Wait... Do I Know You...? (Kombu)

Maybe someday, the rage-filled blue Majin girl would come to understand how ecosystems worked on different planets, specifically, how Earth had different ecosystems dependant on their location in relation to the equator. The Earth was certainly a unique planet on its own. At least, as far as Kombu knew. He was not well-versed with the machinations of the universe and its mysteries—something which he intended to fix one day when he'd begin his journey to other planets. Obtaining knowledge was just as important, if not more so, than gaining strength.

The Saiyan Kombu found himself training in the Gizzard Wastelands today. The intense desert heat provided a mental challenge to overcome. And as for strength, well, the Saiyan found himself battering his fists against a solid rock formation wall. Layers upon layers of sediment towering over him helplessly as a crater grew in size with each punch. At the very least, Kombu was not disturbing the natural order. These monumental rocks would one day crumble to dust anyway. And thankfully, no animals had to be displaced from their homes.

The Saiyan was mid-punch when he heard it; a guttural agonized scream of disappointment and confusion. Followed by hacking and coughing. Whoever was causing the disturbance sounded like they were about to cough up a lung or two. The Saiyan's mind became ensnared by the clutches of curiosity. So he took to the air, wondering to himself just what all of the noise was about.

It didn't take long for Kombu to locate the frustrated Majin. He halted his flight and just observed for the time being. He'd never seen a Majin before. It was yet another experience to add to his ever-expanding worldview. Small in stature, baggy white pants...Blue skin? And a belt with a symbol on it.

The Saiyan would finally approach the Majin girl. He hovered through the air before landing across from her.

"You alright?" he asked with concern in his voice. "Are you choking? Do you need help?"

---

Kombu could finally release the breath which he was holding captive in his lungs. Air blew out past his puffed cheeks as he sighed. Good. So the strange blue child wasn't choking. Well, at least, not anymore. No, it more appeared that she was sputtering up air and dust that she might have swallowed on accident.

Then came the prodding finger. Being a patient man, Kombu stared blankly at the Majin while she committed to her antics. A surprisingly squishy finger applied pressure to his cheek until her advance was halted by bone. His cheekbone, to be exact. What was Liari's game, Kombu wondered? Was she truly a child who was allowing her sense of wonder to take over?

"You not like me..."

"Uh..." was all Kombu could think to mutter at first. But, he soon found his sense of speech. "My name's Kombu," he continued, eyes following the blue gummy girl as she scaled his body to explore his hair.

The Majin certainly was an inquisitive one! She appeared to be completely encapsulated by the locks of hair atop his head. The antics caused a bit of a smile to spread across Kombu's lips.

"No, I guess you're not like me," he stated. "I'm what's called a Saiyan. My people come from a planet far away from here. But, I was born here on Earth. And that's my hair. It's...Kinda attached to my head. It's a part of my body. And you already kinda look like you have...Hair?"

---

Out of all of Kombu's interactions with people on planet Earth up until now, he never expected one to turn so sour so soon. What did he say wrong? His mind raced at a million miles an hour as it tried to decipher what exactly went wrong here. Did Kombu insult her on accident? Was it something that he said? And now, Liari was preparing a massive ki attack to erupt right in his face!

Thanks to the verbal clues which the Majin had spat out at him, he was able to determine what it was that set her off. He had mistakenly made the comparison between his hair and her tentacles. And while Kombu was a Saiyan who enjoyed the thrill of a fight, he would seek to dispel the hostilities between them right now.

"Hold on!" he shouted pleadingly, raising his hands up to defend himself if he was required to.

"I didn't mean to trick you! Honest! I was only comparing my hair to your tentacles. I don't have any tentacles!" he explained almost frantically. "But you do...And I was only pointing out that your tentacles kind of look like hair. I don't even know what species you belong to!"

His gaze remained fixed on that deadly-looking energy ball that could very well wipe out a few miles of the landscape. Was he going to have to fight?

"I'm sorry," he stated, "truly. But if you're serious about attacking me? Just know that Saiyans hold nothing back. I will fight you until one of us drops. Is that understood? Now. Are we going to put away that energy blast? Can we be nice to each other?"

Part of his mind played out the very fight he had against his master, Tiamat the Shinjin. He learned from the spar and the tactics he developed to suit him in a fight better. His thoughts also turned to the Earth's own atmosphere. Could the moon be seen at this hour? Was it even full? Kombu hated it, but he decided that depending on how this fight would go, he would need to rely on the Oozaru transformation. Which he despised even considering, seeing how he would easily go on a rampage.

---

((SUPER LATE I KNOW SHUT UP))

Kombu could finally let go of the tension in his muscles that had formed in preparation for a possible attack. But now, as the girl with the consistency of gum put away her energy attack, the Saiyan felt relaxed. And now, a warm smile spread across his lips like a sun coming up over the horizon. Things may have started off rocky, but now Kombu could genuinely tell that Liari was a good person at heart. At least, that's where his own judgment led him.

Kombu walked forward before happily extending his right gloved hand out toward Liari. It was a handshake, of course! Kombu wondered if Liari would even understand what a handshake was, but there was no harm in offering it in the first place. If she got confused, then the man would be more than pleased to explain the human gesture.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Liari. Where might you be from, by the way? I can tell that you're not a local of the planet Earth. But still, it's impolite to judge too quickly. Did you come from somewhere else? Or were you born here? It seems like there are a lot of non-earthlings emigrating from their homes to this world these days."

---

Liari's first part to her response alluded to her being from all over. Kombu determined that she must have meant she didn't have any actual planet of origin and that she might just be a traveler that visited different worlds on a whim. Alright, that was easy enough to understand. Then the Majin girl expressed that she didn't quite know her age when referring to waking up. So she was either ancient, or incredibly young. And she woke up on Earth, no less.

Kombu couldn't help but chuckle at the being's childlike curiosity once she started to take a closer examination of his hair. He let her hands explore through the forest of follicles attached to his scalp. It was charming, in a way, and he wanted to help satiate her curious nature. The Saiyan already explained what hair was before. Maybe he didn't do quite a good job of it. So, he would try again. This time, making sure to give an exposition that the blue gum-like girl could understand. At least, he would do his best.

"That's called hair," he revealed. "See, there are some animals, and species, called 'mammals.' Mammals are any animal or species that grow hair or fur. Hair is like fur. It helps keep body parts warm. Just like my tail!"

The Saiyan's tail curled around and waved a bit to emphasize the point to Liari.

"And sometimes," he continued, "when I transform, I get fur all over my body. But I don't think it would be safe to show you that. I lose control of my mind when that happens. Thankfully there's no full moon out right now, or we'd both be in trouble."

The Saiyan sought to quickly move on to a separate yet related subject. "So, what might you be? I can't say I've seen anything quite like you before. Then again, I haven't left Earth, so there's no telling what kinds of people are out there beyond the stars."

Then, Kombu grinned. "Are you strong?"

---

The Saiyan tensed up at first when Liari started to poke and prod at his tail. He wanted to be careful and stay ready just in case she tried to grab it. After all, like all Saiyans, the tail was an exploitable weakness. He would end up feeling shockwaves of pain that would render him vulnerable if someone had successfully grasped it. But, seeing that Liari only intended to poke the extra appendage, Kombu began to relax.

Kombu's grin transformed to become more feverish when Liari boasted that she was powerful. Judging from what Kombu could sense, she was right! Right now, the two were completely equal in power. Kombu would have preferred an opponent who was stronger than him in some capacity. He would have to settle for someone closer to him in might. The Saiyan was positive that this fight would be challenging nonetheless.

The man spring boarded off of the ground to propel himself backward some distance away from Liari. His boots landed with a scuff against the sand of the desert. A soft breeze passed through between the rock formations and brushed gently across his clothes and hair. Then he slid into his ready defensive stance. His right elbow bent slightly as his arm rested nearly horizontal by his side, roughly chest-height. His left elbow bent, and his left hand guarded the top of his head. The index and middle fingers remained relaxed while the rest curled into his palm. The Saiyan adjusted his footing slightly to spread his feet apart and limber up in preparation for the fight.

"I want to see you at your best, Liari," Kombu requested. "Please don't hold back. I will show you the same courtesy. Let's see how strong the two of us are, alright?"

It would be Kombu who aimed to get first blood. The ground beneath his feet cracked when he applied pressure to it. He sped forward like a bullet! The Saiyan's body then seemed to fade out of this plane. Kombu was using his speed to get behind Liari for a surprise attack! Now appearing behind her in a near-instant, he shouted, throwing a hard kick for the back of the Majin's head. "ARA!"

Whether it would land or not, he would try to follow up with a combination of blows. Shouting with exertion and raw power for each blow. Left hooks, right hooks, and jabs with his fists were sent for her stomach. A few good kicks were thrown in by the Saiyan, too. "ARA ARA ARA ARA ARA ARA ARA ARA! ARAAAAA!"

Kombu would not truly go all out just yet. Instead, he wanted to test Liari's strengths. Find cracks in her defenses. And all the while, his heart was pounding excitedly and Saiyan Blood was becoming hot!

---

And so the two combatants, Saiyan and Majin, would become locked in glorious combat. Kombu at least managed to land some good hits in. But Liari was more wily than she first let on! The girl with the gummy body structure had flipped upside-down and began to block his blows with her knees and other appendages! Shockwaves rocked the space they occupied with each successful block! This sudden change in fighting style did manage to catch Kombu off guard. But only for a moment.

First, his lungs forced out what air was inside of them from the sudden hard blow to his stomach. Liari's fist had dug so deep into his core. It nearly threatened to come out on the other side! The Saiyan's mouth became agape. Saliva splattered outward past the gates of his teeth. A pained groan followed.

'Breath in!' his mind screamed. 'Take a breath! Come ON!'

The hardened fighter sharply inhaled after what felt to him like an eternity without air. And it was just in the nick of time, too! He had barely flexed his neck to avoid a punch to the face. Liari's fist scarped by. A line of red formed on his right cheek soon after, with a slight trickle of crimson prancing down the side of his face.

The two fighters commenced with trading blows once again. Some Kombu managed to dodge or block. But with this unorthodox fighting style which the blue girl took charge with, it was hard to predict exactly what she would do next. One thing which the Saiyan took note of was the elasticity of Liari's body. It didn't help that her arms literally stretched out to clap hard against his ears!

Kombu had to rely on his speed yet again. Just as the Majin girl's hands seemed to make their mark, Kombu's body faded out once again. Only to fade back in, crouching, with a wild look in his eyes. Teeth gritting, right fist reached back, Kombu looked poised for the kill. But, there was a determination in his eyes. It was a look that could likely freeze weaker-willed opponents in their place.

The Saiyan's fist clenched tighter. One could almost hear the very skin contorting and see the veins bulging in the hand and around the forearm muscles. Yet despite the contorted features on his face, he was still smiling! There was a vast grin splayed on his face. Teeth were baring almost menacingly.

Then, the springs in his legs let loose. Kombu threw his fist upward as hard as possible to find its mark against the bottom of Liari's jaw.

"ARA!!!"

But the Saiyan would not stop there and give time for his friendly foe to recover if the blow connected or not. He then splayed both hands toward the girl. A yellow energy ball grew in front of his palms.

"Try to take THIS!"

The ball shot out toward Liari at point-blank range. Then another, and another. The Saiyan intended to blast his opponent away with a ki blast barrage.

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