Dragon Ball Semi-Saiyan (revised)

Chapter 17: The Final Battle

A few moments earlier...

Airil lay in the sand, his mind consumed by regret as he listened to the chaos unfolding around him. He replayed the events in his head, cursing himself for holding back and seeking a mere 'good fight.' Now, with Escaro likely dead and Ruko struggling, Airil felt the weight of his choices bearing down on him.

His attention shifted to his hand, Where the Senzu bean from Ruko was. He tried to move his arm, but it just wouldn't.

Defeated, Airil laid his head back, his eyes drawn to the moon. It was large and perfectly round, the beauty of the sight was mesmerizing. He never got to look at the moon growing up, because...

That's when Airil's breathing becomes heavy, his eyes dilating. His face contorted into a snout, and his body was enveloped in brown fur. The once green eyes now glowed a fiery red as Airil finished his transformation into a Great Ape.

Airil stands tall as he begins to power up uncontrollably, causing the ground to tremble beneath him. As he does so, Airil's fur is transformed into a brilliant gold. His attention is quickly drawn to a nearby fissure, his sights settling on Hale and Ruko.

At the fissure's edge, Hale turned, only to be met by the looming presence of Airil. In a Quick panic, Hale throws Ruko at the Golden Ape. Airil swiftly reacts by unleashing a beam from his mouth, which Ruko was barely able to dodge. Hale also dodged the attack, before firing beams at Airil, who remained unfazed, roaring and shaking the ground beneath him.

Ruko swiftly soared towards the Golden Great Ape and straight to his face, hoping Airil would recognize him.

"Airil! You have to try and control yourself! If you're not careful, you could destroy the planet yourself!" Ruko's urgent plea echoed through the chaotic battleground.

Airil swung wildly at Ruko, narrowly missing, but the Great Ape immediately launched another punch. Despite taking a hit, Ruko managed to cling onto Airil's colossal finger.

As Airil opened his hand once more, Ruko ascended to his face, repeating his attempt to reach Airil. "Airil! I know you can hear me! You have to get a hold of yourself!" Ruko's words were met with a large blast fired from Airil's mouth. Ruko dodged the attack narrowly, before delivering a swift kick to Airil's chin. Momentarily dazed, Airil presented Ruko with another opportunity to reason with him.

Trying to get close, Ruko's attempt was abruptly disrupted by Hale, slamming into him and sending him hurtling into the nearby fissure. Hale then laughed. "Let this beast wreak havoc. If it's going to destroy the planet, then that saves me the trouble."

Undeterred, Ruko emerged from the fissure, delivering a powerful blow to Hale's back. "Airil, this is your last chance. If you don't control yourself right now, you're going to destroy the planet!" Ruko's voice reverberated with urgency. "You told me you were going to help me kill Hale, not help him."

That's when a realization dawned upon Airil. At that point, he remembered and regained control of himself. Roaring, he began to shrink back to his normal size. His body glowed, gradually returning to its original state, adorned with red fur on his arms and abdomen. Golden pants were strapped under shiny silver boots.

Opening his eyes, Airil found Ruko standing before him. "Thank you. You're what I needed," Airil declared coldly as he Powered up, determined to confront Hale and put an end to the chaos.

Approaching the small crater where Hale cowered, Airil appeared next to him without a word. A powerful punch sent Hale flying, only for Airil to instantaneously appear behind him and deliver another blow. The relentless assault continued until Airil smashed Hale into the ground, creating a massive crater.

Hale, scowling and bewildered, confronted the transformed Saiyan. "You're different," he said, annoyance evident. "You're too strong. How can you be this strong?"

Ignoring the question, Airil powered up two Ki balls, one bright orange and the other a rich light blue. Merging them into a single ball of Ki.

Hale attempts to charge an attack of his own, but the sheer energy of Airil's attack prevents Hale from making his own. He watches as the orange and blue ball of Ki grows bigger. Finally, Airil puts the ball of Ki in front of him and shouts, "Solar Fusion Wave!" releasing a swirling beam of blue and orange that hurtled toward Hale. His attempts to counter were futile, as Hale disintegrated in the face of Airil's overwhelming power.

Dropping out of his transformed state, Airil collapsed from exhaustion. Suddenly, Kami descended, placing a Senzu in Airil's mouth, revitalizing him. Energized, Airil rose abruptly, stumbling in his haste. Ruko extended a hand, lifting Airil to his feet.

"That was pretty cool," Ruko remarked. "I can't wait to fight it for myself."

"I don't know, Ruko. It might be too powerful for you to handle," Airil jokes.

"It will be a good fight, and I'm going to win," Ruko proclaimed, dismissing Airil's jest.

"If you say so, but we're not done yet," Airil declared, observing Kami returning with Escaro's lifeless body cradled in his arms.