Vegira couldn't believe his ears. He'd expected a tearful welcome from his long-lost "family", and now this purple-haired little punk was telling him off? Surely the kid could sense Vegira's power and knew he was outclassed. He seemed too confident--a fighter who acted like that couldn't be trusted. He was hiding something, but what?

Another ki was closing in. 'Now what?' Vegira thought. This whole situation was getting out of hand. A human female with long braided hair and flashing eyes flew in to land beside Trunks. She stared at Vegira in wonder.

"Vegira? My son, is that really you?" She drew closer to him. Ah, yes, this would do nicely, he thought to himself. He could use her to get at Trunks. He did his best to look stunned and surprised; given recent events, it wasn't much of a stretch.

"Mother," he whispered, reaching out to her. She stood back from him suddenly.

"Oh, Vegira, it's so good to see you. Let me look at you." Gently, she laid her hands on either side of his face, smiling up at him. Abruptly her hands tightened on him and her smile turned to an evil grin as she shut her eyes. Energy exploded from him, flowing over her hands, into her body.

Vegira was in hell. The pain was like nothing he'd felt before, white-hot, and he couldn't move his burning limbs. He was powerless to do anything but scream.

Yamcha shoved Bulma behind him, shouting at Bra to go back to her room. He backed away from the shrieking Saiyan, shielding his eyes. Whatever power Takira was using on that guy, Yamcha didn't want to get anywhere near it. Only Trunks looked unconcerned, though his body was tense, power level elevated, and Yamcha could tell he was ready for a fight. Yamcha struggled to concentrate, powering up. Whatever happened next, he had to be ready.

Takira released the now-unconscious Vegira, and his body fell limply to the ground. Slowly, his appearance began to change, bodysuit and armor melting into blue-grey skin, spiky hair shrinking into his head, furred tail growing and turning the same blue-grey color. At last Mordrig's body ceased its transformation, and for a moment there was dead silence but for his rasping breath. Takira nudged him with her foot.

"A shape-shifter," she spat. "The one who killed my son. He took Koretz's form when he fought with me. It turns out the real Koretz is the one who sent me here. He wasn't after me when he came here. This is the one he's sworn to kill."

"How do you know all this?" Trunks asked. Takira raised an eyebrow at him.

"I heard it from Koretz, of course. It corroborated with what Kaio-sama had told Gohan."

"So Goten caught up with you."

"So did Gohan, actually. It seems Mordrig here paid him a visit before coming here."

"He was looking for Vegeta?"

"He said he was looking for you, Trunks," Yamcha said, stepping forward.

"With Vegeta dead, you'd be the next logical source of power," Takira explained.

"What does he want with me?" Takira's eyes narrowed.

"He wants to do to you what he did to Vegira. He wants your power and your soul." Despite his calm appearance, Trunks shivered slightly.

"So what do we do with him now?" asked Yamcha Takira slung the body over her shoulder.

"We take him some place that won't mind the mess and kill him." Her manner was practical. "There's a time and place for mercy, but in this case I think even death's too kind a fate for him."

"Where are we taking him?" Trunks inquired.

"A hilltop over that way," she gestured with her free hand, "Gohan and Goten are waiting for me there."

"Why?"

"I left them behind to keep an eye on Koretz. He's trying to establish contact with his ship. Apparently Mordrig here blew up a planet near the ship, and its communications system has been messed up since. He'd been trying to throw them off his tail. I can tell you more, later, but for now I really think we ought to get going." It was then that Trunks remembered the last time she'd used that technique--and how quickly Goten had recovered.

"Let's go. We'd better make this quick," he muttered, and turned to leave when he heard Yamcha shout. Takira struck the wall with a resounding crash, and Mordrig took to the sky, rocketing towards the hilltop. 'First I'll kill that damned Roc,' he thought, 'then the other two, and when I'm done with them and have all my power back, I'll tackle Vegeta's son. I'll save Takira for last.' He grimaced, his body still wracked with pain. He hoped he hadn't killed Takira when he'd thrown her aside; he wanted her alive. He'd kill her slowly, and this time--there would be no one to interfere.

That Trunks kid was following him; he could sense the growing ki behind him. The half-Saiyan's power level had been rising since Mordrig first laid eyes on him It was not a promising sign. Still, it might be fun facing a real challenge for a change. Mordrig looked at the moon he'd cast for the first time that night, and smiled to himself. Dawn was coming, but not fast enough for his newfound enemies.

He could see the three figures on the hilltop ahead. They'd spotted him already; he hadn't yet mastered the art of hiding his ki. Mordrig didn't mind. By now they all knew who he was, so the element of surprise had already been lost. He could win without it. He landed in the middle of the group and they backed away to form a loose circle around him. Koretz looked at Mordrig with pure hatred; the other two were simply cautious. Moments later, Trunks arrived.

"What happened?" asked Goten. "Who's this?"

"Vegira, at least he used to be. Takira drained his power and he transformed to this. Before we got a chance to kill him, he smashed Takira into a wall and fled, coward that he is."

"Coward?! You dare call me a coward?" Mordrig bellowed. Trunks ignored him.

"Trunks, was Takira--okay?" Goten asked quietly, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. Trunks' expression was pained.

"I don't know. I took off after this monster too soon to be sure." Mordrig guffawed loudly.

"Don't tell me she was a friend of yours! Did she pull you in with her sob story about Vegira? I'll tell you what, if she was any kind of Saiyan, that wouldn't have fazed her one bit, and she was a true Saiyan. She's the most wicked thing I've ever come across, and I've seen more than a few. She's played you all for fools, and perfectly, too. I hope for your sake she's dead."

A golden aura burst up around Trunks, blending his hair to gold and tinting his blue eyes green. He glowered at Mordrig.

"For your own sake," he said in a low voice, "You'd better hope she's alive."

Mordrig was startled. The youth's energy had suddenly shot sky-high. Where did he get the power? Mordrig wracked his brain; there hadn't been anything like this in Vegira's memories. All he could think of was--Kakarot. Yet this wasn't Kakarot, not even of his blood. What was going on?

Two more bursts of energy erupted, and Mordrig found himself nearly surrounded by super Saiyans. Only Koretz remained unchanged, catching glances at each of the other warriors while still keeping a wary eye on Mordrig. Mordrig was secretly delighted. Koretz would provide nothing of use, but the power in these three was incredible! The knowledge they must possess; it was a dream come true!

"My, my," he murmured, "All the little demi-Saiyans are transformed. This must be a special occasion. I'm sure you don't all bleach your hair for just anyone. Well, I'm quite honored; I should make sure to choose my own outfit to complement yours, yes?" The hideous change began as his flesh seemed to turn to putty then resolidify, forming the now-familiar Vegira. Unwrapping his tail from his waist, he swished it a little, just enough to get their attention, then looked up at the moon: the full moon.

The three Saiyans backed up slightly as Mordrig's body swelled and grew, changing again. Only Koretz held his ground, refusing to give an inch. At last the Oozaru stood before them, eyes glowing. He chuckled.

"What's this? Not impressed? How about you Koretz? Where are you? Oh, there. You know, you really should learn to give me my space, or else you might get hurt!" He punctuated the last word with a kick. It was not so fast that Koretz couldn't have dodged it, yet he made no effort to do so, flying backwards and plowing a furrow with his body in the damp earth. Meanwhile, Goten, Gohan and Trunks had risen into the air.

"I'd like to handle this one, guys," Trunks said. "Gohan, see if you can't figure out what's wrong with Koretz. Goten, go check on Takira." Goten flew off immediately, but Gohan paused first, watching Trunks curiously. It wasn't like him to be this authoritative--Gohan sighed; he must be beginning to take after his dad. Trunks hovered before Mordrig, stern-faced and unmoving.

"How would you care to die?" he uttered softly. Mordrig snorted.

"Better make it quick, kid, while we're both still young. After you've finished your attempt, let me know, and I'll finish you and your comrades." Trunks only nodded, drawing his sword. He vanished, appearing suddenly behind Mordrig, only to be backhanded by the Oozaru. He caught himself quickly, wincing inwardly. Apparently Mordrig was faster than he looked.

Mordrig leveled a kick at Trunks, and caught the Saiyan in his hand as he dodged the blow. The next moment, however, Mordrig screamed and released him, clutching his own wounded hand. Trunks' sword was bloody to the hilt. He shot forward and landed a kick in Mordrig's jaw, using the sword to slash across his eye. Mordrig roared and released a ki blast from his mouth that knocked Trunks out of the sky. Readying himself again, Trunks tightened his grip on his sword. If Mordrig wanted his death quickly, he was going about it the wrong way.