The warm glow of the setting sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon, but he continued to watch it. Atop a ledge jutting from the earth, one too large to be an outcropping but far too small to be considered a mountain, he waited. His wild pink hair swayed in the soft winds of his perch, and with a sigh, the space pirate known as Lord Boros closed his lone eye and leaned back against the cold stone.

This world was peaceful, a far cry from the harsh environment of his homeworld, he supposed this is why the majority of the inhabitants of this world were so weak. Even without his crew, he could easily subjugate this world single handedly, but what would that even accomplish? For one, this world held almost nothing of value, no rare elements or treasures to plunder, and no worthy opponents for him to test himself against… well, almost none.

He couldn't remember a time where he had ever shown mercy to his foes, and yet, he had let those two go. What was he thinking? Did he really expect either of them to become strong enough to match him? The green one, obviously not a native of this world, had been one of the stronger opponents he had met in his travels, but he was still a mere insect compared to his own capabilities. Then there was the boy…

Based on his observations of this world, the boy appeared to be of the same species as the dominate race of this planet, known mostly under the title of "human," but even among the adults of his species his power was something else. Only a few energy readings picked up by his ship could claim to be stronger, and none of them had shown such an explosive increase in power as the boy had.

Had it been a fluke, or was it a sign of his strength to come? While the former was more likely, he continued to hold out hope for the latter, if the self proclaimed Demon Lord was as good a teacher as he hoped… But still, until that time came, the space pirate was bored out of his mind.

He had spent much of his three months on this world looking for evidence of his crew, but there was still no sign of them. How and why had they disappeared, and how did he end up in an unknown part of the universe so easily? No matter how long he thought on this, he couldn't come up with a satisfying answer. He opened his eye and gazed across the wasteland, despite its barren nature, it was the most comfortable place on this world to him. The population mostly stuck to large cities, with the vast majority of the planet remaining as untamed wilderness.

Still thinking like a space pirate, he couldn't help but consider the possibilities of selling this world as a resort location, the pristine condition of the landscape and atmosphere was quite uncommon for a world with this level of industrial development. This wasteland could then serve him quite well as a base of operations for his band of pirates to expand outward. It would only take a few days for him to conquer this world, but holding back enough to do so without destroying the beauty, and with it the value, sounded excruciating.

A small bird lightly landed next to him on a pile of loose rocks, by the way it looked, it was a peaceful songbird. It opened its tiny beak to sing, but was cut short. Boros' fist slammed into the bird before it could make a sound, and it exploded into gore. The force of his strike crashed through the rocks it stood on, reducing them to dust and carrying through into the ledge he sat on, leaving a jagged fracture in it. Finally, after sitting unmoving for hours, he stood up and jumped from the cliff, doing nothing to slow his rapid descent into the bottom level of the wastes.

He was bored, sick and tired of waiting here for an enemy that might not even exist. How foolish he was, to assume that alien had been telling the truth! But even now, he wanted to believe, to hope for the future he had been searching for his entire life. He had come too far to give up now; those twenty years of searching for the man from the prophecy would be squandered if he gave up now.

Was there none out there who could satisfy his lust for battle? No worthy opponents who could face him? All he wanted, his entire life's desire was to fight against someone who could match him, but… why did he even wish for this? He had no desire to be the strongest, only to be matched in combat. Did he secretly wish for an enemy who could best him, to end his endless life of boredom? Or did he just desire one he could truly call a rival? maybe this was something in his basic nature, a need so ingrained in his existence he couldn't resist it. But no matter what it was, the answer existed only in combat, so he had to hold out hope for this, his last chance to find satisfaction on this dull planet.

He wondered why would these invaders bother coming to this world, his only thought could be resources, yet he had already seen what this planet had to offer, surely there are better choices out there? He shook his head as if to remove the unnecessary thoughts from his mind, thinking about this now was pointless, he didn't care what they wanted. All that mattered to him now, was for them to show him a good fight.

Boros threw his head back, letting loose as deafening roar that echoed through the wasteland. It did little to vent his frustration, but he continued to do it anyways. Clenching his fist, he punched the wall of rock behind him, his strike easily shattering it to pieces. He just had to hold out a little bit longer; only two months remained before they arrived. He had survived this long, he could last a bit more. Shaking the debris from his glove, he turned and walked away from the ruined outcropping, his cape lightly fluttering in the wind.

Fists clashed, in the seemingly unending Break Wasteland, two warriors battling with all of their might. Every strike strong enough to shatter stone, and aimed to kill the other combatant. The ground shook under their feet as they dashed around each other faster than the eye could naturally follow.

With a swift blow to the gut, the taller of the two fighters sent his small opponent flying, before drawing his green arm back to prepare for a powerful attack. The Demon Lord and his unlikely apprentice might only be sparring, but without going all out they stood no chance of being strong enough by the time the Saiyans arrived. But even without them, there was another menace out there now, the cyclopean alien known only as Lord Boros.

Even if Boros defeated the Saiyans for them, they would still have to deal with him eventually. While he had stayed out of their way since the first encounter, Piccolo hadn't felt his presence fade, he was staying close. Was he observing them from afar?

Gohan rushed in, only to be thrown back out by a hard strike to the face. Piccolo didn't stop there, he dashed forward, slamming a knee into the boy's back and sending him flying up. He leapt into the air and raised both hands above his head, before throwing them down into a two handed attack. The young Gohan shot through the sky like a bullet, the ground itself cracking under the force of his collision.

"Get up, we're going again," Piccolo walked over to the prone child, his face showing no emotion towards the boy. While it was true that over the months of training he had started to gain a strange affection for the boy, it didn't mean he could go easy on him now, they needed to push well past their current limits if they wanted to survive. "This time, I won't hold back!"

Before Gohan had even fully stood up, Piccolo charged at him, his fists flying faster than the eye could follow. The young Saiyan had no chance of keeping up with the flurry of blows, so he covered his face with his arms and braced against the assault. It wasn't enough however, and his defense was easily shattered by the far stronger opponent.

But suddenly, Piccolo's attack changed, he jumped away from the boy and held out one hand, his palm facing Gohan. Bracing his arm with his other hand, his inner power, his Ki, began to swell. Sparks flew around him, gathering at his palm, his arm shook under the explosive force of his Ki, but he held it firm. He wanted to see how Gohan handled this kind of attack, for surely the Saiyans could use blasts like this. The way Piccolo saw it, his apprentice had two choices, he could dodge this attack, or he could try and deflect the force elsewhere, but with his skill level that choice would be suicidal.

"Explosive Demon Wave!" With his shout, piccolo unleashed the fury of one of his signature skills, a massive beam of yellow energy erupted from his outstretched hand, the force of the blast almost forcing him off his own feet. Now, what would his protégé do when faced with this attack?

The look on Gohan's face could be described as nothing more than pure terror, such that it didn't even look like he has the capability to think, let alone dodge. But Gohan didn't evade the beam, he didn't even try. Instead, he crossed his hands in front of his face, his arms shaking with fear.

"M-Masenko!" he called out the name of an attack, an attack Piccolo had never taught him. The blast of energy met Piccolo's mid air, clashing with the Demon Lord's Ki.

The struggle between their two energy blasts only lasted a moment however, as the boy's was quickly overpowered by the Demon Lord's immense Ki blast. The blast pushed him back, engulfing the boy in the burning orange light as it tore a path of destruction across the ground.

Piccolo walked along the newly formed scar in the earth, slowly approaching his fallen apprentice. He hadn't expected him to try and deflect his beam with one of his own; at the very least the kid had guts. But when had he learned that technique? Piccolo couldn't recall ever teaching him it, and it wasn't something he had widely used since he began this training. The only time he could remember using it… was against Boros, was it possible this kid managed to copy it after seeing it once?

"Hey kid, get up," Standing over the boy's prone body, he lightly kicked him in the side. "Nap time's over, we still have training to do."

With a groan, the boy sat up. Despite taking that hit head on, he remained relatively unharmed outside of a few scratches, had he held back against him? Although he would never admit so out loud, he considered the possibility quite likely.

"Boy, that technique…" He looked down at the young Saiyan, who gazed up at the imposing figure of the green skinned Demon Lord, a look of terror in his eyes. "I don't remember allowing you to use one of my skills."

Gohan froze, his eyes wider than they've ever been before. Piccolo remained unmoved, bearing down on his protégé. This too was part of his training; the boy had to master his fears if he was to survive the upcoming struggle. Shaking, Gohan finally managed to squeak out a response.

"I-I just remembered what you did against Boros, I didn't mean to take your technique Mr. Piccolo!"

"Humph, keep it," Piccolo turned away from the Saiyan boy, his cloak flapping in the wind. "It suits you more anyways, but you won't win against our enemies with a move like that."

Piccolo walked away, towards the quickly fading sun. He stopped and looked down at his open palm, before balling it into a fist. He had pushed himself more than ever, more than he could have imagined after his encounter with that cyclopes. But would it be enough? Had he become stronger, would he be able to survive?

His concern was partially on the approaching Saiyans still, but most of it had shifted to the other alien menace, Boros. He hadn't done anything to threaten this planet since he appeared, but who knew what would happen if he grew bored in the time between the arrival of the Saiyans?

But, he would worry about that when the time came, for now, all he can do was strengthen himself and hone Gohan's raw talent. He turned back to face the boy, his face as stern as ever.

"We're continuing, and remember, I won't hold back just because this is training."

His fingers darted across the controls before him as he idly fiddled with the systems of his ship, having nothing better to do. For five months he had waited, time passing almost as if in slow motion. Were these "Saiyans" even going to show up? He could have been lying, that damn Demon Lord could have been stalling for time in the hopes of getting strong enough to face him.

But his words had felt sincere, so the Space Pirate Boros was hesitant to doubt him. Leaning back in his chair, the bored alien sighed, his voice echoing through the empty halls of his ship. After five months he still had no idea what had happened to his crew, it was almost as if he was transported across the universe by some mystical force. Boros wasn't one to believe in such a thing normally, but he had placed all of his hopes on a seer's prophecy.

He had passed the time as best he could, but this agonizing wait was bringing him near the end of his patience. If these Saiyans didn't arrive soon, he would return to the planet and punish that Demon Lord for his insolence. But even that wouldn't satisfy him, he had been watching that alien and his apprentices training from afar, and while he had come a long way, he couldn't hope to match his own raw power.

Boros closed his single massive eye, his boredom manifested in an intense feeling of lethargy, and before long he had fallen into a light sleep. He began to dream, but it was of something he had not expected to see. In his dreams he saw his ship, filled with the lively actions of his crew, his friends that were now lost to him. No matter how much he acted like he didn't care, he had to admit that he missed them.

An alarm went off in the control room he slumbered in, and he was abruptly dragged from his slumber. Blinking in confusion a few times, he glanced down at the control panels. On the screen before him, a warning was displayed. Two objects were approaching at faster than light speeds, both about the size of a small comet. Their trajectory was aimed squarely at this planet, and they would pass dangerously close to his ship on their descent.

Boros stood up rapidly from his chair, the metal under his feet creaking with the force of his movements, was it finally time? He almost didn't believe it, could it actually be happening? He could feel life within the objects, though the energy readings were faint at this distance, if he could even sense them this far away, their power must be immense.

What was this feeling inside of him? Was he actually... excited? He tried to calm himself, if he expected too much he might end up disappointed once again. But something inside of him had awakened, he had to see if this prophecy held true.

His ship vibrated and rattled as the two comet-like pods hurled past his vessel, coming uncomfortably close to his hull. He walked down his ship's empty passageways, slowly approaching the hanger bay he currently used as a front door. His armor made a grinding metallic sound as his fingers dug into his palms; it took everything he had to contain his anticipation.

His hand shot up and smashed the button to open the hangar door, practically shattering it in the process. The door slid open, letting oxygen flow out into space for the brief moment before he leapt from the ship. He hurtled through the atmosphere, becoming a comet himself.

Seconds passed as Boros crashed into the planet with a thunderous explosion, a gigantic crater forming where he landed. The wasteland he chose to land at each time was quickly turning into an even more inhospitable place, with each descent of his causing severe collateral damage.

He shook his head, a cloud of dust and debris flying in every direction from his wild pink hair. He closed his eyes and extended his senses, searching for the energy readings of the two Saiyans. Finally, he located an enormous power to his right, and he turned towards it. If he recalled correctly, there was a city of natives in that direction.

"So, they truly are here to invade, but why this world?" he pondered the alien's reasons for choosing such an unassuming world as a target, but quickly dismissed the thoughts. The only thing that mattered to him now was the prophecy, and whether or not they could fulfill it.

He jumped, a great leap aimed towards the human city which he had only viewed from a distance before. He sailed through the air rapidly; repeatedly jumping with such force it almost appeared to be flight. He was however, not capable of truly flying, unlike his subordinate Melzalgald, who could sprout wings and take to the air. At the moment, he was rather jealous of this ability, as he grew ever more impatient as he approached the city.

Boros landed at the outskirts of the city, which had clearly seen better days. The buildings were in ruins, and the bodies of fallen civilians littered the landscape. It reminded him of his past conquests, of the times he razed worlds with his crew in their mad lust for battle. But he was alone, and this was the work of his enemy.

He strode through the ruined city, the burning wreckage of the peaceful society around him giving him no pause. Occasionally, he would see a survivor out of the corner of his eye, but he paid them no mind as he progressed, finally coming across two metal pods within a crater.

He could feel the residual energy of the two Saiyans, but they were long gone by now. Reaching out once more, he attempted to locate them, when he felt an energy reading he recognized traveling fast towards a wasteland to the east.

"You've grown stronger, Demon Lord, but it won't be enough," he leapt, his trajectory aimed for the same destination as his former opponent. "But you'll at least be useful in leading me to my foes!"

Boros' eye was wide as he soared through the sky, he could only imagine what these "Saiyans" were like, but he could feel their strength already. For once, he had hope, hope that he could find what he wished for. Everything would be worth it if he could just find an opponent who could match him, if only for a moment.

It seems that the Demon Lord, Piccolo, was able to travel faster than he was. Was it possible that he could fly, or did he have some sort of vehicle? He could feel the alien's presence getting farther away with each leap he made, but he was unable to travel any faster while still in his restrictive armor.

He finally neared a clearing where he sensed the presence of the Demon Lord, along with several other powers far above this world's average, though still nothing compared to even Piccolo's. The green skinned alien stood in front of a group of the local species, humans. Before him were two individuals, both wearing the same armor, those must be the Saiyans.

One was massive; his bulky frame towering over the others, while the other stood back, his arms crossed over his chest. They both appeared similar to these "Humans", but their energy readings were anything but. They also appeared to have tails, a feature that he knew humans did not possess.

He wasted no more time, leaping down from the stone pillar he stood on, landing directly behind the gathering of warriors. Everyone present reacted, turning to face the new arrival. Piccolo and Gohan leapt into battle ready posture immediately; at least their reflexes seemed to have improved from their training.

The other humans likewise took up fighting stances, though they had delayed reactions. One of them, a rather unimpressive looking short and bald human, looked terrified at the sight of him. The others seemed more confident, though they were obviously just acting tough. None of them made a move, not even saying a word as several moments passed in complete silence. Finally, a tiny voice broke through the tense atmosphere.

"B-Boros…" Gohan relaxed ever so slightly as the revelation of who had just come crashing down behind them, though he was still hesitant to lower his guard.

"You know this thing, Gohan?" A man with long hair and scars running across his face stepped forward, his fists still raised in front of him. He certainly seemed confident, despite the fact that Boros sensed his power to be below the average of the warriors gathered here.

For the insult of referring to him as a 'thing,' he should kill that insolent human, but he was so weak he barely seemed worth the effort to do so. He was either incredibly brave or a complete fool to mock an opponent that far outclasses him.

"He says he's a space pirate, he showed up while I was training a few months ago, Yamcha," Gohan didn't respond to the scarred human, instead Piccolo replied to the man's question. "I hate to admit it, but he utterly defeated me in combat."

"N-No way, he's stronger than Piccolo?!" The short bald human backed off a step, his body shaking even more. "Why is he here, is he an enemy too?!"

The others all waited in silence, Piccolo crossed his arms and sighed. It was an act totally unfitting of the intense atmosphere, only making the others stiffen up more. The man identified as Yamcha hardened his expression, not letting his eyes leave the alien before him.

"He's here to fight the Saiyans, apparently," Piccolo looked annoyed, as if the thought of an unknown alien defending the planet was weighing on his mind. "But I wouldn't exactly call him an ally."

"I don't like it either, but we can use all the help we can get holding these Saiyans off until Goku arrives." One of the other humans spoke, wait, was he even human? Boros looked at him and pondered his origins, for he possessed three eyes instead of two. "But if you try anything funny, I won't hesitate to stop you."

Boros took a step forward, and the human warriors all tensed up. It seemed they could at least somewhat feel his powerful presence, even while he remained in his armor.

"To imply you think yourself a match for me is rather insulting," Boros finally spoke, his mouth baring his shark-like fangs as he did. "You're two hundred years too early to be making that kind of threat."

The man with scars, Yamcha, looked ready to attack him for his comment, but Piccolo held him back. He scowled, but eventually calmed himself. Is this really the best this world could do in terms of warriors, it was quite frankly, a joke.

"Hey Vegeta, I think these backwater idiots are forgetting something," a new voice cut in, and everybody quickly turned to face it. One of the two Saiyans, the larger of the two, was the source of this voice. "I don't think they're taking us seriously."

"Humph, I think you're right, Nappa," The shorter of the two Saiyans spoke, his voice carrying an arrogance that reminded Boros of many of the other over confident aliens he had bested. From what he could sense, he was also the stronger of the two by far. "Why don't you go teach them a lesson, Nappa?"

"Finally, I was getting restless just standing around here!" The bald Saiyan flexed his muscles and stepped forward. He was certainly confident in himself, but it remained to see if he could back it up.

Without hesitation, Boros strode past the others and stood before the Saiyan Nappa. Disregarding the humans, his only focus was on the imposing man before him.

"Hey Vegeta, what's the Scouter say about his power level?" Nappa cracked his knuckles and looked over his shoulder at the other Saiyan, who pressed a button on his eyepiece before smirking.

"Nothing you would have to worry about, it's not even at four thousand," the shorter Saiyan, Vegeta, spoke with a disdain for the result, sounding almost disappointed. "Though, that does make him the strongest one here, next to the Namekian."

So the self proclaimed Demon Lord was nothing more than an alien, he should have known. He had never heard of either Namekians or Saiyans, which only further drove home the idea that he was nowhere in known space from his original trajectory.

"If you want a fight, then get on with it, I grow bored just standing here," Boros sighed, did every overconfident alien in the universe have to talk for ages before they fought? "Disregard the others, your opponent is me."

"I like this alien, Vegeta, he gets straight to the point!" And with that, Nappa charged forward at a speed rather unexpected of his great size. "It's been too long since I've had a good workout!"

A fist moving faster than a normal eye could see hit him square in the chest, forcing him backwards. The sheer force of the strike sent a shockwave across the battlefield, tearing apart the ground below their feet. Boros' armor cracked, but he felt none of the blow. He quickly recovered, but Nappa was already on top of him again.

A flurry of punches and kicks from the bald Saiyan filled his vision, but he didn't attempt to block. Boros was blown away by Nappa's furious assault, crashing into a nearby stone pillar. The color in the faces of the human warriors drained away, particularly in Piccolo's. He already knew the strength Boros possessed, so to see him knocked around so easily…

But the blue skinned alien stood up like it was nothing, casually dusting himself off. He was somewhat impressed, the brute had managed to damage his retraining armor, how long had it been since an opponent could do that so easily? Boros crouched low, tensing the muscles in his legs. Then, he vanished.

The burly Saiyan was sent flying by a blow from the side, unable to avoid Boros' swift charge. As he fell through the air, he gathered a ball of energy in his hand and tossed it at Boros, its speed far beyond what the Saiyan was normally capable of.

Boros ducked under the energy blast, the ball of light passing harmlessly through his mane of pink hair. Nappa meanwhile landed back on his feet, having taken no noticeable damage from the attack.

"You're fast, I'll give you that much," Nappa grinned, a vicious look in his eyes. "But that punch felt like a bug bite to me, if that's all you've got you should start begging for mercy now and save me the trouble!"

They both rushed back in at the same time, each launching an explosive flurry of attacks to match the other. Their fists clashed again and again, but neither fighter gained any ground. Suddenly, the storm of fists stopped, and napped tackled the cyclopean space pirate.

The Saiyan's muscles bulged as he squeezed his arms around Boros, attempting to crush him with his strength alone. The sounds of metal bending and breaking filled the air, as his armor was slowly compressed.

Boros slipped his foot between Nappa's and with a quick sweep, knocked the man off his feet. The two aliens toppled over each other as they fell to the ground, but Boros leapt to his feet quickly. Nappa soon followed, and the two resumed the fight without a pause, Nappa throwing another powerful punch at Boros.

Boros grasped the Saiyan's arm mid strike, and brought his other arm down in an elbow strike, attempting to break it. But Nappa pulled his arm back faster than he anticipated, the Saiyan's raw strength was something to behold.

Nappa lunged, catching Boros in a chokehold, before slamming him against the ground and pinning him with his other arm.

"Look Vegeta, I caught an alien!" the Saiyan laughed as if he had just made a hilarious joke, but Vegeta just shook his head.

"Stop playing around Nappa, finish off the poor bastard already so we can get on with our search for the Dragon Balls!" The impatience in Vegeta's voice was obvious; he must have considered this fight as big a waste of time as Boros did.

The Space Pirate known as Lord Boros was bored; this Saiyan couldn't give him a remotely interesting fight. To an onlooker, it might seem as though they were evenly matched, but he knew the truth.

Boros kicked off the ground, breaking Nappa's hold on his neck and flipping over the Saiyan's large frame. In mid-air, he wrapped his legs around the bald man's neck, twisting his upper body as he fell. Nappa was thrown to the ground with a massive crash, a cloud of dust filling the area.

"I'm impressed you've kept up with me this long, most who face me die before I even get serious," Boros looked away from Nappa, having lost interest in him, instead his eyes fixated on the other Saiyan. He could feel an immense power in him, he was truly the opponent he wished to fight, not this smallfry.

"Tough words for someone who can't even beat Nappa, I doubt you would even last one second against the power of a high class Saiyan like myself," Vegeta's arrogance reminded him of his own, the arrogance of one with true strength. "Dammit Nappa, I told you to take this seriously!'

"Yes, Boss," the bald Saiyan rose to his feet, the almost playful look in his eyes before was gone, replaced with a stern expression. He stretched his arm out, winding his shoulder as if to remove the stiffness of his muscles. A slight rise in the energy reading Boros could feel from Nappa told him he was ready to seriously fight, though it would make little difference, he would respond in kind.

"I can't remember the last time I've had to remove my armor during a fight, you should consider this an honor, Saiyan warrior!" Boros' muscles flexed, and in one motion, his armor fell from his body, clattering to the ground around him. A bright pink energy enveloped him like an aura, and a huge shockwave rocketed across the plains, knocking down all but the Saiyans and Piccolo.

Boros' muscles bulged, his rather thin body becoming twice its original size as his hair spiked up above his head. His skin darkened, turning from a soft blue to a hardened black shell, spikes began to appear over various parts of his body such as his knuckles and shoulders. Finally, the dark gray lines that ran across his body like veins of lava began to emit an intense neon blue glow.

Boros barely looked like the same person, his form had completely changed. Suddenly, a second eye shot open on his chest, which only added to the alien's menacing appearance. Piccolo stood staring at him in horror, realizing just how outclassed he had been in his initial fight against the cyclops. Another surprisingly shocked expression was Vegeta's, whose confused face quickly turned into rage.

"That… That's not possible, how can a nobody alien like you on this backwater world have a power level that high!" Vegeta removed the eyepiece on his face and crushed it in his hand. "I won't accept this, trash like you can't possibly this strong, it must be broken!"

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Nappa, looking confused, turned on his own scouter. As soon as it clicked on, he froze. "W-What, fifteen thousand?!"

"Be honored that you were strong enough to even witness this form, Nappa," Boros slowly walked towards him, his size now almost matching the Saiyan's bulk. "Though I doubt I'll need to use my full strength against you."

Boros vanished once again, but this time even Nappa looked shocked. Before, Nappa had been too slow to react, but he could still follow the movements with his eyes. Now however, he couldn't even see Boros as he moved.

"Guuhhh!" An explosive bang followed by a fit slamming into Nappa's stomach was the next thing everyone saw. His fist easily exceeded the sound barrier, and the Saiyan warrior was blown away. He crashed through three stone pillars before his momentum finally stopped.

"Still alive? You really are an impressive warrior, Nappa the Saiyan!" Boros leapt into the air, the ground fracturing around him from the force of his jump. "But it's time I end this, farewell!"

Nappa stood up, his entire body shaking. He began to gather energy within his body, a sphere of light forming in his open mouth. It was evident from the situation that this was his trump card, Boros was realistically expecting nothing from it, but he hoped it would impress him.

"Break Cannon!" the Saiyan roared, the sphere of energy in his mouth transforming into a massive beam of light. His strongest attack engulfed Boros completely, for a moment it appeared to have overpowered the Space Pirate.

A flash of neon pink cut through the beam, smashing into Nappa with the force of an asteroid. Standing before Nappa was Boros, completely unharmed after tanking the Saiyan's Break Cannon. His fist was thrust through the bald man's chest, soaked red with gore.

Boros yanked his arm free, and the Saiyan collapsed immediately, having already died from the blow. Crimson ichors dripped onto the dry ground off Boros' arm, the fight had ended.

Boros couldn't help but feel disappointed, even though he had anticipated this outcome from the start. For all of his boasting, the Saiyan died like any other. This wasn't enough, an opponent on this level couldn't even make his heart beat faster then a light jog, he needed an enemy who could match him!

His gaze returned to the remaining Saiyan, who stood motionless, staring at the body of his fallen comrade. Despite this, he didn't appear to be upset at his death, instead he looked at Nappa's body with disdain.

"Pathetic, to lose so easily… he isn't worthy of being considered a Saiyan," Vegeta, still motionless, berated his fallen brethren, before turning to face Boros.

Boros stepped over Nappa's body, completely disregarding how disrespectful such an act might seem, and approached Vegeta. Without turning towards them, he addressed the human warriors, who were still frozen in shock.

"Leave," his voice was cold, a commanding tone fitting of the leader of a notorious band of marauders. "You'll only get in the way."

None of them had any complaints about this, not after witnessing what just happened. They were, quite simply, outclassed. It seemed as though the mysterious alien known as Boros might even be a match for Vegeta. But then, what would they do about Boros?

Slowly but surely, the human warriors all fled to a safe distance, until only Piccolo remained. He looked at Boros, then closed his eyes and turned away. "You better win, I have unfinished business with you!"

Boros didn't bother responding, his answer should be clear as day. Wasn't it obvious? Of course he would win. None in the universe could stand up to his might; this would be the same as ever.

"Just because you beat Nappa, you think you can take me on? Don't make me laugh," Vegeta uncrossed his arms and started towards Boros. "Sure, your Power Level is unusually high, but it's still well below my own, this won't even be a fight."

"We shall see, Saiyan," Boros flexed his immense muscles, only further stressing how much larger he was than the Saiyan. "I can tell you're far stronger than any other I've faced before, I may even have to get serious to kill you."

"You insolent fool, do you have no idea who you're standing before? If you had any brains behind that massive eye of yours, you would be cowering in fear right about now," were this a contest of arrogance, even Boros would be hard-pressed to defeat such a foe. What Vegeta lacked in size, he made up for in self confidence, but would that translate into strength?

"All I see is a loud little monkey, who wastes my time with pointless chatter," Boros, at nearly eight feet tall, easily dwarfed the Saiyan as he walked towards him, but the man wasn't intimidated in the slightest by his stature. "Come then, show me a good fight, Saiyan!"

"You bastard, I'll rip that tongue right out of your mouth," Vegeta clenched his fists, and an aura of power surrounded him, the ground below his feet shaking with the force of his energy. "Let me show you the fate of those who insult Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans!"

"Very well, Prince Vegeta. I, Lord Boros of the Dark Matter Thieves, shall take you on with my full strength!" Boros brought his fists to his side, his pink aura returning.

In the blink of an eye, they both disappeared from sight. An explosion rocked the wasteland, shattering numerous pillars and outcroppings. Within the center of the blast, the two combatants stood, their fists connected mid blow.

Something cracked within Boros' arm, and a feeling he hadn't experienced in decades rushed through his mind, pain. The strongest space pirate in the universe, with no known equal, had been injured. His mouth widened into a toothy smile, this was more than he had expected.

He pulled his injured arm back, launching a flurry of blows with his remaining limb. The Saiyan blocked every hit, not seeming to take any damage from them. Boros focused his energy on his arm, sending his healing factor into overdrive. In only a moment it was repaired and his attack rush intensified, both of his fists turning into a blur as they cut through the air.

Vegeta dashed to the left, slipping through Boros' assault with ease. He slammed his fist into the huge alien's face, sending him crashing across the wasteland. Boros leapt up as soon as he came to a stop, narrowly avoiding a kick from the Saiyan King.

The wasteland's many mountains and hills were reduced to rubble with the ferocity of their battle. Each exchange of blows created a new scar in the earth's crust. But Boros was losing ground in the fight, While he could survive the Saiyan's onslaught due to his healing abilities, he was taking damage. Meanwhile, Vegeta was unharmed outside of a few superficial scrapes.

Boros landed on the ground after their last airborne exchange, Vegeta landing a short distance away. Panting, Boros was clearly the one struggling to keep up. It was nearing the battle he wanted, but something was missing, he still couldn't feel the spark.

"I'm impressed, Prince Vegeta!" His confident tone clashed heavily with the state of the fight, but Boros wouldn't give in so easily. "Of the myriad enemies I've faced… only you have managed to survive this long against my true strength!"

"You certainly are a tenacious piece of garbage, aren't you?" Vegeta scowled at the Space Pirate, his voice carrying none of the respect Boros' had. "If it wasn't for that regeneration of yours, you'd have died a dozen times over by now."

"The harsh environment of my homeworld has gifted me with a powerful regeneration far beyond any other in the universe, a wound you would find fatal heals within seconds for me. While you'll only become more fatigued and damaged as the fight continues, I'll continue to recover like this, your efforts are futile!"

A blue light surrounded Boros, as his body began to glow with an intense energy. The latent, explosive energy within his body could be released as a devastating attack that would vaporize even the bones of most living creatures.

"I apologize for not truly going all out from the start, Vegeta!" Boros' energy shook the surroundings; even he was barely able to contain it anymore. "But now that I know you to be a worthy opponent, I shall use the full extent of my powers!"

All at once, Boros unleashed the energy the welled up inside of him, firing it like a cannon from the second eye on his torso. A beam of radiant blue tore towards Vegeta, engulfing him instantly.

A massive explosion ripped apart their surroundings on a scale unlike the rest. The resulting shockwave even forced away the clouds in the sky. Boros dove forward, rushing in to meet the still standing Vegeta.

He threw a punch, his huge fist shot through the air and connected with Vegeta's body, sending him hurtling through the air. But the Saiyan abruptly stopped, floating in mid air. Boros' eye widened, he could fly with no wings to support him?

"Ha, you call that going all out?" Vegeta crossed his arms, a low chuckle escaping his lips. "To think you were a match for a true Saiyan warrior, where do you get the nerve?"

Boros hadn't held back with that punch, yet the Saiyan seemed unharmed, how was this possible? His heart began to beat faster, could this really be it? This Vegeta, was he the one from the prophecy?

"Looks like I'll have to show you what a high class Saiyan is truly capable of!" Vegeta brought both hands to his side, bringing them close together. Suddenly, an immense spike in energy within him occurred, so much so that Boros instinctively took a step back. A purple aura surrounded the Saiyan Prince, the energy cracking violently around him

"Not even your regeneration can withstand the full power of this," Vegeta threw his hands forward, a massive beam of purple light erupting from his fingertips. "Galick Gun!"

The beam moved faster than he could dodge, it's intense heat hurtling towards him as he stood frozen. Gathering as much strength as he could, Boros unleashed a second blast of his own energy from his second eye.

The blue and purple beams clashed mid flight, both of an equal power. Boros strained his body, pushing himself to his limits, and his beam began to overtake Vegeta's. But the Saiyan wasn't about to let that happen, and his own output also increased, overwhelming Boros' beam.

The Galick Gun crashed through Boros' unnamed technique, digging a deep scar into the earth. Boros was blown back into a stone wall, shattering it on impact. He fell to his knees, blood pooling all around him from his wounded body.

Vegeta landed a short distance away from him, his face the epitome of smugness. From the look on it, it was clear he thought he had already won this battle. Boros however, had another opinion. He dragged himself to his feet, his body barely holding together. His were already repairing themselves, and he soon returned to full strength.

"Very good, Vegeta," Boros tenses his body, his energy levels rising again. "But I'm not done yet!"

A typhoon of blue and pink energy surrounded Boros with an intensity unlike before, the ground literally splitting apart around them both. His body changed again, his armored black skin turned a fluorescent white along with his hair, which also increased significantly in length, now reaching down his entire back. The blue glow of the veins along his body disappeared, returning to a dark color, almost like his body's tone had inverted.

Boros, still cloaked in his ferocious aura, coiled his legs in a crouch. His muscles twitched in each limb like a spring ready to break. He opened his eye and locked onto Vegeta, who stood unimpressed, could he not sense Boros' increase in power?

"Meteoric… Burst!"

Boros kicked off the ground, creating a devastating shockwave in his wake as he shot towards the Saiyan. Vegeta barely had time to register a look of shock as Boros slammed his fist into the Prince's face. The impact was so powerful that the resulting kinetic energy exploded across the plains, turning even the solid stone of the wasteland into molten lava.

The damage their fight had caused previously was nothing compared to this unparalleled display of destructive force. The wave of energy washed over the ground like a tsunami, annihilating everything in its path. But Vegeta was still alive; Boros could feel his energy, and so he leapt into the shockwaves current, ready to end the fight.

Vegeta had been sure of his victory, there were few who could survive his Galick Gun in the universe, even less who could get back up and continue to fight. He had to admit he was mildly impressed that this 'Boros' could still stand after taking it full on, but he had to be reaching his limits of regeneration by now.

Having destroyed his Scouter, he could no longer read his opponents Power level, if he had been able to, perhaps things would have gone differently. But instead he allowed himself to be caught off guard, not realizing that the alien's power had reached above twenty two thousand with his newest transformation, even higher than Vegeta's own.

He flew through the shockwave created by Boros' last punch, or rather, he fell through it. He had no time to recover before the cyclopean alien rushed in, his fists rocketing out into a barrage of powerful blows. The alien was nothing more than a flash of light against the Saiyan, each blow coming from a different direction.

Vegeta's armor, designed to survive even the strongest of impacts, began to shatter under the flurry of punches, and for the first time in the fight he took damage.

"The energy shunted off from my body becomes a propelling force, elevating my speed and power beyond the limitations…" Boros began to talk through his barrage, grabbing Vegeta out of the air and slamming him through a stone wall, the sheer force of impact liquefying the stone. "..Of living flesh!"

Vegeta hit the ground with a crack, a crater forming in his wake. But he had no time to recover even then, as Boros landed a dropkick against his back, smashing him back into the ground with the strength of a falling star.

Boros' body flashed in a prismatic array of colors as he moved, the light created from his body enough to blind and disorient just by looking at him. Vegeta tried to counterattack, but his fists felt sluggish compared to the speed at which Boros pummeled him back.

With a powerful kick, Boros sent Vegeta crashing through several layers of stone and earth at over the speed of sound, until he finally stopped moving a great distance away. battered and bloody, Vegeta was utterly broken by the assault.

Impossible, how had this low level scum pushed him this far!? For a proud man like Vegeta, it was unacceptable that he lose here, but being forced to use his final trump card against such a worthless enemy might as well have been a defeat for him.

Though his reports had said this world possessed a moon, he had noticed a strange lack of such an object on his arrival, had they destroyed their own moon in anticipation of this battle? It was no matter, he had an easy workaround.

Picking himself off the ground, he flew high into the air, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. Even such a simple act pained him greatly, how could that alien have injured him that much? Vegeta raised his hand, a small orb of energy forming in his palm. He gathered as much as he could, and when it was complete, he threw it into the sky, where it expanded greatly in size.

This sphere drained most of his remaining energy, making it his final option. He had wanted to save this if he could, but he wasn't about to be defeated here. His body creaked, painfully changing from within as he stared at the fake moon. Soon, his body began to expand, his body growing several times his normal size. His skin grew a layer of fur, and his face took on an ape like appearance. But this transformation wasn't about size, it was about strength. A Saiyan's great ape form increases his Power Level tenfold, easily enough to defeat that scum who thought himself a match for the Prince of Saiyans.

His now massive body crashed into the ground, shaking the earth under his weight. At his feet was the alien, Boros, looking like an insect compared to his new size.

"Now do you see how outclassed you are, you backwater scum?!" Vegeta's voice, now monstrous and booming, was almost powerful enough to destroy the surrounding area. "I'm going to enjoy crushing you like the bug you are!"

Boros hunched over, nearly falling to his knee again. He panted heavily, clutching his chest. Meteoric Burst allowed him to go past his limits, but it was an incredibly stressful ability that strained his body to the extremes. He knew he could only use it as a last resort, something to end fights quickly, and yet… the Saiyan had survived.

What's even more, before he could catch up to him, he had transformed into this… thing. He could never have anticipated a turn of events where his enemy would turn into a giant monkey right before his eyes.

What was even more shocking however, was his strength. Boros could feel the energy within Vegeta, having increased dramatically, becoming well over eight times Boros' own. But there was more to fighting than just raw power, and now his opponent was a bigger target.

What was this feeling inside of him? His blood was boiling, and he heart couldn't stop racing. Was this possibly… excitement? The foe before him was so overwhelmingly strong, unlike anything he had ever seen before, had the prophecy held true?

"Hwaahh!" Boros leapt into the air, transforming into a radiant bullet aimed directly at Vegeta. He crashed into the great ape, but it didn't budge an inch. His fists lashed out at the huge creature's face, but the Saiyan merely laughed.

With a flick of his wrist, Vegeta slammed Boros against the ground. The cyclopean alien felt an intense pain run through his entire body as he hit the surface of the earth, coughing up blood with the impact.

"Yes, that's the way, Vegeta!" He leapt up, pulling his battered body back together with his focused healing energies, though he was nearing his limits. "You are the opponent I've been waiting for, one truly worth defeating!"

Before he could launch another attack, Vegeta's enormous fist struck him with an indescribable force. In that moment, Boros' body was blown away, almost completely reduced to gore.

Somehow, he remained conscious after a blow of that magnitude, even though by all rights he should have died instantly. His eye went bloodshot, and with an unbelievable display of his healing abilities, he restored his entire body in an instant, literally pulling his scattered parts back together.

This was it, this was the feeling he had forgotten! The sensation of struggling, of fighting for one's life, if it weren't for the intense pain he was feeling right now he might have assumed this was a dream.

"I will defeat you!" Boros' energy surged, he was putting everything into this attack. Even if it cost him his life, he would defeat the enemy before him! He rose up into the air, arcs of energy shooting from his body like lightning. They rampaged across the land below him, further turning their battlefield into a sea of molten stone. "I'll release all my energy at once, blowing both you and this planet to hell!"

"I'd like to see you try, you pathetic worm!" Vegeta's voice, filled with the primal rage of his altered form, bellowed across the land. He too began to change his power, a sphere of energy appearing within his mouth.

Ba-bump.

All he could hear was his heartbeat, every other sound drained away from his mind. His body was completely covered in his violently flashing aura, transforming him into a light brighter than a small sun.

"COLLAPSING STAR, ROARING CANNON!"

Boros unleashed his ultimate trump card, the final move he possessed. A blast of energy powerful enough to wipe all life from the surface of a world in one shot, but would it be enough?

"GALICK GUN!"

Vegeta's blast was nothing like it had been before; the level of intensity was orders of magnitude stronger than his first blast. Vegeta's attack easily blew both Boros' attack and the Space Pirate away, the beam cutting a purple path across the sky into space. Boros stood no chance, Vegeta was just too strong, and he was completely defeated.

As his vision started to fade, he thought he saw a flash of orange appear in front of him. Before everything went completely dark, he had a single thought cross his mind… he wasn't strong enough.