Korado had considered his options, if he was going to step into the fight his scouters and devices picked up. But considering last time this battle had a super Saiyan and he almost got killed, he decided it was best he focused his strengths on something else. The City was going to become a battleground and he was well aware of that. "Please everyone head to my compound as soon as possible, we will protect you!" Korado called as he motioned people into his laboratory. The Laboratory was tough, tougher then most places considering the experiments that were going on down there. He needed the compound to be safe and secure.
The past few months after that great battle in Haitchi (Which seemed to be far too regular for his liking), he had been focusing his work on an assortment of scientific endeavors. Some that he'd wish the public eye not to see (Which he made sure to hide for the given occasion). Anyway, as a result of that he had a place in the city that be safer then most of the rest of the city. And if they needed to flee the city, he made sure to have his ship ready with supplies. He hoped it was not going to come to that. He did not want to leave his new home. At the same time, he wanted to step in to try to stop said war but what could he actually do. He didn't have the power to really test a super saiyan warrior. Not yet anyway, he'd figure something out for the future. A weapon that would allow him to slay any threat to his home.
When King Taori had first ordered the Saiyan Military to deploy to Hatchi, and that an honest-to-god Super Saiyan was running around, Tunnip had been one of the first Saiyans into the attack pods. It wasn't as if he wanted to fight the Lottus guy currently tearing up the city, that would have just been suicide. As much as he loved combat, there would have been no fun to be had in that kind of fight at all.
No, he simply wanted to be there to witness it. To see, to feel the absolutely monstrous power that flooded through the city as he flew above the streets, searching for survivors to evacuate. He couldn't even sense Ki, and yet it felt as if the heat of a star was beating down on his back. The feeling only grew more intense as the King and another Saiyan transformed as well, two more bright yellow suns in the shape of men joining the first before they began to clash in the distance. He could feel the shockwaves and quakes from their battle from across the city, for god's sake! If he didn't have a job to do, Tunnip would have loved it if he could just sit back and take it in. Three of the legendary warriors clashing together in a battle for the fate of the Tuffle capital…
"Damn, stop drifting off and focus on the damn job!" He roared, slapping himself across the face in order to get his thoughts back on track. Okay. Survivors. Gotta grab them and take them to safety before they get squashed. Raising a hand to his scouter, he tapped the buttons and rapidly began to flip through the scanning modes while looking around, hoping to spot anyone that any other soldiers had missed. "Come on, come on…!"
Wait, right there! Tunnip quickly flipped back and snapped his head towards a bunch of rubble that had almost crushed some strange Tuffle vehicle underneath it. Someone was alive under there! Gritting his teeth, his energy exploded around him as he shot towards the heap of broken metal and masonry as fast as he could. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he slammed down with a heavy thud, and without any further delay, he rushed over and began digging through the rubble. Chunks of rock and concrete were tossed aside or over his shoulder as he worked his way through it all, using his large body to prevent the whole thing from collapsing on top of the poor trapped sod. With a tortured screech, the top of the vehicle was torn off and thrown away to reveal… A kid.
A goddamn kid.
He was still in one piece, thankfully, but he was not in good shape. A quick look-over revealed broken bones, and a lot of blood staining the interior of the vehicle… But he was still alive, and that was all that mattered. He could still be saved.
"Easy runt, I've got you." Struggling to keep his voice calm for the child's sake despite the situation raging on around him, the beefy Saiyan gingerly reached forward and, as gently as he could, gathered him up into his grasp. Maybe he looked ridiculous, holding a little Tuffle to his chest like a baby, but at that moment he couldn't really find it in himself to care. "I'm gonna get you to safety, alright? Just stay with me kid." He spoke aloud, unsure whether his charge could even hear him or not. With the kid secure, Tunnip pulled himself free from the rubble and left it to collapse behind him as he pushed off into the sky, moving as fast as he dared to go with the injured little one cradled in his arms towards the evacuation point.
His in-the-field first aid skills were rusty, and with the kid already beaten up, he didn't want to risk screwing things up further than they already had been. All he could hope for was that he could get over to an aid station before things took a turn for the worse. He wouldn't let another young runt die in front of him while he could still do something about it. Not on his watch.
A sudden cry from the street below pulled Tunnip free from his thoughts, bringing him to a halt as he glanced down to see what the commotion was. Another Saiyan…? He was gathering people into a nearby compound to shield them from the fighting. Did the compound have medical equipment? Could he get this runt some help there, or should he continue his way to the evac point? Biting his lip as his eyes flicked over to the kid in his arms, it didn't take long for the veteran to come to a decision.
"Oi, You there! This runt's in pretty bad shape!" Tunnip shouted as he flew down to meet with the man, his feet touching the ground as he came to a stop right in front of him. "I dunno how much longer he's gonna last if he doesn't get these injuries looked at. You got medical equipment in that fancy compound of yours?"
Korado was about to start closing the door for the moment (Since he couldn't keep it open forever as the fight was going on outside), and his scouters beeped to life. A Warrior was rushing forward with a power level of <24,000> and he was carrying someone in his arms. Someone who had been injured. The man was asking if he had any medical equipment in his compound for the kid and he nodded. "Of course, that does not look good at all. Right, bring him inside." He would wave for the Saiyan to step forward. "Sickle." A ball of slime seemed to shoot from his backpack and glanced at the doorway. "Bring any more survivors inside and close the door if fighting comes our way." He called to his friend before he began leading Tunnip inside.
"We need to get to my medical machine. It is a device that is hard to come by. At least at the level, I've had to modify too. He should be able to get dropped right in for most forms of injuries. But they are some forms that the machine cannot heal. So I need to ask how you found him and if you know what type of injuries he might have. I am assuming just by the looks of it he was just crushed in some way. But if you have any more information I need to know it as soon as possible." He'd lead Tunnip through the compound towards the back where no one else was. There was a ton of equipment and other experiments he had been working on. Including a suit of armor that seemed to be in the works that were marked with Slayer upon it. It looked somewhat like an Ozzaru. There was also other natural substance and beaker that seemed to be filled with an unknown green liquid that was somewhat similar to the liquid that filled the Healing chamber positioned in the back wall of the laboratory.
Tunnip didn't need to be told twice. As soon as Korado ushered him to follow after him, the Saiyan quickly moved into the compound with nothing more than a momentary glance given to the ball-shaped thing that bounced past. He didn't have time to stop and smell the roses with this injured kid in his arms, after all. If he wanted to take a look around or indulge his curiosity, it could wait until the runt was safe inside a medical machine.
At the man's prompting, the mid-class warrior launched into a terse explanation of the state he'd found the Tuffle in as they moved. "Found the kid in some vehicle that had been crushed beneath some rubble. Noticed broken bones while I was pullin' him out, and a lot of blood. Dunno if he's got any other injuries, but all that blood's gotta be coming from somewhere. Might be internal bleeding from some of the broken bones gettin' into his organs."
While Tunnip was no doctor, he'd seen plenty of injuries during his time on the battlefield. Enough that he could take a guess at what else might have happened. And boy, was it not a pretty thought. The runt needed medical attention sooner rather than later if any of his organs were damaged. Even full-grown Saiyan warriors wouldn't last long if their internals got all messed up.
He'd follow the Tuffle as he led him into the depths of the laboratory, and as they kept moving, he found himself having to grapple with something he'd let slip to the side thanks to the situation. During his time in the Saiyan-Tuffle war, Tunnip had joined in on his own fair share of raids and assaults of Tuffle laboratories and science compounds. Places where Tuffles would build and experiment with weapons used to kill the men, women and runts he fought and celebrated alongside. Places where the smarter inhabitants of Plant created things that should never have seen the light of day.
And now he was waltzing right into one of those laboratories. Alone. With nothing but a Tuffle and an injured brat to keep him company.
Setting his jaw, the Saiyan compelled himself to focus on getting the kid to the damn pod while his feelings fought and clashed inside of him. On one hand, half of him wanted to get out of the damn creepy place before he got strung up and used as a science experiment by some mad doctor. And if it wasn't for the kid he was holding on to, he might have just done that then and there.
But mad science lab or not, he refused to abandon the little runt. Not when his life was in his hands.
So Tunnip forced himself to ignore the machines and experiments going on around him. He ignored the massive battlesuit that looked like it had been made to fistfight an Oozaru. He ignored the suspicious liquids and chemicals that sat in their beakers and test tubes. He ignored everything else and kept his eyes locked firmly onto Korado's back as he kept following him along, almost scared of what might happen if he so much as peeked anywhere else.
"How much further is the machine, doc?" He questioned, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. "It feels like you've damn well hidden the thing as far away from the entrance as you could manage. Inconvenient, if ya ask me."
"I see. The medical machine should be able to handle all those injuries. But I'll have to test them once they get in the chamber for a small portion of time." Korado mused. He was not sure how effective it would be. The Kid was barely on the edge of life. Too fragile for a normal procedure. But he was sure he could save them. He would walk forward as Tunnip called out asking how long it would be until they reach the medical machine. He'd point to where it was as they fully entered the laboratory. "Just in here." Korado leaped up opening up the top of the machine. "Let's get them inside. And it is fair enough your complaint. This laboratory is in the back. Don't want everyone in my stuff while I'm keeping them safe. The front area is part of the laboratory where my less sensitive stuff is. Plus I practically live here so it has actually amenities." Korado explained as he would wait for Tunnip to put the kid inside the pod. "Once he is inside. I'll have to attach a few devices. To monitor the heart rate and other functions while he is in the healing pod. While it should heal him there can be complications or other effects that he suffered that cannot be simply healed by the chamber. So we will have to keep our eye on him. Though if you rather step out your free too."
The Saiyan didn't bother trying to hold back his sigh of relief as they finally arrived at their destination. As Korado leapt up and started preparing the machine to receive the patient, Tunnip quickly stepped over and as gently as he could, placed the Tuffle runt down in the pod. It was a slow and nerve-wracking process, as the warrior knew that things could quickly turn sour for the kid if he made even the tiniest wrong move. But at long last, he was in. He was safe, and if things turned out well, he'd be able to run around with whatever friends he had in a few weeks or so.
Now, all he had to do was cross his fingers and hope the injuries weren't too bad.
"I guess that makes sense if ya happen to live here. Wouldn't want anyone going through your stuff." Nodding absently, he kept his eyes trained on the pod. "Attach whatever doohickeys and do whatever ya gotta do doc, as long as the runt's still alive by the end of today, you'll get no complaints from me."
Tunnip flicked his eyes over towards the Tuffle for a moment in response to that last little statement of his. Part of him wanted to just scoff at the offer. Him? Step out? He was no squeamish little child, thank you very much. He'd seen his fair share of terrible injuries and heard plenty of horror stories during the war. But despite what he may have thought, that part of him that wanted to leave the egghead's laboratory was still there. Like a quiet voice in the back of his mind, it whispered his worst-nightmare scenarios into his ear continuously no matter how hard he tried to ignore it and focus on the tasks at hand.
It made him feel ashamed that some part of himself was considering leaving the kid at all.
Forcing his eyes shut tight, Tunnip took a moment to crush that annoying little fear of his up into a ball as best he could and shove it back down where the sun doesn't shine. It was a temporary measure at best, but right now he didn't want any of that crap to influence his decisions. Not somewhere filled with fragile medical equipment that wouldn't be able to hold up against an angry Saiyan going on a rampage.
"I… Appreciate the offer doc," he began as he opened his eyes again, speaking slowly, "but I think I'll stay if ya don't mind. I might not be able to do much of anything to help, but it'd do wonders for my peace of mind if I could watch the little runt getting the help he needs. I hope ya don't have a problem with that."
"Yes, I must rather not have anyone in the back if I can help it. I don't even usually have guests. But in this situation, I needed to keep everyone safe. Usually, I am right on the front lines for these battles but the last time there was that Super Saiyan. I couldn't do a damn thing to meet up against that level of power. So I decided that I could help people better by keeping them safe from all of the chaos." Korado had wished he was stronger but at the same time, he was a scientist. He would need something else to really try to put himself on the level of a super saiyan. It may not have even been possible. Anyway, Tunnip despite what seemed to be his apprehension about being inside his laboratory, decided to stay along. He wanted to make sure the runt was actually going to be healed. Korado nodded. "That is understandable. I assure you that I have no issue with that. Let me find you a seat though at least." Korado moved grabbing a chair so Tunnip could sit down on it. "I assume you came following the returned King Taori. Do you know who attacking us?" He was hoping for more information. He was not exactly sure who have the guts to attack Hatchi after the last time. The Super Saiyan Lottus had been killed in that battle, so that should have been more than enough of a warning to stay away!
He could understand that. As much as Tunnip wanted to go out there and help in the fighting too, nothing he could do would be enough to even make a Super Saiyan blink. He didn't think he'd ever get strong enough to be able to help out more in a situation like this. Power that could level cities in the blink of an eye seemed to be the domain of younger, less worn-down folk, as much as it irked him.
An old man with strength still in his bones shouldn't be sitting back and letting people half his age do all the heavy lifting.
"The feeling's mutual, doc. Sitting to the side and letting other people do all the fightin' does a pretty good job of making me feel useless." He took his eyes off the pod for a moment as he let out a sigh, and shook his head. "Makes me wonder what the hell I even bothered livin' this long for if I can't even do that."
He forced his mind to move on from that topic before he could stew in misery any longer than he had to. Taking the offered chair, Tunnip planted himself down and leaned back as if a great weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. As the questions began, the warrior turned to face Korado so that he could give the Tuffle some answers. He could afford to look away from the kid for a minute, he reasoned.
"Yep. The moment King Taori gave the order to move on out, I was already running for my attack pod." He chuckled as he recalled the moment in his head. "Sure, I might not be strong enough to take part in the big light show out there," he gestured towards the laboratories entrance, "but on top of wanting to help, I wanted to get a look at this crap for myself. I missed the first Super Saiyan rodeo that went down here, didn't want to miss the second."
He wanted to get a glimpse at the top of the mountain. The peak of power. And boy, did he get it.
The second part of the question, however, made the big Saiyan frown. The big guy hadn't exactly hidden that it was him that had returned, after all. The recordings and messages that exploded out of Hatchi mere moments after his arrival didn't leave any room for doubt. Tunnip might not have been ranked high enough to get his hands on every bit of information, but people talked. Rumours spread. And at the center of it all was just one name.
Lottus.
No matter how crazy, how impossible it seemed, he was back. Somehow, the first Super Saiyan in god knows how long had clawed his way back from death itself. And that was terrifying, to say the least. People were supposed to stay dead. That was how the universe worked. Was supposed to work.
"It's Lottus." He didn't beat around the bush or crack a joke. For this, Tunnip's voice was deadly serious. "I don't know how the bastard did it, but he's back. And given the fact that there're two Super Saiyans that aren't him out there and he's still kicking, he's got help with him too. Serious help."
Help that could stand up to the power of a Super Saiyan. He could barely believe it, but that was the only thing that made sense.
“You should not be too worried that you can’t exactly do that much.” Korado grunted. “It is not that we are weak at all. It is just that there some really strong people out there. People like King Taori train almost all the time to grow as strong as they have. I’ve only grown as strong as I have because I had the help of watching strong warriors and combining it with my technology.” Still he understood how the man felt. At least Korado could heal the injured and bring people to a safe area. An area that could hopefully keep most dangers at bay. And worse came to wrose then he get the ship to fly away to keep everyone safe.
Turnip then noted that indeed he decided to head off once Taori gave the order to protect the tuffles. While he couldn’t do much when it came to matching the lightshow nearby he was still not going to miss it. “I suppose your right, you don’t wanna miss a super saiyan. It is really something to say the least.” Korado glanced. “At the last battle I was able to see one of the Super Saiyans. It really showed me how much I could and couldn’t do. A Super saiyan is really just a monster. If more then one super saiyan clashes, it is just utterly devastating. It is good for us to not be involved with this battle.”
What explained said lightshow was when Tunnip proclaimed that to his knowledge, the person responsible for this attack was Lottus. The saiyan who should be dead. Korado would rub his chin in deep thought. “So you can come back to life. That is quite interesting. I’ve seen it before, it happened to someone I knew.” It was a bad memory, when Amara died. But, this did prove his project Genesis had some merit. Amara was not a one time thing. Anyone could come back to life if they had enough strength and willpower. At least that was what he assumed. “If hes got help and there is at least two super saiyans involved in the battle. Then, it may be time I moved this entire base outside the city. Because, this entire city might not be standing at the end of such a battle.”
"Guess so." Tunnip reluctantly admitted. As much as he might wish otherwise, he was no monster like the king or Lottus. If he was going to get stronger, strong enough to be up there in the big leagues, then he would have to work for it. It didn't sting as much as it might have if he was still young, but even at his age he still had his pride as a warrior.
Thankfully, the topic of conversation quickly moved on so he didn't have to grumble about his shortcomings for much longer. "A monster, that's a good way to put it." He started as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Too much power for just one person to handle, yeah? I trust King Taori to not do anything stupid, but the power of a Super Saiyan doesn't seem to pick favourites. Wouldn't have to deal with this crap if it did." He shook his head and let out a sigh. At the rate things were going, it seemed like anyone would be able to unlock the legendary power as long as they were strong enough. One mad Super Saiyan was bad enough, he didn't want to see what would happen if a whole damn army of the things started popping up. Just thinking about the destruction they would be capable of was enough to give him nightmares.
The Tuffle's reaction to Lottus coming back from the dead was interesting. Tunnip himself had been surprised and almost dismissed the entire tale when he heard that the deceased Super Saiyan had come back, but for Korado, it was something that he had seen happen before. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. So, was the afterlife just a damn time-out corner or something? Did dying even mean anything if you could just crawl your way back to the realm of the living so easily?
Tunnip couldn't help but scowl at the thought. He'd seen many good Saiyans die, and they hadn't come back. Not one, no matter how young or old they were. Whoever was in charge of the afterlife, they were doing a really shitty job of choosing who got to come back and who didn't.
When it was his time to go, he decided, he'd be sure to give them a piece of his mind.
He stewed in those dark thoughts until Korado began to speak once more, this time about the city itself. "Yeah… Not gonna lie doc, but Hatchi seems to be nothing but a big fat trouble magnet for you lot. As much as you Tuffles like the place, if this keeps happening it might be time to pack up and move someplace else."
To be honest, Tunnip was surprised that it hadn't happened already, or at least partially. With all that fancy tech, settling down someplace else would be a breeze, even if they decided to hop on over to another planet entirely. The Tuffles must be putting a lot of faith in the Saiyans to protect them, he supposed. A hell of a thing to do considering that the two races were at each other's throats a few years ago, especially since there were plenty of Saiyans who still regarded the Tuffles as weak and worthless. A laughable opinion, considering how long the shorter folk had fought against and held them off for.
Korado nodded as Tunnip noted that too much power could really be troublesome, it was the type of power that couldn't be controlled. He noted that he trusted King Taori but Super Saiyan Power just couldn't truly be controlled. He was not aware Taori was a super saiyan but that fully confirmed to him it was a form any saiyan could access. He had seen Nasu had the power and there was also Lottus. But now there were at least three super Saiyans? It was something he had to be on guard for. He didn't trust that power to be used wisely. If any Saiyan could reach that power with enough training how long was it until enough of them rose to overwhelm the super Saiyans that were on their side?
Korado leaned back as he grabbed a chair to sit in to watch the kid as he was being healed. He would keep listening as Tunnip made a good point, the city just seemed to be a death magnet. "Well, I suppose that it be wise for us to do so. But this is our home. The people of Hatchi don't want to go to another planet. Of course, it works out if one side was willing to leave the planet. But I refuse to leave it out of threats. Then again I can't exactly do much but one day hopefully I can. To Protect this place. So for now I suppose we wait and see our fate right? If Lottus wins then the tuffles will have no choice but to leave. If he loses, then I suppose there gonna be a lot of questions that finally will need answering."
Apr 6, 2024 1:21:15 GMT -5
Lottus: Friendly reminder for new folks to check the rules regarding art claims - AI Art is not accepted on Sparking for character sheets.
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:28 GMT -5
Lottus: Hey folks, got a new phone, but verification is preventing me from downloading Discord for now
Apr 17, 2024 14:43:57 GMT -5
Lottus: I won't be available until I get home from work!
Apr 17, 2024 14:44:58 GMT -5
Lottus: Feel free to dm me if needed!
Apr 17, 2024 21:13:47 GMT -5
Dingo: I'll post what you've said here up in the discord so it doesn't get missed!
Apr 18, 2024 19:19:20 GMT -5
Yakito: I am the #1 Tenrec hater (Striker will be struck)