Chapter 5: First Battle
The next morning, Turles woke early. First, he checked on Paragus and Broly's ki signatures. Surprisingly, they were still at yesterday's location. Paragus must have spent the entire night waiting there, refusing to give up hope.
Turles shook his head and turned his attention to breakfast.
Honestly, Vampa's insects tasted absolutely terrible—fishy, slimy, revolting. For Saiyans with their enormous appetites, this was pure torture. Nothing like Earth's cuisine. Once he made it to Earth, he was going to eat until he burst. How Paragus and Broly had survived eighteen years on this diet was beyond comprehension.
Oh right, they couldn't leave the planet. Never mind then.
After forcing down enough to quiet his stomach, Turles decided to train. But he had to stay quiet—couldn't risk drawing attention. That limited him to basic exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, handstand variations.
The results were pathetic. Barely a warm-up for a Saiyan body.
Less than an hour later, he gave up in frustration. He wasn't Goku, who could somehow stay motivated doing mindless repetition. Watching his muscles accomplish nothing killed Turles's enthusiasm fast. No wonder Saiyans never bothered with training—a single good fight improved you more than months of exercise.
Sitting cross-legged, Turles rubbed his chin thoughtfully. What training methods from the series actually worked?
The Gravity Chamber was first to mind. Unfortunately, this planet had three inhabitants—all muscle-bound warriors. None of them could build a generator, let alone an advanced training facility. Scratch that option.
Next was King Kai's Planet. Ten times Earth's gravity, same as old Planet Vegeta. Based on his memories, Turles had been exiled to a world with only twice Earth's gravity, so King Kai's planet would definitely provide benefits. Too bad he couldn't get there. No Instant Transmission, no Snake Way, no path to the afterlife. Another dead end.
That left the Spirit Tree fruit.
Turles pulled the seed from his storage container, staring at it with conflicted emotions.
Technically, Vampa qualified as a living planet. If he planted the seed here, it would probably grow. Eating the fruit would send his power level through the roof. Combined with actual training—something the original Turles had never bothered with—the gains would be incredible.
But as someone from a modern civilization, deliberately destroying an entire planet made him hesitate. Even though Turles's memories had changed him somewhat, his previous life's values hadn't completely faded.
"Besides, Paragus and Broly are still here. Not the right time," Turles told himself, finding a convenient excuse. He returned the seed to its box.
So if he wanted rapid improvement, only two options remained: leave Vampa for Earth, or fight. Fight constantly, endlessly, the traditional Saiyan way.
Turles made his choice. He'd fight.
If training couldn't make him stronger, he'd embrace the Saiyan method. It would sharpen his combat experience too. Despite fully inheriting Turles's memories, he'd never actually fought anyone himself. His real battle experience was zero.
And the choice of opponent was obvious.
Broly was completely off-limits. Forget his 500,000+ power level—his emotional instability alone made him too dangerous. If Turles accidentally triggered a rampage, Broly might literally explode the planet. Then they'd all die.
So that left Paragus. Battle power around 20,000, with decades of combat experience. Strong enough to challenge Turles, but not so overwhelming that the training would be useless.
Decision made, Turles acted immediately. He was done waiting.
Releasing his full ki signature, he locked onto Paragus's location and rocketed through the air.
Minutes later, he spotted Paragus at the crater's edge. The older Saiyan immediately noticed him too—specifically, the brown tail coiled around Turles's waist.
"A Saiyan! It's a Saiyan!" Paragus's voice cracked with excitement as he flew toward Turles.
Turles stopped mid-air, waiting with a serious expression. Under his armor, his muscles tensed instinctively.
Despite his initial enthusiasm, Paragus's experience kicked in. He halted about ten meters away, eyes narrowing as he studied this newcomer.
But something about Turles's young face made him frown. It seemed strangely familiar.
They hovered there, staring at each other. Turles trying to figure out what to say. Paragus trying to place where he'd seen this face before.
"Bardock! You're Bardock!" Paragus suddenly shouted. Then he reconsidered, his voice dropping to a cold growl. "No, wait. Who are you really? What's your connection to Bardock?"
"Paragus," Turles said flatly, saying the name deliberately. "We need to talk."
"You know who I am?" Paragus's frown deepened.
"You're trapped on Vampa. I can help you leave." Turles cut straight to what Paragus wanted most.
Paragus didn't respond. His extensive experience had taught him that free lunches didn't exist. This stranger who looked like Bardock had appeared under suspicious circumstances. Better to subdue him first, ask questions later.
The moment Paragus decided to attack, Turles sensed the hostile intent. His body shifted instinctively, dodging to the side just as a fist blurred past his face. Paragus had gone straight for a sucker punch.
No more hesitation. Turles raised his own ki, cocked his right fist back, and drove it toward Paragus's head.
Paragus hadn't expected his ambush to fail, but the power gap was real, and his experience showed. His arm snapped up, easily blocking Turles's heavy strike.
When that punch was deflected, Turles immediately followed with a knee strike—then abruptly retreated a step, avoiding Paragus's attempt to grapple him.
Turles was starting to appreciate just how much ki sensing changed combat.
In those two exchanges, he'd clearly felt Paragus's energy shifting, telegraphing his movements. Especially when Paragus's killing intent spiked, Turles's body became hypersensitive—his instincts reacting before his conscious mind even registered the threat. It almost felt like Ultra Instinct's early stages.
Even with only 5,000 battle power, he could fight Paragus on relatively even terms.
Realizing this, Turles felt his Saiyan blood begin to boil. He shot forward, attacking aggressively.
Paragus didn't understand why this young Saiyan suddenly looked so excited, but as a warrior born and bred, he didn't back down from any challenge. He surged forward to meet Turles head-on.
The battle erupted in earnest. Paragus held advantages in raw power and experience. But Turles's ki sensing made his movements efficient and his dodges nearly prescient.
At first, Paragus held back slightly, underestimating his opponent. But as the fight progressed, he realized this kid had at least 5,000 battle power—elite-class warrior territory. Paragus started hitting harder.
His inability to put Turles down quickly made him increasingly frustrated. Even without ki sensing, his combat instincts told him Turles definitely wasn't over 10,000.
"Damn it!" Paragus snarled—and Turles's fist slammed into his chest while he was distracted, the impact nearly knocking the wind out of him.
As the fight continued, Turles adapted to the rhythm. The combat knowledge implanted in his Saiyan body since childhood was awakening. If he'd checked his scouter right then, he would've seen his power level steadily climbing.
Their fists collided one final time. The shockwave scattered clouds across the sky. Both fighters were blown backward by the recoil.
They faced each other again, both breathing hard. Neither attacked.
Paragus was genuinely shocked. This young Saiyan looked about Broly's age but was far stronger than most Saiyans that young. Certainly stronger than Bardock had been at that age. Could this be another Legendary Super Saiyan?
"No! There can only be one Legendary Super Saiyan—Broly!" Paragus's eyes flashed with killing intent.
The dragon slayer had become the dragon.
Years ago, King Vegeta had exiled Broly out of fear of his potential. Now Paragus was preparing to murder Turles for the same reason.
But Turles's ki sensing was too sharp. Though he didn't understand the sudden surge of murderous intent, he'd already gained plenty from this fight. And with Broly lurking somewhere nearby, he had no intention of continuing.
Turles raised both hands to his forehead. His eyes widened as he shouted, "Solar Flare!"
Blinding white light erupted, searing Paragus's retinas. The older Saiyan screamed, clutching his face.
"My eyes! MY EYES!"
While Paragus was temporarily blinded, Turles spun around, released his full power, and shot away at maximum speed.
By the time Paragus's vision cleared, Turles had long since vanished.
Enraged, Paragus fired ki blasts wildly in all directions, obliterating the landscape in his fury.
Meanwhile, Turles was in an excellent mood. Today's fight had released all the anxiety, fear, and stress he'd accumulated since transmigrating. It had also given him a much clearer understanding of his actual capabilities and confirmed theories he'd developed from his memories. Three birds with one stone.
Over the following weeks, Turles repeatedly sought out Paragus for sparring matches. Sometimes to hone his combat experience, sometimes to test new techniques. Paragus had become his personal training dummy.
After a full month of this, Turles finally called it quits—though part of him wanted to keep going.
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