Game
Thoughts
"Talking"
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Fuck, what do we even do here?
Gray tensed again, his breathing slightly heavy after shoving all his Ki into an attack. As the man effortlessly tossed away one of his strongest attacks, Gray knew he had no choice but to run, even if his body was balking at the idea.
Run, regroup with the squad, then wait until I can eat another fruit. Wait until I can eat a lot of fruits.
When faced with such a hopelessly powerful enemy, that was the only option. Retreat, hide out on the planet for a few days as he ate the fruits stored in his sheath, and then try again.
But in that time, they'll have access to the Tree of Might too. Fuck, whatever, it's out best bet.
Gray also had a secret weapon in the form of the MP vial he'd gotten on Yardrat, which was safely stored in his pod at the moment.
I was waiting until I had a shit-ton of LUK to use it, but if it comes down to it…
Gray didn't want to take the '1 in a million' odds of not dying from taking the vial of MP, but if the situation on Monas was looking doomed anyway, then he might as well risk it. Optimally, he'd have a chance after this mission to pool more points, and then safely pour them into LUK as he wasn't fighting for his life, but life didn't always go as planned.
For now - run.
Gray didn't know exactly how he was going to beat the mission that was looking pretty impossible at the moment, but he knew he couldn't stay here and fight Boros. For now, him, Caulifla, and Tatsumaki needed to run.
"Caulifla, Tatsumaki," Gray breathed out, staring hard at the unaffected Boros, "I'll go get Fubuki. Run, and don't look back-"
"You have failed to interest me, and now you want to leave?" Boros cut him off, looking at Gray blandly, "How foolish. You must grant me at least a bit of entertainment."
The second Boros finished his sentence, he vanished. Gray watched as the man was there one second, and gone the next, as if he'd used [Instant Transmission] himself. Gray knew that wasn't possible, but the man moved far faster than anyone he had ever seen, as it happened faster than a blink - it was as if the man had disappeared from reality before his very eyes.
"GRAH!" But, as Caulifla let out a pained scream, he clearly did not.
"I suppose it's my fault for having any expectations." Gray's eyes went wide as his head snapped over, watching as Caulifla was suddenly missing an arm, and Boros was suddenly holding a large monkey arm above his head casually.
"Run!" Gray shouted again, using [Instant Transmission] to appear in front of Boros even as his Ki reserves were dangerously low.
We can't win, but I can at least stall him a bi-
"Boring," Just as quickly as Gray appeared behind the man, his fist raised to give his allies a chance to run, Boros disappeared again. Gray's fist hit nothing but air, and his gaze snapped up as Boros was now floating in front of Tatsumaki with his fist cocked back.
"BUH!" Tatsumaki's breath was promptly pulled from her chest as a fist slammed into her gut, causing the short woman to hunch over Boros' fist.
"Orochi said you were a powerful hero, but you seem rather pathetic," The man said simply, and before Gray could even blink, Boros was behind Tatsumaki. His fist slammed into the woman's back, and she shot down into the planet below in a blur.
Fuck! He's so fuckin' fast!
"G-Gray! What do we do?!" Caulifla shouted, hissing in pain as she clutched at her now-missing arm, which was cut off at her elbow.
"I said to run, idiot!" Gray shouted back, tensing his body as he shot forward at Boros again, "Just fuckin' leave! I'll be fine!"
I can [Instant Transmission] out of here, but I need an energy signature to lock onto.
It wasn't just that Gray was trying to protect his allies and help them escape - it was that he needed them to escape. There were certainly other energy signatures on the planet that he could lock onto, but it'd take time to track them down. He needed a big one that he could lock onto at a moment's notice to escape, and that meant either Caulifla or Tatsumaki needed to get away while he stalled Boros.
And, considering that Tatsumaki was lying limp in a crater on the ground right now, that really just left Caulifla.
"Damn it! You better be!" Caulifla didn't look happy about it, but she begrudgingly spun around and shot toward the Tower wall.
"You Saiyans become stronger after facing death, don't you?" Her attempt only lasted for less than a second, as Boros suddenly appeared above her, casually slamming his foot into the middle of her back.
"GREAH!" Spit flew from Caulifla's mouth as she was literally bent in half, her back likely breaking as she was sent rocketing down to the surface of Monas below. If that was just the end, the woman might've survived, but Boros disappeared again a moment later.
"Well, that's if you survive, I suppose."
He reappeared under Caulifla before she hit the ground, and Gray watched with horrified eyes as the man's fist shot upward. It slammed through Caulifla's chest from below, and the woman let out one final loud gasp as his hand tore through both her armor and her heart. An explosion of blood spurted outward as Boros' fist carved through her, creating a hole as she was impaled on his arm.
Caulifla's large body slumped over his arm, and then the hair covering her started to fade away as her Ozaru disappeared. Now, she was suddenly just a bloodied Saiyan girl with a hole in her chest.
Caulifla reached up weakly, her hands grabbing at Boros' arm as it stuck through her chest, but her strength gave out. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, looking at Gray one last time as blood poured from her mouth.
"S-Sorry…" She gasped out, and that was Gray's last image of Caulifla. Boros flicked his arm, and Caulifla's body was sent rocketing down into the surface of Monas.
[Party member: Caulifla has died!]
Gray stared blankly for a moment, his mind whirling as Caulifla actually died in front of his eyes. He had known that losing squad members on this mission was possible, and even likely, but watching as the light faded in Caulifla's eyes was a whole different feeling.
She's… actually dead.
While it had been a possibility, Caulfila being the one to die hadn't even been an option to Gray. The woman was a fellow S-Class recruit, and the strongest ally he had when he set off for the mission. He had considered that he might not have been able to protect some of the weaker squad members, such as Yen or Len, but Caulifla?
It was so quick.
The woman who should've gone on to become a major player in this world was killed in just a few seconds. One moment, she had been alive as she asked Gray for guidance, and then next, she was dead.
Gray's hand clenched into a fist, his fingers digging into his skin as he drew blood. His heart started pounding, threatening to burst out of his chest as it pounded in his ears. For a moment, he couldn't even move, just staring as rage welled up within him. His body started to twitch, and the urge to charge forward appeared. His body demanded that he attack Boros - that he throw caution out the window, focus on his rage as Yamoshi had taught him, and avenge his fallen friend.
And, for just a second, that urge almost won. Gray felt an anger he had never felt before - not even at Dareth long ago. His heart was pounding a thousand times a second, his body physically shaking as anger flowed through him. Even thinking was difficult, as his own thoughts were being drowned by his heart pounding in his ears.
She really died. He killed her. He killed her.
But, just as quickly as the urge almost took victory, Gray's mind shoved it down. Even if his body demanded that he blast forward, attacking Boros with everything he had as he either killed him or died along with Caulifla, he knew he couldn't.
I'd be fucking us both over.
Gray's hand slowly unclenched, his mind taking priority. His anger didn't subside, but he forced it to take a backseat.
I can bring her back.
Gray still had the Dragon Balls - and, not just that, but he could buy them at any time. But, to buy them-
I need to survive.
If Gray fought desperately and died, then he wasn't just condemning himself to death, but also Caulifla. The woman was dead now, but that death wasn't permanent. As long as he survived, he could wish her back.
As Caulifla landed in a crater on the floor, slumping over and not standing again, Gray knew the situation was becoming very dire. His Ki was dangerously low, and even if he tried to quickly buy another Senzu Bean, that wouldn't change anything. He was too far outmatched by the alien, and the only option was to escape to fight another day.
Fuck. Sorry, Tatsumaki, but I'll wish you back later if you live, alright?
Gray didn't even know if the other woman was alive anymore, as she wasn't in his party like Caulifla was. But whether she was or not didn't matter right now. Gray shoved his anger down, forcing his body to obey.
So, even as his body protested, Gray squinted his eyes shut, desperately reaching out his senses.
Come on, you still got some left, right?
"Are you about to cry?" Boros mocked him lightly as Gray's eyes were closed, "I'll put you out of your miser-"
Got it!
Gray didn't hear the rest of the sentence, as he disappeared with [Instant Transmission]. He appeared far in the air, floating above even the Tree of Might as he teleported the final large energy signature in the area.
"W-What the hell-"
Gray didn't hear Turles out as the man was floating half-dead in the air, panting and clutching at his injured and wounded body. Instead, he shot to the side, aiming for the edge of the tower.
Fuck! I couldn't even protect my gravity chambers!
Gray hadn't sensed Fubuki as he was searching for Turles, and he didn't know what had happened to the woman. She hadn't come down to help against Turles, but Tatsumaki would've mentioned if she had been killed, so all he could do was hope. His hand clenched into a fist again, more blood rolling down his palm.
Gray's anger was still fresh, and he hadn't felt like this much of a bitch in a long time. The situation was even more humiliating than losing to Raditz on Earth as his allies were killed and he was forced to retreat. He'd been thoroughly outmatched, and Boros hadn't even broken a sweat.
But I'm in a world with Dragon Balls. Dragon Balls I can buy at any time.
If the Dragon Balls didn't exist, then Gray would've been trying much more desperately to save Tatsumaki and avenge Caulifla, perhaps even downing another fruit and risking his own life. But, in a world where death wasn't permanent, Gray needed to be alive to wish his allies back to life.
It sucks to think like this, but it's necessary. I can't keep fighting stupidly against someone like this!
If Gray died trying to save Tatsumaki and avenge Caulifla, then they would all be dead. By leaving them now and saving himself, he could wish them back. It was a cowardly way to act, but it was also the way that would save everyone.
"I thought Saiyans were known for their pride, and yet you're running?" Gray's eyes went wide as a voice spoke behind him, "Are you more of a coward than the rest, or are you just the first intelligent ape in your species?"
-127,128,995 HP! (85,739,205/212,868,200)
The sensation Gray experienced next was unlike one he'd ever felt before, as in one instant he was flying above the Tree of Might, and in the next his face was full of dirt. It was as if he'd skipped through time - there wasn't even time to process the searing pain in his back as Boros' fist slammed into it.
And, just as quickly as Gray had met the dirt of Monas, Boros was standing over him again.
"But, truly, it's not your fault for being so pathetic," Boros hummed, and Gray gasped as the pain of having his back broken and his HP cut in half in an instant caught up with him, "If it were the old me, you would've at least had a chance. I'm a fool for eating that fruit."
Fuck! I'm not gonna fuckin' die to this bastard!
Gray slammed his palms into the dirt under him, shoving himself up as he rose to his feet. He stumbled as he did, hissing in pain as his balance was thrown off, confirming to him that his back was definitely shattered.
He quickly shoved his hand into his sheath, deciding to risk eating another fruit. His body had barely processed the last fruit even with the [Enhanced Senzu Bean] helping him, and he wasn't sure if the same trick would work twice, but there was no harm in trying - well, there was a lot of harm in trying as he could literally die, but if he was going to die already, then why not?
He hand reached down the sheath quickly, his palm wrapping around one of the fruits, but then suddenly he… couldn't feel it?
-32,991,125 HP! (52,748,080/212,868,200)
WARNING: You have fallen below 25% HP!
If your HP reaches 0, you will die!
"FUCK!" Gray grunted as his arm was suddenly no longer attached to his body. Boros looked like he hadn't even moved, just standing in front of him with an arrogant grin as he punched off Gray's arm and returned to his position faster than Gray's eyes could track.
Gray reached down with his other hand, gripping the end of his now half-arm as blood waterfalled outward, pooling on the ground under his feet.
"I ate the first one because I was curious. A fruit that can multiply your strength many times over? Then surely I could use that to find a worthy opponent," Boros continued speaking, not even caring as Gray clutched at his stump painfully, "Then, I heard eating another would kill me, so I tried it. It certainly tried, but even my own body couldn't give me the fight I desire. Amusing, isn't it?"
-32,252,885 HP! (27,495,195/212,868,200)
WARNING: You have fallen below 10% HP!
If your HP reaches 0, you will die!
Gray was sent stumbling backward as his other arm suddenly disappeared, courtesy of Boros as the alien stood behind him now. He casually looked down at Gray's large Ozaru arm, looking a bit amused.
"That's why your master needs to hurry up and get here. I'm looking for an opponent that can make my heart race, and I've heard he's the one who can give me that fight," Boros finished, casually dropping Gray's arm on the ground.
Meanwhile, Gray's world was spinning as he fell forward. His broken back and two missing arms threw off his balance entirely, though the pain searing through him as blood flowed from both of his arms was enough to make him fall flat on his chest anyway. His breaths came out in gasps, and his ears were ringing.
I'm gonna die.
Gray had been close to death many times, but he wasn't sure his death had ever felt so certain. When he had nearly kicked the bucket against Raditz, it had happened so quickly, and then been adverted so quickly, that he couldn't really accept it. When he had nearly died against Kolra, he had refused to accept it until the bitter end, clawing to his life as he crawled on the floor of Vargon.
And, in this situation, Gray wasn't suddenly going to give up.
I lost here.
His arms were gone, and he couldn't even access the shop as Boros towered over him from behind. Even if he could, there was nothing he could get to help him defeat the man whose armor he could barely scratch.
"Boros," Gray breathed out, his voice being muffled by the dirt his head was lying in, "I'll kill you. I promise, I'll kill you."
As Gray said those words, there was no anger in his voice. He certainly should've been angry - he should've been furious as his pride was trampled and his allies were killed. But, right now, he wasn't.
No - instead of angry, he was absurdly calm. Pain was wracking through his body, his death was growing near, but he was still calm.
I'm gonna kill him.
It wasn't that Gray didn't have a reason to be angry, but instead that he had already moved past it. He had accepted his loss here - there was no recovering, and he couldn't beat Boros in his current state.
So, all he could do was look toward the future.
"Those are cocky words for a man about to die," Boros hummed, looking down at Gray's slumped body amusedly.
"It's the truth," Gray breathed out again, "I promise you, Boros, even if I have to drag myself from the depths of hell to do it, I'll kill you."
And Gray intended to keep that promise. He didn't know where he'd end up after this - whether it be in Otherworld, Hell, or any other afterlife, but that didn't matter.
I'll kill him.
Gray didn't know what it would take, or how long it would take, but he would kill Boros no matter what.
"I hope you're right," Boros finally spoke after a moment of silence, his face twisting into a hungry grin, "You Saiyans become stronger after reaching near-death, right? Then, I'll leave you like this."
-16,896,640 HP! (10,598,555/212,868,200)
WARNING: You have fallen below 5% HP!
If your HP reaches 0, you will die!
Gray didn't even flinch as Boros' foot slammed into the back of his head, slamming his face into the dirt as the world spun around him. Blood started to pool on the floor around his head, and his vision started to go dark as he felt his Ozaru form fade away.
"If you survive, then I'll be waiting for your challenge," Boros' voice called out, sounding muffled in Gray's ringing ears. "If you don't, then we'll see what happens first: Your master arriving, or…"
"You crawling out of hell."
Gray's vision went dark, and the assault on the Tower ended in failure.
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Gray Tanaki (Ozaru Form):
[Saiyan S-Class Squad Captain]
Age: 18
Wallet: 33,623,940 Coins
Lvl: 25 (12,872,915/17,500,000 XP)
PL: 2.94 Trillion
Available Points: 0
HP: 10,598,555/212,868,200
TKI: 52,780/42,000,100
TMP: 750/10,200
STR: 14250 (+7,940)
AGI: 14900 (+8,115)
END: 13800 (+8,085)
INT: 3500 (-1500)
CHA: 4995
LUK: 4295
KI: 12000 (+5,940)
MP: 10250 (+5000)
HREG: 39,880 (+5,000) (x2)
EREG: 40000 (+5,000) (x2)
Skills: [Observe LVL 35], [Running LVL 45], [Determination LVL 47], [Ki Control LVL 45], [Ki Gun LVL 43]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 40], [KI Suppression LVL 39], [Ki Sense LVL 40], [Pushup LVL 45], [Punch LVL 50], [Kick LVL 48], [Jump LVL 45], [Flight LVL 40], [Prediction LVL 37], [Zenkai Boost LVL 31], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 40], [Ah! Lord Freiza! LVL 32], [Mouth-Beam LVL 36], [Ki-Blade LVL 39], [Cooking LVL 35], [Ki Barrage LVL 41], [Ki Explosion LVL 35], [Ki Vision LVL 34], [Attack Boost LVL 30], [Swimming LVL 36], [Clothes Materialization LVL 26], [Seal of Weakening LVL 32], [Portal Creation LVL 27], [Lie Detection LVL 29], [Reflect LVL 35], [Instant-Transmission LVL 32], [Healing LVL 33], [Multi-Form LVL 32], [Gigantification LVL 27], [Tracking MP Blast LVL 26], [MP Conversion LVL 37], [Tracking Ki Blast LVL 26]
Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Saiyan], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master],[Ladies Man]
Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 4], [Fighting Style: Broly LVL 5]
Party: [Kale, Tamari]
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AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out tomorrow!
You can also read the next 20 chapters right now on Patreon.com/Koyon !