cornbringer

Dragon Ball Z: The Beast Within - CH15

Added 2025-02-17 18:45:44 +0000 UTC

[Escarot POV.]

I began experimenting with Ki after my training with Nail. In what little free time I had.

I had multiple reasons to do this, but mainly… I wanted to have an Ace under my sleeve, in case Slug was more than we could handle straight up.

So here I was, experimenting.

If Ki was energy, and it flowed as such, then… there had to be a way to increase the flow of energy, in turn, increasing my power.

Even if said increase was momentary.

I mean, the Kaio-ken existed.

So, there was a way to push past normal limitations.

But how?

I sat cross-legged on a boulder, palms facing upward. I focused, gathering Ki into my hands, watching the soft glow pulse between my fingers. Normally, I let it rise slowly, evenly, like pouring water into a cup. But what if I… forced it?

I clenched my fists.

Nothing happened.

Okay, maybe forcing wasn’t the right path. It wasn’t just about more energy, maybe it had to be faster, the kaio-ken looked fast, right?

Nodding to myself, I took a deep breath and focused again, this time trying to increase the flow rate, like turning a faucet from a trickle to a rush.

The energy spiked; for a second. A flash of warmth shot through my arms, but then it faded. It wasn’t stable.

“That didn’t work…” I muttered.

Shaking my head, I tried again.

This time, I pushed harder, pulling Ki from deep inside me and forcing it outward in one go.

A sudden burst of power surged through my body; my vision blurred, my heart pounded against my ribs, and for half a second, I felt… powerful. My muscles tensed, every part of me felt alive.

Then, just as fast as it came; it was gone. My limbs shook, and I barely caught myself from falling forward.

I sat there, panting. “I… think I’m heading in the right direction.”

That was certainly different.

But it was also pretty painful.

I rubbed my arms. My muscles ached, like I had just sprinted at full speed without warming up. If I had pushed harder, would I have injured myself?

Probably…

So, increasing the flow rate of Ki worked; but there was a limit. If I forced too much at once, I would probably tear myself apart.

But maybe… maybe that was one of the kinks I had to iron out?

I mean, If my body couldn’t handle the increase, then I needed to adapt to it. Strengthen myself, train my endurance, condition my body to handle heavier loads of energy.

That sounded right.

I think…

This was all new to me.

Snorting, I stood up.

One more time.

I gathered my Ki, but this time, I didn’t just release it. I held it back, let the pressure build before suddenly unleashing it.

BOOM.

The ground beneath me cracked. My vision flickered. I felt faster, stronger, but it only lasted a second before my legs buckled and I collapsed to one knee, sweating. My heartbeat slamming in my ears, painfully.

I gasped for breath. “Holy fuck…” My body wasn’t ready for this.

I think I pulled every muscle, and some.

But I was close.

I learned a few things today.

This wasn’t just about increasing Ki flow. It was about control. Timing, and Endurance. If I could find the balance between release and restraint, I could… theoreticaly, if I didn’t blow myself up… maintain this state without burning out instantly.

I grinned to myself.

This was going to take a lot of practice.

But I was onto something.

And I wasn’t stopping now.

I really hoped King Kai didn’t copyright his move.

Now… if I succeeded, and I would. How should I name my technique?

“Overclock?” I muttered, immediately hating the name, though if I had been an android, it would’ve been a cool name for a technique. ““Maybe I should ask Nail. Then again… He’d probably call it something like ‘Ki Reinforcement’ or ‘Battle State’—practical, but lame.”

Okara maybe?

No…

She would call it something like, Ultra Murderous Killing Bloody Decapitation mode.

—------------------------------------------------

[Okara POV.]

I was angry.

No, scratch that—I was pissed.

At him.

Escarot.

That smug, tail-wagging bastard.

He had promised to train me. Promised. And instead of keeping his word, he handed me off to a bunch of Namekians while he ran off to do his own training.

I mean, sure, these Namekians were stronger than me. And yeah, I was learning new stuff—actual techniques, proper form, things that went beyond just throwing punches until one of us couldn’t stand anymore.

But that wasn’t the point.

I wanted to train with him. Not these green, weird-voiced, water eating, antenna-having—

I stopped mid-thought, blocking a kick aimed at my ribs. The force pushed me back, my boots dragging against the dirt, but I held my ground.

The Namekian in front of me—Rend, or something like that—nodded approvingly. “Better. But you hesitated.”

I scowled, shaking out my arms. “I blocked it, didn’t I?”

“You did,” he admitted. “But you reacted instead of anticipating. You need to sense the attack before it comes, not after.”

Tch. That was the problem with these guys. They fought different. No scouters, just… feeling the fight. It was weird. But they seemed to know what they were doing most of the time.

So, I didn’t hate it.

But I still wanted to fight Escarot. That smug bastard.

I had been training like crazy ever since we got to this weird, empty, water-covered planet. I was stronger than when we first arrived—way stronger. And I wanted to prove it.

To him.

Not to these guys.

But no. He was too busy training with the big strong Namekian.

I grit my teeth, my tail flicking behind me in irritation.

Fine.

If he wanted to ignore me, I’d just have to get strong enough that he couldn’t ignore me.

—-------------------------------------------------------

[Paragus POV.]

I stepped into my quarters, rolling my shoulders, still sore from my latest mission. Four months off-planet, and the first thing I saw when I returned?

Tomat.

She sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed, tail flicking lazily. Still armored, still looking as fierce as the day I first laid eyes on her.

I smirked. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I didn’t expect to be here,” she shot back. “But apparently, being pregnant means you can’t do shit.”

I blinked. Then grinned. “So, we’re having another cub.”

“Yeah, seems like it.”

I chuckled, stepping further inside, peeling off my gloves. Another cub. Huh.

Tomat didn’t strike me as the motherly type—not by Saiyan standards, anyway. She wasn’t the soft or gentle kind. Then again, neither was I.

But she was strong.

I still remembered our first meeting. How she had tried to kill me, despite knowing I was stronger than her.

Hell, she still tried to kill me at least once a month whenever we were on the planet together.

At that moment, back then, I knew—she was the Saiyan for me.

“So,” she said, tilting her head. “Where’s our first cub?”

I smirked. “He was personally assigned a mission by King Vegeta.”

I was proud of my cub.

Tomat raised a brow. “Really?”

I nodded, arms crossed. “A mission for Lord Beerus himself.”

She let out a short chuckle. “And here I thought I was actually going to meet him.”

I frowned slightly. “You still haven’t?”

“Please,” she scoffed. “I spent months off-planet before they shoved me back here because of this.” She gestured vaguely at herself. “By the time I returned, he was already gone.”

I considered that for a moment. It was true—she’d been on an assignment when Escarot had first emerged from his pod. She had never actually seen him.

I smirked. “He takes after you, y’know.”

Tomat snorted. “So, he’s a pain in the ass?”

I chuckled. “Something like that.”

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed as I watched Tomat stretch.

"Have you thought of any names for our future cub?" I asked. I had named our first cub, so it was only fair she had the honor of naming our second.

"A few," she said, stifling a yawn. "Shallot, Beetok, and Broly."

I mulled them over. Good names. Strong names.

But if I had to pick…

"Broly," I said, the name rolling off my tongue with weight. "I think I like that one."

Tomat smirked. "Broly it is then."

She stretched again, cracking her neck. "Can’t wait to push this little parasite into the incubation pod. I hate doing nothing."

I chuckled. "And here I thought you’d enjoy the break."

She shot me a glare. "I’d rather be on a mission, breaking bones."

Of course she would. That was the Tomat I knew. The first time we fought, she had nearly gotten herself killed trying to take me down. And even now, even pregnant, she hated the idea of sitting idle.

I smirked. "Well, at least we know Broly’s going to inherit your temper."

Tomat snorted. "Good. I’d hate to raise some soft-blooded weakling."

I grunted in agreement. Strength was everything to a Saiyan. It was the only thing that mattered. And if our cub was anything like us, like his brother, he’d be strong.

Very strong.

She flopped onto our bed, arms stretched above her head. "So, where exactly did our first cub get sent, anyway? You said it was a mission straight from King Vegeta, but you didn’t say what kind."

That was true. I hadn't.

Not because I didn't want to, but because, quite frankly, I had no idea what to make of it.

"The king assigned him to a special mission," I said, keeping my tone even. "Something… unusual."

Tomat raised a brow. "Unusual how?"

I exhaled, leaning against the doorframe. "Beerus."

She blinked. "…What? You mean that hairless purple cat that is a God?"

"Yes, Lord Beerus himself gave the order."

For the first time since she walked in, Tomat looked genuinely surprised. She sat up, her dark eyes narrowing. "Beerus? As in, The Destroyer?"

I nodded.

She frowned, her tail flicking behind her. "Since when does a god of destruction bother with lowly Saiyans? Didn’t you say he only goes to bully the King or something?"

I… did say that. And she was right.

Which was what made this whole thing so strange.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But whatever the case, the king wasn’t happy about it."

That part was obvious. King Vegeta was prideful to a fault, most of us Saiyans were, but he was even more than the rest of us. The only authority he acknowledged was his own. But Lord Beerus? That was one of the few beings in the universe he had to bow his head to, and the fact that Beerus had taken a sudden interest in our cub clearly didn’t sit well with him.

But… he hadn’t killed our cub, so everything was fine.

Tomat crossed her arms. "Tch. So what’s the mission, then? Some kind of planetary destruction?"

I exhaled sharply. "…Pillow hunting."

She stared at me.

Then she blinked.

Then, she burst out laughing.

A full, head-thrown-back, belly-clutching laugh.

I scowled. "It’s not a joke."

"It sounds like a joke!" she cackled, wiping a tear from her eye. "A Saiyan warrior—our cub—sent on a high-priority mission… to find a pillow?"

I didn’t respond.

Because yeah, it did sound ridiculous.

But that didn’t change the fact that it was real.

Tomat took a few moments to get the laughter out of her system before shaking her head. "Unbelievable. And here I thought King Vegeta assigned him something important."

I narrowed my eyes. "If Lord Beerus ordered it, then it is important."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure. Nothing’s more crucial to universal balance than a god’s beauty sleep."

I let out a low grunt, deciding not to argue. Tomat was stubborn, and once she had an opinion, it was almost impossible to change it.

Still, I had to admit—I didn’t know what to make of it either.

Beerus had his pick of warriors, planets, entire armies to order around. Hell, he could order King Cold himself to look for that pillow… So why assign a single child to this mission?

None of it made sense.

"Well, whatever," Tomat finally said, flopping back onto the bed. "I guess we’ll find out what it’s all about when he gets back. If he ever does."

I stiffened. "He will."

She smirked at my tone. "Oh? Confident, are we?"

"He’s our cub," I replied simply. "He will return."

Tomat hummed, resting a hand over her stomach. "Guess we’ll see if this one takes after him."

I glanced at her, at the small swell of her stomach that would soon grow into a life of its own. Another Saiyan. Another warrior.

Another reason to be proud.

I reached over, pressing a firm hand over hers. "He’ll be strong. Just like his brother."

She smirked. "Just like us."

For a moment, we sat in silence.

Then, with a sigh, she muttered, "Three more months until I can throw this parasite in the pod."

I snorted. "You talk like you’re the only female who hates pregnancy."

"I am the only Saiyan who hates it this much," she grumbled. "All that wasted time. No missions. No fights. Just sitting around like some weakling."

"You’re hardly weak," I said dryly.

She grinned, sharp and cocky. "Damn right."

I shook my head. "Three more months, huh?"

"Three more months," she confirmed. Then she tilted her head, glancing up at me. "You gonna be here when it happens?"

I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. "Depends on where my next assignment is."

She scoffed. "Figures. You miss one, you miss the other. Don’t think you’re getting out of training him, though. I will drag you back by the tail if I have to."

I smirked. "I’d like to see you try."

Tomat grinned. "Careful. You know I like a challenge."

I chuckled, shaking my head. Three more months. And then, we’d have another warrior in the making.

A warrior named Broly.

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