Dragon Ball Z: The Beast Within

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Currently on CH9

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Enjoy you sexy bastards.

Update Schedule: Monday and Friday.

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[Escarot POV.]

I made my way back to the mountains, ready to continue my training. 

My last turtle shell—or failed arts and crafts project, really, had shattered, after I, uh… slipped down the mountain. Not my proudest moment. One second I was climbing, the next, I was tumbling down like an idiot, my so-called training weight turning into rubble by the time I hit the bottom. 

So now, I needed a new one. 

A better one. 

Something even sturdier, something that wouldn't break if I tripped over a loose rock like a dumbass.

I stretched my arms, rolling my shoulders as I stepped through the rocky terrain, eyes scanning for the perfect boulder. It had to be big, but not too big. Solid, but not brittle. Heavy, but— 

I paused. 

My ear twitched. 

I heard something. 

It was faint, just barely noticeable over the howling wind, but it was there. A rustle. A shift of movement behind the rocks. 

I turned my head slightly, scanning the area. 

Nothing. 

The mountains were empty, just as they had been every other time I'd come out here. The reddish-brown cliffs stretched out around me, silent and lifeless. And yet… 

I frowned. 

Maybe I was imagining things. 

But still… 

I really should've brought my scouter. 

I shook my head and kept moving. 

Probably just the wind. Or a loose rock rolling down somewhere. 

Didn't matter. I had more important things to focus on. 

Like finding a boulder that wouldn't explode the next time I tripped like an idiot.

I walked further into the mountains, stepping over jagged rocks and cracks in the earth. My eyes scanned the area, searching for something perfect—something big enough to actually do something for my training, but sturdy enough to survive my dumbass mistakes. 

Another noise. 

I stopped mid-step. 

It was faint. Just a shuffle. A small shift in the dirt. 

I exhaled sharply through my nose and turned my head. 

Still nothing. 

But now I knew something was there. 

The first time? Maybe I imagined it.

The second? No chance. 

Someone, or something, was following me.

—----------------------------------------------------------

[Okara POV.]

I followed the strange warrior, the one who had defeated the Tennenman and completed his Ozaru training in record time, to the mountains, making sure he didn't notice me.

I wasn't spying. 

I was gathering intelligence. 

Totally different things. 

I crouched behind a jagged rock formation, keeping my scouter's volume low as I peered at the stranger in the distance. I didn't know his name—didn't really care, either—but his power level was 2892. 

That meant one thing. 

High-class warrior. 

I clenched my fists, tail flicking behind me. 

Figures. Those at the top always got the best training, secret techniques passed down to make sure they stayed above the others. That's why we low-class warriors had to fight harder for every scrap of strength. 

But not me. 

If there was some kind of special high-class-only training happening out here, I was gonna see it. And if it worked, I was stealing it. 

I watched as the high-class guy stood near a massive rock, his stance relaxed but focused. Then, out of nowhere, a thin blade of ki flickered to life in his hand. 

I tensed. 'Here we go.' 

He slashed at the rock.

A sharp, clean cut. 

I frowned. Was that it? Just cutting stuff? What was he— 

He did it again. And again. 

And again. 

Chunks of stone fell away, dust rising around him as he kept slicing, shaping the boulder into something weird and lumpy. It didn't look like a weapon, didn't look like armor. 

What the hell was he making? 

I narrowed my eyes as he grabbed some metal chains—where did he even get those?—and looped them around the rock. 

Then he lifted the whole thing onto his back.

I stared. 

'What the hell is he doing?' 

He grunted, adjusting the weight, his knees almost buckling. The chains rattled as he tightened them, securing the giant rock to himself like some kind of stupid backpack. 

I felt my eye twitch.

This wasn't some secret high-class training. 

This was idiocy.

I was so busy trying to make sense of whatever the hell this guy was doing that I didn't notice him stop. 

Didn't notice him turn. 

Didn't notice him looking right at me. 

Until— 

"You know," his voice rang out, casual and amused, "if you're gonna spy on someone, you should at least try to hide your hair."

I froze. 

Shit. 

I yanked my head down, slapping my hands over my wild, spiky hair like that would somehow make me invisible. It didn't, obviously, because when I peeked out again, he was still staring right at me, his mouth twitching like he was holding back a laugh. 

Damn it.

This bastard was laughing at me!

I straightened up, scowling as I stomped out from behind the rocks. "I wasn't spying on you, dumbass!" I crossed my arms. "I was just… passing through!" 

His eyebrows rose slightly. "Passing through the middle of nowhere? Through the mountains?" 

I huffed. "Yeah, maybe I like the mountains! You don't know my life!"

He snorted, adjusting the giant rock strapped to his back. "Uh-huh." 

I glared at him, cheeks burning. 'Stupid high-class smugness.'

He tilted his head slightly, still looking way too amused for my liking. "Alright then," he said, shifting the weight of the giant rock on his back. "What do you want?"

I scowled, crossing my arms tighter. "I don't want anything." 

He raised an eyebrow. "So, you just happened to follow me all the way out here? By accident?" 

I clicked my tongue, my tail flicking behind me in irritation. He was way too smug for someone who looked like an idiot with a giant deformed rock strapped to his back. 

I debated just turning around and leaving. But no. I had come all this way, and I wasn't about to back down just because this guy caught me. Besides… it wasn't like I could escape him if he decided to catch me, he was too strong for me, as much as it pained me to admit it.

I lifted my chin. "I saw you leave the city," I admitted, standing my ground. "Thought maybe you were doing some kind of high-class warrior training." I eyed the boulder. "But now I'm not so sure."

He blinked, then grinned, like I had just said the funniest thing in the universe. "High-class training?" He let out a short laugh. "Sorry to disappoint, but my training with the instructors sucked."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?" 

Escarot shook his head, still grinning like this was some kind of joke. "Well, all they did was throw me into fights and beat the crap out of me until I stopped losing. That's it. And I'm pretty sure the Ozaru training classifies as torture, but whatever."

I frowned. "Yeah? And?"

He blinked. "And… that's not training."

I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "What else would training be?" That's what training was, getting beaten to an inch of your life, and coming back stronger.

Escarot gave me a long look, like I had just asked why the sky was red. "I don't know, maybe actual techniques, real instructions—literally anything besides: go fight until you stop sucking."

I stared at him, waiting for the punchline.

It never came.

He was actually serious.

I huffed, crossing my arms. "That's just how it is," I said like it was obvious. "You get thrown into a fight, you either get stronger or you die. We are warriors, not babies."

Escarot let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "That's trial by fire. That's not learning, that's just—" He waved a hand vaguely. "—seeing who survives."

I shrugged. "Yeah. Training."

His grin faded a little, like he wasn't sure whether to argue or just let it go. "Agree to disagree."

He was weird… 

Any other high class warrior would've killed me by now, or beaten me to an inch of my life. He was honestly very weird for a Saiyan male.

Escarot was quiet for a moment, watching me with that unreadable expression. His tail flicked lazily behind him, like he was thinking something over. 

Then, out of nowhere, he smirked. "You wanna train?" 

I blinked. "Huh?" 

"You followed me all the way out here because you thought I had some kind of elite training method," he said, shifting the weight of his stupid rock backpack. "So, since you're already here, why not train with me?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You mean… do that?" I pointed at the boulder strapped to his back. 

He grinned. "Yup." 

I stared at him, then at the rock, then back at him. 

Was he serious?

I snorted. "Yeah, no thanks. That's the dumbest training I've ever seen." 

I might be weaker than him, but I had my pride.

He grinned wider, like he wanted me to say that. "Oh yeah?" He tilted his head. "You must be very strong, my apologies. What's your power level?" 

My tail bristled. "119," I muttered.

He let out a low whistle. "Huh. That's rough. Can you check mine, I haven't had the time to check." 

I clenched my fists. "You know damn well your power level is 2898!" 

"It is?" He gasped. "I didn't know it had increased."

Tch. 'Cocky bastard.' 

He shifted the boulder on his back, making the chains rattle. "Y'know… maybe the reason I'm this strong is because of this weird rock training." His voice was teasing, smug. "I mean, you did follow me out here thinking I had some secret high-class technique, right?" 

I clicked my tongue. "Tch. That's bullshit." 

He shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not." His smirk didn't fade. "But hey, I'm MUCH stronger than you. So clearly, I'm doing something right." 

I hated that he had a point.

My eyes twitched. My fists clenched. My tail lashed behind me so hard I nearly knocked over a rock. 

I hated his smug face. I hated how he was acting like he was so much smarter than me. But what I hated most? 

He was probably right. 

And I'd rather eat dirt than let some cocky high-class bastard sit there and gloat while I walked away. 

"Fine!" I snapped, stomping forward. "But if this is just some dumbass joke, I'm biting your tail off!" 

"Seems reasonable," He smiled. "My name's is Escarot by the way, what's yours?"

"Okara," I practically hissed out.

—--------------------------------------------------------

[Escarot - POV.]

Watching Okara stomp over, fists clenched and tail lashing, I couldn't help but grin. This little ball of anger might just be what I needed.

I needed that, I needed someone to fight with. 

To train with. 

It was so simple, but the more I thought about it, the more obvious it became. 

Vegeta and Goku had become the monsters they were because they constantly pushed each other. Neither one could afford to slack off because the other would leave them in the dust. And while Okara was no Vegeta, or Goku for that matter, and was currently very weak compared to me, she was a Saiyan. And that meant she was tough, even with her low power level. 

And more importantly? 

She wasn't going to pull her punches just because I was stronger. 

"Alright, Escarot," she snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at me. "What's the first step of this genius training?"

She's 90% anger, 10% chibi, I wonder if she knows she looks anything but threatening. 

I glanced at the massive rock strapped to my back, then back at her. Honestly, I wasn't sure how much of Master Roshi's training I even remembered. Swimming, lifting, delivering milk... There was something about dodging insects, right? And the turtle shells, of course. 

Yeah. This was going to be a botched version at best. But it was better than nothing. Better to do something half right than to not do it… or was it the opposite? 

I can't remember.

"First," I said, adjusting the chains. "You need your own rock." 

She blinked. "You weren't kidding?" 

"No, you need a rock, very important part of the training," I gestured to the giant boulder on my back. "Go find one and bring it here." 

Okara glared at me, her tail flicking in annoyance. "Are you serious?" 

"You said you wanted to train." I shrugged. "So go find a rock. The heavier, the better." 

She clicked her tongue but turned away, marching off to find a suitable boulder. 

I used the time to stretch, getting used to the weight digging into my shoulders. My back hurt, and my knees were about to give me their two week notice, but it was getting better.

Eventually, as I continued to stretch, Okara returned, dragging a medium-sized rock behind her. It wasn't anywhere near the size of mine, but for her? It'd do. 

"Alright," I said, taking some extra chains and tossing them to her. "Strap it to your back." 

She scowled but started wrapping the chains around the rock, struggling to fasten them tight enough. When she finally managed it, she stood up, grunting as the weight nearly dragged her back down. 

"This is stupid," she muttered, wobbling under the load. 

"You'll get used to it." 

"Of course I will!" 

Once she seemed stable enough, I pointed towards the steep incline leading further up the mountain. "We're climbing that." 

Okara's eyes widened. "With these rocks on our backs?!" 

"Yup."

She was okay with being beaten, but not with struggling to climb a mountain? I really didn't understand how the Saiyan Mind worked, I mean… honestly.

She glared at me, but there was a flicker of determination in her eyes. "Fine." 

We started the climb, the rocks dragging at our bodies with every step. It was slow, grueling work, and every few minutes, I had to stop to catch my breath. My legs burned, my back ached, and the sun beat down on us, making everything worse. 

But I kept going. 

One step after another. 

And Okara, despite all her complaining, did the same. 

"This is… so dumb…" she panted, beads of sweat dripping down her face. 

"You can quit if you want," I said, only half-joking. 

"Like hell I'm quitting before you," she shot back. "I'd rather die!" 

That made me grin, despite the pain. 

We reached a plateau halfway up the mountain, collapsing onto the ground the moment we got there. I could feel my heartbeat in my teeth, my muscles screaming for mercy. 

But we had made it. 

After a few moments of catching our breath, Okara looked over at me, eyes narrowed. "So, what now, genius?" 

I managed a weak laugh. "Now… we go back down." 

Her jaw dropped. "We just got here!" 

"Yeah," I said, pushing myself up despite the protest of my legs. "And we're doing it again tomorrow. You do know this is supposed to be hard, otherwise we won't grow stronger." 

Okara groaned, but she didn't argue. 

It wasn't much. It was a messy, half-remembered version of the training I had seen in an anime years ago. But it was something. 

And as we trudged back down the mountain, the rocks on our backs pressing us into the ground, I realized something else. 

I wasn't just doing this to get stronger. I mean, I was… but.

I was doing this because, for the first time since waking up in this world, I felt like I had a purpose. 

Even if that purpose was just hauling rocks up a mountain with a loudmouthed very angry kid. 

By the time we got back to the base of the mountain, the suns were setting, casting long shadows across the wasteland. My entire body felt like it was on fire, and I was pretty sure Okara was half-dead from exhaustion. 

But she didn't complain. 

And neither did I. 

We unstrapped the rocks, letting them fall to the ground with a satisfying thud. Okara stretched, wincing as her muscles protested. 

"Same time tomorrow?" I asked, half-expecting her to back out. 

She shot me a fierce look, teeth bared. "You bet your ass." 

—--------------------------------------------

[Third Person POV.][Beerus.]

Beerus sat with his legs crossed, arms folded, tail flicking lazily as he watched the reddish-orange swirl of space that enveloped the planet.

Planet Vegeta. 

A miserable little dust ball filled with muscle-headed barbarians. His kind of people, really—if they weren't so loud, prideful, and stupid. 

Still, he had business here. 

Business, very important to his sleep. 

Whis, standing beside him with his usual unreadable smile, tapped his staff. The image of the planet flickered into a detailed scan, small blue dots marking the highest concentrations of Saiyan life. 

"The majority of the population is in the main settlements," Whis said. "Though, interestingly enough, there are two outliers." He zoomed in, showing two faint energy signatures in the mountains.

Beerus hummed. "Two Saiyans alone in the mountains?" He stretched, tail curling idly. "Huh."

Whis chuckled. "Perhaps they're doing something important." 

Beerus gave him a flat look. "They're Saiyans." 

"You never know Lord Beerus, they might surprise you."

Beerus yawned, tapping his fingers against his arm. "I hate when you do that… Now I have to see what these two are doing. Oh well, I could use a distraction before dealing with that annoying king."

"As you wish, Lord Beerus." 

—--------------------------------------------------

The red sky of Planet Vegeta greeted them as they moved in the mountains. The air was thick, dry, and buzzing with faint energy signatures from the settlements in the distance. But Beerus ignored all of that.

His golden eyes narrowed as he spotted two small figures climbing down a jagged mountainside. 

Two Saiyan children. 

And for some reason, both of them had giant boulders strapped to their backs.

Beerus floated closer, watching as they struggled under the weight. Their clothes were drenched in sweat, their movements sluggish but determined. 

This was certainly… new for Saiyans.

Whis observed with mild amusement. "Oh my, this is fascinating. I don't recall seeing Saiyans train like this before."

Beerus scoffed. "That's because they don't, these morons think they are the strongest, but rarely ever train." He watched for another moment, curiosity growing. "Alright, let's see what these two are up to." 

And with that, he dropped down in front of them. 

—---------------------------------------------------

The two brats had been too focused on getting to the bottom of the mountain to notice his approach.

The moment he landed, both of them froze.

One of them, the bigger of the two, stopped immediately, eyes slightly wide as if he could sense what kind of being had just appeared before him. His stance shifted ever so slightly, nothing aggressive, but tense, calculating.

The smaller one, on the other hand…

She scowled, stepping forward without hesitation.

"Hey!" she snapped, tail flicking behind her. "What the hell is your problem, showing up out of nowhere like that? Get out of the way before I—"

She never finished the sentence.

Before she could take another breath, the bigger one moved.

Fast.

His fist slammed into her gut.

The smaller Saiyan let out a choked gasp, the air leaving her lungs in an instant as she doubled over, dropping to her knees.

Beerus raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was interesting."

Whis chuckled. "How polite of him."

The boy—because now Beerus could see, yes, he was a boy—kept his head low, jaw tight, shoulders tense.

He knew.

Even if he didn't know who Beerus was, he knew.

Knew that the brat at his feet had just barely avoided saying something that would've gotten them both erased from existence.

—------------------------------------------------------

[Escarot - POV.]

I was having a crisis. 

No, scratch that—I was having two crises at once. 

Because standing right in front of me, in all his hairless, cat-like smug glory, was Beerus, the God of Destruction. 

What the hell was he doing here?! 

Frieza alone was a terrifying enough prospect, but him? This was a whole different level of "I am so screwed." 

I couldn't breathe. My brain was flipping between two very distinct reactions— 

One: Pure, unfiltered panic. 

I knew what Beerus was capable of. I knew he could erase me, Okara, this entire planet, and then go about his day like nothing happened. 

Two: Fanboy hysteria.

Because, holy crap, Beerus was right in front of me. 

Not only was he one of the strongest beings in the universe, but he was also my favorite character in the anime. Followed closely by Cell and Vegito, of course. But still—this was Beerus.

And my dumbass brain couldn't decide if I should be terrified or asking for a selfie.

I was frozen in place, unsure what to do, when Beerus tilted his head slightly and spoke. 

"You." His voice was lazy, almost bored. "What's your name?" 

I swallowed hard, forcing my body to move. "Escarot." 

Beerus hummed, his golden eyes flicking down to the unconscious Okara. "And why did you knock the little one out?" 

I felt my tail stiffen. Crap. Was he mad about that? 

I forced a nervous chuckle, scrambling for an answer that wouldn't get me obliterated. "Well, uh… I heard King Vegeta talk about you before." I lied through my teeth. "I know you're a Destroyer. She, uh… doesn't." I motioned to Okara's crumpled form. "I figured it'd be safer if she didn't say something stupid that might, uh… annoy you." 

Beerus stared at me, unreadable. 

Then he hummed again. "Hmm. Reasonable." 

Whis giggled behind him, covering his mouth with one hand. 

I let out a slow breath. Okay. Okay. I'm still alive. That's a good sign.

But I needed to think fast. Beerus was unpredictable. If I wanted to steer this situation into safer waters, I needed to say something that would keep him entertained.

And then, an idea hit me. 

I remembered something very important about Beerus. 

He had an ego. 

A big one. 

And he loved having it stroked.

I put on my best casual face, even though my heart was trying to break out of my ribcage. "Lord Beerus, if I may… I have a request." 

Beerus raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I swallowed my pride and went for it. 

"Can I have your autograph?"

Beerus blinked. His ears twitched. His tail flicked.

For a second, he just stared at me, and I started to wonder if I had just made the single dumbest mistake of my entire existence.

Then—just for a split second—I saw it.

A tiny flicker of excitement flashed in his golden eyes.

He was pleased.

He liked that.

But, of course, this was Beerus, so instead of just admitting it, he scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his nose up like he wasn't totally into the idea.

"Hmph," he said, feigning indifference. "An autograph, you say?"

Whis giggled softly, clearly enjoying this way too much.

I nodded quickly. "Yes! I mean, you're the God of Destruction! The greatest being in the universe! It'd be an honor to have your signature."

Beerus's tail flicked. His smirk twitched, like he was trying way too hard to keep himself composed.

"Well, of course it would be," he muttered, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. "It's only natural that someone would want to commemorate meeting a being as magnificent as myself."

I fought the urge to smirk. Hook, line, and sinker.