Kiko! Keep an eye out for the other one!!" She yelled as she flew towards Mustar at full speed with deadly intent.

"Oh no you don't!!" She screamed as he came into view.

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko​

The chibi sayian was doing her best to help get everyone out of the village, but terrified people sometimes did stupid things, like freeze, hide in stupid places, or run the wrong way. Akiko slid to a stop when she saw oniyon snatched a mother away from her children. "Big brother don't!" She yelled impulsively even though the rational part of her brain knew Grisha wasn't himself after what just happened. Then Akiko took a deep breath to study herself and dove under Oniyon as he left with the mother to collect the kids and get them caught up with the main group. Akiko had barely set them down with another family when she heard Tobias yelling for Lena. There was so much happening at once, the little girl could barely process it all.

Still, Akiko hurried over Tobias, then scanned the village from above until she spotted the stubborn lady running right towards the spot blaze and Grisha were fighting. The chibi saiyan hurried towards Lena like a little bullet. As Nomiya geared up to fight Mustar, Akiko swooped in to basically tackle Lena away from the potential blast aria by holding both arms out and flying into the woman's midsection as if for a hug, then lifitng her off the ground and, rather awkwardly given the size difference, over her shoulder like a sack of potatos. "Lena! Big brother's brain is hurt! Akiko doesn't think he can hear us!" Oniyon had said the little maggots healed Grisha's brain while he was separated from them... but this wasn't the big brother she knew. He even tried to kill Lena so offhandedly... and Lena had always been Grisha's top priority before.

Hearing Nomiya's warning, Akiko scanned the aria around herself quickly, though she had yet to set Lena down. With her biggest brother out of their reach, Akiko felt obligated to babysit now. Lest Lena keep running right back into danger again and again. Akiko wanted to reach Grisha too. It was still possible but Lena could get hurt so easily. "Blaze won't kill biggest brother... but Bi-" Akiko's voice caught for a moment but she continued despite the tears that pricked her eyes. "Biggest brother will kill us-Kill you if you get under his feet or-or in his way right now." It was hard for the Chibi saiyan to say. Harder still to even wrap her mind around. Akiko didn't want to believe Grisha could hurt anyone who hadn't threatened them first or challenged him to a fight directly. Yet, there was no denying what almost happened to Lena, and what was happening to the woman Oniyon had in his clutches, as well as the village at large.

The young saiyan was able to breath a small sigh of relief when Blaze dove in to save the poor mother, but she knew the battle was far from over. It would take more than that to keep Grisha down and there was still the matter of the two maggots that took her brother away in the first place. Especially the one that threatened Cheepers. If only she could protect everyone at once until this was over...

 

[The Black Knight]

Oniyon’s eyes widened when he saw a golden light instantly appear before his eyes. His arm was yanked out, twisted, and wrist dislocated. His teeth came together in what would have been a wince, but he hadn’t been given a chance to express it. As the woman fell from his grasp, the golden fighter’s fist struck his stomach with so much force that the general folded in half. The strength from the blow propelled him through the air with a streamer of spittle leaving his lips as his breath was forced out of him. The arctic cold crept over his hair and shoulders in frost, threatening to freeze him as he flew.

“No! Don’t hurt him!” Lena screamed at Blaze. She then shrieked when the chibi Saiyan tackled her and hefted her into the air. The little girl practically disappeared beneath her. The blonde screamed in fright as she was flown away from the conflict and over to safety.

Blaze won’t kill biggest brother…but Bi…Biggest brother will kill us-kill you if you get under his feet or-or in his way right now.

Lena cupped her ears and shook her head. Grisha was never like this. He wouldn’t hurt her. She knew he wouldn’t. He has never hurt anyone in the village. “You’re wrong Akiko! Grisha wouldn’t do this! Grisha would never hurt me or you! We have to try! If we don’t do something, then they’re just going to get hurt!”

Mustar scowled when he saw Nomiya flying toward him. He continued descending toward her, drawing his arms back so that they were tucked at the elbows at his sides. Yellow orbs of ki formed in his hands before he thrust his hands outwards and fired the two orbs as one large sphere. Mustar shouted, “MUSTARD BOMB!”

A large orb of ki with a yellow tail was launched at Nomiya as Collar dropped from the sky toward Akiko. He cut his ki and freefell with his arms at his sides and legs straight. The blades of his black hair whipped about in the wind, and it was only until he was a few feet above her that his body flashed in a blue ki. He abruptly halted above her, grasping Lena by the back of her neck as the air pressure from his descent blasted downward like a big slap on top of the chibi Saiyan.

“Thanks,” was all Collar said before he launched back into the sky carrying the blonde.

“No! Let me go!” she screamed. Her hands grasped Collar’s hand as she kicked to get free.

“Stop it or I’ll drop you!” Collar threatened.

Lena stopped moving out of fear. Her tears left her eyes in beads. Closing them to stop the cold from burning them, she thought, Why is this happening?

Collar was musing over what he and Mustar had discussed. Mustar had supposedly compelled Oniyon to destroy Grisha, but they had to know for sure. If Grisha was dead, then Oniyon would have no issue with killing the girl that had been his weakness before the hypnosis. He remembered how he had reacted when one of the guards had assaulted her. He had reacted before he could even comprehend his actions. If Oniyon couldn’t kill Lena, then he would to set their leader free.

Meanwhile, Oniyon’s body flashed red as it suddenly halted after half a mile of traveling. Baring his teeth, he grasped his stomach with his uninjured hand and sank to the snowy ground. Dropping to his knees, Oniyon bowed his head as drool dripped and hung in strings from his chin. He had seen it! The Super Saiyan! If he could transform any time, then why was he holding back!? It made him furious! Oniyon raised his limp hand and gave it a gruesome snap. Slamming his fists into the snow, he pummeled it angrily before he screamed in rage.

Snapping his head upwards, his frosted locks whipped behind his head as he glared at the pursuing Blaze like an enraged beast. “How dare you! How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!” he screamed. “Why? Why are you holding back!?”

Slowly, Oniyon rose to his feet. Condensation left his bared teeth in white plumes as his eyes gleamed an angry red. “If you think you can kill me, then kill me! That is how true battles are waged! If not, then I will kill you! You think I can’t kill you because you’re a Super Saiyan? Time is the slayer of everything!”

Oniyon’s feet lifted off the ground as a red pillar of ki exploded up from the ground to bathe his body in red. The general roared as he raised his power level to maximum. His body expanded, muscles bulging and swelling with power. His Saiyan armor stretched around his hulkish might until the muscles started to contract-shrinking and condensing in a technique Grisha had used before. Dropping upon the ground, Oniyon started in a slow march toward Blaze. His hands were clenched into fists and dreadlocks oscillating in the air like serpents. His eyes were engulfed in the crimson gleam of his ki. His pace quickened and soon he was sprinting toward him. His fingers were curled like claws—another technique of Grisha’s—as he clawed at the air. Snow rose in arcs behind him before his body vanished in a blur.

A loud thoom resonated from the ground as a large stalagmite of ice shot up from it, trying to impale Blaze. A second and third thoom sounded as two more spikes ripped up from the earth. Eerily, the general was masking his ki, making it difficult to detect him. A red cloth suddenly descended above Blaze’s head, and he would discover it was the general’s cape. His reflection appeared upon the three icy spikes. His hands were together at the palms, and a red beam shot from them bouncing between the three ice structures. A red triangle of light threatened to slice Blaze in half if he didn’t move before the icicles turned scarlet with ki and detonated in an upward blast.

If Blaze managed to escape it, the aura-masked Oniyon would be there to intercept him with a punch across his jaw. His strength and defense had changed as the muscle fibers in his body condensed and became laced with ki. Each punch whether inflicted or received would feel like a mini explosion as the muscle fibers would release their ki on contact.

 

[TinyBoo]

Akiko​

Lena: “You’re wrong Akiko! Grisha wouldn’t do this! Grisha would never hurt me or you! We have to try! If we don’t do something, then they’re just going to get hurt!”

Akiko wiped her eyes again's Lena since she couldn't use both hands properly. The little girl didn't want Grisha and Blaze to fight anymore than Lena did. Both of her brothers could get hurt and Akiko felt like she would just die if she lost one of them again. She wanted to protect Lena and the other humans too, and the best way to do that would be to stop the fighting. Given all that, it wasn't a hard sell. The young saiyan was already hoping they could reach the Grisha they knew inside of this Oniyon monster, she had just been so shaken by the way he attacked Lena and the cold look he gave them. "Then you have to let Akiko help at least! You'll get hur-" The chibi saiyan cut off with a squeal of surprise and pain as Lena was snatched away and she was kicked downward. Akiko was already having a hard time trying to keep track of everything but between being distracted by and having her view partially obscured by Lena, the little girl never saw Collar coming... or felt him.

Given her her power level, the blow was shrugged off easily and Akiko managed to right herself quickly before darting after the maggot. She had a bone to pick with him anyway. Before it had taken a back seat to saving the villagers but now Lena's life was on the line too. "You!" Akiko shouted as her aura flared up around her. "Let Lena go you ugly weakling!" What did he want with Lena anyway? The woman wasn't a threat to any of the saiyans. The little girl couldn't use her ki to blast Collar, lest she hit Lena in the process, but speed and agility were Akiko's strong suit as she lacked the mass and raw power of her brothers.

Thus, the child caught up fairly quickly and didn't hesitate to to aim a fierce punch at the side of Collar's head but thanks to her yelling and the way she powered up, Collar knew she was coming and managed to block it, but not without his armor cracking and arm left aching from the blow. The smug smerk Collar had before was replaced by shock and little girl took advantage of his surprise, and the fact that Lena had her eyes closed, to quickly point at the jerk. She had only used it in practice before, but the sudden, bright, light that flashed from Akiko's finger was blinding to anyone close by. The child followed up by kicking between Collar's legs as hard as she could. This made the maggot fly skywards and drop Lena, whom Akiko caught by the Jacket with a little squeak of momentary panic. If she let the woman fall to her death after all that, the little girl couldn't live with herself. "Ya okay?" Akiko asked, but her eyes followed Collar.

Now the Chibi saiyan was in an bad spot. If she fled, Collar would surely follow and he would probably blast away without care of hitting Lena, but if she staid to fight him, Lena would still be in danger and Akiko would be rather slowed down. Not because Lena was too heavy, but because it was so awkward to carry someone bigger than herself and it removed the use of one hand. Plus Akiko could accidentally hurt the woman if she whipped Lena around too fast.

"Akiko will protect you, Lena." The child said firmly as she made up her mind. Akiko would just have to fight Collar and win. It was the only way to keep Lena safe for the long run, even if it meant some danger in the short term. Akiko would just have to do her best to keep Lena safe and... not falling to her death, during the battle. Besides, Collar needed to pay for taking her brother away and doing... whatever these invading saiyans did to him; as well as threatening her baby. "Akiko will take care of the stink face, then we can get to Big Brother..."

Now that Lena was in her possession, Akiko could freely take a pot shot at Collar with a ball of ki, but because she had spent a little too much time trying to figure out what to do, the maggot was recovering and managed to avoid the attack, if just barely, and close in on her again with a rapid fire ki attack of his own. This was embarrassing! He was fighting a child! Collar just wanted to get at that troublesome woman but this brat kept getting in the way! Maybe there was another way to get Lena to the General and get the child out of the way at the same time...

Akiko raced to the side to avoid the blast and shot back, but she was severely slowed down to prevent Lena from snapping her neck or something, forcing her to block a couple of the shots with her arm. It stung, but Akiko was alright. The little girl tried to keep herself turned slightly to the side so that she was mostly between Collar and Lena, the size difference prevented Akiko from being a very good meat shield, but it was the best she could do. As she fired back, grazing the maggot in the process and causing him to curse in pain, Akiko moved backwards to try and keep space between them. Unfortunately for Akiko, Collar was able to close in quickly with nothing to slow him down and forced the chibi saiyan into close combat again so that he could try to snatch Lena back.

In a fair fight, Akiko could have easily overpowered Collar, but now Akiko was force to play keep away like a schoolyard bully by, punching , kicking, and throwing balls of key at the other saiyan while he returned the favor and tried to get around her defenses to snatch Lena back without getting pummeled at the same time. The result was a rather bizarre midair battle with poor Lena stuck in the middle being grabbed at, dropped caught, and thrown about like a ball between the more powerful beings. Whenever one got hold of Lena, they were put at a disadvantage against the other until she traded hands again.

As Akiko blasted the increasingly beat up and tired looking Collar in the butt from below and caught Lena again, she heard yelling from Grisha from the battle between him and Blaze. It was only then that she realized just how close to the main battle they had drifted. Had Collar been steering them this way the whole time without her realizing? If so, why? To get them caught in the crossfire? Wouldn't that put him in danger too? Though confused, Akiko knew she had to be extra careful now to keep an eye, not only on Collar, but on the rest of her surroundings. Especially Blaze and Grisha. Akiko might survive a blast if she was lucky, but there was no way Lena could.