>>Koji's Tale 2 - Chapter 3

"Tarboz's Collection Agency"

          Koji and Chih exited the tavern some time later, and the citizens shied away once again, seeming to be even more afraid than before.  Koji turned to Chih as they stopped outside the tavern.  A light breeze blew along the street, wafting their capes dramatically.

          "What planet did you say this was again?" Koji inquired of his Nameccian companion with an air of dumbfoundedness.

          "It's called Sagea," the Nameccian replied as he noted the increased trepidation in the citizens now.  "It's a quaint little planet with a peculiar charm all its own, don't you think?"

          "I had high hopes for this stop until that fight," Koji muttered in disgust.  "These people are weaklings.  No wonder Tarboz had such an easy time overcoming them.  I suppose they do have their own unique charm, however.  The food's not half bad, but the stench of cowardice here almost turns my stomach.  Perhaps we should go back to the ship, put in a few hours of sparring and training, and then go elsewhere."

          "I agree," Chih answered as he looked from face to face of the frightened citizens around him.  "Let's go."

          They took to the air, flying from the city and back towards the ship.  The citizens of the city watched in wide-eyed astonishment, marveling at the dramatic departure of the new visitors.  This scene caused quite a stir in the unsuspecting populace.

          Upon arriving back at the ship, Koji and Chih prepared to spar with each other, but they suddenly stopped and looked at the sky as if sensing something.  The sky seemed peaceful enough.  The duo continued to scan the skies for signs of something unusual.

          "Hmmm," Koji began, noting something was a-miss.  "Such strong power levels.  Who do you suppose they are?"

          "I'm not sure," Chih answered, a look of concern etched upon his face.  "I don't like this.  There are two of them approaching."

          "Maybe we'll forego the sparring match we were about to partake of," Koji said as he smiled slightly.  "Perhaps this will be of sufficient challenge for us.  What do you say we check these new visitors out, eh, pardner?"

          "Somehow I knew you'd say something like that," Chih responded with a bit of sarcasm that somehow failed to overshadow his concern.  "Let's do it."

          Moments later, they witnessed three Saiyan space pods descending to the ground and crashing down near the city where they just were.  Their eyes widened with surprise at the sight they beheld.

          "There's three pods!" Koji exclaimed in complete bewilderment as he regarded what his eyes had perceived.

          "But we're only sensing two power levels!" the Nameccian exclaimed in disbelief.  "What's going on here?!?"

          "Well, I know one thing," Koji answered with a fiercely determined look upon his face.  "We'll not find out that answer standing here!"

          With that said, Koji took flight towards the crash site, and Chih followed closely.  They raced across the landscape at high speed, covering the great distance in moments.  Upon arriving at the pod crash sites, they noticed that the pod doors were open and that the occupants were gone.  Suddenly, an explosion in the city drew the attention of the duo.

          "There!  In the city!" Chih cried out, stating the obvious as they saw the huge cloud of dust and smoke rising up from the city.

          "Grrrrrr!  Come on!  Let's go!" Koji snarled at the vision before them as he once more took the lead, prompting the Nameccian to follow him to the city.

          Upon their return to the city, Koji and Chih saw three figures in Saiyan armor in the heart of the city.  All of them were male, and they all wore the chest protectors, shoulderpads, and boots of the Saiyan armor.  Each fighter also wore a scouter on his face and gloves on his hands.

          One of the males was a slender-but-well-muscled, clean-shaven fighter with greyish colored skin and long white hair.  Beneath his armor, he wore a sleeveless, skintight black tunic and skintight black biker-style shorts.  He also wore a long, flowing cape connected to his armor as well.

          Another of the males was a short, stubby, hairless fighter with greyish colored skin and four eyes.  Beneath his armor, he wore same style of attire as the aforementioned fighter.

          The third male was a tall, hulking, clean-shaven brute with a little tuft of red hair on top of his head and flesh-toned skin like a Caucasian.  Beneath his armor, he wore the same type of attire as the others, and he also had the waist padding flaps in addition to the rest of his armor.

          "The little one's a Basian," Koji said to Chih as they observed the three fighters from above.  "We Saiyans have had to deal with them when we were conquering planets for Frieza.  The long-haired freak is from the Makyo star, I think.  I'm not possitive, but I have seen this one before."

          "Why can't we sense the big one?" Chih pondered aloud between himself and Koji.  "I don't get it.  He has absolutely no power level or life force."

          "I don't think we'll have time to ponder that one much longer," Koji said as the new trio's scouters detected the presense of the Saiyan and the Nameccian and turned their attention towards them.

          "Ah, and who have we here?" the long-haired fighter inquired as he checked them out carefully.  "A Nameccian and a mystery fighter who wears the armor of our elite forces."

          "I am a Saiyan royal elite warrior!" Koji declared boldly as he addressed the trio.  "Who are you?"

          "I am Taipan," the long-haired fighter answered, with both fists upon his hips in dramatic stance.  "I am a Makyoian from the Makyo Star!"

          "I am Yifu," the short, four-eyed fighter said, both fists held out in front of him to emphasize his pride and commitment.  " I am a Basian in service to the great Tarboz and the mighty Lord Frieza!"

          "My name is Fei," the giant one replied with a big, dumb grin on his face, his fists on his hips like Taipan's stance.  "I'm the muscle of this team!"

          "I am the leader of our merry band of fighter!" Taipan added with a proud smirk on his face.  "We're the collection agency the great Tarboz employs to get his donations from planets he spares!  We're the TCA, or Tarboz Collection Agency!"

          With those words uttered, the trio struck a team pose that made all onlookers gawk in bewildered disbelief.  Their goofy poses resembled something one would see from the Ginyu Force.  Koji and Chih were stunned at the display of their corniness.

          "What goofs!" Chih muttered as he stared almost in embarassment at the sight of the three mercenaries posing.

          "But enough about us," Taipan said as the trio ceased their goofy posing and once more stood, all three with their fists on their hips in bold stances.  "You two seem to have a bit more significant power than the weaklings of this planet.  Did these two-bit, backwards losers hire the two of you to protect them from us?"

          "No," the Nameccian Chih answered as he glared angrilly at them from his position in the air.  "As a matter of fact, we were just about ready to leave this planet when the three of you got here."

          "Running away quickly, eh?" Fei, the giant mercenary, chided.  "You're smarter than you look!"

          That comment provoked a bit of laughter from the other two members of the big brutes team, but it only served to anger Koji and Chih.

          "Running from you?" Koji replied with a great deal of sarcasm as he glared angrilly at the big bruiser.  "That is funny.  Why would we run from you?  I beat your boss on the planet Ferella more than ten years ago."

          "What?!?" the little Basian Yifu cried out in disbelief.  "No way!  That's not possible!  You're lying!"

          "Yifu's right," Taipan added, scowling at the young Saiyan angrilly.  "There's no way a weak monkey like you could ever defeat the great Tarboz!  You're full of yourself, junior!"

          "You know what?" Koji began as he tensed every muscle in his body, and the veins in his head and face bulged.  "I was considering letting you live through this, but, after those little derogatory comments you just made, I'm going to bury you on this mudball with your stupid, geeky friends!"

          "You arrogant little monkey!" Taipan snapped back in a bit of anger.  "Just who do you two think you are to challenge us?!?"

          "Well, for starters, my name is Chih," the Nameccian said as he hovered there with his arms still folded in front of his chest.  "I don't know if my reputation preceeds me or not in this little enocunter, but I am quite the warrior in my own right."

          "Yeah," Taipan replied, with a hint of respect now displayed by all three of the mercenaries but not enough to make them back off.  "We've heard of you, my friend.  You've got a little reputation around this part of the galaxy for being a tough guy.  Too bad you're hooked up with this monkey!"

          "Allow me to introduce myself," Koji said before beginning a long, drawn out battle-type cry!  Immediately, the teen began glowing, and, a couple of seconds later, the ground began to tremble slightly as the sky began to darken a bit and the wind began to howl!  The mercenaries' scouters began to register the lad's power increase, amazing the mercenaries!

          Seconds later, the ground started shaking more strongly as small stones began rising from the ground, and still Koji's drawn-out cry continued!  The mercenaries' scouters continued to register Koji's ever-rising power level, and the mercenaries now seemed quite impressed!  Strong winds also began blowing out from Koji in all directions, strong enough to waft loose-fitting clothing and long hair dramatically but not to blow anyone over yet!

          "Koji's incredible!" Chih thought to himself as he watched his friend power up to fight.  "He's not the least bit afraid of these guys!  In fact, he's actually reveling in the thought of fighting them!  I'd better be ready to jump into the fray in the event things get out of hand!"

          After a few more seconds, small rocks began splitting, including the ones rising from the ground, as the ground began shaking more violently and the wind blowing out from Koji became even stronger, even forcing Chih back further away from his young friend as small whirlwinds of flying debris formed all around the area!  The power-up effects prompted terrified citizens to flee for shelter under against the awesome power of the lad!

          Nearby, a stream began churning, and water began rising from it into the air!  The waters of the stream began trying to part, and finally they did so enough to reveal a bare floor of the stream!  Lightning flashed in the sky as the sky grew even darker!  Simultaneously, huge rocks erupted out of the ground and howling whirlwinds of debris took the place of their smaller versions from moments before!  The wind blowing out from Koji now blew with great vigor against the trio of mercenaries, prompting the Makyoian and the Basian to lift their arms up and shield their faces with them while Koji finally began to conclude his drawn-out power-up cry!  As he stopped his power-up, the small stones and rocks which rose from the ground earlier, the waters which rose from the stream and parted, and the flying debris from the dissipating whirlwinds - all of these fell back to the ground like rain!  The lightning finally ceased flashing across the sky, the ground stopped shaking, and the winds gradually subsided as the sky lightened back to normal!

          "I am Koji!" the proud young Saiyan warrior declared with a supremely confident demeanor as he noted that the mercenaries were stunned and much more respectful of him now.

          "Eight thousand!" Yifu the Basian cried in surprise as he noted his scouter reading for Koji with disbelief.  "The scouter says the boy's power level is eight thousand!  That's just two thousand short of my maximum!"

          "Then that should be sufficient for you to pound this young upstart into the dirt, Yifu!" Taipan declared.  "Take him down!"

          "Me?!?" Yifu responded initially with distress and concern before entering into a demeanor of firm resolve.  "Oh, alright!"

          Yifu assumed a wide stance and tensed every muscle in his body until all the veins in his head, face, arms, and legs bulged!  He then began his own long, drawn-out battle cry!  The special effects were the same, but it took Yifu longer to achieve them than it did for Koji to!  Finally, when Yifu had concluded his extensive power-up, all of the special effects subsided again!

          "There!" Yifu said with a chuckle as he prepared to fight with Koji.  "Ten thousand!  I'm at my maximum!  Get ready to fry monkey-boy!"

          Without a word, Koji streaked into Yifu with a thunderous punch to the face, knocking the Basian a great distance across the city and through a building!  The building collapsed as a huge dust cloud rose up from the site, and Yifu's teammates flew out of the battle zone to give the two combatants room to fight!  Koji's face revealed a very serious demeanor that briefly transformed into one of enjoyment and contentment before he spoke, saying, "Perhaps you should do more fighting and less talking, you four-eyed freak!  Let's go!"

          When the dust cloud finally dissipated, Yifu dragged himself from the wreckage and stood up, glaring menacingly at Koji, his cheek bruised!  He spat to the side and rubbed his bruised cheek with the back of his hand as he grimaced in anger towards the young Saiyan!

          "Oh, so that's the way you want to play it, eh?!?" Yifu snarled at Koji in seething rage.  "Then here I come!"

          Yifu charged at Koji, and Koji fired an energy blast at him!  Suddenly, Yifu pointed both palms skyward towards the blast and shouted, "Time freeze!"  Immediately, Koji and his blast were frozen in mid-move, but Yifu had to hold his breath to maintain this power!  Yifu ran a great distance and positioned himself behind a building while holding his breath!  He then let his breath out, and Koji's blast slammed into the street where Yifu had been when he fired the blast moments ago!  The blast exploded like a powerful bomb, spraying dust, smoke, and debris into the air!

          "Hmmm." Koji thought to himself as he trained his senses in an effort to locate the Basian.  "The Basians are known for their psychic powers, so I should have expected this!  No matter!  I will still find that filthy rodent and destroy him anyway!  There!  Behind that building!  Now I've got him!"

          Koji powered up another energy blast and released it, but it remained motionless in the air just past his hands!  With a smile on his face, Koji then flew around one side of the building to attack Yifu!  When Yifu saw Koji approaching him, he extended both of his palms towards him once more and yelled, "Time freeze!"

          Unnoticed by Yifu, Koji stationary blast began streaking towards the other side of the building as Koji froze in place again!  As Yifu ran out from behind the building, he ran right into the path of the streaking blast!  He saw it, and it so terrified him that he screamed, releasing his breath and inadvertently freeing Koji from his power's effect!  Koji used that moment to hammer Yifu in the middle of his back with a passing knee and move out of the way as Yifu was knocked into the incoming blast!  The explosion was a little larger that the first one, and a dust and smoke cloud obscured the site!

          When the cloud dissipated, Yifu was nowhere to be seen, and the mercenaries' scouters lost track of his power signal!  Koji and Chih both smiled, but the two remaining mercenaries looked on in horror!  Scattered along the wreckage were pieces of Saiyan armor and a busted scouter!

          "He's good!" Taipan declared as he noted the young lad's skill and composure.  "He figured out Yifu's strategy and countered!  Now my scouter can't even read Yifu's power level at all!  It looks like bits and pieces of his armor scattered across the city street, and that looks like his scouter over there all busted up!  He sorely underestimated this Saiyan child!"

          "Yifu's life force has completely vanished from this dimension!" Chih thought to himself as he silently admired Koji's handiworks.  "What an ingenious strategy!  That kid's uncanny!"

          "Well," Koji began as he turned his attention to the remaining two mercenaries.  "Which one of you is next?"

          "Fei!" Taipan shouted angrilly to the hulking warrior beside him.  "Get that monkey and finish him now!"

          "Right, boss!" the hulking bruiser replied as he flew closer to Koji to hover in mid-air between the Saiyan and Taipan.

          Koji noted this with interest as the bruiser hovered before him with a goofy grin seemingly frozen on his face.

          "So," Koji responded to his next challenger.  "Your fearless leader isn't so fearless after all, huh?  It looks like he's too scared to face me himself!"

          "Oh, don't worry about Taipan," Fei replied as he cracked the knuckles of his hands in preparation for battle.  "You won't be in any condition to worry about him when I'm done pounding you into the next dimension!"

          "Bold words, big man, but can you back them up?" Koji inquired confidently in his bravado.

          "Let's see!" the giant warrior replied with a smile as he assumed a fighting stance in mid-air.