Shooting Stars
by Cyberwulfe

The starship Always rushed through space, burning a trail that spanned millions of kilometers. The occupants were aliens to this galaxy, which held the planet Balshaar carefully in orbit. On the planet was detected a Dragon Ball, a magical sphere with strange qualities. It was the third of seven such balls. If all seven were brought together, the Eternal Dragon would appear and grant the summoner a single wish. The two beings inside the small ship were Cyberwulfe, the wolf from Canis, and Ozymandis, a wolfish dragon from the planet Crateara. They were searching for the Dragon Balls so they could wish Cyber's friend RazorWolf back to life.

After a mighty battle to obtain the second Dragon Ball, the two friends were relieved to find no significant power levels on Balshaar. Ozy and Cyber had almost been killed by a strong fighter, but it was Cyber who eventually defeated the villain. Now the two were eager and excited to claim the next Dragon Ball and set out to find the rest of them. Cyberwulfe had been anxiously awaiting the time when the seven balls would be brought together and RazorWolf would return to this world.

"We're entering the atmosphere," Ozy reported in his hissing reptilian voice," Touchdown in six minutes."

"Great. Take her down near that city," Cyberwulfe pointed out the viewscreen towards a small city far below them," According to the Dragon Radar the next Dragon Ball is there."

"You got it."

The ship soared towards the ground and hovered gracefully above the rocky terrain before touching down smoothly on all four landing studs. Steam billowed from the ship's vents as the engines cooled down and pressure inside the ship was lowered to match that of the planet's atmosphere. Within a few minutes the landing ramp was extended and Cyberwulfe and Ozymandis stepped onto the reddish stone surface of Balshaar.

"Not far now," said Ozy.

"Yeah. We might as well walk," Cyber commented, noting they were less than ten kilometers from the city.

Ozy nodded and the two started on their journey. Ozy had never met RazorWolf personally, but he had met Cyberwulfe during a street fight in which some members of a local gang were causing trouble and Ozy was trying to stop them. Cyberwulfe lended a hand and the two joined together to find the Dragon Balls. Through their past adventures, Ozy's fighting power had risen, and was now close to five million, only one-fifth of his companion's power level. But from the stories Cyber had told him about RazorWolf, Ozy knew that their own powers were small compared to his.

The surface of Balshaar was mostly rocky, with many flat plateaus and bomb craters, most likely made by falling meteors. Small mountain ranges surrounded the city, which acted quite like a natural wall. A gate was located at the front end of the city, guarded by a pair of towers on either side and two guards outside the wall. They stepped forward as Cyberwulfe and Ozymandis approached.

"Halt, who goes there?" the first guard barked.

"We are travelers from a distant planet. We have come for food and supplies," Ozy quickly replied, not wanting to give away their true purpose.

"Do you have any identification?" the guard continued.

"None whatsoever," Cyberwulfe smirked.

"Why should I let you inside??"

Cyberwulfe knew he could easily blast his way inside, but he and Ozy were peaceful and only wanted to get inside and find the Dragon Ball.

"My friend, we are very tired and hungry. If you would feel safer escorting us through the city during our stay then that will be fine with us. But we ask you to please allow us inside," Ozy spoke using hand gestures.

"That won't be necessary. As outsiders you'll be obvious to everyone, so I don't see any reason for an escort. Just don't cause any trouble or you'll answer to me personally," the guard bellowed, then turned and ordered the gates to be opened.

"Thank you," Cyber smiled and passed through the gate with Ozy close behind him.

"Put that fake smile away, Cyber. I know you were ready to either blast him or fly over the wall," Ozy poked Cyberwulfe in the ribs.

"Either way, we got inside."

Ozy turned his eyes forward and continued walking as Cyberwulfe pulled out the portable Dragon Radar and started heading in the direction of the flashing ball on the small screen. He wound his way through the streets, turning left and right, until the two warriors came to a large building. It was elaborately decorated with large stone statues, stained glass windows, and pillars. It rose several hundred feet into the air, the topmost point being a large tower. A dim orange glow emanated from the windows in the tower, which caught Ozy's eye.

"Look! That orange glow. It must be the Dragon Ball."

"This must be some kind of museum or something, and the Dragon Ball is on display on the top floor," Cyberwulfe added.

"Shall we?"

"Let's go."

Cyberwulfe walked up the marble stairs that led to the front entrance of the building and gripped the door handle. The door creaked and swung open, revealing a large chamber with candles burning on the walls. There were rows and rows of benches, all leading to the front of the chamber where a large altar stood. There were shelves of books of all types along the side walls. It was obviously a church of some sort.

"Wow, would you check out the architecture," Ozy gasped, looking up towards the ceiling which sat over two-hundred feet above their heads.

"Yeah, it's very nice. Kind of like some of the nice old churches back on Earth," Cyberwulfe replied, admiring the elaborate decorations on the ceiling and the arches leading up to them from pillars along the walls.

The two were so transfixed with the ceiling the they didn't notice the small creature that approached them. It cleared its throat, making Ozy and Cyber look down at him.

"Welcome to our sanctuary. I am the Guild Brother Chi'zaar. How may I help you?" the small creature bowed its head in welcome.

"Thank you for accepting us into your sanctuary," Cyberwulfe returned the bow," We are in search of something. An item," he held up a small box from which a hologram of a Dragon Ball appeared," I think you might recognize this."

The creature's eyes widened," You are looking for the Golden Ball of the Stars. Come this way if you wish to pay tribute to our greatest deity."

Cyberwulfe looked at Ozy, who shrugged his shoulders. The two followed the creature along a stone arched hallway and then turned left down another passage. The sanctuary held a few people, who were either reading books, bowing on the floor, or praying by the altar. Cyberwulfe quickly glanced at the writing on the walls, but it was composed of some strange language he'd never seen before. There were many etchings and statues, showing warriors with swords and spears engaged in battle. There was one etching which caught Cyberwulfe eye. It showed a large tower with orange light glowing from it. Beams of light shot out from the tower, destroying rocks that fell from the sky. Many different religions Cyberwulfe had encountered throughout the galaxy had some reference to stars falling from the sky. Perhaps the glowing tower was some ancient defender who had protected the city from a horrible evil.

Cyberwulfe's pondering was cut short when they approached a large winding stone staircase leading upwards. They climbed this for several floors until they proceeded down another passage.

"Quite a trip," Ozy whispered to Cyber.

"It'll be worth it though," Cyber whispered back.

They soon came to another staircase, which seemed to wind up and up forever. Finally they reached the top, which led into a small room with a large heavy wooden door. Through cracks in the door could be seen flashes of orange light. The Dragon Ball was right behind this door.

"Here you are. Please pay respects to our lord and master," Chi'zaar pulled out a large key and unlocked the door, then opened it.

The door creaked open and Ozy and Cyber gazed upon the next Dragon Ball, resting atop a golden altar in the middle of the room. The glow from the ball flickering and filling the room with its warm light.

"Anything specific we should be doing?" Cyberwulfe turned and asked the creature.

"Oh, please forgive me. You outsiders know nothing of our customs. Please, approach the orb and place a kiss on your fingers and place them on the orb. If it feels warm then you are blessed with peace and happiness," Chi'zaar proceeded to kiss the Dragon Ball.

Ozy and Cyber both kissed the orb in turn, then stood to one side as Chi'zaar chanted something in a strange language and bowed to the Dragon Ball. Ozy and Cyber both bowed.

"I doubt we'll be able to get the ball off them. They worship the thing like some sort of God," Ozy whispered to Cyber."

"We could tell them it's not a God, but that would cause a bit of trouble," Cyber replied," We need to get our hands on it somehow."

The three visitors left the sacred room, and Ozy and Cyber were escorted back to the front doors of the sanctuary.

"Thank you for visiting, and please come again if you wish," Chi'zaar bowed.

"Thank you again. We were most honoured," Cyberwule bowed back to the creature and the door was closed behind them.

"We'll be back sooner than they think," Ozy looked up at the tower.

"Let's find a place to sleep for the afternoon and come back when it gets dark."

The sun set over the mountain range that surrounded the city. Cyber poked his head out the window to see if anyone was on the streets and was glad to find them deserted. He floated out the window, followed by Ozy, and drifted towards the tower. Flying quickly would only display their energy shrouds, which flared up during rapid acceleration, so slow flying was the only safe way to get to the tower. Cyber looked down on the darkening city. Torches moved silently through the night as people moved on with their evening business. Lighted windows darkened as sleepy inhabitants went to bed. Night was setting.

The tower could just be seen in the dim light. A tall dark shadow looming in the darkness, the light from the Dragon Ball still gleaming out the windows. Cyberwulfe reached the wall and pressed his back against it, trying to mold into the wall as best he could. Ozymandis followed him as well, wrapping his wings around the round tower and pressing close to the stones. They slowly moved up the face of the wall until they were just inches below the glowing light.

"You know, I feel sick doing this. Stealing a deity from a church," Ozy said to Cyberwulfe, who was ready to burst in and steal the Dragon Ball.

"It's not a deity, it's a Dragon Ball," Cyber replied," I think they'll understand."

Ozy just shook his head and looked around the ground. Everything was clear, and Cyberwulfe floated up so he was level with one of the windows, the glowing making his gray fur shine in the darkness. Not wanting to be seen, he quickly burst through the window, sending shards of glass and wood framing into the room, crashing to the floor. Cyberwulfe landed firmly on the ground and reached for the Dragon Ball. Suddenly a wooden stick batted his hand away and knocked Cyber against the wall. It was the old creature that they had met earlier that day.

"How dare you barge in here like this during evening worship," he cried out," You've come to rob us of our lord. Well I won't let you!" the Guild Brother held his staff up defensively.

Ozymandis soared in through the hole in the wall and stood behind Cyberwulfe, watching the creature brandish his staff.

"We need that ball. It's actually one of seven magic balls that allow the person who holds them to have any wish they desire. That ball is the third one, and we need it to bring a good friend of mine back to life," Cyberwulfe spilled the beans.

"You lie. You are just pirates looking for something to sell. Well you won't fool me with your tricks," Chi'zaar swung his staff at Cyberwulfe, who just grabbed it in his paws and pulled it away from him.

"Now stop that and listen. We can prove it, but first you need to calm down," Cyber looked back at Ozy," Go grab the other two balls from the ship and come back. Fast."

"Right," Ozy nodded and exploded out of the tower, his energy shroud lighting up the night sky as he rocketed away from the city, returning less than a minute later. The creature's eyes widened as Ozy presented the two orbs to him, which seemed to glow in rhythm with the third one on the golden altar.

"So you see my friend, that ball you worship is no deity. It's only a simple magic ball in a set of seven. And we need it. We would be happy to pay you any amount for it," Cyberwulfe explained.

"But we need it also. It is the protector of our city. Without it we will all be destroyed," Chi'zaar hung his head, realizing his entire religion was a lie.

"What do you mean?" Ozy questioned.

"In our galaxy there is a large cluster of asteroids. They rotate in orbit, which takes exactly one month. Once every month, the asteroids pass our planet. Some of the asteroids get caught in our atmosphere's gravity and fall upon us. But when this magic ball appeared it somehow created a powerful shield around the city and deflected the meteors that would have destroyed us," Chi'zaar told his story.

"So without it you're dead?" Ozy grimaced.

"Catch 22," Cyberwulfe mumbled," If we take the Dragon Ball you're dead, if we don't we'll never get RazorWolf back. I knew it would become complicated."

"You're the one who predicted clear sailing partner," Ozy rested his clawed hand on Cyber's shoulder, massaging it gently."

"Well there's got to be some way. Can't we come to some agreement?"

"No, I'm afraid not," Chi'zaar replied," If I let you have the orb then we will surely be destroyed during the next bombardment. For our astrologers have been watching the asteroids for many years now and according to our calculations a massive rock is ready to fall during the next passing exactly one week from now."

"What if we destroyed the asteroids. Would the danger be gone?" asked Ozy.

Cyber turned and looked at his scaly friend.

"If you somehow manage to do so, yes. But whatever kind of ship you have I doubt it has the ability to destroy large asteroids," Chi'zaar replied, doubt showing in his voice.

"The two of us have more power than the most powerful energy cannon ever created. We are both powerful fighters, capable of projecting energy and launching it in beams. I think we can take care of your asteroid problem," Cyberwulfe smiled proudly.
"I am confused. Does it also allow you to fly? I thought your winged friend was the only one with that ability."

Cyberwulfe just smiled down at the creature and slowly rose above the floor, hovered around the room for a few seconds, then landed once more.

"I'm convinced," said Chi'zaar, his jaw dropping," I will make a deal with you then. If you destroy all of the asteroids we will give you the orb. But only if you destroy every single one of them. Then our city will be safe, and you will be able to rescue your friend."

"Alright, I accept that arrangement," Cyberwulfe shook the creature's hand.

"This is pathetic," Ozy complained as they entered the Always," Destroy asteroids? What a waste of time."

"It will give us the next Dragon Ball, Ozy," Cyberwulfe added.

"True. Perhaps that's the only good thing about it."

Cyberwulfe pulled his heavy weighted shirt off and slumped onto a couch in the ship's lounge. While not a very large ship, the Always had enough room to comfortably accommodate up to six people. It had bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small lounge with couches, chairs, and a holoviewer. Cyber stretched out and hugged a pillow.

"Lazy wolf," Ozy chuckled and sat himself down in a bean bag chair.

"Go soak your head," Cyber grinned and settled down in the couch's soft cushions.

"How much longer do you think it will take us to find the last Dragon Balls?"

"Well it took RazorWolf almost a month to find the one he sent us before he..." Cyberwulfe trailed off. Razor's death had been very painful for him, for he had lost a good friend and the person who had trained him into a powerful fighter.

"Sorry I brought it up," Ozy frowned.

"No, it's okay. My guess is it will take us at least another six months to collect the next four Dragon Balls. Either that or we let Earth explode," Cyber sighed and squeezed the pillow in his arms.

"Now there's incentive if I've ever heard it."

The Black Star Dragon Balls were much more powerful than the original Earth Dragon Balls because they could make any wish, without restrictions. Once the wish was made the balls were scattered all over the galaxy, and unless the balls were placed together within one year the planet Earth would self destruct. RazorWolf had been on a quest for the Dragon Balls and sent the first one he found to Cyberwulfe on Earth before he was mysteriously killed in a huge explosion. Since then, Cyber had been continuing the journey, now with the goal of wishing Razor back to life. Once his friend was returned, Cyberwulfe, Ozymandis, and RazorWolf would have no trouble in assembling the Black Star Balls once more.

"Do you feel like eating anything, or have I upset you?" Ozy asked his troubled companion.

"No, I'm famished. Wanna make some pizza?" Cyberwulfe licked his lips.

"Sure."

RazorWolf and Cyberwulfe each loved pizza, and had special pizza baking ovens installed in both of their starships. It was a meal often shared by the two warriors, and now enjoyed by Ozymandis as well. Before long the smell of pizzas cooking filled the ship, and the two friends sat down to dinner. They often ate healthy foods to build up their muscles and give them energy for fighting, but once in a while they enjoyed junk food. The most important food on board was the Senzu Beans, magical beans that could heal wounds and restore strength. The fighters often carried them into battle to replenish their strength.

After several hours of skill testing gameplay and a bit of training in the gym (yes, they also have a gym on board) the two friends settled down in their rooms for a restful night of sleep. They'd spend the next few days relaxing and training, on and off, before the big event in outer space with the asteroids. Cyberwulfe was confident they'd have no trouble destroying the flying hunks of space rock, but something inside him knew it would be more of a fight than he bargained for.

Ozymandis entered the main lounge area to find Cyberwulfe holding the two Dragon Balls in his paws. The two balls glowed together, radiating energy and light, their true power hidden within. Ozy stood in the doorway, watching as Cyberwulfe looked carefully at the balls, knowing that his friend considered these two items the most precious of all his possessions. Then the wolf looked up to see his scaly friend standing in the doorway, and he smiled.

"I was just thinking about Razor," he said.

"I know. You often do," Ozy smiled back," I know you can't wait to get him back."

"Yeah. Sometimes I can hear his voice in my head, speaking to me. I know he'd love for me to finish this journey and get all of the Dragon Balls together, but somehow I think I won't be able to do it."

"Nonsense. We're both getting stronger with each battle, each training session. Nothing can keep us from the Dragon Balls. Not even those Storm guys," Ozy put his hands on his hips.

Cyberwulfe nodded. The Storm mercenary team had tried to kill Cyberwulfe and Ozymandis and steal their Dragon Ball, but Cyberwulfe had increased his fighting power and defeated each of the team's members.

"I want to get stronger, Ozy. RazorWolf's fighting power was over fifty million. I've still got a lot of work to do," Cyberwulfe looked down at the balls again.

"You will one day. How do you think I feel? You're much stronger than I am, and I'm sure you always will be twice as strong as I am because you train yourself so hard."

Cyberwulfe chuckled," I had a good teacher. Razor never let me slow down. Which reminds me, we should get training again."

The two warriors entered the special training gym on board the ship. While only as large as a small house, the room had special gravity generators designed to simulate gravity on other planets, and could be set as high as one-thousand times Earth's gravity. Ozy and Cyber normally trained under two-hundred times Earth's gravity, but today Cyberwulfe set the machine to two-hundred fifty.

"That should give us something to work up to," Cyberwulfe winked at Ozy and turned on the generators.

They could feel the gravity slowly take effect as their tails were drawn to the floor. Both fighters were accustomed to the high gravity, and were not disturbed at the least as the gravity rose towards two-hundred. As it climbed sharply towards two-fifty, Cyberwulfe noticed the increased crushing force and staggered a little bit. Ozy balanced himself against the wall until the machine stopped at two-hundred fifty times Earth's gravity.

"Well, let's get started," Cyberwulfe slowly walked over to a set of weights and set the bars to three-hundred pounds. At two-fifty times Earth's gravity they would weigh seventy-five thousand pounds. Cyberwulfe lay down on the bench and began to bench-press the weight.

Ozymandis lay face down on the floor and began doing his usual set of two-hundred one-fingered pushups. The two of them trained using weights and pushups for over an hour before they took a quick break, floating around the room and getting accustomed themselves to flying in the increased gravity. Floating around soon turned into acrobatics. Backflips, spinning around, aerial maneuvers. Cyberwulfe and Ozy began flying around the room at high speeds, flying faster and faster around and around the room.

After floating around for over half an hour the two began sparring. Their normally speedy attacks were slowed by the increase in gravity, but each one managed to do well, their muscles bulging under the strain. Cyberwulfe knew better than to fight Ozy at full power, and chose rather to keep close to his friend's pace and increase his strength a little to give him something to fight against. Ozy was sweating. The dragon had a high endurance, and was able to last long in battle, but the strain of the new gravity level was slowly draining him and he'd have to stop soon. It was with a hard punch to his head that he finally called a time-out and walked to the bench.

Cyberwulfe was panting hard. He came and sat down next to Ozy as the two drank water and relaxed for a few minutes. Once their strength had returned they sparred for a while longer and then went back to lifting weights, increasing the weight and doing more and more reps. The two left the room after six hours of training both feeling tired and well run. The next day they would relax and allow their bodies to recover before entering the room again for a second day of training.

The week passed quickly. By the time the fateful day arrived, Cyberwulfe had increased his fighting power from fifteen million to eighteen, and Ozymandis had raised himself to eight million. The two had spent all of the previous day training at three-hundred sixty times Earth gravity and both felt ready for the task ahead. Cyberwulfe dressed in armour, which covered his entire torso with shoulder pads on each side. He wore a skintight blue fighting suit with white gloves and matching boots. Ozymandis wore a similar outfit. He pulled his boots on and adjusted his gloves so they fit snug against his wrists. He was ready for action. Cyberwulfe opened the ship's hatch and walked out onto the red rocky ground and stared into the sky. It was growing dim as a thick cloud of dust drifted through the air. He could sense the change in atmosphere as the asteroids rapidly accelerated into their orbit around the planet before they began to fall. All that stood between them and the city was Ozymandis and Cyberwulfe.

"Ready, partner?" Ozy glanced at Cyber.

"You bet. Time to earn our pay," Cyber replied, grinning a smug grin.

He charged up and flew into the air, followed closely by Ozy. The two had been practicing survival in outer space, using the gravity room to simulate a vacuum, and each one could last over an hour before they needed to return to a normal atmosphere. An hour would be enough time for them to blast a few hunks of space rock into dust. Cyber charged more energy through his body as the flames around him turned blue and he soared through the burning atmosphere. He stopped when he reached outer space, hovering in zero gravity, which felt odd after training at over three-hundred times Earth gravity. Ozy flew up and hovered next to him, scanning the area for any sign of the asteroids. His eye twitched as he caught sight of the cloud of rocks soaring towards them.

"Look, there they are," He pointed at the incoming cluster.

"I see them. I'll take point, and you can get all the rocks I miss," Cyber was about to fly off but Ozy grabbed him.

"I know you can get more than me, so let me take point. I might even get stronger as well. I know you can get the ones I miss without trouble," Ozy insisted.

"Alright. They're all yours."

Ozy just smiled and flew off, stopping about two kilometers from Cyberwulfe, who waited patiently behind his friend.

The asteroids were of various sizes. Some were as small as Cyber's fist, while others were as large as a truck. The small ones would burn up in the atmosphere, but the larger ones would pass through and impact with the planet. These were the ones that Ozy and Cyber needed to stop. Ozy started using small, low energy blasts to eliminate the rocks, blasting them into tiny bits. Soon he was enveloped in the swarm of rocks, frantically blasting away at every rock he saw. He led his targets and shot them out of the sky, only missing a few, which were handled by Cyberwulfe waiting behind him. It seemed effortless.

As they drifted deeper into the thickest part of the swarm, the rocks started getting larger and larger. The truck sized ones became house sized. The house sized ones became even larger. Ozy soon found his blasts having little or no effect against the huge rocks, and he increased his power to compensate. He fired a powerful red beam and cut straight through a house sized rock, splitting it in two and exploding it. He watched as the smaller rocks drifted in all directions, some impacting with the atmosphere and bursting into flames. They were disintegrated. Ozy smiled and felt as if he were floating on air. A wild sensation came over him as he fired his powerful blasts more rapidly now. An evil look came across his face as he overpowered the asteroids, feeling energy and strength flow through him. He unconsciously charged to his full power and generated a huge ball of energy, firing it through the cluster of rocks, wiping out a large amount of rocks with one blast. He grinned and laughed.

Behind him, Cyberwulfe sensed his power increase and his eyes widened as he saw the huge energy ball penetrate the field of asteroids. Ozy was putting out an awful lot of energy, and Cyber knew he couldn't last long like that. He'd have to power down a little and control his strength or he'd be burnt out. But Cyber had his own troubles to worry about. The asteroids that Ozy missed were his responsibility, and he found himself flying closer and closer to the planet to catch some that got away, only to turn around and find a dozen more barreling towards him. He closed his eyes and charged a small ball in his paws and fired it at the rocks. It exploded in a huge blast, destroying eight of the rocks. He raised his paws up and fired rapid blasts of purple fire at the approaching asteroids, destroying each one with several blasts. He knew Ozy could handle himself, so Cyber continued doing his half of the job.

Meanwhile Ozy was beginning to feel the effects of his mad fury. His blasts slowed and were less powerful. Large rocks soared past him, and as he shot them they barely crumbled. He was suddenly clipped by a large rock and staggered backwards, reaching out in anger and blasting the rock with an overpowered blast. He was hit twice more by some large rocks, and his rage began to flare up. He exploded with energy, sending waves of flaming shock waves in all directions. He remained at full power as if regenerated, firing rapid blasts at every rock he saw, grinning as they crumbled and burned up in the atmosphere. He wouldn't let a bunch of oversized space rocks defeat him. He was Ozymandis! He continued his barrage of powerful rapid blasts, taking each asteroid apart and leaving very little for his friend below to handle. But he hoped to come out of this battle much stronger, even if he surpassed Cyberwulfe himself.

Cyberwulfe was satisfied with their progress. Even the large asteroids were no match for them. But he noticed one thing as a smaller asteroids floated by. A shiny part, almost metallic. He flew down and grabbed it, breaking off the rock and staring down at his paw. It was a lump of solid iron. It was incredibly strong as well, and Cyberwulfe had to put some effort into crushing it. If the asteroids had an iron core, they would be much harder to destroy than simple bits of rock.

"Ozy!" he called, but the dragon was too caught up in his blasting to hear him. He closed his eyes and tried to reach Ozy's mind," Ozy, the rocks have iron in them. They'll be harder to kill, so be careful."

"I don't care. They're no match for me. None of them will get past me," Ozy replied telepathically.

"Just be careful, and call me if things heat up too fast."

Cyber received no reply. He just watched as the dragon fired blast after blast of energy into the cluster of rocks. He could sense his friend's power and how his body was straining to maintain the fighting level it was working on. Cyber was afraid that if Ozy continued straining, or tried to increase his power, he'd burn himself out and would be out of the fight. But the dragon was tougher than he looked, and Cyber had seen him first hand. He could take a beating and still get up and keep fighting. If anyone could kill all the asteroids, it was Ozymandis.

Through his cocky attitude, Ozy did notice some difficulty in destroying the rocks. He also noticed the shining metal on the jagged debris.

"Cyber was right. I'd better make sure to get them all," he thought.

Suddenly a huge asteroid loomed towards him. It was larger than a house and composed mostly of metal. He could see the iron shining in the light of the sun, sparkling as it flew towards him. Ozy's eyes widened as he realized this was the mother of all asteroids. It flew towards him at an incredible speed. Ozy powered up even more, causing fire and energy to shoot everywhere. He held his hands out, palms touching, as he charged up his most powerful attack. Electric arcs of energy shot about his hands as a blue ball of energy slowly grew, collecting energy as the dragon's power rose. His eyes turned from their normal red to a fiery blue haze as the ball flashed and crackled in his palm. Finally he screamed and launched out a powerful blue beam of energy which collided with the asteroid. Rocks and debris flew everywhere as his beam cut into the asteroid, but it kept coming at him. He opened his mouth and screamed louder, pouring energy into the blast as the rock bore down on him and finally crashed against his scaly hide. He found himself trapped against it, finally powering down and lay limp against the rock as it plummeted towards the planet.

Cyberwulfe watched in horror as the rock collided with his friend. He quickly flew up to intercept the rock and pulled Ozy's unconscious body from the metallic surface. Looking up from the asteroid, he saw the planet Balshaar rushing towards them as they flew towards it. Without a second thought, Cyber launched himself at super sonic speed off the asteroid and penetrated the atmosphere once more, soaring down from the sky to rest Ozy carefully on the ground before flying up to intercept the falling meteor. He reached out his paws and grabbed the rock, pushing with all his might to slow its approach, but even flying at full speed and pressing his full force against it he couldn't stop the rock. Gritting his teeth tightly, Cyber tried to summon more strength, but still was not successful. The surface of the planet approached rapidly.

His last hope was to blast the asteroid with a Kamehame-ha*, a powerful energy attack that multiplied his own energy into a powerful beam. He kicked off from the rock and landed on the ground, safely away from Ozymandis. The power of the blast would be enough to shatter the ground and send earthquakes throughout the planet, and he didn't want his friend to fall into a crevice. He spread his feet and braced them against the ground as he looked up at the massive hunk of rock and iron bearing down on him. Placing the balls of his palms together he pulled them to his right side as he charged the energy ball between his paws.

"Kaa," he chanted as the energy charged and crackled between his paws," Mee," Cyberwulfe erupted with fire as he increased his fighting power, drawing upon every resource in his body," Haa," rocks and debris flew up from the ground as Cyberwulfe sunk into a small crater, the energy and fire and electricity flaming and sparking around him, causing an earthquake to thunder through the ground," Mee-Haa!"

Cyberwulfe raised his palms to face the falling asteroid. As he did, the powerful energy ball shot out, channeling through his palm on a wide powerful beam of energy and light. The ball crashed into the asteroid, slowing its movement, but it was still headed towards the planet. He widened the beam, wearing down as much as the asteroid's surface area as he could, hoping to whittle it down so it didn't do too much damage to the planet below. Fire and rocks flew everywhere as Cyberwulfe powered up ever more, approaching his full fighting strength. The ground under him cracked and he crashed down into a larger crater. Rocks and dust flew away from him as the fire surged and his energy was channeled through the ground and into his body and shot out his palms in the powerful Kamehame-ha wave.

"Eeyaahh!" Cyberwulfe screamed, raising his paws further out and sending a powerful, wide beam shooting out, following his original beam and crashing hard against the asteroid.

The second beam, reddish in colour, shattered the flying rock, scraping away tons of iron and sending fiery debris flying in all directions. Cyber's eyes turned white and glowed with light, the intensity of his beam increasing as the asteroid was shaved down to its metallic core. The heat and power of his beam melted the iron and it began to rain down in large fiery globs, splattering on the ground as the asteroid was totally blown away. Once the asteroid was gone, the Kamehame-ha continued onward, cutting through the tail end of the asteroid cluster and vaporizing all of the remaining asteroids. Upon seeing his success, Cyberwulfe stopped firing his beam and watched as it flew off into space. He charged down. The fire disappeared, the planet stopped shaking. Rocks in mid air crashed to the ground. The battle was over.

Cyberwulfe breathed deeply and rubbed his forehead, wiping away the sweat that had gathered there during the fight. He returned to Ozy to find the young dragon sitting up, dusting himself off and then looked up at Cyberwulfe.

"Did we win?" asked Ozy.

"Yes. I finished that big one with a Kamehame-ha," Cyber replied.

"I almost had that one you know," Ozy insisted and stood up, brushing the dust off his legs.

"Yeah, I know. If you had more time to charge up your beam you could have finished it."

Cyberwulfe knew that he had almost charged to full power to destroy the asteroid, and Ozy's power wouldn't have been much use against it. But regardless, he could sense a change in his friend. Both mentally and physically.

"What were you doing up there anyway? You were like a maniac," Cyberwulfe asked his friend.

"I don't know. I felt so powerful. This feeling came over me, like I could take on the entire galaxy and win. Sorry if I acted like a jerk," Ozy rubbed his nose with his hand.

"Naw, it's okay. I get like that sometimes too. And remember, you don't have to take the galaxy on alone," Cyber grinned and patted his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah I know. Now, let's go get our Dragon Ball."

Two days later they were on their way once more. After buying some food in the town and closing the deal with Guild Brother Chi'zaar, Cyberwulfe and Ozymandis left the planet behind, with one more Dragon Ball in their possession. They now had three of the magic balls. Only four more to go, and they still had plenty of time. But their journey was far from over.

Their next destination was a local starbase, for refueling and supplies. They planned to take a few days off just to relax before setting out once more. The Dragon Balls were out there, and the two warriors wouldn't stop until they had them all.

The End

Cyberwulfe, RazorWolf, Ozymandis
© their players

*Kamehame-ha (kah-may-hah-may-hah)