Viral had no time to waste on throwaway soldiers, especially when this man was the main target. If the man thought he would fall to a couple of lower classed soldiers then he was going to be fearing for his life once he pulverised him right into the broken ground. With the soldiers very quickly taken care of he called out to the man, not looking intimidated at all by the man’s empty reply. All he was making himself out to be was a complete brute, a force of nature that was dangerous to be let out of its restraints. Just the typical crap reply from a Saiyan, but it didn’t mean he was going to be holding back because he underestimated him. There was no reason to hold back against an Elite, he was going to create as much trouble as he possibly could for this man even if it meant going all out. He had been unable to go all out for a long time, but as Yumi was taken away to fight someone else he finally had the space to fight properly. All he had to do was keep calm and concentrate, not letting anything get to him.

Raising his fist he growled when he finally decided to come down and fight him, instead he showed how incredibly reckless he was as an attempt at intimidation. What an incredibly stupid thing to do, it wasn’t something that would catch him unaware either and all it was going to do was hurt his own men. Only taking a brief moment to ready himself he watched as he came hurtling straight for him, readying himself before moving just in time away from a large but slow swing. “Do you still see me as a useless creature to exploit?? I am worth far more than your pitiful existence!” Swinging around to the man’s side he very quickly started to attack with wild swings, taking advantage of the fact his hands were down after the attempted hammering.

Kai hadn’t expected them to be attacked so soon, he hoped they would at least be able to have enough time to help some people and soldiers so that they might have suitable backup. While it shouldn’t be too hard, he knew it was best to not underestimate his opponents and still fight with all the strength he could muster. Looking to Choi quickly it seemed both of them were being targeted by a single soldier each, seeing them both as lesser soldiers themselves. This was hardly an ideal situation, they were typically better at squaring off against one soldier at a time for the best tactic. Maybe they could still pick off the soldiers one by one, maybe try and confuse them first. With that tactic in both the twin’s minds they quickly set off at one soldier, vanishing a couple of times whenever the soldier tried to lash out before one of the twins tried to hit them in return; however, it seemed the soldier had a little bit more concentration than another might and blocked long enough for the other soldier to come charging in. It seemed they would have to do more than playful tactics, possibly work their way around and throw in more confusion.

----

T’charrl blinked, not certain Haku could handle learning his language. “Uhh, but you don’t have the same kind of uhhh…’mouth things’ to pronounce a lot of the words. But uhh, I guess if you could try maybe it would still be understandable…” he spoke as he scratched his neck, trying to think on how he might go about learning their language when it was pretty complicated for non-Kaesstrians. “Maybe try to listen to us speaking while you don’t have the scouter on. We don’t have any books for languages other than our own”. Learning their language was only easier because words were so simple compared to his own language, plus using the scouter helped a little bit. Right now though he was feeling a little down over the problems presented with his condition and everything that could go wrong seeming to be the highest possibility. He didn’t want to lose everything about himself too or end up killing an ancient spirit.

Looking to his father briefly he frowned a little before turning around and following after him, looking back to the tree again. “A, uhh, vehicle? Monorail?” he repeated, knowing the two words separately but didn’t know what it meant when they were put together and what kind of vehicle it created. A rail implied it was something that moved on a rail, but mono was single which just confused him. A single rail didn’t sound so interesting, but if his father was excited then maybe it was a cool thing. Looking back a little he sighed lightly, trying to see if there was anything more that may had changed before looking to the building once they were finally there. Already he was feeling uneasy, ruins didn’t really sit well with him, especially after seeing what he caused the tree to do. Following his father down the tunnel he rubbed his claws together nervously, disliking the smell and distant noises already. Once they arrived, T’charrl looked to the strange machines before looking to the workers carefully as he listened to his father’s explanation. That sounded a little crazy to him, even if it was meant to have good intentions to unite people. “Digging into the planet…you sure that’s safe? Whatabout tunnelling creatures? Isn’t there a lot of water underground? This all sounds crazy, like we’re moving so fast…”

----

Shu didn’t know what the benefit was to playing these games but if he could get stuff out of it then it was all good for him. Somebody had invented this game and made it for people to win, but what advantage the person who made it had wasn’t clear to him. Maybe there was something he was missing, there had to be something the person who made it got out of it other than making people happy or sad. Either way, he was wanting to make himself happy and by attacking the stuff with the balls he might just win a prize. Bouncing a little as Takeshi went over what he had to do he nodded quickly, squeaking happily. “Okay! I hit a thing! I hit it!” he spoke quickly, turning to the game as he held a ball over his head. He wasn’t very good at aiming, but maybe if he took his time he would be able to hit something. Bending his knees a little he soon threw the ball, only really managing to get the corner as the ball bounced elsewhere. “Ooh! I hit! Does that count? Or does it no count…not really know…”

The Saiyan's blow pulverized the ground and shattered stone, sending chunks of rock skyward and splitting the foundation of a nearby building in two. Standing upright as the building slowly began to crumble he smiled, ducking under the first blow and blocking the second. "Is that right? I belong with the Saiyans, Viral. I have a home. Can you truly say the same?" he laughed as he deflected another blow, easily keeping up with the Beastman's uncoordinated strikes. It seemed like he was fighting purely out of fury and not thinking this through, if he continued on in such a manner it would be a short fight between them. "You never truly fit in with the Saiyans and you do not seem to fit here either, there is no place for you in the whole universe!" There was every intention to kill Viral here but he didn't wish to be too hasty about it. He would make the turncoat regret ever coming to Lioma, he would make Viral's demise as slow and painful as possible. And he would be the last to die of course, after all of his comrades went before him. Reaching out and trying to grab one of Viral's arms the Elite would try to pull Viral closer if successful, throwing a single, strong punch at his stomach. "Your only home is in Otherworld! Here, let me send you there!"

The good news was that as quick as the Elite might be Yumi was just as fast, able to dodge their attacks without much issue. There was the small issue however of her blows having zero effect despite feeling like they had some sizable impact behind them. She knew she was striking the man, her arm tingled every time she landed a blow and yet he showed no signs of slowing down. Worse still was the fact that he was only one of a handful of Elites sent down to Lioma, clearly the King had every intention of crushing this world. They absolutely could not lose, an entire world and its people hung in the balance here. Whether or not they were fighting for the rebels didn't matter when letting the Saiyans have their way was clearly the worst outcome. Closing the gap to get in close to the Elite, Yumi ducked beneath a swipe and jumped over a low kick, reaching down and using the Elite's leg for leverage as she stood on her hands, lifting a leg and kicking him square in the jaw. Finally some response as he reeled back on his heels, giving her a chance to follow-up as she tried to deliver another punch to his gut. In a split second she saw the man grin and knew she'd made a mistake, his hands grabbing her sides and lifting her upside down into the air, slamming her back into the ground. Dazed she was unable to do much as her leg was then grabbed and she was swung about, being thrown into a building and crashing through a wall.

Frick. Frick. Frick. Stupid telekinesis! How was anyone supposed to fight someone like this? Kabocha couldn't even get close enough to hit the damn Elite without something be hurled at him, last time having an entire vehicle launched his way. This was just getting annoying now and being unable to reach his opponent was grinding the last of his nerves. Throwing a Ki blast just to test the waters he clicked his tongue in annoyance when a beam collided with it, both blasts exploding well away from him and his opponent. He just had to manage to get near enough to hit him right? So long as the Elite could see him... Wait, so long as he could see him. Smirking, Kabocha began to run around again, dodging the rubble hurled his way as he circled around the man, biding his time. When he thought he had a good vantage he charged another Ki ball and hurled it, not at the Elite but the ground near him. The result was precisely what he hoped for as the road exploded and dust was kicked up everywhere obscuring their view of each other. Darting in immediately he went right for where the Elite had been and swung, his fist meeting flesh as the Elite was sent careening out the other end of the cloud and rolling down the road. Victory was brief however as the sound of twisting metal alerted him and he was promptly smacked aside like a fly by a floating light post, only barely keeping himself from smashing through a window. "That hurt dammit!"

-----

"It's w-worth a try! Even if I only learn a few words it's b-b-better than nothing!" If they were going to be on Kaesstra for a little while it would only help to know the language of the native people here. Not that Haku expected it to be easy, even with the scouter translating everything he could still hear them speak and T'charrl was right, the sounds they made almost sounded impossible to copy. He'd try though, he might as well given there may not be much else to do while here. Then again given everything new in the cities they were making maybe he'd be plenty busy just with tours, provided T'charrl was okay with going around seeing everything as well. He could probably go by himself but... Well something about being utterly alone on an alien world with people who didn't speak your language was a little bit intimidating. The mention of a monorail had Haku a fair bit intrigued and he followed T'charrl's father eagerly, taking in the sights as they went. Come to think of it why did people with wings need something like this? Maybe they just didn't want to have to fly themselves between cities? Or were there things in those forests that were that bad?

"We've been assured by Katas and his men that it's all very safe. They've planned for everything while building this, and I'd love to explain it to you, but... Well..." Yusef began, smiling slightly as he itched at his cheek, "I don't quite understand what he was talking about when I asked him earlier. He assures me though everything is taken care of though." Technology native to their world was one thing but all of this, technologies being introduced from other worlds, Yusef couldn't even begin to pretend to understand. He knew what a monorail did but understood nothing of how it moved, of how those rails supported such large machine and let it race underground at such high speeds. But then perhaps he wouldn't have to explain any of that himself. "If you have questions then feel free to ask the man behind the project himself," the General said, smiling as he looked down road towards Katas and a group of Kaesstrians. "Katas! How good of you to join us!"

Katas lifted his head and paused his animated discussion at Yusef's voice, and at seeing T'charrl he broke out into a run to reach the group. "So the rumors are true, our beloved Prince returns home!" he cheered, raising all four arms in greeting before folding them behind his back, "You're looking well, all things considered. And I see your father is already giving you a tour of some of our newest creations. Wonderful, don't you think? A vehicle that can travel underground and removes all threat that traveling brings. It's going to do great things in bringing our people together!"

-----

Sure Shu was a bit hit and miss with his Ki blasts but this was just throwing a ball right? Surely the little guy was good at this much! Takeshi watched with baited breath as his brother reeled up a throw and let the ball fly... Only to barely clip the corner of the game and send the ball bouncing to the ground. Well... He threw it in the right direction at least? "Uh... I mean that was really close, good for your first time, you know? But... You're supposed to hit the targets buddy," Takeshi answered with a smile, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "You know, the little round things moving back and forth, throw the ball at those. You've gotta hit them to get points for a prize." Maybe another example would be a good idea? Grabbing up the next ball he placed it in Shu's hand and grabbed his brother's wrist, helping him aim at one of the closer targets. "It helps to watch what you're looking at, then throw. And it's gonna be moving so don't throw it right at it, throw just ahead of where it's gonna be, understand? You'll never hit anything otherwise since you're always gonna be throwing behind it."

Viral had little in the way of a plan, he just wanted to destroy this man for all that he was worth. Everything that had been done here was only bringing back memories of what he had to endure, it was making him reckless and hasty in his anger. Just what were they thinking, bringing him to a place like this? It wasn’t his idea, they just wanted to send a strong warrior after the Elite because all the others were busy. If he knew what he was going to be surrounded with he would’ve refused to go. He should’ve been able to focus, but really the moment they got out he had been thrown off by everything. Maybe it was how Leto had ran out with utter disregard for the others who were behind that had first thrown him off his focus. He had tried to recover after all that, but he was back to losing all control again. Throwing his attacks with great fury he grew angrier as the man spoke, even though he usually knew better than to let words get to him. “I was taken from mine by your kind!” He shouldn’t be even talking, this man’s words shouldn’t mean anything to him. Trying to focus again he lost it when he spotted Yumi being overpowered, his arm being grabbed in the process with his only reaction being try and minimalize any reach by moving back slightly and moving his other arm to block, only that didn’t exactly work in his haste. Taking the blow at almost full force he was taken aback, appearing to be disabled for a brief moment before he threw his free fist around for the man’s face before kicking out to try and force him to back off.

If the twins weren’t going to be able to get their opponents confused and disorientated then it was going to be a pretty bad time for the pair. Their entire battle plan usually revolved around causing their opponent to become unfocused before striking, but that wasn’t happening quick enough. The other soldier was quickly coming around too to try and help his buddy, so that was a problem as well. Having the other soldier come in and now try to join his buddy was just preventing them from pulling off their battle tactic efficiently as they were soon having to put on the defence and stop their own. So these guys were supposed to be strong, they both understood that, but they had been training hard so they should be able to put up a pretty good fight too once they got a handle on it. Kabocha seemed to be having problems himself, he wasn’t really getting any further in the battle than themselves. Trying to split the men up again Kai had himself be made a primary target as Choi pulled out a little, having one soldier go for him before Choi immediately disappeared and Kai took his place. Choi was behind the previous soldier while Kai was trying to fly further away, taking the attention of both the soldiers for a moment and allowing Choi to fire a quick blast of Ki which slammed into the back of one of the distracted soldiers.

----

“I guess…I mean, I don’t know anybody who has tried to learn our language, so it’s a start…” T’charrl wasn’t really aware of how other races learned his race’s language when nobody really attempted to do so in the first place. The Saiyans had taken their language and did update their scouters and databases with it, but there was none of them that he had heard of that could actually speak it without the scouter. Maybe it was easy or maybe it was a challenge, but he wouldn’t know until somebody attempted to make something of it and try to speak it themselves. Language wasn’t really a concern for him at the moment anyway, it was more of a side thought overall. What his father was talking about and showing him was much more important, especially when he generally was cautious around technology despite travelling on a ship. He never really used the facilities on the ship unless he needed to, plus those couldn’t be compared to a mechanical beast roaming under the surface of their planet. It was scary enough having great animals who wandered underground that could pop out at any time, nevermind a mechanical one full of people that could crash. Maybe he should try and be more faithful in the engineers here, they probably knew what they were doing while he did not.

Staring at his father as he gave his assurances he sighed a little, scratching at his arm as he remained fairly cautious. “And…all that is going to be perfectly fine, hopefully…” he spoke lowly, feeling unsure about it all before he sighed. Their world was very delicate and even though it was huge, there was still caution needed when introducing new technologies that other kingdoms and previously unknown settlements would go to war over. There was always the chance that the neighbouring kingdoms were jealous of their rising technological prowess, plus it wasn’t as if their people weren’t very patient at the best of times and did often go to war. It probably wasn’t healthy for someone of his age to be so cautious about war, but he had been through a lot of it when he was growing up. Looking on from behind his father he gasped when he pointed out Katas, staring at him as he began to run on over. Watching him he slowly raised his claws, giving a brief wave before straightening himself up. “Uhhh, y-yeah he was just showing me and, uhh…it’s fairly impressive, yeah.” he spoke, looking over to the scientists briefly, “Where is it going first…? I mean, who else agreed to have this go to their place? That other King…?”

----

Shu was fairly happy to try but he still recognised how bad a shot he was. He was pretty terrible at aiming already and trying to hit a target wasn’t really accomplishing much. At least he tried and still had some of the balls left so it wasn’t that bad. Looking to his brother as if for some recognition of his accomplishment he frowned a little when not much came out of him, sighing lightly. “Oooh, did try, though”. Looking down at the next ball he squeaked when Takeshi took hold of it instead, placing it in his hand and taking hold of his wrist soon after. Staring at his hand for a moment he looked to Takeshi before in the direction he was telling him to throw in, tilting his head a little as he explained how to aim. It sounded quite complicated but he could try at least, seeing how he didn’t have much else to go by other than throw where it was going to go. “O-Okay! I try to aim…try to hit it good!” Taking his own wrist away from Takeshi’s hand he tried to take aim at the target, holding the ball carefully before he threw it, managing to hit one of the targets. “Ooh! I did it! I hit! I hit good! Yes? Good at hitting targets!”

"You were taken because you were weak! WE gave you strength, and still you failed!" the Saiyan laughed as he pulled Viral in, delivering a hard blow to his body that nearly lifted the Beastman off of his feet. For a man who was written off as dead he had a surprising amount of fight left in him as the Elite took a punch to the face, releasing his grasp on Viral's arm when kicked back. Clutching his stomach for a moment the Saiyan spit before grinning, motioning for Viral to come after him. "Good, so you can still fight. I was beginning to worry that killing you might be dull." Slamming his foot into the ground and kicking off the Elite went straight after Viral again and attempted to grab hold and drive the Beastman backwards, into and through a nearby building. If successful he'd begin to mercilessly pound on the former commander, using his Ki to enhance every single strike. If unsuccessful... Well, one benefit of being a Saiyan was the ability to use Ki, unlike those freaks of nature. He could simply wear Viral down with consecutive Ki blasts until he was unable to fight back, moving in for the kill then would be child's play.

Yumi had barely a second to gather her wits before she had to roll aside and avoid being stomped on by the Elite. Spinning onto her shoulders she kicked out and knocked the man away, springing onto her hands and again avoiding being crushed. A high kick narrowly missed his head and she arched back to avoid a strong punch that smashed apart a support beam behind her. Leaning back further she stood on her hands and wrapped her legs around the Elite's arm, pulling him along and off his feet before dragging him down onto the ground. With his arm in a lock she swung out to try and smash his chest with the back of her arm only to have it caught, leaving both her and the Elite in a deadlock. Neither could make much of a move and she considered letting go at first, the decision being made for her when a notable heat began pooling at her back. Promptly unfurling her legs Yumi just barely managed to move when a blast was unleashed, gathering Ki and throwing her own blast to retaliate. The Elite had managed to dodge by blasting the floor and sending himself skyward, to which she jumped up and grabbed hold of his leg, yelling as she yanked him back down and threw him into the rubble of the building.

So the Elite had to see him to use those freaky powers of his huh? Easy, all Kabocha had to do was somehow become invisible and then he'd win in seconds. Sputtering as he coughed up dust he peeled himself out from the rubble of the building, wondering to himself how in the world he was supposed to make that happen. He wasn't quick enough to just vanish like some fighters could which left... What? He'd used the dust as a cover once and he doubted it'd work again so he'd have to come up with another plan then. Looking for the twins he spotted them squaring off with several soldiers, smirking and waving to the Elite before darting off towards the twins. "Hey Kai! Choi! Tag out will you? Take care of this guy!" No way was he going to be able to deal with that man in a one on one, he'd have to take on someone more his speed. With all the other Elites preoccupied though that left him nothing but the regular soldiers, still a cut above from your usual fodder but hardly an Elite. Against them the typical tricks should work just fine. Darting after one of the men fighting the twins he grabbed them by the shoulder, turning them and near knocking them out with a punch square to the jaw. Ducking under a retaliatory swing he knocked the man's jaw again with the top of his head, finishing them off with a sideways swing of his arm that put the soldier down for good. Finally an opponent that wasn't going to throw shit at him, what a welcome change!

The Elite wondered why Kabocha was fleeing until he saw the two twins, promptly picking up two large pieces of rubble. If they thought numbers were going to overwhelm him then fine, let them try it. Smiling its eyes flashed yellow before both pieces shot into the air and went after Kai and Choi, each fixed on them, prepared to chase until they either hit their target or were destroyed.

-----

"Yes, it will be going to King Nema's lands first, as a proof of concept. Once other cities and kingdoms see what it's capable of though I imagine there's going to be a lot of demand for extensions. Just imagine, a safe way for our people to travel between regions! It's going to open up so much for our kind! Travel, trade, we'll be able to expand businesses, transport troops to help one another, the widespread distribution of ideas..."

Yusef smiled in amusement as Katas continued on with his ramblings, rubbing at an antennae. "Yes well... You can see Katas is very excited. It's going to be a while yet until its ready but we're getting there and already we have big plans for its use. I think next time you visit us you won't even recognize the city anymore." A lot was going to be changing for them in the coming days and the troops were going to be rather busy as a result. Katas was eager and optimistic about the changes yet Yusef had to be the realist here and prepare for the worst. Not everyone was going to be so receptive to the changes, there would be people who would no doubt try to disrupt the construction and trouble them even after it was completed.

"It's w-weird, seeing a world like this," Haku said, smiling as he looked at the tunnel's entrance, "I've always seen worlds that were already b-built, or that the Saiyans, uh... R-Ruined. But your world's building and ch-changing, it's the first time I've s-seen one that's like it. In a lot of ways."

"We're going to keep most of the world the same, it'll be the major cities that will be different," Yusef pointed out, glancing around to try and find Katas. Seeing the man talking rather animatedly with some of the workers he opted to leave the Captain be, gesturing for T'charrl and Haku to follow him again. "We won't be building further into the forests, and we'll do our best to build the tunnels where they won't disrupt anything. There might be some problems the more expansive these new ideas become... But we'll worry about that when we get there. It's all new territory for us so planning ahead isn't possible, we'll just have to do our best."

They would definitely have to come back to this world now just to see how things changed each time. Would the monorails be up by the time they returned? Would they have something else entirely? Haku wondered if T'charrl was half as excited as he was about all of these changes; T'charrl had seemed on edge about the construction, was there something to it all that he knew that none of the others didn't? Did it have something to do with spirits?

-----

"Hey, not bad there buddy! You hit one that time!" Takeshi beamed as he spoke, patting Shu on the back, "Looks like that one was... A whole 3 points. If you get 12 more then you win one of those." He referred to a stuffed toy on the board, a colorful plush of probably some native animal with exaggerated, cutesy eyes. Probably some little kid's toy and far from anything he'd care to win but it was probably something Shu would be all about. For such a doofy game with crappy prizes he was unusually excited for this. Maybe he just wanted to see Shu have fun with it and win something. Grabbing the next ball before his brother could Takeshi grinned, bouncing it in his palm and then handing it over to the younger boy. "You've got this buddy, just hit the same target you already hit and you'll win that toy."

Viral was winded, but still functioning and still able to pull off attacks with power and precision. He had grown numb to punishing blows over time and even though he could already taste blood he couldn’t care less. Managing to force the man to back off he growled lowly, lifting his fists again looking like he was almost contemplating using his claws. He was not supposed to kill while with the rebels or rather in sight of them, but he was terribly close to breaking that and was becoming very quick to becoming the killer he was trusted to avoid becoming. He just had a lot of hatred for this man, even when he wasn’t supposed to care about what he was shouting at him. Yumi would just be the kind of person to tell him that none of it mattered and that she shouldn’t listen to his obvious attempts to provoke him, but it was different than that. Watching as the man decided to immediately boost straight for him again, throwing himself forward before being caught in the tackle, his heels digging into the ground as he was forced back and threw the wall of a building. Despite the early battering he was receiving he continued to hang in there, his anger increasing with each attack he was forced to block. “I am more durable than you can ever imagine! You think I would be undone by this??” he shouted, immediately throwing his own punches through the man’s own force, “I am no longer a subject to torture and spite! There is nothing holding me back!”

Fighting these Elites would be a lot easier if they could just get a hold of one and properly humiliate them to throw them off, but instead they were being thrown off when their opponent was expecting something like the twins. Of course the Saiyans would have knowledge that the twins would be with the rebels when reports of their deaths had never been made, plus knowing that two Saiyans who looked the exact same existed was something rare enough that a quick side note could be made about them and how to fight against their techniques. It was just annoying and if they could get around that nuisance they could take out these guys easily. With both of them feeling annoyed at the circumstances when Kabocha decided he wanted to swap they were both quick to jump on the opportunity to swap, quickly pulling themselves back before vanishing from their two opponents and heading straight for Kabocha’s opponent. If this guy was as difficult as Kabocha made him out to be then they would just have to be smarter. Keeping together for a moment the rubble quickly caught their attention, both looking down at it before swapping positions in a flash, both quickly firing Ki at the debris before one of the twins vanished, the twin in front charging a Ki blast again as the other came flying down from above as he aimed a punch for the guy’s head.

----

T’charrl smiled nervously as it was all explained, not really getting into it as much as they all were. He didn’t know if it was going to be a good thing or a bad thing, whether it might be used to sneak into cities or if people were just going to use it normally to travel safely. He didn’t know how the forests would feel about it or how it might affect the creatures underneath. There was also a lot of water underground, it could prove dangerous if it shifted unexpectedly. There was a lot of factors he could think of that might be a problem while the others weren’t completely bothered, but then again they were mostly warriors and scientists who always moved forward, rarely thinking of the past. They were different from him and he was different from everyone else so naturally their views would never be the same.

Trying to remain positive despite his feelings he looked to his father as he interrupted Katas’ ramblings, letting out a brief sigh as he dropped his shoulders. “I hope I still recognise something, even if I didn’t get to see much of the surface city in my life”, he spoke, rubbing his claws together, “I don’t want to feel too alienated again…” Despite everything he was doing he still felt like the odd one out, like he wasn’t meant to fit in and was meant to keep out of everyone’s way even if it meant leaving the planet. He had felt isolated all his life so it was nothing new, just different circumstances.

Sighing a little, he looked to Haku when he gave his thoughts, staring at him for a moment before looking down the tunnel too. “I don’t feel I’ve seen enough of my own world to know how much it’s changed compared to what it was hundreds of years ago…” Looking to his father again he followed after him, looking back momentarily before to the ground as his father tried to reassure him everything was going to be fine. “It’s fine…just uhh, we should learn from history and how our advancement nearly caused our destruction. I learned that from King Nema a-and he was very knowledgeable about the subject. I just hope we don’t advance so much that we end up purging our own kind all over again…”

----

Shu was pretty hyped now that he had managed to hit something, even if it was just barely. He hoped he could accomplish this without no problem and get his prize, knowing it certainly wasn’t over. Looking to Takeshi as he told him what he had to do he looked back at the targets before to the toy, frowning a little. He didn’t know how much he had to throw to get the toy or how accurate he had to be, only that there was a chance that he would fail. Feeling pressured by his desire to get the toy and to not disappoint the others with his awful aim he focused on the target, groaning a little as he raised a ball up. “Just…hit target! Hit target and get prize…” He knew he shouldn’t be feeling this much pressure but it was definitely a lot to go for when it could be the difference between showing his happiness or having to hide his disappointment so others wouldn’t get worried or fuss over him. Concentrating as if everything depended on it he finally threw the next ball, gasping when it very much almost missed. “Ah! No, I do this! It is going to be win…” he spoke quickly, trying to watch the target before throwing another ball, getting it again. He didn’t want to be getting cocky, he just had to be calm about it and not feel too much pressure. Taking the other ball he frowned a little, looking up at the target before suddenly throwing the ball, gasping and ducking as if he made a mistake. “Did I do??”

This was just so satisfying to do. Viral had betrayed the Saiyans, he had changed sides despite their giving him power, a purpose. And having played a part in the destruction of their Beastman project there was plenty of animosity to be had, all of which the Elite was keen to unleash on him. Every blow would hurt as much as he could possibly manage, he'd be sure to break every bone before he allowed the Beastman death. Slamming full force into Viral he drove him back, smashing through a wall and into the center of a building. It just felt so good to hurt him, the damned traitor deserved every injury he took. Grinning proudly the Elite blocked the first punch, taking a second to the jaw that made him stumble and drew blood. "Except your own weakness! That will always be your downfall, you cannot compare to a Saiyan!" Catching both of Viral's punches the two men struggled to gain ground, equally matched in raw power as they pushed back against one another. "Face it, you only ever had a chance when you were our pawn! Now you're nothing again! Doomed to walk in the shadows of your betters!" Slamming his foot down into the ground he held firm, his Ki swirling violently around both of them as rubble was thrown every which way as a result. "You're nothing Viral! Nothing but a poor imitation!"

To hell with fighting a telekinesis user, the twins could have that headache. Kabocha would much rather settle for a few strong soldiers even if the numbers were working against him. In the confusion of their swapping opponents he'd already managed to knock down one but it was evident the others weren't going to be nearly as easy. Swinging at one of the soldiers he cursed when they blocked his punch and another tried kicking him, backing off and then deflecting a shot from one of their blasters. Three on one and they weren't your typical cannon fodder either, great. All three came at him at once then and he had to be on his toes to block attacks, ducking and weaving constantly to avoid being knocked around. Dodging one punch he reached up and grabbed the soldier's arm, flying up and around to wrench it behind their back before kicking them into another, throwing a Ki blast at the first's back and managing to blow apart their armor. The third however was on him in seconds and a powerful overhead kick knocked Kabocha nearly to the ground, barely stopping himself from crashing as Ki burst from behind him, the road caving slightly from the force. He had to fire another blast then to meet two attacks from the other soldiers, the three strikes colliding and causing a sizable explosion above.

Yumi had to switch her style of fighting with this man if she had any hopes of winning. But what was going to work? Striking him head on did nothing and he was fast enough to keep up with her, combined with the fact he could use Ki liberally and she was more or less in a dead match. Landing on her feet she waited for the Elite to get on his own, still trying to decide on a style to fight with. Maybe... More precise, targeted strikes? Worth a try, though she had no idea where this type of person's pressure points might be. From a solid stance Yumi began to bounce back and forth on the balls of her feet, her lands loosely curled. The Elite made the first move and came right after her, throwing a hard right hook aimed at her head. Allowing her body to simply drop Yumi flattened her hand and slammed the heel into the Elite's chest, hearing him gasp for breath and stagger slightly. Following up promptly she drove the hell of her left hand into the underside of his jaw, making him nearly topple as he staggered backwards. Dashing in for a follow up she struck the inside of the man's left arm, his shoulder and just below his left pectoral. Backing off then to avoid a swinging strike she watched as he painfully moved his afflicted arm, smiling confidently at the turn out. So that would work then, excellent.

-----

"Even if it changes it will always be our city, our home. That fact can never change. Why, do you think it was all the same from when I was a child? Or from when your grandfather was a child? Kaesstra has always been changing T'charrl, just more slowly than it is now. And we're doing absolutely everything we can to make sure those changes don't bring any harm." Their world was precious and everyone understood that from those who lived above ground to those who thrived beneath. In some ways Garesh's ideals were being recognized now with their people using technology and advancing, but they were doing so to benefit everyone. None of their developments were military in design, none of it was meant to flaunt power or to laud anything over another kingdom. Everything they were making would be shared and Kaesstra as a whole would only benefit from the developments.

"And Nema's shared those stories with us, how there used to be a lot of people like you. Those of us who could talk to spirits and spoke to the forests, there are hardly any of those left anymore because of what happened." Yusef sounded rather sad as he spoke, a rueful smile on his face as he shook his head. "Your grandmother was one of them, did you know that? I know you've spoken with her before but I don't know if she's ever told you. She had to hide what she was all of her life, and up until her dying breath she hardly told a soul. But times have changed, we'll need people like you to speak to the spirits, to make sure we aren't upsetting the balance in the world. We're being very careful but there's no way any of us can know exactly what the planet things, not without someone like you," Yusef added, smiling back at T'charrl again, "So when you do finally come home you, and others like you, will help move our people forward into the future. You'll have a place wherever you go on Kaesstra, and..." he paused, looking at Haku, "It looks like you'll have a place whenever you travel, too. I'm proud of you, my son. You're doing to do great things, I just know you are."

Viral was giving himself very little disregard and was continuing to hold strong against this man even if it meant taking a lot of damage in the process himself. He was too proud to be taken down by a worthless show boater like this man and was determined to win even if it meant taking a fair brunt of damage himself. He didn’t have Ki to block damage and act like a shield, he just had his own endurance. Throwing his own attacks back as he grew impatient, trying to gain ground against the man as he dug his heels in. Glaring at the man as they pushed against each other he tried to gain ground, keeping quiet as the man continued to belittle him and force a disadvantage on him by using Ki. Growling lowly he tensed his hold even more, lowering his head as if showing he was weakening before slowly raising up again. “That’s right…I am nothing! I am but an abomination, is that right?? An affront to nature??” he spoke before his expression changed into a wicked toothy grin, his gaze almost maddening, “If I am nothing then how come you are struggling to move me?? You’ve already done so much and yet I don’t scream…does that frustrate you? Does it frustrate you to have to use so much Ki and yet I show no pain from your attacks?” Without anything to show he was struggling anymore he simply let go of the man and slashed his claws upwards in a very sudden frenzied attack. “Does it frustrate you that I simply walked into the role of an Elite while you worked your entire life?? How does it feel for someone so weak to get into the same role as you??”

Kai and Choi felt confident that they could take on a telekinesis user better than being double-teamed themselves, throwing their way forward while using their speed to confuse their opponent. There was a very tiny chance that this guy was also telepathic, it usually didn’t work like that and even Kai and Choi had trouble using their Ki to move objects because they’d often try to lift the same object at the same time. Certain races definitely had an easier time with it and this guy was definitely one of them. He seemed pretty good at avoiding them but the twins were also good at avoiding him. He couldn’t attack both of the twins, it just wasn’t working with him. They were moving too quick, but they knew they couldn’t keep this up forever without progress. Flying back around to meet the guy they had to quickly switch again and dodge the rubble flying for them, but instead of continuing their flight Choi had managed to swing back around and punch the man in the back of the head, all followed by Kai who uppercutted him pretty quickly after, not giving the man a chance to realise what had happened.

----

T’charrl frowned, looking away from his father in embarrassment. He felt like he was having his intelligence mocked in a way, like he didn’t know much history or anything beyond what he had lived through. He was smart enough to know that, he had been told a lot but it was just technology taking over that he worried about. If people wanted the technology they were developing here they would probably invade and take it by force, capture the scientists and then they would have all sorts of trouble all over again. People could easily make the technology volatile and dangerous if they wanted to make it as such, nothing was stopping them from warping the technology. “I get that, I get that…” he muttered, shaking his head slowly, “I’ve seen more technology than you have and a lot of it was dangerous, you know…”

T’charrl kept his gaze low as his father continued to talk, disliking being reminded that he was a rarity. It just reminded him that he was different from everyone else, even those with strong Ki he was still different. Frowning at the mention of his grandmother he looked up at him, twiddling his fingers. His grandmother gave him a lot of advice but she never really told him much about herself. Not really knowing what to say to that he shuffled his feet, sighing a little as he lowered his shoulders. “But…you didn’t know someone like me even existed until I told you not long ago…” he muttered, shaking his head, “Have you…found others like me other than the King, though? I-I don’t know about doing great things, I mean…I’m practically just travelling with my friends at this point. I don’t know what great things I can do when I have so many problems I’ve not fixed but instead made worse. I don’t want to sound selfish or anything, but I don’t think I can help others much when I haven’t helped myself yet. I’ve not gotten any closer to what I need to do to help myself, so how am I supposed to help others too?”

Something wasn't right here. Viral should be dead by now, crumpling under a superior force. He had no Ki, no real training, he was something that should not exist, an abomination and a tool made by another. So why. Wouldn't. He. Die?! The Elite unleashed more Ki in an attempt to overpower Viral and found their deadlock unchanging, that no matter the energy he put out it made no difference. Gritting his teeth as he attempted to push the Beastman back he sneered as Viral began taunting back, scoffing at his absurdness. "I get something to unleash all of my fury on and I can have some fun, what is there to be angry about? I couldn't be happier you freak!" That couldn't be further from the truth however as both of them were equally matched. No, that wasn't right either. He was losing ground to Viral, but how? Trying to force himself upon Viral the Elite gasped when the hold was broken, unable to react in time as claws raked against his chest, tearing through armor and drawing blood. He took another cut to the face before he finally managed to back off, dodging about to avoid being torn to ribbons. "You're nothing to us! Inferior! A cheap imitation of life! Accept that and die already!" Taking to the air the Elite amassed two Ki blasts, one in each hand, before smashing them together and lifting it overhead, throwing the sizable attack down at Viral. "Turn to dust with this miserable planet!"

Strike them from the skies and they couldn't run from his attacks. Easy on paper but difficult in practice, as the Elite was finding. To hit an enemy with his powers he had to visually see the target, tracking two people at once was all but impossible, even with following their Ki. Not only that but they were quick, much too quick to follow with the naked eye. As a result the Elite might as well have been throwing objects around aimlessly for all the good his power was doing him. Focused on Kai he'd failed to notice Choi at his back until a hard punch nearly toppled him over, and before he'd even righted himself an uppercut took him off of his feet, laying him flat on his back. Groaning and disoriented the Elite lifted its head, raising an arm and targeting both twins. If it couldn't throw objects at them... What about throwing them instead? Trying to lock both of them in place with its energy it attempted to pull them from the air and slam them into the ground, and at the same time it reached out blindly and grabbed a large piece of rubble, hoping to smash them into the road with it. Failure at the hands of traitors wouldn't sit well with their superiors, they needed to be victorious here today. They had to kill these children no matter what.

The attacks may not be as strong or as lethal as before but at least now Yumi was getting somewhere. For its own part as well her style was clearly something the Elite had never seen before as he aimlessly swung at her, each blow being dodged as she lithely ducked in, under and around each blow. For every swing he took she answered with one of her own, aiming at what she hoped to be a vital spot. Blunt force had proved ineffective but more precise shots were now wearing him down, and a two fingered prod to the sternum even made him stumble and cough up blood. He could be beaten, it would just be tedious and the longer the fight drew on the more dangerous it became. Concerned he might be catching onto her movements however Yumi again changed her manner of fighting, dropping her guard and smirking as she teased the Elite to attack. When he took the bait she jumped over his punch, grabbing his arm and pulling it along with her behind his back. Linking her legs around his neck she used her momentum to drag him back again before releasing and throwing him to the ground, then as soon as her feet hit the dirt she spun on a heel and axe-kicked down, slamming her heel into his sternum again. She was certain she'd heard bone break there and if she continued to hit the same spot he'd be finished before long. Before she could follow up though the man yelled and his orange hairs bristled, extending and firing out like a porcupine's quills. Yumi was embedded by several as she was forced to back off, gritting her teeth as several buried themselves in her torso and legs. Moving now hurt a fair bit and he was getting back to his feet again, wonderful.

-----

"That's true... But since we've learned we're doing everything we can to find out more. From the way King Nema speaks of you it sounds like you and your kind were once highly valued in society, you were right up there with kings and queens. I don't know what made things change but we'll not be treating your gifts as curses, but instead for what they are. Gifts. And a means to keep the planet happy. And of course that won't be just up to you since there should be others, from what Nema told us. We only have to find them." But that wasn't as easy as he made it sound was it? People had been killed for having the powers T'charrl did, coercing anyone to come out of hiding after so long wouldn't be easy. And just getting others to cooperate wasn't the only issue too, what if they were struggling like T'charrl was? As his son was so apt to put it how could they help others when they couldn't even help themselves?

"W-Well... They said they were going to h-h-help you with yours first, s-so that's good, right?" Haku asked uncertainly, "A-And uh... If there are others th-then they might not have to a-ask you to do anything anyways. I bet you can just k-keep traveling with us like you have been." He certainly hoped so, it would be rather strange to travel without T'charrl after knowing him... Well, the entire time he'd been with the group. Maybe it was selfish too in wanting the Kaesstrian to stay with them since otherwise Haku couldn't see himself getting on with anyone else anyways.

"You'll be getting help long before anyone asks you to help them, my son. Renthal is busy developing ways to help with your new body, and Nema gave us plenty of texts to look into. There's a way to help but its been lost to the ages, we only have to find it again," Yusef reassured his son, smiling as he spoke, "Your spirit and you share a unique bond now and you can co-exist, but the host has to be stronger than its guest. Which is why we'll begin training soon, and while we are your mother and Renthal agreed to look into other ways to help. We've even employed Garesh to help, though... He's been about as helpful as one might expect. First time I told him we needed him to help you he laughed and told me to leave, and it was much the same for the next few visits. It doesn't seem like he'll agree without something for himself but we're trying."

Viral was welcoming the pain being brought upon him as if he was enjoying it, but it was simply taking him further away from caution as nothing else could get worse than this. This Elite wouldn’t be able to toss him around and crush him if he was already too broken to care. He was losing himself as his thoughts were clouded from the anger he was feeling for this creature of a man, but it was all something that was going to happen eventually to him. He had been holding everything away for a long time and to have one of the men who was responsible for the torture he underwent right in front of him this man was nothing but dead to him and seeing him alive and talking had to be fixed. Trying to claw him apart he watched as he made a desperate attempt to keep away from him, watching as he decided flying was the best option. Grinning widely as the man further fell into the trap of insults before thought, barking out the same old crap he thought was going to get to him all riled up some more. “You think repeating yourself is going to help??” he shouted back, raising his paws above his head as he gathered energy, “I am the perfect killing machine! You are nothing compared to me!” As the man fired a large Ki blast his way he fired his own energy at the attack, the energies colliding, exploding into an array of colours.

It wasn’t easy to be fighting like this. It took coordination and some advanced skill was needed to keep in sync, luckily they both had plenty of practice and didn’t need to worry about making too many mistakes that may jeopardise their existence. They had to stay on top of the battle if they were to get anywhere unless they wanted to be seen as the lower class Saiyans they actually were and become unable to get anywhere because they were making too many mistakes. It was the only reason they were able to compete at all and be of any interest to anyone. Right now they were fighting to stay relevant and to be able to keep up with this Elite even if it would probably be not a very long match if they decided to go one after the other. Using their ability to disorient and confuse their opponent they were managing to stay on top for now, but the Elite was soon catching up on their little plan and managed to grab them both, throwing them down to the ground. Collecting themselves after that both Choi and Kai rolled over and fired Ki out at the rubble. It was Choi who had spotted it first, otherwise they were getting into a spot of trouble. Trying to use the blast as cover Kai quickly threw Ki in the direction the Elite was last seen at, trying to give Choi enough time to get going again and hide himself away from this guy’s sight.

----

T’charrl didn’t know if speaking up about it was going to help or if he should’ve just left his father to decide what he was going to be talking about at this time. He felt like he was speaking out whenever he asked about his own needs, as if he was not placing enough faith in his family. Hearing his answer out he just told him that there wasn’t much he was able to do or knew how to help on the advice of others. It was pretty normal for him to be faced with that problem near every day. They hadn’t found others like him too on top of it all, but that wasn’t their fault. He still felt pretty alone, but that wasn’t their fault. All this was just making him feel depressed, it just wasn’t working well for him at all. Sighing a little he looked to Haku when he decided to give his opinion, tilting his head a little before looking away, scratching at his knuckles. “I guess…I mean, I still want to travel, but it wasn’t as if I was asked to do much in the first place…” he spoke, shaking his head, “I’ve never really been asked to do much at all”.

Looking to his father again he soon looked away again rather quickly, feeling embarrassed that his body was being investigated. He didn’t like that kind of image of them working out what was wrong with his body behind his back, he felt better when they were there looking over him while he was here. They didn’t pay enough attention of the orbs on him to have it not come up in a topic that started with ‘I was wondering what are those’ or something similar. He wondered what Renthal was busy researching if it wasn’t a concern first, like what else they had noticed that was different other than the fact he could change size and shape. He was just feeling all sorts of embarrassed and worried now, even though he didn’t know if anyone would be able to find out anything at all by the time he left again. If he came back sooner rather than later he didn’t know if everything was going to change even more and yet research about him and his kind was still minimal to non-existent. He just didn’t have a single good thought in his head, but he knew it was nobody’s fault but his. “Garesh…? But…o-of course he’s not going to talk. Why would he want to? He knows stuff but he won’t say because of the obvious reasons…” he spoke before sighing, shaking his head, “I know everyone’s trying, but…it just feels hopeless. I’m supposed to be wise for my age, but I’m barely managing to be that. I don’t know how to be a Prince anymore with this going on. Training is fine…but that feels like the only thing I have that’s going to work for me…”

Viral was nothing compared to him, nothing compared to the might that was the Saiyans. No one could ever hope to match their unbridled strength or sheer natural talent for combat, certainly not some cheap imitation. "You are a failed machine Viral, nothing more! A discarded memory caught in his own delusions!" the Elite shouted back, laughing as he fired a Ki blast to the ground, intending to engulf the Beastman in the explosion. The blast nearly met its mark too before another energy struck it and held it in place. Where was that blast coming from?! Realizing the rest of the traitors were still engaged in combat the Elite came to the shocking realization that Viral was using energy of his own, and it somehow equaled his. Gritting his teeth as the beams collided, smashing and causing bursts of brilliant color, the Saiyan tried to push more power through his attack. The resulting clash of their blasts was causing the air around them to heat up rapidly, the sky above them shifting as a result. Clouds were parted and the smoke previously obscuring the sky began to clear, giving way to brighter sunlight. And with the stronger sun now came a stronger push against his own blast, slowly losing the tide of the struggle.

"I-Impossible! How are you doing this!?" Slowly but surely his Ki was being pushed back no matter how much energy he poured into it; the sun was doing something and it was making Viral's power increasingly more powerful. "You're a rodent, filth! You cannot be stronger than us! It's inexcusable! Die!" With one last push the Elite flooded his blast with as much Ki as he could muster, his jaw dropping in shock as Viral's blast pushed through regardless. Unable to dodge he barely lifted his arms in time to block and was engulfed in a searing heat, taking the full brunt of the attack as it exploded around him. Before the smoke had even cleared he fell from the sky, slamming into the ground with a pained groan: arms were charred and bloodied, face was half burned, his armor all but melted away and one leg burned in several places. Breathing raggedly the Elite struggled to push himself up to his feet, barely managing before he stumbled forward and collapsed again, glaring up at Viral. "Impossible... You... You can't be that strong... There's no way..."

Yumi had gotten an advantage briefly when she'd changed tactics but now that was disappearing. Mobility was limited by the quills sticking out of her and the Elite was now much more cautious with his attacks, trying to bait her into making a mistake and leaving herself open. Each step sent a pain racing down her leg as her muscles contorting and relaxing shifted the quills, and she was fairly certain one in her torso had just barely missed her lungs. Dashing backwards to avoid an overhead kick from the Elite she reached up and pulled the quill from her chest, gasping in pain before throwing it at the man and missing by a few inches. With Ki in her palm she hurled a blast at him as he charged her down, clicking her tongue when he dodged by ducking beneath it. Again he tried to grab a hold of her but she evaded by jumping up and over him, or nearly did as he grabbed her by the ankle. Flailing awkwardly she could do nothing as she was dragged back down and slammed into the ground, being lifted again and slammed on the opposite side. Nearly smashed a third time she barely managed to break free by throwing a Ki blast in the man's face, being dropped and quickly kicking out, smashing her heel into his leg and bringing him down to one knee. Everything hurt as she got up again but she forced herself to take a leap forward, her left leg cocked back as her whole body contorted, swinging her full weight behind a kick that connected with the side of the Elite's head.

The sound of bone crunching and breaking was the first thing Yumi noticed when her kick connected. The second was that it was not her own, a welcome relief. When she looked at the Elite however she saw she'd missed his head and instead struck his arm, clearly breaking the limb but sparing him paralysis, or perhaps even death. The limb fell limply to his side and she tried to capitalize and kick again but her leg was caught this time and she was swung aside, being tossed into the rubble as the Elite threw a blast after her, reducing the stone around her to dust. Coughing as smoke and dirt filled her lungs Yumi unleashed Ki around herself to clear the air, trying to search out the Elite's Ki signature. When it suddenly appeared right before her she tried to react in time and throw a Ki blast at him, failing as he dropped a knee into her stomach that made her yell out in pain, losing her focus and the Ki in the process. Feeling a massive hand clasp itself around her skull she was lifted off of the ground again, slammed back down before being lifted again. Everything hurt and her head felt like it was going to break, her hands numbly reaching up and trying to pry off the hand. His grip was tightening and her skull threatened to give way beneath his strength, her screams soundless as she fought to get free.

Viral was putting all his power into his retaliation, forcing the man to rethink his decision to assume it was all going to be easy. It was always the same that he faced, that his opponent would completely underestimate him all because they couldn’t tell how strong he was from the lack of Ki. He had trained long and hard to keep on top of everybody and yet nobody ever took heed of him and his ability to keep up. Even through all the pain and struggling he was determined to keep up even when it seemed impossible. He knew he shouldn’t be using his energy too much, it was his life force he was firing each time, but so long as the sun continued to exist in the sky he was going to be able to replenish it. The one advantage he had over this man was the underestimating he was doing and was very quick to think he wouldn’t be able to stand on his own. The King was right to had been concerned about the loss of him on their side, he was stupid to had listened to this guy and the others who thought it was best to just forget about him and expect him to be eliminated. He was must stronger than many normal soldiers, they had no right to think of him as a small time fighter they could easily dismiss.

As his blast tore its way through the Saiyan’s attack and practically destroyed the smoky atmosphere he held steady, pushing through until he could force no more energy out. The danger to him had passed and all he was left with was a gift that definitely satisfied him. The Saiyan didn’t know how to counter him at all, his Ki had been completely overridden by the power of his energy and he was left looking fairly terrible. Grinning widely he approached the falling Saiyan, watching as he landed crudely on the ground looking like he was in a right state. It was glorious, seeing how far this creature of a man had fallen already. “What…is it that you possibly underestimated me…? Thought of me as weak? Pathetic ape…” he spoke before kicking at the man’s head after his failed attempt to move, “You can’t even begin to understand the power within my very being! You think your King was right to take advice from you to abandon me?? I was created to destroy scum like you! What do you live for…?”

As in the moment as he could be right now he was slowly taken out of it as a certain someone’s energy levels were beginning to diminish, his eyes being dragged away from the man and off to where Yumi was fighting. She had managed to face off against her opponent fine, but now she was being assaulted in the worst fashion. With an angry growl he instead abandoned the man and race for Yumi, his paw briefly going to his side before he swung his arm around, his foot pressing forward as he skidded into a stance before suddenly throwing a bomb of pure energy with his aim being for behind the Elite. He was supposed to be watching out for Yumi too, but he had become too distracted in his short space of madness and almost had her killed in the process.

Impossible. A half-breed, someone who was nothing more than a mere copy, an artificial life form. How could something like that possibly be stronger than a Saiyan?! Even as he lay here, half his body burned and beaten, he refused to accept the reality. Saiyans were the ultimate warriors and were second to no one, certainly not some... Manufactured, discarded creation of some mad scientist. "You are weak! One lucky blast does not make you a great warrior!" the Elite shouted, sneering as he tried fruitlessly to get up, lifting himself up with his one good arm. Groaning as Viral kicked him in the head he rolled over in the dirt, coughing out blood as he lay sprawled on his back. "Haha... Ha... Your power? Your power is stolen, none of it is your own," the Saiyan shot back, groaning as he tried to roll over and get up again only to collapse on his front. "None of your DNA is your own, you're a copy, that's all. Ironic that you boast of your own strength... When the reality is, you have none." And for all his supposed power he would still never be the hero, he'd never be able to overcome the might of the Saiyan empire.

"You fought well, traitor. Now die." Her skull would give soon and she'd die, the first of many on Lioma that would fall. The King's order was to wipe the planet clean and start anew, and anyone on the world would fall under their wrath. Seeing Yumi go limp and cease her struggling the Elite smiled, his sharp teeth flashing in a vicious grin as he dropped her onto the ground. Not dead yet but passed out, just one blow would finish the job. Taking aim he gathered Ki and prepared to fire down upon her, aiming to wipe her completely out of existence. Then there was an explosion behind him, sudden and without any signal as it tore apart the ground and lifted him off of his feet, throwing him several feet away. He was utterly disoriented and smashed into a ruined car on the far side of the road, falling to the ground and laying there for a moment. What had hit him? That was no energy was it? Getting up slowly the Elite noticed Viral was near Yumi now, his partner who had been fighting the traitor nowhere to be seen. He... He hadn't beaten them, had he?

"Impressive... You have more fight than we thought," the Elite said as he got to his feet, looking down at Yumi's fallen form, "Seems I'll have to wait to finish her off, I'll have to deal with you first." If he'd been capable of defeating the Saiyan then something was very wrong here, he shouldn't be strong enough to do that. When they had last seen Viral he might as well have been falling apart at the seams, only the collar was managing to keep him together. Had they helped him recover? Slowly moving around and towards Viral he flexed his claws, trying to think of how best to attack. It seemed that Viral was trying to protect Yumi, perhaps he could use that against her. Placing a hand behind his back and gathering Ki the Elite smiled, throwing a blast directly at the fallen fighter as he jumped back at the car, reeling back and kicking out, knocking the ruined vehicle towards them as well.

Viral knew where his strength lay, he had earned it through intensive training and pushing his endurance to its limit. He was just trying to get to him with those quips and insults to put him down, he didn’t know what he was talking about. He wasn’t a copy, there was nothing like him, even the other Beastmen that had been created. He wasn’t like a Saiyan, he wasn’t like a human either nor was he a beast. His DNA was an amalgamation of different creatures, of course it wasn’t anything unique when you pulled it apart. He just had to keep telling himself that, he was created and everything about him had a plan in mind. His power was his own, he had trained hard to accomplish everything he had. Just who was he to tell him what was and wasn’t his? He would have to teach him a lesson on power later, he had to save Yumi from that disgusting Elite, he couldn’t allow her to fall to that thing.

Approaching her after throwing the energy bomb he growled lowly in frustration of being unable to stop her from getting into that state in the first place. He had been selfish, trying to find an excuse for him to be able to loosen up completely and yet it had caused him to overlook the condition of his teammates. Bending down beside Yumi he checked over her briefly before setting his eyes on the Elite, glaring at him as he decided he wanted to sound like a bigshot too. Just typical, it was the same with all these guys all spouting crap while trying to sound like they were still on top of everything. He would just have to destroy them both, he would just have to figure out how before he lost his mind. Getting ready to take on the Elite he was very quick to notice when things were not coming his way, but rather Yumi’s way as he noticed the eyes of the Elite were on Yumi instead as he fired a Ki attack. Making a brief leap in front of Yumi he batted the Ki blast away with a backhand but had to immediately react to the sight of a car being tossed his way. Raising his arm to form a quick shield he found it almost throwing him back from the force, his energy not entirely useful at blocking physical objects as well as the pain from earlier making it harder for him to take it through endurance. Looking back briefly as the car had bounced further away from them he growled before immediately racing towards the Elite, leaping at him to try and force him down to fight him. “Fight me head on you filthy coward!!”

Should he fight Viral head on? It wasn't a question of whether or not the former commander was powerful, everyone knew he was. He wasn't some Saiyan that was blinded by his pride and tried to act big, he knew full well the risk of a fight with Viral. He'd have to find a way to make the Beastman make a mistake then and try and capitalize on it, underhanded but the only way to go. Throwing a Ki blast at the already wounded Yumi he then kicked a wrecked vehicle their way as well, watching as it was all for naught as it ricocheted off of an energy shield. Of course it wouldn't be that simple, why would it be? And just like that he was being assailed as Viral dashed across and was upon him, throwing fists that he was narrowly able to dodge. While perhaps not as quick as Yumi was each blow carried much more punch behind it, enough so that the very air around Viral's fists felt like they heated up. Being hit would spell disaster, he had to keep avoiding them and wait for an opening.

"After what you did to him? Not likely. I won't be as foolish as he was," the Elite answered, dashing backwards and into a building as Viral narrowly missed pummeling him again. From inside the building he gathered two Ki blasts and threw the first out of a lower window, flying through a hole in the upper floor and throwing the second out of the second story. Keep his distance until there was a clear way to win, that's all this would take. Using the cover of the explosions he burst out of the building and tried to land a blow on Viral, flying out behind him and swinging around a leg at the back of his head, hoping to cripple him in a single, powerful strike.

Moving hurt, thinking hurt, breathing hurt. Yumi's entire being hurt right now yet she still tried to move and get up as she heard fighting continue on around her. Unable to stand she'd gotten as far as rolling over and getting onto her knees, her vision blurry as she tried to pick out how everyone was faring. The twins were winning their duel, she could see rubble flying around and missing as they pummeled their opponent. Kabocha and Leto were making relatively easy work of the soldiers too, that much was taken care of. It was only Viral and the Elites that had her concerned, could she really just let him fight both on her own. Looking around she spotted the Saiyan a ways off, still on the ground and probably staying there for a while, judging by his burns. So just the man she'd fought then, where was he? Two Ki blasts drew her attention towards a building and she watched worriedly as he darted out following them, trying to attack Viral in the process. Gathering her own energy Yumi waited for the man to stop moving before hurling a blast at him, managing to catch him in the back just as he'd appeared and knocking him away. She couldn't move but she could still fire, she'd make sure Viral wasn't caught unawares.

Viral was placing his health in a rather precarious position with how hasty he was becoming, his focus being at the bare minimum with his largest aim being to beat down these Elites through any means. Throwing his punch he growled as he instead missed, landing heavily on his feet as he watched the Elite dash away to remove themselves from the area, taking shelter in a building. Growling lowly he chased after him, but noticing the blast he had to instead swipe his paw at it to block it as it exploded in his face. Holding his ground, he had his paws raised as he noticed yet another blast out above him. Now he was definitely starting to get angry again, this Elite was proving to be a bigger pain than the other, even though one had managed to pummel him more. He was equally furious at the pair of them.

Looking around for the Elite again he spun around when his senses kicked up, spotting the strike but unable to really act as a Ki blast fired out at him, blasting the Elite away. Looking to where it came from he noticed Yumi was kind of moving around, not much but still moving around. She didn’t need to help him, she wasn’t supposed to after nearly dying like that. “Don’t help me when you are barely able to move!” he shouted at her, looking borderline furious to see her even trying to help, “I can handle him myself! You just concentrate on helping yourself!” She was out of it a second ago so her moving and drawing attention to herself was just going to make her the target again. He needed to do this himself to protect her, he needed to win. Heading straight for the Elite again he went in for the attack once more, aiming to try and drive the man into the ground and keep him there so that he may destroy him for good. With Yumi drawing attention to herself showing off the fact that she wasn’t unconscious still he was even more stressed to succeed, knowing he could no longer distract others from her presence successfully. With a larger goal now, he tried to fight head on rather than use his energy again, even with the sun’s presence. He was going to endanger himself further by constantly using it unless necessary and right now he could put up a fight even if he had to chase his opponent into the ground.

Huh, so much for Yumi being beaten by his partner. Though it did look like throwing errant blasts would be the extent of what she could do as she lay there on the ground all but broken. He'd have to deal with Viral and then her, and by then he should have time to handle the remainder of their ragtag group too. Being blown away the Elite tried to stop himself by reaching down and grabbing the ground, flipping himself over and landing on his feet just in time for Viral to pounce on top like a wild animal. Going to the ground he grit his teeth and took a hard blow to the side of the head, reaching up and catching his fist with a scowl. "You don't even know why you fight us, other than you're told to. You know what the Empire is trying to do so why do you resist it?" he questioned, catching the other fist and struggling to hold Viral back. For all of his own strength it appeared that Viral might be even stronger still, somehow having gained immense power since their last meeting. "You and your friends are fools, you'll doom everyone. The Saiyans are the only answer to this threat, stop resisting us!"

With his hands occupied the Elite could do little as Viral smashed a knee into his gut, losing his grip on the fists and taking another strong blow to the head. Promptly the Elite's arms rose up to cover his head as the blows continued to come and he tried to think of a way out of the mess he now found himself in. If they stayed like this then there was no two ways about it, he'd be crushed by Viral. While unable to strike back with his own hands now there was a way he could retaliate, and it was all but guaranteed to hit Viral at this range. Absorbing another blow to his arm the Elite glanced through them and sneered at the Beastman as his fur bristled, firing off quills from his forearms at the man attacking him. At the very least it would force Viral to back off, and there was a good chance he would be struck quite a few times given their proximity. If Viral still would not cease after that he would try to kick him off and get some distance, clearly being in a brawl like this wasn't going to end well.

Viral wasn’t going to simply let Yumi place herself in danger’s way by throwing out attacks, he could handle himself. It drove him mad to be given help all the time when he never asked for it, like he wasn’t going to be able to stop himself from losing without them. He didn’t need or ask for help, he was fine by himself. If he got injured then that was it, he didn’t care. Going straight in for the attack, managing to get in an attack but was still stopped in his tracks. He wasn’t taking the Elite lightly, he was fighting him with all he could for now until he could find a proper opening to destroy him with. Holding his own pretty hard he pushed forward even as his attacks were halted, glaring at the Elite as he spoke before simply continuing his attack. Both these Elites seemed insistent on talking to him, but this one sounded less like he wanted him to die and more like he was questioning his rebelling. It was always going to be the same with these Elites and their King, it was amusing in itself the thought that they even cared that much about him to want to insult him and tell him he was wrong for abandoning them.

Managing to get the upper hand momentarily he tried to force his way through the blows some more, he was finding that he was now starting to win. The offensive was definitely much more suitable than defensive, now he just needed to defeat this thing for them to move on. Moving to force a defence break he went for the harder swing only to get caught in a blast of quills that would’ve pierced his skin no matter whether he was blocking or not. Growling lowly he jumped back, pulling at the quills before looking at the Elite, grinning a little. “What, can neither of you handle fighting me without dirty tricks? I haven’t even had the chance to show off my own tricks!” Forcing the quills out like they meant nothing to him he tossed them to the side. “You are right though; I do just do what I’m told, just like you. The only difference between you and me is who gives us our orders. I know what the Empire is trying to do…I was a part of it for long enough…but how will decimating other planets help alleviate the threat?? I’ve been to their realm…it makes no difference changing the shape of our realm to combat them! I resist because I know better…or is ‘knowing’ something you’re incapable of doing yourself? It truly is pathetic…you are truly pathetic. You don’t even know what you fight for so you get bored and go on power trips. What you’ve afflicted upon me is nothing compared to what I’ve felt before! It really is pathetic if you’ve got nothing left in you other than empty words and cheap shots…”

Unbelievable, how had Viral gotten his strength back so quickly? They had anticipated Rebel interference on Lioma to be sure and had planned for the worst, but this? The Beastman shouldn't be as strong as he was, the collar's removal should have crippled him beyond repair. So how then was he fighting with such fury? Forced into a corner the Elite had no choice but to discharge more quills from his body, relieved when Viral ceased the pounding and he had a chance to get up. A dull throb in his skull, one eye slightly swollen shut, his chest ached and one of his arms was nearly dislocated. Reaching up and popping the limb back into place he frowned as Viral began spouting nonsense, scoffing before shaking his head.

"And who will defend the planets who cannot defend themselves? You? The rebels?" the Elite fired back skeptically, "Korian 'liberates' worlds then leaves them vulnerable, he's hurting them. Sacrifices must be made to ensure as many people survive as possible and that's what we're doing, we're trying to protect as many as we can. I know what I fight for, Viral, do you?" The Saiyan's methods were without a doubt vicious, he would never argue that. He and his own had been on the receiving end of their attacks until he and a handful of others agreed to conscription, in exchange their world was protected. The Rebellion had no such offers, they simply wanted to undo whatever the Saiyan empire had established. Fools, they were dooming the worlds that would be saved. As for worlds like Lioma, worlds that threatened to unravel everything they had worked for, well, this was what they got. It was what they deserved for threatening everyone so callously.

"The only thing that is pathetic is you, Viral. You've fought for both sides, committed atrocities and still claim to be a better man? I know what I do and I do not always agree with it," the Elite continued, wiping blood trickling down his eye with the back of his hand, "But at least I have been loyal to one cause, and everything I do is to ensure a better future. And I will not allow you to endanger everyone because you believe your path is the only way." Against Yumi his speed had become ineffective, but against Viral he might have a little more luck. The commander was powerful but not the quickest, so long as he could outpace the Beastman he would be victorious. Lowering himself down slightly he let his Ki channel through his body and to his legs, the muscles in which tensed before bulking out as they gained mass and strength. Then, with a single kick off the Elite dashed across the way at Viral and attempted to deliver a single powerful punch, using the momentum of his run to send the Beastman flying.

Yumi had heard Viral loud and clear but that didn't make abiding by his wishes any easier. He probably would win against the Elite on his own but there was always a chance something went wrong too; Viral could die if he made the slightest mistake. Unable to live with herself at such a prospect Yumi struggled to get off of the ground, getting to all fours and trying to follow the fighting before her, hoping she could get an opening. Seeing the Elite kick off and charge down her friend she attempted to gather Ki and blast him away again, gasping and instead falling back to the ground as something pulled her leg out from under her. Rolling onto her back she saw the other Elite grabbing and holding onto her, kicking down and hitting him in the face until he let go. Trying to crawl away then she let out a yelp as he threw a Ki blast into her back, collapsing again and staying against the floor for a good moment. Her body just wouldn't listen to her, no matter how much she pushed her arms felt as heavy as steel beams, no amount of sheer willpower was going to get her up. To make matters worse her leg was grabbed again while she was down and she was lifted up, hanging upside down haplessly as the Elite held onto her.

"If you think we're so easily beaten..." the Elite began, sneering as he drove a hard knee into Yumi's stomach, "Then you're bigger idiots than we thought! I'll teach you to underestimate us!" Lifting her higher still he laughed as her face crumpled in pain from the strike earlier, throwing another punch at her face and dropping her in the process, kicking out and kicking her away as she fell to the ground. "You're nothing against the might of the Saiyan empire, nothing but dust in the wind, insects beneath our feet! Let me send you off to Otherworld, it's the only thing that can still be done for someone as pitiful as you."

Viral couldn’t find the logic in it, there was nothing good that could come out of this and everything that was happening on this planet told that story pretty well. He was a witness to the atrocities committed, he was part of all that as the Elite said, but seeing partly what those monsters could do told him it was pointless to purge. He wasn’t in the wrong for seeing that, especially when this planet had been fairly loyal to the Saiyans before with soldiers. He needed answers, but it seemed the Elite barely had any himself. Growing in frustration already he narrowed his eyes at the question, flexing his claws. “What I fight for…I don’t fight for the rebels…” He had no choice when it came to the rebels or not. If he didn’t do what they asked of him he wouldn’t be welcome, not after all he had done while showing little regret to it all. He wasn’t like any of them, he didn’t agree with how they did things and Korian was looking for any excuse to throw him in jail even if the others opposed it. The others could protest, but eventually Korian would prove that he was right.

The fact was nobody knew what path he was taking and was all simply assuming he was allied with the rebels. He barely knew where he wanted to go in life either, he was just riding the wave with no destination hoping things would get better for him. Nothing was going better, he was stuck in a state of monotony and struggling and it was driving him mad. He was constantly being forced into war even after being told he didn’t need to suffer anymore. He was completely losing his mind the longer he was here being taunted, the longer he remained in the warzone. He was supposed to be strong, he wasn’t supposed to be falling for these taunts and questions. Trying to find his focus again he growled as he noticed the Elite was powering up, but it was already too late as he tried to block the punch and found it to be impossible as he held no weight against the ground and went flying off his feet.

Going flying back he was stunned after the punch, crashing through the wall of a building until he finally stopped in a pile of rubble. He was durable but hardly as durable as someone who could create a Ki aura to block the damage. He was doing the right thing, all of this was for a just cause and he was in the right. To fight for nothing was to make life pointless, especially for him. He had nothing if only his ability to fight and protect and if he could do none of that then there was nothing. The sounds of battle still continuing outside continued to ring through his head, he had to get out there again and keep fighting before it was all gone. He couldn’t let that Elite steal his purpose away from him, he couldn’t fail this war.

Slowly pushing his body off the rubble he stood with an arched aching back, his body already having sustained a lot of damage but his ability to fight still going. Growling lowly he looked up and out of the ruins, but what he spotted was only going to make him furious. He saw Yumi being beaten once again, the Elite taking pride in what he was doing as he mercilessly punched and kicked her. As if each kick made was projected onto him instead his usual focus crumbled away too, his anger rising and his mind being thrown right out the window. Making a sudden wild dash he ran straight for the Elite, his claws bared as he went straight for him. “I’ll tear your face off!!” he shouted wildly, his expression maddened as if going savage.

"Who is right or wrong doesn't matter anyways, what matters is that as many people survive as possible," the Elite shouted towards the building, frowning as he waited for Viral to return, "The King can ensure that, you rebels just run around trying to give these people 'freedom', but it's that freedom that will kill them. You were in our ranks, are you so blind to that obvious truth?" Had the Beastman slipped away after being struck? No, he'd always been the sort to go head on, stealth or surprise attacks had never been a tactic of Viral's. Furrowing his brow after a moment of silence the Elite's head swiveled when he heard stone crumbling, watching a beleaguered Viral climb out of the rubble, presumably to keep fighting. Of course he wouldn't go down easily, as much was to be expected from a former commander. Charging a Ki blast to try and bury him again he fired, and no sooner had he fired did the Beastman rush forward, a wild look pasted on his face. "What?!" Aiming to defend himself the Elite watched instead as he was ignored, turning his head and watching as Viral went for his partner instead. "Look out!"

"Pathetic... Utterly pathetic," the Elite muttered, sneering as he pressed his boot down atop Yumi's head, "Why the King ever wasted time on you is a mystery, you're nothing compared to us." And now what was his partner screaming about? Tearing his gaze away from Yumi the Elite's eyes widened seeing Viral before him, his mind unable to react in time as he was slashed across his face. One eye was immediately blinded and deep gouges were left as he stumbled away, screaming in pain as he covered his face. "You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll tear your insides out!" he screamed furiously, peering through his fingers with one good eye. Before he'd even had a chance to retaliate however he was knocked clean off of his feet, a chorus of pained grunts and shouts as he was assaulted wildly by Viral. Trying to lift his arms to protect his head he winced as claws dug into his flesh, only finally being given relief when his partner at last knocked Viral off of him. Partially blinded and some parts torn to literal ribbons the Elite groaned and blindly tried to move away, unsure of where he was even going at this point and only caring that it was as far from Viral as he could get.

Viral had been so close to defeat and yet somehow he'd managed that attack? How? There almost didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what he'd done either and it had been comparable to a wild animal charging its prey. Watching the Beastman warily the Elite frowned at his expression, something was very clearly amiss here. "You're nothing more than a wild animal, Viral. The king tried to tame you and he failed, there's no hope for you or your friends." With Ki in both hands the Elite threw both blasts at the Beastman, backing off promptly to avoid being torn apart as his partner had been. Why wasn't he just lying down and accepting his fate? That even if they somehow won here on Lioma it was all for naught? The Saiyans weren't going to be stopped, not by them or anyone else. It was a futile fight they were taking part of.