//------------------------------// // Chapter 60: The Battle Begins, Ken Attacks! // Story: Saiyan of Equestria // by Boyzilla //------------------------------// Tournament Saga Chapter 60: The Battle Begins, Ken Attacks! 4 Years Ago... Another Universe "Noooo! Chris, come back! Please! Darn it! Not you too! ARGH!" *BOOM!* The ground broke apart in a large crater as a pre-teen boy, wearing a torn purple Gi and having a broken arm that lay limp on one side, smashed his fist against the ground as a golden aura erupted around him before dissipating back down due to lack of Ki energy from a recently finished battle against a terrifying villain. "Gohan!" A distant voice called, multiple human figures and a green humanoid alien looking at the distraught hybrid. "Leave me alone Krillin, it happened again, I lost both of them!" Gohan yelled as he barely kept himself standing on his knees, blood oozing from his wounds and dripping on the ground. Krillin raised his hands, the bald Z-fighter saying, "Gohan, chill down man! It's going to be alright." "W-what you mean?" Gohan questioned. Piccolo, the green Namakian, answered, "Chris can be brought back with the Dragon Balls, the dragon has never wished him back to life yet." Gohan looked to him, before he started chuckling and fell on the ground. "Hehe, thank goodness... It's finally over..." Yamcha, the scar-faced Z-fighter, picked up the exhausted hybrid, "You did great, you sure are Goku's son. Let's get you back to the lookout to get healed up." "You sure you can walk with those wounds?" The three-eyed man, Tien, said to him. Yamcha replied, "Compared to Gohan's wounds, these are but scraps." Tien nodded, "I'll pick up Trunks then," "And I'll grab Eighteen," Krillin said as he started making his way. Before his face lit up in a flushed embarrassment, "H-Hey, she's just a victim as all of us... And if we bring her along, we can watch her?" He said before running toward a unconscious blond women.' Both Tien and Yamcha looked to each other in shock, before glancing back at Krillin's departing form. Yamcha looked back at Piccolo, "Let's hit the skies, Piccolo." "You guys go on," The Namakian said in reply as he looked upward toward the shape of Vegeta. "Oh, alright," Yamcha replied as he flew into the sky, carrying Gohan. Tien and Krillin following after carrying both Trunks and Eighteen, two victims of Cell, the recently defeated Bio-Android. After a hour of flight, the Z-fighters: Krillin, Tien, Piccolo, Yamcha, Piccolo, Gohan, and Vegeta, landed onto the massive floating platform that made the lookout. Yamcha set down the utterly exhausted and injured Gohan, as a namakian child by the name of Dende placed his hands over the half saiyan, and began to heal him to full health. The eleven year old Gohan opened his eyes, "Dende?" He asked as his vision focused itself. "Gohan! You're alright!" Dende cheerfully said as Gohan sat upright, "Oh... I mean... Sorry for your father and uncle..." Dende said sorrowfully, mentally scolding himself for forgetting the hybrid saiyan had just lost two parent figures in one day. "It's alright, Dad was with me the whole time," Gohan said, "And I'm sure Shenron can bring both of them back!" "Let's go ahead and summon the dragon then!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Wait, let's heal Eighteen first," Krillin stated. "What, but she's a monster!" Yamcha said as he backed far away from andriod Eighteen's prone form. "It's the right thing to do through," Krillin said as Dende made his way over to the unconsicious women and began healing her with his Ki energy. Eighteen, the blond haired women with a lean fit figure, opened her eyes and sat upright. "What, happened?" The following scene went as this, Yamcha stood far away in fear as Eighteen tried to figure out what happened, after some quick explanations. Eighteen went off with some backlash at Krillin, whom Gohan commented he must have a crush, prompting a smack on the head. The android flew off, much to Krillin's displeasure. After some much needed laughter, the Z-fighters prepared to summon Shenron, the seven mystical orange spheres gathered together, glowing every passing second. Dende raises his hands above the Dragon Balls, "Eternal Dragon, by your name I summon you forth, Shenron!" The mystical spheres glowed brighter, flashing orange continuously in response to Dende's calling. The sky above darkened, black clouds ominously forming from seemingly nowhere, covering the entirety of the sky, making it so no sunlight passed through. Lightning crackled, arcing across the clouds as thunder roared with every electric bolt that courses through the atmosphere. The Dragon Balls glowed immensely, before a blinding pillar of yellow light erupted forth from them all, traveling higher and higher into the air, the mouth of this pillar taking the form of a large eastern dragon's head, roaring in defiance. The bright energy continued to channel, everlasting, as if there was no stop to it as the pillar traveled into the blackened clouds. This head of this channel suddenly nose dived down, around, through, under, and up as it traveled. Finally, through what seemed to be a eternity, the yellow pillar of energy turned into what appeared to be a large, green scaled snake-like body, its underbelly becoming a golden hue. A long trail of green spines traveled along this newly formed being's back, as the head took the shape of a powerful eastern dragon, with two horns protuding from the back of its skull, long hairs hovering in the nonexistant wind, along with another two, but this time, whiskers, waving from its snout. The Eternal Dragon's purely red crimson eyes looked down at the tiny beings below it, that being the Z-fighters. "I never get tired of seeing him," Yamcha commented in amazement. "Tell me about it..." Tien said in awe. "Choose your words carefully as you speak, I shall make two of your wishes true!" Shenron roared down onto the lookout below it. The Z-fighters looked to each other, and nodded, Yamcha exclaimed loudly to the Eternal Dragon, "Please revive all those killed by Cell!" "Your wish will be granted." The mystical eastern dragon's eyes glowed brightly red, fulfilling the wish of the Z-fighters and reviving all those killed by the bio-android villain, Cell. Trunks, the teen which lay dead on the floor, woke up fully healed and restored, back from the dead as if he never died. He stood up, with a confused expression on his face. Gohan helped him back up and they both walked back to the rest of the group. Piccolo maintained a serious expression on his face, "As I feared, since Dende created a new Earth dragon, I was hoping Goku could be revived. But since it was created from the same model as the old one, their powers must be linked. I don't sense Goku's energy... Wait..." Piccolo paused, trying to sense the Ki signature of Chris Dell, "I do not sense Chris's either." Tien seemed surprised, "But Chris wasn't revived by Shenron, he was revived only by the Namakian dragon," He said. "What is your second wish? I am waiting for it!" Said grumpy Dragon exclaimed. Yamcha looked to the Dragon, "Why hasn't Chris Dell been revived?" He asked it. "The one referred too as Chris Dell still lives, it is impossible to revive one not dead," It replied. Yamcha turned to his companions, "Chris is still alive! So perhaps we can use the whole next wish to revive Goku instead?" Shenron heard this, "How badly you want it makes no difference to me, Goku has been revived before and so it is impossible." Piccolo looked to them all, "Look, since Porunga is the original Dragon, he can revive someone as much as he wants. We should focus on returning Chris to this world." Tien nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we can go to Namak to revive Goku later." Yamcha looked back to the Eternal Dragon, "Shenron! Can you bring Chris back to Earth?" Shenron's eyes glowed before they stopped, "This wish cannot be granted." "What?!" All the Z-fighters exclaimed in shock. "What!?" Another voice added to it. "Goku?" Krillin exclaimed. "Dad?" Gohan yelled. "I'm talking through King Kai everyone! But let's talk later, first see why my brother can't get back!" Goku said to them all. "Why can't we bring Chris back?" Krillin asked the dragon instead. "The one called Chris Dell refuses to return. He states that he shall find a way back on his own as he as sealed himself inside someone he wishes to protect at the moment." Piccolo smirked, "Of course, just like Chris to not leave one in need. He's more like Goku's brother than Raditz ever was." "Uncle Chris..." Gohan trailed off, before lifting up with a smile on his face, "You're alive at least, I have no doubt you will find a way back!" Yamcha commented, "Wonder who is so important that Chris needs to protect?" "Whoever it is, I'm sure Chris made the right choice," Tien added on. "I for one, am proud of him. I'm proud of all of you, especially you Gohan." Goku said. "But I have to say, I don't want to come back to life." "What!" "You see, I was sent to Earth as a baby along with Chris to destroy it, but even if I spent my whole life protecting it, it seems like with my enemies I was fulfilling my mission all along. So, I think it is safe I shall stay, and I'm sure Chris would agree with me. Knowing him, this person is probably his choice of being a new Z-fighter, just like you Gohan," Goku said. Gohan smiled, "I hope I get to meet him." "One day we will," Krillin said. Present Day Four Border Tournament Hotel District "Nee-chan! Give me back my frost tart!" The voice of a little eight year old girl in her pajamas exclaimed. "You had like six frost tarts already, let me have this one!" Another voice, this time by a eight year old boy in identical clothing, replied. "But Ken! I live for frost tarts!" The half saiyan girl said. "Nobody lives for frost tarts, Kira!" Ken replied, "You can't live only on frost tarts!" Kira pouted as the girl jumped from the bed in the hotel room to the next bed, where her brother held the breakfast snack in the air away from her grasp. Ken leaped from his current bed to the other bed, Kira turning around to face him. "You totally can!" She retorted. "Sure you can, next you say you need to have cooties with someone to live!" Ken teased, kissing the frost tart for good measure. Kira's face sported a small blush, "No I don't! That's gross! That will never happen, now give me back my frost tart!" Kira yelled. Suddenly the bathroom door slammed open, with a bed-haired Lyra looked to them both, "It's seven forty-five in the morning, can you two not yell over a piece of pastry!" The mint-green unicorn exclaimed. The two hybrid twins looked ashamed of their actions, "Sorry..." They both said in unison. Kira hastily grabbed the frost tart in Ken's hand and ate it whole. "Hey!" Ken said with a small frown, "No fair..." He said quietly as his mother looked to him. Bon-Bon, whom was sitting on a chair next to a small table, sighed as she drank some coffee, "Children... How does Lyra deal with them all the time is beyond me... How do I even deal with them in the same house?" She asked herself in a whisper. Lyra brushed her hair and then went to the two twins, "You two should get dressed," She said, before looking more toward her son, "Ken, you have a match against that Scorpan fellow today." The eight year old twin brother nodded, "Yep... I hope I win, through he looked really tough." "All you saw was his cape though?" Lyra said in confusion. Kira said, "He knows we're saiyans." That made both Lyra Heartstrings and Bon-Bon freeze, before the unicorn mother said, "He knows you're half saiyan?" Ken and Kira looked to each other, before looking to their mother and shaking their heads. Ken answered, "I think he just knows we are saiyans, but not hybrids." Lyra frowned, "Still, be careful. You think you are up for it Ken?" She asked. Ken bit the bottom of his lip, he tilted his head side to side, before the child replied, "Yeah, I can do it, mommy." Kira raised a fist, "Of course you can nii-san! You beat Scorpan, and I'll beat Colrath!" She exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Sweethearts," Lyra began, catching both Ken and Kira's attention, "I'm going to tell you the real reason as to why I put you in the tournament, you probably figured it out, but I'll tell you anyway." Lyra said. Both of the Twins looked to their mother with full-on attention, the unicorn smiled and said, "We're nearly broke, we are struggling to get money to take care of you both. Both Bon-Bon and I are trying are best in our jobs, but it'll really help us get back on our feet if we manage to win this prize money." Kira looked a bit distraught, "Are we really that poor, mommy?" She asked. Lyra nodded, "Unfortunately we are, the recent incidents with the Dragon, Discord, and other notable events really hit Ponyville's economy hard. It's recovering, but if we don't get this money... Well... You might not know If you're eating the next day..." She trailed off. The Twins didn't have the happy expressions on their faces anymore, they looked to each other with uncertainty, then back to their adopted mother. The hybrid boy, Ken, answered her. "Don't worry mommy! We're win, no doubt!" Ken said with confidence. "Yeah, believe it!" Kira exclaimed, giving a thumbs up. "Wow, nee-chan," Ken said, giving a deadpanned expression toward his twin, "That sounded like you took that from something." Kira replied with a deadpanned look of her own, "Uh huh, yet Dad keeps doing his references in your head all the time." 'Lies! Don't listen to her! She's corrupting your innocent reference-filled mind!' Ken sweat-dropped, "Can't help but agree with you..." He trailed off with a small chuckle. "Glad to know you two will always tease one another," Lyra said, making her two munchkins look at her with sheepish grins, Ken's tail wagging about. Bon-Bon looked toward the clock, "Let's finish dressing up, and then have breakfast. Ken's fight starts a half hour past noon." "Hai!" The Saiyan Twins said in unison as they rushed to get changed. Four hours later, within the Four Border Tournament's Fighters room, our Twin heroes discussed with Copper Will about Ken's newest opponent. Copper Will had managed to escape his infirmary area, if only for a while until the nurse found and dragged him back in bed. But he wished to see Ken's fight again the mysterious entity that made Scorpan. "He's going to be tough," Copper Will said, his arms crossed, "Just because he's big, doesn't mean he is slow. Also, don't assume he doesn't have any magical tricks up his sleeve, you don't have to be a unicorn to know spells. Kira's opponent and Colrath is proof of that." He said to Ken. The hybrid boy nodded in agreement, "I also got to watch for his attacks, he seems to land really big hits from what we seen so far." Ken stated. "Not only that," Kira began, "But we've seen him use magic." "Wait, so he did use magic?" Copper Will said with slight astonishment. Kira nodded and continued, "He seems to be able to make magic surround his fist, making them hit really, really, hard. So, you better dodge them Ken! Thankfully, we're kinda small, so its easier for us to circle around his attacks." The half saiyan girl stated. Ken grinned, "And we definitely know he's fast, he dodged all of that Diamond Dog's attacks with ease. Copper, you were right on that one." The eight year old boy said to his friend. "Thanks, I guess?" Copper replied with confusion, before he then said, "He seems quite arrogant too, to the point where he seemed to view everybody as a weakling when comparing to himself. I know that arrogance should be a weakness, but it all comes from a reason. Don't underestimate him, Ken." The minotaur child finished. Kira smacked a fist into her other hand, "So dodge his big attacks and attack from afar, nii-san! Watch out for those magic fists attack and you should be just peachy!" Ken and Copper blinked at Kira's wording of 'peachy'. Copper tilted his head toward Ken, whispering, "When did your sister become more like a female?" "No clue, must have been something in that frost tart this morning," Ken answered. Kira pouted, "Oh ha ha," She said with sarcasm. Ken, Kira, and Copper were about to continue their conversation, when they were rudely interrupted by the large, imposing form of Scorpan. The pony-minotaur cloak being, at least in their eyes, looked down at them, specifically Ken. "And now, young one, we shall see if what he said was true." Scorpan said, his low toned voice sending shivers up the children's spines. The shivers didn't last long through, already they could feel the inner fire begin to spark, and burn. Their saiyan instincts looking eager for battle, blood boiling for the incoming fight. One cannot keep a saiyan fearful for long. Ken glared at Scorpan, but there was a amount of worry in his eyes. Although he had used a minuscule portion of his Ki energy within his last fight, the hybrid child still had a stigma against using his Ki. The large opponent snorted briefly, before heading toward the arena, the sounds of cheering starting to begin as the announcer's yelling was heard throughout the entire tournament. "Esteemed guest of the Four Border Tournament! I present to you, the Semi-final rounds! In this match, you will see two new opponents fight to bitter end of exhaustion, or by ring out! There are no timers in this tournament! No more wrestling countdowns! Here it is, I call both Scorpan, Mysterious fighter! And Ken Heartstrings, resourceful warrior! To the Tournament Arena!" "Good luck Ken," Copper Will said to the hybrid human. "Kick his butt, nii-san!" Kira cheered. 'You can win this, it is your destiny.' Chris laughed from within the seal. "Will do!" Ken said with enthusiasm, filled with support by his friend and sister, and the knowledge that his mother and father were cheering him on. The hybrid boy made his way from the building and into the tournament area, stepping up the steps that made the entrance into the entire ring itself, Ken looked back. He couldn't help but smile to see both Copper and his sister there observing and cheering him on, his sister sitting on top of the stone wall that separated the observing area and the ring entrance. Ken made his way to the right-center position of the ring, and looked up, spotting Scorpan's expressionless stance. "Both fighters, prepare yourselves!" The announcer shouted, his sunglasses shining a bit in the bright sunlight. Ken slipped into his fighting stance, one hand in front of his shoulder as he bent his knees, his body at a angle from his opponent with the other hand at his stomach area. "And... Begin!" The Announcer exclaimed loudly as he leaps off the ring as quick as he could. "AAAAAAHH!" Ken yelled in a battle cry, as he stepped forward suddenly and began launching Ki blast after Ki blast, his arms furiously thrusting through the air as they fired off the barrage of energy attacks. The bolts of Ki blasts traveling quickly through the air with great speed, arcing slighting in the sky as they homed in on their target, Scorpan. "Starting offensively? Well, let's see what you are made of," Scorpan stated. The mysterious being brought his large, brown furred muscle-filled arms from his cloak. He pulled each arm back, stretching them outward, the elbow horizontal from his sides, before rushing both forward and did the equivalent of a large hand clap. A equivalent in which caused a huge outburst of pressurized air to completely dispel Ken's weak Ki blast barrage in all in one go. "Oh that's totally... Well, I guess that's fair," Ken said with a sheepish smile, scratching his cheek with a finger. "But I'm not done yet!" The hybrid yelled, and began rushing forward fast as a bullet. Scorpan remained calm and collective, dodging the boy's first strike with relative ease, and the kick, and then the follow-up to that. "You are going to have to actually take me serious, come on, where is all that strength from your fight with the dragon? Where is that power you emitted when breaking from the ice?" Scorpan asked as he continued to easily stepped out of the child's fighting range. Ken leaped back, landing softly on the ground, "You're very strong aren't you? Your holding back too!" He said, pointing a finger at Scorpan accusingly. "Yes, I am." Scorpan admitted without any care, "However, in order get you serious, I'll stop holding back." The cloaked being stated. 'Is he really serious?' Ken thought, 'Or is he just going to power up a bit to get me to use my Ki?' 'Regardless, you are no match while suppressing your power level, Ken.' Chris said from within the seal, 'Power up a bit, like you had during the battle again Emerald Dream. You know nothing is going to happen, and I'm always here, watching.' "Yikes!" Ken shouted as he found that Scorpan had not stayed idle during his little thought process, and promptly dodged having his body sent flying. He rolled underneath Scorpan's massive form, coming out from the other end and making distance between him and the opponent. "Agile, quite agile." Scorpan complimented. 'Freaky, quite freaky.' Ken thought. 'Hehehe,' Ken turned around, hands clenched into fists and at both sides of him. He focused his Ki, grabbing it from within him, and pulled it out gently. The child's power began to rise steadily, a blue aura coming into existence around him, starting from his feet and up, spiking outward as it reached the top of its wielder's head. 'This is only a fourth of your power, Ken. You know that.' Chris said. 'I know... I just...' Ken trailed off in his thoughts as he looked up to see Scorpan crossing his arms. "Is this a game to you?" Scorpan said with a angered tone. "W-what?" Ken answered back, dumbfounded. "You keep holding back, and going off into your own little world. You seem to fight, but never use your strength. Am I not enough of a threat?" The mysterious cloaked being said, annoyed, "I can give you a reason to be a threat." "Wait, what you mean!?" Ken replied in alarm, his eyes watching Scorpan as the fighter raised his arm. In direction of a certain little girl sitting on top of a stone wall. "Don't... Don't you dare!" Ken yelled, his aura now flaring outward, power increasing, the child's over-protectiveness of his sister taking over. "Then stop me! Rwaaaaaahh!" Scorpan roared as huge ball of energy formed outside his open palm, and launched with tremendous force toward Kira. "Nee-chan!" Ken shouted, his body acting without control as the hybrid boy rushed with new found speed, getting in front of the projectile's line of fire. "Aaaah!" Ken shouted in pain as the ball impacted against him and exploded outward in a sheer display of power, white energy arcs flaring outward, smoke covering Ken's position. Scorpan placed his raised arm back down, "Dissapointing," He stated as he watched the smoke filled area he created when his attack smashed into the young saiyan. "I know you are still there through." "Nobody..." "Hm?" Scorpan looked with confusion toward the smoke. The smoke cleared as the wind blew it away, standing there, in the same exact spot, was Ken Altarmore-Heartstrings. And surrounding that boy, a raging blue aura firing outward continuously, the tiles below him cracking, pebbles splintering apart beneath the overwhelming pressure that emits from the eight year old's form. "Nobody hurts sister," Ken said in a low, cold tone. "Nobody." And now, the real battle, begins.