**The Weight of an Unfamiliar Dawn**
A single red eye blinked open against a horizon choked with dust—the first conscious act of a creature who had not, moments before, existed. Heat pressed against thick, segmented hide like a smith's hammer against molten steel. The air reeked of scorched earth and the iron-tang of distant blood.
Somewhere below, a voice cracked through the haze:
"—the hell *is* that thing?"
Raditz's boot shifted in the gravel, his scouter flickering erratic digits—*9999*—then dying with a pathetic *bzzt*. His tail lashed once, twice, coiled tight against his thigh. Across the wasted plateau, Kakarot's fists shook at his sides, the *click-click-click* of his power pole extending betraying the tremor in his grip.
A third figure—smaller, human, reeking of adrenal sweat—swallowed audibly. "Oi, Goku," Piccolo muttered, "tell me you've got *some* kind of plan."
Mahoraga's tail *twitched*.
---
**Sensory Catalog:**
- **Smell:** Charred ozone (lingering ki blasts), wet iron (open wounds), musk (Raditz's unwashed armor).
- **Sound:** Piccolo's weighted breathing through clenched teeth; the *creak* of Raditz's gloves tightening.
- **Tactile:** Grit embedding itself between Mahoraga's abdominal plates; the vibration of distant tectonic collapse (courtesy of Nappa's warm-up exercises three valleys over).
**Internal Monologue (Mahoraga, Fragmentary):**
*[Pressure differential: left quadrant. Origin: bipedal mammal, tailed, aggression signature 87% match to archive: *Saiyan—]*
Raditz spat. "Whatever it is, it's *ugly*."
Goku's knuckles whitened. "Shut up."
A pause. Cicadas. Then—
Piccolo's cloak snapped in the updraft as he lunged *backward*, pupils dilating. "*MOVE!*"
Mahoraga's forearm *unfurled*—segments parting like a blooming razorflower—and the world *twisted* where it passed.
---
**Character Reactions:**
- **Raditz:** Snarled, but his heel skidded 2.3 inches (inexperience with Earth's lower gravity vs. Vegeta-sei).
- **Goku:** Instinctive *sauzeru* charge (bad habit; wastes 0.4 seconds pivoting).
- **Piccolo:** Already mid-leap, left hand forming *bakurikimaru* (smart; anticipates adaptive retaliation).
The air *screamed*.
---
**Dialogue Exchange (2.7 Seconds Post-Attack Initiation):**
**Piccolo (gritted, veins standing on his forehead):** "It *adapted*—*already*—!"
**Raditz (teeth bared, wiping scouter):** "Tch. *Dendō*, Kakarot, we're leaving."
**Goku (sweat beading at temple, eyes locked on Mahoraga's shifting carapace):** "...Can't."
Mahoraga's spine *reconfigured*—vertebrae sliding into a new alignment—and the ground *split* beneath it.
---
**Secondary Characters (Introduced in Peripheral Actions):**
- **Farmer with Shotgun (3.2 Miles East):** Collapses to knees, vomits (sensory overload from residual killing intent).
- **Turtle (En Route to Kame House):** Shell rattles; abandons seaweed snack to dive beneath tidal shelf.
- **Nappa (Distant, Crushing a Canyon):** Pauses, scratches beard. "Huh. *Weird* energy."
**Time Elapsed Since Awakening:** 9 minutes, 48 seconds.
**Next Event Pending:** Raditz's *shunkan idō* attempt (interrupted by Mahoraga's tail whip—preemptive strike calculated via prior Saiyan behavioral data).
---
**Final Line (Internal, Mahoraga):**
*[Directive updating: *Eradicate threats. Sample biology. Adapt. Repeat.*]*
Mahoraga stands up the golden wheel on top of his head spinning slolwy and he grins
**The Wheel's First Revolution**
Golden light refracted through the settling dust as Mahoraga's cranial wheel spun with the ponderous inevitability of a grinding millstone. The grin stretching its armored maw wasn't a smile—not in any human sense. Chitinous plates separated along the jawline, revealing rows of backward-curving teeth that gleamed like oil-slicked scalpels.
Raditz's heel finally found purchase. His tail whipped straight out behind him, the tufted end quivering. "*Dendō* wasn't a suggestion, *stupid!*" he barked at Goku, but his eyes kept flicking to the way Mahoraga's shadow stretched unnaturally long across the fractured ground—how it *pulsed* in time with the wheel's rotation.
Piccolo's antennae twitched. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his nose, clinging to the curve of his nostril before splattering onto his collarbone. "That grin..." His voice dropped low enough that only Goku's enhanced hearing caught it. "It's not *mocking* us. It's...*practicing*."
Goku's right thumb rubbed absent circles over the power pole's grip—a nervous habit leftover from childhood staff training. His biceps tensed beneath the torn fabric of his gi. "Practicing what?"
Behind them, the air *rippled*.
**New Presence Logged:**
- **Location:** 37° southwest of impact zone
- **Odor Profile:** Burnt marsh grass, stale senzu residue
- **Sound Signature:** Labored wheezing (collapsed lung), rusted chainmail clinking
Korin's silver bowl clattered onto a basalt outcrop as Yajirobe collapsed against it, his katana dragging furrows in the dirt. "*Fuck* your training hikes, furball," he gasped, then froze. His pupils contracted to pinpricks. "*Oh*. Oh no. That's *new*."
Raditz's scouter spontaneously combusted. The plastic casing blackened and curled away from sparking innards as Mahoraga's energy signature fluctuated wildly—*9999—ERROR—9999—*.
**Dialogue Intersection (4-Way, Overlapping):**
**Raditz** (backpedaling, voice cracking): "That's—no species reads like—"
**Yajirobe** (grabbing Korin's tail): "Time to *go*, fatty!"
**Piccolo** (hands forming *kienzan*): "It's studying our *ki* movements! Don't—"
**Goku** (suddenly grinning): "Hey! Big guy!"
Mahoraga's head tilted 22 degrees to the left.
**Micro-Interaction Sequence:**
1. *Goku's sandal crunches* into loose shale as he steps forward.
2. *Piccolo's elbow jerks* out to block him (misses by 1.8 inches).
3. *Raditz's nostrils flare* at the scent of his brother's stupidity.
4. *Yajirobe's stomach growls* (stress-induced hunger).
The wheel accelerated.
**Environmental Shift:**
- **Ground Temperature:** Drops 6°C in immediate radius (energy absorption)
- **Atmospheric Pressure:** Increases by 0.8 hPa (spatial distortion)
- **Local Wildlife:** Crickets cease chirping simultaneously
Mahoraga's tail *flicked*—a casual motion that sent a shockwave through the bedrock. Kilometers away, Nappa's boot sank suddenly knee-deep into destabilized strata. "*Hn?*" He frowned at the fissure spiderwebbing beneath him.
Vegeta, hovering overhead with arms crossed, didn't glance down. "*Finally* noticed? Their pathetic little planet's crying."
**Parallel Scene Cut:**
- **Farmer's Wife:** Drops laundry basket, clutches chest (phantom pain from Raditz's earlier ki blast)
- **Turtle Hermit:** Spills whiskey, squints westward (senses *wrongness* in the ki currents)
- **Chi-Chi:** Stirs soup, wooden spoon snaps in her grip (premonitory anger)
Goku raised both palms—empty. "Wanna talk instead?"
Mahoraga's ribcage *unfolded*.
**Adaptive Response:**
- **First Layer:** Exposed muscle fibers reconfigure into *Saiyan-tail* mimicry (observed threat index: Raditz)
- **Second Layer:** Dermal plating adopts *Namekian* chloroplast distribution (counter to Piccolo's photosynthesis)
- **Third Layer:** Teeth reshape into *human-molar* patterns (Yajirobe's dental wear scanned mid-snarl)
**The First Words of the Devourer**
Mahoraga's newly adapted vocal cords vibrated with grotesque precision—part Saiyan growl, part Namekian timbre, layered with the wet click of human molars sliding against each other. The sound that emerged wasn't speech so much as *biological mimicry given shape*.
"G—k—u." The name came out in three distinct pulses, each syllable accompanied by a different mouth configuration. Blood-tinged saliva dripped from its lips, steaming where it hit the cooled ground.
Yajirobe's katana slipped from his fingers. The blade embedded itself upright in the dirt, vibrating like a tuning fork. "*Shitshitshit*—it *talks* now?!"
Raditz's tail lashed so violently it left welts across his own thighs. "Impossible," he hissed through teeth that refused to unclench. "Even the Tuffles didn't have..." His words died as Mahoraga's eye—now sporting a slit pupil identical to Piccolo's—tracked the movement of his tail with terrifying focus.
Piccolo's *bakurikimaru* flickered and died. The energy dissipated as his fingers spasmed open. "It's not *copying*," he muttered, watching how Mahoraga's shoulders now bore the same tension patterns as Goku's. "*It's rehearsing.*"
**Secondary Character Reactions:**
- **Korin:** Fur standing in uneven patches, whiskers twitching in arrhythmic bursts
- **Farmer's Cow (2.8 Miles Northeast):** Milk curdling in udders from adrenal contamination
- **Distant Vulture:** Mid-flight regurgitation, wings locking in rigor mortis before hitting ground
The golden wheel completed its second revolution. Mahoraga's left hand—now sporting Goku's distinctive callus pattern—lifted slowly. The motion triggered three simultaneous responses:
1. **Raditz:** Fired a *shūkyoku dan* from his hip (panic shot; energy inefficient)
2. **Yajirobe:** Vaulted behind Korin's bowl (obscured vision; left flank exposed)
3. **Goku:** Didn't move. His breathing synchronized with Mahoraga's evolving respiratory rate.
The ki blast *warped* six inches from Mahoraga's face—a spatial distortion visible as concentric rings in the air—before dissipating into the wheel's glow.
**Dialogue Crossfire:**
**Raditz** (voice cracking): "That was a *hundred thousand* power level blast! How—"
**Yajirobe** (peeking over bowl): "Can we *please* leave before it learns sarcasm?!"
**Piccolo** (grabbing Goku's shoulder): "It's mirroring your *stupidity* now! Stop—"
Mahoraga's chest cavity *rippled*. With a sound like wet parchment tearing, a near-perfect replica of Yamcha's *sōkidan* formed between its ribs—except this one burned with the violet hue of Raditz's signature energy.
**New Arrivals:**
- **Bulma** (via hoverbike, 800m east): Crashes into cactus after scouter readings fry her dashboard
- **Oolong** (clinging to bike): Squeals transform into pig form mid-air (involuntary stress response)
- **Puar** (materializing from dust cloud): Shapeshifts into exact Mahoraga duplicate before fainting
The ersatz *sōkidan* shot toward Raditz—who barely twisted aside—but the projectile *curved* mid-flight to intercept Bulma's smoking hoverbike.
**Impact Analysis:**
- **1.2 seconds pre-detonation:** Bulma's hair stands straight up (static discharge)
- **0.5 seconds:** Oolong's trotter spasms against the 'abort' button
- **0.1 seconds:** The bike's alloy frame *melts* inward like wax
The explosion never came. The energy sphere *unraveled* into strands that flowed back into Mahoraga's pores. Its grin widened further—now showing hints of Korin's feline canines.
**Bulma's Reaction Sequence:**
1. Right eyelid twitches seven times
2. Left hand crushes half-eaten senzu bag (stolen from Yajirobe)
3. Voice drops two octaves: "Oh. *Hell* no."
**Vegeta's Distant Snarl** (carried by thermal updraft): "Nappa. We're *landing*."
**Simultaneous Events:**
- **Kame House:** Roshi's porn magazine ignites spontaneously (ambient ki saturation)
- **Flying Nimbus:** Dives into ocean to avoid Mahoraga's spreading energy field