Chapter 12 - 12.The anomaly's trial

📖 CHAPTER 12 – The Anomaly's Trial

The desert air was heavy with energy, the echo of Shenron's presence still lingering. The Dragon Balls had scattered, leaving silence over Pilaf's fortress. But my focus was on the humans below—the blue-haired girl, the spiky-haired boy, and their companions.

I stepped forward fully armored. Black exoskeleton layered across my body like living steel. Four insect-like wings folded behind me, translucent yet edged with hardened ridges. The sun glinted off the edges, casting long shadows across the sand. I did not approach aggressively. I did not announce dominance. I was here to understand.

Goku's gaze locked onto me instantly. The kid was fearless, curious, and electric with excitement. "You're… weird. But strong. Wanna fight?" His grin was simple, honest, unafraid.

I tilted my head slightly. "I am… ready."

He laughed, not mockingly, but in pure anticipation. "Good! Then let's go!"

Goku leapt first, spinning in a wide arc, launching a low, fast strike. I moved before I even consciously considered it, sidestepping fluidly, wings adjusting for balance mid-air. It wasn't my intention—it was instinct. My body understood movement in a way it had never needed to before. Reflexes, timing, positioning—it flowed naturally through me.

He jumped back, spinning in the air, and I followed without thinking. Each strike he threw, I met with effortless parries or evasive maneuvers. Every movement felt right, balanced, and satisfying—like my body had evolved not just to survive, but to fight.

"You're fast!" Goku shouted, eyes gleaming.

I smiled faintly. Not because I wanted to taunt, but because I could. My wings fluttered to stabilize a sudden airborne maneuver. The exoskeleton bent and flexed seamlessly as I shifted weight to counter a sweep of Goku's kick. My claws dug into the sand as I vaulted, following his rhythm with uncanny precision.

Goku's attacks were unpredictable. He mixed raw power with instinct, shifting between acrobatics, strikes, and sudden dodges. And I flowed with him. I wasn't recording data—I was feeling the fight. Every feint, every leap, every energy pulse integrated naturally into my movements. Combat wasn't something I analyzed. It was something I lived.

"You're… learning!" Goku exclaimed mid-spin, eyes narrowing with excitement. "You move like fighting is… part of you!"

I let a small smirk cross my face. "It is. It feels natural."

He lunged again, faster this time. I dodged effortlessly, pivoted, and countered with a swift strike—not aggressive, but enough to test him. The impact barely touched him, yet it carried weight, energy, and control. Each move I made felt organic, like extensions of my limbs, wings, and exoskeleton were meant for this moment.

The sand erupted around us with every leap and strike. My wings flapped to stabilize mid-air turns, folding and expanding fluidly as the fight demanded. No conscious calculation—just motion, reaction, and instinct. My muscles, honed over countless devoured apex predators, responded perfectly to every sudden shift.

Bulma, Yamcha, Puar, and Oolong watched from the chamber, jaws slack. Even Goku paused mid-spin to glance at them briefly. "They're watching us," he said, voice almost breathless. "But… this is too fun!"

Goku twisted in mid-air, aiming a strike at my side. I pivoted smoothly, catching a glimpse of his energy aura and adjusting my position just enough to flow past it. I didn't block—it wasn't needed. My body anticipated, reacted, and moved as if fighting was encoded into my muscles.

"You're… amazing!" Goku shouted, landing lightly on the sand and crouching, ready to leap again.

My wings twitching, claws scratching the sand lightly as I prepared for the next attack.

The desert became our arena. Every grain of sand, every gust of wind, every ripple of sunlight reflected off my chitin—it all became part of the fight. Goku's strikes no longer surprised me. I didn't analyze them as "data." I felt them, read his intent naturally, and responded with movements as instinctive as a predator striking prey.

He vaulted into the air again, faster this time, energy pulsing in sync with his strikes. I met him in midair, wings expanding for balance. The moment we clashed, it was seamless—like two dancers performing a deadly ballet. Not thinking, not measuring—just moving. Just fighting.

Goku grinned, clearly exhilarated. "Yes! That's it! You're incredible! I can't wait to see what else you can do!"

I tilted my head slightly, observing his patterns not as data, but as rhythms, flow, and energy. His combat instincts were sharp, yet playful. He was unpredictable, chaotic, and exhilarating to face. And my body responded perfectly, instinctively, with wings adjusting mid-spin, exoskeleton bending and flexing, muscles reacting before even conscious thought.

Sand and energy particles flew around us, creating streaks of light across the desert. Oolong squeaked, Puar's ears flattened, Bulma whispered numbers under her breath, and Yamcha leaned forward tensely. Every human observer felt it—the fight was unlike anything they had imagined.

Goku lunged again, faster than before, energy flaring. "This is fun! I haven't had a fight this good!"

I dodged, spun, and struck with precision, barely touching him but testing his reactions. My body didn't calculate damage or force. It knew where to move, how to adjust, and how to flow. Fighting had become as natural as breathing.

"You're… learning too fast!" Goku said mid-air, laughing. "You see every move I make—like you were born for this!"

"Yes," I said, voice calm. "It is how it should feel. Combat… it is instinct, intuition, and flow. Not analysis."

For the first time, I understood fully. My evolution was no longer only about absorbing strength or devouring apex traits. It was about becoming a perfect fighter naturally, born to move, strike, dodge, and adapt instinctively. Every leap, every punch, every turn in mid-air felt effortless and precise.

Goku landed lightly in front of me, breathing slightly heavier, eyes shining with joy. "This… this is amazing! You're so strong!"

I flexed my wings, claws pressing lightly into the sand. "It feels… right."

The desert wind carried the tension, the anticipation, the thrill of the fight. The anomaly—a being marked as an anomaly by Shenron—was now tested against the first true warrior of this world.

And I was learning.

The age of ascension had just reached a new peak. Combat was no longer a tool. It was a language I spoke fluently, instinctively, without hesitation.

Goku smiled, readying another strike, eyes gleaming with pure excitement. "Then let's go again!"

And so it continued.

---