17 - A Last Ditch Effort! The End Of The Battle

As Pictoro sadistically began to squeeze Jesse's head harder and harder, a sudden blast of a bazooka at the monster's back caused him to drop Jesse and be pushed slightly forward.

"T-Truffel!"

Jesse gratefully yelled out with a small sigh, there was a chance once again. Pictoro turned around to look at the girl with a contemptful stare.

"Hmph, you're awake now then, you should've crawled away while you had the chance, that weapon of yours isn't enough to defeat m-"

"Jesse run away! Run away while you can!"

Pictoro's expression quickly morphed into an even angrier, uglier one as he rushed forward to punch Truffel straight in the stomach, causing her to fall on the ground. This would've killed her immediately if he wasn't so weakened.

"DO NOT INTERRUPT ME TRASH!!!"

He yelled as he repeatedly kicked Truffel in the stomach on the ground. Jesse grit his teeth, his expression even angrier than Pictoro's. Running towards the massive monster, Jesse jumped up and struck him with his fists balled up. This actually did have some effect on him, even though Jesse was weakened, so was the bio-android. Pictoro turned around to focus on the new attacker as he began to sweat, that Kamehameha hurt him more than he thought. Once his eyes were off her, Truffel got up and grabbed the bazooka once again, loading another missile into it and blasting it point back at Pictoro's back before he could attack Jesse. He was launched forward before he stopped himself with his wings a short distance away from the castle walls.

"Haa… haaa… haaa…"

All three of the fighters were breathing heavily, all of them almost out of energy. Jesse stood near Truffel, both of them glancing at eachother as Truffel threw the bazooka off to her side.

"That won't be of much help anymore... what exactly is this thing?"

"A monster a scientist created, I'll tell you the rest later just be ready! He'll be back on the attack at any moment!"

Truffel silently nodded her head and both of them got into fighting position. Cracking his neck, Pictoro stared off at them, annoyed, for a short while, before spreading his wings out far and using them burst forward with immense speed. He also pushed down on the ground to get even more speed. With his unbelievably fast speeds, Jesse and Truffel were only just able to react, side stepping right before Pictoro would have smashed both his fists into their stomachs. However as they did, Pictoro immediately stopped between the two, spreading both fists out at his sides, one to hit Truffel and one to hit Jesse.

Jesse and Truffel both ducked down quickly to avoid it, but with his wings Pictoro blew himself downward, smashing his fists onto their heads. It however did much less damage then it would have done, as all the force was from the momentum of his wings instead of his regular punching power. Next, Pictoro grabbed the two temporarily stunned warriors by the arms, slamming them into eachother in front of him.

"S-Shit!"

Jesse recovered and pulled himself and Truffel away right before Pictoro would have hit them both with his claws, which could have killed them. Truffel smacked herself in the face, as if telling herself to "get in the game".

"We've gotta stick as close as possible! If he even gets on seperate sides of him we'll have no chance."

Jesse quickly detailed some basic plans, which Truffel hastily nodded in agreement to. Both of them stood inches away from eachother, then rushed ahead at the bio-android. He tried to hit them both with a kick forward from his leg, but they dodged around it, and began their own attack. They immediately started to assault him with punch after punch, even some kicks thrown in. With so many attacks coming after him at once, Pictoro could barely dodge or block, and was struck over and over again.

'Their attacks are weak… but if they keep hitting me like this damage will build up… I can't get a damn attack in well, they're co-coordinating themselves quite well…'

Instead of letting himself stay in that useless clash, Pictoro used his wings to blow the two away from him for a moment, and then blow a bunch of dirt and sand into the air as a smokescreen.

"I-I can't see!"

"Damnit! Where is he!?"

As their eyes darted around, barely able to see through the dirt, a massive, sharpened tree trunk suddenly came bulleting towards them.

"Truffel dodge!"

"H-Huh?"

Both of them dodged, but Truffel had noticed the attack too late, and it cut her across her leg.

"Can you still walk?"

"Y-Yes, i-its not too ba- LOOK OUT!"

Truffel exclaimed, diving forward to push Jesse out of the way of a second sharpened tree trunk.

'The damn bastards using stealth to launch attacks from somewhere we cant see him…'

"Another one!"

Both of them swiftly dodged it this time easily. A few more were thrown, but now being more aware, they were able to dodge them all. Suddenly however, they both felt a presence from behind.

"Its him!"

Jesse yelled as they both immediately turned around to attack, punching at the same time into his stomach. However their fists simply passed right through him.

"W-What, an afterimage...!? He's behind us!"

Jesse quickly turned around, attacking what seemed to be the actual Pictoro. But it wasn't him either, and his fist passed right through him. As the dust cloud began to disperse, Truffel yelled out.

"Look! All around us!"

Surrounding them were afterimages of Pictoro.

"Which ones real?"

Jesse's eyes darted around but it was no use, he couldn't tell which was real or not. Instead, he looked down at the many pebbles around the ground, kicking them at all the copied images of the bio-android. Yet, all of them passed through, none of them were real.

"W-What does this me-"

As the cloud of dirt finally dispersed Jesse screamed out.

"Truffel, above us! Uppercut now!"

Both of them, together tightened their fists, jumping and punching upwards, aiming for Pictoro's stomach, which they'd already damaged somewhat in their earlier assault.

'This should do it! He's weak there!'

"Haa!"

Both of them yelled ferociously. Yet, it was for nothing, their fists simply passed through him once again.

"W-What…"

They didn't have time to figure it out themselves, as two monstrous clawed arms came through the dirt, grabbing Truffel and pulling half her body underground.

"Shit! He was below us!"

Coming out from the ground, covered in dirt, Pictoro held a cocky, devilish smile.

"I-I can't move."

"Seems like I win. With her stuck you can't work together anymore, there's no way you can beat me!"

He was right wasn't he, what could Jesse really do by himself here.

'No… his stomach is still weak, if I can get a solid hit… just maybe…'

Jesse immediately ferociously lunged the daunting monster, using every bit of energy he could.

"Hahahaha! That won't be happening!"

Pictoro easily dodged the attack and stepped to Jesse's side, grabbing his leg.

"I'll deal with you after I kill the girl! Well thats if the fall doesn't kill you before me!"

He exclaimed before throwing Jesse far up into the sky. Now Jesse could only watch as Pictoro neared Truffel. Tears started to well up in his eyes, there was nothing he could do. Suddenly however, he remembered a certain Dragon Ball technique, one he liked almost as much as the Kamehameha, though he hadn't been planning on using it any point almost ever, the way he was above Pictoro reminded him of its uses in the series.

"Maybe… if I can do it… just maybe…"

"Now watch as the girl dies! Let your last moments be agony!"

Pictoro yelled out as he reached down towards Truffel. Jesse hardened his face and closed his hands together into a triangle-like shape, also straigthening his body as he continued to fall. With anger being the only expression on his face, he focused his life-energy into the attack.

"Please… One more miracle….."

His eyes burst open as he felt the attack working, he felt the energy building.

"Yes!"

'But wa-wait, the attack will hit b-both of them… Fine! It'll be fine!'

Jesse shook his head as the attack finished building up its energy.

"Truffel! I promise I'll bring you back to life! I promise I'll bring you back to back to life with the Dragon Balls!"

Once again hardening his face, a frighteningly fierce anger displayed on it, he screamed out.

"Go to hell Pictoro! Die! KI-KO-HO!"

Pictoro was wondering what the "Dragon Balls" Jesse was talking about were, but the sudden attack made him focus on something else. It was invisible, yet it shook the air with its power, the massive spike in energy was undeniable.

"Wait sto-!"

Pictoro screamed, sounding as if he was about to beg for his life after feeling the energy. He was too late however, the massive energy of the attack hit him straight on. Utterly and completely, the attack instantly obliterated and incinerated the monster's body. Yet, it also created a massive hole in the ground, destroyed many trees, and of course, sadly killed Truffel.

Finally, Jesse hit the ground, his enemy and friend dead. His body was in massive pain and he was near-death from using his life-energy in the Tri-Beam, so all he could do was softly cry and promise to himself that he'd live and that he'd find the Dragon Balls and revive Truffel. He didn't care if getting the Dragon Balls himself would mess up the timeline, he'd become strong to fix anything himself.

"Th-Thats what I-I'll do…"

Jesse faintly whispered to himself before passing out, totally unconscious.