Implementedchanges:
Kinto-un
Kikoho
Lunch
Dodonpa
Nyoibo
Sokidan
Demon King
Chapter 1: Demon King
"Six!" the announcer shouted. It was the final of the23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. The audience had fled. The stage lay inruins. And one contestant-the reincarnated Demon King Piccolo-layunconscious at the bottom of a crater, half-covered in dirt.
"Seven!" The other fighter-Son Goku, the world's mostpowerful martial artist-stood triumphantly over his defeatedopponent. Once again, he'd defied the impossible, overcoming allodds, even surpassed the Guardian of the Earth. He was battered, histraining uniform shredded, but the smile never left his face. Thiswas, after all, what he lived for.
"Eight!" Goku's friends, standing behind him, alljoined in the count, as if this would mean that in some small part,they had helped to defeat Piccolo.
"Nine!" The count was almost a formality really; no-oneexpected even the toughest fighter to get up after an attack likethat.
"Te-" With blinding speed, Piccolo leapt to his feet,opening his mouth and unleashing a brilliant yellow wave of energy.It shot through the air in an instant, piercing right through Goku'sshoulder. Everyone froze in horror, unable to believe their eyes.But their despair lasted only a moment-Goku's image, pierced by thebeam, faded and vanished. The warrior had dodged at the last second,leaving an afterimage.
Goku suddenly appeared right in front of Piccolo. "Niceshot-you almost got me there!" He grinned as the green demontook a stumbling step backwards in shock. "Let me show you howit's done!" Goku drew back a fist.
Piccolo lunged forwards, but the battle had worn him out and hewas slowing down. Goku slipped through his defences and rammed apunch into the side of Piccolo's face, putting all of his ki behindit. Goku felt bones crack in his opponent's jaw, and the demon wassent flying. He crashed to the floor several yards away.
"Hey, uh, announcer?" Goku asked, pointing at Piccolo'sprone body. "Is he out of bounds?"
"Uh… oh! The tournament!" The announcer, stillclutching his microphone, wiped sweat from his forehead and scurriedover to the unconscious competitor. "Well, it's hard to tell…there's not much of the ring left, after all… but I'd say…"he looked back and forth a bit. "Yep! Piccolo is out of bounds!Goku wins the tournament!"
The group standing behind the stage ran up to the victor,cheering and congratulating him. "Nice job, big guy," saidBulma, Goku's oldest friend, patting him on the shoulder. Standingapart from the others, Kami, the Earth's Guardian, shook his head indisbelief.
"Aargh!" The guttural cry split the air as Piccolo'seyes snapped open. He sat up, one hand holding his aching jaw."You…" he stared straight at Goku, who immediatelyraised his guard.
"Will you just give up already?" The spike-hairedfighter asked, moving in front of his friends. "Or are you backfor more of the same?" He tried to focus whatever energy he hadleft-he knew this monster wouldn't care for the rules of thetournament.
Piccolo grunted, standing up slowly and painfully. "You…how did you defeat me? I… I am the great King Piccolo… you are amere human! You are nothing to me!" He snarled. "I cannotaccept this! This… will not stand! I will return, even stronger,and you will suffer!" He clenched his fists, shaking slightlyas he tried to summon up the strength to fly. He could barely managethat; continuing the fight was out of the question.
One of Goku's allies stepped up from behind him-a bald warriorwith a third eye in the centre of his forehead. "What are youtalking about? You're not just going to leave." Tien turned toGoku. "Finish him! You're the only one who can! Or he'll justreturn to kill more people!"
But Goku shook his head. "Get out of here, Piccolo. I'vebeaten you twice already-you should learn when to give up."
"Fool." Piccolo took off, and within a few seconds hevanished beyond the horizon.
Tien shook Goku by the shoulders. "Goku! Are you crazy? Youheard him, he's just going to come back and do the same again!"
"I'm not so sure." Goku brushed Tien off of him. "Eversince he was reincarnated, he hasn't seemed as bad to me. I mean, Ihaven't actually seen him kill anyone." He shrugged. "Thefirst King Piccolo destroyed an entire city. This one seems moreangry than evil, really. And besides, if I had the chance to showmercy, and I chose not to, wouldn't that make me just like him?"
"But-"
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure-" Goku was interruptedas Chi-Chi tackled him, embracing her fiancée.
"Oh Goku I was so worried you were fantastic that wasamazing let's go get married we have a house ready and everythingand we'll have kids and a family and…"
Over a hundred miles away, Piccolo stood motionless in a vast,empty plain. The anger was building inside of him. It wasimpossible-a human defeating the almighty demon king at hisstrongest. It simply went against everything he knew and believed.He couldn't contain it anymore. Piccolo roared his anger to thewind, releasing all his power outwards. A raging storm broke outover the entire continent. Miles away, in East City, windowsshattered. Babies woke up screaming. And back on that island, wherea group of friends stood, having just witnessed the fate of theworld being decided, all felt a chill run down their spines. Primalfears passed over the group, fear from the darkest corners of themind, fear of nameless things that lurk in the shadows. All but one.One, who stood above the rest. One who was not of this world. Hiskind had no fear of terrors in the night. Half the galaxy trembledat their name. And soon, so would Earth.
Five years later…
Piccolo stood atop a cliff, surveying the devastation aroundhim-a result of his intense training. At first his plan had been tocreate a devastating new technique-one which would destroy Goku inone attack-but he had since contemplated the speed Goku had dodgedhis surprise attack with, and the strength he had countered with.Besides, he'd already tried creating a new 'ultimate technique', andat the Budokai, that too had failed. No, to defeat this opponent, hewould need to be stronger, faster, and tougher. So he had trainedhis body into the ultimate fighting machine. He was the mostpowerful being on the planet, and he would crush his enemy withease-like stepping on a bug.
All of a sudden something caught his attention. "I sense agreat power… coming closer…" he turned to face theapproaching ki slowly. "Is it Goku? If so, he's been trainingharder than I expected…" A figure appeared in the sky, flyingtowards him with incredible speed. "No, it's not him,"Piccolo muttered to himself. "Then who…"
The approaching figure landed. It was a tall, muscular man withknee-length, untamed hair, wearing strange armour. He had some kindof device over his left eye.
"Hmm. You are not Kakarot…" he said.
"And who are you?" Piccolo demanded. "Do you havebusiness with me?"
"One does not deal with insects," the stranger repliedwith a grin. "One simply crushes them."
Piccolo growled. "If you're looking to die, keep talkinglike that!"
"Heh heh heh… quite a temper you have…" the visitorsaid, tapping a button on his device. "Eh? Power… 536? Iwouldn't have thought such a being could exist on thislittle planet… besides Kakarot, of course…" He was visiblytaken aback by the reading, but quickly shook off his unease."Still, you're no match for me ."
" What ?!" Piccolo yelled. "Do you knowwho you're talking to?!"
The other snorted. "Do I care?" There was a longsilence. Piccolo stood silent, staring down the stranger, whoreturned his stare with a smirk. Then, Piccolo smiled back, hisconfidence returning.
"You sure think a lot of yourself…" He hurled hiscape off, and his turban followed. Both hit the ground with a heavythud . The stranger took a step back, surprised.
"What?!" He hissed, incredulous. "Y-Your power…just jumped to nine hundred… w-well it makes no difference! You'renothing to me!" But Piccolo ignored him.
"If you won't tell me who you are or where you come from,I'll just have to beat it out of you." He flexed his muscles,settled into a low, wide stance, and gritted his teeth. The windpicked up. Veins throbbed all over his body. "Hrr…"
The stranger began to sweat. "W-What is this?! What are youdoing? Your power level's rising again! Now it's over a thousand!"A faint blue glow appeared around Piccolo's body. "How are youdoing that? Answer me!"
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Piccolo relaxed."How do you like me now?" He asked, baring his fangs.
"E… Eighteen hundred… even higher… than mine…"The stranger said, shocked. "No… no, the scouter must bebroken!" He clenched his fists. "It's inconceivable thatany being on this world is the equal of a saiyan warrior!"
Piccolo shifted into a combat-ready stance. "Want to testthat theory?"
A vein throbbed on the saiyan's forehead. His eye twitched. "Youdare to mock me ? Prepare to die!" He chargedstraight at Piccolo, but his fist swung at thin air. Piccoloappeared behind him, and landed a kick to the small of his back. Thesaiyan was sent flying, landing in a heap in the dust. He pulledhimself up on one elbow, fear in his eyes. Piccolo stood over him,one hand crackling with energy. This was the first real test he'dhad of his new power, and he was delighted. He was dominating anenemy who was many times stronger than he or Goku had been at theworld tournament.
"I was going to make you tell me who you are, but I don'tthink I care anymore," he chuckled. "Good riddance."
Saiyan Pride
Chapter 2: Saiyan Pride
Raditz couldn't believe what was happening. Here he was, on thisbarren little world nobody had heard of, which Kakarot was supposedto have wiped clean of all life, and this green creature was somehowoutclassing him.
"What happened to all that pride you had a minute ago?"Piccolo asked, the cruel smile never leaving his face. "I knowyour type. Lording it over lesser beings without ever facing howweak you really are."
Those words stung. Raditz had been called many things. Monster.Evil. Heartless. None of them meant anything to him, a warrior whohad brought down whole civilisations on his own. But weak? That bitto the core. It brought back too many memories. Laughing saiyans.His own father. Their voices filled his head, overwhelming. To asaiyan warrior, strength was everything. Without it, he wasworthless.
The saiyan growled, and Piccolo saw something dangerous in hiseyes. Then Raditz vanished, and a fist slammed into Piccolo's gut.He staggered back, gasping for air. Raditz pressed his advantage,hammering vicious blows into his enemy. A sweeping kick sent Piccoloflying backwards, and he landed on his feet, skidding a little fromthe force of the impact. He panted, trying to regain his breathafter the unexpected assault.
"I am not… weak." Raditz's chest heaved. Hisfists trembled. It was made worse by this being the first fight he'dbeen losing for many years. Piccolo spat out a cracked tooth, thengrunted as a new one popped into its place.
"Touched a nerve, did I?" he asked, taking a stepforwards. "You're just like a child, lashing out at everythingthat upsets you."
"Enough!" Raditz yelled. "I will not stand forthis! You will pay for this insult!" He thrust his hand out,launching a brilliant beam of red-pink energy that detonated on theground where Piccolo had been standing. But the demon was alreadymoving. He was darting left and right as he dashed towards Raditz.The saiyan kept firing, sending out a volley of energy blasts, butnone connected with their target. Within just a few seconds, Piccoloreached him, and smashed his elbow into Raditz's chest.
His armour cracked right in the centre, and he stumbled backwardsas pain exploded through his body. "Agh… ah… huh…"he tried to shake off the pain, raising his guard to fend off anymore attacks. But just as Piccolo was readying himself for anotherblow, his eyes widened. He turned to the left, staring off into thesky.
"Something's coming…" he muttered. Just then,Raditz's scouter beeped.
"Eh?" He tapped the button, homing in on the detectedpowers. "One-no, two… combined power level, almost 600.Closing in fast." But somehow this green thing had sensed themtoo. Could it be that it was possible to detect powers without ascouter? It was probably just a genetic feature-to do with hisantenna, perhaps. But who could be coming? On this planet, they weremore likely to be enemies than friends. Which meant Raditz's chanceswere getting even smaller…
An unspoken agreement was made-both fighters were curious as tothe identity of the newcomers, and besides Raditz needed time tocatch his breath. So neither made a move.
Soon, two dots appeared on the horizon, growing into humanoidshapes, until finally the two arrived. One, a bald man with threeeyes, touched down on the ground, having flown under his own power,and the other, with spiky hair and wearing an orange gi, hopped offof an odd-looking golden cloud which had somehow been carrying him.Raditz stared in shock. Could it be…? It was! "Kakarot!"He exclaimed, waving to the one who had ridden the cloud. "Allgrown up, I see! You look just like our father…"
"Huh?" Goku asked, scratching his head in bewilderment.
"Goku, who's this?" Tien asked. "What's he talkingabout?"
"I don't know… but he's incredibly strong, and somehow…Piccolo's even stronger! No wonder I sensed this battle all the wayfrom Kame House… you must have felt it, too."
Tien nodded. "Right. Chiaotzu wanted to come, but I couldn'tlet him get into something as dangerous as this…"
"What happened here, Kakarot?" Raditz asked. "Yourduty was to exterminate this species! Did this green thing stopyou?"
Piccolo, meanwhile, relaxed. It was only Goku and one of hisfriends. And, though he was using his weighted clothing to hide hispower, Piccolo could tell he had barely improved at all. That waswhat happened when you settled down and let yourself grow soft.
"I've had enough of this!" he declared. "Prepareyourself! And Goku, you're next!" In an instant, both he andRaditz disappeared. Goku and Tien swivelled around, desperatelytrying to keep up as the battle between these two titansaccelerated. Craters appeared in the ground. Gusts of wind rushed byas the fighters dashed past them, faster than their senses couldfollow. After several tense seconds, Raditz and Piccolo reappeared.Piccolo's fist was planted firmly in Raditz's face, and the saiyanflew backwards, spinning in the air from the force of the blow. Helanded on his hands and knees, cracking the ground beneath him.
"Should we do something?" Tien asked.
"Honestly, I don't know who I want to win… I wish I knewwho it was Piccolo's fighting," Goku replied. "Andbesides, they're so far above us-I don't think we'd make adifference."
Piccolo leapt at Raditz to deliver the finishing blow, but Raditzrolled sideways at the last second. What had appeared to be a furrybelt unrolled itself, and Raditz caught Piccolo around the neck withhis tail, mid-lunge. He spun around, hurling Piccolo away. Piccolosomersaulted, landing upright, but had trouble keeping his balanceafter the attack.
"What the-a tail?!" Goku stared. "Just like I usedto have…"
Raditz nodded. "So, now you know who I am?"
"Uh… no…"
"What?" Raditz was getting exasperated. "How couldyou have forgotten me, or your mission? Did you take a blow to thehead, Kakarot?!"
"You keep saying that name!" Goku scowled at him. "Myname is Son Goku!"
"You're insane! It must be the result of brain damage!"
Goku rubbed his head. "Okay, fine! I did hit my head, but Ibarely remember-I was a baby back then!"
"Damn it all, that would explain it…" Raditz clenchedhis fists. "Then you probably don't remember that you arenot from this planet! You are a saiyan, part of agreat warrior race!" He indicated himself. "And I amRaditz… your older brother!"
"No way…" Tien whispered. "Goku's an alien?"
"Take it back!" Goku growled. "If I'm one of thesesaiyans, why am I here?"
"Well, you may not like the answer…" Raditz grinned."We saiyans are in the planet trade business. We locatesuitable planets and sell them to rich customers. But first, ofcourse, we must exterminate the native inhabitants! Adultsaiyans like me are assigned to the most difficult worlds, with thetoughest inhabitants. But first, for practice, our infants are sentto depopulate the weaker worlds… like this one. Or so wethought, anyway…" he glanced over at Piccolo, who was stillcoughing and clutching at his throat. "Say, who isthat, anyway? I had no idea the inhabitants of this planet couldgrow so strong…"
Goku looked shaken. "That's, uh, Piccolo. I'm not even sureif he's from this planet… but that's not the point!" He tooka step forwards, discarding his weighted wristbands. "You'retelling me that my 'mission' was to kill all the humans living here?I'd never do something like that! It's just plain wrong!" Hestepped out of his shoes and slipped his undershirt off too,removing all his weighted clothing.
"Getting serious, Goku?" Tien asked.
"Even at my best, I don't think I'm a match for them,"Goku said, flexing and stretching, "but I don't think there's a'good guy' here. I need every advantage I can get, no matter whichone wins."
Raditz frowned. "So, you really are brain-damaged…irritating. But I'm not leaving without you. I suppose you'veforgotten that our homeworld, planet Vegeta, was destroyed by ameteor. Our entire race was wiped out… all but four, you included.We three recently found a planet that would fetch an excellentprice on the galactic market. However, the locals are powerful-eventhree of us might struggle to conquer it. But four ? Well,it's a good thing I remembered you! And while your power isn'texactly impressive-" he tapped his scouter again, "-evenwith that increase, it's only just over 400-I'm sure, given somereal training, you'd be in good enough shape to help us."
"I told you, I'd never kill innocent people!" Gokushouted. "Get it through your head! I'm not this 'Kakarot'anymore! I'm Son Goku-leave my planet alone!" Raditz was aboutto reply when Piccolo, having recovered, kicked him in the side. Thepair of them immediately resumed fighting, each blow resonatingthrough the ground and shaking Goku and Tien to the core.
"Now that's some serious power!" Tien exclaimed. Raditzswung a quick jab, which Piccolo blocked with his forearm,sidestepping and countering with his elbow. Raditz ducked under itand jumped up towards Piccolo, who smashed his knee into Raditz'sface. He followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks, then jumpedaway to avoid Raditz's clumsy counter-attack. He vanished, appearedagain in time to punch Raditz in the exact same spot on his face,then retreated again, skidding to a halt several metres away. Raditzshifted to face Piccolo, trying to stand upright. "Damn you…I come all this way to this planet, and instead of my brother, I getyou, you damn irritating freak! And then when Kakarot does turn up,he's brain-addled and in no fit state to help me win! It's like thewhole universe has it in for me today!"
Piccolo laughed out loud. "Don't be foolish! You're blamingyour own failure on luck now?" He raised his guard, assuming acombat stance. "You're simply outmatched. I'm stronger thanyou-faster than you-and even with your armour, it's clear you can'tstand up to as much punishment as I can. My energy manipulation issuperior to yours, you rely on that silly gadget to sense energy,you're arrogant beyond belief, and if all that wasn't enough, I knowyour mental weak spot." Raditz snarled, shaking slightly.Piccolo grinned. "Isn't that right, you pathetic weakling?"
Raditz roared, a faint purple aura flickering to life around him,and launched himself at Piccolo.
Kakarot
Chapter 3: Kakarot
Raditz hurled himself at Piccolo, screaming with rage. Thebattle, it could be said, was not going his way. Piccolo jumped overRaditz, who stumbled as he tried to recover his balance, thengrunted in pain as he felt the impact of Piccolo's foot on the backof his head. He shook off the throbbing pain and swung himselfaround, his fist swinging for Piccolo. But the demon smiled andraised a hand, palm forwards, firing a beam of energy which explodedon contact, sending Raditz tumbling backwards.
Raditz stopped himself in midair, breathing heavily, and chargedagain, blind to the consequences. Every hit he took just made himmadder and less likely to try and strategise. He launched a mad rainof punches and kicks, and Piccolo dodged left and right, walkingslowly backwards as Raditz's fury worsened his aim. After severalseconds, Piccolo got bored, and elbowed Raditz in the neck. Hefollowed up with a punch to the stomach, and Raditz doubled over,gasping for breath. Piccolo kicked him away, then dashed aroundbehind him before he could hit the floor, stopping Raditz's fallwith his fist. They hung there, in mid-air, until Piccolo threwRaditz to the floor. The saiyan groaned, trying to stand, butfailing.
Piccolo turned to Goku and Tien, who were watching in horror."I'll finish him in a minute," he said, striding towardsthem. They readied themselves for a fight they knew they couldn'twin. "I've been waiting to fight you for five years, so thissupposed brother of yours can wait." The ground shook asPiccolo focused his energy, preparing to charge the duo. Suddenly,he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried to turnaround, but wasn't quick enough.
Raditz had leapt up from behind, wrapping one arm aroundPiccolo's waist and the other around his neck. "Never turn yourback on your opponent!" Raditz hissed. "Especially if theybelong to the deadliest warrior race in the universe!" He threwPiccolo over his shoulder, then as he crashed to the ground, Raditzlanded on top of him, driving his knee into Piccolo's back. Hegrabbed Piccolo's head in both hands and started slamming it intothe ground. The third time, Piccolo lashed out with a fist, then asRaditz flinched away, he took the opportunity to jump to his feet.Raditz started hurling ki blasts his way, and Piccolo was hardpressed to knock them all away. As the barrage continued, he kickedoff the ground, and from several feet in the air, charged a hugeball of energy.
"Oh, that can't be good," Raditz muttered, then startedrunning as Piccolo released it, smiling gleefully. He flew into theair, lifting his legs clear as the ball flew under him.
"Look out!" Goku yelled. He and Tien fled, as the balltouched the ground, detonating with amazing force. Raditz glanceddown at the crater.
"Too close," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.Then Piccolo appeared in front of him, and punched him to theground. Raditz landed in a crumpled heap, twitching slightly as hestruggled to move his battered body. "No… I can't bedefeated… like this…" His fingers dug into the dirt, and heraised his head, straining himself to try and get up.
Piccolo floated to the ground in front of him. "Still tryingto fight, eh? You're determined, I'll give you that." Hecracked his knuckles. "But you have to realise there's no wayyou can win. Oh, and thanks for the advice-I'll finish you rightnow, just to be sure." He prepared to stamp down on Raditz'sneck, when something collided with his face.
"Aagh!" Piccolo staggered back, raising his guard."What the-" Goku stood between him and Raditz, a grim lookon his face. With a chill, Piccolo realised he'd seen this lookbefore-in the memories he'd inherited from his father. This wasGoku's face before he'd killed the original King Piccolo
"You stay away from my brother," Goku said, preparinghimself for what was to come.
"Ka… Kakarot?" Raditz rasped, words coming slowly."Why? You rejected me-you said you'd never join me. W-Why areyou helping me?"
"Because you're family," the younger saiyan replied."And besides, Piccolo's a bigger threat than you."
Piccolo frowned. "What do you think you can do, Goku? You'veseen my power. Not even this 'Raditz' can stand up to me. Whatchance do you have?"
Goku charged, completely fearless. "I don't care howpowerful you are! You have to be stopped!"
"You're welcome to try!" Piccolo yelled. Goku hadalmost reached Piccolo, when he raised his hands to either side ofhis head.
"Raditz-I'll buy you time to recover! SOLAR FLARE!" heshouted. Piccolo recognised the technique a fraction of a secondahead, and turned to face the opposite direction, shielding his eyesfrom the blinding flash.
"You think that'll work? I know that trick-" Piccolowas interrupted as he saw Tien, standing in the same pose behindhim.
"SOLAR FLARE!" Tien repeated. Piccolo hadn't expectedit a second time, and this time he was blinded.
"Aah! My eyes! Damn you!" His eyes burned unbearably,and he clutched at them, howling in pain.
"Now, Goku!" Said Tien, jumping over to stand next toGoku. Goku cupped his hands at his side, focusing all his ki, asTien raised his hands in front of him, forming a triangle, andtapped into his life force for power.
"KA… ME… HA… ME…"
"KIKO…"
"HAAA!" They shouted in unison, as twin beams, brightblue and yellow, burst forth and crashed into Piccolo, sending outshockwaves for miles around.
Raditz, struggling to his feet, stared, wide-eyed. "Whatthe… they can focus their energy into one point-their combinedpower is over 1000!" A new determination came over him, and hestood up straight, shaking slightly. "I… am a saiyan warrior…and I will not be beaten by this… green creature! My amnesiac,ill-trained, long-lost brother can stand up to fight." Heclenched his fists. "Why shouldn't I?!" He started takingsteps forward, becoming more confident with each step. "Kakarot!Stand aside!"
"Huh?" Goku looked around, seeing his brother on hisfeet. "Raditz! You okay?" Before Raditz could respond,Piccolo appeared out of the dust cloud, looking a little worse forwear. He kicked Goku to the ground with ease, and batted Tien asidewith the back of his hand.
"The game is over!" Piccolo snarled, charging energyaround both hands. "Go ahead and try to dodge…" Hesmirked. "If you don't think you're strong enough to surviveit, that is."
"What?! Are you deaf? I am part of the most powerful race inthe universe! Are you still calling me weak?!"
"No, Raditz!" Goku shouted, but Piccolo stamped down onhis back. "Don't… agh! Don't listen to him! Get out of theway!"
"Bring it on!" Raditz yelled. "I can take anythingyou can throw at me!"
"Let's find out!" Piccolo brought his hands together,launching an almost pure-white ki beam. Raditz stood firm in itspath as it lanced towards him.
There was yet another explosion as the beam hit home, drowningeverything out in a burst of light and sound. Goku stared inhorror-Raditz had played right into Piccolo's hands, letting hisemotions get the better of him again. And, trapped under Piccolo'sfoot, Goku couldn't do anything to help him.
The dust began to clear. Someone was standing there. But-Gokusquinted to see through the smoke-it didn't seem right. The outlinewas different… The smoke blew away, revealing Tien, who stood infront of Raditz with his arms crossed in front of his face,shielding him from the attack.
"What… no way! Damn him!" Piccolo was breathing hard."These energy attacks have drained my power… and Raditz isstill alive…"
Tien gasped as his strength failed, and fell backwards. Raditzcaught him. "Why?!" He asked, not understanding. "Whywould you do something like this for me? You know I'm the enemy ofyour whole species!" He was shocked. His brother saving him wasone thing, but this Earthling…
Tien smiled, coughing up blood. "Because… you're Goku'sbrother… he's the best guy I know, so… you can't be all bad…right?" His body convulsed, and his eyes closed.
"Tien!" Goku yelled, reaching out a hand in hisfriend's direction. "Hold on! Don't give up!"
"It's too late, Kakarot," Raditz said quietly. "He'sgone." He laid Tien down on the ground, then stood up, turningto face Piccolo. "That was a powerful attack-it must haveseverely drained you." He shifted slowly into a fightingstance. "Foolish as it was, Kakarot's friend's courage hasfinally given me the opportunity to end this battle. It's gone ontoo long already."
Piccolo kicked Goku away, then glared at Raditz. Both of themwere injured, blood dripping from small cuts, bruises and scrapesall over their body, clothing torn and armour cracked. It wasanyone's guess if Piccolo was still stronger. Raditz launchedhimself forwards, colliding with Piccolo, and they locked hands,pushing against each other.
They struggled, forcing all of their power forwards, diggingcraters with their feet, veins popping out on their foreheads.Piccolo began to push forward, his crackling energy threatening tooverwhelm Raditz. Raditz's knees began to bend, and he was forceddown and back. Piccolo started to crush his hands, and small flaresof energy bit at Raditz's skin. Images started to flash by in hismind, as his eyes closed, almost resigned to his fate. Saiyanslaughing at him. His father, dismissing him. Were they right? He wastoo weak to save himself. He deserved this. Unexpectedly, the imagescontinued, now different. Kakarot, coming to his aid. The Earthling,sacrificing his life. His father, Bardock, again. But now herealised. He saw the look on Bardock's face for what it was: achallenge. The other saiyans would only be right if he lost.
Raditz's eyes snapped open wide. He gritted his teeth, forcinghis way to his feet. He reached deep within, finding reserves henever knew he had. Piccolo scowled at him, unable to understand.
"You… can't win!" Raditz shouted, pushing with allhis strength, sending Piccolo flying back with a wave of pure force.The demon tumbled through the air, mind reeling, bones shattered.This time, when he hit the floor, he didn't get up.
Silence fell. Raditz took a deep breath. "It's over…"He lurched forward, step by painful step, coming to a halt in frontof Piccolo's prone body. Slowly, he raised a hand. "I won'tmake the mistake you did. A battle is not won until you have crushedthe life from your enemy." Before he could strike the finalblow, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop," Goku ordered him. The dangerous look was backin his eyes.
"What?! Kakarot, are you out of your mind?" Raditzspluttered.
"Nobody else is dying today." Goku stood firm. "Iwon't let you kill him. I don't want to have to use force, but if Idid, you don't have enough energy left to fight back."
Raditz stood there for an agonisingly long time. Finally, helowered his hand. "Damn you, Kakarot. This world… it's madeyou soft. He killed your friend! Don't you care?"
"Of course I do! But on Earth we have these things calledDragonballs. We can use them to grant any wish-like bringing thedead back to life."
"You… you could have any wish? You could be immortal! Youcould have unlimited power… and you only think of him?"Raditz asked, shocked.
Seemingly from nowhere, a harsh voice spoke. "Any wish, yousay? Immortality? Unlimited power?" It chuckled, and Gokurealised it was coming from Raditz's scouter. "I like the soundof that…"
Raditz gulped. "Ve… Vegeta…"
The Saiyan from Earth
Chapter 4: The Saiyan from Earth
"So, these 'dragon balls' can grant any wish?" Vegeta'svoice sent a chill down Raditz's spine-his hunger for power showeditself through every word. "Picture it: the immortal saiyans,rulers of the universe!"
Raditz forced himself to smile. It was an exciting prospect, buthe still felt uneasy for some reason. "Yes… we'd beunstoppable-an eternity of combat!"
Vegeta chuckled. "Ah, Raditz… what's this 'we'? Youhonestly think you deserve immortality?"
"W-What?"
"You were beaten by a creature with a power under 2000, andyou had to rely on your laughably weak brother and one of thatplanet's pathetic inhabitants to survive." His voice grewangry. "You dishonour the saiyan race! When we arrive on thatplanet, you and Kakarot will die along with your fellow insects-andthen I will reign supreme over all of creation! Enjoy your lastyear, you utter failure!" The connection was cut off.
Raditz sunk to his knees, despair filling his mind. "How…how could he betray a fellow saiyan?" He pounded the ground,leaving a crater several feet wide. "I won the battle,damn it! I… I've got to get off this planet!" He stood up,only to discover his strength was finally running out, and hecollapsed. Goku, standing next to him, caught him before he hit theground, propping Raditz on his shoulder.
"Hey… Raditz! What's the matter? You sounded upset…"
"Kakarot, we have to leave this planet immediately!"Raditz looked up at his brother. "The other two saiyans,they're going to come here-it'll take them about a year-and they'regoing to kill every living thing on this planet, then use yourdragon things to wish themselves immortal!"
"They'll kill us, too? Don't they have any loyalty orhonour?"
"Apparently…" Raditz coughed, a trickle of bloodrunning down his chin from his mouth. "… not."
"Well, whatever we're going to do, you need medicalattention. I'll just get Tien's body and-" Goku looked around,but couldn't see the body. "-eh? I can't see it anywhere… andit was right over there. Maybe… someone made it vanish? Kami, orsomeone like that?" he shook his head. "I'll worry aboutthat later." Bracing himself to fully support Raditz's weight,Goku took off into the air. "KINTO-UN!"
"… And that's the whole story," Goku was saying. Hewas sitting on one of the couches inside Kame House, with hisfour-year-old son Gohan on his lap. Sitting opposite him were Bulma,Krillin, Master Roshi, Lunch, and Chiaotzu (who he had met up withon the way back). Raditz was unconscious next to Goku, and Lunch(currently in her shy, blue-haired personality) had thoughtfullyplaced a towel under him to stop him bleeding onto the couch.
"I… can't believe Tien's dead…" Chiaotzu sobbed,shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, little guy," Goku replied. "We'llbring him back. But it'll take a while to gather the dragon balls.Right now we have to try and think what we're going to about theseother two saiyans."
Krillin snapped his fingers. "Maybe we could ask Piccolo tohelp us!" Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Come on,think about it! If he's as powerful as you say, he might be our bestbet at beating the saiyans. And why wouldn't he? If earth isdestroyed, he won't get to rule it, right? So it's in everyone'sbest interests to fight them."
Roshi nodded. "You might be right-" He was interruptedby the hum of an engine outside. A few seconds later, the dooropened and a short, somewhat round man carrying a katana walked in.
"Yaijerobe?" Bulma asked. "Hey, long time, no see…so what are you doing here?"
"Hey, nice to see you and all that stuff, but Korin saidKami wants to see you, Krillin-and he said to bring that Yamcha guywith you." Yaijerobe pointed at Krillin, looking slightlybored.
"Uh, why-" Krillin started to ask.
"Oh yeah," Yaijerobe continued, ignoring him, "andI got a message from Tien. He says he's gonna go get specialtraining in the afterlife, or, uh, something… so don't wish himback until the year's up. Oh, and he said he doesn't want Chiaotzuto fight the saiyans."
"What?" Chiaotzu stood up. "Why not?"
"Uh, somethin' about… really powerful… doesn't want youto die, you've already been brought back once so it won't workagain… that kinda thing." Yaijerobe turned to leave, headingout the door and hopping back into his aircar. "Well, see ya…I got somethin' nice in the oven."
"Wait!" Goku stood up, running out the door."Yaijerobe, have you got a spare senzu bean?"
"Uh…" Yaijerobe rummaged through his pockets. "Ididn't bring any specially for the occasion, but I usually have oneor two around somewhere… aha." He produced a small,grey-coloured bean, tossing it to Goku. "Is that all I'm goodfor these days? Delivering messages and senzus?" Grumbling tohimself, he drove off into the distance.
Goku walked back inside, then crouched next to Raditz, placingthe bean in his mouth. He pressed two fingers to his brother'sthroat, making him swallow, and after a couple of seconds Raditz'seyes opened.
"Wha…" he sat up, looking down at his uninjured body."I'm healed?" The humans in the room shrank back a littleas he moved, especially those who could sense his enormous ki.
"Yup!" Goku grinned. "It's a senzu bean. Eat it,and all your wounds are healed! Neat, huh?"
Raditz stood up. "I appreciate your assistance, but I'mgoing to get to my ship and leave this planet. I'd advise you tocome with me, unless you have a death wish." He retrieved aremote control from inside his armour. While this was happening,Lunch felt a tickling sensation in her nose. Oh, here we go…she thought.
"Ah…"
"I'll just remotely activate it, and fly it here… can'tfind the damn button, I always get them mixed up…" Raditzmuttered, not hearing the sharp intake of breath.
"Ah…"
"Ah, there-right next to the emergency brake, and theself-destruct on the other side." His finger hovered over thebutton.
"-CHOO!" Lunch's sneeze, a sneeze of truly epicproportions, caused Raditz to flinch slightly, making his finger'strajectory skew slightly to the left as it pressed a button.
His eyes widened in shock. "No… it…" He glared atLunch, who had transformed into to her blonde, aggressivepersonality. "You imbecile! Do you even know what you'vedone?!" Raditz yelled at her. "You've made me activate theself-destruct on my ship! Now I can't get off this planet, unlessyour primitive little species has somehow developed interstellartravel, which I doubt!"
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lunch shouted back,producing a machine gun as if from nowhere. "The big toughalien warrior can't handle a little sneeze, and now it's myfault? Go to hell!" She opened fire, and Raditz batted thebullets aside with a sweep of his hand as the other humans coweredbehind the couch.
"Go ahead! Make me even angrier! That'll work out well foryou!" Raditz raised a fist, then noticed Goku staring at him.He struggled with himself, finally lowering his hand. "You'renot worth the effort," he growled, "but if Kakarot wasn'there, I'd at least make some kind of example. Do not cross me,woman."
"Hmph." Lunch crossed her arms. "I'm not scared a'you." She stormed off.
"Heheh… sorry about that…" Goku pulled Raditzaside. "But, uh, I think we need to get back to the matter athand. If your ship's broken, you think you could use mine?" heasked, scratching his head.
"The one we sent you in?" Raditz shook his head. "No,you'd have stayed inside it until the first full moon, thendestroyed it when you first transformed…" He didn't, ofcourse, know that Goku's adoptive grandfather, Gohan, had found himbefore this happened-and Goku had been too small to rememberclearly.
"Uh, full moon? Transformed?" Goku blinked. "Did Imiss something?"
"Oh, come on, you can't have forgotten that!" Raditzglared at him. "You must know that the saiyans' full power onlyshows itself at the full moon… wait… your tail! What happened toit?"
"It got cut off a long time ago, so people couldn't grabit!" Goku looked thoughtful. "But… this does sound alittle familiar… describe to me exactly what happens."
Raditz sighed. "Fine. If you must know… when a saiyanlooks at a full moon-I won't go into the science of it-theytransform into a giant primate-like creature."
"A… a giant monster?"
"Yes! Is there a problem with that?!" Raditz snapped.
Goku felt cold, empty, all of a sudden. "Then… that's whymy Grandpa told me never to look at the full moon… and the monsterthat crushed him to death… it was me…" He fell silent, hisface drained of all emotion.
"Ka… Kakarot?" Raditz asked tentatively. His brotherwas completely unresponsive. "Are you…"
"No… it's… it's okay." Goku sniffed a little,blinking several times and managing to keep his eyes from fillingwith tears. "I'm okay. I just needed a few seconds… l-like Isaid, we've got bigger things to worry about. So-we've establishedyou can't get off the planet. So, either you can wait here for theseother saiyans to come along and kill you, or you can spend the yearwe have preparing to fight them. There are plenty of strong fighterson this world-when they get here, we'll be ready. The only questionis, will you help us?" He held out his hand.
With only a moment's hesitation, Raditz shook it. "Itdoesn't look like I have any choice, does it? As a true warrior, Ican't go down without a fight!"
"All right then!" A huge smile filled Goku's face. Hepicked Gohan up from the floor, where the boy had been wandering."I'll go drop the kid off at home, then I'll head to Kami's!Krillin-pick up Yamcha and meet us there. It's above Korin Tower,okay?"
"Got it." Krillin jumped up, stretching. "It'sbeen a while since I've had a real fight." Goku headed for thedoor, but before leaving Raditz took off his scouter and placed iton the table in the centre of the room.
"Huh? Why're you leaving that?" Bulma asked.
"Because I've seen it's possible to sense power levelswithout one-and I'm going to learn how. It seems a lot moreconvenient than having to rely on a piece of technology. I figuredyou'd have more use for it than I would." He went to followGoku. "And stop staring at me!" he snapped at Lunch, who'demerged from the other room as her shy persona.
"KINTO-UN!" the younger saiyan called, jumping on as itarrived. Raditz, leaving the house, floated up next to him.
"Peculiar, that cloud of yours. Can't you fly under your ownpower?" he asked.
"Oh, sure," Goku shrugged, "but the Kinto-un cloudis faster. Shall we go?"
"Lead the way," Raditz said with a hint of sarcasm, andthe saiyans soared off into the horizon.
Preparation
Chapter 5: Preparation
Goku and Raditz continued their flight towards Goku's home onMount Paozu. Goku's son Gohan, being carried along in his father'sarms finally found the courage to speak, having listened in silencefor most of the day.
"Daddy… is he my uncle?" the boy asked. "Yousaid he was your brother…"
"Huh?" Goku looked down as his son. "Uh, I guessso. Yeah! Say hi to Uncle Raditz!" Gohan gave a nervous smile,and waved.
"Hi, Uncle Raditz!"
"Hmph." Raditz scowled and turned away. "By hisage, a saiyan child would have already been sent to conquer someremote planet."
"You really know how to kill the mood, don't you?" Gokumuttered, patting Gohan on the head. "It's okay, Gohan-Raditzis in a bad mood, 'cause he got beaten up by Piccolo."
Raditz wanted to retort-something along the lines of 'for thelast time, I beat that green freak!'-but something else was pressingon his mind. "Kakarot… you offered to let me use your ship,when we were talking back in the island house."
"Yeah, so?"
"It sounded like you weren't going to leave-just let me goand leave you here. Why would you stay behind and face the invaders,but let me escape?"
"Because this is my home now." Goku looked at Raditz,his face open and sincere. "I couldn't just abandon my friendsand family-let alone leave the entire human race to get wiped out."
"What has it come to, when an amnesiac, tailless, low-classrenegade has more honour than the prince of our race?" Raditzgrumbled, ending the conversation.
The minutes crawled by in silence. The mountains loomed in thedistance.
"So… you gonna keep calling me Kakarot or what?"
"Well, I'm just glad you had the sense to keep my Gohan outof all that fighting," Chi-Chi said, holding her son close toher, "but it's just all so hard to believe! I mean… you'refrom outer space? Are you sure?"
"Look, I wouldn't lie about something like this,"Raditz growled, "and as you may be able to tell from the stateof my armour, I haven't exactly had an easy time today, so I don'tfeel particularly inclined to argue about it with you. Now, we'regoing to go meet with this world's fighters at the headquarters ofsome kind of guardian."
"Yeah, Kami," Goku interjected. "Remember him fromthe World Tournament, Chi-Chi? He's the good side of Piccolo."He waved. "I'll be back for dinner!" He jumped onto thewaiting Kinto-un cloud, and Raditz followed him into the sky.
"Stay safe," Chi-Chi whispered, suddenly feelinganxious about her husband's safety. Gohan, standing by her feet,waved.
"Bye-bye, Uncle Raditz," he called. Chi-Chi frowned.That alien brother of Goku's had better stay away from her littleboy, or there'd be trouble…
As they made their way towards Kami's lookout, a thought struckGoku. "Hey, Raditz-you gonna get your armour fixed up?"
"I will at some point," his brother replied, "butfirst we need to meet with this planet's warriors and determine aplan of action."
"What's there to plan?" Goku asked, going faster now hedidn't have to worry about Gohan. "We spend this year trainingin preparation, and when they get here we fight them. Simple."
"True, but we still need to know who we have, any advantageswe can get in terms of the battle's location, and what trainingfacilities this world has."
"I guess so. Plus, we can make sure everyone's clear onexactly what's going on."
It didn't take them long to reach the Lookout, to find Yaijerobe,Krillin and Yamcha waiting for them. Shortly, Kami walked out tomeet them.
"I have been watching recent events," he said, "andit pains me to know that such a terrible evil will so soon bedescending on the Earth. Are you all aware on the situation?"
Yamcha nodded. "Yeah, Krillin told me on the way here. So,this is Goku's brother?"
"Why does everyone ask that?!" Raditz snapped. "DoI not look like him or something?"
"Hey, no offense." Yamcha flinched back involuntarilyat Raditz's glare.
Krillin spoke up. "Well, what would be helpful right now isif Raditz told us more about these two other saiyans. We couldreally use information on what we're up against."
"All right." Raditz stepped forward, standing in frontof the others. "I'm afraid it's all bad news. Both of the othersaiyans' strength greatly exceeds my own-or even that of the demon Ifought today… Piccolo, was it?"
"That is troubling…" Kami muttered. "In oneyear, we will face twice your strength, and more…"
Raditz frowned. "I don't think I've made the extent of theirsuperiority quite clear yet. One of them-a large brute calledNappa-is, on his own, greater than double my power."
"Woah… so, he's the one to watch out for, huh?" Gokuasked, trying to picture fighting an opponent more than twice asstrong as Raditz-half nervous, half excited.
"I'm afraid not. You see, the other-Vegeta, the prince ofall saiyans- his power is greater than ten timesmy own."
"W-what?" Krillin started trembling. "No way!We're doomed…" Yaijerobe began to sneak away, feeling thatthis battle was not for him, but Yamcha caught him by the back ofhis shirt and held him in place.
"Hey! Let go a' me!" the samurai whined.
"Not a chance!" Yamcha held firm. "You're notgetting away that easy, you little coward!"
"Well… the odds are certainly not in our favour…"Kami said, leaning heavily on his staff. "However, I will dowhat I can. Krillin-Yamcha-Yaijerobe-I offer my training to you. Ihave nothing left to teach Goku, and I doubt Raditz needs anyinstruction from one such as I."
"Indeed." Raditz turned to Goku. "I suggest wetrain together. There are certain aspects of saiyan physiology whichyou might not be familiar with, which may aid you in increasing yourpower." He drove all thoughts of fear from his mind. There wasonly the coming battle.
"Sounds good! Let's start straight away tomorrow. You wantto stay at my house for the night?"
"No, thank you," Raditz shook his head. "I thinkyou should wait and explain the situation to your family today-mypresence could aggravate the situation. In any case, that islandhouse we were at earlier, being home to multiple people, wouldprobably have a greater range of clothing I could choose from untilmy armour is fixed." This logic didn't quite seem to be enoughreason for Raditz to choose to stay with a group of completestrangers, but Goku wasn't the questioning type, so he let it go.
"Uh, okay." Goku shrugged. "I'm sure they won'tmind."
Raditz floated a couple of feet into the air. "And Kakarot,meet me tomorrow in the wasteland near where you live. And fly thereunder your own power."
"Huh? But the Kinto-un is faster, I told you-and flyingtires me out…"
"That's the point. You need to become self-reliant. For thesame reason, I'm not going to use my scouter, and I aim to learn tosense energy without it." He flew off, vanishing withinseconds.
Goku turned to Kami. "You might want to use your telepathyand get in touch with Kame House-so Raditz doesn't take thementirely by surprise."
"That would be wise," Kami replied. "I shall alsocontact Piccolo-as I believe has already been said, even he surelywould not wish the Earth to be destroyed, and his assistance wouldbe extremely valuable."
"Yeah, good idea." Goku ran to the edge of the Lookoutand jumped off, catching himself in midair and flying away towardshis home. He flew as long as he could without the Kinto-un, untilfinally running out of energy and calling it.
The two saiyans met at sunrise in the wasteland, the mountains totheir left. Raditz was wearing a spare turtle school martial artsuniform, and kept grumbling about how undignified he looked. "So,how was Kame House?" Goku asked.
Raditz scowled, which was fast becoming his signature facialexpression. "Try and imagine a galactic warrior, conqueror ofplanets, sitting around the table and eating dinner with a couple ofEarthlings. Then double the awkwardness."
"That bad, huh?" Goku gave an I'm-innocent grin, as ifthis was somehow his fault. "Aheh… sorry about that, then…"
"The old man would tremble every time I walked near him-I'mfairly sure he could sense my energy." He put a hand on hisforehead, as if even the memory irritated him. "And as for thegirl with two personalities… the blonde one kept trying to pick afight with me, and it took all my willpower not to just tear herhead off. The shy one I can't figure out at all. Humans are suchstrange creatures. It's impossible to tell what they're thinking somuch of the time."
"Yeah, I always thought that too." Goku thought back tohis past. "I guess that explains why people always thought Iwas simple-it was just that I'm a saiyan."
"No, you're a saiyan and a simpleton." Raditzcrossed his arms. "So, shall we commence our training?"
Goku nodded, stretching his muscles and mentally preparinghimself. "Let's do this!"
Arrival
Chapter 6: Arrival
Training with Raditz was intense beyond belief. All his life,Goku had pushed himself, and been pushed by others, to overcome hislimitations and climb to new levels of strength. But this wasentirely new. Raditz, unlike most of Goku's allies, was less of amartial artist and more of a soldier. His sink-or-swim attitudemeant that if a session left Goku incapacitated, Raditz would carryon training without him, telling him to come back when he'dreattached all his bones.
A lot of the brutality came from the fact that Raditz knew, andtook advantage of, the saiyan ability to come back stronger afterinjury. This trait was used heavily-they'd take a bag of senzubeans, spar until they were half-dead, then eat a bean to healthemselves and start over.
After a couple of weeks, Goku started bringing Gohan along towatch-he'd been asking where his daddy and uncle were all day, andChi-Chi agreed to let him go and see, as long as he took hisever-present study books with him.
Goku collapsed next to his son after a hard day's training. "Howyou doing, kid?" he asked, ruffling the boy's hair. He'dnoticed Gohan staring wide-eyed at the two saiyans as they fought atincredible speed, their blows echoing throughout the valley.
"Daddy… will I be big an' strong like you when I grow up?"Gohan asked.
"If you work hard and practice often, sure," Gokureplied, smiling a little, "but remember, your mom doesn't wantyou to be a fighter." He shrugged. "She doesn't want yougetting hurt-and I can't blame her, it is dangerous."
"It's not fair!" Gohan pouted. "Why can't I besmart and strong at the same time?" He looked up questioningly."Then you an' mommy'll both be happy, right?"
Goku laughed. "Well, that's harder than you might think.Anyway, I should get back to it. Raditz is looking impatient."He jumped up, and headed over to his brother. "Great kid,"he said. "He wants to fight too, but his mom won't let him."
"A waste," Raditz observed, watching Gohan. "Hissaiyan heritage could make a fine warrior of him-and we need everyadvantage we can get."
"Out of the question." Goku folded his arms, standingfirm. "I'm sure he could grow up to be a great fighter, buthe's a four-year-old child. There's no way he's getting into alife-or-death battle."
"At least train him a little." Raditz shrugged. "Whoknows what battles he might have to face as an adult, and besides,when the other saiyans arrive, the whole world will be at stake. Ifwe lose, he definitely dies. You don't want that for yourson, I assume?" He raised an eyebrow.
Goku sighed. "… Fine. I'll give him some training. Buthe's not fighting unless he absolutely has to, you understand?"Raditz nodded. "Good," Goku continued. "And we haveto be sure not to let Chi-Chi know. He's such a smart kid he alwaysfinishes his homework long before we get home, so… each day, we'llstart training him once he's done with it. Then everything will seemnormal to Chi-Chi."
"You worry about that." Raditz picked up a stone fromthe ground. "I need to test something." He hurled it atGohan with a flick of his wrist.
"Raditz, what are you-" Goku made to intercept it, butRaditz held him back.
"Watch," his brother told him.
The stone flew in a slight arc straight at Gohan's head. At thelast second, he noticed it, and his eyes narrowed. There was a flashof light, and the stone disintegrated.
"I knew it!" Raditz grinned. "The child has greatpower. All we have to do is teach him how to use it." Gokunodded-Gohan's power was almost as high as Raditz's when he'd firstarrived on Earth. Maybe this was going to be easier than he'dthought.
About six months into their training, Bulma drove over to KameHouse, having finished Raditz's new armour-the old armor, she said,had been too broken to fix entirely, so she'd just incorporated thepieces and the protective technology into this one. He took it withmuttered, somewhat forced thanks. It consisted of black leggings andvest, an armoured top, and his old boots and gauntlets. Bulma haddispensed with the shoulder and leg plates, declaring them toounwieldy-plus, just about every battle simulation she ran ended withthem broken. Now she'd made one suit, she could mass-produce them,so Raditz wore them for training, and once he'd busted up one suitjust picked up another. Needless to say, Bulma constantly beratedhim for his 'carelessness', but she was basically a good person andnever refused to make any more. For his own part, Raditz knew if hesnapped the Earth woman in two for her constant whining, he wouldn'tget any new armour, so he managed to restrain his anger for the timebeing.
As time went on, Goku's flight improved to the point where he letGohan use the Kinto-un, and Raditz's ki sense developed until it wasalmost as good as any human fighter's. Gohan, training in one ofGoku's old turtle school uniforms-from when he'd been a childhimself-had come on in leaps and bounds, enjoying being able to joinin his father's favourite pastime. He was even starting to rub offon Raditz, who now wouldn't snap at him every time he saidanything-only, say, half the time. The child's latent power hadsurprised both the adults, even for a saiyan child. It seemed asaiyan-human crossbreed was a particularly powerful hybrid. They hadbeen about to remove the boy's tail to prevent him fromtransforming, but received a telepathic message from Kami, whowearily informed them that Piccolo had dealt with the situation assoon as Kami had told him of the saiyan transformation. They weresomewhat taken aback next nightfall to discover that their planet nolonger had a moon. Again.
Piccolo, meanwhile, had agreed to hold off on his efforts toconquer the world until the invading saiyans were defeated. In hisconversations with Kami, he hinted at a new technique he wasdeveloping, though he was a little vague on the details. Thepreparation for the saiyans' arrival continued all around theworld-Krillin and Yamcha, having completed Kami's training,separated, Yamcha heading out into the wild, and Krillin returningto Kame House, both to continue their training. At Capsule Corp,Bulma was replicating Raditz's scouter, so that the humans unable tosense energy would be able to follow the battle in some way.
Finally, the year was almost up. The seven Dragon Balls weregathered at Kame House, and Shenron summoned forth-no matter howmany times they saw the sky darken, and the burst of light shineinto the heavens, it never quite got old. "Speak your wish,"the dragon rumbled.
"So this is the dragon…" Raditz whispered, in awe."To think I'd written this planet off as a backwater mudballwhen I arrived… but it just keeps on surprising me." He stoodwith Roshi, Krillin and the shy Lunch, all gazing up at the hoveringdragon.
"Hey, uh, I don't want to sound rude, but you're not gonnatry and intercept the wish, are you?" Krillin asked.
"What?" Raditz realised what he was talking about. "Oh,you mean to wish for immortality like Vegeta wants to?" Heshook his head. "I thought about it for a while. Nothing lastsforever. If you were immortal, eventually everyone else would die."He frowned. "You'd be alone, in an empty universe, forever.Count me out of that one. Besides," he gave a little smile atthe thought, "I have no particular desire to fight Kakarot overit. He's grown in skill and power far faster than I'd haveimagined."
With no further discussion, Roshi stepped forwards.
"Mighty Shenron-"
"Hold on," Krillin put a hand on the old master'sshoulder. "Why don't we use the wish to destroy the saiyans,and bring Tien back next year?"
"That wish is impossible," Shenron boomed. "Thewishes I grant cannot exceed the power of my creator, Kami. Thesaiyans are too powerful for me to destroy."
"All right then." Roshi nodded. "Good idea,Krillin-shame it didn't work. Shenron! Please restore Tien Shinhanto life!"
There was a pause as Shenron's eyes glowed bright red. "Yourwish has been granted." In a brilliant flash of yellow light,Shenron was gone, and the Dragon Balls soared into the air,scattering across the world.
"Of course, if he's still got his body in the afterlife,he's got to physically travel back here…" Roshi shrugged. "Hemight not actually get here for a while."
"We're putting a lot of faith into that human," Raditzsaid. "Whatever training he's gone through in the afterlife, ithad better have paid off."
"Don't worry." Lunch smiled at Raditz. "I'm sureTien will come through for us."
"Faith is a wonderful thing," Raditz muttered, headingback inside. "It must be nice not to know how bad the oddsare."
The next morning, at 11:43 a.m., two saiyan attack pods collidedwith the Earth. Raditz looked up from his meal, his eyes widening."They're here," he said to the others. "They'll headfor the highest power level on this planet, and unless I'm mistaken,that would be me. Lunch! Get the old man out of here. This island isabout to become a battleground." He pulled on his armour,stretching his muscles.
"So she gets a name, but I'm 'the old man'?" Roshigrumbled.
"Get moving, old-timer!" The blonde Lunch shoved himout the door. She glanced back at Raditz. "You better win!"She followed Roshi outside, and they sped away in their hovercar.
Raditz and Krillin stepped outside, waiting for the saiyans.
"Better bring your A-game today, baldy-eh?" He paused."Your ki sense may be better than mine. Did you feel that?"
Krillin nodded. "Y-yeah." He was trembling. "Theyjust wiped out thousands of people in an instant-a city, I guess-andI don't think it took them any effort! Hold on… you were right!They're heading this way!" Something caught his attention."Hey, what's-" Goku appeared from behind them, landingnext to Raditz. He hadn't bothered with his weighted trainingclothes-this wasn't the time to play around.
"You ready for this?" he asked, warming up. He noticedRaditz was wearing his arm and leg bands today. "Hey, Raditz,those red bands-you haven't worn them since you fought Piccolo."
Raditz nodded. "It is a saiyan tradition. When a comradedies in battle alongside you, someone very close to you, you soak awhite cloth with their blood and wear it into battle inremembrance."
"Do you mind me asking… who were they?"
"This one," Raditz pointed to his leg band, "is inmemory of a brave ally of mine. She died on the last mission I wason before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, and had that not happenedthen there would have been five saiyans left in the galaxy today."And, he thought, it would have meant not all the remaining saiyanswere male-their race might not have been doomed to extinction.Something which didn't seem to have stopped Kakarot…
"I'm sorry."
"So am I. And this one on my arm…" He paused. "Itis in memory of our father-Bardock, a great warrior. He died withour planet, but his blood runs in my veins, so I coloured this withmy own to honour him."
"Oh." Goku looked thoughtful-he'd never really thoughtmuch about his saiyan father. "Let's hope you don't have to addany more today." He realised he didn't know much about thesaiyan race in general-he'd have to ask Raditz after the battle.
"No more time for talk!" Raditz pointed at tworapidly-growing specks in the sky. "Here they come!"
Battle for the Earth
Chapter 7: Battle for the Earth
The two saiyans landed on the beach in front of Goku, Raditz andKrillin throwing up clouds of dust with the force of their impact.Nappa, a huge warrior with a shaved head and a thin moustache, stoodslightly in front of Vegeta-smaller but even more intimidating."Well," Vegeta said with a smile, "it's been a longtime, Raditz. How's your baby brother? Oh, and I see you've got alittle human friend who thinks he can make a difference." Thesaiyan brothers and their human companion stood silent. "Fine.I'll get down to business. Tell us where the Dragon Balls are, orwe'll kill you."
"Not a chance!" Goku stepped forward. "People likeyou don't deserve that kind of power!"
"All right." Vegeta shrugged. "It makes nodifference to me. We'll kill you, leave one alive, and beat theanswer out of him. How does that sound, Nappa?"
"Not bad!" Nappa grinned. "A year of spacetravel's got me itching for some action!" His scouter beeped."Hey, Vegeta, we got a couple more power levels headed thisway." Piccolo soon became visible, landing with the group ofEarth's defenders. From the opposite direction, Yamcha appeared.
"So these are the saiyans?" Piccolo glared at the pairof invaders. "Let's get on with it." Secretly, he wasseething with anger-he couldn't believe that Goku and his brotherhad become so powerful. And as for the shorter saiyan invader…
"Indeed!" Vegeta pressed the button on his scouter."Let's see now… there's a surprise. Kakarot's at 2000 andRaditz is at 4000…"
"What?!" Nappa did a double take. "Raditz can'tpossibly be as powerful as me!"
"Calm yourself, Nappa. Anyway, the Namekian here's at 1000,and the humans are both over five hundred. Now," he smirked,"why don't we stop playing around and show us your realpower?"
"Back up a bit." Piccolo frowned. "Namekian?"
Vegeta snorted. "Is it something about this planet thatmakes visitors lose all memory of their race? The Namekians are amostly peaceful species, but those warriors they do produce areusually high-calibre. They are fabled to be able to create enchanteditems, some of which match the description of your Dragon Balls.Hmm, if there's a Namekian here… yes, it all starts to add up."He laughed. "Anyway. I know you can conceal your powerlevels-and besides the Namek was higher than this when he foughtRaditz. So, let's see it!"
Raditz turned to face Vegeta. "All right, but you may besorry you asked." He released his mental blocks, letting his kiflow freely. "Yaaah!" A purple aura flared around him.Goku did the same, his pure-white aura igniting. The sand aroundthem began to levitate in streams, then dropped as they finished,exhaling in unison.
"Ah…" Nappa was visibly pale. "Vegeta, are yougetting the same reading as me?"
"Yes, indeed." Vegeta, on the other hand, was stillsmiling. "Kakarot at six thousand, Raditz at twelve…impressive. I didn't expect that kind of increase in such a shorttime. I suppose I will have to deal with these two… you take therest, Nappa. Judging by how much our renegade friends were hiding,I'd estimate the Namek to be about equal to you. Plant the Saibamen,let them deal with the humans so they don't get in the way."
"Right." Nappa was doing his best to stay calm. Heknelt down, pushing six holes in the sand, and carefully putting aseed in each from vials he took from inside his armour.
Several seconds later, six grotesque green creatures, a couple offeet high, burst from the ground, screeching with ear-piercingvolume. "Saibamen!" Nappa pointed at Krillin and Yamcha."Kill the humans!" The Saibamen started to advance.
"Careful," Raditz warned. "If they think they'vebeen beaten, they'll try to self-destruct and take you with them!"He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and jumped into theair as Vegeta's fist flashed past his face.
"Nice reflexes!" Vegeta grinned. "Let's see howlong they keep you alive against a warrior of the highest class!"He took off after Raditz, and Goku followed, knowing from what he'dfelt of Vegeta's power that Raditz wouldn't stand much of a chanceon his own.
The Saibamen stalked towards the humans. Krillin snapped hisfingers as an idea entered his mind. "Get inside! Theirnumbers'll work against 'em!"
"Right!" Yamcha nodded, and the pair dashed into KameHouse, the Saibamen in hot pursuit. The six creatures surrounded thehouse, all jumping in through different windows and doors. With thehumans and Saibamen inside the house, and the three saiyans in theair, only Piccolo and Nappa were left facing each other on thebeach.
"So, you want to fight me?" Piccolo threw his weightedclothes off, and stood in a combat-ready stance as Nappa charged."Come get me!"
Nappa threw the first punch, but Piccolo dodged to the side. Heleapt over the hulking saiyan, landing behind him and kicking at hisback. Nappa jumped forward to avoid the attack, spinning to face hisopponent and launching a barrage of brutal attacks. Piccolo parriedeach one, getting into the rhythm of the fight. The combatantsseparated, pausing for breath and weighing up their opponent. "I'lltell you the truth, I'm a little in shock at Goku and his brothersurpassing me by so much," he said.
"You and me both…" Nappa muttered.
"So it's good that I've got a big, bald punching bag to takeit out on."
Nappa glowered at him. "You'll regret crossing the saiyans!"
"You're all the same. Saiyan this, saiyan that. You're likea stuck record. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"Both fighters charged in, and the fierce combat resumed.
Inside Kame House, Krillin and Yamcha moved cautiously across theliving room, waiting for their enemies to appear. Something greenblurred into view, and Krillin kicked a leaping Saibaman out of theair. It rolled, jumping to its feet, and hurled itself at him.
"Behind you!" Yamcha yelled as a second leapt atKrillin's back. Yamcha intercepted it, punching it to the floor. Thehumans stood back to back, facing their opponents. "Let's take'em out!" Yamcha said with a grin, charging to the attack asKrillin did the same. The four of them battled back and forth aroundthe room, smashing furniture and opening up gaping holes in thewalls. Krillin dodged under a jet of acid which melted thelampstand. "Change over!" He shouted. Yamcha somersaultedaway from his opponent, and they swapped enemies. Krillin focusedhis energy as he flew towards the disorientated Saibaman."KAMEHAMEHA!" He thrust his hands forward, the blue energybeam sending the Saibaman flying right through the wall,disintegrating it.
Yamcha dodged a flurry of wild attacks, narrowing his eyes. "WolfFang Fist!" he yelled, launching a whirlwhind of powerful blowswhich slammed into the Saibaman, knocking it through the floor anddown into the building's foundations. The two warriors breathedheavily as silence fell. Abruptly, the Saibaman Yamcha had beatenjumped back up, screeching hysterically and trying to grab himaround the middle. Yamcha sidestepped it, then kicked it away. Itflew through the wall, exploding violently in mid-air outside.
"Good thing Raditz warned us they can self-destruct, or thatcould have been me…" Yamcha wiped sweat from his forehead,then jumped back as the ceiling caved in-three Saibamen leapt downthrough the hole.
"Here we go again," muttered Krillin, raising hisguard.
In the sky above the island, Goku and Raditz rushed Vegeta, whovanished, appearing behind Goku and elbowing him in the head. As hetumbled away, Raditz dashed in, but Vegeta blocked all his puncheseasily, then rammed his knee into Raditz's stomach. "You'llhave to do better than that!" he gloated, kicking Raditz away.The brothers hovered in the air below the prince.
"Man, he's fast," Goku whined, rubbing his head. "Ican barely keep up."
"Indeed." Raditz managed to stand up straight. "Ihad my hopes up when we'd overtaken Piccolo and Nappa, but I forgotjust how powerful Vegeta is…"
"Don't worry!" Goku prepared to attack again. "Wecan win this-sure, it won't be easy, but we never thought it wasgoing to be!" They charged again. Goku disappeared as Raditzstayed on course. He kicked at Vegeta, who idly leaned to the side,slamming an uppercut into Raditz's chin. The brief second he'd spentdealing with Raditz had bought Goku time to get behind him, and hepunched at the side of the prince's head. Still distracted byRaditz's attack, Vegeta couldn't dodge in time, and he fellhead-over-heels away from them, rolling backwards and catchinghimself in the air. He floated up to face them.
"That was clever," he said, grinning. "Well, sucha low-power attack didn't really hurt much, but I appreciate theeffort. You did at least break my scouter," he indicated thesmashed device on his face, before hurling it into the sea, "butI've already measured your strength and it's not nearly enough todefeat me. Of course, I appreciate the effort-it's not every day Iactually have to pay attention to win." He rushed forwards,punching both his opponents simultaneously and sending them flyingbackwards. "Come on, you can do better than that!"
Piccolo blocked a punch to his chest, jumping up and backwards.He began to charge energy in one of his hands, but thinking aboutthis he momentarily lost track of his opponent. Nappa appeared abovehim, using both fists to hammer him downwards. Piccolo hit the waterand rocketed straight down into the seabed. The ripples faded, andthe water stilled. A hush fell as Nappa hovered a few feet above theocean, glancing around. "That's funny," he muttered tohimself, "his power level just disappeared. I couldn't havekilled him with that attack, so he must be hiding it-"Piccolo, having leapt up behind him, kicked the saiyan brute fullforce in the back, launching him back towards the island. Nappa hitthe ground in a massive cloud of sand, and climbed back to his feet."You know, that's gonna take forever to get out of my armour…"he grumbled, looking up at the hovering Namek. "All right, comeon!"
Krillin and Yamcha dodged away from the madly attacking Saibamen."Three on two is not good odds!" Krillin said, duckingunder an attacker. "Hey Yamcha, I think I have a techniquethat'll take care of these guys, but not if they're coming after uslike this! Can you hold them for a bit?"
"Leave it to me!" Yamcha stepped between Krillin andthe Saibamen, a ball of energy rising from his upturned palm."Sokidan-go!" The ball flew at the Saibamen, scatteringthem, then as Yamcha gestured in different directions, it chasedthem around the room, keeping them busy as Krillin charged energy inboth his hands.
"All right!" He fired a slow-moving beam which stoppedin the middle of the room, then split into three. Each beam arcedtowards one of the distracted Saibamen, vapourising them in mid-air."Heh… I hope the old man has insurance on this place…"Krillin looked around at the half-destroyed house.
"What would we tell the company?" Yamcha asked. "Thatlittle green men from outer space wrecked it?"
Krillin scratched his head. "Good point…"
"Okay!" Goku tapped Raditz on the shoulder. "Weneed to make sure we're working together, or we don't have achance."
"Agreed. We're not going to win like this. The only otheroption would be to stall and wait for your human friend to arrive,but I'm not sure if he'll make a difference here."
"We can only hope…" Goku readied himself. "Untilthen, we're on our own. We've been training together for a year now.We know each other's moves, our styles-we should be able to link ourattacks and catch him off-guard." Vegeta appeared behind them,startling them both.
"Making plans, eh? It's no use, you know-no matter how muchtraining you do, whatever clever stratagem you have-I representsomething you will never surpass. Low-class warriors like yourselveshave no chance against an elite!" Goku and Raditz both threwclose-range punches, and Vegeta caught one in each hand, smiling."Try harder." The brothers nodded at each other, andattacked. Goku kicked at Vegeta's legs while Raditz swung his elbowat the prince's face. Vegeta caught Goku's foot, but had to leapaside to dodge Raditz's attack, leaving him disorientated. Before hecould recover, they appeared in front of him, both punching him inthe stomach. He coughed up blood, doubling over, and Raditz kickedhim away. Goku appeared behind Vegeta as he hurtled back, but theprince hurled an energy blast, knocking Goku out of his way. Vegetarighted himself, breathing heavily, a vein throbbing angrily on hisforehead. "You… dare!"
Piccolo lunged at Nappa, but the saiyan stepped out of the way,painfully wrenching Piccolo's arm and twisting it almost to breakingpoint. The Namek swivelled around, pulling his arm out of the hold,and fired a full-power energy blast at point-blank range. Theexplosion vapourised the water for half a mile back, practicallydeafening Piccolo. "Huh..ah… huh…" he tried to regainhis breath, then stared in shock as the smoke cleared. Nappa stoodthere, almost unharmed-armour chipped in a few places, butessentially unaffected by the attack. One hand was held in front ofhis face to protect his scouter from damage.
"You know, Vegeta said you were about equal to me."Nappa dusted himself off. "And sure, your power is impressive,but I don't think you have the stamina to keep up."
"Shut up!" Piccolo growled, rushing forwards. Nappapunched him in the chest, stopping his charge, then kicked him intothe air, sending him flying clean over the house.
"See? No stamina."
Krillin and Yamcha looked around, but saw no sign of anySaibamen. "Did we get them all?" Krillin asked cautiously.
"I..think so…" Yamcha headed for the door. "Well,let's go check on the others."
"Right." They walked out onto the beach, just in timeto see Piccolo flying over their heads. "Well, that can't begood-huh?" Krillin's ki sense warned him slightly too late, andhe turned to see the all-too-familiar sight of a leaping Saibaman.Yamcha, too, only saw it as it was almost on them, without time toreact. However, inches away from them, it was knocked out of the airand flew into the sea. The human fighters turned to see theirsaviour.
A small boy with scruffy black hair and a monkey-like tail,wearing an orange martial arts uniform and with a short red staff onhis back, stood on the beach next to them. "Leave them alone!"he shouted, launching a barrage of energy waves which crashed intothe sea, detonating underwater and engulfing the Saibaman.
"G-Gohan?" Krillin asked, peering at the boy. "Thatyou?"
"Yeah! I remember you!" Gohan smiled. "You'reDad's friends, aren't you?"
"So this is Goku's kid…" Yamcha crouched down."Thanks for the help, little guy. That thing came pretty closeto getting us both."
Gohan nodded. "My mom said I shouldn't be out fighting, or Imight get hurt, but I wanted to see! Is… is it okay if I stayhere?"
"I guess," Krillin said, shrugging, "but try tostay out of trouble, okay? Those two saiyans are way out of ourleague."
Vegeta snarled at Goku and Raditz. "You think you're soclever, eh? You're nothing! Just low-class, renegade scum! I am theprince of all saiyans! I cannot lose to the likes of you!"
"All evidence to the contrary," Raditz replied,grinning.
"This will not stand!" Vegeta held his arms outstraight to either side, and fire blazed in the palms of his hands."Remember this technique, Raditz?!" He swung hisarms forwards, throwing a volley of fireballs.
"Kakarot, dodge!" Raditz flew to one side, and Gokusped away in the opposite direction. Vegeta kept up his bombardmentas they dodged and twisted out of the way. As soon as they were farenough from each other, he stopped firing, and appeared in front ofGoku, punching him away, before dashing over to Raditz, faster thantheir senses could follow and kicking him in the side, his footraking painfully against Raditz's ribs.
"You see?" He shifted to a low stance as his opponentstried to recover. "Now, in case you still don't comprehend theimpossibility of your task, allow me to show you the full power of asaiyan elite!"
The Warrior fromOtherworld
Chapter 8: The Warrior from Otherworld
"How d'you think they're doing, guys?" Bulma askednervously, pacing up and down the room. She was in the Capsule Corpheadquarters, where she'd met up with Roshi, Lunch, Chi-Chi andOx-King.
"It's hard to tell…" Roshi muttered. He could senseki, but the others were all wearing reverse-engineered scoutersBulma had given them. "The news crews are still at the landingsite and the destroyed city-they haven't traced the saiyans to KameHouse yet, so we can't see what's going on…"
"Well, I don't think any of them have been killed, sothere's something." Bulma fiddled with her scouter. "Imean, I measured everyone's power levels while they were training,so the six thousand is Goku and the twelve thousand is Raditz. Thetwo smaller ones are Krillin and Yamcha, and the four and eighteenthousand are the saiyan invaders, 'cause they came from thedirection of the destroyed city…" she scratched her head. "SoI guess the other four thousand reading must be Piccolo. I never gotthe chance to scan him-he was way too hard to track down."
"That doesn't explain everything." Lunch, still in herblonde/aggressive state, frowned. "I mean, just as the battlestarted, six little power levels appeared, and then disappeared.Then another one appeared, and it keeps jumping all over the place."
"I'm sure everything will be just fine, you guys." TheOx-King waved a reassuring hand. "They've never let us downbefore."
Chi-Chi bit her lip. "I don't know… that one saiyan is asstrong as Goku and Raditz put together!" She put her head inher hands. "Oh, Goku… come home safe…"
Nappa hovered above Kame House, waiting for Piccolo to resurfacefrom underwater. "Namek… Oh, Namek… come on, big green, Ihaven't got all day…" No response. "Ah well. First, I'llget this out of the way…" He pointed one finger at KameHouse, and it exploded, pieces of charred wood scattering in alldirections and sinking into the ocean. "That's better." Hedropped to the ground, feet sinking slightly into the sand. The hugesaiyan noticed Gohan, Yamcha and Krillin cowering on the beach, andgave a cruel smile. "Oh, I'll get to you-just wait right there.But first, I've got to… huh?" His scouter started beepingfrantically. "That must be the Namekian, but… that's somecrazy power…"
Piccolo emerged from the sea, two fingers held up in front of hisforehead, teeth gritted and sweat pouring down his forehead. "Allright, saiyan, let's see you stand up to this!" Electric boltsof light started flaring around his fingertips. "I'veconcentrated all of my energy into a single point!" Waves offorce rolled out from his body. Whole schools of fish wereflash-fried as the water around them boiled.
"Bring it on!" Nappa grinned. "I don't think youcan sustain such a high-power attack-by the time it hits me, it'lllose most of its energy!"
"If you think so…" Piccolo thrust his arm forward, abeam of yellow, spiralling energy emerging. "SPECIAL BEAMCANNON!" Nappa realised his mistake too late, as the attackshot straight for him faster than he could avoid it.
At the last moment, Vegeta hurled himself down towards Nappa,moving easily at least twice as fast as Piccolo's attack. "DODGE,you imbecile!" He kicked his larger comrade out of the way ofthe blast, and it sped by, knocking a chunk out of Nappa's armour.Vegeta turned to see Goku and Raditz charging at him. "Hurry upand deal with these pests!" he snarled, launching himself backinto the sky.
Nappa turned back to Piccolo-the Namekian was breathing heavily,completely exhausted. "Well," Nappa said, smirking, "youhave pretty good energy control. If Vegeta hadn't intervened, I'dhave lost my head. Too bad for you. Now," sparks started tobuild around his body, "my turn. Raaaaah…" The groundshook as Nappa's power built up within him. Piccolo's reactions werestill sharp, tired as he was, and he knew he had to attack beforehis enemy had finished preparing his attack. Piccolo leapt forward,throwing a punch at Nappa's throat, but the saiyan caught it in onehand, and with the other he dealt Piccolo a devastating blow to theside of the head. Piccolo staggered back, clutching at his achingskull.
"Hey, Namek!" Nappa lifted his head, then threw itforwards, a yellow energy beam bursting out of his mouth. "YAAAH!"Piccolo looked up just in time to see the oncoming attack, and theblast hit him full-on. A huge smoke cloud formed, and when it blewaway, Piccolo was still standing. At first it appeared he'd survivedsomehow.
"Damn… you… saiyans…" he growled, then stumbled,fell, and lay still. "I'll… revenge…" He fell silent.
Nappa wiped his mouth. "Hey, not bad! He lasted longer thanI expected. Now then," he turned to Yamcha, Krillin and Gohan,still staring at him in shock, "who's next?"
In the air, Vegeta again faced Raditz and Goku, smiling slightly."My sincerest apologies. I believe before I left I saidsomething about showing you the full extent of my power?"
"Hmph." Raditz didn't see the point. "We get it,you're powerful. Well, we're strong too-why don't we show you?"He raised his guard.
Vegeta grinned. "Oh, I'm sure you are. But nowhere near this!" He spread his limbs outward, then sent out a huge wave ofpower.
"What the-" Goku shielded himself. "All thatenergy… it just came out of nowhere!" Storm clouds gathered,and a hurricane-force wind picked up. Tsunami-sized waves flungthemselves outwards, and at the centre of the maelstrom hovered thesaiyan prince, flinging around massive amounts of energy like it wasnothing. Across the sea, whole buildings collapsed as tremors ranthrough the earth. Abruptly, Vegeta lowered his hands, and the stormdied down. Silence fell.
"Now," he asked them, "do you see what you are upagainst? Now do you realise that it is impossible to overcome suchpower?"
"Well, uh…" Raditz was visibly shaken. "That is,ah, quite impressive."
"Yeah." Goku had been pushed back by the force ofVegeta's power, and had only just flown back up to him. "Ireally can't believe this guy…"
"Of course." Vegeta clenched his fists. "I coulddestroy this whole planet if I wanted to. And now that you know it'sfutile to fight me… let me make you an offer. Come with me. Rejointhe saiyan race! Think of the worlds we can conquer together! Thebattles we can fight, the glories we can win! Either of you wouldserve me much better than Nappa…"
"No way!" Goku gestured down at the planet. "Raditzalready made me the same offer-and I've got everything I need righthere! What you do is just wrong, no question!"
"Hmm. I expected that from you-you're an Earthling throughand through now. One of the 'good guys'." Vegeta raised aneyebrow. "But… how about you, Raditz? I was going tokill you for incompetence, but with such a high power level that'djust be a waste now. You only allied with these lesser beings out ofnecessity. Join me! Together, we can dispose of this renegade trashKakarot, cleanse and sell this world, and carve out an empire!"
"Heh… heh heh…" Raditz seemed to be laughing.
"Eh? What's funny?!" The prince growled.
"You know…" Raditz looked up at Vegeta. "Youalmost had me there. I was seriously considering accepting youroffer. But…" His eyes narrowed. "That 'renegade trash'you're talking about is my brother ! You want meto turn on him like that?!" He spread his arms out, buildingenergy and igniting his aura. "Go to hell!"
Nappa advanced slowly towards the two human fighters, who stoodshielding Gohan. "Oh, man," Krillin moaned, "that guyjust killed Piccolo! We're doomed…"
"Not yet we're not!" Yamcha took a step forwards. "Wetook those green guys out, and there were six of 'em! I know we cantake this one! Let's try our most powerful techniques right off thebat-don't want to take any chances."
"Okay." Krillin nodded to Gohan. "You might wantto stay behind us, kid." He put one hand in the air, palm up,as Yamcha held his hand out in front of his face.
"KIENZAN-HAA!"
"Sokidan-go!"
The two attacks arced their way towards Nappa, who grinned. Hisscouter warned him about Krillin's razor-edged disc of ki, so hejumped over it, but he grabbed Yamcha's attack between both handsand-
"Did he just eat my Sokidan?" Yamcha asked,incredulous. Nappa landed in front of them.
"Hey, not bad! Anything else you wanna try before you die?"He kicked Krillin in the chest, the short warrior flying away andlanding face-down in the sand next to Gohan. Yamcha grimaced.
"All right, that does it! You can't just toss us around likewe're some kind of joke! Wolf Fang Fist!" He leapt at Nappa,but the saiyan caught both of his swinging hands, and headbutted himinto the ground beside Krillin.
"Apparently I can."
The humans climbed to their feet. "Ow… somebody get thenumber of that truck…" Yamcha rubbed his head. "Allright, we're not finished yet!"
"Right!" Krillin looked at Gohan. "Hey Gohan, didyour dad ever teach you the Kamehameha technique?" Gohan noddedanxiously. "All right-think you can try it now? We're bothgonna fire, so we want to add all our power together!"
"Right!" Gohan turned to face Nappa, and the threedefenders of the Earth cupped their hands by their sides, focusingall their energy into a single point.
"KA… ME… HA… ME…" They all said together.
"Ooh, this should be fun." Nappa stretched his shouldermuscles. "Let's see it!"
"HAAA!" The three blue beams shot at Nappa, meetingjust in front of him and colliding with the saiyan brute as one. Fora moment, the light from their attack blocked out everything. Then,they began to see movement. Nappa was striding forward through theirattack, pushing it back. He kept walking, completely unfazed, untilhe was standing inches away. Then he just stood still until theyfinally ran out of energy and their beams faded and died down.
Nappa stood towering above them, smoke rising from his ruinedarmour, his scouter smashed. "Hey, I almost felt that one."He grabbed Krillin by the head, lifting him clean into the air. "ButI'm getting bored now, so I figure it's time to finish this."He effortlessly twisted Krillin's head a hundred and eighty degrees,snapping his neck like a twig. Still smiling, he dumped the body atYamcha's feet. "You're next, Scar-Face, but I thought I'd giveyou a minute to soak it up."
Yamcha stood motionless, trying to speak. "N… no…Krillin… y… you…" He shrank back in fear of Nappa. Gohan,now in front of Yamcha, stared down at Krillin's lifeless body. Hisshoulders shook, and tears rolled down from his eyes. It wasn't thatKrillin had been a great friend-he'd only seen him twice in hislife-but Gohan had simply never seen anyone die before. "You… YOU KILLED HIM!" It wasn't the most eloquent ofbattle-cries, but coming from a child of five, it was enough. Gohancharged forward, slamming his shoulder into Nappa's gut. Thehalf-saiyan child jumped up as Nappa doubled over wheezing in pain,smashing both fists into Nappa's face. Nappa howled and staggeredbackwards, and Gohan kicked him straight back into the water.
"What the…" Yamcha stared in disbelief. "Gohan?!"
Raditz charged at Vegeta, landing a solid punch to the prince'sjaw. As Vegeta spun round, Raditz, still in a rage, grabbed him byhis hair and smashed Vegeta's face into his knee. Before he couldland another blow, Vegeta spun out of his grasp, raining punches onRaditz and knocking him away. Vegeta stood upright in the air."Well, Raditz, I didn't think you had it in you…" AsRaditz was about to reply, Goku interrupted.
"Gohan! What's he doing down there?" He flew downtowards the island at full speed. "I've got to get him out ofhere-" Vegeta intercepted, appearing in front of Goku andkicking him away. "Oh, no you don't." Vegeta laughed alittle, noticing Gohan's tail. "So, you've got a son on thisplanet? Well… let's see how well he does against Nappa, shall we?Your human friends, too." They hovered there, in a stand-off,watching events unfold. But the tension snapped when Krillin died.Goku flew at Vegeta, uncaring of the odds. "KRILLIN!"Raditz charged in after his brother, joining the brutal combat. Forevery blow they struck, Vegeta would give them two or three each inreturn. Every time Goku broke away to help his son, the princeblocked his way. "Damn you!" Goku yelled. "Hold on,Gohan!"
Gohan was breathing heavily, almost unable to believe he had justfought like that. But before he could fully recover, Nappa leaptback onto dry land, shaking water off himself like a dog. "Well!The kid's got spirit!" He raised one gigantic fist. "Maybea little too much…" Gohan trembled in fear.
"Gohan! No!" Goku tried to reach them, but Vegetaknocked him away again, spinning to face Raditz.
Nappa's fist swung downwards-"DODONPA!" A narrow beamof yellow light slammed into the side of Nappa's face, knocking himflat on his back. Everyone turned in the direction the attack hadcome from. A bald, three-eyed man stood on the beach, one smokingfinger held out in front of him.
"T-Tien?" Goku's face lit up. "Tien! It is you! Ican't tell you how glad I am to see you! Wow, you must have beenhiding your energy real well-none of us even knew you were coming."
Tien's stern expression lightened. "It's good to see you alltoo. I'm sorry I took so long to get here-it could have been evenlonger, but luckily I remembered how long it would take me to getback down Snake Way, and left early."
"Uh…" Goku blinked. "Snake in the what now?"
Vegeta stared at the newcomer. This can't be… the humanthat died defending Raditz? Proof that the Dragon Balls do work, atleast…
Nappa pulled himself to his feet. "I'll tell you the wholestory later," Tien said, nodding to Goku.
"Why, you…" Nappa rubbed his cheek. "I don'tknow where you came from, but you're gonna regret that!" Hemade a grab at Tien, but swung at thin air, stumbling forward. "Hey,what the-" Tien now stood behind him. He ignored Nappa, walkingover to Yamcha and Gohan. He noticed Krillin's body.
"Damn it!" He clenched his fists. "I was still toolate!"
Yamcha indicated the water where Piccolo's body floated. "Hegot Piccolo too…"
Tien glared at Nappa. "Which means the Dragon Balls areuseless! And even if they weren't, Krillin's already been wishedback-it won't work again!" He strode towards the massivesaiyan. "You're going to pay for this!"
"Shut up! You're nothing compared to us!" Nappa lashedout, but Tien caught his fist in one hand.
"Well, I can't say much for your speed…" he smiled."But you look pretty resilient. Beating you could take a while,so I think I'll speed things up a bit."
He shifted to a lower stance, concentrating all his power atonce. A flame-red aura blazed into life around him. "KAIOKEN!"Moving even faster than before, he started hammering away at Nappa,easily countering the blundering counterattacks and rainingprecision strikes all over Nappa's body. After a few seconds thesaiyan could take it no more, launching a wave of energy in everydirection which staggered Tien back. Tien jumped over Nappa, landingbehind him. "All right, I need to finish this-KAIOKEN TIMESTWO!" He became a blur and disappeared. Nappa glanced aroundfrantically, and a fraction of a second later, something impactedwith his back. There was an audible crack as his spine gave way, andNappa toppled to the ground, his face twisted in agony. Tienreappeared in front of him, his red aura fading.
"What the-what was that?" Raditz asked in disbelief."He was almost as fast as me for a second there-and for a merehuman…" Tien floated up next to Goku and Raditz.
"It's a technique King Kai taught me in the Otherworld. TheKaioken-it multiplies my strength, but I have to be careful, or itcould damage my body if I use it too much. He said especially tonever use it to more than double my power."
"But that's incredible!" Goku laughed. "Using thatKaio-thingy, you've surpassed me! All together, we might have achance of beating Vegeta!"
Vegeta was speechless. A power high enough to crush Nappa… in amere human… what was he?! Tien turned histhree-eyed gaze on the prince. "Vegeta, right? Hey, Goku,Raditz-why don't you give me a shot at him?" He stepped infront of the saiyan brothers, before turning back for a moment. "Oh,and Raditz-good to see you on our side. You don't have to be likethem." He focused back on Vegeta. "Now, you… let me showyou the true strength of humanity." Tien was a realist-he'dfelt Vegeta's power all the way from Kami's Lookout, and he'd seenhim toss around Goku and Raditz like they were amateurs. And becauseof his Kikoho technique, he had experience with pushing his body tothe limit, so hopefully he could manage this. Sorry, King Kai…he thought grimly. "KAIOKEN TIMES THREE!" Powerexploded around his body, and Tien dashed in, the sudden burst ofspeed surprising Vegeta. A flurry of punches sent him flyingbackwards, and Tien spun around behind his opponent.
"Incredible…" Raditz couldn't believe his eyes. "He'smore powerful than I am!"
A kick to the stomach sent Vegeta flying, and Tien racedforwards, pressing his advantage. However, Vegeta vanished beforeTien's next attack connected. He appeared above Tien, crashing intohim with both feet and knocking him away. Tien flipped upright, hisaura evaporating.
The prince wiped blood from his face. "You will pay forthat, human!" He resumed his stance. "Now, if you're doneshowing off, I've gotten over my surprise, and even with that boost,It'll still be easy to wipe all three of you from this world!"He flew at his three enemies, and battle re-joined.
Gohan and Yamcha stared up at the high-speed combat. "Wow,"Yamcha muttered, "look at 'em go!"
"Can we win?" Gohan asked, wide-eyed.
"I don't know." Yamcha squinted, trying to keep up."Whatever that attack of Tien's was, it must have drained him,'cause he's stopped using it. And even with three of 'em, thatVegeta guy's picking them apart. They just can't match his speed…"
At Capsule Corp, everyone was thoroughly confused. "Uh…"Bulma hesitated. "Both of the four thousand power levels havevanished, so I guess one of the saiyans is down, but so is Piccolo…"
"That could be a good thing, y'know," Lunch pointedout. "I mean, Piccolo was pretty evil too-he was only fightingfor us 'cause he had to."
"Yeah… I guess. Anyway, what worries me is I'm not pickingup Krillin's power anymore, and suddenly there's this big new one,which has been jumping up and down-sometimes almost as high as thatother saiyan!"
"Oh…" Ox-King shifted nervously. "You don'tthink Krillin is… is…"
"I just don't know." Bulma sighed. "This far away,if he fell unconscious, or was just really tired, it wouldn't pickhim up at all-so it's impossible to tell until the battle is over."
Chi-Chi folded her arms. "Well, I'm just glad I stopped themsending my Gohan out there! Can you imagine my poor little boyfighting aliens at his age? No, it's better if he just keeps up hisstudies. There are more ways to make the world a better place thanfighting, you know."
"Yeah… I guess…" Bulma answered. Not reallyrelevant…
Vegeta grabbed hold of Goku's leg and swung him away into Raditz,sending both saiyans flying away in a tangle of limbs. Tien hung inthe air in front of Vegeta, struggling to think past the pain fromthe beating he'd just taken. "Well, that was quite a dramaticentrance," Vegeta told him, "but I think it's fair to sayyou haven't quite lived up to the hype. After what you did to Nappa,I was expecting more of a fight… well, I guess you are only ahuman."
Tien scowled at him. How is it possible for somebody sostrong to exist? Even a Kaioken times three didn't faze him… well.I guess there's only one option. He closed his eyes, summoningup his strength, his third eye always remaining open, staring atVegeta. Goku and Raditz separated, looking over at Tien as steamrose from his body. The ocean started to evaporate beneath him,creating a whirlpool of boiling water. Please, body! Hethought. Don't fail me now! "Yaaaah… KAIOKEN…TIMES FOUR!"
On King Kai's planet, the blue-skinned deity's antenna prickedup. "Times WHAT?!"
Goku and Raditz saw only a flash of red as Tien slammed intoVegeta. The human warrior knocked Vegeta back and forth, one way andthe other, past them and back again, much faster than their sensescould follow. The fighters reappeared mere feet away in front ofthem, Tien kicking Vegeta away into the air. Tien relaxed, his auradisappearing. Veins stood out all over him. Sweat rolled down hisbody. He gasped for breath. "Take… that… you overgrownmonkey…" Goku steadied his friend.
"Take it easy, Tien! You did great…"
"Hold that thought." Raditz tapped Goku on theshoulder, pointing to Vegeta, who was just starting to recover fromTien's ferocious assault. He hovered shakily in the air, one eyehalf-closed from a vicious elbow to his forehead. Bruises, cracks inhis armour and dripping blood dotted his body.
"I… will not stand for this!" He roared. "I willnot be beaten… by you… HUMAN!" He launched himself into theair, coming to a halt several hundred metres above the Earth. "Feelfree to dodge this attack! If it hits the ground, it'll destroy yourwhole planet!"
"What?!" Raditz gasped. "Vegeta, are you insane?!You'll die with us!"
"That… is the difference between us!" Vegeta startedto glow with purple energy. "I am a true saiyan! I willsacrifice anything for my pride! What do you know of honour?"He raised his hands next to his head. "GALICK GUN…"
"Kakarot!" Raditz charged energy in both his hands."Human person! Prepare to deflect his attack!"
"You don't need to tell me!" Goku focused his power."KA… ME… HA… ME…"
Tien raised his hands. "I don't have much energy left-butI'll give what I have! KIKO…"
The three warriors released their attacks simultaneously."HAAAAH!"
Vegeta, seeing the oncoming beam, threw his hands forward."FIRE!"
The Last Hope
Chapter 9: The Last Hope
The gigantic purple beam of energy raced down towards the Earth,only to be met by the opposing attack, a blend of Raditz, Goku andTien's attacks-red, blue and yellow. The explosion when the twobeams collided sent out such massive waves of force the island KameHouse had stood on completely sank beneath the waves. Tidal waves ofunprecedented scale swept the coasts on all sides of the ocean whichthe battle was being fought on. News crews, hurrying to track downthe aliens, found their helicopters grounded. At Capsule Corp, allthe reverse-engineered scouters being used to track the battleexploded simultaneously, unable to handle the massive energy spike.All over the world, delicate scientific instruments scanning forelectromagnetic waves suffered fatal malfunctions, sometimesdetonating violently.
Goku struggled to keep pushing his ki forward, but maintaininghis Kamehameha was an uphill struggle-even with all three of themworking together, Vegeta's attack was beginning to push its waydownwards-they were losing.
Raditz grinned. "At least I'll die… knowing I was rightabout just how conceited… this guy is…"
"Huh? What's that?" Goku found it difficult toconcentrate on Raditz talking, with all the effort he was puttinginto his blast, but he tried to focus.
"'Galick Gun'… Galick was a great saiyan hero… heclaimed to be descended from… the Super Saiyan… I can't believeVegeta has the nerve… to compare himself with such a greatwarrior…" The three fighters started to sink lower in theair, trying to use as little ki as possible to fly, to put more intothe struggle.
"Super… Saiyan?"
"I'll have to… tell you that one… in the next world…"Raditz turned back to face upwards, focusing on staying alive aslong as possible. Goku grimaced. There didn't seem to be anythingthey could do-if they dodged out of the way, the Earth would bedestroyed. "Tien!" Goku shouted. "Any chance youcould… try that Kaio-whatever?"
"I don't think so!" Tien shouted back over the roar ofVegeta's steadily-approaching attack. "I've already pushed itway past the limit-my body has barely enough energy left to sustainthis Kikoho as it is! I don't think I could do even the basic levelKaioken…"
"I know this is asking a lot of you, Tien, but you have totry! We'll all die anyway if you don't!"
"I… I don't know… it's too much…"
"Tien! Do you want Earth to be destroyed or what?!"Goku's eyes narrowed. He knew it sounded harsh, but it was the onlyway they could win. "Everyone will die! Chiaotzu! Do you wantthat for Chiaotzu? Does he deserve that?!"
Tien took a deep breath. All three of his eyes closed-a raresight. He reached deep inside himself, summoning the last of hisstrength. "SAIYAN!" He yelled up at Vegeta. He didn't knowif the prince could hear him, and he didn't care. "Even if itkills me… I can't let you win! YAAAAH!" The familiarflame-red aura exploded to life around him. The veins on his neckand forehead bulged angrily.
"We're with you, Tien!" Goku reassured him, redoublinghis own efforts.
"Hurry up!" Raditz muttered shakily.
"KAIOKEN! TIMES! THREE!" There was a furious roar aspower flooded out of Tien, pouring up into the combined beam andcolliding with Vegeta's at full force.
Vegeta was grinning, almost laughing-at last, he'd created asituation these fools couldn't escape from. It was their planet orthemselves, and of course they chose to die like heroes. "Thisis the end for all of you! There's nothing you can do now! Nothingleft to… to… what is-" The colossal energy wave crashedinto Vegeta, flinging him away into the sky, with one final screamof rage.
Tien collapsed, almost unconscious, and Goku caught him, holdinghis friend up in the air. "That was awesome! Nice work, Tien!"Tien gasped, drawing in ragged breaths as his muscles burned fromthe strain he'd put himself through.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news…" Raditz foldedhis arms, staring up at the sky. "… But I don't think thatkilled him."
"Are you serious?!" Goku's eyes widened in shock."After that ? Nobody could have survived it!"
"Vegeta could." Raditz scanned the sky above him forsome sign of their enemy. "Never underestimate someone likethat. But… he may be getting desperate…"
Vegeta hung in the air miles above, battered and bruised, smokerising from small burns all over his body. "This… cannot behappening! I am the prince of my race! I should be able to crushthis entire world! And yet these low-class warriors and thisEarthling resist me!" His whole body shook with anger."How can they? How… how dare they?! What right dothey have to stand in my way? If I claim this world, they shouldobey me!" He hurled himself off through the air. "I WILLbe immortal! I just need to find this world's moon…" Severalminutes of searching yielded nothing. "What the… where is it?You can't just hide a damn moon!"
Raditz spun around as his ki sense flared up. "Here hecomes!" Goku, still holding up Tien, turned in the directionRaditz was looking. "That's him all right… he's not gonna behappy… hey Tien, I think I'm going to have to fight. Can you flyon your own?" Goku looked down at the sea. "Otherwise youmight have to swim…"
"I'll try…" Tien pushed away, holding himself in theair-a little shaky, but it was enough. "Okay… I can't fight,but I can hang here under my own power and leave you free…"
"All right. Raditz-you ready?"
"I don't think I've ever been ready to fight someone likeVegeta…" Raditz muttered.
Vegeta came to a halt in front of them. "I bet you'refeeling pretty good about this battle right now. And maybe youthought destroying the moon would stop me transforming."
Goku took a second to realise what he was talking about. "Oh…that was Piccolo…"
"I don't care who it was! The point is…" he thrustone hand upwards, producing a pure-white ball of light. "…you haven't stopped me! This technique creates an artificial moon,which means nothing's changed! Once I transform, you're all going todie! Oh, and I wouldn't look too closely at it if I were you…"he grinned. "Only high-class fighters like myself have learnedto control this form, so if you transformed you'd attack friend andfoe alike-you wouldn't be helping your friends at all." Theball of light hovered in the air, and Vegeta stared up at it. "Thisbattle is over!"
"His transformation will take a few seconds, right?"Goku frowned. Raditz had told him all about the saiyantransformation. "We've gotta think of something, or he'll killus all!" Vegeta began to grow, reaching double his normal sizein under a second.
Raditz glanced down at Gohan and Yamcha, staring up at the battleabove. He remembered just in time-Gohan was part saiyan, too!"Gohan! Don't look up! Keep your head down-Vegeta's made anartificial moon, and you'll transform if you look!" Fur beganto sprout all over Vegeta's body, and his face lengthened out into asnout.
"Right!" Gohan turned his gaze down to the ocean. "HeyYamcha-I can't look at it, so will you tell me what's going on upthere?"
Yamcha nodded. "Sure thing, kid."
Tien spoke up. "Goku, Raditz… there's something I couldtry. The other technique King Kai taught me-the Spirit Bomb."
"What's that?" Goku asked.
"It uses energy gathered from the entire world-every livingthing, even the planet itself-to make an extremely powerful attack.I don't know if it'd stop Vegeta, but it's worth a shot."
"Then do it! Anything's worth a try if it'll help us win!"Raditz grinned. "We might have a chance!"
Tien stretched his hands out upwards, calming his mind. "Theproblem is, I'll need time to gather all the planet's energy, and Idon't think we have much-uh… I think he's done…" Tienpointed, and the others looked around. Vegeta had finished histransformation, and was looking down at them with an evil grin.
"Now what will you do, insects?" He rumbled.
"Tien!" Raditz stared straight into the artificialmoon. "You'll have your time! I'll hold Vegeta off!"
"But it's like he said-you won't be able to controlyourself!" Goku started to panic. "How will you know whoto attack?"
"The driving thought in my mind for the past year…"Raditz said, through gritted teeth which were already lengtheninginto fangs, "has been to beat Vegeta. Hopefully it's a strongenough drive to at least direct my anger when I transform… rgh…"He, too, began to grow, within ten seconds becoming a secondgigantic monkey-like beast. "Raaagh!" Raditz's eyesnarrowed, and he hurled himself at Vegeta.
"What?" Vegeta raised his massive arm to block thefirst thundering blow. "How is that…"
"He does remember!" Goku grinned. "Tien, how areyou doing?"
"It'll take a couple of minutes, but I'm getting there."Tien smiled. "I hadn't realised how much energy this planethas-the Spirit Bomb will take care of Vegeta for sure!"
"All right… I just have to take care of something."Goku flew down to Gohan and Yamcha. "Hey, guys."
"This is intense!" Yamcha was still staring as Vegetagrappled with Raditz. "They've turned into giant apes!"
"Well, apes don't have tails…" Gohan pointed out.
"Oh, right." Yamcha rubbed the back of his head. "Iknew that."
Goku put a hand on each of their shoulders. "You've bothbeen really brave-thanks for all your help. But it's too dangeroushere. I can't let my son get caught up in a battle like this. AndYamcha, I need you to look after Gohan. Will you do that for me?"
Yamcha laughed. "No need to hide it, Goku-this battle is farbeyond me. You're just trying to be nice. But sure, I'll watchGohan. C'mon," he said to Gohan, "let's get you back home.With any luck, your mom will never know you were gone!"
"Right…" Gohan took something off his back-a shortred staff. He held it out to his father. "Take this, dad! Ifound it in your room at home, and it made me feel braver…'causeit reminded me of you…"
Goku took it. "My old Nyoibo, huh?" It grew slightlylonger to accommodate its larger wielder. "Thanks! Why don't Iuse it-to remind me of you!" He whirled the weapon around abit. "It's been a while, huh?"
"Well, let's get going," Yamcha said. He and Gohan tookoff, heading for land.
Goku flew back up to Tien. "How's Raditz doing?" heasked.
"Not great." Tien indicated the transformed saiyans,trading blows which vibrated in the two onlookers' bones. "He'sputting up a good fight, but Vegeta clearly has the advantage."
"I expected that," Goku replied. "Raditz told methat a saiyan gets ten times stronger when they transform-so sinceVegeta started out more powerful, he's going to stay that way. Plus,having full control over the form lets Vegeta use his skill moreefficiently-he's still able to plan and fight like an intelligentbeing."
"I think Raditz knew he'd lose…" Tien started to glowfaintly with white light as he gathered energy from the planet. "Henever planned to do anything more than buy me time for the SpiritBomb… it's taking much longer to gather than I thought!" Hegrimaced. "I spent too much time practicing the Kaioken! Ithelped earlier, when I used it up to times four, but here it mightmean my Spirit Bomb isn't finished in time, and Vegeta kills usall!"
Goku turned back to the battle. "Come on, Raditz… hold ona little longer…"
Vegeta sidestepped Raditz's lunge and grabbed the other saiyan'sarm in both monstrous hands. He cruelly twisted it around, feelingthe bones underneath snap under the pressure. Raditz howled andbroke away, his arm hanging loose. Without warning, he shot amassive energy wave from his mouth which bowled Vegeta over. Raditzleapt after his enemy, but Vegeta caught him in mid-flight with hisfoot, then hammered both fists into Raditz's chest, ribs crackingwith the force of the impact. Vegeta grinned, kicking Raditz downinto the sea. After the massive impact of the monster hitting thewater, there was nothing. The sea died down, and no movement camefrom underneath. Vegeta turned to the other two-they would be eveneasier to kill. Maybe he'd make Kakarot tell him how to find theDragon Balls before killing him. Maybe not-there were bound to beothers on this planet who knew.
"Damn!" Tien moaned. "Raditz is down, and I stillneed a little more time…"
"I don't think I can buy you more than a few seconds…"Goku tried to come up with a plan as Vegeta slowly approached.
"You've cause me a lot of trouble, Earthlings…"Vegeta growled. "But finally, I'm rid of you!" He openedhis mouth, and a purple glow came from within as he prepared to firean energy beam.
"Oh, that's not good…" Goku put himself in front ofTien-maybe he could shield his friend from the attack.
Vegeta roared, throwing his head forwards, but just as the beamwas about to leave his mouth, he froze. Silence fell for severalseconds, then was broken by a huge splashing sound-Vegeta's severedtail, hitting the water. "Ah… no… what… what did you…"Vegeta shrunk as quickly as he'd grown, his bestial appearancefading until he'd returned to normal. "No! Damn you… whocould have…" he turned to face his attacker, to see a shortfigure, hovering in the air, holding a sword.
Goku and Tien gaped at the sight. "That looks likeYaijerobe's sword, but… that's not him…" Tien muttered.
"No, it's… it's…" Goku did a double take. "Gohan ?!"
Gohan stood facing Vegeta, a determined expression on his face.Vegeta looked down at the child with a mixture of confusion andhatred. "How did you… you can't…" he tripped over hiswords in shock.
"My Uncle Raditz told me, if you cut a saiyan's tail off,they can't transform!" Gohan replied to Vegeta's half-spokenquestion. "And I couldn't leave him and my dad to fight you ontheir own-I knew I had to help them!" He leapt at Vegeta,swinging the sword, but the prince had got over his disorientationupon losing his tail, and kicked Gohan away.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Yamchashouted, hovering between Vegeta and Gohan.
"Get out of my way!" Vegeta launched an invisible kiaiof energy, launching the two of them backwards. "I'm not hereto fight children and Earthlings. That's what I had Nappa for."But, he thought, for the loss of his tail, he'd be back for thehalf-breed when he was done with the real fighters.
Goku appeared behind him. "Had? Tien didn't kill him, youknow." Vegeta turned to face him.
"Ah, Kakarot. Back for more, I see." He smiled. "Andactually, we all killed him. He was lying on the island-which, ifyou remember, sunk into the ocean when I launched my Galick Gun!It's been far too long for him not to have drowned-though Raditzmight still be alive, he hasn't been under long…"
Goku, reminded of Raditz's predicament, pointed down at the sea."Yamcha! Go get Raditz and pull him back up, or he'll drown!"
"But he's grown so large…" Yamcha shrugged. "Idon't think I could lift him…"
"Then take the sword from Gohan and cut Raditz's tail off!Hurry!" Goku yelled. Yamcha did as he was told, diving underthe water. "Gohan, guard Tien." Goku readied his Nyoibo."I'll take care of Vegeta." He wondered how Gohan had gothold of Yaijerobe's sword anyway-he'd have to ask him later. Therewere more important things to worry about now.
The two saiyans stared each other down. "What makes youthink you can fight me, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked. "Tell mewhere the Dragon Balls are and I might kill you quickly andcleanly!"
"We've been through this!" Goku answered. "I don'tcare how powerful you are, I'm not giving up!" A thoughtoccurred to him. "Although… if you want to go home now, feelfree."
"Huh? You want me to run away-on the brink of victory?"
"Actually, you've already lost. The Dragon Balls werecreated by a being called Kami-and he's linked to Piccolo, theNamekian you killed."
"What?"
"If Piccolo dies, Kami dies. And if Kami dies, the DragonBalls cease to exist!"
"WHAT?!"
Goku smiled. "So you may as well go. There's nothing tofight for anymore. Leave this planet in peace!"
"Nothing, you say?" Vegeta clenched his fists. "Ihave my honour to fight for! I can't let myself behumiliated by low-class scum like you and Raditz-much less thesehumans! Besides, if it's Namekians that can create Dragon Balls,I'll just go to their home planet of Namek when I'm done here-andmake myself immortal there! And in the meantime, that makes you andall your friends useless to me!" He charged at Goku. "Prepareyourself!"
Vegeta's Assault
Chapter 10: Vegeta's Assault
Vegeta struck the first blow, his fist crashing into Goku's headand knocking him back. Goku recovered his senses and dodged to theleft to avoid Vegeta's next attack, and swung his Nyoibo at the backof his opponent's neck. Vegeta caught the weapon in mid-swing,twisting around to face Goku. He was not, however, aware of thePole's unique property, and was now holding it in front of his face.
"Nyoibo extend!" Goku shouted, and it grew in length inan instant, the end crashing into Vegeta's face and causing him tolet go, staggering away. Goku followed up with a kick to the side,which Vegeta batted away with an uncoordinated swing of his hand,only just avoiding another hit due to the pain in his face. "Damnit… Kakarot… I'll crush you, just like Raditz! Your power is-"He was interrupted as Goku moved to the attack again, fending off avolley of feet, fists, and strikes with the Nyoibo.
"You're injured now, Vegeta!" Goku answered, grittinghis teeth in intense focus-one mistake and the prince's superiorstrength would give him the upper hand again. "And you'reslowing down. Looks like all of us working together is too much foryou." And, he added in his mind, while I probably won't win inthe long run, I don't have to. I just need to last long enough forTien to gather energy for the Spirit Bomb.
Vegeta broke away, flying around behind Goku, the renegade saiyanturning to face him. The battle resumed, with Vegeta on theoffensive now. After a few seconds of perfectly-timed strikes andblocks, one of Vegeta's attacks got through Goku's guard, knockingthe wind out of him. Vegeta grabbed Goku by the shoulders andstarted flying straight down towards the ground. "Hey, Kakarot!Ever wanted to see the ocean floor up-close? Only, without all thatirritating water to soften the landing…" He narrowed hiseyes, using the force of his ki to push all the water for milesaround out of his way, leaving the surrounding seafloor empty forseveral minutes.
Damn it! Goku struggled in Vegeta's grip. This isgonna hurt… "KINTO-UN!" He yelled in desperation.Come on, get here in time… The fighters hurtled towardsthe floor, but mere metres from impact a golden cloud swooped by,carrying Goku off to the side. Vegeta, surprised by the suddeninterference, tumbled head over heels through the air, and Goku tookadvantage of the distraction, appearing to his left and landing adevastating blow to Vegeta's stomach. The prince bent double,gasping for breath.
Goku prepared to deliver the final blow, but discovered too latethat Vegeta was only faking incapacitation, as the evil saiyan stoodup straight, blasting Goku at point-blank range with a quicktwo-handed energy blast. Goku flew away, eventually slowing himselfto a halt. "Well, that wasn't very nice," he said,smirking.
"I seriously hope you're being sarcastic… that would be awhole new level of stupidity, even for you," Vegeta growled.
"Shall we continue?" Goku raised his Nyoibo.
"Allow me!" Vegeta leapt back into battle. Goku duckedstraight under his lunge, slinging his Pole on his back, and cameback up behind Vegeta, who immediately turned to face him, lashingout with both hands. Goku twisted to the side, dodging between thepunches, and raised his hands to his face. "SOLAR FLARE!"To his surprise, Vegeta carried on moving through the light, grabbedGoku by his shirt, and headbutted him in the middle of his face.Goku fell away, clutching at his face.
"You know," Vegeta gloated, "it's almost as if Iwas listening in on a fight when you used that exact attack!And to work out I should close my eyes would require, ooh, averageintelligence-you wouldn't know anything about that, of course."
Goku hadn't quite recovered when Vegeta barrelled into him, hisfists, feet, elbows and knees finding their targets with cruelprecision. Already injured as he was, Goku couldn't stand more thana minute or two under the onslaught, and soon his defenses dropped.Vegeta held up his limp body and rammed home a few more punches forgood measure. Then he hurled Goku towards the shore with all hisstrength. "Drowning's too good for you, after the shame you'vecaused me. I'll finish you later-slowly, and one piece at a time."He turned to the other still-standing fighters-Tien was hoveringwith his hands in the air, a brilliant light surrounding his body,and Yamcha and Gohan floated in front of him, facing Vegeta incombat-ready stances.
Completely out of the blue, Vegeta felt something-like a tinglingin his mind. "What? Did I… yes, it must be starting to work…I knew I could replicate their ability to sense energy without ascouter… but I haven't mastered it at all, so for me to senseanything would require an…" He stared at Tien, still glowingwith energy. "… an… enormous power… they were stallingfor time! Damn it all!" He shot forward at full speed,rocketing for the three fighters. Yamcha was first to intercept, butVegeta flung him aside like a rag-doll. Gohan was faster thanexpected-he dodged over Vegeta's first strike, and started furiouslyattacking. "Stop hurting my daddy!" he bawled, as Vegetastruggled to fend of a hurricane of tiny fists and feet. Finally,Gohan overreached an attack, and Vegeta slammed his knee into thechild's gut, then smacked him out of the way.
"And now… !" He dashed over to Tien, holding his neckwith one hand and crashing the other fist into the human's jaw,again and again, each strike punctuating a word. "Never! Never!Never be beaten by a lesser being like you!" His anger wasreaching its peak, and he snarled like a rabid beast, holding Tien'sbarely conscious body. "What will you do now?! You can't launchyour attack like that!"
Tien coughed, blood spraying into Vegeta's face. "Just…ask yourself… why am I not glowing anymore?" Time seemed tostop. Vegeta's face froze in horror, as he heard the movement behindhim too late. He spun around, ready to lash out, but stopped inbewilderment, seeing another Tien behind him. This one held ablindingly white ball of energy in one hand, and was flying straightat him.
Tien rammed the Spirit Bomb right into Vegeta's chest, and letgo.
The detonation blinded Tien, Gohan and Yamcha for a full tenseconds. When they could see again, Vegeta was gone, and Tien hadmerged back into one person, somewhat less injured that the oneVegeta had beaten up, but still extremely tired and worn.
"D-did we win?" Yamcha asked, hesitating in case Vegetacame back for another round.
"I think so." Tien smiled. "We did it, guys! Now,let's go pick up Goku and head home!"
Yamcha nodded. "Come on, Gohan. Let's tell your dad we'vewon."
"Right!" Gohan flew off towards where Goku had landed,on the shore to the west, touched down and ran up to him. "Daddy!Daddy!" Goku looked up, his face lighting up when he saw hisson.
"Gohan! You're okay! And Tien and Yamcha, too!" Headded, noticing the humans following Gohan. "I'm so proud ofyou, son." Father and son embraced, and for a moment, allseemed well. "How did you get Yaijerobe's sword, anyway?"He asked. "And where is it now?"
"Well, right about when I decided to come back and help,Yaijerobe came driving up-I guess he wanted to fight too. But assoon as he saw Vegeta as that monster, he turned right back aroundand left. I made him give me the sword, though-and when Yamcha hidRaditz somewhere safe, he left it there with-
"AAH!" Came the guttural cry from over to the right.Everyone looked around.
"Oh, no way!" Yamcha shivered in fear. "Overthere, up the beach… don't tell me that's…"
"Vegeta survived," Tien said grimly. "I knew Ishould have spent more time practising the Spirit Bomb! And ofcourse, it hit him from the side, knocking him in this direction…"He trudged over towards Vegeta, who was pulling himself up on hishands and knees. Yamcha followed Tien, telling Gohan, "Waithere with Goku, no matter what." Gohan nodded silently.
The human warriors approached their defeated enemy, as he rolledto a sitting position, retrieving a remote control from inside hisarmour. "Heh… still intact… guess the armour is good forsomething after all…" he tapped a button, scowling when hesaw Tien and Yamcha approaching. "Stay back! Stay away fromme!" His attack pod streaked out of the sky, landing a few feetaway, and he started crawling towards it.
"You've caused enough pain!" Tien nodded. "Yamcha,I don't have much energy left… can you…?"
"I got it." Yamcha raised a hand, a pulsing ball ofenergy forming in his palm. He prepared to fire it into Vegeta'sskull. "End of the road, saiyan!"
"Wait!" Goku's voice was shaky, but strong enough tocarry along the beach. "Don't do it!"
"Goku?!" Yamcha hesitated. "You'd better have adamn good reason for this!"
"Please, don't kill him." Goku remained determined."It's not right-not like this. To kill an enemy in battle, todefeat them when there's no other way, is one thing… to shoot themin the back as they flee in defeat, that makes you no better thanVegeta."
"I-I'm sorry, Goku!" Yamcha sniffed, raising his handagain as Vegeta reached the open door of his ship. "I hatedisagreeing with you, but he's killed so many people-I can't let himescape!"
" Yamcha! " Goku yelled. "I'm a saiyantoo, remember! And despite that, I'd never kill an innocent person!He might not show it, but Raditz has changed too! If the mostvicious race in the universe can show compassion, why can't humans?!And who's to say he can't change too? Raditz was just like him whenhe came to Earth!"
Tears were rolling down Yamcha's face. He hated himself forarguing with his best friend, but he couldn't let go of hisconvictions, and his conscience stood on a knife-edge. His handwavered in the air. "I… I don't know…"
"Yamcha, if you kill that man, I will never forgive you!" Nobody seemed to know where that had come from. Goku nevergot angry with his friends-his saiyan side was showing itself.Yamcha collapsed, the mental strain overwhelming him. Everyonewatched in silence as Vegeta pulled himself into his ship, the doorclosing behind him. "You… haven't seen the last of me…scum…" he hissed through bruised lips and shattered teeth.The ship took off, and as it had almost left the atmosphere Yamchareleased his energy blast-just as a warning shot, and partially astress reliever, but it cut a little close and grazed the side ofVegeta's ship, sending it spiralling off course as it shot off intospace.
Everyone relaxed, the threat to Earth finally ended. "It'sover…" Tien sighed. "Finally, it's over."
Shortly afterwards, Yamcha (after retrieving Raditz from furtherinland and laying him with the others) went and told the group atCapsule Corp that the battle was finished, and shuffling his feetwhenever he told them of a death, he recounted the events of theday. They flew over in Bulma's spacious hovertruck, immediatelycharging out to see their friends and family. Chi-Chi learnt thatGohan had been fighting, and there was much wailing and gnashing ofteeth (and much leaping for cover).
The injured were taken to the hospital, where the doctors agreednot to ask any questions and give them privacy when they weretalking.
"I still can't get over both Krillin and Piccolo dying…"Goku said the next morning. Everyone was gathered around thehospital beds where Goku and Raditz lay, having taken the worstbeatings from Vegeta.
"It was the second time for Krillin, the poor man…"Roshi added. "And I'll miss the Dragon Balls, too-withoutPiccolo and Kami to sustain them, they're useless… and that meansall the people who died when they blew up that city are gone too."
"Idiots." Raditz's eyes opened for the first time inhours. "Am I the only one who was paying attention to Vegetaand Nappa? Piccolo and Kami were members of a race calledNamekians."
"Uh…" Came the chorus from the rest of the room, andmet with a wall of blank stares, Raditz groaned.
"Look, somewhere out there is a whole planet of beings withthe ability to create Dragon Balls!" He would have slapped hisforehead in exasparation, but both his arms were heavily bandaged,and in fact it hurt to move just about any part of his body. "Ifyou really want to wish them back, just go to planet Namek and usethe ones there!"
"But…" Lunch, timid at the moment, scratched herhead. "How would we get all the way to outer space?"
"I don't know!" Raditz shut his eyes again. "I'vehad my bright idea for the day, now I'm going back to sleep, if youdon't mind!"
"That's all right, you sleep now…" Lunch went to pathis shoulder, remembering just in time how painful the contact wouldbe.
"Well, as it happens," Bulma said with a grin, holdingup a remote control, "I have an idea about that."
Unfortunately, the remote control was a little damaged, and-asthe news report of the government team investigating Nappa's ship sohelpfully showed-as soon as Bulma attempted to activate the ship, itset off the self-destruct, obliterating it. Everyone stared inshocked silence.
"Cheer up, all! A solution has presented itself!"Someone appeared silhouetted in the doorway-a tall man smoking acigarette and wearing a white lab coat, with blue-grey hair and alarge moustache.
"Dad? What is it?" Bulma asked as Dr. Brief entered theroom. He smiled.
"Well, according to Raditz, Goku would have destroyed theship he arrived on Earth in, correct?" Scattered nods. "Well,Master Roshi told me a story while you were all staying at CapsuleCorp, Roshi told me an interesting story, told to him byGoku's adoptive grandfather Gohan…"
"Huh? My Grandpa?" Goku looked over at Roshi and Dr.Brief. "What did he tell you?"
"Apparently," Dr. Brief continued, "Gohan foundGoku while out walking in the woods-and here's the bit Roshi told mealmost without thinking, or realising its significance- he foundhim in some sort of strange craft . It wasn't until afterhe'd taken the child home he learnt of his nocturnaltransformation."
"Then that means…" Tien grinned. "Goku's ship isstill here, on Earth-Gohan must have found him before he evertransformed. We can use that to get to Namek!"
"Indeed." Dr. Brief nodded. "However, it's a smallship-it could only fit one of you, two at a stretch I suppose… andanyway, it's sat there for years, hatch open, at the mercy of theelements. It's not ready anytime soon. I can solve bothproblems-repair and expand the thing-but unfortunately it'll takeweeks, or even months."
"And Vegeta will be heading to Namek as soon as he'shealed…" Goku frowned. "If we have to wait for months,he'll beat us there. There has to be a way of getting into spacequicker!"
"You need a space-ship, I hear?" Came a polite voicefrom the window. Heads swivelled to see Mr. Popo, hovering on hisflying carpet just outside the window. "I might be able tohelp."
Preparations for the journey to Namek went quickly, once Bulmahad confirmed that the ship Mr. Popo had found-Kami's old ship-wasstill functioning. Bulma was the obvious choice to pilot theship-Dr. Brief needed to stay on Earth to work on Goku's ship, andbesides, no force on Earth could move the good doctor or his wifefrom their home in Capsule Corporation. Tien and Yamcha, as the twofighters not still incapacitated after a few days, volunteered-somepowerful warriors would be necessary when heading off into theunkown. Gohan, feeling responsible for ensuring the return to lifeof all those the saiyans had killed, also volunteered, and despitefirm resistance from Chi-Chi, he stubbornly refused to change hismind. Raditz, pretending to be asleep, smiled when he heard Gohanstand up to his mother. Goku was also smiling, but that was becausehe really was asleep, dreaming about a martial arts tournament witha built-in all-you-can-eat buffet.
The day they set out was an emotional one-Bulma wasn't toobothered about saying goodbye to her family (she'd been on longjourneys before) but Gohan spent a long time on farewells, first inthe hospital (tearful final words with Goku and a vaguelyacknowledging grunt from Raditz), then with his mother as he wasabout to board Kami's ship. Tien gave a final wave to Chiaotzu asthe hatch closed, then the engines thundered to life and they wereoff.
Deal with the Devil
Chapter 11: Deal with the Devil
Vegeta awoke to blaring sirens. " Warning-impact to hullhas sent ship off-course-warning-set destination untenable-reroutingcourse for closest controlled world within new trajectoryparameters, Frieza Planet 325. ETA three days. " Thecomputer fell silent, and Vegeta tried to go back to sleep. It musthave been that human's energy blast as he left. But it didn'tmatter. He'd get back to a Frieza-controlled world, and from there…to Namek.
"All right everyone, strap yourselves in-we're here!"Yamcha, Gohan and Tien scrambled for their seats as Bulma engagedthe visual display. Planet Namek filled the screen, growing largerby the second. The ship shook as it passed through the atmosphere,swooped down over the ground, then touched down, less thangracefully.
"We made it!" Yamcha said, grinning as he leapt out ofhis seat. Ignoring Bulma's warnings about the atmosphere, thegravity, and so on, they climbed down out of the ship and walked outon to the planet's surface. "So… this is planet Namek, huh?"Tien asked, gazing around at the blue-tinted vegetation and thesmall islands that dotted the planet, with no major landmasses likeEarth's continents.
"I can't believe I'm actually standing on another planet…"Yamcha stood next to Tien, Gohan slightly behind them and Bulmarunning to catch up. "Well, I guess we'd better start rightaway. Bulma-you got the radar?"
"Sure thing," she replied, smiling as she activated thesmall device. Bulma was still wearing a scouter, having takenseveral spares on the ship. "Man, hunting for Dragon Balls-thisbrings back memories." She pressed the main button on thedragon radar, and several blinking dots appeared. "Hey, itworks! Let's see… four of them are in one place… the other threescattered across the planet. We should-" Her scouter beeped,right as the others looked around, warned by their ki senses. Twohumanoid creatures stood on a rock face above them.
"Uh…" Yamcha stared at the newcomers. "Thoseguys are wearing armour like the saiyans!"
"But saiyans they're not-don't look Namekian either,"Tien added. One had blue skin and small horns on his forehead, theother was purple-skinned and reptilian. "Whoever they are,they've got weapons and armour, so let's just hope it's not usthey're going to pick a fight with."
One of the aliens laughed. "You picked the wrong planet toland on, with pathetic power levels like that! Hey, Sui, let's give'em a scare!"
"Sounds good," the other replied. He raised hisarm-mounted weapon, which fired a blue beam of energy that crashedinto their ship, blowing a hole into one side and out the other.
"Our ship!" Bulma shrieked. "How are we gonna gethome now?!"
"Hey!" Yamcha flew up towards the aliens. "Tien,Gohan, let me handle this."
"If you say so." Tien nodded.
Yamcha scowled at the aliens. "That was not smart. Startrunning or I break you in two."
"Ah, shut him up!" One of the aliens ordered the other.They raised their blasters and fired, the beams detonating violentlyon impact. "Hah! Stupid tourist, should have at least tried tododge-" Yamcha, completely unharmed, appeared inches away fromthem.
"Shoot me again! Go on! See what happens!" He flexedhis muscles, and the aliens turned to run. Moving faster than theireyes could follow, he intercepted them, quick targeted blowsknocking them unconscious. He jumped back down to the others,smiling with self-satisfaction. "They'll be out for a day orso. Not bad, huh?"
"Not bad? NOT BAD?!" Bulma stomped up to him.
"Oh, here we go…"
"The ship! Has! A hole in it! We are stuck here !On this planet! With no way home! Why didn't you stop them beforethat happened, huh, Mr. Big Brave Warrior?!"
"They… they didn't seem like much of a threat at first…"
" They had space guns !" And so it went, forquite a while.
Goku and Raditz, still recovering, often found themselves ontheir own for hours at a time, and as boredom set in (in the youngerbrother's case, this didn't take long) Goku started asking Raditzabout the saiyan race.
"What were they like?" he asked first. "It's hardto imagine a whole planet full of us."
Raditz nodded. "It was wonderful, while it lasted. A life ofbattle, of conquest-everything our kind lives for. The onlydownside… our victories were not ours alone. We served another…the tyrant… Frieza!"
"Frieza? Who's that?" Goku started paying moreattention. "What kind of hold did he have on us, to make anentire planet of warriors his servants?"
"The only thing a saiyan respects-power." Raditzfrowned. "Frieza is the most powerful being in the universe.Remember how Vegeta had to summon up all his energy and push himselfto the limit to produce an attack with enough power to destroy theplanet? Frieza could do that with the merest flick of a finger.There is no being alive that can defeat Frieza. Even if all of ourarmies had risen against him in unison, millions and millions of thegalaxy's finest warriors, he could have killed them without anyeffort."
"That doesn't sound good… there's someone out there farmore powerful than Vegeta…"
"Right. Now you see how he so easily enslaved us. Vegeta wasalways talking about how he'd keep fighting and fighting and getstronger while Frieza sat around doing nothing, and one day Vegetawould become the strongest in the universe and defeat Frieza onceand for all." He chuckled. "Personally, I think he'scrazy. I've never seen a being with even a tenth of Frieza's power.It's impossible."
"Don't say that!" Goku sat up a little. "Anything'spossible-you just have to work hard for it. A year ago, I would havesaid it was impossible for us to get strong enough to fight Vegeta,but we won the battle! He had to run away!"
"You're wrong." Raditz's face darkened. "Frieza iscompletely unlike Vegeta. There is no fighting him. But Vegeta wouldalways insist, one day, he'd do it. He'd become the Super Saiyan,and free us from the tyrant. Of course, since a meteor destroyed ourhome planet, there aren't many of us left to free-less since Nappadied."
"There's that phrase again." Goku raised an eyebrow."Super Saiyan. What is that?"
Raditz sighed. "Well, according to legend, athousand years ago, on the original home planet of the saiyans, ademigod emerged. A golden warrior, who could only control his powerin his transformed state. But his anger, and his power, were toogreat to control, and he destroyed our home planet-and himself. Somesaiyans escaped, to the planet Plant, which after we conquered itmany centuries later, we named Vegeta-after the warrior who led usto victory, the father of the Vegeta you and I fought."
"Wow… and Vegeta thinks he can become this Super Saiyan?Would he be able to beat Frieza then?"
"It's just an old story! It doesn't mean anything!Goodnight!" Raditz rolled over and pretended to go to sleep.
"Well, it looks safe," Tien said, indicating the cavein front of them, "and we'll need somewhere to sleep tonight,so come on in."
"All right. I'll set up the capsule house and-" Anotherscouter alert, and Bulma went pale. "Guys, I think we shouldget inside right now !" The four travellers scrambledinto the cave, getting inside just in time to avoid a large group ofassorted aliens which shot past through the air at incredible speed.
"That… can't be good…" Yamcha muttered, breathingout once they'd passed.
"I know what you mean." Tien wiped his forehead. "Someof those guys must have been as strong as Vegeta…"
"And that guy in the middle!" Gohan was trembling. "Hewas unbelievably strong! He made Vegeta look like nothing!"
"I'm afraid the news just gets worse…" Bulmaindicated the dragon radar. "Those guys have got the fourDragon Balls with them! What do we do? There's no way we can beatpeople like that!" She trembled a little. "We owe it toall the people the saiyans killed, but how are we going to make ourwish with these people around?"
"We'll find a way." Tien nodded to Yamcha and Gohan."Let's follow them discreetly. Sorry, Bulma, but you can't movefast enough."
"I'll have a Capsule House waiting in here for you guys,"Bulma replied, starting to unpack her bag. "You come backsafe."
"Will do!" Yamcha gave a thumbs-up. "Let's go,guys!" The three of them took off, moving in a strange hoppingsemi-flight to suppress their power. The group they were followingseemed to have stopped; there was that at least.
Only a few minutes later, the three of them were lying in hidingon a ledge overlooking a Namekian village. But judging by the stateof Gohan's temper, they weren't going to be in hiding for very long.The Namekians were being uncooperative and refusing to give Friezatheir Dragon Ball-and the tyrant, in a typical display of his shorttemper, was having them killed one by one. Finally, when one of thetwo fleeing children was vapourised in mid-step, Gohan snapped.
"They… they killed him!" He hissed, his whole bodyshaking.
"Calm down, Gohan!" Tien put a hand on the child'sshoulder. "There's nothing we can do against guys like that!"
"We'll just get ourselves killed too!" Yamcha added.
"I don't care!" Gohan leapt to his feet, rocketing downtowards the village. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
"Oh, this is going to suck…" Yamcha muttered,following him. Tien flew along wordlessly.
The monstrous Dodoria, Frieza's #2 henchman, stood over theNamekian child Dende, one arm raised to crush the life from histarget. Without warning, Gohan crashed into Dodoria, knocking himthrough the wall behind him. Yamcha kicked Dodoria away as he wasabout to get up, and Tien stood between them and the bewilderedsoldiers. "Move!" He urged. "They won't take long torecover!"
As Yamcha and Gohan took off with the surviving Namekian child,Tien stood his ground to buy them time to escape.
"Dodoria…" Frieza chimed in sweetly as Dodoriastruggled to his feet. "What's wrong with this picture?"
"Uh…" the pink-skinned brute scratched his head. "Isthat a trick question…?"
" Kill him and get after the others, you buffoon !"
"Right, right!" Dodoria leapt at Tien, who immediatelytensed up.
"Kaioken times two!" The red aura flared, and Tien'sfoot collided with Dodoria's neck, sending waves of force rollingaway. But Dodoria just smiled, unaffected, and elbowed Tien in thestomach, doubling him over. "Gah!" He choked, fallingaway. Dodoria took off after the others, and Tien caught his breath,giving chase and powering up to a Kaioken times four. He'sgaining on them… even if I can move faster than him, the otherscan't… he swooped over Dodoria's head, coming down betweenthem and their pursuer. "Guys, we can't outrun him! Get behindme and protect the Namek kid!"
"Right!" Yamcha stood in a combat-ready stance, Gohanat his side, Dende trembling behind them. Tien gritted his teeth asDodoria came to a halt in front of him. "Eh? Back for more?Impressive stunt, hiding your power level like that, but in the endit's useless against me." Dodoria grinned maliciously, poundinghis fists together in anticipation of the oncoming battle.
"Oh, this isn't hiding my power…" Tien summoned uphis strength. "It's flat-out increasing it!" Havingexperienced using the Kaioken in battle, and then getting a fewweeks to refine it, I've achieved a greater level of control…hopefully enough to sustain this… "KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!"He charged forwards as realisation dawned on Dodoria's face.
The pair disappeared in a blur of arms and legs, attacking anddefending with expert technique and incredible force. Gohan andYamcha were relegated to mere bystanders by the intensity of thebattle. When they separated, Dodoria was battered and bruised, andTien was almost uninjured, albeit clearly worn out from the effortof using what was becoming his signature technique. He smiled,preparing to deliver the final blows. "You act tough, but itseems you can't deliver." He was interrupted as a green streakof light sent him flying down into the water below.
Zarbon, the only soldier on Namek with higher standing thanDodoria, hovered next to his comrade, a smirk on his face. "Isthis the creature who gave you so much trouble, Dodoria?When I saw the speed he took off after you at, I knew he had enoughpower that my assistance might be required… I'd have pegged him attwenty thousand, perhaps a bit higher given that he almost beat you.I do wish we hadn't lost our scouters, but that old Namek had to goand be a hero…"
"Well, with us together he shouldn't be much of a problem,"Dodoria answered, "so let's do this quickly-I imagine OurGlorious Leader can't be too happy just watching the Dragon Balls."
Zarbon rolled his eyes. "And don't I know it. Hey, you! Wewere fighting! Is that still happening, or what?" He scannedthe water for signs of Tien. "Where'd he get to… ah!"The lake under the two soldiers began to boil, then the water flewaway in every direction, revealing Tien glowing red with hisamplified power.
This doesn't look good… he gritted his teeth, tryingto stay focused under the immense strain of a five-times increase.Just have to hope I can beat them before I wear myself out!He shot up at Frieza's minions, heading for Dodoria first. His kickgot through his target's guard, smashing into Dodoria's face, butbefore he could turn to guard Zarbon landed a dizzying punch to hishead, following up by driving his other hand into Tien's stomach.Tien faced Zarbon, blocking the next three blows, but Dodoriagrabbed him from behind, allowing Zarbon to rain attacks on Tienuntil he fell still, his aura flickering out.
"There!" Zarbon folded his arms, smiling as Dodoriaflung Tien away. "That wasn't too difficult! And now to cleanup…"
Yamcha caught Tien before he fell into the water below again,looking up to see Zarbon's hand raised, energy crackling around itas he prepared to fire.
"W-wait! Hold on!" Yamcha backed away slowly. "Youreally don't want to shoot me!" He gave his best innocentlook-something being with Bulma had given him plenty of experiencewith.
"Oh, I really think I do." Zarbon grinned maliciously."I think I'll take your leg off first. I do love it when theyscream."
"N-n-now hold on!" Yamcha became frantic. "If youlet us live, you can have a wish granted-anything you want!"
"The stuff of childish fantasy. Hmm… after a leg, maybe anear, then I'll start removing your fingers…"
"No, really!" He turned to the others. "Gohan!Namek kid! Back me up on this! It's the Dragon Balls-that's whyFrieza's after them!"
"Yeah. They can grant any one wish." Gohan nodded.
Zarbon slowly lowered his hand, lost in thought. "That wouldmake sense… that's how he intends to become immortal… any wish,you say…"
"Yeah! And we know how to activate them-Frieza doesn't!"This was pretty much a lie; activating the Dragon Balls wasn'tdifficult, at least on Earth.
Dodoria tensed up. "Zarbon! You can't possibly be thinkingof betraying Lord Frieza!"
"Oh, of course not, Dodoria," Zarbon answered, then ashis comrade relaxed his guard, casually reached up and snapped hisneck.
Dodoria's body made a dull wet noise as it hit the ground fromalmost a mile up. "There." Zarbon turned back to Yamcha,and there was a hunger in his eyes. "I will let you alllive-for now. You will attempt to secure at least one of the DragonBalls. I will aid Frieza in collecting the other six. Then, I willcreate a distraction-I have something fittingly grandiose inmind-and we will meet, and then I will have my wish. I know youwon't betray me, because if you do I will kill you. If I can't findyou, I will destroy the planet and you on it. So you willhold to this."
"But they'll work it out, right?" Gohan asked. "They'llsee your friend died, and won't it seem weird that you beat us allon your own?"
"First, Dodoria was no friend of mine. And second, I assureyou that my real power would make short work of all of youat once. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He soared off, backtowards the village. Finally, he thought, I will befree of my curse-having to rely on that monstrous form for power!Never again will I need to tarnish my divine beauty! And if all goesto plan, Frieza won't be around to interfere…
Betrayal
Chapter 12: Betrayal
Yamcha, Gohan, Tien and Dende watched Zarbon leave, collectivelybreathing out as they realised they'd live to see another day.
Tien broke the silence first. "Thanks, Yamcha… I didn'tthink we were going to make it through that one."
"But are we gonna do it?" Gohan asked. "Should wehelp him get his wish?"
"Hmm… it might be worth it, you know." Yamchashrugged. "It may be bad letting someone like that get theirwish, but if Frieza gets it instead, that'd be much worse. Plus,getting all seven for ourselves, now they have four, would bepractically impossible."
"Excuse me…" Dende finally found the courage tospeak. "Are you here to help? To protect my people?"
"I really don't know if we can, against enemies thatpowerful," Tien replied, "but we'd like to."
"Then I guess I should tell you… the dragon grants threewishes."
"Wait, three?" Tien looked over at the small Namekian."That's great! I bet when our 'friend' has gotten whatever itis he wants, he'll spend a while gloating about it-leaving the othertwo wishes for us! If we're clever with our wording, I bet we canfix things on Earth and here on Namek in one go."
"C'mon, let's go tell Bulma," Gohan said, smiling nowthey finally had a plan, and at least a little hope.
Zarbon landed back at the Namekian village, where Frieza and theremainder of his soldiers waited. "Lord Frieza! I haveeliminated the threat, but I regret to inform you that Dodoria isdead."
"Is that so?" Frieza stroked his chin. "And yetyou survived, unharmed?"
Zarbon struggled to keep his voice steady. "Yes, sir. Onlyone of them was strong enough to pose a challenge, but he wasalready tired and worn from fighting Dodoria, and I didn't even needto transform to beat him." He smiled, playing it up. "Asfor the others, their flesh cooked deliciously…"
"Well, no matter." Frieza shrugged nonchalantly."There's more where he came from. Well, not literally on theplanet he came from-not since my last visit, anyway…"
"Indeed." Zarbon glanced around. "If the DragonBall is secure, how should we proceed? Locating the Namekianvillages without scouters will be troublesome."
"Well, get to it then," Frieza ordered, waving a handvaguely. "Zarbon, accompany me back to the ship. The rest ofyou-comb the planet! Find those last two Dragon Balls, before I losemy patience with the whole lot of you!"
"Now look, you have a fracture there, and if we can't shavethe hair off we can't set the bone-"
"The fracture be damned!" Raditz snarled, fending off ashaving-razor-wielding doctor. "You remove one hair and Iremove your face, Earthman!" Their struggle was interrupted bya familiar-but not always welcome-voice.
"Hey! Goku! Goku's brother!" Yaijerobe called out,entering the room. "How you doing?"
"Oh, I'm okay, but…" Goku stretched as best he could."I'm gonna be stuck in hospital for another couple months…how are you doing, Raditz?"
"Oh, you know…" Raditz grumbled. "I'm fine…just locked in mortal combat over here… damn it, leave me alone!"He frowned, focusing his ki and sending the doctor flying across theroom.
"Well, whatever." Yaijerobe pulled out a brown leatherbag. "But here's your ticket outta hospital, if you want."
"Senzu beans?" Goku's face lit up. "You're thebest, Yaijerobe!"
"Yeah, sure. Korin was gonna give Tien some when he went tofight the saiyans, but you two used 'em all up training-try to savesome for everybody else this time!"
"Will do!" Taking the bag, Goku popped a bean in hismouth, much to the bemusement of the medical staff, then tossed oneto Raditz, who ate it gleefully.
"You know, Kakarot," Raditz said as they leapt out ofbed, shaking their bandages off to reveal fully-healed bodies,"irritating doctors aside, I'm really starting to like yourplanet. This beats the healing tanks any day… so what now?"
"Well, there's good news and bad news." Goku pulled onhis gi as Raditz fastened his armour. "The good news is that myship is ready to go-and I think I'll be needing it, 'cause on Namekthere are apparently fighters even stronger than Vegeta, after theDragon Balls too!"
"What?! When did you hear this? How come I didn't?"They climbed out of the window and took off, as the patients anddoctors stared in shock.
Goku shrugged. "You were asleep. You do sleep a lot whenyou're healing. So anyway, you going to come to Namek with me?"
"Hold on, you're not serious about going, are you?"Capsule Corporation appeared on the horizon. "You'll bekilled!"
"I'd expect more courage than that from a saiyan warrior!"Goku answered as they touched down just outside the main building.
"Are you calling me a coward?" Raditz gave histrademark scowl.
"Um…" Goku scratched his head. "Yeah, you couldsay that, I guess."
"Well, I'm sorry for being a realist." Raditz foldedhis arms. "Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?"
Goku shook his head firmly. "Nope. We owe it to everyone theinvaders killed to bring them back, and besides, I'm not leaving myfriends stranded in outer space!"
Raditz followed Goku towards the building, still grumbling."Well, damn it all, Kakarot, I can't very well let you run offto get into life-or-death battles on your own!"
Goku's smile grew. "You're coming with me? All right! Anddon't worry about those fighters there-we can train on the way, withthe gravity machine I asked Dr. Brief to build!"
"… So that's why we came to Namek," Tien was saying,as Dende listened in silence.
"Then you are good people. I'm glad…" Dende sighed."… that there are people out there in the galaxy who aren'tlike Frieza." He was sipping from a glass of water-Namekiansrequired no food, and the scientist in Bulma was wondering if theyphotosynthesised like plants. Their green skin could be due tochlorophyll, and the constant sunlight on their planet would-sheshook her head, trying to focus on matters at hand. "So, uh,Dende… from what I hear, we just need to keep one Dragon Ballhidden, and Frieza can't make his wish."
"Right." Tien nodded. "Do you know where we couldfind one?"
"Each village has one…" Dende's eyes flicked back andforth around the room. "… Except for one. Guru keeps that onesafe."
"Guru?"
"The eldest of our people. He is very wise-perhaps if wewent to see him, he would know what to do."
"It might be worth a try." Tien stood up. "Youguys stay here. There's no need for us all to risk going out there."He followed Dende out the door, but just as the two of them wereabout to take flight, Bulma ran up to them. "Wait!" Sheshouted.
"Huh? What is it, Bulma?"
"I was going to tell you when you got back, but then youtold me all about what you'd been doing and I forgot!"
"Tell us what?" This was from Yamcha, who was leaningout of the door behind Bulma.
"My dad called-he said Goku and his brother are out of thehospital, and are on their way here! We've got back-up, and a ridehome!"
"That's great!" Tien grinned. "Now all we have todo is stall Frieza and his men until they get here. If we can getour wishes, that's a bonus, but I'll take a stalemate over animmortal enemy. Come on, Dende, let's go see Guru."
"Uh… right." They lifted off and shot away into thesky.
"Zarbon." Frieza addressed his henchman bluntly.
"Yes, Lord Frieza?" The two of them were on their wayback to Frieza's ship, with their five Dragon Balls in tow.
"Any idea who those three you killed were?"
Zarbon nodded. "I didn't want to say this earlier-might havepanicked the men-but I interrogated one of the weaker ones before Ikilled him."
"… And?"
"He said…" Zarbon took a deep breath. There was nogoing back after this. All or nothing. "… He said he was sentby Cooler."
"Cooler? Hmm… not in uniform, he could have been lying…"Frieza considered this. "But then again, if they were spies,there would be no reason for them to be in uniform, and if he'd gotwind of my plans somehow, I wouldn't put it past my big brother tointerfere." They approached the ship, landing outside andentering the hatch. "Very well. Send for the Ginyu Force, forback-up-now I've discovered him, he may resort to a more directattack. I'm sure the Ginyus can handle whatever rabble my brotherthrows at us, while I take care of Cooler himself." He smiled."And if the 'spy' was lying after all, the Ginyu squad can atleast use their scouters to speed up the search for the last twoDragon Balls."
"As ever, my lord, your plans are flawless." Zarbonbowed, and left Frieza to his plans. Doubts filled his mind as hestrode down the corridor, receiving salutes from passing soldiers.Had he acted too rashly? Was he just sealing his own fate? No. No,this had to be done. The galaxy would be better off without at leastone of those tyrants-but anyway, this wasn't about the galaxy. It'sabout me. And for all time I take trying to make my appearanceimmaculate-always, when a battle goes against me I have to resort tothat… hideous thing. I can finally be free of the curse of mypeople…
Hurrying over to the communications console and making surenobody was around, Zarbon switched it on, inputting the frequency afriend of his had given him. "Come in! Come in, this is Zarbon,do you copy?"
"'Ello? Salza speaking." A heavily-accented voicereplied. "This had better be important."
"It is." Zarbon took a moment to compose himself."Salza, old friend-I have urgent news. Frieza is on a planetcalled Namek, and he has discovered the means to make himselfimmortal!"
"Immortal? Are you sure?"
"Positive. It sounds far-fetched, but trust me, all right?"
"Why are you telling me this? I will 'ave to inform LordCooler, who will come to this Namek and take immortality forhimself."
"Oh, I'm aware of that. But Cooler was always… morereasonable than Frieza. He doesn't incinerate his followers quite sooften. Tell him to hurry, or Frieza could already be immortal whenhe arrives."
"As it happens, we are in the area. Lord Cooler waswondering why Frieza took so many troops into this system, and wewere already nearby, observing his flight path."
"I have to go-Zarbon out."
"Take care." The line went dead, and Zarbon immediatelyopened up another channel. "Come in! Ginyu Force-urgent newsfrom Planet Namek…"
A flickering display on the control panel read '10G'-at hislevel, it hadn't taken Goku long to get used to it, and Raditz hadgrown up with ten times Earth's gravity on planet Vegeta, so thiswas normal to him.
Impacts rocked the ship as the two saiyan warriors battled backand forth, moving from attack to defense and back, launching punchesand kicks that could level mountain ranges and shaking the ship toits core. Goku jumped over a low kick from Raditz, somersaultingover his brother's head and countering with an elbow jab frombehind. Raditz caught it, spinning around and throwing Goku away,jumping after him and pressing the attack. They had been trainingfor hours on end, and both were at the limit of their endurance,gasping for air as rivers of sweat dripped down to the floor.
"I'm done," Raditz moaned. "I can't take any more.Session over."
"Yep," Goku nodded, "I'm exhausted too. Theperfect time to step it up a notch!"
"Wait, what?" Raditz was pulled to the floor as Gokuincreased the gravity to twenty times Earth's-twice planet Vegeta's.
"Hey, get up!" Goku folded his arms. "This is onlytwice what you're used to-I'm dealing with Earth's gravity timestwenty!"
"You're crazy…" Raditz muttered, climbing unsteadilyto his feet. "Just like Vegeta."
"Well, just remember there are fighters even stronger thanVegeta on Namek!" Goku resumed his fighting stance. "Ifyou just accept your limits, we'll never surpass them. Overcome whatyou thought was possible! We've already improved massively over thelast year!"
Raditz grinned. "Heh… maybe a little bit of crazy is whatwe need right now…" He lunged at Goku, kicking at his head.Goku blocked with his forearm, three punches from his other arm inrapid succession smashing into Raditz's face. I can't believehow strong Kakarot's become ¸ he thought as he fended offanother barrage of attacks. When I met him, he was barely aquarter of my power, but now he's practically caught up with me! Howdoes he do it?
It took twenty minutes for the brothers to finally run out ofenergy for real, so-leaving the gravity machine on 20G to try andget used to the setting-they crawled over to the bag of senzu beansand ate one each, feeling instantly renewed and stronger than ever."Well, I think that went well-" Goku was interrupted by anunfamiliar voice in their heads.
"Hello? Is this Goku and Raditz?"
"Um… yes…" Goku looked over at Raditz, as if tosay, are you hearing this too? Raditz nodded. "Who isthis?" Goku continued.
"I am King Kai-the one who trained Tien, remember!"
"Oh yeah! Thanks for that, by the way."
"Sure. And I'm about to tell Tien this, but another friendof yours-little bald guy-made it down Snake Way even faster thanTien did! He wants me to train him too."
"Wow, Krillin? That's great!" Goku grinned as he spoke,imagining Krillin getting as strong as Tien.
"What about Piccolo-the Namekian the saiyans killed?"Raditz asked.
"I'm afraid he was sent straight to Hell," King Kaianswered. "Kami, on the other hand, heard you were planning onresurrecting him, so instead of going up to Heaven he's been helpingKing Yemma with the paperwork. Nice guy. So, any news from Namek?"
"Well, it's probably a good thing we're on our way."Goku wasn't sure which direction to look when talking to King Kai'sdisembodied voice, so he settled for vaguely upwards. "Apparently,there are fighters there even stronger than Vegeta, and they'relooking for the Dragon Balls too!"
"Huh?" King Kai paused. "More powerful thanVegeta, you say? There aren't many in the galaxy who are… hold on,let me scan Namek." Another, longer pause followed, and thenshortly after came a strangled choking sound. "Goku! Raditz!When you get to Namek, take your friends and leave! Don't try tofight anybody!"
"Huh? What's the matter?"
"F… Frieza is on the planet Namek… you mustn't try tofight him! Nobody can defeat Frieza!"
Raditz nearly jumped out of his skin. "Frieza's there?! Turnthis ship around!" He leapt for the controls, but Goku held himback. "I'm not going anywhere near that monster!"
Goku punched Raditz in the face, with enough force to knock himto the floor. "And you call yourself a saiyan!" hegrowled. "What happened to our 'proud race of warriors'?"
"You don't understand!" Raditz held his head in hishands. "There will be no survivors-Frieza will kill us, and allof your friends, and the entire Namekian race! Frieza… the mostterrible being in the universe… I'm sorry, Kakarot, but there'sjust nothing we can do against him!" He looked up too late, asGoku's foot connected with his forehead, knocking him down throughthe hatch to the lower floor.
"Come back up when you grow a spine!" Goku told him."My own brother, trying to run from a fight…" He set thegravity up to 30G, flooring Raditz again just as he was standing up,and resumed training.
Tien landed on the raised plateau, slightly behind Dende. "Sothis is Guru's place, huh?" He gazed up at the spherical greybuilding, with the mysterious spikes and bubble-shaped windowscommon to Namekian architecture. Out of the doorway stepped a tall,broad-shouldered Namek warrior. "Greetings, child. Is thevisitor…"
"Here to help," Dende replied enthusiastically. "Heand his friends saved me from the invaders today!"
"Very well." The warrior Nail turned to Tien. "Ifyou wish to see Guru, follow me." Dende and Tien walked withhim, through the doorway and into the shadow-filled home of Guru.
The Ginyu Force
Chapter 13: The Ginyu Force
"Lord Guru-this is the visitor." Nail spoke reverentlyto the huge, ancient Namekian sitting in the throne at the back ofthe room. "He comes seeking our help in protecting this planet,and his own."
"Step forward," came a deep voice which seemed to comefrom every direction at once. Tien walked over to Guru's throne,looking up at the elder and wondering how many years, and how manygenerations, someone like him must have seen go by. "Uh…Guru? I'm from-"
"Earth."
"Huh?" Tien raised an eyebrow.
"I felt your mind from afar, Tien Shinhan. Such a strongmind. You and your friends have travelled far."
"That we have…" Tien glanced around. "I was toldyou have a Dragon Ball here, and I wanted to ask for it-while I'msure your guard is very loyal, we can hide it in a place far lessobvious than your home, sir."
Guru smiled. "Your mission, it is a noble one. Nail, bringforth the Dragon Ball." The ever-alert warrior nodded andretreated into the darkness. "Stand close, human. There isanother gift I can bestow upon you."
"A… gift?" Tien asked. "What do you mean?"
"I sense great power within you." Guru held out hishand. "Let me awaken your true potential, and your comingbattles may be easier."
When Nail re-entered the main area, carrying the Dragon Ball inboth hands, Guru's hand was resting on Tien's forehead, and ashimmering white aura enveloped the human fighter. When it faded,Tien stood completely still, stunned at what he could sense insidehimself. "This power… it's incredible! I've had it allalong?"
Guru nodded, and Nail handed Tien the Dragon Ball. He accepted itcheerfully. "Thanks so much! I won't let you down! Dende…"
Dende answered the unspoken question. "I would like to stayhere, if Guru allows it."
"Of course," the eldest Namekian replied. Tien wavedfarewell, sprinted for the door and took off, soaring through thegreen-tinted skies.
Goku was getting the hang of 30G training, but he wastroubled-Raditz still hadn't rejoined him. So he jumped down to thelower level of the ship, to find his brother lying on his back, eyesclosed. "Hey, what's got into you? We haven't got much timeuntil Namek, ya know!"
"What's the point? Frieza's going to kill us when we getthere," Raditz groaned. "I don't know, maybe Vegeta wasright about fighting anyone-maybe you were right, too-but then, Iguess that'd make two things you're right about. I'm no warrior."
"Huh?" Goku scratched his head. "That'sridiculous. You were awesome against Piccolo and Vegeta!"
"No…" Raditz rolled over, facing downwards. "Doyou know, I was always mocked on Planet Vegeta. Raditz, theweakling. Raditz, the joke. Bardock's son, the failure. I wassupposed to be a warrior of the highest class… it's no wonder ourfather disowned me."
"He what?!" Goku's eyes widened.
"And I'd constantly be on missions, just to get away fromthe ridicule. Weak planets, of course-places like Earth, where Icould feel like a god among insects. I'd delude myself, thinking forjust a brief moment… that I was special. That I was important."
Goku crouched down next to Raditz. "So you were on one ofthese missions when the meteor hit?"
"That's right." Raditz looked up at his brother,fighting to keep his face straight and failing. "And then-Icame to Earth, to find you. You were only so weak because of thegravity you'd trained under. If you'd grown up on Planet Vegeta,you'd probably have been a match for Nappa. You saved my life fromPiccolo, and then I just kept proving myself worthless."
"Don't say that!"
"It's true! Who defeated the invaders? Who really won thebattle? Not me-you. You, Tien, and your son. And I've lost my tail,too-my greatest source of power. And then you, you Earthling in allbut name, you show more courage than me-and despite knowing I shouldbe relishing the prospect of battle, I turn coward and try to run. Idon't deserve to be called saiyan, much less warrior." His eyesclosed again, and he slumped to the floor.
"Wow… I was just trying to make you more determined, but Iguess it backfired…" Goku stood up, staring down at Raditz.The silence lasted a full minute, then Goku sighed, stretching out ahand. "Raditz."
"Uh?" One eye half-opened cautiously.
"Take my hand. Do you want to be a fighter?"
"What?"
Goku smiled. "Do you want to prove them wrong? You don'thave to be weak if you don't want to. Come on, Nappa's alreadynothing compared to you."
Raditz took Goku's hand, standing up slowly. "Woah… how doyou move around in this gravity?"
"The same way I do everything-with hard work and dedication!That's the warrior's way, right?"
"Do you really think we can become powerful enough to defeatFrieza?"
"Anything's possible." Goku shrugged. "We won'tknow until we try!"
"Lord Frieza-the scouts have reported back, the sixth DragonBall is in our possession." Zarbon informed Frieza. Thosethree had better have found the seventh, or there won't be much Ican do to stop Frieza attaining immortality… just how long isCooler going to take?!
Frieza nodded. "Very good. Not long now… now, if we canjust locate the seventh before Cooler makes his move. Dismissed."A soldier ran in, seconds after Zarbon departed. "Sir! TheGinyu Force are minutes away! Their signal is approaching fast."
"Then I shall go and meet them. With their scouters,obtaining the final Dragon Ball will be easy." Frieza headedfor the door. "Oh, and flunky, find something useful to do."
The five Ginyu Force pods collided with the planet's surface,throwing up a satisfying dust cloud. Out climbed the five eccentricand colourful elite soldiers-Captain Ginyu, his right-hand manJeice, resident speedster Burter, hulking giant Recoome, anddimunitive psychic Guldo. They leapt around like maniacs, formingtheir 'special fighting poses' Ginyu loved to work so hard on.Frieza rolled his eyes. "Yes, very good, Ginyu. Your ballet is,as ever, flawless. But the mission is somewhat urgent-as you know,Cooler is quite possibly on his way here at this very moment."
"Indeed, my lord Frieza." Ginyu bowed. "Restassured, we will make short work of the 'armoured squadron' yourbrother loves to parade around!"
"Very good. However, your first objective is to locate theseventh-" Frieza was cut off by Guldo, who somewhatunexpectedly exploded.
"Well, well, well. Isn't this a nice little gathering."Standing a few hundred metres away stood a short man with spikedblack hair that stood up on end. He wore personalised battle armour,and had one finger outstretched, smoke rising from the tip.
"Ve… Vegeta?!" Captain Ginyu spluttered. "Howthe hell did you get here? And why didn't our scouters pick you upas you approached?"
"A simple trick, but I don't think that's the most pressingmatter on your mind right now, am I right?" Vegeta smirked."I'm here, fully recovered from my last battle, to offer myservices to Frieza in a new capacity-as captain of his elite squad!"Frieza watched all this silently.
"You must be joking!" Ginyu burst out laughing. "You,monkey? Replace me? Still, as funny as your little delusions are, Ican't let the death of a team member go unavenged. Prepare to die,at the hands of the finest soldier in Frieza's empire!" Ginyucharged forwards.
Vegeta simply grinned, catching his punch, and when the captainswung his other fist, Vegeta vanished, appearing behind Ginyu andkicking him away. The other Ginyus stood puzzled. "Vegeta wasnever this strong…" Jeice muttered. "He's standing up tothe Captain, and…" he tapped his scouter. "… What?!That's impossible! He's just a saiyan!"
Ginyu gritted his teeth, swinging around and launching an elbowstrike, which Vegeta ducked under. The prince leaned in, grabbingone of Ginyu's horns in each hand and headbutting him, drawingblood. Ginyu staggered away, clutching his face. "Where did youget all this power? Answer me!"
"That's for me to know, and anyone who's still alive in twominutes to find out."
"Lord Frieza! Kill this traitor!" Ginyu shouted, butFrieza just chuckled.
"He's challenged you for leadership of the squad, Ginyu. Ifyou forfeit, Vegeta wins by default."
"But… trial by combat has never been a tradition in thisarmy…"
"It is if I say it is. And I want only the strongest captainleading my troops. If Vegeta beats you, perhaps he'd be a betterleader than you would." Frieza waved a hand. "Do carryon."
"Well, Ginyu?" Vegeta stood, completely at ease,waiting for his opponent. "It's your move."
Hmm… Ginyu, having got over his shock at beingoutclassed by Vegeta, began to stratgise. I can't beat him in astraight fight… but, of course… to overpower me like that, hemust have a very powerful body… yes, indeed… He laughedagain. "Perhaps you will be the captain-just not in the wayyou'd imagined!" Opening his mouth wide, Ginyu prepared to firehis Body Change technique. "CH-" Vegeta moved faster thanGinyu's eyes could follow, appearing behind him and cutting throughthe Captain's neck with the edge of his hand.
Captain Ginyu's severed head rolled along the ground, stopping atBurter's feet. The blue, serpentine soldier recoiled in horror."C-captain…"
"Yes, that's right." Vegeta pointed at himself asGinyu's body hit the floor. "Captain. Am I correct, Frieza?"
Frieza nodded. "Indeed-well done, Vegeta. I grant youleadership of the Gin… ah, should it be the Vegeta Force now?"
Vegeta waved his hand in dismissal. "Call it what you like.The galaxy knows and fears the Ginyu Force, so there's no need tocause confusion by changing it."
"Cunning strategy, by the way, Vegeta." Frieza smirked.Vegeta stared as if Frieza was a cat that had just done longdivision.
"Uh… Strategy?"
"With that increased power of yours, you could have easilybeaten any of the squad, so you killed the two members withabilities not reliant on power alone-Ginyu's body change technique,and Guldo's psychic abilities. Impressive… for a primate."
Vegeta ground his teeth. "Thank you, sir ."One day, Frieza… one day, very soon…
Frieza walked leisurely over to Vegeta and his new subordinates."And by the way, there are two questions which spring to mind…how did you increase your power by so much? And I believeCui was chasing you-what happened to him?"
"Well, as I retreated from my last mission, I was aiming forFrieza planet 79, but my course was diverted by enemy fire, and Iended up on Frieza planet 325. This world had ten times the gravityof Planet Vegeta, and realising how beneficial this would be to anytraining I did, I formed a plan, the fruition of which you just saw.Cui arrived a couple of weeks into my training, and he tried to killme for some perceived treachery or another. Needless to say, it wasan extremely short battle."
Frieza began to re-enter his ship. "Well, just remember thatthis mission, if successful, will make up for your unsanctionedattack on Earth. Now, go find that last Dragon Ball. As in, now."
Tien was leaving Guru's house for the second time. This time,Gohan and Yamcha came with him, having also both received Guru'sgift. As they were about to take off, Yamcha looked over to theleft, staring into space. "You guys feel that?"
Tien nodded. "That energy-it's the guy who made a deal withus. And he's flying away from the rest of them, on his own. I thinkhe's signalling us."
"Then let's go see him-he might have the Dragon Balls,"Gohan suggested. "Let's get ours from Bulma. And if it's atrick or something, with all this new power he won't be a problem,right?"
"Right!" Yamcha agreed, and they headed off in Zarbon'sdirection.
Zarbon watched the specks in the sky grow into three humanoidfigures, and smiled as they landed. "Ah, I was hoping you'dnotice me coming out here." He was carrying a Dragon Ball ineach hand.
"Where are the other four?" Tien asked-Yamcha had theirone.
"Back at Frieza's ship-I can't carry them all in one go.I'll go and sneak them out like I did these, but first I wanted tomake sure you were here with the seventh and ready when we havethem."
"Hey," Yamcha whispered to Tien. "Do we need to gothrough with the deal? Why not let him get the Dragon Balls, thenbeat him up and take the wishes for ourselves. We should be able tobeat him now."
Tien sighed. "It's fine, Yamcha. Two wishes will be plenty,and as long as he doesn't wish to kill us all or something likethat, there's no problem."
"All right… so, uh…"
"Zarbon, if you must know."
"Right, Zarbon." Yamcha shrugged. "Time is of theessence and all, so if you could…"
"Of course." Zarbon turned to leave, but then theothers all started staring at a point in the sky. "What areyou… oh no…" another group of figures was heading theirway, and in less than a minute the four soldiers of Frieza-Vegeta,Recoome, Jeice and Burter-had reached them, touching downgracefully.
The three former underlings of Ginyu performed anotherover-the-top pose, at which Vegeta and Zarbon groaned while thehumans stared in confusion.
"You morons!" Vegeta growled at them. "Stop thatbefore I kill you all where you stand! You're not working for Ginyuanymore!"
"Uh…" Zarbon tried to make sense of the situation."Vegeta… and… the Ginyu Force?"
"Yes, the squad is under new management." Vegetastepped forwards. "And when our scouters detected you all onyour own, Zarbon, who'd have thought we'd find a full-scale case oftreachery?" Not that I needed a scouter myself…
"Treachery?" Zarbon blustered. "No, I'm not-"
"Caught red-handed with three Dragon Balls and a bunch ofEarthlings?" Vegeta pointed at Zarbon and the Earthlings,smiling cruelly. "Ginyu Force-attack!"
Declaration of War
Chapter 14: Declaration of War
The Ginyu Force charged into battle, Jeice swinging for Tien, whoblocked his first punch. Burter ran right between Gohan and Yamcha,bowling them over, and Recoome leapt at Zarbon, who gritted histeeth. Concentrating hard, he activated his transformation, hismuscles bulging out as his skin became hard and scaly and his facemonstrous and reptilian. Zarbon launched a vicious elbow strike atRecoome's face, but the giant soldier took it without flinching,kicking Zarbon into the air and sending him flying away.
Jeice kept up the pressure on Tien, throwing a series of rapidpunches and kicks. Tien retreated, blocking and dodging with expertprecision. Jeice overbalanced, staggering past Tien, who hammeredhim away with both fists, sending the red-skinned warrior skiddingalong the floor in a clod of dust. Tien ran the other way, towardsVegeta. Jeice jumped to his feet, pursuing. Tien ground to a halt,Vegeta in front, Jeice behind. Vegeta was already preparing forbattle. Whoever I go for… Tien thought, the otherwill attack me from behind…
Burter stopped on the other side of his opponents, as theyclimbed to their feet.
"Wow, this guy's fast," Yamcha moaned.
"That's right!" Burter grinned. "I'm the fastestbeing in the universe!"
"Ah, haha, no." Yamcha shook his head.
"W-what?"
"Well, Vegeta over there has a much larger ki than you-andTien's about equal to you now, and he can increase his energy withthe Kaioken technique. A greater ki boosts your speed-there's no wayyou can be as fast as them with that kind of power."
"S-shut up!" Burter spluttered. "Prepare to die!"
"Oh, here we go…" Yamcha grimaced. "Gohan, watchyourself!" He pushed the kid out of the way as Burter camearound for another high-speed rush, knocking Yamcha to the floor.Gohan spun around, firing an energy beam at Burter's speeding form.Burter darted to the side, Gohan's blast detonating on a cliffbehind him as he continued his charge, smashing into Gohan andlaunching him into the air.
Zarbon landed on his feet, spinning to face his motionlessopponent. Recoome grinned. "So, Zarbon, you think you're reallysomething, huh? Frieza's right-hand man!" He began to walkslowly towards Zarbon. "Well, I was serving long before youwere-and you're just small fry to me!"
"Hrr…" Zarbon growled. "We'll see!" Hejumped forwards, charging an energy bolt between his hands.Recoome's fist swung at him, and Zarbon twisted to the side,catching Recoome's arm and vaulting over it. Bringing his arm backaround, Zarbon shoved the charged energy into Recoome's face,detonating it and staggering the towering fighter back. But Recoomejust righted himself, resuming his grin-albeit minus a few teeth."Nice try, bud!" Zarbon kicked at Recoome, who blockedwith his forearm, his other fist crashing into Zarbon's face andsending him tumbling backwards.
Tien glanced back and forth, and was about to make his choicewhen an energy blast took Jeice off his feet. Tien and Vegeta swungaround to see a tall Namekian warrior in a black jacket, standingwith one smoking hand extended. "Nail!" Tien grinned."You're here to help us? That's great!"
Nail smiled. "Guru sensed the saiyan's arrival, and sent meto warn you." He shot a glance at Vegeta. "It seems I'mtoo late, but I can still help out here."
"Thanks!" Tien turned away from Nail. "I've gotVegeta-can you handle the red one?"
"If you say so." Nail shot off towards Jeice, who wasjust standing up.
Vegeta nodded to the Earth's most powerful human. "Time forround two, Earthman." Tien frowned, feeling his ki rising."Haaaah… Kaioken times five!" The times-five increasewas much easier now that Guru had unlocked his power. He kicked atVegeta, who vanished, appearing behind him. Tien turned as fast ashe could to block Vegeta's first strike, but it was a feint, and thereal punch got past his guard, knocking him back. Wiping blood fromhis nose, Tien raised his guard again as Vegeta pressed hisadvantage.
"So, you work for Frieza? Figures." Tien ducked underanother swing from the saiyan's arm, launching a quickcounter-attack that Vegeta batted away.
"Hah! Not for long, I won't." The prince ducked underanother swing, then launched a barrage of punches that Tienstruggled to dodge. He jumped above Vegeta, flying towards him withboth feet extended, and Vegeta grabbed a leg in each hand, throwingTien to the ground.
He jumped up and away, firing an energy wave volley whichimpacted Tien as he tried to stand, flooring him again. Vegeta firedone final, larger blast, but Tien shimmered and the beam went rightthrough his afterimage. Vegeta turned to see Tien flying at him fromthe side, and the battle resumed, close-ranged punches flying athigh speed, each flawlessly blocked, countered and returned.
Burter ran up to Gohan's prone body, preparing to kick him whilehe was down, but stopped short when he heard the cry: "Sokidan!"Burter saw Yamcha's energy sphere just in time, jumping away toavoid it, but to his surprise it turned with Yamcha's directions andfollowed him. Yamcha gestured left and right as Burter fled theattack, and while it couldn't keep up with him, it was fast enoughthat he couldn't stop running. Banking left, Burter made straightfor Yamcha. "If I take you out, you can't maintain thatattack!" Yamcha left the Sokidan just enough energy to continuein a straight line, then stopped controlling it and placed his handstogether at his side. "Kamehame… HA!" A bright blue beamof energy shot out towards his oncoming opponent. Burter grinned ashis scouter beeped. "Is that all? That kind of power isn't evena challenge!" He skidded to a halt, backhanding the beam away.
"Actually, I just wanted to slow you down!" Yamchagloated.
"Huh?" Burter remained oblivious until the Sokidan hithim in the back, knocking him over.
Jeice opened with a quick uppercut which Nail sidestepped,smashing into Jeice's side with his elbow. Jeice jumped away,grimacing in pain, but managed to block Nail's next punch, kickingup into the Namekian's face and following up with a knee to thestomach. "How'd ya like that, greenie?"
Nail somersaulted away, remaining silent. They faced off for afew seconds, then without warning, Nail darted forwards, making topunch Jeice, but at the last moment opening his hand and blastingout a massive energy wave. Jeice was flung away, landing on his backas Nail leapt towards him.
Zarbon charged back into the fray, grimly determined to survivethe battle. "You're powerful, I'll give you that… but there'sno way I'm giving up this soon. Nothing will stand between me and mywish!" He fired a two-handed energy blast into the ground,propelling himself up and out of the way of Recoome's wild attack.He landed behind Recoome, who spun around and gripped Zarbon'sshoulders, trying to crush the bone under his hands. Zarbon gruntedwith pain, but smiled. "Hey… did you forget about that blastjust now? You think it was just to dodge?" He raised one handinto the air, and on cue his energy beam burst out of the groundunder Recoome's feet, engulfing him. Zarbon rolled away as the holdwas released, struggling to his feet as Recoome strode out of theexplosion, armour smashed and torn, but with only minor burns to hisbody, and of course still grinning. "Heh… you're more funthan I expected."
"Damn!" Zarbon clenched his fists. "Can nothingkill this brute?"
Vegeta mistimed a block, and Tien landed a solid punch to hisface. Tien followed up with a kick to Vegeta's abdomen, but his nextpunch swung through empty air. Vegeta darted around, kicking him inthe small of the back, and grabbing both Tien's wrists, pushingagainst him as Tien tried to push through Vegeta's hold and punchhim again. "Damn you… Earthling…" Vegeta hissed. "Iam from a race of the galaxy's finest warriors… not only that, Iam the prince-the highest of the elites! Where are you finding thestrength to oppose me?!"
"If you must know…" Tien grunted, his blood-red auraflaring around him, "I do a lot of sit-ups and push ups-anddrink plenty of juice!"
"Juice? Juice?!" Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "To hellwith your juice! You can't sustain this technique forever, whereasthis is my natural strength! If we keep this up, you'll quickly beworn down!"
"Think so?" Tien grinned. "If you weren't sofocused on boasting about your power, you'd have noticed me, slowlypositioning my hands like this…" while pushing againstVegeta, he'd moved his hands into forming a triangle with hisfingers.
"Wait…"
"KIKOHO!" A burst of yellow light exploded outwards,hurling Vegeta away. Tien knew he only had a few seconds to actbefore Vegeta got back up. Jeice and Nail were trading blows, Burterwas back on his feet and was dodging Yamcha and Gohan's attacks withease, and Recoome was slowly advancing towards Zarbon, brushing hisenergy blasts off like they were nothing. Tien flickered andvanished, relaxing his Kaioken down to a three times boost-he'd needto save energy for Vegeta.
Burter raised his hand to punch Yamcha again-his already-scarredface was bloodied from the beating he'd received-when Tien appearedin front of him, kicking him in the chin. Burter's head snapped backwith a vicious crack, and he toppled backwards, falling to thefloor. "Woah-I think you killed him!" Yamcha exclaimed."But, uh, thanks."
Tien put the guilt aside. He didn't have time now. "I guessI don't know how to control my new power yet. Got to go."Recoome had his hands around Zarbon's neck, and was squeezing thelife from their unlikely ally. Tien flew over at full speed,slamming his forearm into Recoome's ribs, feeling the bones buckleand give way. Recoome wheezed, dropped Zarbon and collapsed. Tiensped off, seeing Vegeta start to recover and knowing he was almostout of time.
Nail dodged a punch from Jeice and kicked him into the air. Tienappeared next to Jeice as he flew upwards, hitting the last GinyuForce member's shoulder with the edge of his hand, shattering hisarm and causing him to pass out from the shock.
Tien landed in front of Vegeta, his aura flaring up again as hepowered up to Kaioken times five. "Well, here we are again."
"Just die! Just stop breathing already!" Vegeta roared,hurling himself at Tien and staggering the three-eyed human backwith a furious combination of vicious attacks. Tien jumped away,preparing to launch his counterattack when he felt a large powerlevel approaching. He could see Vegeta, and the others arrayedbehind him (including Zarbon, who was wearing the scouter he'd takenfrom Jeice's body), had noticed it too. "Huh? Who could thatbe…" He let the Kaioken fade out, preferring to conserve hisenergy-the technique was still very draining, even with his newstrength.
"I think I know…" Vegeta grimaced. "Threepowers, each greater than Captain Ginyu's… Cooler's ArmouredSquadron."
"Uh… who's what?" Yamcha raised an eyebrow. Gohandidn't have anything to add, but inside was trembling at the thoughtof yet more strong enemies.
"What? First the Ginyu Force and now this…" Zarbongroaned. "They were supposed to fight each other, not all getin my way!"
"Ah, so that was the grand plan." Vegeta smiled. "SetFrieza and his brother against each other. Not bad. Of course, myplan is far worthier of a true warrior!" He indicated hisassembled enemies. "I was counting on whoever I came across onthis planet to give me a good challenge, and so far you haven'tdisappointed-though I just wish it didn't have to be an Earthling…"his disgust was clear in his voice (his prejudice against humansmainly due to his failed assault on their home planet). "ButI've already pushed my strength well beyond what we thought was thelimit for saiyans. If I can come back from the brink of death justonce more… I'll become powerful enough to tear Frieza into pieces!I shall be the legend… the Super Saiyan!" He grinned,imagining himself destroying the tyrant Frieza-and his brother too,he supposed, while he was at it. "All I have to do is fight,and recover from, a hard battle before Frieza becomes immortal. Andwith your motley crew-" he indicated Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, Nailand Zarbon, "-and the armoured squadron together in one place,that shouldn't be too-" An energy beam cut him off, detonatingin his face and knocking the saiyan prince to the ground.
The Armoured Squadron descended, their leader-the blue-skinned,blonde-haired Salza, decked out in his brightly-coloured bodyarmour-smirking as Vegeta fell. "The moron… all he ever doesis talk." The three soldiers of Cooler advanced. "Who'snext?"
The Legend and theTyrant
Chapter 15: The Legend and the Tyrant
Salza smiled as he surveyed the battlefield. The Ginyu Force hadbeen taken apart by Tien, whose fight with Vegeta had broken offwhen Salza and the Armoured Squadron intervened, taking the saiyanprince down with a surprise attack. "Well…" theheavily-accented soldier said, warming up. "Time to clean up.Zarbon, stay back and you will not be 'armed."
Tien readied himself. All three of the Squadron were muchstronger than he was, and he didn't know to what extent he'd have topower up to beat them. "Stay back, guys-this is beyond you,"he warned Yamcha and Gohan. He didn't worry about Zarbon-Frieza'stop soldier may have been a big deal a short while ago, but he'dmake virtually no difference to this battle. Silence fell as Tienweighed up his opponents. Then, initiating the Kaioken, he darted ofto the right.
"Get after him!" Salza yelled, racing to intercept withhis comrades close behind. Tien skidded to a halt as Salza and thesquad's mandatory large brute, this one called Doore, cut him off.The third soldier, Neiz-the shortest of the group-stopped behindhim, trying to prevent him from retreating. Tien jumped into theair, but Doore got there ahead of him, and Tien kicked off a wall ofhis own ki he hastily threw up, catapulting away from his enemies.Neiz appeared under him, grabbing hold of one of the fighter's legsand hurling him to the floor. Tien grunted, the hard ground grazinghis limbs, and looked up in time to see all three soldiers hurtlingdown towards him. He leapt away, somersaulting backwards as theircombined attack crashed into the ground, forming a substantialcrater. Tien gritted his teeth, raising his guard as the ArmouredSquadron prepared for another attack. If I was at full power,this would be easier, but using the Kaioken times five againstVegeta-plus the beating he gave me-is really making it difficult tofight at my full potential! "All right, come on!" Heshouted.
"Heh heh… quite eager to die, isn't he?" Neiz askedthe others. Doore nodded, chuckling. "Mm." Salza grinned."Let's stop playing around and fight seriously then, shall we?"Tien grimaced. They were just testing my strength… Hecalmed his mind, trying to achieve total focus. "Kaioken timesfour!" Within seconds, the Armoured Squadron was upon him,raining down lightning-fast blows that he barely blocked. He dodgedpast Salza's kick, but Doore got around behind him, smashing anelbow into the small of his back. He rolled away, gasping for air,rising and turning to charge straight back into the fight. Ican't let them keep the offensive!
The three soldiers split up, avoiding his attack, and charged himfrom three angles. Tien realized this was the perfect opening-theywouldn't expect a counterattack. "Multi-Form!" At the cry,he split into three copies, all using the Kaioken times four to beslightly more powerful than the original Tien, each of which landeda solid blow to their designated opponent. The Squadron fell to thefloor, and Tien rejoined into one being. The soldiers sprang totheir feet, only slightly injured. "Damn him!" Salzamuttered. "This should have been over in seconds." Hefired an energy beam, which Tien jumped over, ducking under anotherfrom Doore. He landed on his feet, spinning to face them again. I'mgetting nowhere fast, and I can't use the Kaioken forever! Salzastarted walking towards him, charging an energy blast in each handand frowning in frustration. "You've caused us enough trouble!"He raised his hands to fire, when a blur of movement sent himflying, landing in a heap a couple hundred yards away. He struggledto stand up, glancing wildly around. "Who…?"
"Who do you think?" Vegeta stood behind him, a nastyburn on the left side of his body, but he showed no outward signs ofpain. "Earthling, do what you will. The blue one shot me frombehind, so I'm going to kill him. When these three are done with,I'll be back for you, so don't think I'm changing sides oranything-got it?"
"Right." Tien nodded, relieved that his two mostpowerful enemies were going to be fighting each other. He lookedback to Neiz and Doore. "Now, where were we?"
A powerful kick launched Salza into the air again, and this timehe was knocked right through a plateau, the rubble collapsing aroundhim. Vegeta gestured the universal 'come and get me' sign, and anenraged Salza flew straight at him. He started punching wildly, andVegeta deflected each one with ease. "Come on, Salza, where'sthe might of the strongest soldiers in the universe?" He jumpedaway, dodging another punch. "Or are you all talk?"
"Go to Hell!" Salza screamed, leaping after him. Hecontinued his frenzied, unsuccessful attack, Vegeta no longer evenneeding to block, simply shifting from side to side to avoid eachstrike, his arms folded and a nonchalant expression on his face."I'll see you there when I do!" He boasted. Salzagrimaced, summoning his power and forming a flickering energy bladearound his hand. "This technique will cut you in two, no matterif you are stronger than me!" He yelled, but Vegeta caughtSalza's hand mid-swing. Grunting with the effort, Vegeta twisted itaround, snapping Salza's wrist. The blue-skinned warrior howled inpain, and Vegeta pressed his advantage, hammering blows into Salza'schest and stomach, then scything his hand right through Salza'sarmoured shoulderplate and knocking him to the ground-deliberatelyattacking the most armoured target, just to show off his strength(and though he wouldn't admit it, his hand was aching from the lastblow). Salza groaned, trying to get away, but Vegeta swept his armaround, incinerating Salza with a blaze of energy.
Tien caught Neiz's first attack, which the brown alien followedup with a series of fast strikes that drove Tien back. He jumpedover a low kick, but Doore was running up behind him. Blocking onemore punch, Tien backflipped over Doore's head, landing facing histwo opponents. Neiz and Doore continued their relentless offensive,and Tien dodged and twisted, ducking under Doore's sweeping fist androlling away from Neiz's downward elbow strike. He jumped up andaway, rebounding off a nearby tree and leaping away just in time asDoore's kick knocked the tree clean out of the ground. They chargedagain, and Neiz's next punch ripped off one of Tien's wristbands,missing him by the tiniest fraction. He blocked another threepunches from Neiz, then grabbed him by the head and swung around,crashing into Doore with both feet. Doore was sent flying away,crashing to the ground, as Neiz's renewed attack on Tien forced himto back away, dodging the onslaught. "Wow, you guys arerelentless!" Tien said, sidestepping another kick. He saw anopening and punched Neiz in the jaw, following up with a kick thatbent Neiz's knee, making him stumble. Tien brought his fist down onthe back of Neiz's head as he staggered, jumping into the air as hisopponent fell. Neiz tried to get up, but Tien, sweating as theKaioken times four began to take its toll, came around for anotherattack, kicking Neiz away-a loud crunch heralded bones giving wayunder Tien's foot.
Doore was just standing up, when Neiz's flying form collided withhim, sending them both tumbling to the ground again. Doore looked upto see Tien, red aura blazing around him as he held out his hands infront of him, hovering overhead. "KIKOHO!" The burst ofyellow light enveloped the two soldiers, the impact making themblack out instantly.
Tien floated slowly down to the ground, panting in exertion."Woah… I don't think I have anything left after that…"He looked up, grimacing to see Vegeta walking towards him,methodically incinerating the Ginyu Force and Armoured Squadronmembers who remained alive but unconscious.
"That took you long enough." Vegeta flexed his arms,preparing for battle. "Now, I have another score to settle. Andjudging by the state of you, it won't take long."
"Wait…" Tien held up a hand. "Let me fight youat full potential… don't you want a challenge?"
"I'd give that honour to another saiyan,"Vegeta answered, his anger showing clearly on his face, "andmaybe to an opponent as mighty as Frieza. But you? You, Earthlingwho tries to climb above his sation as a lower life form? You don'tdeserve the thirty seconds it'll take me to kill you." He wasabout to launch into another degrading sentence, when somethingcaught his attention. Within a second, Tien noticed it too.
"Hey, you feel that?" Yamcha asked. "Another highpower just arrived on the planet!"
"Hmph." Vegeta snorted. "What is this, a touristattraction? How come everyone and their mother is coming to thisplanet?"
"Well, whoever they are, they're strong." Tien lookedin the direction of the approaching power. "And they're headingright for us-fast!"
Gohan's eyes widened as he saw the approaching figures in thesky. "Look! Look, it's my daddy! And Uncle Raditz!"
Vegeta gaped. "What?! Kakarot? That can't be him! It'sincredibly strong! The only power in that league I've ever felt wasFrieza… !"
Tien felt a strange mix of relief and jealousy. You've doneit again, Goku. You've truly surpassed me. I guess I'll just have totrain even harder next time…
Goku and Raditz, fresh from their training in one hundred timesEarth's gravity, arrived to find the battlefield a scene of totaldevastation. Half-burnt corpses lay scattered around. Tien, Yamchaand Gohan stood, injured and exhausted, in a group with a greenalien warrior (Zarbon had, by this time, reversed histransformation-he hated his monster form with a passion). And at thecenter stood Vegeta, glaring at the newly-arrived brothers. He triedto smile, his grin shaking a little. "S-so, you've improved!Good! You'll give me a-a challenge!" He shook his head, tryingto clear his thoughts. "It won't do you any good, you know. Ihave undergone the most intense training you can imagine, and sincethen I've been fighting almost non-stop. I'm finally becoming thelegend-the Super Saiyan!" He laughed, reminding himself of theold stories and driving out his fears that they might have surpassedhim. Never. Never!
Raditz folded his arms. "Well, that's nice. But crazy oldstories aside, we've been training too. And you wouldn't believe thekind of potential Kakarot has-he's long since overtaken me. In fact,I don't think you'd have a chance if you tried to fight him… Sowhy don't we put aside our rivalry, just for now-and together,defeat Frieza once and for all?" He held out a hand, and Gokusmiled. "Come on, Vegeta. Don't you want to be free of Frieza?"
"Hrr…" Vegeta shook with rage. " How dareyou! You think I, the greatest of a race of finewarriors, need help from your kind?! I shall defeat Frieza-alone!You two are just a pair of renegades to be exterminated, and Icannot allow you to interfere with my destiny!" He roared abattle cry, leaping at the pair of them as his blue aura burned intolife. "Prepare yourself for the might of a Super-" Hisvoice cut off in a surprised choking sound as Goku stepped betweenhim and Raditz, catching his fist with ease. "Get out of theway, Vegeta." Goku narrowed his eyes. "If you won't helpus, then leave." Vegeta swung his other hand, and Gokuvanished, now standing behind him. Vegeta, now trembling, swungaround, letting fly a two-handed energy wave at point blankrange-but when it cleared, Goku was unharmed. The young saiyan'sexpression lightened. "But hey, you've improved a lot-welldone!"
"STOP MOCKING ME!" Vegeta flew at Goku in a rage,launching into a frenzy of high-speed attacks, but Goku calmlyavoided each one as if Vegeta was moving in slow motion. "Calmdown, Vegeta. You're not getting anywhere." A vein stood out onthe prince's forehead. Flecks of foam hissed from his mouth. "I'LLKILL YOU!" He rushed again, and this time Goku reacted, duckingunder his attack and slamming a punch into Vegeta's stomach.Stepping back and away as Vegeta gasped for air, Goku rammed hiselbow into Vegeta's face, knocking him to the floor. The two simplestrikes were devastatingly effective. "Give up. You're notgoing to beat me like this." Normally, Goku would have payedmore attention, relishing a rematch with Vegeta, but Frieza keptweighing on his mind-he could already feel the tyrant's power, allthe way from across the planet. When Vegeta had regained his breathand the world wasn't spinning so much, he raised his head, a newlook in his eyes-awe. "I… I was wrong… look at you,Kakarot. You-you must be as powerful as Frieza." He smiled."It's you…" He coughed, bringing up blood. "You're…the Super Saiyan!" He climbed to his feet, struggling to stayupright. "Heh… we did our best, Raditz-and we came so far-butit was your long-lost little brother after all… and in case youneed any incentive to fight Frieza… did Raditz ever tell you whathappened to Planet Vegeta?"
Goku nodded. "It was destroyed in a meteor impact."
"No." Vegeta shook his head, wavering a little as healmost lost the strength to stand. "It was… Frieza!"
"Huh?" Both brothers looked shocked.
"He destroyed us… because he was afraid! That one day, aSuper Saiyan would arise, and slay him! You must do it, Kakarot."He ignited his aura, lifting slowly into the air. "You mustdefeat Frieza!" He soared off, his flight path slightly shaky.I've got to get off this planet… if those titans clash, thewhole of Namek could be destroyed!
"Should we just let him get away?" Raditz asked.
Goku shrugged. "He's no threat now-and I don't think it'd beright without giving him a chance to train some more. It was soeasy… but anyway…" he turned to his friends. "Hey,guys! How's it going?"
"Better now you're here," Yamcha answered.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Gohan raced up to his father, whopicked him up and held him tightly. "You're here! I knew you'dcome!"
Goku smiled. "You've been very brave. Well done, son."He turned to face Zarbon. "So, uh, who's the Piccolo lookalike,and the, uh, other green guy?"
"I am Nail-Namek's most powerful warrior, if that is not toogreat a boast." Nail bowed.
"I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Zarbon, a…former… soldier of Frieza," Zarbon replied. "I formed analliance with these Earthlings, and saved their lives-in exchangefor one of the dragon's three wishes."
"Oh, three?" Goku scratched his head. "I guesswe'll have to be careful then. So, we've got a few Dragon Balls, Isee."
"Yup." Tien indicated to the left. "The rest areat Frieza's ship, over there. But Frieza himself is there too."
"That's no problem." Goku cracked his knuckles."Whether or not I'm this Super Saiyan like Vegeta says, Friezahas to pay for everything he's done. Fighting him was always theplan. Come on!" He took off, and the others followed him.
"So, I reckon we should give Zarbon the first wish-I'mpretty sure it's a relatively small thing anyway," Tien wassaying on the way there.
"That's right." Zarbon replied. "I want to haveall of my power available with my normal appearance, without havingto assume that hideous form."
"All right then…" Raditz closed his eyes. "Notthat I care, mind you. I'm just here to make sure Kakarot doesn't doanything stupid. I can't imagine I'll be of much use, though,"he said, sighing, "I could take the Ginyu Force now, but notVegeta or Frieza. It won't be my battle, in the end."
Tien nodded. Raditz had indeed gotten a lot stronger-thoughnowhere near as much as Goku-but Tien reckoned he could use theKaioken to overcome him, for a short period of time anyway. "Okay.Goku, what do you think? I say first wish is to bring Piccolo andKami back."
"Yeah, I guess." Goku looked back at Tien. "I'mnot sure about having Piccolo around again, but we can't have onewithout the other, and having Dragon Balls on Earth sure is handy…then I guess that leaves the third wish for the people the saiyanskilled. Maybe then we can use the wish on Earth to restore the Namekpeople… I can't wait to see Krillin again. I wonder how he's doingon King Kai's planet…"
"Speaking of whom," a familiar voice spoke in theirminds (taking most of them by surprise), "remember what I toldyou not to do? The one thing I warned you against?I'll give you a clue-it starts with 'fighting' and ends with'Frieza'! You braindead imbecile! You-will-die!" King Kairanted.
"Aw, come on King Kai," Goku replied nonchalantly,"didn't you hear Vegeta? I'm a Super Saiyan now!" Heclearly wasn't taking the situation seriously. King Kai's voicereceded into incoherent splutters.
Zarbon was about to comment on the strangeness of hearing adisembodied voice in his head, when another thought occurred to him,completely blocking out everything else. "Wait… I know now! Ithought I recognized you!" He flew up to Goku. "Yes, youlook almost exactly like him!"
"Who?" Goku asked.
"I was watching when Frieza destroyed your planet. There wasone saiyan-who looked just like you-who flew right up to Frieza, andopposed him to the end. Frieza stared into his eyes as he killedhim, along with the rest of his race."
"This warrior…" Raditz mused. "What did he looklike? Besides Kakarot."
Zarbon tried to remember. "Well, if you must know… hewore, I think, was it green armour? And the scars on his face werequite memorable."
"Bardock…" Raditz whispered. "So Father foughtto the last…"
"Huh? Our dad?" Goku blinked. "He must have beenreally brave." He frowned, speeding up. "And Frieza killedhim personally. That monster…"
Frieza was, at the moment, infuriated. "Scouts! Report!"
"Scouts are missing, sir!"
"Then somebody had better bloody well report, before I losemy temper!" the tyrant yelled, vapourising a random passingsoldier.
"Er…" a flunky hazarded. "We've lost contactwith Vegeta and the Ginyu Force, but we've picked up readings thatmatch Cooler's Armoured Squadron-they've disappeared, too, but somenew signals have arrived."
"And then what?"
"We're… not sure, sir," the technician admitted. "Oneof the readings was so high it broke the, er, the scale. Sir."Frieza's eyes narrowed, and the entire ship exploded. A singledimunitive figure stalked from the wreckage. Worth it.There were plenty of other ships on this planet. Frieza turned hishead, hearing feet touch the ground. A pink-skinned humanoid stoodfacing him, with wild scruffy hair and wearing a bright orangemartial arts uniform. "And who are you supposed to be?"Frieza asked irritably, not in the mood for any more troubletoday-he was expecting Cooler soon.
The saiyan from Earth walked towards his enemy, weighing him upand preparing for battle. "Frieza…"
"Yes, that's me, now go away, today I'm liable to utterlydestroy you and wipe all trace of your existence from history." Frieza turned to face the stranger. He supposed he'd have toteach this one some manners. Frieza disappeared, coming around frombehind Goku. He lashed out with one arm, and Goku caught it, holdingback Frieza's attack without flinching. "That… that's notsupposed to happen…" Frieza stammered.
The Terror of Frieza
Chapter 16: The Terror of Frieza
Frieza jumped away from his unexpected opponent, glaring as Gokustraightened up, waiting for another attack. Goku realizedsomething. "You don't even know who I am, do you? You don'trecognise me."
"Nothing comes to mind," Frieza replied offhandedly. Hereally didn't have time for this, but he was curious that a warriorso powerful who wasn't of his race could exist. Well, he'd still bedone with this in short order-even if it did require him totransform.
Goku frowned. "Well, I'm the son of a saiyan you killed. Hisname was Bardock-not that you'd care."
"A saiyan, eh?" Frieza nodded. "Well, it makessense you'd be powerful, but… so much… it'd be a shame todestroy that. Why don't you work for me? Vegeta, Ginyu… they canbe replaced, especially by one as capable as you. Otherwise, I hopeyou know a good funeral director."
"No thanks." Goku prepared for battle. "I'm happyas I am-there's nothing someone like you can offer me!"
"Very well." Frieza raised a hand, almostinstantaneously firing a bright purple energy beam from his indexfinger. However, Goku sidestepped, the blast hissing harmlessly pasthis head. "Nice try," he said. "So are you just goingto keep doing that, or are we actually going to fight?"
Frieza sighed. "You saiyans… all you want to do is fight…"
Raditz, Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, Zarbon and Nail stood on a rockyoutcrop half a mile away, watching the godlike beings face off. "So,you're clear on the plan?" Raditz asked.
Tien nodded. "If Goku goes down, you and I charge Friezawhile the others provide covering fire. All together, we might havea chance, but we'll at the very least buy Goku time to recover."
"Good. Remember it well." Raditz stared straight ahead."I hope Vegeta's right… that Kakarot is the SuperSaiyan. If he can defeat Frieza, we can finally be free-not just us,the whole galaxy." Raditz shook with anticipation. "Comeon, little brother… it's all down to you now."
"I suppose you're here out of some sort of misplaced senseof revenge," Frieza said with an arrogant smile. "Youwon't achieve anything. I'm the most feared being in the universe,you know… and with good reason."
"I don't care who you are!" Goku shouted back, leapingforwards at Frieza. "You're just another obstacle to overcome!Hyaah!" Frieza spun away, and Goku's first punch swung on emptyair. The frost demon struck back, and Goku batted his arm away,jumping into the air and swinging a kick at Frieza's head. Friezaleapt out of the way, rebounding off the ground behind him andspringing back at his saiyan nemesis. He spread his hands and fireda small energy beam out of each finger as he advanced, and Gokutwisted and spun in the air to avoid all ten. One beam grazed hisshoulder, and he grunted in pain, just as Frieza took advantage ofthe distraction, appearing in mid-air behind Goku. Frieza kicked himin the stomach, slipping past his defenses and catapulting him intothe water below.
Frieza looked left and right, narrowing his eyes. "Where areyou, monkey… ah!" An orange and black blur shot up towardsFrieza, swinging both arms at him. Frieza dodged away, touching downon a mesa behind him. Goku hung in the air, dripping wet and alittle scratched up, but relatively unharmed. "Woah," hesaid to himself, "this guy's really something. Even after mytraining at one hundred times gravity, he's matching my every move!"
Damn him… Frieza thought. How did a saiyan becomemy equal? Well, my first form's equal, but nevertheless it is adisturbing thought. I suppose I was right to wipe them out. Vegetawill have to be next, if he is still alive…
Ten silent seconds passed, and then without warning Frieza waveda hand, and the air around Goku exploded. The sudden, violentdetonation of ki shook the ground for miles around, forming a hugecloud of smoke. Chunks of rock tumbled to the ground, thrown up bythe shockwave. The smoke cleared, revealing Goku, his clothes alittle tattered, a shimmering protective bubble of energy formedaround him. He breathed out slowly, lowering his arms from in frontof his face. "Not bad!" Then, he rushed at Frieza. Just ashe reached his enemy, Frieza lashed out with his tail, but it cutthrough an afterimage. Goku appeared behind a shocked Frieza, andpunched him clean through a nearby mountain. The mountain crumbledand collapsed, and Frieza climbed to his feet. His skin was markedwith dirt, but he didn't appear hurt at all. "Huh. That wasclever… it won't save you, of course." Goku appeared behindhim again, but this time Frieza was ready.
Goku threw a quick punch, but Frieza blocked with his forearm,reaching out with his mind and grabbing hold of the rubble aroundthe two fighters. Rocks and boulders rose from the ground, launchingthemselves at Goku. The saiyan hero jumped and flipped away, dodgingand ducking the onslaught of flying rock. "Psychic power, too?Man, Frieza's full of surprises!" He somersaulted over aboulder, punched another into fragments, then formed a wall with hiski, smashing the rest into dust as they flew at him. "Youdone?" he called to Frieza, who grinned.
"So, you don't like my telekinesis?" He flew over,landing about a hundred metres away from Goku, perched on a smallcliff. "Then maybe we should fight the old-fashioned way, ifthat makes you more comfortable."
"That sure is generous of you," Goku replied, bracinghimself as he looked up at his powerful opponent.
"Heh heh… oh yes, I'm really a nice guy, justmisunderstood…" he held up his right hand. "I know! Iwon't use this hand to fight you-only my left. Now how about thatfor a deal?"
"Go ahead, it's your choice." Goku stretched hismuscles, warming up. "If you want to hold yourself back, Iwon't stop you."
"Very well." Frieza held his right hand behind hisback. "If I used both, it would seem like I actually had to tryto beat you…"
"Do what you want! Let's go!" Goku charged, his aurapulsing to life in bright white flares of energy. He threw the firstpunch, but Frieza retreated, avoiding it, and struck back with hisleft hand. Goku ducked under it, sweeping under Frieza's legs to tryand trip him up-but Frieza jumped over his attack, kicking off ofGoku's face with both feet. Goku fell back, pain rushing to hisface, but he pushed his ki to the maximum, righting himself. Rushingback into the fight, he feinted low and Frieza fell for it. GrabbingFrieza's head in both hands, Goku rammed his knee into the tyrant'sface. Frieza hissed, his own blue aura flaring up as he thrashedaround blindly. Goku jumped back to avoid his flailing opponent, butFrieza soon returned to his senses, and the battle.
They traded blows with rapid precision, Frieza-now using bothhands-having perhaps a slight edge in sheer power and speed, Goku intechnique and skill. Eventually, Frieza messed up a block, andGoku's fist hit home, driving into Frieza's stomach. Frieza gasped,but quickly countered, knocking Goku to the ground with a sweep ofhis tail. Goku grimaced as he rolled away from Frieza's follow-up-hewasn't used to fighting enemies with tails they could use in battle.He'd occasionally done the same when he was a child, but he couldsee Frieza's tail was far stronger and more useful. He sprung to hisfeet, and Frieza overbalanced trying to hit him. Goku landed behindFrieza, landing a kick to the small of Frieza's back. He tried tofollow up, but Frieza yelled in rage, his aura exploding outwardsand bowling Goku over.
They stood facing each other again, Frieza glaring in disbeliefat how long this bloody monkey was taking to die, and Goku amazedand excited that he'd found such a challenging opponent. However,Frieza suddenly calmed down. "Well, I see I shall have to getserious… and you?"
"Huh?" Goku knew this couldn't bode well. "But…I was already going all-out…"
"Well, then." Frieza chuckled as he spoke. "Iguess you're about to learn why I am feared throughout the galaxy,and you are not."
An eerie light began to emanate outwards from Frieza. His bodyshook with power as cracks began to appear in his armour. "Yeeaaah!"His whole armoured top shattered as his muscles bulged outwards-buthe wasn't done yet. His limbs began to thicken, and the bluish lightthat crackled up and down his changing form became red. "AAAH!"Frieza's cry intensified as he tried to achieve total concentrationon his transformation. He shot upwards, his height doubling,tripling and still increasing as he bulked up, each limb the size ofhis previous form's whole body. His horns curved upwards, like thoseof a bull. The red light gave one final angry pulse, and faded. Gokustared up at Frieza's towering second form, shivering as he realisedthe task that lay ahead of him. Anyone can see that he's gottenphysically stronger, but his ki's increased too-maybe doubled!
"Well, monkey, how do you like me now?" Frieza asked,giving a mocking bow. Goku breathed deeply. Come on, Goku, don'tgive up! This isn't impossible-it's just a challenge, like I said!Yeah, a challenge! He took a step forward, but Frieza movedfaster than he could follow, instantly appearing in front of Gokuand kicking him into the air. Goku recovered spinning to faceFrieza-but the monster was gone, now in the air behind him, and asGoku tried to react Frieza hammered him to the ground with bothfists. Goku struggled to push himself up. I can't keep up! Andthe force of those blows… Frieza landed hard on his back,driving Goku into the ground with his feet. Frieza hopped away,standing a couple of feet from his downed opponent. Goku gasped forair, pulling himself to a crouch, then jumped up and away. Friezafollowed him with his eyes. What will he try now?
"KA-ME-HA-ME-HAAA!" Goku let fly his charged energybeam, Frieza standing straight in its path, not bothering to dodge.At the last moment, he swung both hands, knocking the beam out ofits path and launching it into the atmosphere. Frieza smiled slowly."Well now, don't tell me that's your best! Come on!"
"I can't give up!" Goku told himself, charging again."Vegeta was right… I have to be… the Super Saiyan! I haveto beat Frieza!"
Frieza dodged his lunge with ease, knocking Goku away with histail. "Super Saiyan? Have you been listening to Vegeta'sstories? There's no such thing." He inclined his head slightly,looking down at Goku, who was picking himself up again. "Yousee, the difference between us," Frieza said, "is that youachieve a power level of about half a million and are so impressedyou decide it's the fulfillment of some ancient prophecy. I,possessing the same power in my first form, merely think, 'why doesthis body have to be so weak'? This form, you might beinterested in hearing, has a measured power level of over a million.So, have fun." He spread his arms. "You haven't given upyet, have you?"
"YAAH!" Goku hurled himself back into the fray.
"I guess not," Frieza added. He took Goku's next punchdirectly to his face without flinching. "But you should atleast consider it. This is getting old." He spun around in theair, delivering a roundhouse kick to Goku's side that made him cryout as he tumbled away again. Frieza pursued him, knocking himfurther up into the air and then back down to the ground in a cloudof dust. Goku rolled over onto his back, struggling to stayconscious. "Eh?" Frieza raised an eyebrow. "Still notdead? I'm impressed."
"All right, stick to the plan." Raditz lowered himselfinto a combat stance. "Attack on my-"
"DADDY!"
"-signal?" Raditz finished in confusion as Gohanrocketed past him. "Gohan! Come back-don't attack on your own!"
Gohan came from behind, taking Frieza completely by surprise ashis foot buried itself in Frieza's face, throwing him backwards.Gohan carried on madly attacking, hitting home a continued series ofpowerful blows, then shoving an energy ball into Frieza's chest andblasting him into the ground. Gohan raced down towards Frieza,trying to keep attacking, but Frieza finally reacted, grabbingGohan's head in one hand and hurling him away. Gohan bumped andskidded painfully along the ground as Frieza stood, dusting himselfoff. "Where did that child come from?" he asked himself."And how was he so powerful for that brief moment?" Headvanced on Gohan, raising a hand to cut him in two. "Ah well.I'll just kill him, and then I won't have to worry about itanymore."
"Hold it!" Raditz and Tien flew at him, Tien pushingthe Kaioken attack all the way up to the five-times increase. Friezasaw the attack coming this time, and turned to face them, grinning.He decided he didn't like the look of Tien's burning red aura, so helaunched a quick energy beam that took Tien out of the sky, butRaditz carried on his charge. Frieza recognised this attacker."Raditz? What are you doing?"
"We're not your slaves anymore, Frieza!" Raditzpunched, kicked, punched again, but hit nothing. Despite his size,Frieza's speed was unbelievable. Raditz kept attacking withouthitting, and then Frieza vanished. He appeared behind Raditz, andwas about to counter-attack when an energy beam struck his back. Itcaused more irritation than damage, and he turned to see Yamcha,Nail and Zarbon standing behind him, preparing to fire. "Zarbon,too? I'm surrounded by traitors today… !" They all launchedtheir attacks, but this time Frieza anticipated them, dodging pastthem all. He landed in front of the small group, and with a casualmotion, took Yamcha's head off with one hand. He tossed the deadfighter aside, and turned back to Raditz. "Well… stillfeeling confident?" He prepared to fire an energy blast at therebel saiyan, when Tien rose from the ground, flaring up his aura."Frieza!"
"Hmm?"
"That was one of my best friends you just killed!" Tiennarrowed his eyes. "You won't get away with it!"
"I think I will, actually." Frieza waved a handdismissively. "You're certainly not in a position to stop me."
"We'll see about that!" Tien's ki skyrocketed. "Hyaaah!KAIOKEN… TIMES TEN!" The explosion of power flattened theground around him, sending tidal waves rushing outwards from him."FRIEZA!" He charged up at the demonic ruler, his fistcrashing straight into Frieza's face. They hung there for a second,and it seemed that Tien might stand a chance, but then Friezastraightened up, his head pushing Tien's fist back. Frieza scowled."Well… you're almost as strong as that saiyan who took on myfirst form. If it was any other day, I might play with you a little,but I'm expecting my brother to get here soon, so…" He battedTien away, but the world's strongest human stopped his flight withan effort, summoning up all his energy. "I won't lose! KIKOHO!"The burst of yellow light enveloped Frieza, and Tien kept pushing,pouring all his power into the attack. Then a point of purple lightappeared amid the yellow, and expanded as Frieza pushed his ki outin all directions, shattering Tien's attack and emerging unscathed.He rushed at Tien, just as the warrior's Kaioken aura faded, andbegan to beat him bloody, fists, feet and tail raining down onTien's unprotected body. After only five seconds of this, Tien fellto the ground, blacking out. Frieza surveyed the battlefield. "Well?No more challengers? Then it's time to clean up." Once again,he vanished.
Raditz, Nail and Zarbon-the fighters still standing-glancedaround nervously. "I can feel his energy somewhere…"Nail muttered. "But he's moving too fast for me to pinpointit."
"I knew this was a bad idea, going against Frieza."Zarbon scowled. "I let myself be tempted, and now he's going tokill us all."
"Well-" Raditz began, but he was interrupted as Friezaappeared in the air next to him, stabbing right through the saiyan'sbody with his right horn. Frieza laughed as blood gushed from thewound, and Raditz screamed hoarsely, struggling to free himself fromthe impalement. "Oops, how clumsy of me. I guess I don't knowmy own strength…" Frieza shook left and right, his horntwisting in Raditz's stomach, piercing organs and cracking bones. Heangled his head, sliding Raditz off and dropping his shaking form tothe ground. "Now, do you see? I am the strongest in theuniverse! There is no being that can match my-" A purple andwhite blur soared past, slamming into Frieza and carrying him offinto the distance.
Nail's eyes widened. "What was that?"
"Cooler!" Zarbon realized. "Frieza's brother. Hehad to get here eventually." He looked around at their dead andinjured companions, of which Gohan and Tien were picking themselvesup. "We need to treat the injured," Tien said, "andfast. Do you have any senzu beans on your ship, Goku?"
"Sorry." Goku half-sat up. "There were barelyenough to get us through our training-I don't think Korin's used tohaving to provide for two battle-hungry saiyans."
"Damn!" Tien looked around. "Well, any brightideas, guys?"
"I think I know," Nail replied. "The Namekianchild your friends saved-he was staying with Guru, and he had hispower unlocked too. Only, it wasn't battle ability, like yourfriends. He gained healing powers."
"Convenient." Tien considered this. "It'll be hardbringing everyone over there, so can you go get him and bring himhere? Meanwhile, I'll go pick up Bulma-she's been on her own for awhile, and probably wants to know what's going on."
"Well. It's been a long time, brother." Frieza wassaying as he began to transform into his third form. Spikes eruptedfrom his back, his shoulderplates shot out to the side, and his headextended backwards. His brother Cooler was already in the fourth andfinal form of their race-smaller than the second and third, sleekand almost metallic-looking.
"It has," Cooler said. "So, who were you fightingjust now?"
"Oh, assorted renegades and pests." Frieza shrugged."They killed all my soldiers, you know."
"Hmm. It must have been them that wiped out my ArmouredSquadron too, then." Cooler stroked his chin. "I mean, itcouldn't possibly been your little rabble of an army."
"Cute. Now, just one moment…" Frieza began his finaltransformation. "YAAAH!" His third form shattered, and anexplosion rocked the planet as his true form was revealed beneathit. Frieza was mainly white, with touches of purple, whereasCooler's natural colours were the opposite. "It was awfullygenerous of you to let me transform, Cooler."
"If I'm going to prove my superiority over you, babybrother, it's going to be over you at full power. I will have provedto myself that I've truly overcome you."
"A mistake you'll soon regret." Frieza preparedhimself, raising his guard. "Remember our last battle?"
"Things are different now." Cooler settled into a readystance. "Do you know, the phrase 'winner takes all' could havebeen invented for this moment. Immortality, control over the entiregalaxy, and the added bonus of wiping out the little group of peststhat killed our troops… let's go!" The brothers clashed,their battle rocking the planet.
Ruler of the Universe
Chapter 17: Ruler of the Universe
The awe-inspiring battle between Frieza and Cooler took a briefpause. The combatants alighted on cliff faces opposite each other,fighting for breath. "Careful, brother of mine," Coolerwarned his younger sibling, "you're causing considerable damageto the planet. If you destroy the Dragon Balls, neither of us getsimmortality."
"That's hardly your concern anymore." Frieza smiledslightly. "I think we both know who's going to come out ontop." Cooler was considerably more damaged and battle-worn thanFrieza, although the younger frost demon was far from unscathedhimself.
"You think so?" Cooler straightened up, stretching hislegs. "I think you'll find I have a few surprises in store foryou. I've learnt to keep things close to my chest-as the weakerchild, father always ignored me when you were around…"
"Well, without strength, what are you?" Frieza replied."How can you expect to be an efficient leader without the powerto keep your subjects in check? And power is what I have-more thanyou know."
"What's this?" Cooler raised an eyebrow. "Beenholding back, Frieza? How very like you."
"Something like that…" Frieza hunched over slightly,his previously thin body bulking out as his muscles bunched andmultiplied under his skin. His cold blue aura burst into life."Prepare to face the mighty Frieza at full power!" hedeclared. Cooler was visibly taken aback, fear evident on his face.
Frieza's aura grew, engulfing the land around him and grindingrock into dust. Small sparks of energy flew off in randomdirections, detonating on contact with ground or water. Any thathappened to fly in Cooler's direction, he ignored, being powerfulenough to simply shrug off the minor explosions. Frieza hissed,gritting his teeth to avoid screaming, as his power rocked his body,pouring out in a wave of force and flattening the surrounding area."Heeeaaagh!" Steam rose from his back, lifting into thesky and blocking out the sunlight. The ground shook, and arcs ofelectricity enveloped Frieza's body. "Yaaaagh!" A burst ofwhite light signalled he was fully powered-up. Frieza stretched hislimbs a little-his muscular state at 100% was always difficult toget used to-then turned to Cooler and grinned. "Well, how doyou like me now? I was already above you, but now there's just nocontest!"
To Frieza's surprise, his brother was laughing. "Haha!That's excellent! You had me worried for a second there!" Astrange glint appeared in Cooler's eyes. "Is that all?"
"W-what?" Frieza glared at Cooler, uncomprehending.
"Well," the elder explained, "remember when I saidI had a few surprises? For a minute there, you had me thinking youwere about to do-this! Hrr…" Chunks of rock broke off fromthe ground and levitated around Cooler as he began histransformation. This wasn't a slow release of stored power likeFrieza-it was tapping a sudden flood of energy which simply hadn'tbeen there before. "Rrr… Huuu… Raaah!" Cooler'sshoulders sprouted armoured plates, and he grew several feet tallerin an instant. He thickened out to match his new height, but hismuscles were toned and proportionate-not bulging and unnatural likeFrieza's 100% state. A spiked crest jutted out from the top of hishead, and his voice deepened to a guttural growl. "Haaah!"He continued to grow, more bony spikes emerging from his forearms.His teeth lengthened into fangs, and then an armoured 'mask' slidover his lower face, leaving his now glowing red eyes the onlyexposed part of his head under all the armor plating. "Heh hehheh… so, what do you think, Frieza?" Cooler now dwarfed hisbrother, towering above the other galactic ruler. The transformationhad also healed all his previous wounds from the battle with Frieza.
"What… how…" Frieza tried to form coherent words,and failed.
"It's a fifth form I unlocked-unlike you, I actually hadsomeone I could aspire to beat. Our father is too far above us, andnobody else in the universe can possibly challenge our kind. Butyou-you were an achievable goal to overcome. And that desire tobecome stronger fuelled my transformation."
There are forms above our true, original form? Friezathought. But… I'm far superior to Cooler-I should have beenthe one to discover it! he mused, before returning hisattention to Cooler. "Well, what of it? I'm still morenaturally talented. Transform all you like, I'm simply stronger thanyou!"
"If you think so…" Cooler spread his arms. "Comeand get me." Frieza, blind to the odds without his scouter, hisbelief-that his power was unchallenged (with the exception of hisfather) in the entire universe-unshakeable, charged into the jaws ofdeath.
"Can you feel that?" Tien was staring into the distanceas the brothers clashed on the other side of the planet. The warriorcould sense their ki, but it was so huge it was beyond his level ofcomprehension. However, since Goku and Raditz had been healed by theNamekian child Dende, they'd also passed beyond that level-he justhoped, if it came to it, the saiyan brothers would be able to defeatwhichever frost demon emerged the victor.
"Yeah… no kidding, that's some serious power. It's allthey can do not to destroy the planet as they fight," Gokureplied. "I feel unbelievably powerful myself all of a sudden,since I was healed-but I honestly don't know if it will be enough."Their group, consisting of Goku, Raditz, Gohan, Tien, Bulma, Zarbon,Nail and Dende, was gathered in a loose circle near the wreckage ofFrieza's spaceship. "Funny… even I can feel the battle thistime…" Bulma-the only non-ki-sensitive among them-noted, "Thewhole planet's shaking, and I'm struggling not to fall down… so,is everyone healed?"
Tien nodded. "I was the last. Let's summon the dragon whilethose two are occupied."
On Nail's command phrase, in the Namekian language, the sevenassembled Dragon Balls glowed with a brilliant yellow light, and thegreat dragon Porunga burst forth. It had a roughly humanoid upperbody, and was much larger than Earth's dragon. Spikes sprouted fromits back, and antenna hung from its brow. "Woah… now that's adragon and a half…" Goku muttered.
"All right. Zarbon, you've been a great help, and I thinktwo wishes will be plenty for what we need, so you can have thefirst wish." Zarbon's face lit up.
"You mean it?" He stepped forward hesitantly. "I…I guess I'm so used to the world of backstabbing and power-grabbing,it almost feels strange to be trusted… I could get used to it."
"YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME," Porunga bellowed, its wordsmagically understandable to all present, no matter what their nativelanguage, "NOW SPEAK YOUR WISHES, FOR MY PATIENCE IS NOTINFINITE."
"Er… oh, mighty…"
"Porunga," Dende supplied.
"Yes, right-Porunga! Grant me freedom from my hideoustransformation-I want to be far more powerful as I am, without everneeding to become that creature in battle again!" Zarbon gazedup at the dragon. Immortality? He'd rather live his life to thefull, and enjoy it. Nail translated his request into Namekian.
Porunga's eyes pulsed red, and the same light enveloped Zarbon,filling him with a feeling of sudden vitality. "YOUR WISH HASBEEN GRANTED. NOW, WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"
"I guess we should wish back everyone the saiyans killed…"Tien said.
"I'm afraid that won't work." Nail shook his head."Porunga can only restore one life per wish."
"All right." Tien looked up at Porunga, and Nailcontinued to translate. "Dragon! Please restore the being thatis Kami and Piccolo to life-they're really two halves of one entity,so it's one life!" Again, the eyes glowed, and again, Porungaspoke. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."
"Oh, I see." Goku smiled. "Good thinking,Tien-Shenron can restore groups of people with one wish, so we canuse Earth's Dragon Balls for the rest now Kami's alive. Great idea!"
"SPEAK YOUR FINAL WISH, SO THAT I MAY LEAVE," Porungaboomed.
"All right, keep your hair on…" Raditz pushed his wayto the front of the group. "How about if we wished everyone onthis planet to Earth, including the remaining Nameks? There can't bemore than a hundred left alive, so there wouldn't be a problem ofspace, and it'd be much easier to plan for the future if we didn'thave to worry about Frieza and Cooler having the battle to end allbattles on our doorstep." The shaking ground was a constantreminder of the ever-present danger.
"Sounds good." Goku nodded. "Go ahead."
"Uh, Porunga!" Raditz called up to the gargantuan,floating figure. "I ask you to move everyone on Planet Namek tothe planet Earth-except Frieza and Cooler!" There was a briefpause, but just as the dragon's eyes lit up again, the light wassnuffed out. A second later, the dragon vanished, and the dragonballs crashed to the ground, transformed into lifeless stones.
"W-what happened?" Raditz looked around frantically."What went wrong?"
"Well, it didn't work, I guess…" Goku answeredcalmly.
"I CAN SEE THAT, you buffoon! What I want to know is why?!"
Nail's face fell. "I think I know. Guru, the Grand Elder ofour people… he must have passed on. He was old, sick and weak…it was only with the greatest reluctance I accepted his decision tosend me to help you in the first place. The effects of the battlebetween Frieza and Cooler were too violent for him to withstand…"Nail fell silent, and Dende sobbed quietly-Guru had been a fatherfigure to practically the entire Namek race.
"And with this battle going on, we can't use one of theships scattered around the planet…" Raditz added. "Canyou imagine taking off in the middle of this, let alone trying toleave atmosphere?"
Bulma nodded in agreement. "The physical effects are badenough, but the amount of energy those two must be putting out wouldplay hell with the electronic systems. It'd be impossible."
"I don't know… it can't be that hard, can it?" Gokuasked.
Bulma scowled. "Okay, you ever hear how it's hard to fly aplane through a hurricane? Well, now imagine it's two hurricanes,each with enough force to rip a planet apart, trying to kill eachother, and since you're in a space vessel, not an in-atmosphereplane, you're trying to avoid the slightest bit of damage to thevehicle, because any damage would mean you could expose everyoneinside to the lethal vacuum of space!"
"Oh… that is pretty difficult… I guess we'll just haveto wait and see what happens." Goku did some push-ups to passthe time. "But I feel stronger than ever right now! Whatevercomes up, I'm sure we'll be fine."
Kakarot… what is it about you? How do you just keepimproving like this? Raditz wondered. You were stranded,with no memory of your kind, on an alien world, but rose to the top,becoming its greatest hero… you learned about the saiyan race andneeded to fight Vegeta, and increased your power level more thantenfold… greater challenges appeared on Namek, and yourose to meet them… and now, Frieza and his brother have shown thertrue power, and again you've broken down all your barriers to matchthem-maybe that's why Vegeta thinks you're the one. You have theability to meet any challenge, face any enemy… I think I'mstarting to believe. It's you-the Super Saiyan. The one who willavenge our lost race. He was roused from his internal monologueby something-or rather, a lack of something.
"Hey, the shaking's stopped. And… one of the huge powerlevels disappeared." Gohan looked over at the horizon where thebattle had been taking place. "Are they done?"
Goku nodded. "One of them is dead. I can't tell which-bothof their powers are so huge…" He mentally prepared himself."The other's bound to come for the Dragon Balls-and for us.I'll fight him. Raditz, you with me?"
Raditz shook his head. "I may have gotten a lot stronger,but if they're anywhere near your level, I'd just get in the way.You have to win, Kakarot. I hope it's Frieza-then you can redeem thehonour of the saiyans."
"You still don't get it, do you?" Goku's voice hadtaken on the serious quality it occasionally had-when he felt whathe was talking about was important enough to stop joking around.
"Uh…"
"I don't care about the honour of the saiyans!"
"What?" Raditz blinked, trying to tell himself he'dreally heard that. So why was his brother so determined?
"It doesn't matter which of them, even if it was both, I hadto fight. Their kind shouldn't have the kind of power they do."Goku's face was set in determination. "They judge everyone, andcare about nobody. Just tap your scouter, and there's a wholeliving, breathing person, reduced to a number!" He gritted histeeth. "Cooler's just the same as Frieza. He'd have killed thesaiyans just as easily-I'm sure he's wiped out plenty of species,warriors and innocents alike, himself."
"How do you know?" Tien asked. "I mean, I assumedCooler would be bad, but you've never met him…"
"He was lured here by the promise of immortality, like it'llfix all his problems. He's a product of the same soulless societythat created Frieza. He attacked without warning, shooting first andnever stopping to ask questions. He's exactly like his brother,trust me. Frieza or Cooler-I'll fight them. And I will beatthem. Until there's no fight left in them. No more venom or hatred,that makes people who could have been just like us casually wipe outbillions of lives. It has to stop here."
Frieza lay in the dirt, broken and bleeding. Cooler stood overhim, resting one foot on a rock, wiping his brow-more a symbolicgesture of the effort mortally wounding his brother had taken, ashis highly efficient fifth form did not in fact sweat. "Well,I'd say we've learnt a few things today, hmm?" he taunted.
"Cooler… help… me…" Frieza pressed one hand to agash in his stomach to try and slow the blood loss, shakily reachinghis other hand up towards Cooler.
"What's this? Help you ?" Cooler smiled behindhis mask. "I've just spent the last hour or so trying to killyou, so that would be a little counterproductive, you have toadmit."
"Please…" Frieza gasped. "Mercy…"
"Mercy." Cooler's eyes widened. " Mercy .Oh, that's rich, coming from you. Mercy, indeed. How about, no."Cooler reached down and, with a sharp twist of his arm, he toreFrieza's head from his shoulders. "Enjoy sucking vacuum for thefew hours it'll take your brain to shut down!" Cooler called,tossing the defeated ruler's head into the atmosphere-Cooler waseasily strong enough for it to break through the atmosphere, andFrieza's skin was tough enough to survive intact-as Cooler intended,their race's ability to survive fatal injuries would allow him todrift alive for a while before slowly dying. Laughing to himself,Cooler incinerated the remains of Frieza's body, regressing to hismore natural fourth form.
"Here he comes… everyone, get behind me!" Goku raisedhis guard. He squinted into the distance, seeing an approachingpurple-and-white shape. "Huh… I just realised, I don't knowwhat Cooler looks like-or Frieza at full power, for that matter!"The figure landed several dozen metres away, dusting itself off.
"I've never seen Frieza's true form either…" Zarbonadded. "But that one I recognise-it's Cooler. He's killedFrieza, and now he's come to clean up…" I hope this goeswell… I've finally got a life free from my transformation, but Imight not live to enjoy it…
Cooler studied the group assembled before him. Zarbon, one of thefew surviving saiyans, a pair of Namekians and a couple of assortedhumanoids. "Well, this is a merry little gathering. Why don'twe start with the proper introductions? I am Lord Cooler, and as oftoday supreme ruler of the galaxy." His face rose in ahalf-smile. "How do you do?"
"Don't worry about the others. My name is Son Goku. I'm asaiyan, from Earth. You want a wish to make yourself immortal,right?"
"But of course." Another saiyan… and what's this'Earth'?
"That on its own tells me all I need to know! It doesn'tmatter anyway-the Dragon Balls are gone. You'll never get yourwish."
Cooler's eyes widened. "You lie! You're hiding themsomewhere-so I'll just have to remove you and your friends from thepicture, then I'll be at leisure to search the planet for them."
Goku shifted to a more defensive stance. "Believe what youwant, but make a move to hurt any of them and I will stopyou."
"You mean you'll try." Cooler smiled, then vanished.Goku frowned, and disappeared too. Shockwaves rocked the whole areaas they clashed, faster than the others' senses could follow. Coolerappeared right in front of them, raising a hand to strike Raditz,but Goku jumped between them, blocking Cooler's punch, and theyleapt off again.
Goku jumped backwards, back-flipping away, rebounding off aboulder and crashing into Cooler's stomach with both feet. Coolerslid back, not showing any outward sign of pain. He countered withhis elbow, and Goku was sent spinning away, righting himself with aquick burst of ki. "How do you have such speed?" Coolerwondered aloud. "Nobody outside my family has ever shown suchtalent for fighting. I'd have expected that blow to kill a lesserbeing like you."
"What-are you going to try and recruit me or something?"
"No, actually." Cooler idly flicked his tail back andforth. "You've openly fought against my family-and an affrontlike that cannot be ignored. I do wish you hadn't, as your abilitywould make you an excellent servant. Ah, well…" Heran at Goku. "I suppose, since you're making it difficult forme to get to the others, I'll just have to destroy you first."
They battled back and forth, the fight moving over the ocean, andcontinuing suspended in mid-air above the water. "You know, Ithink I preferred fighting Frieza," Goku said, blocking a quickjab from Cooler. "He offered to fight me with only one hand."
"That's just like him." Cooler dodged Goku's kick. "Healways did like to play games." He used the opening Goku'sattack had made to slip past the saiyan's defences and land a punchto Goku's shoulder. Goku ducked away, moving to the defensive andknocking away Cooler's next few attacks. "Not… bad…Cooler!" He deliberately let Cooler's foot get under his guard,catching it before it made contact, and using the leverage to throwCooler into the air. Goku pursued his opponent, vanishing andappearing in the air above Cooler as he shot upwards. Goku narrowedhis eyes, throwing out an invisible burst of ki. "Haah!"The force knocked Cooler down into the water below, and Goku didn'twaste a second, beginning to charge up his energy between his hands."KAMEHAME… HAAA!" The blue energy beam shot down intothe sea, vapourising the water for a mile around instantly. Theshockwave opened up fissures in the earth running all the way backto where his friends were standing, and Tien had to pull Dende outof the way of one.
"Wow, this must be the battle to end all battles!" Thethree-eyed fighter muttered. Nail nodded in agreement. "Whowould have thought… the saviour of our planet would turn out to bea saiyan. The universe works in mysterious ways…"
Raditz was entirely focused on trying to follow the battle-if heconcentrated hard, pushing his new powers to the limit, he couldcatch glimpses. He doubted the others could keep up, but they coulddoubtless feel the effects of the fight-it would be hard to miss,given the amount of damage the Namekian countryside was taking. Comeon, Kakarot… you can't lose! The fate of the entire universe hangson this… the frost demons have ruled for longer than anyone canremember. You have to prove they aren't invincible…
Goku hung in the air, heaving for breath. The former sea was nowa steaming crater, and the forests around it had been completelyburned to the ground from the heat of his blast. But as he lookedcloser, he was equal parts surprised and dismayed-Cooler was pickinghimself up, scratched and burned but having suffered no majorinjuries. "Damn you, monkey!" He yelled up at Goku, flyingup to hover opposite the other warrior.
"Hey now, there's no need for name-calling," Gokureplied. "If we're fighting, you've got to expect to take somehits!"
"Not from the likes of you…" Cooler inclined hishead. "I suppose I didn't tell the entire truth before. I dosometimes enjoy a bit of a game like my brother… for instance,hiding my true power from an ignorant little saiyan!"
"Wait… what?"
"I thought about five or ten percent of my power would besufficient to break you, but you were a little tougher than Ithought." There was a sudden flare of energy from Cooler'sbody. No drama, extended screams, or bursts of light. It was justthere. "So, what do you say to full power?"
Goku gulped. "I think that sounds like an absolutelyterrifying idea."
"Good."
"What's happening over there?" Gohan was lookingintently at the two distant figures, who had resumed their battle.
"Nothing good." Tien shivered a little. "Cooler'spower just increased massively. I… I don't think Goku can win."
"No! He has to!" Raditz's face filled with fear. "Hemust defeat Cooler… he must… be the Super Saiyan…"
"I am sorry," Nail told him, "but I think thatpossibility is becoming less likely every second."
"I don't care!" Raditz ignited his aura, blue and whiteenergy mixing and flaring up around him. "I'm going to helphim!" He flexed his ki, and his armoured top exploded off ofhim, leaving his plain black vest underneath. Really, his body hadbecome tough enough that the armour barely made a differenceanymore. "And I won't wear that symbol of their dominanceanymore, either!"
"Don't do it!" Nail warned. "You'll die!"
"We're dead anyway when Cooler finishes with Kakarot!"Raditz took off. "Stay and hide under a rock if you want-I'm nocoward!"
"Damn it!" Tien flew off after him, and Nail followed.
"Hold on, Dad!" Gohan flew off as well, leaving Dende,Bulma and Zarbon behind.
"You're not going?" Bulma asked Zarbon, who shook hishead.
"They're all morons. Cooler won't be able to find us withouta scouter-I say, as soon as he's finished with them and the fightingstops, we take a ship and head out of here."
"I… guess so…" Bulma wasn't entirely comfortablewith abandoning her friends. Dende, for his part, stared silentlyinto the distance, hoping Nail and his new friends would be allright.
Cooler landed another devastating blow, and Goku cried out inpain. He lost his balance, falling down to the ground below. Coolerfloated down, landing in front of him. "Hmph. Is that reallyall you've got, primate?" Cooler prepared to launch intoanother series of attacks, when Raditz rocketed into him from theside, launching Cooler away. "Raditz?" Goku looked up."Heh… this looks familiar…"
"Huh?"
"You're defending your brother from an opponent who'sbeating him, even though they're both way out of your league…"
The battle with Piccolo flashed through Raditz's mind. "Iguess so. Hah! What a way to go. History repeating itself."
Cooler stood up, and faster than they could follow was back,standing barely three feet away. "Well, you've saved me sometrouble, getting together over here so I can kill you."
"Enough, Cooler!" Raditz shone with power, glaring athis opponent and baring his teeth. "Your kind-you've taken ourfreedom… our lives… but there's one thing you can never takefrom us… our pride!"
" You're going to fight me ?" Coolerraised an eyebrow. "You'll die."
There was nothing but hate in Raditz's eyes. "I know."For a brief moment, Cooler felt fear. "RAAAH!" Raditzcharged in, his fists and feet crashing into Cooler's invulnerablebody. The sheer momentum of his attack staggered the tyrant back,but he quickly righted himself, spinning and wrapping his tailaround Raditz's neck. He smashed a fist into the saiyan's ribs, thenlet go, letting the force of the blow send Raditz flying to theground. Cooler looked up to see Nail, Tien and Gohan flying at him."Oh? More of you?" He dodged the initial charge, and witha wave of his hand, the force of his aura sent Nail flying. Gohanand Tien stood opposite him.
This is insane! Tien tried to prepare himself mentally.I can only imagine how Gohan's dealing with it… well, on thebright side, it seems Guru's is a gift that keeps on giving. I seemto have gotten even more powered-up while waiting for Cooler andwatching the battle, but I think I've reached maximum now. I couldmaybe take Vegeta without the Kaioken now, but this guy… he's likea god… Tien gathered his energy, trying to achieve inner calmbefore attacking, before Gohan rocketed forward. His small framecrashed into Cooler, hurling them both down into the ground andbelow.
There was an earth-shaking series of shockwaves, before Gohanshot back up out of the earth, battered and bruised. Coolerfollowed, unhurt. "Well, that was a nice little diversion. Thechild has talent."
Tien looked around. Damn it! I'm the only one left! Got tomake this count… and go even further beyond what I thought were mylimits! "Hey, Cooler! Don't count us out just yet!"Red energy burst into life around him, as he summoned up his innerstrength.
"Oh? What's this? Some fight left after all?" Coolergestured his little 'come and get me' signal. "Let's see it."
"Rrrr…" Veins bulged on Tien's forehead, and heexploded with power. "Yaaah! KAIOKEN… TIMES… HAAAH…TWENTY!" Tien shot forwards, punching Cooler in the face andimmediately following up with a knee to the stomach, finishing bykicking the frost demon away with both feet. "Hyah!" Hepropelled himself down towards Cooler's plummeting form, but hisenemy vanished, appearing behind him. "Nice try," Coolersaid menacingly, taking hold of Tien's arm between two fingers andsnapping it, before throwing the fighter to the ground. "Youcaught me by surprise, but really, even with that technique you werebarely stronger than the long-haired saiyan-and still below the onein orange, and you can see how easily I took him out.Points for effort, though. Now…" Cooler left Tien to lie onthe ground, clutching his arm in agony. "Ah right where I leftyou."
Floating over to Goku, Cooler grabbed him by the front of theshirt. "Watch, monkey." Goku's eyes opened a little. "Youwere fighting to protect your friends, if I remember correctly."He pointed a finger off into the distance. "Well, as you'veseen by now, you can't. Nothing can save them from me. You couldn'thelp all these fighters who tried to attack me just now…" hisfinger flashed, and a beam of energy shot off into the distance."You didn't save the traitorous soldier of Frieza I justkilled…" Another beam. "Or the Namekian child…"
"Damn… you…" Goku's eyes blazed. He tried to punchCooler, who simply stepped to the side and dropped Goku, letting hislimp body crash to the ground and landing on next to him.
"It seems cruel, but the universe has to know. Tounderstand-nobody crosses our family. We are the rulers of theuniverse. You don't have a say in the matter."
"Cooler…" Raditz was on his feet, staggering towardsGoku and Cooler. "Leave him alone!"
"Ah, still trying to save him? The hero riding to therescue" Cooler shrugged. "I've already given the 'youcan't save them' speech, so I hope this example will suffice…"He casually waved his hand, and with a flash of red light, Gokuceased to be.
He didn't explode. He wasn't incinerated, or get smashed into athousand pieces. Cooler simply ripped him into his constituent atomswith the power of his mind, and scattered them into the wind. He wasjust-gone. "There. Now, do you understand? Don't be sad,now-you lesser beings die all the time. Really, what difference doesone more make?"
It begun.
Something new came over Raditz. He'd felt anger before-it hadbeen burning in his mind when he'd attacked Frieza and Cooler,always overriding his sense of self-preservation. But this… thiswas new. This anger drove everything else out, filling his head. Hestared at the spot where Goku had been, moments before. Hisshoulders shook, as if his internal rage was trying to escape hisbody. "You… you heartless bastard!" His entire body wasshaking now, and he felt his anger swell up like a wave of heatinside his body. "Hrh… rrh… rrgh…" Words were hardto form, as his conscious mind began to slip under the all-consumingfire in his brain. "Rrr…" The skies darkened, as if thephysical world was coming to reflect his state of mind. A bolt oflightning struck the ground not ten feet away from Raditz, not thathe noticed-he could think of nothing but Goku, and the casual,unthinking way Cooler had destroyed him. Lightning continued tostrike, raining from the sky all around. As Raditz felt the innerheat pushing up out of him, a bolt struck right next to him, barelymissing.
"Hhh… Rrrh…" An inner light seemed to emanate fromthe enraged saiyan, and Cooler frowned. What is this? What is hedoing?
Waves of silent energy started to flow out from Raditz's body,stirring up the waters around them. The rocky ground began tocrumble, rocks breaking off and floating up into the air, levitatingaround Raditz. "Rrrh… Haaagh…" His head snapped up asif pulled by some unseen force, then sank back down to stare at theground. He forced himself to speak coherently. "I… I won'tlet you… get away… with this… !"
I Am
Chapter 18: I Am
Raditz had no idea what was happening to himself. The rage insidewas boiling over, manifesting as storm-clouds, bolts of lightning,and chunks of rock breaking off out of the ground and floatingaround him. And with it… he felt some new kind of power, unlikeanything he'd ever experienced before. It was like an unbearableheat inside of him, roaring to be let out. "Hhh… haaagh…"he was beyond words now. One thought dominated his mind, drowningeverything out: Cooler must die.
But then… it seemed like it was starting to fade. The heat, thepower began to recede. It was rejecting him. He wasn't theone. It should have been Kakarot! Rational thought began toflood back in, and with it, fear. I… I can't do this! That wasthe power of the Super Saiyan… but I wasn't chosen. I've failed.Father… mother… Kakarot… Vegeta… I've failed you all. Coolerwas only holding back out of confusion. He'd come to his sensessoon, and Raditz would die. Vegeta would soon follow, and the saiyanrace would finally be extinguished. Raditz fell to his knees,despairing. Convinced he was about to die, half-mad with fear hethought he heard a voice-Bardock's. F… Father?
"What is this?"
Father! I'm… sorry… I can't do it. It's too much…
"What are you saying?" Bardock's voice grew stern."Failing me again, are you? Just like always. You've let medown, son. As strong as you've become, in the grand scheme ofthings-to a being like this-you're still just the same old weaktrash the other kids used to kick around for fun."
No! This isn't like that! Nobody could win this battle!
"Kakarot could. If he was still alive, he'd harness thispower. Vegeta too. They're talented enough. You don't think Iwould?" Bardock's voice began to fade. "Such a crueltrick of fate… the only one of us to even come close to accessingthe power of the Super Saiyan is the one little coward who can'thandle it."
Wait! The hallucination, if that's what it was, ended.Don't leave me, father! I can't bear this alone!
But wasn't Bardock right? He'd always been a failure. No matterwhat heights he climbed to, there was always someone better. Nappa.Vegeta. Kakarot. Frieza. Cooler. He'd never amounted to anything,and he never would. Raditz closed his eyes, and waited for the end.
No.
His eyes snapped open. Where had that come from? It was… hisown voice.
Get up! Fight! It washis voice, but distorted, twisted as if some kind of savage animalwas trying to mimic his words. It rose, with a grim determination,from the deepest part of his mind-the inner drive that lived at thevery core of every true warrior. The one thing that remained whennothing was left, that made them fight to the end. That would drivethem to attack an opponent they knew they couldn't beat. For thesake of their family-or for the sake of the battle itself. I…can! I have to! Bardock died fighting Frieza… his kind, they'vetaken our home, enslaved the remnants… killed countless innocentsfor no reason at all… my own brother… they have to pay for whatthey've done! Starting with him. If the power wouldn't accepthim, he'd make it. Mentally, he grabbed hold of the receding angerand pulled it to the surface, forcing it every step of the way. Itresisted. It hadn't chosen this one. But he didn't care. He made ithis own. The heat surged back into his body, and this time a flashof gold ran through his hair. Cooler took a step back instinctively,and that moment-Cooler flinching away in fear, Raditz standing out,enveloped in his inner light, framed against the blackened sky-wouldforever remain locked in Raditz's memory. But not quite as vividlyas what followed. "Rrr…" It was building.
Cracks spread from Raditz's feet, all the nearby grass witheringand dying in seconds, crumbling to ash before the rising heat.Larger rocks began to float into the air, rising around Raditz,until they hung over his head, then shattered from the shockwavespouring out of him and fell to the ground as dust. "Hrr…rrrgh… haaah… huh…" Another golden flash, and he seemedto struggle to lift his head, glaring at Cooler, who stoodimmobilised, uncomprehending. Thunder struck again, as Raditz's bodyshook with building tension. The scene was playing over and over inhis mind. Cooler just waved his hand, and Goku died. Like it wasnothing. "Grrr… hhh… AAAAAAHH!"
Golden light exploded outwards, lighting up the unnatural nightand hurling back the clouds. Raditz's scream lasted a full second.There had been many screams during the battle on planet Namek. Somescreams of pain, some caused by the effort of powering up orshifting into another biological form. This, though, was pureanguish, and hatred. The light dimmed to a bearable level, andCooler gasped-Raditz had been transformed. A bright glow envelopedhis body. His hair had become golden, standing on end and shiningbrightest of all. His eyes had lost the pupil-iris distinction, andthe centre was a pure dot of piercing blue. Raditz stood silentlyfor a moment, taking in the change.
What is this? What does it mean? Cooler wondered.Saiyans transform into giant apes-in fact, this one's lost histail, he can't even do that. So what the hell is going on?"Hey, saiyan! What is this? What did you do?" Raditz gaveno reply. Thinks he can ignore me? Well, I'll just take out oneof his knees, and see if he get any more talkative. Coolerpointed a finger, and shot out a purple beam much like Frieza'sattack. However, Raditz batted it away with a casual swing of hishand, without even turning to look at it. "W-what…?"
Raditz was still looking at the patch of ground where Goku hadbeen, minutes before. He's been… completely destroyed, hisblood isn't left to honour him with. He tore a strip of clothfrom his trouser leg, pressing it to a bleeding cut on his arm fromhis earlier attack on Cooler. But again-like with Bardock-hisblood is mine. The red soaked through, staining the dark bluecloth, and he tied it around his head-another band, another memory.Three now. How many more? He asked himself.
Slowly, deliberately, Raditz's head turned. His ice-cold gazepierced right through Cooler, who shivered, taking instinctive stepsbackwards. Raditz flickered, and instantly appeared in front of theterrified frost demon. "No more, Cooler."
"Uh…"
"No more of you and your kind. I've had ENOUGH!" Hegrabbed Cooler one-handed by the head, and slammed him face-firstinto the ground. Cooler cried out, spitting blood, but Raditz wasn'tfinished. He took off at high speed, dragging Cooler's face alongthe ground, sharp rocks buckling and tearing at his skin. When theyreached open water, Raditz let go, letting Cooler hurtle away andcrash to the ground on the other side of the lake. Raditz floateddown to the planet's surface, walking slowly towards his enemy.Cooler struggled to stand, turning to face the enraged saiyan. "Grr…damn monkey-I'll show you your place!" Cooler threw a punch atfull strength, and Raditz moved to the side at the last moment,swinging one hand down towards Cooler's upper arm and the other uptowards his forearm, wrenching the limb painfully, and following upby backhanding Cooler to the ground again.
Cooler flew up into the air, breathing heavily. "What ishappening?!" he shrieked, firing a barrage of purple beams.Raditz just concentrated, the beams bouncing off his invisibleshield of ki. "What do you want from me, saiyan?" Coolercalled. "Surrender? To admit I can't win against… whateveryou are now?"
"No." Raditz narrowed his eyes. "I want you tobleed. I want you to suffer. And I want you to die."
"But… I…" Cooler clenched his fists. "Not achance! Take this!" He focused his mental energies, bringinghis psychic powers to bear and lifting slabs of rock the size ofbuildings out of the ground, bringing them in a loose orbit aroundhis body. "All right, big guy, just try and dodge this one!"He threw the boulders with all his mental might simultaneously atRaditz, who stood still until the last second, then rocketedforwards, smashing through the rocks one by one, darting back andforth to make sure he destroyed them all, coming to a halt inchesaway from Cooler's face. "Eyaaah!" Cooler howled inimpotent fury as he flung a barrage of punches and kicks indesperation, none of them finding their mark. Raditz only had tomove the slightest fraction right or left, but he'd always dodge intime. Finally, he counterattacked, his fist connecting with Cooler'sface and sending him tumbling back and away through the air.
Cooler righted himself, wiping blood away from his eyes andfeeling the scratches on his face. "You… hurt me! Inmy true form! Nobody outside my family has ever…" his fearwas building. "You're no saiyan. You can't be! They neveramounted to anything! What… what are you?!"
Raditz's expression never lightened. He didn't taunt, or laugh athis opponent's relative weakness. He just glared . Like allthe anger in the universe was bottled up behind those terrible, coldeyes. "I am the answer to people like you, Cooler. I am thefire in every warrior's heart. I am release for all the dead soulswho cry out for vengeance. I am the avenger! I am your end!" Hefrowned. "In case that's too big a concept for your brain, letme make it simple for you." He flared up his aura, the force ofhis ki throwing Cooler back. "I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN!"
"Raditz is this… Super Saiyan, then?" Krillinscratched his head. "That's good, I guess. But, uh, King Kai, Ican't help wondering-is he on our side, or what?"
"I'm not sure," King Kai responded. "He's sofilled with anger… it's impossible to tell what he'll do afterthis battle. He could be a saviour, or a destroyer. Hope of theuniverse… or bringer of death?"
"Come on! Get to the ship Goku and Raditz arrived in, andhurry!" Tien was telling the others. The battle was takingplace several miles away, and they were fleeing for their lives,Tien clenching his teeth and holding his broken arm as still aspossible.
"But… what happened?" Bulma asked. "Are you sureGoku died?!"
Tien nodded. "Come on, the others are already ahead.Something… happened to Raditz. I don't know what. When Coolerkilled Goku, he just… snapped. And his power is enormous. We'dbetter get off this planet while we can."
"But, what about what we decided before-about how we can'tleave with a battle like this going on!" Bulma protested.
"We'll just have to take our chances! Come on, we're dead ifwe stay here!"
"No… It can't be true…" Cooler hadn't believed thestories. Who had? It was just an old legend. But seeing this goldenwarrior here, now… what else was there to believe? "Wait-"Cooler was cut off by Raditz's foot in his stomach, driving thebreath from his body. Raditz spun around, driving an uppercut intoCooler's chin and downing him again. Cooler forced himself to keepgetting up. If he could just get an opportunity… "Hey! SuperSaiyan!"
"Hm?" Raditz was about to launch his next attack, butpaused to hear this.
"You surely don't want to fight me in this weak form, doyou?"
"Weak?" Raditz folded his arms. "That's your trueform. I know that. This is your full power, and frankly, it's notmuch to boast about."
Cooler let the remark slide-he didn't want to provoke the saiyan."My true form, perhaps… but not my final form!"
"Do what you will." Raditz didn't make a move toattack. "I'll fight you at full power, and I'll break you."
"Very well." Cooler initiated his transformation to hisfifth form, this time not standing on ceremony or showing off-ittook him less than five seconds to change into his much larger fifthform. His spikes gleamed, his eyes blazed and behind his organicmask, Cooler grinned. "All right, monkey, are you ready forround two?" he growled.
"Well, if you don't stop talking and attack in the next fewseconds, I will," Raditz replied, not even mentioning Cooler'stransformation.
"You… you're not impressed by my final form?"
"What, this is really your full power?" Raditz eyedCooler, weighing him up in his mind. "Is that all?"
"Is this all? Is this all ? You…" Coolertrembled with rage. "How dare you!" He charged up atRaditz, and they struck simultaneously, Raditz's foot catchingCooler in the head as Cooler's fist smashed into Raditz's side.
They fell away from each other, catching themselves in mid-airand preparing to continue fighting. For the first time in quite awhile, Raditz smiled. "That's more like it," he said."Show me what you're really made of!" They sped off,battling back and forth, plowing through hills and lakes like theyweren't there. Each blow resonated throughout the whole planet-eventhe battle between the frost demon brothers hadn't been thisintense. Raditz leapt up out of the ocean, Cooler following him.Cooler swung his tail in a surprise attack from the side, but Raditzducked under it, leaping back into the fight, and they continued totrade lightning-fast attacks, neither gaining a clear upper hand.
Cooler had, perhaps, a slight edge in physical strength-he took aminor, glancing hit to his armoured shoulder, and threw adevastating punch that knocked Raditz to the ground. He followed upwith a thick purple energy wave fired from each hand. Raditz jumpedto his feet and dodged one, but the other hit him in the back,making him stagger away. Cooler tried to press his advantage, butRaditz spun around, lashing out. Cooler caught his attacking leg andfired another energy blast at point-blank range, making Raditz cryout in pain and tearing a ragged hole in his shirt. Raditz flexedhis aura, pushing outwards with his ki and forcing Cooler to let go.Raditz charged after him, driving his fist between two armourplates. Cooler grunted with pain, but quickly recovered and thefast-paced combat resumed.
The fight was dragging on; the individuality of each strike waslost, and they merged in the fighters' minds into one greatstruggle, an unrelenting clash of wills. They broke off and firedquick blasts at each other, the gold and purple beams meeting in themiddle and detonating. Cooler rushed through the smoke, renewing hisattack with incredible force, driving Raditz back. A double fist tothe back knocked Raditz out of the air, forming a crater as helanded and stood back up. "Well, what do you think?"Cooler asked, as Raditz rubbed a slowly-forming bruise on hisshoulder where he'd taken several hits. "Are you impressedyet?"
"Is that it?" Raditz glared straight up at Cooler. "Isthat the legendary full power of the feared ruler of the universe?You can't even crush one monkey! Come on!" He soared up andslammed his body into Cooler, knocking the frost demon away. Hepursued his opponent, but Cooler spun around, dodging his charge,and elbowed him in the head. Raditz didn't stop to let himself feelthe pain, launching himself back towards Cooler and punching himstraight in the chest, injuring his hand but cracking the armourplates. Cooler seized the Super Saiyan by the shoulders and slammedhim down to the ground, through an empty Namekian house. Coolerpicked Raditz up and threw him away, the golden warrior crashinginto a cliff face and sliding down to the rocky floor below. Raditzheaved himself up onto his hands and knees, bleeding from dozens ofsmall cuts all over his body.
"Have you had enough now?!" Cooler roared. "Or areyou still acting tough, pretending I'm not winning?" He chargedforwards again, and before Raditz could react started raining downblows onto the saiyan's back and shoulders, using his height to hisadvantage. After a few seconds of this, Raditz straightened up andtook hold of Cooler's wrists in one sudden movement. His eyesblazed. "That's not enough, Cooler! Try harder! Go on, attackme! That's not nearly enough !" Cooler smashed a fistinto Raditz's face, twisting and kicking him right through the cliffbehind him. Raditz backflipped, landing on his feet, and demolishedthe cliff with a wave of his hand. "Come on!" He yelled."FIGHT ME!" They ran at each other, and the battlerejoined.
Journey's End
Chapter 19: Journey's End
The two warriors attacked and defended, fighting back and forth,up and down, striking and blocking with expert precision, neitherwilling to give up the slightest advantage. Cooler landed anotherpunch to Raditz's stomach, but he immediately countered, punchingthe side of Cooler's head and snapping one of his armoured spikesoff. Cooler lunged, but Raditz jumped into the air, kicking him inthe head and knocking him through a building. Cooler jumped back up,growling to himself.
"You're slowing down, Cooler!" Raditz called. "Ifyou start to weaken, I will take the opportunity to killyou!" This was mainly a bluff-they were almost exactly equal inspeed and technique, but Cooler's brute strength, massive size andnatural spikes and armour, not to mention possessing a fifth limb,gave him something of an advantage.
"You're far too overconfident, you overgrown gorilla!"Perhaps, if the Super Saiyan had been Goku, or someone aslight-hearted as him, the reply would have been 'hey, some of mybest friends are gorillas, and they'd take offense at that!' As itwas, Raditz's reply was simply to dodge an energy beam from Cooler,quickly move around behind him, grab his tail by one hand and hurlhim away. Cooler mowed down a forest as he bounced along the ground,managing to right himself about a mile away. He stood up, glancingaround for any sign of his enemy. Raditz appeared behind him again,but this time Cooler was expecting him, and his knee strike caughtRaditz off-guard, his following tail strike knocking the SuperSaiyan into the ground, driving him several feet down into the dirt.There was a snarl from underneath, and Raditz rose from underground,soil cascading off his shoulders. One leg of his trousers was rippedup to the knee, and blood seeped from a large gash where the spikeon the end of Cooler's tail had torn into his leg, but he didn'tseem to notice, or maybe he just didn't care.
"Why can't I kill this one saiyan?!" Cooler shouted tono-one in particular, before rushing at Raditz, who raised an armand resisted his charge, skidding back through the dirt against theforce of Cooler's impact. They took off again, Cooler chasing Raditzthrough canyons and valleys, over lakes and mountains. He lost trackof Raditz, and as soon as he stopped to try and find him, the saiyancrashed into his back with both feet, throwing a powerful punch thatmade Cooler's vision swim. However, weakened from his injuries,Raditz overbalanced from his next attack, and Cooler, having justrecovered, caught him in a headlock. He tried to force Raditz's neckdown towards a sharp shard of rock that jutted out from the ground,and Raditz pushed up and away with all his strength, but he wasslowly losing.
I could just flatten the rock with my ki, but that'd divertattention from resisting his headlock and he'd be able to shove meinto the ground, getting the advantage again… no, there has to bea better way… He twisted to the side, kicking one of Cooler'sfeet off the ground to destabilise him. Raditz pushed away with allhis might, and Cooler landed flat on his back, and Raditz jumpeddown on top of him, driving him into the ground with both feet,cracks spreading under the tyrant's body. "Come on, Cooler! Youcan do better! I demand more than this! What do you call that?!"He jumped away, allowing Cooler to stand up and shake himself offbefore charging back in. "Fight harder!"
"Shut up! Just stop talking!" Cooler rocketed intoRaditz, punching him and snapping his head left, right and thenstraight backwards. Raditz made an effort not to let himself retreata step, simply skidding back with the force of the impacts, draggingalong the rough ground until his shoes were in tatters and his feetbloody. His head hung as he gasped for breath, feeling battered andbroken all over. But I will… not… lose! He raised hishead, looking up at Cooler, who was standing over him, breathingraggedly and a little shaky on his feet, but looking confidentagain.
"Well, you're starting to take longer to recover. Finallyhad enough? Ready to admit defeat at the hands of a superior being?"
"NO!" Raditz gathered all of his energy, propellinghimself at his monstrous foe. "You can beat me into the groundall day-but what I represent can never be destroyed by a creaturelike you! Whatever you do, it's…" He gripped Cooler by thesides of his head, and rammed his forehead into the frost demon'sface. "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" The force of the impact knockedoff chips of armour all the way up Cooler's spiked crest, and thediamond-like blue circle in his forehead cracked. Cooler reeled,blood pouring from his face and seeping down from the top of hishead, and Raditz skidded to a halt, watching carefully as Coolerstaggered around.
Cooler choked. He gasped. He retched. He cried out in shock, andfinally, with a horrible grinding noise, he regressed to his fourthform. Spiked, armoured growths vanished, and he shrank to his normalsize. The light faded from his eyes, and his muscles lost some oftheir strength. "What… no! You can't… agh…"
"There." Raditz straightened up, smiling. "I'vebeaten you. You don't have enough energy to sustain that powered-upform any longer."
"Arrogant! Little! Ape !" Cooler screamed,struggling to stand and swinging a fist, but Raditz caught it. Hegave two quick jabs to the stomach that winded Cooler, following upby kicking him into the air, racing ahead of him and punching him tothe ground, and then landing on top of him, one foot resting onCooler's head. "I don't believe you!" Raditz shouted. "Yougo around beating up those far weaker than you, and laughing attheir deaths, but when it comes to a real fight you've got nothing!"
"Nothing?!" Cooler wheezed. "You're half-dead! Youcall that… nothing?"
"It doesn't matter how injured I am-you're beaten. By a'lesser being'. And now, you're going to pay for everything you'vedone." He stepped off of Cooler. "Get up!"
Cooler slowly stood, staring in hatred at Raditz. Suddenly, thesaiyan was upon him again, an iron-hard fist landing a solid blow tohis face. "That was for killing Frieza-and robbing the saiyansof their rightful revenge!" Cooler clutched a hand to the sideof his face, which stung from the force of the punch. Cooler lashedhis tail, but it seemed to pass right through Raditz-he'd dodgedfaster than Cooler's senses could follow. Raditz threw another punchto Cooler's abdomen, doubling him over. "That was for my alliesyou and your brother killed-and all the innocent Namekians youdragged into this." Cooler propped himself up on a rock, hisbreath coming in ragged gasps, his voice hoarse.
"All right, I get it!" He rasped. "And so on, adnauseum. the next one is for your brother, Kakarot, wasn't it?"
"No." Raditz took a deep breath. I think I canremember how to do it… He thrust both hands out in front ofhim, palms forwards, trying to achieve calm-not easy in his SuperSaiyan state. Slowly, he drew his hands back until they rested athis right side. " This is for my brother- Son Goku!" A bright blue ball of energy appeared between his hands,flickering as it grew. "KA… ME… HA… ME…"
Cooler couldn't sense energy, but he knew a deadly attack when hesaw it. "Please! Don't…"
"HAAAAH!" Raditz flung his arms forwards, the brilliantblue energy bursting forth as a thundering beam of light. Itengulfed Cooler, lighting up the planet for miles around.
Raditz sunk to the ground in the aftermath, finally feelinginjured and exhausted. I told you, Cooler. You weren't goodenough. He sighed, slipping out of his enhanced Super Saiyanstate, his aura receding, his hair and eyes returning to normal, andhis bulked-out musculature relaxing. "I'd better get out ofhere…" he muttered to himself. "There's not much left ofthis planet…"
" Hey, monkey! " Raditz turned at the sound ofthe voice. What's this huge energy I'm sensing… it built sofast I could barely follow it! Cooler hovered a mile or soabove the planet's surface. He had been trying to escape the blast,so his lower body had been hit hardest, and his legs and tail werecrushed. One finger was stretched up to the heavens, and above itwas a massive, crackling yellow ball of energy.
"Huh?" Raditz's eyes widened. "How did you buildthat so quickly?"
"I've practiced this one a lot," Cooler replied,laughing. "When you can survive in space and others cannot, youlearn that a quick Supernova attack is often preferable to fighting,and much less effort. Hyah!" He threw it down at the planet,throwing up a massive explosion. The light, the noise drowned outeverything.
"What's happening?" Nail wondered aloud as Bulma triedto take off in the ship. The turbulence had increased, and shortlythey lost all control.
"The battle must have gotten even more intense!" Bulmayelled over the roaring noise of the impact to the planet. "We'renot going to be able to clear the atmosphere!"
"What are we gonna do?" Gohan whined.
"Hold on, kid, I'm trying!" Bulma wrestled with thecontrols. "But I don't think…" There was a gentlehumming noise, and the ship's occupants vanished, leaving theunpiloted vessel alone to crash back into the planet's surface.
The light, the noise died down. Raditz lowered his hand fromshielding his eyes, staring at the massive crater in the planet'ssurface. "So, you were going to destroy the planet, huh?"he called up to Namek's would-be destroyer.
"Damn! I must have lost more power than I thought…"Cooler grumbled. "Still, it's destabilised the core-I give it,er, five…" I think so… I mean, that's just a roughestimate, I wouldn't like to say exactly… "yes, fiveminutes before planet Namek is no more. Better move quickly."
Raditz focused, finding that anger, that power, again, andpowered back up to his Super Saiyan form-it was much easier thesecond time. "Five minutes, huh? Well, no problem. I'll finishyou, then leave. I imagine my… friends… are gone already."Friends. The word sounded good, he realised.
"What? No! Get out of here! Run!"
"Not from you." Raditz shot up towards Cooler. "Neverfrom you!" He hammered Cooler to the ground with adouble-fisted swing, following him down as the former ruler hit therocky terrain below, throwing up a cloud of dust. As Raditz stalkedtowards his prey, Cooler started frantically firing off small energybolts. All were dodged or knocked away with the barest minimum ofeffort. Raditz stood over Cooler's shattered form. "You'redying, you realise," the victorious warrior statedmatter-of-factly.
"Saiyan… help… me…" Cooler reached out a twistedhand.
"What…?" Raditz was genuinely surprised. Thestone-hearted tyrant… was begging?
"Please… mercy…"
The Super Saiyan's eyes hardened. " How dare you?!" He hauled up by one arm, flying over to the crater from thefrost demon's attack on the planet itself. "How dare you actlike that, kill my own brother in front of my eyes… and then askme to show mercy? You sicken me."
Cooler was clutching at straws, trying to think of something,anything to convince Raditz with. "What… what would yourbrother do?"
Raditz paused for quite a while. "Kakaro… Goku would spareyour life. He'd let you live, with the promise that he wouldn't beso lenient if he ever crossed your path again. He'd leave now,giving you enough energy to sustain yourself until you could getmedical attention."
Hope filled Cooler's face. "Then you'll…"
Raditz scowled. Lightning struck, illuminating his unforgivingface in sharp black and white. "But I am not mybrother." He punched Cooler once more in the stomach for goodmeasure, then dropped him into the crater, where he'd fall until hehit the volatile planet core. Perhaps Cooler could survive without aplanet, but withstanding the actual detonation itself was anothermatter entirely.
Reversing his Super Saiyan transformation again, Raditz liftedoff, searching for a ship. The battle was won, at last. Now… thejourney home. Home. Another word he hadn't had much use for before.Raditz smiled slightly. This new life with the Earthlings-he couldget used to it.
Vegeta ignored his injuries. They weren't important. A GinyuForce attack pod floated gently through space, projecting anartificial atmosphere as he anchored himself to the outside with hiski, the better to watch Namek tear itself apart. Today… Iretreated from battle. From those low-class brothers, and theirthree-eyed friend. Again. I cannot… I will notfail another time! Next time, they will all die! I was happy enoughfor Kakarot to be the Super Saiyan, as long as there was one. Butnow that Frieza and his brother are dealt with-I can't sense theirenergy anymore, anyway-Kakarot has become an offense to my royalheritage. "It should have been ME!" he bellowed tothe uncaring void. I will leave for now… and I will become aSuper Saiyan. This is not a question, or a vague goal; it is a fact.I simply will. And then… I will return to Earth. And they will bowbefore their rightful ruler, right before they die.
Gohan sat up, in the middle of a grassy field on… Earth? Itcertainly looked like it. And looking around, Tien, Bulma, and Nailwere all there too-everyone from the spaceship. But… Gohan rubbedhis eyes. "Dende? You're here, too? I thought…"
Dende smiled. "You can thank King Kai. We revived Kami, theNamekian on your planet, while we were on Namek, right?"
Gohan nodded, a grin spreading over his face. "Oh yeah! Thatmeans the Earth's Dragon Balls must be working again-and they usedthem to wish you guys back!"
"Yep." Dende gestured around. "Everyone killed byFrieza and Cooler's armies." Gohan glanced around the field,seeing dozens of resurrected Namekians milling around. Yamcha wasshowing off his martial arts skills to a small group of thegreen-skinned aliens, and Zarbon was leaning against a tree awayfrom the rest of the group. Bulma was whistling nonchalantly andsauntering over to the former soldier of Frieza. "That meantPorunga, our dragon, came back as well-and there was still one wishleft, so we used it to bring us all here when Cooler destabilisedplanet Namek!" Dende finished.
"That's great!" Gohan jumped to his feet, franticallylooking left and right. "But… where's my dad and my uncle?"
"I… I'm sorry, Gohan." Dende shrugged. "KingKai, can you explain?"
The familiar voice spoke in Gohan's head. "Hey, kid. Well,Raditz didn't want to leave. He wanted to finish the battle againstCooler. His pride, and his anger, they wouldn't let him walk away…"
"But my dad!" Gohan looked like he was on the verge ofbreaking into tears. "Hasn't he been brought back with theothers?"
King Kai sighed, wondering how to tell the kid. "He…didn't want to be revived just yet."
"W… what?"
"He thought it might lessen Raditz's resolve to fight, if hesensed Goku was back from the dead. He said we can revive him later,after the battle is won."
"But is it? Did Raditz win?" Gohan shuffled awkwardly,anxious to hear about what was going on.
"Yes… yes, he did. Cooler is dead. The galaxy's rulershave been struck a fatal blow on Namek." King Kai inhaleddeeply. "But I'm not sure if Raditz can escape now. The planetis tearing itself apart-Cooler's attack really damaged it."
"Then we'll wish him back, too!" Gohan nodded. "Yeah,that's it."
"Well, just make sure you don't get used to wishing all yourproblems away. And anyway, you'll have to wait a while before theDragon Balls can be used again-we've used up all our wishes fornow." King Kai ended the 'call'.
"I… I hope uncle Raditz doesn't die…" Gohanmumbled. "I want to see him soon…"
"Hey, don't worry, Gohan." Dende reassured him. "Thanksto you and your friends, our entire race escaped Frieza and Cooler'sattack alive-we're in your debt, and you can use our Dragon Balls tobring your friends back. They recharge quicker than Earth's-oneNamekian year is less than an Earth year."
"All right! I'm sure you guys can stay at CapsuleCorporation until we can figure out where you're going to livepermanently." Gohan, ever one for thinking ahead, was spot-onin this instance.
Raditz was growing frantic. His sense of satisfaction andfulfilment at winning the battle, and at realising that he did havea home to go back to, were fading as he continued his increasinglyhopeless search for a working spaceship. They were all either toodamaged to work, or being swallowed up by the cracks that werespreading out from the crater as Namek's surface tore itself apart.Spying an attack pod being buffeted by the elements and literallyrolling along the ground, Raditz flew down to it, stopping itstumble with one hand and climbing inside. It was a customised modelused by the Ginyu Force, and the controls were unfamiliar. "Comeon…" Shockwaves rocked the planet, and lava began to flood tothe surface, pouring out of the crevices over the landscape. "Comeon, damn it, I'm running out of time!" he snapped.
"Oh…" King Kai gulped.
"Uh…" Krillin paused from his training, jogging overto his teacher. "Did something happen?"
"I'm afraid so." King Kai sniffed. "Planet Namekhas been destroyed by Cooler's attack. The explosion was delayed,but it finally happened."
"But did everybody make it out all right?" Krillinasked frantically.
The diminutive god sighed. "Most of them. The two sets ofDragon Balls were used to resurrect the dead, according to myplan-you excluded, having already been wished back once-and moveeveryone to Earth."
"Uh…" Krillin tilted his head to one side. "Well,maybe you could have filled me in while all this was going on-I'dhave quite liked to know about it! And anyway, what's this 'most ofthem'? I don't like the sound of that."
"Raditz… remained on Namek to finish his battle withCooler. He won, but he wasn't able to escape in time. At least, Idon't think so…"
"You don't think so?" Krillin raised aneyebrow. "King Kai, you can see anywhere in the universe withthose antenna of yours-why don't you know?"
"Well, all the heat and energy put out by the explosion isinterfering with my viewing the surrounding area. And anyway, evenif, by some miracle, he managed to take off with seconds to spare…"King Kai shrugged. "He's far too wounded to survive the trip toEarth. It doesn't look good, I'm afraid." He coughed, shook hishead to clear out all this pessimistic talk, and brightened up. "ButI'm sure he'll be wished back along with you! And anyway, such agreat blow has been struck against the forces of tyranny thisday-Frieza, Cooler and their most powerful soldiers, all defeated inone battle!"
"And over here we have the main lab-it's mostly my dad's,I've got my own in the west wing…" Bulma was saying, leadingZarbon-now dressed in casual clothes (jeans and pink shirt, the onlythings lying around that had fit-made more embarrassing by theinscription 'BAD MAN' on the back of the shirt. Well, most peoplewould have considered it embarrassing, especially given the colour,but he didn't seem to mind.)-by one arm on a tour of the CapsuleCorporation compound. It was a week later, and everyone had settleddown. Chi-Chi had needed a while to accustom herself to the factthat her husband was dead, but would be coming back, that hisbrother was the legendary most powerful being in the universe, andthat her son hadn't done his homework at all while away inspace-this last one being a particular sticking point.
The time seemed to pass quickly. They all met often, givingupdates on how many Dragon Balls had been found around the world,planning out wishes in detail, or just having picnics and barbecuesand enjoying a well-earned time of peace after the war on Earth andNamek. These idyllic days were shared with the hundred or soNamekians-the planet's population had been extremely small, afterthe disaster of a few years beforehand. Guru, their Grand Elder, hadpassed on of natural causes very soon after arriving on Earth,leaving their second eldest Moori the guardian of the Namekianpeople.
An unexpected figure appeared at one of these gatherings. "Uh…is this one of those dreams, or is Piccolo standing on yourhouse, Bulma?" Yamcha asked, pointing.
"No… that's definitely him…" Bulma blinked. "I'dalmost forgotten about that guy. I hope he doesn't want anytrouble…"
"Don't worry, guys," Tien said. "I could take him.His power's grown a lot since we last saw him, but I think Zarboncould beat him, too."
"Really?" Bulma eyed the green-haired, mildlynarcissistic alien visitor, who was hanging upside-down in mid-airwith the force of his ki, reading Machiavelli's Il Principe.
"Well, I don't like to boast…" he said with a slightsmirk that said he did. "But I should say so. Whoever thisturban-sporting person is, he seems to be almost equal in power toNail…" He was exercising his recently-learnt ability to senseki, something he'd very quickly refined to a high level of accuracyand could tell you exactly where everyone ranked in comparison toeach other.
"That's true. Hey, Piccolo, you must have been doing someintense training!" Tien called. "You've improved!"
Piccolo hopped down to the ground a few metres away. "I wasin Hell, Shinhan. Every day was a battle. It toughens you up, aslong as you avoid the real heavy hitters."
"So what are you doing here? Not looking for revenge, Ihope-I was planning on enjoying a quiet picnic, thanks."
Piccolo grunted. "Just checking in on everyone-I don't wantto get behind on what's going on, and Kami's been even moreunhelpful than usual. I wasn't planning on spoiling your littleparty. So what's happening, then?"
"Well…" Tien scratched his head. "Since youdied… we went to planet Namek-your home planet, actually-fought alot of aliens, and ran into some really powerful alien rulers calledFrieza and Cooler. We met Vegeta again, but Goku arrived and beathim. Cooler killed Frieza and Goku, and that made Raditz turn intosome kind of… Super Saiyan, I think. He killed Cooler, but Namekwas destroyed and Raditz was caught in the blast. So we're going touse the Dragon Balls from Namek to find the Namekians a new homeplanet and bring Goku, Raditz and Krillin back to life. Does thathelp?"
Piccolo nodded slowly. "I knew most of it, but noteverything. Super Saiyan… I wonder what that is?"
"Some kind of golden warrior… the most powerful being inthe universe." Nail was standing a few feet away, and seemedunusually tense. He shivered slightly.
"What's your problem?" Piccolo demanded.
"You are an evil Namekian. Such a thing should not exist…"Nail breathed deeply, trying to calm himself-but the being in frontof him was an affront to his ideals, simply by existing.
"Have you got a problem with that?" Piccolo cracked hisknuckles. "If you don't like me for what I am, I'd be happy tolet you work off some of that aggression…" They tensed up,their energy rising.
"Hey! Guys!" Bulma eyed the scouter lying on the grassnext to her-scouters had, since their return to Earth, become thestandard for all Capsule Corp security workers-noting its urgentbeeping as the two warriors powered up. "Keep the power levelsdown, you'll scare Yamcha!"
"Hey!" Yamcha scowled at her, and she grinned toherself.
"Yeah, he resembles that remark," Tien said, trying tokeep his smile from showing.
"That's not funny, you guys!" Yamcha stomped off.Chiaotzu, sitting next to Tien, giggled, the shared merrimentcompletely defusing the situation. But Piccolo gave an ugly look atNail as he left, flying off to be alone-which was, to be fair, whathe did best.
The day soon came to summon Porunga-one Namekian year had passed,and the Dragon Balls were active again. Everything went according toplan-however, while having many advantages over Earth's dragon,Porunga could only restore one life per wish, so they used the firsttwo on Krillin and Goku. The saiyan appeared in the golden glow atPorunga's base, smiling as if this was an everyday occurrence. "Hey,guys! I missed you!" Gohan flung himself into his father'sarms, and Chi-Chi soon followed, berating him half-heartedly forcoming home late again. Goku held his family, laughing softly.
"Ah, it's okay, guys. I'm here now. I'm sorry I couldn'tcome earlier-I hope you understand."
"That's all right, Goku." Tien patted his old rival onthe shoulder. "So, where's Krillin at, then?"
"Oh, he'll be making his way down Snake Way right now,"King Kai answered telepathically. "He's improved a lot-at hislevel, he should take less than an hour to reach you!"
"Awesome! I can't wait to see my old friend again."Goku, for the first time in quite a while, was truly happy.
"MY PATIENCE IS NOT INFINITE!" Porunga rumbled. "WHATIS YOUR FINAL WISH?"
"Porunga!" The new elder Moori called in Namekian."Please restore the life of the saiyan named Raditz!"
There was a slight pause. "THIS WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED. THEONE CALLED RADITZ LIVES."
"He's alive?" Goku grinned. "Raditz, I don'tbelieve you. He's alive! Ask if Porunga can bring him here."
Moori made the request, and the dragon spoke again. "THISWISH CANNOT BE GRANTED. THE ONE CALLED RADITZ DOES NOT WANT TORETURN AT THIS TIME."
"Huh?" General puzzlement was the response to this. "Iwonder why not?" Goku asked, not expecting an answer, and notreceiving one.
"HURRY! WHAT IS YOUR THIRD WISH?"
"Well, we've got nothing left." Goku nodded to Moori."I guess you can find your people a new home."
"Except me." A voice cut through the crowd, and Nailstepped forwards.
"Nail?" Moori raised an eyebrow. "We will missyou… why do you wish to stay?"
"This planet… intrigues me." Nail indicated thehumans standing with the Namekians. "I have fought alongsideits warriors, and would be honoured to train among them and refinemy skills. Besides… the evil Namekian, Piccolo. I wish to learnmore about him. I want to believe that there is hope for him."
"Very well." Moori bowed in admission. "I respectyour decision. We have many experienced telepaths-I am sure you cancontact us, should you wish to come home."
"I am equally sure, at some point, I will." Nail waved,smiling a little. "But I wish to remain for now. Dende, lookafter them for me, all right?"
"Okay!" Dende waved back.
"Time to go." Moori looked up at the hovering dragon."Porunga! Please find us an uninhabited planet, as similar tothe original Planet Namek as possible, and let all the Namekians onthis planet except for Kami, Nail and Piccolo be transported there!"
"IT SHALL BE DONE." Porunga's eyes glowed for quitesome time. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. FAREWELL!" Porungavanished in a burst of yellow light, and the Dragon Balls rose intothe sky. The assembled Nameks began to fade, bidding their finalfarewells. Gohan wiped a tear from his eye as Dende disappeared withthe others. The remaining group-Goku, Gohan, Chi-Chi, Bulma, Zarbon,Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Lunch, Bulma, Dr. and Mrs. Brief andNail-stood for an awkward thirty seconds, before a familiar voiceheralded a new arrival.
"Hey, guys! How have things been going while I was gone?"
Goku grinned from ear to ear. "Krillin! Haha! Welcome home!"
Death to the King
Chapter 20: Death to the King
Time is not supposed to be complicated. It's a one-way street,and you live out your life going ever so slightly further along thegrand highway of the universe. But then human beings just had to goand invent time travel, and make everything that much moredifficult.
For instance, on one fine day in the year 764, time split-in onetimeline a dark future awaited, but a single warrior travelled tothe past to rewrite history, and try and prevent the nightmare fromever starting.
On the same day as the split, only a few minutes before thewarrior's arrival in the past, a dark, spider-like craft silentlyentered the solar system, gently coasting through the void as itsimmensely powerful engines powered down. A harsh voice from one ofthe occupants echoed around the main deck. "How long until wearrive, father?" A mechanical tail thrashed impatiently againstthe floor, leaving cracks in the metal.
"Calm yourself, Cooler," a much larger figure,reclining in a throne and sipping from a wineglass, replied to thefirst speaker. "We will enter Earth's orbit in mere moments.Then we can find this Super Saiyan you spoke so much of."
"Are you absolutely certain they are on Earth?" Coolerasked, ignoring the previous answer.
"If you continue this impertinence, I may have todemonstrate why it is I, not you, that really runs thisgalaxy!" the towering horned figure snapped. "But toanswer your question, yes, I am one hundred percent sure. As peryour inecessant whining, I have been monitoring the entire empire,and several beings matching your descriptions were located on thisplanet. They are here, and the sooner we're done with this thebetter-it's all a giant waste of time, if you ask me…"
"Father! They killed my elite squadron, and mortally woundedme!"
"So?"
It was just Goku's luck. He had to sense the enormous, evil powerlevel right in the middle of his breakfast! He swallowed a mouthfulof pancakes, wiping his mouth and jumping to his feet. "Sorry,Chi-Chi, I gotta go!"
"What? Why?" His wife eyed him with suspicion.
"An enormous evil presence just appeared on the planet! Idon't like it-I'm gonna go check it out!" He disappeared outthe doorway.
"Wait! I'm going too!" Gohan ran up to his room,throwing off his clothes and pulling on his orange gi. Chi-Chistormed up the stairs after him. "Oh, no you don't, young man!You get right back…" she skidded into the bedroom to find anopen window and a quickly-vanishing orange figure soaring off intothe sky. "… here… oh, Gohan… why do you have to be sobrave? You're just a little kid…"
Goku and Gohan landed in the middle of the eastern wasteland, ona plateau overlooking the ship, which had come to a rest on Earth.Mere moments later, they were joined by Piccolo, Nail, Tien, Yamcha,Krillin and Zarbon, all flying in from different directions.
"So, you guys felt it too, huh?" Goku asked, to achorus of assent.
"Hey… is it just me, or is that energy signal familiar?"Tien stared down at the ship, squatting like a giant ugly insect onthe landscape.
"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Goku frowned. "Ofcourse."
"Huh?" Krillin glanced around at the concerned faces."What'd I miss?"
"I'm lost, too," Zarbon admitted.
"Of course." Nail nodded, realising. "Not everyonewas on Namek, and Zarbon couldn't sense ki back then. Cooler is inthat spaceship."
"Cooler?!" Yamcha-who had been dead by the time Coolerhad arrived on Namek-put his head in his hands. "That's it.We're dead. We're all dead. Thanks so very much, Raditz, nice jobkilling him." Goku lightly punched Yamcha on the arm in anattempt to shut him up, accidentally knocking the much weakerfighter to the ground. Goku attempted to raise everyone's spirits."All right, let's stay calm. I wish we didn't have to fight,but knowing Cooler, I think it's fairly safe to say it's going tohappen. There's more of us this time-maybe we have a chance!"
"I think you're avoiding the elephant in the room…"Tien grimaced. "There's a second power in that ship-even higherthan Cooler's. Any way you look at it, this isn't good…"
Cooler walked out onto the surface of the Earth, stepping out ofhis vessel's shadow. "Hmm… I was expecting a dump, but thisplanet isn't bad." His metallic feet clicked on the rockyground. Cooler had been heavily modified, robotic parts added tocompensate for the grievous injuries suffered on Namek. He wasentirely mechanical from the waist down, and had various smallerbionic parts on his upper body.
"Perhaps we should sell it, then, when we're done here?"King Cold, his father, asked. Cold was massive, having to duck toget through the ship's hatch. He somewhat resembled Frieza's secondform, with his size, imposing musculature and upwards-curving horns,but he was easily larger than any form of either of his sons, andhis purple colouration was a much deeper shade than Frieza's. Hewore customised black armour, and a richly-fashioned cape hung fromhis shoulders.
"No." Cooler was firm. "He dies, and then hisplanet. I will leave no trace that the saiyan race ever existed!"Soldiers began to file out and examine the surrounding area.
"Very well." King Cold shrugged, tossing his wineglassaside for a hapless flunky to catch before it broke. "Let'sjust find this 'Super Saiyan', kill him and be done with it,agreed?"
"Apparently, that's the only thing we can agreeon," Cooler muttered. "All right, let's-hmm?" Henoticed a humanoid figure in the distance, partially obscured by theheat haze, walking slowly towards them. Who is that? Alleyes turned to the distant newcomer. Abruptly, the figure flickered,and reappeared much closer, continuing its unhurried approach.
"I don't know this one," Cooler said dismissively."Must be a local."
"Sir," a bird-like soldier reported, tapping hisscouter, "power level's only 10. Orders?"
"Just kill the little primate!" Cold snapped. "We'vewasted too much time already, and I can't be bothered to listen tosome primitive's babbling." The soldier nodded, raising hisarm-mounted blaster and firing off a shot. It arced through the air,but before it hit home, the approaching figure vanished. The windpicked up, and an invisible force seemed to collide with thesoldiers one by one, each trooper collapsing to the floor,unconscious but not dead, only the minimum amount of force necessaryused to knock each one out. King Cold wrinkled his nose indispleasure. "You know, some of those troops were equal inpower to the Ginyu Force. That really wasn't very considerate ofyou." He was following something with his eyes, and Cooler wasdoing likewise. "Oh, and you can stop running around like that.Your speed may have been sufficient to let you evade our soldiers'senses, but we can see you just fine and dashing back and forth justmakes you look silly."
A blue blur condensed into a human being, standing silently tenmetres from the frost demons. "Yes, well done. You can hideyour power level and are an accomplished fighter." Cooler spokeup, getting agitated. "But you're starting to annoy me, withyour acting superior and giving us the silent treatment-and peoplewho annoy me don't last long in this world!" He extended onehand and fired a thick purple energy beam. This should clear upthis mess, and then we can get down to business…
There was a burst of golden light, and the stranger exploded withpower, their body enveloped in a bright yellow aura before the beamengulfed them. Cooler's attack faded, revealing empty, barrenground. The intended target stood several metres to the side, havingdodged at the last second. The intense heat and emanating powerincinerated the unconscious soldiers, and internal explosions rockedthe nearby ship as sensors and instruments backfired.
"Ah, so this is the Super Saiyan you spoke of?" KingCold asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No… this isn't him…" Cooler shrank back in fear.Another one?!
"Well, the description seems accurate-golden aura, highpower, hair standing up…"
"Father! He crippled me and threw me into the heart of anexploding planet! I'd remember him anywhere, and this is notRaditz!"
"Fine, then!" Cold sighed. "We'll just kill themall, one by one if we have to." He was about to tell his sonthat he'd be happy to stand back and let Cooler deal with ithimself, when a roar of pure rage came from in front of the demons,and the Super Saiyan was upon them.
"Woah! Check it out!" Krillin shielded himself from theshockwaves of power. "Whoever that guy is, he's putting outpower like nothing I've ever seen before!"
"And he's a Super Saiyan…?" Tien blinked, thenpinched himself. No-not dreaming.
"I wondered what it looks like…" Goku grinned. "Wow,look at him go! He just ripped Cooler into pieces with his barehands, like it was nothing!"
"Hmm… I'm sure it helped that Cooler didn't transform, butour boy may just have been able to handle him anyway," Tienadded. There was another battle cry, and another flash of light.
"I couldn't even follow that one!" Gohan said,open-mouthed in shock.
"Me either!" Goku narrowed his eyes, squinting to seeif he could follow it better, both with his five conventional sensesand his ki detection. "But it looks like the big guy behindCooler just got blown away! Man, I don't know who that guy is, buthe couldn't have picked a better moment to intervene-we'd have stoodno chance ourselves. I wonder who he is… all the saiyans exceptRaditz, Vegeta and me are supposed to be dead, but that doesn't feellike Raditz or Vegeta…"
"Excuse me." Nail hadn't spoken in a while (as opposedto Piccolo, who hadn't spoken at all). "I may not be an expertin human and saiyan biology, but I believe that 'he' is a 'she'."
"Uh… really?" Goku looked down at the stranger,who-with all enemies obliterated-was powering back down to normal,and back up at Nail. "How can you tell?"
"Namekian hearing is extremely sensitive," Nailexplained. "She was shouting-incoherently, I might add-whileshe killed those two, and it was definitely a female voice."
"Yeah, but-" Yamcha was about to explain why a girlcouldn't possibly be such a powerful fighter, then stopped as herealized there wasn't really a reason at all. "Uh, okay."
"Hello up there!" The mystery girl was looking up andwaving, calling out to the assembled group. "Can we talk? Idon't want to fight you or anything."
Cautiously, the Earth's defenders flew down to the plain wherethe invading army had stood moments before. "Hi," Gokusaid, smiling and holding out a hand. "That was amazing! But Ihave to wonder, how is it that you're a Super Saiyan?"
The girl shook his hand, doing her best to smile, but it wasclear she hadn't had much experience. She was in her mid to lateteens, quite tall with dark blue hair that hung in loose curls downto her shoulders, and had an air of constantly being on edge abouther. She wore a scuffed blue jacket, which interestingly enough borethe Capsule Corporation logo on the left shoulder. Underneath shewore a plain black vest and trousers, all a little worn. Over herback was slung a red fighting staff, which those whose senses weredeveloped enough to watch the battle would have noticed she used toknock out the common soldiers before transforming. "It's…complicated. I'm not sure how much it's safe to tell you, without…well, anyway, it's very difficult. I came here to deliver a warning,but I want to wait until you're all here."
"All here?" Goku looked confused as he considered this,his brain not quite yet reaching the question of, how does sheknow us? "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that in a few minutes Raditz is going to return toEarth, and if I told you everything now, I'd just end up repeatingit. Follow me-I know where he'll arrive." The puzzled group,having pretty much figured out that asking 'how' and 'why' wasn'tgetting anywhere, simply followed the strange girl through the air.They landed in a patch of rocky ground that looked exactly like thepatch of rocky ground they had been standing on in the first place,only minus a spaceship. The girl stood perfectly still, lookingexpectantly up at the sky. Ten minutes passed. Piccolo wasmeditating. Yamcha was practicing his Wolf Fang Fist on someunfortunate rocks. Zarbon was pacing. Goku was half-asleep, yawningas he tried to pay attention to Gohan's babbling on about a birdhe'd seen that morning. "Be patient," is all the girlwould say.
Another ten minutes, and a pinpoint of light appeared in the vastblue sky. It grew into a spherical shape, which crashed into theground at full speed. It always seemed impressive and dangerous toonlookers, but it was probably just the way the Planet TradeOrganisation's transport pods were designed to land. That, or thesaiyan inside simply had no idea how to fly the thing. The fightersapproached the smoking crater, peering down into it as the pod'shatch cracked open. And just as predicted, Raditz stumbled out,dressed in plain brown, somewhat ragged clothes. He gave a smallsmile as he saw everyone looking down at him from the rim of thecrater, and floated up to meet them. "Well, hello again."He stretched, breathing deeply. "Ahh, feels good to be out ofthat cramped little pod… well, sorry I took so long getting home.Damn thing's controls made no sense. These new models, I swear,don't make 'em like they used to. So… how come you all knew I wascoming?" He was tackle-hugged by Gohan, and silentlyacknowledged the boy's affections with a pat on the head, grinningto see Goku alive and well.
"Ask her," Krillin replied, "whoever she is. Youjust missed one hell of a show!"
"Yes, I was wondering about that…" Raditz folded hisarms, turning to look at the girl. "I was racing Cooler and hisfather home…"
"-his father ?!" came an outburst from theside.
"-shush, Yamcha!" Krillin hissed.
"… and I was going to intercept them as soon as they gotto Earth," Raditz continued, ignoring the humans' interruption,"when their energy disappeared. And for a short time, anotherhuge power appeared…" He indicated her. "That was you?"
She nodded. "I guess, now you're all here, I should give youan explanation."
"About damn time," Piccolo muttered, receiving a glarefrom Nail.
"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you…"she sighed. "I can't really explain. If all goes according toplan, you'll understand in time… but I can deliver the warning Icame to give you." She looked much more serious all of asudden. "In three years' time-I've got the exact time and datewritten down," she said, handing Gohan a piece of paper withsome hasty scrawling on it, "two androids will appear.Terrible, evil beings, even more powerful than a Super Saiyan!They'll destroy everything, hunt down all remnants of humanity forsport. The world will become a living nightmare." She looked ateach of them in turn. "I'm telling you this because if you knowit's coming, you can train harder, anticipate the threat… I mightbe able to help you, as well, but I can't promise anything. It'sreally down to you-you have to change the future for the better!"
"Assuming we believe you," Piccolo asked, "whathappens to us? Do these androids kill us, too?"
"Most of you. Look… I've got personal reasons, but…there's some things I'd rather only share with Goku, all right?"This got mixed reactions.
"Better than not telling anyone, I suppose." Raditzflexed his muscles a little. "But before you two take off to gotalk in private, tell me… how do you know what's morepowerful than a Super Saiyan?" He set his jaw, his expressionhardened, and-with a slight burst of ki that sent the fightersclosest to him staggering back-made his Super Saiyan transformationfor the first time since returning to Earth. This was the first timemany of them had seen this 'legendary golden warrior'.
"I guess I forgot, your friends never did have time to fillyou in on the details." She furrowed her brow, gritted herteeth, and a second golden aura burst into life. Her hair and eyesshined with intense power.
"Woah… too much!" Yamcha complained, standing evenfurther back, in awe of such powerful, almost mythical beings.
"Well, that I didn't expect." Raditz looked intently atthe other Super Saiyan. "So that's what it looks like from theoutside… anyway, it would explain how you defeated Cooler and hisfather so easily-woah!" He flinched to the left on a reflex asthe girl threw a sudden punch at his head. A low growl rose from herthroat as she continued to launch quick, short-ranged attacks,Raditz stepping from side to side and avoiding each one. It didn'ttake long for him to get fed up, and he swept her legs out fromunder her, knocking her onto her back. She breathed out, returningto her normal state, and he did likewise.
"That was uncalled for," he said sternly.
"Sorry." She held up a hand in apology. "I losemental control when I transform. But I'm impressed-they said youwere good, but you're amazing!"
Raditz couldn't help smiling at this. "You flatter me. So,you were testing me? Seems as good a way as any. You're quick, butyour technique lacks precision. You should work on that."
She nodded, standing up and turning to Goku. "All right.Now, if you don't mind…"
Goku followed her into the air. "All right. Let's talk."
Plan to Medicate theSaiyans
Chapter 21: Plan to Medicate the Saiyans
"What I'm about to tell you is the history that originallyhappened. It 'should' have happened, so to speak. Cooler and hisfather arrived on Earth, but Raditz was able to get here in time todefeat them. Unfortunately, he made a mistake-and I'm sorry to say,Goku, it was kind of your fault. You urged him to spare King Cold'slife, and-though I don't know exactly what happened in yourconversation-he did. Cold, by this point, was unconscious and allhis soldiers were too scared to intervene-Cooler was dead. So Coldand his men were forced to flee, and that was the last we saw ofthem for quite some time. Three years of peace followed, in which Iwas born…" The girl's monologue was interrupted as Goku'sbrain finally made a connection.
"A-hah! You're the child of one of us!" He grinned,pleased with himself. They were standing in the flat wasteland, acouple of miles away from the others. "That explains theCapsule Corp jacket, and how come you're like a saiyan and a humanat the same time! So, do I have a daughter, or…"
"No, Raditz is my father." Thestrange girl reached upand flicked the sides of her unruly black bangs behind her ears,revealing just how much she resembled her father with her hair back.She stood in Raditz's familiar pose, confident but always slightlyon edge, a stark contrast to Goku's carefree half-slouch.
"Wow, cool! Raditz gets to be a dad! So, uh, who's themother?" Goku didn't bother asking, so, how are you almostan adult? He reckoned she'd get to that eventually.
"Lunch. I believe you know her. If I'm careful not to alterhistory in too many ways, I'll be born sometime in the next threeyears. Lunch will have a baby girl, and she'll name her Break…"She trailed off, thinking of her mother. She wished she had knownher better.
"Lunch, huh? With Raditz? Who'd have thought?" Gokulaughed out loud. "That's great!" He managed to calmhimself down. "Uh, go on."
"All right…" Break continued her story. "We'restill not sure what King Cold was doing for three years. Our besttheory is that his empire was falling apart at the seams without hissons, and he was rushing around the galaxy trying to keep ittogether. Maybe he was scared of another defeat. But whateverhappened, he returned to get revenge for his humiliation. This time,he was in his third form."
"So, he could transform too?" Goku asked, and Breaknodded.
"He never got a chance to today-in either timeline.Fortunately, Raditz made quick work of him-as I did. But when hereturned in his third form, Raditz was no match for him-even as aSuper Saiyan! And even with help from Earth's most powerfulwarriors, Cold was untouchable. Plus, based on your previousencounters with Frieza and Cooler on Namek, everyone feared that hehad at least one more form left. They were completely outmatched bythis terrifying enemy, and it was getting to the point of no hope.So, as a last resort, my brave father used a technique he'd learntwhile in space to save us all-Instant Transmission. It let himinstantaneously move himself and anyone he touched to anywhere hecould see, or sense."
"Hmm, sounds pretty bad." Goku added, his demeanourshifting from its typical light heartedness into concern for thelives of his friends and family-even those from a different versionof history. "So, did he move Cold to some distant location inspace, then come back to Earth?"
"No." Break's face darkened. Staring at the ground infrustration, the girl ground a small rock into dust with her foot."That wouldn't have worked. Cold's race can survive in thedepths of space, and he would have just come back again. Plus, Idon't think my father had enough range to get them outside the solarsystem. Raditz…" she paused, a sudden rush of emotion makingher almost choke on the words. "… he teleported himself, andCold with him, into the heart of the sun. It was a surprise,apparently-he'd obviously experienced a great deal of change sincefirst coming to earth, but nobody would have ever expected such aselfless deed from him."
"He…" Goku looked over at his brother's distantfigure. "He did that? That's… I, uh… huh."
"Naturally, the Dragon Balls were gathered, to bring himback. But of course, that had to be the day when theandroids struck!" The girl clenched her fists in anger onceagain. Even the thought of those two gave her a sense of panic-afeeling of constantly looking over your shoulder, always fearing theend might be moments away.
"Yeah, you mentioned them." Goku hopped up and downwith excitement-another enemy more powerful than a Super Saiyan wascoming! This he wanted to hear. "Are they tough?"
"They're monsters." She gave her father's signaturescowl at the mere mention of the duo terrorising her world. "Theystruck a random city-for fun, I guess-and destroyed one of theDragon Balls before they'd all been collected. Before Kami couldrecreate the ball, it was over. The planet's strongestfighters-Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, Nail, Zarbon-everyone died.Only a few of us escaped. Over the next seventeen years, they'vebeen hunting down and destroying the last remnants of humanity! It'sa living nightmare-we have to stop it fromever happening!"
"And, uh, do I die fighting the androids?" Goku gulped."You didn't mention me…"
"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "You died of aheart virus during the three years of peace. It's unknown now, butin my time we have a cure." She pulled a small vial out of herpocket, and tossed it to Goku. "Here. Take it if you ever catcha seemingly untreatable disease-it'll cause fever, chest pains, andeventually incapacitation. Death follows in a couple of days."
"Wow, thanks!" Goku clutched the vital medicine in hishand. "Hearing how you're gonna die, then being given a chanceto avoid it in advance… that's so weird! Heh heh…"
"And that brings me to the last part of my story-it mightanswer any remaining questions you have. Bulma, a woman I believeyou know very well, was one of the survivors. She's like the motherI never had, really, and we're all extremely lucky to have her. Asyou know, she's a scientific genius, and recently… well, recentlyin my time, about twenty years from now to you… she finished herlatest creation-a vehicle capable of travelling through time.Unfortunately, once again disaster struck at the worst possiblemoment…"
Age 784…
The building was disguised to look like just another ruin dottingthe landscape, but inside, it was a fully working multidisciplinarylaboratory, with salvaged equipment from two decades of scavenging.Bulma, assisted by her son Trunks, spent most of her time there,staying awake on determination and enough coffee to supply a smallnation. Her work, however, had finally paid off-the time machine,roughly spherical, with a glass cockpit bubble and balanced on theground on several spindly metal legs, stood just outside the lab,ready to go. It was bright yellow, proudly bearing the CapsuleCorporation logo as a memory of old times, and the time and placeco-ordinates were already programmed in. It just needed a passenger…
"All right," Gohan said. He was a grown man now, withold scars and a world-weary look on his face, but an air of hopealways seemed to shine through. He was still wearing his TurtleSchool gi to honour his father, whom he hadn't seen since he was achild. With him were Bulma (wearing her pyjamas from three nightsbefore and with the mandatory coffee mug in hand-last night, puttingon the finishing touches, had been one of those nights);Trunks, her son, bearing the same pale green skin as his deceasedfather and a mess of lavender hair (an oddity-surely purple would bea result of red and blue hair, not green and blue, mixing-that hadnever been adequately explained), standing beside her in casualshirt and jeans; and Break, smiling as she thought of thepossibility that they might actually have a chance to put thingsright. Gohan continued speaking. "Are we all clear on theplan?"
Trunks nodded. "Whoever goes has to take out Cooler and KingCold before Raditz arrives, or at least stop him fromsparing Cold'slife-and deliver the medicine to Goku. Then, they'll have to warnthe whole group of what's coming-. "
Break picked up where he left off. "-so, with Goku andRaditz still alive, and three years of preparation, they'll stand amuch better chance against the androids than we did in ourtimeline." She almost couldn't believe it-what if they actuallycould do it? It seemed too good to be true (and in her world, ifsomething seemed too good to be true, it usually was-so naturally,she had her doubts, although she put them down to habitualparanoia). But more than that, she desperately wanted to be the oneto go back. The chance to meet her parents, for what was basicallythe first time (she'd been too young to remember them before) wasincredible. Not to mention all the legendary figures Gohan wasalways telling them about-Goku and Piccolo and Tien and all theothers she'd heard of but never seen. "Right. I see you've alldone your homework," Gohan replied, smiling a little. If youlooked closely, you could still see the optimistic little boy whowent to space and back for the sake people he'd barely known. Butthe happy light in his eyes was dimmed, and sometimes it just seemedlike he was tired of living. Then again, the life he led, whowouldn't be?
"That's wonderful." Bulma yawned, trying to take a sipof coffee but missing her mouth. "But I haven't slept inseventy-two hours, so could we just hurry up and save the futurealready?"
"Ah, calm down, Mom," Trunks said, laughing. "Thisis important! So, there's only one thing left to decide… who'sgoing?"
Gohan considered this. "On balance, I think the person goingback is in the most danger, and has the most difficult job. Sinceyou two are just kids, and no offense, Bulma, you're no fighter, Ithink I should go."
"No way! I can handle it!" Trunks protested. "Besides,we need you here!"
"Hey," Break cut in, "I'm much more powerful thanyou, Trunks, I'd be able to take care of myself a lot easier! Butyeah, Gohan, you should stay. What if the androids… the, uh…the…" her quivering voice trailed off, interrupted from aboveby a terrifying shadow.
"Oh, do go on," the cruel voice called out. "Whatif the androids do what ?" All eyes turned upwards infear-not now! They were so close!
"Damn!" Gohan mentally cursed himself for holding thistalk outside. The time machine itself needed to be outdoors to work,but they should have waited until they had absolutely sortedeverything out before wheeling it out. We've left ourselvesexposed-Goku or Raditz would never have made a mistake like this!Gohan emptied his mind, achieving mental balance and powering up toSuper Saiyan. "Bulma! Get inside!" he shouted, and shescrambled in through the door. There was a passage underground-she'dknow the plan. The lab would be empty of people and vital equipmentwithin two minutes. Gohan just hoped he could hold them that long.
The androids descended to the opposite side of the small'clearing' between the ruined buildings. Seventeen, a black-hairedteenage boy wearing a red scarf, stood slightly in front ofEighteen, a blonde girl of similar age in a denim jacket. They werealmost exactly equal in height and build, giving a strange overallappearance-opposite yet the same. "Well, Seventeen, look atthis merry little gathering… how rude of them to start withoutus," Eighteen said, in her all-too-familiar mocking tone.
Gohan's mind raced. He was sure he could drag out the fight longenough that Bulma could evacuate the lab and escape. But he'dprobably lose his own life in the process. That was bad enough, butBreak, Trunks and the time machine were here too! He couldn't thinkof any way to distract both of the killer machines long enough toget the kids and the machine to safety…
"Break." Trunks' voice cut through the nervous silence."Get in the time machine. Go. I know Gohan won't leave us toface them-it has to be you!"
"Trunks…" Break stared, shock creeping onto her face."You'll die if you try and fight them…"
"Don't you think I know that?!" Trunks' eyes began tofill with tears. "These… things… killed my father! I won'trun away when I can give you a chance to change all this!" Witha start, the saiyans realised that the boy had never actually foughtthe androids-he'd always held more of a support role, aiding escapesand moving bystanders to safety. He was a fairly competent fighter,but definitely not on the level of a Super Saiyan, and with no realbatle experience except training with the others. He'd always wantedto fight, but reluctantly agreed that he'd only be getting himselfkilled. "Hurry, before they attack!" He yelled, turning toface the androids, who looked like they were growing bored. "Getout of here!" His mind was made up, and Break knew he wasn'tgoing to budge. "All right…" She sniffed a little. "Iwon't forget you!" she promised, climbing into the timemachine. Her voice betrayed her sense of fear, the worry that shemight never return-and if she did, everyone she cared about would bedead. "Come on, turn on already…" the initiationsequence began, the machine powering on agonisingly slowly.
"Well, I'm starting to get bored," Seventeen decided."Let's have a little fun with them, Eighteen."
"Sounds good to me," his female counterpart replied.Gohan and Trunks tensed for battle, putting themselves between theandroids and the time machine. Gohan's golden aura rippled astension built up in his body. Trunks snarled as he powered up tomaximum, his canines elongating into fangs and his eyes blazingyellow-another trace of Zarbon's DNA. "All right, come on!"he yelled, his determination to protect Break and assure she made itsafely to the past completely overriding his fear of the androids.
"Ah, so you do want to fight." Seventeennarrowed his eyes. "That's good. It's so boring when they giveup and try to run away. Chasing humans is only fun for a couple ofminutes, then it just gets repetitive…"
"Yaaah!" Gohan charged forwards, surprising his enemiesby making the first move, his jump kick taking Eighteen off herfeet. He pressed his advantage, his fists flying and landing astream of furious blows, but realised after several seconds that shecould easily have dodged if she wanted to-she just felt like showingoff her durability today. "Damn it, what does it take?!"he grumbled, bringing his arm around for another attack. She saw itcoming and vaulted over his head, laughing to herself a little asshe landed behind Gohan, facing away from him.
Trunks was left facing off against Seventeen. The dark-hairedandroid brushed back his hair, smirking. "This won't takelong," he said. "You've made yourselves very annoying,running around ruining our games. I think it was last week you stolea few of our playthings. So we'll have some fun killing you… Andthen we'll get around to the girl-whatever it is she's trying todo." That set off something inside Trunks, and he leapt atSeventeen, but the android intercepted his attack with one hand,whirling the other around and smashing it into Trunks' side, jarringagainst his ribs. Trunks staggered off to the side, and Seventeencasually walked over towards him. Trunks whirled, firing acontinuous stream of energy bolts from both hands, but they impactedon his implacable foe with no visible effect. Seventeen justgrinned, then his image wavered. Within a second, he was inches fromTrunks, and then the android thrust his hand forwards and all thepain in the world gathered itself up and dropped into Trunks'stomach. " Aaaaaah! " he shrieked, and Breaklooked up on hearing the noise, frantically trying to hurry the timemachine up. It had initiated its final countdown, and had only a fewseconds to go before it was fully ready.
The picture that greeted Break brought tears to her eyes anddespair to her mind-Gohan was on the floor trying to get up, butevery time he made an effort to stand, Eighteen kicked him backdown, tutting and shaking her head. Seventeen had shoved his armright through Trunks' middle, dark green blood dripping off of hishand, and was chuckling to himself as wordless screams fought theirway out of the boy's mouth. Trunks gathered all his willpower andforced himself to speak, staring Seventeen right in the eyes. "I'm…dying now, I know that… you killed my father, and all his friends,and… now me too. But-" he grabbed hold of Seventeen's upperarm and held on with all his might. "-I'm not going alone!"Energy started to crackle up and down his body, and Seventeen's eyeswidened. He tried to pull his arm out, but the combined force of hisown attack piercing his victim's body and Trunks' death-grip was toomuch for him to escape in such a short space of time. White light,hissing and spitting, shimmered around the two of them, and all tooquickly, they were consumed in a colossal explosion. Tears flowedfreely as Break pressed the ignition, and with little more than aquiet hum and a gentle vibration, she was transported twenty yearsinto the past, leaving her adoptive family to fight and die withouther.
Age 764…
"… And that's when I got back here," Break finishedtelling Goku. "I took a few minutes to compose myself, thenwent to deal with King Cold."
"Huh. And here I thought you had everything under control…"Goku looked genuinely concerned. "I wonder if Gohan will be allright…"
"I don't know." Break shrugged, rubbing her eyes."Maybe Trunks' sacrifice killed Seventeen. Maybe not. Eitherway, maybe Gohan escaped, and maybe they killed him. I… I justdon't know. I carried out the plan anyway. Do you understand now? Iwanted to tell Raditz more, since he's the Super Saiyan andtherefore our best hope, but… I haven't been born yet. Who knowswhat'll happen if he finds out. I might never exist. But I can trustyou, right?" She looked at him hopefully, and Goku saw past themystery visitor from the future, to the frightened child underneath."You won't tell anybody what I've told you?"
"Sure!" Goku gave a thumbs-up, much to her relief."I'll tell everybody about the androids, and what to expect,but as for you-I'll just tell them to wait and see. Okay?"
"Thanks so much!" She did her best to smile, but again,it was obvious that happiness had been a rare thing for her growingup. "All right, look. If you all train hard these three years,you'll stand a better chance when the androids do appear. Plus,you'll have Raditz, and who knows-maybe you can become a SuperSaiyan as well!"
"Hey, that'd be cool," Goku chuckled. "I wonderwhat my hair would look like… by the way, how did you becomea Super Saiyan? What happened?"
"Uh… nothing, actually. For some reason, I've been able totransform from an early age-but my emotions get even more out ofcontrol than a normal Super Saiyan's. I can't think clearly at all.I guess I get that from my mother-it's such a weird coincidence, herturning blonde and getting violent as well. It must have mixed withthe Super Saiyan, uh, genes or… um… something. I'm not ascientist, I don't know."
"Oh, okay." Goku wondered what this timeline's versionof Break would look like. "Well, anyway, I wanted to ask-isthat my Nyoibo on your back?"
"Yup." Break drew the unique weapon, idly spinning itaround. "Gohan gave it to me. He always thought of it as a sortof symbol. A reminder of you. He said whenever you were around,everything was all right."
"Thank you, Break." Goku looked serious again, themention of Gohan sobering the mood. "For coming back to changeall this. You, Gohan, Trunks… you shouldn't have had to grow upwithout any parents. Don't worry, we'll make things right."There was something encouraging about his words.
"I believe you, Goku. Good luck, all of you." Shelooked apprehensive. "Well, I have to go. I don't want to stayhere too long, or I might affect the timeline in more ways than Iintended, and I have to find out if anybody survived. But once I'vechecked how things are in my future, I'll return, three years fromtoday, and see if I can help you against the androids."
"That sounds great!" Goku waved in a mock salute. "Seeyou then!" He watched the girl from the future fly off into thewastes, presumably back towards wherever she'd hidden her timemachine (or, if it was in a capsule, simply to a remote location touse it). So sad… she's a kid who's had to grow up far toosoon…
"Well, are you going to explain what all that was about?"Raditz was practically venting steam in impatience.
"Uh… I can't really tell you all of it. Will you trust me?For her sake, a lot of what she's told me has to remain a secretuntil later." Goku was clearly uncomfortable with keeping thetruth a secret. "Please?"
"Well, damn it, what can you tell us?" hisbrother asked. Goku explained carefully all about the androids,their appearance and abilities. "As for the girl, she'll returnin time to help us fight the androids. By then, I think it'll besafe to tell you the rest."
It must be something extremely important, Tien thoughtto himself, if even
Goku can resist telling the truth…
"By the way," Goku continued, pointing to Raditz'splain brown, somewhat ragged clothes. "What's with the cavemangetup?"
"Well, the pod I got into had a pre-programmed route set forthe planet Yardrat, and I had to go there before I could get it totake me to Earth. I stayed there for a while, but their style ofclothing was ridiculous, so I made my own." Raditz sighed. "Ihad… a lot to think about, staying on Yardrat. It struck me asexactly the kind of rich, beautiful planet with weak natives thatI'd have conquered while working for Frieza, wiping out the entirepopulation without a second thought. But they didn't know of Friezaor the saiyans, so they offered me nothing but kindness. They…they were all living breathing beings, individuals, each withfamilies, lives, histories, their own little personality quirks…"his voice was wavering. "… the kind of people who offershelter to a complete stranger, nursing them back to health andletting them stay for weeks in their homes… I even made friendswith some of them, would you believe it? But… before… I'vekilled so many. People just like them. I would have, you know, ayear ago. I almost wanted to kill the Yardrats, too, for no reasonother than that's just what I do ."
He looked over at Goku, his face a battleground of emotion. "Hey,Raditz…" Goku put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It'sokay now. You didn't, is the important thing. You've changed."
"That's just it!" the older saiyan snapped. "Idon't know where I stand, Goku!" He continued so quickly Gokudidn't have time to ask what had happened to 'Kakarot'. "I'vechanged, but not enough… or maybe too much… I'm not like you-thethings I've done, I don't think I ever can be! But I'm not like Iused to be-like Vegeta still is! I can't just do what I want with nomoral cares! I want to kill, but I can't bring myself to! I'm asaiyan warrior, but I don't know what that means anymore!"
"I'm… sorry…" Goku was wide-eyed, trying toempathise, but he had been blessed with very little moral ambiguityin his life and found Raditz's conflict difficult to imagine. "ButI'm not sure I can help. It sounds like you need to sort some thingsout. Your state of mind right now, it really doesn't sound veryhealthy."
Raditz took ten seconds to mentally compose his reply. "I'mgoing," he decided.
"Where?"
"I've been in space for far too long, I've learnt atechnique that lets me travel anywhere instantly, and I've finallyfound the energy signature of the person I've been waiting to seefor months." He brushed Goku off, raised two fingers to hisforehead and vanished. It wasn't simply speed-there was no energy tofollow. His ki simply disappeared, instantly reappearing on theother side of the planet.
Lunch, currently in her shy, blue-haired state, was humming toherself as she stood on the beach outside a rebuilt Kame House, idlyskimming stones across the ocean. The way the rocks flew across thesurface of the water, framed against the sunset, was strangelymesmerising. Her last one bounced six times-the day's record-beforebeing plucked out of the air. Raditz stood on the sand in front ofher, holding the stone out. "Is this yours?" he asked,smiling despite his inner turmoil when he saw her. Lunch beamed,skipping forwards and hugging him around the waist. "I knewyou'd come back! I knew it!" Why had she missed him so much?Truthfully, she didn't know-they hadn't been that close when he'dleft for Namek. Maybe she was drawn to that difference, thatuniqueness-and you didn't get more different than an alien warrior.Besides, she'd sensed there was more to him than the arrogantexterior he projected. Raditz had similar thoughts-should he begetting too attached to this human? But there was something specialabout her, in both personas. The blonde one was always questioning,confronting him, practically the only human never to show any fearof him-maybe she reminded him of his own warlike people. And as forthe shy one, there was something in her eyes. Trusting, not judginganyone. And right now, he needed that.
"Hey, hey." He threw the stone to the side, and gazeddown at her-she only came up to the tall alien's shoulders. He tookher hand in both of his. "It's okay. Everything's fine now."The moment was somewhat ruined when neither of them knew what to saynext. Raditz started to say something, realised how ridiculous itsounded, and tripped over his own tongue, ending up with a sort ofsenseless mumble. Lunch laughed out loud-in retrospect, it wasbetter than anything he could have said.
Raditz stood on the roof of Kame House, bracing himself againstthe cold wind. It was midnight, or close enough. "I'vedecided," he said to nobody at all. He had sat up with Lunchall night, just… talking. Talking about everything they couldthink of, until it didn't matter what they were saying anymore-itwas communication, the odd girl out and the runt of the litterfinding something they never knew they'd been missing. And now shewas asleep, he found himself still needing to talk. What he'ddecided, it needed to be said aloud. It made it a promise of sorts."This planet-with its wonderful, ridiculous, obliviouspeople-it's worth defending. I've seen where the life I used to liveleads. You die, forgotten, on some barren little world in the middleof nowhere. Or you live, and end up just like Frieza and hisfamily." How could he have hated them so much? The saiyans werereally just like them. "I won't live that way anymore!"Without trying to, he burst into his Super Saiyan form, lighting upthe night for miles around. Accidents were narrowly avoided asdistant ships mistook him for a lighthouse.
For the first time in his life, he had something to fight for. Something to lose. "This is my home now, and whenthese androids show themselves, I'm going to send them straight tohell!"
It's Never Over
Chapter 22: It's Never Over
The day after Break's visit to the past, and Cooler and KingCold's defeat, there was a large gathering at the CapsuleCorporation facility. It was early morning, and mist curled aroundthe outside of the building as the sun made its first peek over thehorizon. Inside stood the assembled inhabitants of Capsule Corp(Bulma, Dr. and Mrs. Brief, Zarbon and Nail), Kame House (MasterRoshi, Krillin, Lunch and Raditz) and Mount Paozu (Goku, Chi-Chi andGohan), also joined by Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Piccolo. Goku hadjust finished repeating what Break had told him about the androids.Despite numerous people pressing him for information about Breakherself, Goku would say no more-he'd given his word, and that wasthe end of it.
Raditz (now wearing another replica of the outfit Bulma had madefor him, minus the body armour) spoke up. "Well anyway, I'vebeen gone for a while, and to be honest ever since Vegeta and Nappaarrived on Earth we've been in non-stop motion. So I never got thechance to ask… Tien, uh…"
"Krillin," the bald former monk-in-training replied.
"Right, Krillin. What was King Kai's training like? I'veseen that it had outstanding results, but what actually happened?"
"Well, we've already told the others this while you weregone," Tien said, "but anyway, it was… strange."
Several months after Tien's death during the battle betweenRaditz and Piccolo…
Tien staggered on a few more steps, his vision swimming, andcollapsed face down. "I'm done! That's it, I'm taking a rest!"he wheezed. "I can't go on any longer. When that ogre saidSnake Way was a million miles long, I thought he was exaggerating…"He rolled over onto his back, gasping for breath, and somethingappeared at the edge of his vision. All three eyes rolled upwards tolook at the mysterious object, which turned out to be a very smallplanet, floating a couple hundred metres above and behind him. Couldthat be…?
Waiting until he'd caught his breath, Tien stood up slowly,walking a few more steps to discover, just over a small bump in theroad, the end of Snake Way. It tapered off into a serpentine tail,and seeing this he looked back up at the tiny planet. "I guessthat must be it-King Kai's place!" He lifted off into the air,soaring in a graceful arc up to the planet, and then as soon as hewas inside its gravitational field plummeting in an extremelyungraceful flop to the ground.
"Ow…" he rubbed his head, trying to stand and findingit extremely difficult for some reason. "What's with thisplace? It feels like I weigh a ton!" He gritted his teeth,straining to stand on his feet. "I guess training here mustreally toughen you up…" He saw a hunched-over figure thatappeared to be watering some flowers. That must be King Kai'scaretaker or something, he thought to himself. Still, Iexpected more-this just looks like, well, a house and garden! Ohwell, Kami recommended it and I'm not going to doubt him now… hestruggled over to the figure, sweating just with the exertion ofwalking a few steps on this strange planet. "Excuse me? Do youknow where King Kai is?" he asked politely.
"Of course." The small blue-skinned man, with longblack antennae extending from his forehead and wearing perfectlyround sunglasses, straightened up, laying his watering can down."I'm right here. Can I help you with something?"
"Oh… uh, I mean, yes, please!" Tien bowed. "Icome to seek your help, King Kai-a great evil is threatening my homeplanet, and I need to become powerful enough to defend it!"
"I see, I see…" King Kai rubbed his chin. "Well,I suppose I could help. But first, you'll have to pass a test. Anarduous challenge, which will prove your worthiness to train here!"
"I'm ready!" Tien smiled. "I've already diedtoday, nothing can compete with that!"
King Kai nodded. "All right. Your test is… to make melaugh."
"M… make you… laugh?" Tien gulped. "I camehere for martial arts training, not comedy…"
"Well, if you're going to be spending a lot of time here,you've got to at least have a sense of humour, or we won't get alongat all!" The deity grinned, awaiting Tien's response.
"Um… can I ask you a question first?" Tien shrugged."Why do I feel so much heavier here?"
"Let me see…" King Kai's antennae wavered a little."Ah, you come from the planet Earth. Well, the gravity here isten times that of your home planet. Now, are you going to make melaugh or not?"
Tien began to grow angry. "The fate of my planet's at stake,damn it! I'm here to do serious training, not to monkey around!"As it happened, King Kai's pet monkey Bubbles happened to hop outfrom behind the house just as he said that, the perfect accidentalcomic timing causing King Kai to collapse in hysterics, laughing outloud. Tien just stared, dumbfounded.
The present…
"And so, apparently, I passed." Tien grinned. "Luckily,after that King Kai got serious. I had to chase the monkey around,though, to get used to the high gravity, before I actually began thetraining, but once I was familiar with ten times gravity I prettymuch got started on the Kaioken technique right away, and the SpiritBomb followed."
"I wasn't there for nearly as long as Tien," Krillinsaid, "although I did find his 'test' much easier. I justdazzled him with my famous celebrity impersonations…"
"He was probably just laughing at how bad you were!"Roshi chipped in. "You do the worst Humphrey Bogart I've everseen!"
"Quiet, old man, I'm trying to tell the story." Krillinpushed Roshi out of the way. "You try going to the afterlifeand back and training with the mystical deity and then maybe we'llstart listening to you. So, anyway, I figured if Tien could do it,there's no reason I couldn't, and that kind of thinking reallyhelped me learning the Kaioken. I didn't get around to the SpiritBomb, though…" he shrugged. "It would have been nice, Iguess. Anyway, I'm not sure how well I did compared to you, Tien."
"Well, let's do a little sparring soon," Tiensuggested. "I'd like to see how well you can handle theKaioken."
"All right." Raditz nodded. "Sounds like a…unique experience." He wondered if King Kai's training would beuseful to someone on his level.
"Well, if we can get back to the point of this littlemeeting-" Bulma folded her arms, frowning. "-which istaking place far too early in the morning, if you ask me, let's getto the point! Two deadly androids are going to appear in threeyears' time, and we need to be ready. Some of you, I think it's safeto assume will be training in preparation to fight them when thetime comes. But-" she glanced back and forth. "I'd like toknow: Raditz, Nail, Piccolo, what are your plans?"
"I'm living on this planet as of now," Raditz answered."I'll defend it against any threat. Don't ask more, I don'tfeel very talkative."
Nail was next to speak. "And I was going to stay here andtrain anyway. Wherever an evil force appears, I'm honour-bound tofight against it."
Piccolo grunted half-heartedly. "If these androids take overthe planet or destroy it, I'll never get my chance. I'llturn them into scrap metal."
"Sounds good!" Bulma smiled. For one reason or another,it seemed all of Earth's warriors were going to assemble to fightthe menace. She already knew Zarbon was staying, but the othersdidn't.
"Ah, Zarbon, what about you?" Yamcha asked. "Areyou gonna stay and fight?" Some people had expected him to havean instant dislike for Zarbon, since Bulma had taken a clear likingto the alien over the last few weeks. But actually, the ex-banditdidn't feel any hostility. He and Bulma had broken up over a yearago (or was it two or three? Time passed so quickly). He was overit. Mostly.
"Well, I don't plan on fighting, however…" Zarboninclined his head. "At first I was going to leave, but then Ithought-where to? The former empire of the Planet Trade Organisationis going to be in chaos. It's not going to be particularly nice.Besides, this is such a beautiful world." He gave aknowing glance at Bulma, who grinned a little-evidently, the feelingwas mutual. Yamcha rolled his eyes, sighing. She was the one,you gigantic idiot. And you let her go. Why is it that all the niceones hook up with aliens around here?
"Absolutely not!" came the (not unexpected) resoundinganswer from Chi-Chi, when Gohan begged to be allowed to fight theandroids. Due to his persistence, however, she did agree to let himhelp Goku train-she also wanted someone to keep Goku company andlook after him, as he was set on training himself harder than everand it certainly wasn't going to be her. It's not that Chi-Chiwasn't a fighter-she easily outclassed 99% of the planet'spopulation, and could probably take on Master Roshi-but even thatwasn't enough to keep up with her saiyan family when they got intothe rhythm of battle (and as for the other human fighters, well,they'd all had magic otherworldly training and power-unlockingrituals, and she wouldn't stand for that sort of thing in herhouse).
And so, without any declaration or ceremony, the training began.Raditz would use Instant Transmission to jump over to Mount Paozuevery day and train with his brother and nephew, then return to KameHouse in the evenings. Raditz and Goku's sparring matches were allintense, close-fought affairs. Raditz never transformed, ofcourse-it would make the whole thing pointless-but in his normalstate, he was at first significantly below Goku. However, somethingabout becoming a Super Saiyan seemed to have raised his 'ceiling',even in his base form. Whereas Goku's power had peaked and stoppedgrowing as quickly after a while, Raditz just kept on improving, andit didn't take too long for them to become about equal. Gohan didhis best, and also improved a lot, but when the two adults gotserious he would always be left behind, and wander off to train onhis own. Raditz, for his part, wished that Goku could somehow becomea Super Saiyan as well-he desperately wanted another chance toexercise his real power, and if they could train while transformed,they'd be able to make huge advances. However, knowing the kind ofemotional trauma it had taken to trigger his own transformation, heresigned himself to the fact that it was unlikely to happen anytimesoon.
Of course, the saiyans were not by any means the only onestraining. Piccolo and Nail regularly met in the wilderness forvicious, fast-paced practice bouts. Both often left bearingsignificant injuries, their enmity for each other no secret. Often,though, Piccolo would prefer his own company and train on his own,spending great lengths of time in deep meditation. When thishappened, Nail would train with Yamcha and Zarbon at Capsule Corp(Zarbon had been perfectly content to lead a peaceful existence andnot train or fight at all, but it is a physical impossibility to winan argument with Bulma Brief, and he soon surrendered to theimmovable object). Krillin mostly trained on his own or under MasterRoshi's guidance, and when Raditz came home in the evenings he'dsometimes have a match with the human warrior-it wasn't much of aneffort for even an already-tired Raditz, but gave Krillin a goodworkout.
Deep in space…
A smile spread across his face. The avenger's ship would beentering the Earth's solar system soon. They'd have no problem withmost of them, but the Super Saiyan could pose a problem. Well, hedecided, he'd just have to lure the monkey away. His unwitting pawnwould then dispose of the rest of them, while he took care of thereal threat. It was just a matter of timing. Well, being the fearedruler of most of the known universe helped too, thought Frieza.
Meanwhile on Earth…
"Raditz!" King Kai's voice woke Raditz from a daze-he'dbeen staring out at the sea from the doorway of Kame House. BlondeLunch, seeing him standing there, shuffled over and leaned on him."Raditz, it's early, come back in…"
"Just a second, Lunch, King Kai just contacted me…"he propped her up, waiting for the deity to respond.
"Oh, so you are listening. That's new," KingKai grumbled.
"Look, what do you want?" Raditz sighed. "Lunchhas a point, it's early and going back to bed seems a really niceidea right now…"
King Kai snorted. "How about you two continue your epicromance of the ages sometime when the new planet Namek isn'tunder attack?"
"Huh?" Raditz started paying attention. "Can'tthey look after themselves? Who's attacking them?"
"I'm not sure, there's some kind of… thing… attached tothe planet… Look, can't you just Instant Transmission yourselfover there and help them out?"
"Why should I? It's not my problem. In case you haven'tnoticed, Earth is going to have its own troubles soon enough."Raditz had just about made up his mind to accept Lunch's invitation,but King Kai wouldn't be defeated so easily.
"I'm going to keep annoying you until you agree. I haven'tgot a great deal to do around here, so I can just stand here buggingyou all day…" This wasn't entirely true-he managed to findhimself an endless supply of little activities and pastimes fromonly his tiny planet.
"Damn it, fine! But if I'm not back by this evening, havingtransformed some would-be conqueror's life into a smoking ruin, I'mgoing to kick your ass from here to Yardrat and back…" Heraised two fingers to his head. New Namek is quite far fromhere… I'll get King Kai's help locating it, he can make himselfuseful…
Lunch, only half paying attention, wasn't expecting his suddendeparture and promptly collapsed, falling asleep there on the floor.
A few minutes later, after a brief stop at King Kai's planet,Raditz appeared on New Namek, standing on a small island dotted withtrees (much like the rest of the planet). The first thing he noticedwas that all the Namekian power levels he could feel were groupedtogether at the other side of the planet. Maybe they've beentaken prisoner, but… I can't sense any attacker… they must behiding their energy. I'll have to be careful. He leapt into theair, setting off through the skies of New Namek. The dragon hadchosen this planet well-it was almost identical to the originalNamek. Which, in Raditz's mind, meant it was incredibly boring andnondescript…
Earth…
Goku jumped out of bed with a start. "Ah, not again!"He pulled his clothes on, racing out into the hallway, where he wasmet by a bewildered Chi-Chi. "Goku, what are you doing up soearly?" she asked, yawning.
"Sorry, Chi-Chi-there's another big evil power heading forEarth! Gotta run. Don't tell Gohan, okay? He'll just try to followme." He ran out the door, taking off.
Chi-Chi smiled a little. "Well, at least he has some sense…he'd be in serious trouble if he tried to get my Gohan involved inanother of those horrid battles… why do people always have tothreaten Earth on these nice, sunny days?"
Goku alighted on a mountaintop, near the mysterious approachingpower. He noticed Tien already there, waving to the three-eyedwarrior, his long-time rival. "So, where is everybody?"
"We're all here." Tien indicated another mountainbehind him, upon which stood several fighters. Piccolo was standingon his own peak, set aside from the rest, and Zarbon wasn't there atall (he had sensed the incoming power, grunted, rolled over and goneback to sleep).
"All right. Here it comes-it doesn't feel too big, but beready-it feels an awful lot like Frieza and his family." Gokuwatched intently as an insect-like ship became visible, descendingthrough the atmosphere towards a spot a few miles away. Withoutwarning, Piccolo let fly a charged energy blast that tore the shipin two, then blew the halves to pieces.
Well, there goes the element of surprise, Krillinthought, shaking his head in irritation at Piccolo's arrogance. Asmall humanoid figure became visible through the clearing smoke-thepower they had sensed. Piccolo's attack evidently hadn't harmed thisone, although there appeared to be no survivors from the ship'screw.
The figure approached, coming to a halt about a hundred yardsaway from Goku and Tien (who stood in front of the others). They dida double take as they saw the alien more clearly. "You…"Goku stared at the invader in disbelief. "You look likeFrieza!"
"Indeed." The creature grinned, the early-morning mistalmost enveloping him. He was somewhat shorter than the other frostdemons they had encountered, with a deep chestnut red-browncolouring where Frieza had been purple. "I am Kuriza, and youprimates killed my father Frieza! I'm here to take my revenge-by thetime I'm done here, this planet will be nothing but a scorched,burned-out husk! If that attack was all the power you've got, thenthis will be even easier than I imagined…"
"A bit overdramatic, isn't he?" Krillin muttered toYamcha.
New Namek…
Raditz spied a glint of metal as he passed over a large landmass,and landed hurriedly, glancing about. "Who's there?" hecalled out. I know I saw something… A sudden impact frombehind knocked him towards the ground, but he landed on his hands,propelling himself up and backwards. I still didn't senseanything! It's like they don't have any ki at all… He spun toface his unknown attacker, focusing all his senses in preparationfor the next attack. "Show yourself!" he demanded.
"Very well." Raditz turned in the direction of thevoice, and couldn't believe what he saw. A gleaming silver metallicbeing, its sleek tail twisting around its legs, stood on a smallhill barely a few feet away. "You might not recognise me…after all, I never assumed my true form in your presence, and anywayI've changed somewhat in appearance of late…" He smiled. "Youmay know me as Frieza. Ruler of the universe."
Day of the SuperSaiyans
Chapter 23: Day of the Super Saiyans
"F… Frieza?!" Raditz gaped at the metallic beingclaiming to be the butcher of the saiyan race. "How can you bealive? Cooler killed you!"
"Hmph!" Frieza snickered. "He made a mistake. Hewanted to be dramatic, as usual, and hurled my head into space.After drifting for months in a state of hibernation, I encounteredthe artificial consciousness known as the Gete Star. It tried toabsorb my mind and knowledge, but it was easily dominated by asuperior will. It tested the technology of the Gete Star to thelimit, as well as my ability to survive even the greatest injury,but I endured… and now I have returned, stronger than ever, tofind that the Super Saiyan has taken care of my brother for me."He indicated himself, banging one hand off of his glinting chestwith a loud clang. "In this form, I'm far stronger than I'veever been! Now, I can truly claim the title of the most powerful inthe universe! So, little monkey, run and fetch me the Super Saiyan.He's your brother, isn't he?"
Raditz realised that, of course, Goku had been easily morepowerful of the brothers at the time, and Frieza had died before thelegend had truly been fulfilled. Then he's in for a surprise…"You want the Super Saiyan, Frieza?" His aura burnedaround him, shifting from purple to blue, through white, to brightyellow as a golden streak rippled through his hair. "He's righthere!" The ground cracked under his feet as he completed histransformation.
"Raditz, hmm?" Frieza half-smiled. "Now there's asurprise. Ah well, it's all the same to me. One primate's as good asanother." He leapt forwards, whipping his tail around, butRaditz jumped over it, grabbing Frieza in a headlock.
"I should thank you, Frieza!" the long-haired saiyantold his foe, the heat from his aura warping Frieza's metal 'skin'slightly. "This way, you'll be killed by a saiyan, not in somefamily squabble, and our race will have revenge!" Friezatwisted out of his hold, but Raditz dodged the reborn ruler's punchand kicked him to the floor.
Frieza reached down behind him, pushing off of the floor just asRaditz smashed into the ground where he'd been lying. This leftRaditz open, and still flipping backwards through the air, Friezawhirled around, bringing both knees down and driving Raditz into thefloor. The Super Saiyan brought his arms up, firing a two-handedblast of energy that propelled himself further down into the earth,hiding himself from Frieza. The tyrant flew up, away from theground, awaiting Raditz's next attack. "Come out where I cansee you already!" he yelled impatiently. In answer, energybolts started flying free of the ground from all around him,launched at him from every direction. Frieza grimaced, dodging oneway then the other as the crisscrossing beams arced and streakedpast him. "Enough of this!" He thrust a hand down,launching a massive wave of invisible force that destroyed theentire island. Raditz rocketed up out of the smoke cloud, almostuharmed, and slammed his fist right through Frieza's stomach beforehe could react. Raditz pulled his fist out, kicking Frieza away.
Frieza landed with a heavy thud on a nearby island, lying stillfor a second. Just as Raditz was halfway through the thought, thatwas far too easy, a mechanical whirring and clicking came fromthe body, and before long Frieza stood back up, the hole in his bodyclosing, appearing none the worse for wear. "Do you see now?"Frieza indicated the former wound. "The Gete Star monitors thisbody, repairing injuries and improving on errors. Letting you injureme was a serious error-meaning I'm now far stronger and faster. Howmany times will it take before you're outmatched, I wonder?" Hegrinned, and disappeared.
Raditz spun to try and spot his enemy, hearing the unmistakeablecrackle of charging energy above him and looking up to see Friezahurling a sizeable energy ball his way. There was no time tododge-acting on a reflex, Raditz was suddenly several metres away.This turn of events confused both of them, until Raditz realisedsomething. "Hah! So it is possible to use InstantTransmission without making the sign… a little draining, though…"
"Instant Transmission?" Frieza raised an eyebrow. "Youknow it too?"
"Wait, what's this 'too'?"
"All right, skip the introductions," Piccolo grunted,throwing off his weighted cape and turban. "You want revenge,blah blah blah daddy blah blah blah, I'm the future ruler of thisworld so I'm going to turn you inside out, let's go!" He flewtowards Kuriza at full speed, and was promptly sent flying back justas fast by a thin purple energy beam that shot out of one ofKuriza's fingers.
"I guess teamwork is a concept Piccolo hasn't quite masteredyet…" Krillin noted, sighing. Kuriza smiled. "Is thatreally all?"
"Not nearly!" Piccolo appeared behind Kuriza, hammeringhim into the nearest mountain with both fists. However, Kurizacopied his appear-behind-your-opponent trick, kicking Piccolo intothe air and then smacking him down to the ground with his tail.Piccolo lay unmoving in a crater.
"Well, that was easy enough." Kuriza dusted himselfoff. "I do hope he wasn't your best."
"As a matter of fact, he wasn't," Tien called to theinvader. "Hey, does anybody else want a shot at him before Gokuand I clean up?"
"What?" Kuriza's eyes widened. "Are you… toyingwith me? Letting me fight the small fry for your amusement?"
"Not really." Goku shrugged. "It's just that if wefought you, it'd be over too quickly, so we're letting the othershave a turn."
"Fine! I don't care what order I fight you, I'll take myrevenge for what you did to my father-one way or another!"
"Um…" Goku looked faintly puzzled. "You… youdo know it was Cooler who killed Frieza, right?"
"What did you say?" Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You'relying! If you're trying to confuse me, it won't work! However youtricked my father, I won't fall for it!"
"You talk too much!" Nail called out, jumping intobattle and kicking Kuriza in the face. Kuriza stood perfectly still,unaffected.
"I played with the other Namek, but I'm bored now," hesaid. "I'm going to finish this lot, and then I'll get to youtwo-the real fighters…" he indicated Goku and Tien, thenreturned his attention to Nail, who had drawn his leg back and wasnow smashing relentless blows into Kuriza's body, to no visibleeffect. Kuriza reached out with his mind, throwing Nail down to theground, far below. Krillin and Yamcha rushed him from oppositesides, and Kuriza let loose another beam that caught Krillin'sshoulder and sent him flying away through the air. Yamcha continuedhis charge, hurling a blue energy blast at Kuriza.
" Kamehameha! " he shouted, but Kurizasidestepped the attack as if it was moving in slow motion, lashingout with his tail and sending Yamcha flying. Krillin rose again,ready to resume the fight. "Well, here goes nothing… Kaioken!" The flame-red Kaioken aura leapt into life around Krillin'sbody, and he flew in an arc towards Kuriza (who simply hovered inthe air, bored), a flat disc of energy forming over one hand. "Kienzan… HAA!" Kuriza's eyes widened as the disc grewclose, and he twitched to the side, a shallow gash opening up in hischeek as the razor-sharp attack hissed by him, slicing through oneof his armour's shoulder-plates, its speed boosted by the Kaioken.
Kuriza hissed in annoyance. "You're giving me more troublethan I expected… so, prepare to face the greatest power in theuniverse!" Kuriza's armour exploded off of him. A flare of redlight engulfed his body, and when it cleared, he resembled Frieza'sfinal form-only, of course, still shorter and with red highlights tohis mostly-white body.
His transformation was much quicker than Frieza's… Gokunoted. "Uh… Kuriza, was it? I don't think that's the greatestpower in the universe…"
"Huh? What are you saying?" Kuriza eyed Goku withsuspicion.
"Well, both Frieza and Cooler had a larger ki than you donow, not to mention King Cold… and when Raditz became the SuperSaiyan, he was on their level too…"
"And where is this 'Super Saiyan'?"
"He's… not here right now…" Tien supplied lamely(King Kai had told them that Raditz was on an important mission inspace, but had been sketchy on the details).
"Sure. Your lies aren't really that hard to see through, youknow…" Kuriza stretched his limbs. "Anyway, time tofinish up here. It must have been one of you that murdered him, soif I kill all of you, I'm bound to get the right one!"
"And, let me guess, you'll destroy the planet just to besafe?" Tien asked.
"No, I… I mean, uh, yes! Absolutely! I am the new ruler ofthe universe-I'll do whatever I like!" He seemed hesitant aboutthis, and wheels began to turn in Goku's mind. I wonder…
"Hey! I'm still here, you know!" Krillin flew uptowards the transformed Kuriza. His power's increased a wholelot with that transformation-looks like I need to go all-out!"Kaioken-times three!" The red light intensified, andKrillin's flight sped up dramatically. He lunged at Kuriza, whocasually dodged, but the young frost demon wasn't expecting him tofollow up, and Krillin's elbow impacted with Kuriza's face. Whilesurprised by the fighter's reflexes, Kuriza didn't seem to be at allbothered by the actual attack, and he simply stared at Krillin,looking mildly irritated. Krillin backed away, powering down. "Uh…why don't you guys handle this one, huh? I think I need to practicethe Kaioken a bit more before I get involved in battles on thisscale…"
"Ah, so they finally break out the big guns," Kurizasaid with a smile, ignoring the fleeing Krillin as Goku and Tienfaced off against him.
"Hey Goku, how about giving me the first round?" Tienasked.
"Sure thing-just save some for me!" Goku was grinning."It's not often I get to fight an opponent on this level, I canhardly wait!"
"Do… do you think this is a game?" Kuriza stutteredin disbelief at their casual attitude. I just beat all theirother fighters… can these two be that much stronger than the rest?
Raditz and Frieza flickered in and out of visible sight, battlingback and forth between Namek and the 'link' dimension used byInstant Transmission. Raditz would launch an attack on Namek, onlyfor Frieza to jump to the Instant Transmission dimension to dodge,then when Raditz appeared in that dimension, jump back to Namek,only to be hit by an attack from behind since Raditz could choosewhere he wanted to appear on the planet. It added an entirely newand confusing dimension to the battle. However, Raditz soon becameexhausted from using the complex technique so much in such a shortspace of time. Though he didn't know it, using Instant Transmissionwas taxing Frieza's systems too, and he was almost running overcapacity-their interdimensional battle ended as, simultaneously,they decided to conserve their energy for more traditional fighting.Raditz braced himself as Frieza charged him, blocking two puncheswith his raised forearms, but Frieza's strength and speed had, aspromised, both increased since he'd repaired himself, and his thirdpunch slipped right through Raditz's guard, his fist knocking thewind out of Raditz's stomach. Frieza knocked him away, the SuperSaiyan skidding along the grass as Frieza advanced towards him."Damn it… I've landed plenty of good hits, but it's just notfazing him any more!" He jumped to his feet as Frieza preparedto attack again. I won't give up, though. There's no such thingas an invincible enemy! Frieza raised one hand, ready tocontinue his onslaught, when a voice interrupted him.
"GALICK GUN!" A thick yellow-white energy beam smashedinto Frieza's back, bowling him over. He stumbled back up, glaringat Vegeta-the saiyan prince proudly hovering a short distance away,staring down at Frieza. A bright aura rippled around his form, hisgolden hair standing on end. Somehow, he'd become a Super Saiyan.
"Vegeta?!" Frieza was taken aback. "When did youget here?"
Vegeta landed between the two combatants. "Well, I couldn'thelp sensing such a large ki. I decided it was worthinvestigating-and what do I find but the tyrant himself, back fromthe dead and fighting the Super Saiyan. Don't get me wrong,though-when I'm done with Frieza, you're next, Kaka… rot…"He'd just turned around, seeing Raditz up close and in detail forthe first time. "No. NO! NOT YOU!" He flew into a rage,the wind picking up as he bellowed in anger. "I pushed myselfpast my limits… conquered dozens of worlds simply as practice… Iachieved this legendary form, AND I DID IT ON A LIE?!"
Not Vegeta too! Raditz couldn't believe his eyes. Whatkind of emotional trauma could possibly drive Vegeta to transform?He expected the prince to go for Frieza first, but instead Vegetacharged directly at Raditz, and the lower-class saiyan washard-pressed to block his frenzied attacks. "Kakarot was theone! Not you!" Vegeta landed a solid punch to Raditz's jaw,then kicked him to the ground, continuing his vicious beat-down asRaditz cried out in pain. "I had just come to terms withKakarot being the Super Saiyan. It was obvious he had potential,from the moment I met him. But not you! You never amounted toanything!" Raditz rolled to the side, catching Vegeta's fistand struggling to hold his furious attacker back. "You shouldhave just died on Namek, Raditz! That a joke like you could attainthis transformation, the pinnacle of our warrior race-it's an insultto all saiyans! It should have been Kakarot-or better still, me!"
"Will-you-shut-up!" Raditz ducked under his nextrage-filled swing, responding with a quick uppercut that staggeredVegeta back. "You're always talking about our great warriorrace, and our pride! Well, where did our pride get the saiyans, huh?Dead! And you, clinging to the old ways-you were left behind by mybrother and I!" He raised his guard. "Just let go! Youdon't like the way things happened? It's too late to change it now!"Frieza cut him off, crashing into Raditz with both feet and knockinghim into the ocean.
"If I might interrupt this little reunion…" he saidwith a smirk. "Two Super Saiyans, I see. Well, this should befun."
"Hah!" Vegeta summoned up all his energy, forming acrater around himself as the land buckled under his power. Veinsstood out on his forehead and neck. "Tell me, Frieza, nowyou're a machine, do you still experience fear?"
"What-" Frieza never got to voice his reply, asVegeta's knee collided with his face. Vegeta kept up the attack,pushing Frieza slowly back. However, Frieza's superior speed meantthat eventually, when Vegeta aimed a fraction too far to the right,Frieza was able to take full advantage of the opening and launch avicious counterattack. He raised his leg to knock Vegeta out of theway, when Raditz sped out of the water to rejoin the battle.
The three fighters battled back and forth, ducking and twistingbetween each other as each found his attention divided between twoopponents. Raditz and Vegeta blocked each other's attacks, andFrieza kicked them in the stomach, but they turned and punched himsimultaneously, overwhelming his defences. Frieza grabbed Raditz andslammed him into the ground face-first, and Vegeta kicked himoff-balance, allowing Raditz to jump up, fire a quick energy blastthat took Vegeta off his feet, and charge back at Frieza.
"All right Tien, you're up." Goku gave his rival andfriend a thumbs-up. "Good luck."
"Right! I'll do my best!" Tien effortlessly flared uphis Kaioken aura, building his power until he reached hiscomfortable maximum-about a ten times increase. "All right,'Kuriza', let's do this!" Kuriza nodded, and flew at Tien, whojumped up and away. Kuriza swiped at Tien but missed, pursuing theagile warrior. Kuriza soon caught up, and they entered into a rapidexchange of blows. However, Kuriza's defense was sloppy, and Tiensoon landed a solid hit that sent Kuriza hurtling away. Tien dodgeda rapidly-fired energy beam, and straightened up just in time to seeKuriza charging again, the would-be avenger's fist cracking into hisjaw. Kuriza followed up with a spinning tail strike that knockedTien through a mountain. He recovered, starting to breathe heavilyas his injuries began to catch up with him. He's got anadvantage in power, but I have skill-not to mention I've still gotplenty in reserve! Tien decided it was time to go all-out, andnarrowed his eyes as he focused on his rapidly-approaching target. "Kaioken-times twenty! "
"Now Tien gets serious." Goku smiled. "Kuriza'sbeen playing around with us so far-this will be a chance to see hisfull power." Tien swiped at Kuriza, but his enemy somersaultedover his head, and with one powerful elbow strike, Tien fell away,clutching at his back. Goku frowned. That's not good… I'm notmuch stronger than Tien using his maximum Kaioken boost… and hereI was thinking I might have an easy battle for a change!
Goku and Kuriza hung in the air facing each other. "Hmm…with your hair, you look a little like a saiyan… maybe it was youwho killed my father?"
"I'm telling you, it was Cooler!" Goku insisted.
"Enough! I know it was you!" Kuriza prepared himselffor battle, but Goku moved quickly, punching Kuriza square in thechest. The force of the blow knocked Kuriza backwards through theair, but he righted himself and spat in disgust. "Hah! Weak."
"Say…" Goku's mind was still making connections."You're… just a kid, aren't you?"
"What has that got to do with anything?!" Kurizashrieked. "Don't underestimate me because of my age! I'm thestrongest in the universe!"
No, you really aren't… damn it, what's Raditz doing that'sso important right now?! "Well, look… I can still senseall my friends' energy. You didn't kill any of them."
"So?" Kuriza's eye twitched. "I'm going to! Justyou wait! Then I'll destroy-"
"Right, you'll destroy the planet. Sure." Gokuscratched his head. "You're not really all that evil, are you?"
"SHUT UP!" Kuriza kicked Goku to the ground, the saiyanfalling almost a mile before crashing into the hard, jagged earth.He pushed himself up, gasping for air, but Kuriza landed on his backwith both feet, driving him down again. Goku rolled away, lying onhis back and breathing raggedly. What's with this guy? He won'tlisten to reason while he has the upper hand! He's not accepting aword I say, but I know he can't be as bad as his family! He's justdoing this because it's how he was brought up-he can still be saved!If he doesn't kill me first… Goku heaved himself into asitting position, feeling his body groan in protest. Kuriza appearedsuddenly, inches away, kicking Goku back down into the dirt. "Howdare you defy my family?"
"Family? You want to know about family?" Goku asked,his voice cracked. "Your uncle Cooler killed your father, justso he could become more powerful! But when I was in trouble… mybrother got so angry he transformed into a Super Saiyan! That's howCooler died-he was killed by a saiyan! One who knew what familyreally meant!"
"What's with you…" Kuriza looked worried. Whywould he keep lying, if he knew he was about to die?
I know it's not your fault, kid, Goku thought. It'sjust how you were raised-those bastards! You deserve better thanthem in a family! But you won't listen to me, unless I stop thismadness! And to do that, I need… more power! I can't do this as Iam! His mind was free from all thoughts of revenge for thisattack on his home, or even his usual excitement at fighting achallenging opponent. He had only sadness and pity for this child,who would probably grow up to be just like his father, shaped into amonster by a cold universe. No! I won't let it keep happening!Nobody has to die! If only he'd listen… if only I was stronger!He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh untilthey drew blood. I've beaten so many enemies… I can't failnow, the one time I might be able to save one! He was growingangry. Angry beyond belief. But not with Kuriza-with himself.
The sky rumbled, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground inchesfrom Goku as he lay in the dirt. It's such an injustice! I cansee where his path leads, and there's nothing I can do to stop it!And the whole Earth is gonna pay the price! It's not… fair! Hisfist hammered the ground as he pushed himself up to a crouchingposition. Kuriza watched, bemused. The thunderstorm continued, andlightning racked the skies. Another bolt struck, right between thetwo fighters. Why can't I do anything? I can't fail now! "Hrrr…Rrh…" Too many people are relying on me! A wave ofheat rushed up from inside of him. Deep inside. He felt… apresence, rushing to the surface, pulling him to his feet with aviolent jerk. Something primal. Filled with anger beyond thecapability of words to describe. This… cycle of blind hate, it hadgone on too long. "It… ends… NOW!" A blaze of goldenlight erupted around Goku. His hair, lifted by some unseen force,stood up on end, glowing brightly. His eyes shifted their colourfrom black to sharp, piercing green. His face hardened as he came tounderstand what had happened to him.
King Kai's attention was finally diverted away from the battle onnew Namek. "I don't believe it… Goku transformed?! But he wasangry only at himself… he ascended almost out of compassion.Incredible…" Only silence answered him. Oh, right.Krillin left. I sure am lonely…
Goku glared at Kuriza. "You see what you've done?"
"Dyed your hair blonde?" Kuriza asked, still ignorant."I'm getting bored." He lunged at Goku, landing a flailingpunch to the hero's face, but Goku didn't flinch. Kuriza jumpedback, hissing and waving his hand-it was like punching a brick wall.Well, like a normal human punching a brick wall-if Kuriza hadpunched one, it would have disintegrated. But in any case, the frostdemon could tell something was different about his opponent. Heswivelled, frowning in frustration as he fired an energy beam fromeach forefinger. Goku just glanced at them, and they were divertedaway from him, flying up and away into the atmosphere. "I hopeyou're happy." Goku twitched, and suddenly stood behind Kuriza,one hand gripping his enemy's tiny neck. Kuriza choked, scrabblingat Goku's hand but unable to shift it. "You've unleashedsomething terrible, and I don't know if I can stop it!" Gokugrowled.
"Please…" Kuriza's eyes bulged. He writhed underGoku's unbreakable grip. "Don't… wanna die…"
"Rrgh…" Goku could feel it pounding in his head. Itwas like a wild animal tearing up his brain. It wanted him to kill.He almost wanted to kill. It knew only battle. There wasinjustice. There was an enemy. He had to fight it. No! That'snot why I transformed! I have to… save him! Kuriza's kind hadwiped out the saiyans. There had to be revenge. There had to bejustice. Those are not the same thing! Too many people have diedalready! This one, I can save! The saiyan in him howled forblood. The human in him resisted. No more!
Raditz and Vegeta crashed to the ground, lying next to each otheras they pulled themselves out of the dirt once again. "This ishopeless…" Vegeta muttered. "It's ridiculous! How couldRaditz become a Super Saiyan? And how could that worm Frieza eversurpass one?" He shook his head. "It's not over yet! I'mthe prince of saiyans! I won't stop fighting while there's breathleft in my body!"
"How about… on Earth?" Raditz asked, climbing to hisfeet. "And Namek? You retreated there."
"That was… I… shut up! This is different! I'm notrunning from Frieza of all people!" Vegeta raised a fist toattack Raditz again.
"Wait!" Raditz held up a hand, warily eyeing Frieza,who was slowly advancing on their right. "Look, it's obviouswe're both outmatched here. If we keep this up, Frieza will kill usboth."
"Let me guess-you want us to work together? Over your deadbody!" Vegeta spat.
"Think about it!" Raditz growled. "Don't throwyour life away, Vegeta! Surely, if there's one enemy, one being inthe universe saiyans can set aside their differences to fight, it'sFrieza!"
"I…" Vegeta's father's face flashed through his mind.He thought of the last time he'd seen their planet. There were sofew of them left… "As soon as he's dead, you're going tofollow him, do you understand?!"
"Perfectly." The saiyans turned to face theirapproaching foe. "Let's get this done."
Frieza tensed as he prepared to move in for another attack. I'menjoying this far more than I should… He rushed in, throwinga high kick at Vegeta, but Raditz intercepted, catching his foot andallowing Vegeta to get an elbow strike past Frieza's guard. Friezaspun away, but Raditz appeared behind him, kicking him in the side,and Vegeta brought his hands around, smashing the dazed Frieza oneither side of the head. Frieza jumped away, his head spinning.They've stopped fighting each other! What happened to thatfoolish pride they're always on about? Raditz started hurling abarrage of energy waves that crashed into Frieza's silvery body,scoring deep rents in his 'skin'. Frieza staggered back, thecontinuous attack overwhelming his resistance. As he was preparingto dodge out of the way, Vegeta materialised above him, one handheld out downwards, palm facing away from himself.
"Hey, Frieza! Ready to face the full power of a realSuper Saiyan?"
I think, on balance, machines do experience fear…Frieza thought to himself.
"BIG BANG ATTACK!" A shimmering white ball of energyshot out of Vegeta's hand, streaking down towards Frieza.
"Too easy!" Frieza dodged to the left, but Raditzfollowed him, taking advantage of his opponent's preoccupation withVegeta's attack and shoving him right into its path. Frieza futilelybraced for impact as the crackling energy ball smashed into hisform, completely obliterating him.
Vegeta and Raditz settled to the ground as the dust cleared.There was no trace of Frieza left at all. "Quite an attackyou've got there," Raditz commented.
"Indeed." Vegeta raised his guard, turning to faceRaditz. "And you're about to experience it first-hand…"
"All right, have it your way." Raditz smiled. "Iwon't pretend I'm not going to enjoy this-I love these rareopportunities to exercise my full Super Saiyan power."
A power you don't deserve… "Let's go!"Vegeta charged in, and Raditz blocked his first punch. Thelong-haired saiyan was just raising his arm for a counter-attack,when a familiar voice cut through the air. "Excuse me!"The Super Saiyans froze, turning slowly to the right. The metallicFrieza stood on a ridge above them, fully intact. "I wouldn'tbe too hasty."
"What?" Vegeta gaped in surprise. "How the helldid you survive that attack?!"
"Oh, I didn't." Frieza grinned, tilting his head to theside a little. "At least, that body didn't. But the Gete Starmade me more than just one body…" As he spoke,gleaming dots of reflected sunlight started to appear over thehorizon behind him. Dozens, maybe hundreds of metallic Frieza cloneswere swarming towards them. "These bodies are my Meta-Friezas.My real form is safe on the Gete Star itself. Given how much effortit took you to defeat just one Meta-Frieza, I'd say an army shouldprove more than sufficient to crush you… especially since, due tothe Gete Star's self-repair system correcting for the error thatallowed that body to be destroyed, each of these Meta-Friezas is noweven more powerful than the one you just fought…" TheMeta-Frieza talking dropped into step with the others as they passedit.
"Well, that does it." Vegeta clenched his fists. "We'regoing to die here. Two Super Saiyans, and we're still goingto be killed by Frieza. It's like the universe has it in for us!"
"Hmm… Vegeta." Raditz rubbed his chin thoughtfully."I think we have two options here."
"We have more than one option?" Vegeta askedsceptically. "Is one of them committing suicide?"
Raditz sighed. "Shut up and listen. First, we can chargethem, and go out in a blaze of glory."
"Doesn't sound too bad a way to die."
"Second, I've just come up with a rather unlikely plan thathas a chance of getting us both out of here alive, the better tokill each other somewhere else with less saiyacidal robots."
"That is not a word!"
"Does it matter?"
Vegeta kicked Raditz in the shin. "Just tell me your damnedplan already!"
"All right, all right." The army was taking its time,showing off, but they'd reach the saiyans pretty soon. "Look,Frieza and I both now have a technique called Instant Transmission.It lets us instantly move anywhere, got that?"
"I understand the concept, get on with it!" Vegetagrowled. "We don't have much time, or hadn't you noticed?"
"Look, the point is, Frieza was pretty surprised to learn Iknew Instant Transmission. If, when they attack, I use it to jumpaway to somewhere on the other side of this planet, they might tryand follow me. Then you use 'normal' speed to head straightfor the Gete Star-if I'm right, it's that big metal starfish thingthat's clamped onto the planet like a parasite. Keep your powerlevel down, but still try and move as fast as possible."
"How will this help, exactly?" Vegeta frowned. Thisplan was starting to sound increasingly untenable.
"Look, if we both disappear simultaneously, Frieza willprobably assume that we're both using the same technique. If you canmask your energy and slip past him while I lead him on an InstantTransmission wild goose chase around the planet, you can get insidethe Gete Star."
Vegeta began to understand. "And that's where he said histrue form is-it's got to be his weak spot!"
"Of course, he may have defences inside, so it's not goingto be easy… maybe even more of these Meta-Friezas…"
"I can take care of myself, Raditz! Here they come-let's doit!"
"Right." Raditz and Vegeta stood a few feet apart asthe army of Meta-Friezas approached. They raised two fingers totheir foreheads in unison, Vegeta carefully mimicking Raditz. As theMeta-Friezas descended, the saiyan warriors disappeared. Friezapicked up Raditz's energy signature, obviously heading to the otherside of the planet. On a reflex, the Meta-Friezas used InstantTransmission themselves, following Raditz's trail. I can't senseVegeta at all, here or with Raditz… he must be more skilled atconcealing it. Well, better to follow one monkey than stand stilland lose them both…
Ceasefire
Chapter 24: Ceasefire
Yes, this chapter was late. Sorry. I'm still going to updatetwice a week, but the 'Wednesday' update will now become a'Wednesday or Thursday' update, okay? That should make sure I'm notlate too much in the future.
EDIT: Okay, due to this chapter being late, that'd have aknock-on effect and make the next chapter late, and so on, so nochapter this Sunday, sorry. Back to two updates a week next week(one on Wednesday/Thursday and one on Sunday).
"So let me get this straight." Bulma glared at Zarbon,who had given up pretending to still be asleep. "Everybody elseis out there risking their lives to save the planet for the nthtime… and you decided to take a nap ?!"
"Er…" Zarbon retreated a few inches back under theblanket. "That's one way of looking at it, I guess."
"Get your lazy butt out that door!" She dragged him outof bed and kicked him out the front door, throwing a fresh set ofclothes after him. "If you don't like saving the world, you'reliving with the wrong people!" she called, as he pulled theclothes on and took off, grumbling to himself.
" Damn Earth woman, only reason I like her anyway is-what the hell?!" Zarbon clutched at his head like he'd justbeen smacked with a hammer. "Where did that giant ki comefrom?" He hesitated between the mysterious, nefarious alienforce and the wrath of Bulma Brief. It was, of course, no contest-heflew straight for the battle. " How I let myself get intothese bloody messes, I don't know… "
Kuriza gasped for air as he felt the grip around his neck loosen.He slumped to the floor, his chest heaving. "Hah… Huh…"I'm still alive? How does that work? was the first thoughtto enter his mind. When he rolled over onto his back, he managed tolook up at Goku, whose entire body was pulsing with Super Saiyanpower.
"Look what you've… pushed me to!" Goku said, hisvoice strained as his internal struggle continued. "You shouldknow better… than to mess with forces you don't understand!"
Kuriza trembled. "What-what are you?"
"I'm a Super Saiyan, Kuriza. This is what I warned youabout. This power killed Cooler-after he killed Frieza! Andwhen King Cold came here for revenge, he was also killed by a SuperSaiyan! Now do you understand… what you're dealing with?!"
"You… weren't lying?" Kuriza asked hesitantly."Cooler… killed my father?"
Goku nodded. "We didn't start this war against your family.But we will end it." He tightened his fists. "Nomatter what it takes!" His aura flared up around him,flattening the terrain around him. "So, what will it be, son ofFrieza? Are you going to go out like the rest of your kind-blindlyattacking a superior force out of arrogance, refusing to believe youcan ever lose?" There was no reply for a moment, and somethingseemed… off about Kuriza to Goku. It took him a few seconds torealise what it was, simply because it seemed so out of place.
Kuriza was crying. The frost demons were the terror of theuniverse, despots of entire galaxies, destroyers of worlds, and herewas one breaking down in tears. There was betrayal behind hissadness-his family had fought itself. His father had been killed byone of their own. And now they were no longer the dominant power inthe universe-these saiyans had risen to the top. Even his mightygrandfather had fallen. It was all too much to take in.
That decided it for Goku. This wasn't a tyrant, it wasn't anunfeeling monster. It was a frightened, orphaned child, far fromhome. Kuriza couldn't be more than his race's equivalent of tenyears old, perhaps even younger. The human inside beat the saiyan.Compassion won out. The beast's howls faded from his mind.
So it was that when Zarbon arrived, he was greeted with thestrangest sight he'd ever seen-a Super Saiyan, normally a violent,raging figure, was crouching on the ground, cradling a juvenilefrost demon in his arms, and whispering, "It's okay. Shhh. It'sgonna be okay." The alien ex-soldier was struck silent by themoment. This was different. He'd been expecting a battle. Vengeance.This was… reconciliation. Between these two races, was thatpossible?
Vegeta blasted through another wall. "Yes, it was faint atfirst, but it's getting stronger… Frieza's true body is on thisship somewhere! He never learnt to control his ki, and a life forceis a life force! I'm coming for you, Frieza!" He sprinted downa corridor, unheeding of the alarms he was setting off-he was tooclose now. Frieza wouldn't stop him.
The door to the inner chamber exploded inwards. It was a roughlyspherical, dimly lit grey area, the pattern of electrical circuitson the wall constantly shifting and changing. Wires of varyinglengths hung loosely from the ceiling. Vegeta burst inside, the grinon his face fading when he saw what awaited him at the centre of theroom. There stood his goal-the disembodied head of Frieza, sustainedby dozens of wires, pieces of circuitry and various life-supportfunctions. However, between the saiyan prince and his enemy stoodanother Meta-Frieza, gleaming in the dim light.
"Come now," the real Frieza said with a mocking smile,"surely you didn't think I'd leave myself unguarded, did you?Hahahahaha!" As if to illustrate his point, two moreMeta-Friezas detached themselves from the shadows, one on eitherside of Vegeta.
"To be honest, I hadn't really planned this far ahead,"Vegeta replied. "I was more or less counting on being caught byyour pet army long before now…"
"Ah, Vegeta." Frieza sighed. "A Super Saiyan afterall these years, but in his heart… a stupid little monkey to theend."
"RAAAH!" Transforming into a Super Saiyan again,Vegeta's reply came in the form of a hurled yellow energy ball. Butbefore it hit his target, the Meta-Frieza standing guard interceptedit, catching the blast and containing the detonation inside itshand.
Vegeta choked. The speed it must have taken to catch that sononchalantly… not to mention the strength to emerge without somuch as scratched paintwork… !
"Oh, my, my." Frieza chuckled. "Am I scaring you?"The Meta-Friezas on either side of the prince raised one hand,shimmering white energy flickering to life. "Well, this hasbeen an amusing little chat, but I for one am getting bored.Good-bye, Vegeta."
There was a quiet, fluid noise, and Raditz materialised in themiddle of the room. "Vegeta!" He yelled, grabbing theother saiyan's arm. "I've only got a few seconds' lead onthem!" He turned to Frieza. He's been in here talking toVegeta… "Say, you've got your army on some sort of'autopilot', haven't you?" With that, the pair vanished.Frieza's eyes widened, as he realised the implications of whatRaditz had just said and done-too late.
Raditz and Vegeta appeared about a mile from the Gete Star, ametre or so above the ground, whereupon they bumped down to groundlevel, throwing up a small dust cloud. "What…" Vegetabegan, but then a loud crash rocked the entire planet. The Gete Starshuddered, seeming to deflate a little. Sparks hissed around itsedges, and arcs of electricity shot up and down the machine. Vegetacontinued: "What the hell was all that about?"
"Heh heh…" Raditz grinned. "It was prettyobvious that we weren't going to outfight Frieza. But his armyseemed to get less intelligent as they continued to chase me aroundthe planet with Instant Transmission."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, they started behaving much more systematically. Likemachines set to run on autopilot. I figured out it must have beendue to Frieza's preoccupation with you-you'd found him and werekeeping him busy somehow. So I reckoned they were programmed just toautomatically follow me wherever I teleported to, as Frieza couldn'tbe bothered to directly control them while dealing with you at thesame time."
"I see!" Vegeta stood up, gazing at the Gete Star,which was now belching out smoke. "So they all followed youinside the Gete Star, into Frieza's central chamber…"
Raditz nodded. "Which I could find thanks to your energysignature. The army probably arrived about half a second after weleft."
"And there were hundreds of those Meta-Friezas…"Vegeta grinned. "There's no way they could all fit insidethere! Which means Frieza is-"
Raditz joined in his smile. "Buried under tons of compactedmetal-or maybe one of them even materialised inside of him, blowinghim apart from the inside. I can't sense his ki at all anymore."
"Well, I must admit that was a pretty clever idea,"Vegeta told the other saiyan. "But frankly, that thingis becoming an eyesore. It's best if there's no trace of it left!"He raised one hand in the direction of the Gete Star, forming a ballof shining energy as he focused his power in front of his palm. "BIGBANG-guh…" The prince of all saiyans toppled wordlesslyface-first into the dust. Raditz had struck, relatively gently, atthe base of his skull. He was tough-it'd only keep him down for afew minutes.
"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I couldn't let you do that-I can sense alot of Namekians inside. Which would, at least, explain why Ihaven't seen any since getting here… hey, King Kai!"
"Uh, wha… oh hey, Raditz! Well done!" King Kai'sdisembodied voice congratulated him.
"Yeah, sure, thanks. Well, this hasn't taken too long, and Igot to kill Frieza, so I'll forgive you for dragging me out of bedthis morning. But can you explain the situation to the Nameks? I'vegot to get Vegeta out of here before he does something I'll regret."
"Right you are," King Kai replied. "With thedamage you did to the Gete Star, the security systems will beoffline-they'll be able to get out on their own. Well, guess I'lltell them what happened now-ciao!"
"Hmph." Raditz hauled Vegeta over his shoulder, hearingthe prince's mumbled half-awake daydreams. I am invincible…Super… Kakarot… Frieza… "Rrgh! What did you eat forbreakfast, lead weights?" Raditz complained, before usingInstant Transmission and heading off again.
Raditz arrived back on Earth, Vegeta safely deposited on an emptyplanet (nobody to kill), with a habitable atmosphere, left next tofood supplies and a serviceable spaceship (the previous owner hadhad so many, he probably wouldn't have even noticed it was missing).I'd have loved to continue our fight, Vegeta… but this isn'tthe time! Neither of us were at full strength, we both had realisedthere were even higher levels of power we could aspire to climb to,and I really need to be alive and well when these androids arrive.If anything happened to Lunch, Goku or all friends because I wasn'tthere, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
He sensed Goku and a few other fighters over to the west, headingover with normal flight-he'd had quite enough of InstantTransmission for one day. As he approached, he noticed onemysterious power that stood out. It was almost like Frieza's family,but had less of their evil taint. He landed in the middle of a rockyplain, seeing Krillin race past him. "Watch out!" the baldwarrior was saying. "They're making a move!" They…?Raditz thought, content to watch for the moment. He was shocked tosee Kuriza, back in his first form, sprint between Krillin andhimself. Some kind of… miniature Frieza? Kuriza put on anextra burst of speed, and Krillin fell short, his lunge missing byabout half a metre as Kuriza sped on. Krillin tossed something toGoku, who slid around a corner and jumped at Kuriza. His hand thrustforward… and tapped Kuriza lightly on the shoulder with thebaseball. "Gotcha, Kuriza! You're out!" he said, grinning.
"Huh!" Kuriza folded his arms, marching over to theback of the batting queue. "Next time, I'll use my finalform-we'll see if you can catch me then!"
"Well, I could if I became a Super Saiyan again…"Goku responded, his smile widening. The pair laughed. Raditz juststared, speechless. "Uh… Goku… Kuriza… baseball… SuperSaiyan?"
Goku rubbed his forehead. "Oh, boy… it's a long story."
To be precise, it took most of an hour to tell, and a similaramount of time for Raditz to recount his experiences on new Namek.Goku's older brother met and shook hands with Kuriza, amazed at thepossibility of an innocent frost demon. The baseball game (whichhad, apparently, been Yamcha's idea) resumed after Raditz left forhome-Goku's team won by two points. Much fun was had by all. ExceptPiccolo-he was in the wasteland, practicing his scowl. And then thefighters had to go home and explain they'd spent all day alternatelyfighting and playing sports with a junior alien warlord. This wasnot received well by Chi-Chi in particular.
Kuriza, for his part, had to stay on Earth for a while, at leastuntil he could get a ship built, so he took up residence at CapsuleCorp. However, even when Bulma and her father had finished preparinghim a ship, he fended his departure off with a string of excusesabout the weather, previous appointments, and so on. Eventually theydropped the matter altogether, and built him a permanent room-andthat was pretty much that.
Nail and Zarbon discussed this one day. "I guess,"Zarbon said, "he's realised what we have-Raditz too. There'ssomething about this planet."
Nail, leaning against a wall, nodded in agreement, sipping fromhis glass of water (Namekians only drank water for sustenance, butit was still festooned with straw, useless little fake umbrellathing, etc.). "I know. It's just amazingly… diverse, I guess.It's got all these different climates and places. Namek is all thesame. Although, personally I'll never get tired of grassy islands…"
"Indeed." Zarbon stretched out on his deckchair,resplendent in floral shirt, camo shorts and sandals-he wasconstantly making efforts to 'let go of himself' and just relax, butBulma usually put a stop to it and had him back in shape beforelong. This was one of those glorious periods before she intervened."Not to mention the people. Aren't humans just fascinating?"
"I know what you mean." Nail finished his water,setting the glass down. "So many flaws and failings, butoverall they still manage to shine. And they always come throughwhen it counts most."
"Plus, I can tell you from first-hand experience that thegirls are amazing… ah, but you Nameks don't do that, doyou?" Nail looked away, embarrassed, and Zarbon laughed outloud.
The training, of course, continued-there were still almost threeyears to prepare. The fighters all trained even harder now. Goku andRaditz's training picked up now that they could fight as SuperSaiyans, though Raditz held an early edge due to more experiencewith the form. Gohan was in a strange position-his alien DNA meantthat sparring with most human fighters would be a futile exercise,and laughably easy for the child, but the adult saiyans were farabove him. Luckily, while Piccolo was antisocial as ever, Tien andNail were able to give him a decent challenge, and the threeregularly met up to train together (although, as far as Chi-Chiknew, Gohan was still 'helping Goku'. If she ever decided to go outand watch or join in the training herself, there'd be trouble.)
The fighters who'd been defeated by Kuriza now trained evenharder, knowing that by all accounts the androids were going to beeven more powerful. The focus was not just on increasing their powernow, but also on developing new techniques and ways to outsmartsuperior foes. And so it continued, for three years, as meanwhile,in a laboratory hidden in the mountains, Dr. Gero set about creatinghis artificial monsters.
I've had some questions regarding what happened toMeta-Frieza and Vegeta in the 'future' timeline, and I fully intendto answer them. In this version of events, everyone was feelingsomewhat less active, enjoying a seemingly-indefinite period ofpeace, and Raditz, in this state of mind, went back to bed withLunch instead of going to fight Frieza. He resolved to go and checkon things later that afternoon, but by then it was too late.
"Heh heh heh…" Frieza's head, hooked up to itslife-support systems within the Gete Star, chuckled as he lookedupon his captive. Wires were coiled around Vegeta's arms and legs,suspending him halfway up the walls. "Thinking you could fightme all on your own, Vegeta? My whole army? What a fool."Frieza's grin widened. "Well, now you're going to give me thatSuper Saiyan energy of yours-it'll be an excellent fuel source forthe Gete Star. Come now, I don't have all day…" The wires litup with electric fire as they ripped the power out of Vegeta's body.His head slumped forwards, but a faint murmur escaped his mouth."What's that?" Frieza asked mockingly. "Last words? Afinal confession? Begging for your life?"
" You're… wrong, Frieza… " Vegeta saidweakly. " I… haven't lost. "
"W-what are you talking about?"
Vegeta's head snapped up as he powered back up to Super Saiyan."You've taken me right to the heart of your power, you idiot!Hyaaaaaah !" He forced his power outwards, grippingthe wires holding him as he pumped energy through them.
"What's this?" Frieza raised an eyebrow as a pair ofMeta-Friezas paced back and forth behind him. "Trying to giveme more energy than I can handle? Overload my circuits or somethinglike that? Really, I expected more from you. You should know betterthan that…"
" Yaaaaaaaaahhh !" Vegeta screamed, the lightcoursing out of his body intensifying into pure white waves offorce.
"W-what's this?" Frieza's scanners were goingballistic. "Where is this power coming from? What did youdo ?!" The Meta-Friezas twitched and spasmed, collapsingto the floor.
"This is my life energy, Frieza!" Vegeta roared. "Thisis what you wanted, isn't it?"
"No! Stop! You'll kill yourself!" Frieza tried toretract the wires, but Vegeta gripped them unflinchingly, pouringhis entire essence into the Gete Star.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" he bellowed, as internalexplosions rocked the construct. Whole sections began to break offas Vegeta's destructive energy spread throughout the entire vessel.The surge of power reached the core, and it was all over.
Within seconds, there was nothing left of the Gete Star, Vegeta,or Frieza. New Namek was left warped, marked by a gigantic craterthat visibly altered its shape. The saiyans had had their revenge.
When King Cold returned to his empire after his defeat atRaditz's hands, he encountered Kuriza, and with his experience offailure on Earth, discouraged his grandson from making a move on theplanet. So, in the timeline unaltered by time travel, Kuriza-afterCold's death-set himself up as the new master of the galaxy, andcame to be just as feared a ruler as Frieza had been (and he hadmore freedom to exercise his rule, as his family was no longeraround to counsel and restrain him).
Oh, and in the main DBZ timeline, Frieza was still alive(albeit mechanised) to slap Kuriza around the head and dispel anysilly thoughts he might have about attacking Earth and stealingFrieza's shot at revenge.
Besieging Dr Gero
Chapter 25: Besieging Dr. Gero
And we're back in business. Wednesday/Thursday and Sundayupdates from now until whenever. Let the android saga begin!
I seem to have come into a habit of writing androids 19 and20 with numbers, but Seventeen and Eighteen as words-to signify thatthey retain some level of humanity. At first I thought this was ahabit I'd picked up from Bringer of Death or something(given how my writing style's been influenced by theirs, as notedbefore), but I looked and nope, they use numbers for all theandroids. Still, I'm fairly sure I got it from somebody else. Well…eh. I guess if you know who else does that, tell me.
The years of peace weren't entirely filled with training, ofcourse. Goku and his family would often visit Capsule Corp., andGohan and Kuriza would find plenty of entertainment playingtogether-they were, for all their power, only children, and becamefast friends. Meanwhile, Bulma would often talk about the newtechnologies the company was churning out-particularlyreverse-engineered tech from Frieza's empire. The futuristic armourand scouters were now standard-issue all over the planet for police,security forces, emergency services, and search-and-rescue teams allover the world. Capsule Corp. had adapted the design slightly tomake the technology easy to mass-produce-but they maintained astrict policy to keep it out of the hands of any country's military,and any army that did acquire their tech would soon get a visit fromthe first superhuman fighter Bulma could badger into helping out.
This time period also brought a couple of new faces into theworld-Bulma and Zarbon's son Trunks, and born a few weeks later,Lunch and Raditz's daughter Break. The new additions to the'extended family' were the subject of much 'ooh'-ing and 'aah'-ing,as expected. After his child's birth, Zarbon could be seen stickingmuch closer to Bulma and Trunks, seeming to become more settled downand content.
Not everyone was happy, of course. Piccolo's thoughts had grownincreasingly troubled. This particular day, with one year remaininguntil the androids' arrival, he was having a crisis of faith. I'vepushed myself so far beyond what I thought was possible… I'mhundreds of times stronger than when I last fought Goku… and yet,whenever I feel one of those Super Saiyans off in the distance, I'mreminded just how insignificant it all is. He recalled hisinherited memories-his father, the first King Piccolo, fighting theyoung saiyan, and finally falling. He'd passed on his last hope ofvictory to his son, Piccolo Jr., his final chance at longed-forworld domination… but it wasn't to be. At every turn, Goku and hissaiyan family had outpaced him, climbing to ever-higher levels ofpower and leaving Piccolo in the dust. Not to mention the greaterthreats that kept appearing, forcing him to work together with theEarth's defenders for mutual survival-he'd even heard the remark'I'm glad Piccolo's on our side', whispered behind his back. I'mnot. Not even close.
"Father!" he yelled to the empty wastes. "You toldme you'd give me the power to defeat Goku and claim this world!"The ground shook as his energy flared uncontrollably. "How canI do that, with these Super Saiyans defending it?" He glancedat a mountain, destroying it with merely his glare, almost trying toreassure himself that his power did mean something. But itdidn't. Not anymore.
At last, the fateful day came. Break had predicted the androids'arrival at midnight, so they met up in the late evening. Tien andChiaotzu were the first on the scene-the agreed meeting-point, aplateau overlooking a city-followed by Krillin, Raditz, Lunch andRoshi. There was a sense of a special occasion, a once in a lifetimeevent, so many non-combatants accompanied the fighters. Next wereZarbon, Bulma, Kuriza and Nail, and finally Goku, Gohan and Chi-Chi,who had met up with Yamcha on the way there (it turned out Piccolohad beaten them all by several hours, but wasn't going to be seenwith the rest in a hurry and was off on his own as usual). EvenYaijerobe turned up (and promptly handed them a bag of senzu beansfrom Korin, turned tail and fled). The fighters were all in fullbattle gear. They waited for several hours, swapping stories andidle chat. Gohan and Kuriza played 'it', until Raditz snapped atthem. The androids were due to arrive in forty-five minutes.
Goku motioned to Raditz to step aside to talk to him in private(so, of course, two sets of sensitive Namekian ears strained to hearevery word).
"Hey, Raditz." Goku leaned back against a rock, thewind whistling softly through his gently swaying hair. Raditz foldedhis arms, waiting for his brother to continue. "I think it'ssafe to tell you now-it's already happened, after all…"
Raditz was confused for a second. "Happened? What are youtalking about?"
"The girl who warned us about the androids." Gokusmiled a little. "She was from the future-she came back to tryand change the past by preparing us."
"I'd considered the possibility. It would explainhow she knew so much." Raditz's mind made a connection. "Wait…a Super Saiyan from the future… you don't mean-"
"Her name's Break."
The shock knocked Raditz clean off of his feet. "I-uh-really?"He sheepishly stood up, looking back over at (shy) Lunch, who wasrocking baby Break back and forth in her arms, singing quietly-itwas quite late, after all. "My little girl, huh? Who'd havethought?" He laughed softly. "Well, to be perfectlyhonest, I would have thought so… any child of mine hadbetter hope they can make it as a warrior, or I'll never let themhear the end of it!"
"Don't be so tough," Goku warned. "I never pushedGohan very hard, and you can see what a great fighter he's become,and only nine years old. Even younger than I was when I startedhaving adventures…"
"You have your way of doing things, and I have mine."Raditz looked up and away. "Remember, I may have come around toyour point of view on some matters, but I haven't gone soft. Don'tmistake me for an Earthling. I'll raise my daughter like a truesaiyan!"
"Heh… Lunch might have something to say about that."
"I guess there are some battles you can never win…"Raditz strode away, leaving Goku grinning. His brother certainly hada lot to think about. His daughter risking her life (and, if Bulmawas to be believed, the very space-time continuum) to spare them hertimeline's fate would take a while to wrap his head around. However,he'd have to do it some other time-the androids were now overdue,and some people were getting bored.
"I tell ya, those robots should just come out already so Ican deck 'em!" Yamcha was strutting up and down, flexing hismuscles.
"Yamcha…" Krillin scratched the area of his facewhere most people would have a nose. "You do know they'resupposed to be more powerful than a Super Saiyan, right? I wouldn'tbe in such a rush to fight them…"
"Ah, quit worrying!" Yamcha grinned, a sure indicationhe was about to say something incredibly stupid (and he was). "Thinkabout it-I'm definitely more powerful now than Goku and Raditz werewhen Vegeta attacked Earth, and they're Super Saiyans now. So I'mkind of stronger than a Super Saiyan too!"
Krillin was completely stunned by the sheer imbecility of thisstatement. "Yamcha… there is so much wrong with thatsentence, I don't even know where to begin."
Nail walked over to the two human fighters. "I don't likeall this waiting. The androids could aready have appeared by now,and be down in that city somewhere, beginning their rampage. I wishthat girl had known their motives-it might have helped us predicttheir movements. All we know is that they'll be somewhere aroundhere…"
"You're right, I guess." This was from Tien. "Whatdo you guys say? Let's go down into the city and look for them."
"Teams of three, at least," Zarbon added. "Remember,they're supposed to be very dangerous. Any objections?"
"Sounds good." Goku shrugged. "Better than sittingaround all night up here, I guess."
There was a rushing sound as Piccolo took off on his own andarced down towards the city. I'm not working with those clownsagain!
Shortly, the fighters had divided themselves up and set aboutsearching the entire city. Tien, Zarbon and Raditz composed onegroup, and Goku, Krillin, Nail and Yamcha the second. Gohan remainedbehind under the watchful eyes of Chi-Chi, but resolved to slip awaythe moment she let her guard down. He was primarily a studious boyand his mother's son, but he definitely had his father in him-andcouldn't stand to let his friends fight without him. If he sensedanything happening to them, he'd be off, vengeful mother or not.
They spent fifteen minutes searching without success. The streetswere almost empty, this late at night, but night-shift workers,along with the occasional drunk or petty criminal, still wanderedthe city. Nobody paid them much attention, which-given theirsomewhat outlandish appearance-was unusual, and not entirelyunwelcome. However, even for a city at night, it seemed eerilyquiet, as if the world was holding its breath. It was an uneasyfeeling, and put them all on edge.
Goku's head whipped around as he felt a ki fluctuation. "It'sPiccolo! He just concentrated his power-he must be attacking theandroids! Come on!" Goku's group took off, heading for thesource of the signal, meeting up with Raditz's group as they flew.As they got closer, they began to see two thick columns of blacksmoke billowing up from the ground. They headed straight for thecentre of the ruined area, landing between the two destroyedbuildings.
The scene that awaited them was almost surreal. Piccolo, capeswirling in the explosion's aftershock, stood with one arm extended,steam rising from his open palm, facing off against two strangefigures-a long-haired, elderly-looking man and an overweight albino…thing… both wearing brown and orange pseudo-military outfits andblack hats (no more detail could be distinguished at this distance).They were hovering a couple of feet in the air, evidently havingjust moved quite quickly, and as the group of fighters arrived, theysettled down to the ground. Between and behind them, there was asmoking, flaming hole in the ground where an apartment block used tobe. Piccolo shook his head. "Bah. I missed."
"That was you?" Goku asked, looking over at the ruin.
"Hey, they're the ones who blew up the hospital,"Piccolo replied, pointing to the other burning crater behind himwith his thumb.
"Monsters… and Piccolo's just as bad!" Goku frowned."I guess there goes any hope he's reformed…"
"Me? Reform?" Piccolo gave an evil grin. "Keepdreaming!"
"Just stay out of this!" Goku answered, turning to facethe pair opposite the demon. "There are bigger threats than youto worry about."
"Hey, Goku." Tien pointed at the mysterious duo. "Ican't feel any ki from those guys at all, but they were flying, andfast enough to dodge Piccolo's attack."
"The androids," Raditz muttered.
"Must be."
The androids, of course, couldn't hear this conversation, so hadno idea that the planet's warriors had been expecting them."Greetings!" the old one called out. "I had notexpected we would be meeting you so soon. How did you findus so quickly?"
"We just did." Goku brushed the question aside. "Howis none of your concern."
"Very well. I suppose, in the end, it's irrelevant." Heindicated himself. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I amandroid 20, and this is my companion android 19." The fat onenodded in acknowledgement to 20's statement. "We are theemissaries of our master Doctor Gero, sent to pave the way for hisconquest of this planet."
"Right. The usual, then." Goku raised his guard. "Notwhile I'm still standing! And that goes for the rest of us, too!"
"Heh." 20 took a step forwards. "Actually, I'mglad you tracked us down. We're anxious to prove our superiorityover the planet's strongest biologicals…"
"Wait a minute!" Zarbon stepped up next to Goku. "Didyou say Dr. Gero?"
"That is correct. You have heard of his genius?"
"Bulma mentioned him a couple of times." Zarbonfrowned. "He was the head scientist for the Red Ribbon Army. Ibelieve you clashed with them during your childhood."
"You bet!" Goku grinned. "Ah, that was a carefreetime, huh? You know, I think I must have met another android of thisdoctor's." His expression softened as he remembered an oldfriend. "Android 8-well, I called him Eighter. Made him soundmore human, I guess. Unfortunately, I doubt these guys will sharehis conscience… although I think I can see the Red Ribbon Army'smark on them…" He returned his mind to the present. "So,you two want to fight us? Well, it's too crowded here-let's fightsomewhere else!" Like somewhere away from all theseinnocent people…
"It makes no difference to us." Android 20 smiled."Lead the way to wherever you choose as your final restingplace…"
The fighters and androids faced off against each other on theedge of the desert. Piccolo had followed them, standing aside fromthe group as always. Android 20 was the first to speak. "Well.Part of our mission is to destroy Goku-the Earth's champion, and theone who previously defeated the Red Ribbon Army." He beckonedto Goku. "So why don't you fight first? It will be an honourfor us to destroy you."
"Heh." Goku settled into a fighting stance. "Youmight reconsider when you see this- hyaaah! " In aflash of golden light, Goku was transformed. "Well, what do youthink?"
"Unexpected. Most impressive." 20 shrugged. "Butit is useless against us. We are the ultimate fighting machines."
"Hah!" Raditz laughed out loud. "Enough me thiscrap! Come on, am I the only one who finds this ridiculous?" Heindicated the androids. " This is the terrifying foewe've been dreading for three years? The terror of the future? Anold man and a fat guy?" He powered up to Super Saiyan himself." Haah! "
"Him too?" Android 20 commented, then realisedsomething. "Wait… you say you've known we were coming forthree years? How?!"
"That's for us to know…" Goku smirked.
"Enough of this! Nineteen! Destroy those two… golden…things."
Android 19 spoke for the first time. "Affirmative."
"He's going to take on both of us, huh?" Raditz asked.
"I assure you, our design is-" 20 began to say, but hewas cut off by Goku.
"Sorry, pal, but we're not fighting on your terms!" TheSuper Saiyan charged the androids, and Raditz followed close behind.
"Damn it Goku, save some for me!" he yelled, thebrothers competing to get into battle first, the thrill of combatfilling their minds.
Goku crashed into the androids, punching one in the face witheach fist. He whirled, dodging their counterattacks, and Raditzsmashed feet first into 20, knocking him into a nearby rock face. 19swung at Raditz from behind, but Goku caught its fist, throwing itstraight up into the air. Raditz vanished and appeared above 19,slamming his elbow into its neck and knocking it right back into theground next to Goku.
"Yeah! Look at 'em go!" Yamcha was cheering.
"Oh, quiet down." Krillin snorted (an impressive feat,given his aforementioned lack of a nose). "You know youwouldn't stand a chance in there. Let them concentrate."
"Hey, I wouldn't go down that easily!" Yamcha mimed afew punches in the air. "I reckon I'd take at least one of 'emwith me."
"Are you kidding? Those 'droids would tear right throughyou."
Yamcha pouted. "Fine, be pessimistic."
"Or, as I like to call it, realistic."
The androids picked themselves up as the Super Saiyans settled tothe ground next to each other. "Hah! Couldn't face a realwarrior, then?" Raditz asked.
"But… I don't understand…" 20 was muttering. "Mycalculations were flawless… I've monitored all of your battleswith Piccolo… your struggle against Vegeta… I even created amodel to account for the saiyans' exponential power growth! Butthis-this is insane… !"
"Wait…' my calculations'?" Tien scratchedhis head. "But wasn't it Dr. Gero who was in charge? Unless…hey, Goku!"
"Yeah, I know!" Goku turned to 20. "Hey, android,uh, 20, wasn't it? Are you Dr. Gero, by any chance?"
"What?! No!" 20 was sweating. "I, uh…"
"Yes, he is!" Zarbon snapped his fingers. "I knewI recognised him somewhere, but I didn't make the link. He was onthe cover of one of Bulma's magazines… went missing a few yearsback. It seems he's made himself into an android… makes sense, Iguess."
Dr. Gero (for it was him) realised he didn't care if they knewhis identity-the pressing concern were these golden saiyans. Whatwas the secret to their power? Nineteen! He signalled hiscomrade through their shared communications link. Attack… now!The androids launched a synchronised attack on their alien foes,Goku and Raditz jumping into the air to avoid the pincer movement,the androids bounding up off the ground towards them. Raditz took astep back as they approached. "Here, I'll show you how hopelessit is. Goku can deal with both of you with no trouble!"Ignoring his boast, the androids rocketed past him up towards Goku.The heroic saiyan dodged 19's strike, blocking 20's leg as it swungfor him. He ducked under a sweeping punch, barging 19 out of the waywith his shoulder. He caught 20's wrist as the android made anotherswing at him. "Heh. My turn now, okay?" Goku's own fistdrove deep into 20's stomach, tiny cracks opening up in themechanical fighter's metal body. Goku swung his elbow, the impacthurling 20 to the ground, but as he fell Dr. Gero let loose anenergy blast. Not having seen the androids fire energy before, Gokuonly barely dodged it. Distracted by this, he was easy prey as 19rushed back up from behind him and grabbed him by the neck with onehand.
No reason for me to intervene, Raditz thought. Gokufar outclasses these machines-he'll break that amateurish hold, noproblem. However, an uncomfortable red light began to emanatefrom 19's hand. Goku spasmed as the light intensified, nowaccompanied by an artificial sucking noise. Goku gasped, and his kibegan to fall quickly. Raditz rushed forwards to intercept theandroid-whatever it was doing-but another blast from Gero, chargingup from below them, made him twitch to the side, breaking off hisattack. Gero hovered between Raditz and the other two. "Heh hehheh…" the mad doctor grinned. "Nineteen is absorbingyour brother's energy now… in a few seconds, it will all be over."
"You think so?" Raditz laughed. "Even if you couldstall me for just long enough, we did bring more than twofighters… or did you forget?" This coincided with histelepathic signal to the others that he needed their assistance. Theresponse was a familiar one.
"KIKOHO!"
"KIENZAN!"
"KAMEHAMEHA!
"HAA!"
"YAAH!"
The multiple energy attacks shot up towards 19, who threw Gokuaway to the side, accelerating away from the oncoming threat. Hedodged and weaved between them, coming to a halt as the light faded,midnight's dark returning.
"MASENKO-HAAA!" The dirty yellow energy wave detonatedon 19's back, Piccolo standing below with a smile on his face.
"Didn't miss that time. I suppose I suppose I should thankyou for giving me that opening, at least-huh?" 19 hovered,unharmed, in the same spot. It gazed down at Piccolo with mockingeyes.
"Perhaps, Piccolo, a few minutes ago that attack would havebeen enough to damage me," it said in its unnatural voice, "butwith the energy I've absorbed from Goku, my power level hasincreased substantially."
"Yes, very good, Nineteen." Dr. Gero gestured atGoku-who tried, and failed, to stand, collapsing to the floor andregressing to his normal form, fighting to stay conscious. "Asyou can see, our energy absorption capabilities are quite advanced.Nineteen-I'm sure this stolen energy will be more than enough foryou to finish off Raditz, correct?"
19 smiled. "Calculations indicate an 87% chance of victory."
"Really?" Raditz raised his guard. "Shouldn't betoo hard, if I don't let you get ahold of me."
"It's not that simple," Nineteen replied, brandishingit's energy-absorbing hand. "We know all of your moves andtechniques. Dr. Gero has studied you all quite thoroughly."
Raditz grinned. "Hah! You say that, but you were surprisedwhen we transformed. You mentioned our battles up until the fightagainst Vegeta… you stopped studying us then, didn't you?"
"We had acquired enough information about yourcapabilities."
"Evidently not! You have no idea what a Super Saiyan is!"Raditz burned his aura brightly. "You missed the war againstthe frost demons-your first and last mistake! You're not familiarwith any techniques that we've developed since we went to Namek…"He'd been sceptical about coming up with 'signature' or namedtechniques at first, but Goku had explained the attack name as asort of 'trigger' for a specific way of focusing energy, which madethe actual process of firing a concentrated attack much easier, andRaditz had eventually gone along with it. Time to put thattheory to the test, I guess.
Raditz charged the androids, using Instant Transmission at thelast second to put himself behind them. "He movedinstantaneously!" Dr. Gero gasped. "I have no record ofsuch an ability…"
"Here's another you haven't heard of!" Raditz held onehand out to the side, forming a deep red sphere of energy. "BlitzCannon!" He swung his arm forward, the blast arcing aroundtowards the androids before splitting into dozens of smaller energybullets and peppering the androids with small impacts, forcing themonto the defensive. Before they could recover, Raditz was right infront of them, grabbing hold of 19's shoulders and throwing it awayto the ground below. Raditz continued his assault, turning to faceDr. Gero as the android creator tried to launch a counterattack.Raditz easily dodged three rapid kicks, before catching Gero's fistin his hand. His smile widening, Raditz started to crush theandroid's hand. Gero growled, trying to twist away and escape, butRaditz's grip was unbreakable. Dr. Gero's fist crumpled like paper,oil trickling from gaping cracks in his exterior, strips of metalshearing off and falling away. Wrenching the whole thing free,Raditz tossed it away. "Well, I guess you could try stealing myenergy with the other, but if I were you I'd cash in on yourwarranty and quit while you're ahead. Or at least alive."
"Why don't you saiyans just die already?!"Gero shouted, launching another barrage of punches and kicks-nonehit their intended target.
"I'm getting bored," Raditz muttered. "Let's geton with this, shall we?" He backhanded Gero's next attack away,then focused his ki into one fist. He kicked at Gero's side as adistraction, and while the doctor spun to defend against thatattack, swung his fist forwards. It collided with Gero's face, oiland shards of metal spraying out as Raditz's fist continued to driveforwards. It compacted what was left of his enemy's face, which wasnow cratering inwards, starting to crush his still-biological brain.Raditz let out a burst of energy through his hand, which completelyobliterated Dr. Gero's mangled head. Traditionally, we shouldwork our way up through the henchmen before taking out the leader,Raditz thought, but I've never really been one fortradition.
The android formerly known as 20 fell to the ground with a heavythud. Raditz floated to the ground in front of his lifeless body. Hegrinned at android 19, which was just standing up. "Is thisyours?"
19 stared at the scene emotionlessly, taking in the situation. Itran through hundreds of variables in seconds, searching for anescape route. Creator has been compromised. Emergency protocolsin effect-activate androids 17 and 18. Distraction required toeliminate extraneous variable of superior foe.
"Hey, guys! How are you doing? Did you win yet?"Bulma's familiar voice rang out through the late-night air.
"Huh?" Raditz turned to see an aircar flying overhead.He could sense many small energy signatures inside-the wholenon-combatant group was there. His eyes widened as he singled outLunch and baby Break's among them. No! Not now… Just ashe feared, even his momentary hesitation to see who it was had beentoo long. Android 19 had both hands raised, releasing afully-charged energy beam, using Goku's stolen power and firingdirectly at the vehicle.
"Bulma!" Almost instantly, Zarbon was there, puttinghimself between her and the blast.
Damn it! Raditz's mind raced. He can't take that-allthat stolen energy will be too much for him! He'll save Bulma, buthe could die himself… looks like there's no choice! Hequickly used Instant Transmission to put himself in the beam's path,kicking Zarbon out of the way. "I can't let you do it!" Heraised his arms in front of his face as the attack crashed into him.
As soon as the beam was released, 19 had turned and fled. "Don'tlet it get away!" Tien shouted, and the group of warriorssprang into action, giving chase. "Krillin-help Goku!"
"Right!" Krillin jumped over to Goku, lying drained onthe ground. He fed his friend a senzu bean, instantly restoring himto fighting condition.
"Ah… thanks, Krillin. Let's be careful-we don't have manyof those."
"Sure. Come on, let's go hunt down that android." Gokuand Krillin leapt off in pursuit of android 19, following theirallies, and joined by Raditz as soon as he'd recovered from theblast, hastily gulping down a second of the magical beans.
The aircar drifted to the ground, Zarbon waiting impatientlyoutside the door as it opened and Bulma (the pilot) stepped out,holding their child. "What were you thinking?" he shouted."I could have died! You could have died! And Trunks…"he sniffed. "I… can't lose you, okay? Please, don't doanything stupid…"
She patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, you be careful too."She frowned. "I mean… if it took Super Saiyans to fight them,they're stronger than you, right?"
"I… don't know." Zarbon shrugged. "I can't feeltheir ki at all, but Goku and Raditz were all over them when theyfought. I really have no idea."
"Hey… maybe I was too harsh on you." Bulma smiled."You don't have to fight if you don't want to. I mean, I don'twant anything to happen to you either…"
"You know, that isn't a bad-hm?" Zarbon's head whippedaround.
"What is it?"
"Gohan's out there… he's trying to help, like always.Sorry, Bulma, but I can't let that kid get hurt!" He took off,heading after the others. Bulma shrugged. She could have told himGohan was gone, if he'd asked. It was the reason they'd comehere-he'd run off, and since then Chi-Chi just hadn't shut up aboutit. She loved her son, but could be a little overbearing sometimes.
19 had gone to ground, using small ki blasts to throw up dustclouds and obscure its fleeing form, dashing from cover to cover. Itwas programmed with an intricate knowledge of the area surroundingDr. Gero's laboratory, and silently worked its way up towards themountain housing the lab.
The android, now under tree cover as it approached the mountainrange, calculated a significant probability of at least one enemyfighter discovering it before it reached the lab, and sure enough,the human known as Yamcha shortly appeared directly in its path.Attempts to circumvent confrontation present significantprobability of failure. In addition, further energy absorption willbenefit when confrontation with saiyans occurs. 19 snuck up asquietly as its hardware allowed, Yamcha only hearing the grinding ofbattle-worn gears when it was too late. 19's energy-absorbing handsclamped around his neck, sucking the power out of the fighter. Hewas seconds from unconsciousness, when a high-pitched voice rang outthrough the forest. "Nyoibo extend!" A high-speed objectcrashed into 19's jaw, and it staggered away, releasing its hold onYamcha. Gohan retracted the enchanted weapon, holding it defensivelyin front of himself. "I won't let you hurt him!" hedeclared.
19 turned and sprinted for the mountain, but Gohan leapt off inhot pursuit, pushing his power to the maximum. Putting on an extraburst of speed, the young warrior appeared in front of 19, kickingit to the ground. He charged it, following up on his attack, but theandroid somersaulted over him, knocking him away to the right with aswift backhand. Gohan stuck the Nyoibo down into the ground, usingthe friction to slow his flight, and turning around to give chase to19 again.
Raditz landed in the forest below the mountain, seeing Gohanheaving Yamcha over his shoulder. "What happened?" Thesaiyan warrior asked.
"Oh, hey Raditz!" Gohan smiled. "I felt all thesebig powers and came to help, and I found some fat robot attackingYamcha-so I fought it, but it got away! It went into those mountainsover there."
"So, that's where Gero's base is hiding, is it?" Raditztook off for the mountain range.
"Raditz, hold on! What should I-" Gohan received noanswer as Raditz headed up towards the nearest peak. I'm notleaving now! he decided, following his uncle.
Not everyone picked up on the short battle, or arrived quicklyenough, so by the time Raditz located the rather conspicuous giantmetal double doors set into the side of one of the mountains, he wasonly accompanied by Gohan, a senzu-healed Yamcha (there were only afew of the beans left now), Zarbon and Goku. "So… this iswhere he's been hiding, all these years…" Goku muttered. Everthe master of subtlety, he walked straight up to the door andknocked loudly on it. No response, of course. He frowned. "Iwonder what it's doing in there?"
"Maybe there are some back-up androids inside?" Raditzsuggested. "After all, these didn't look like the ones Breaktold us about… they had different abilities, too…"
"Huh?" Yamcha looked puzzled (which, to be fair, wasn'tuncommon for him). "Isn't Break your daughter's-"
"Not the time!" Raditz growled. "I'll tell youabout it later. The point is, perhaps the true androids are still tocome. Maybe then we'll actually get a decent battle."
"Yeah, I have to admit these two were kind ofdisappointing," Goku agreed. "Their energy-absorbingability was a surprise, but once you get past that they're probablynot even on the level of Frieza's family."
"Right." Raditz raised his hand, running out ofpatience and simply blasting the door down. "Let's take a lookinside, shall we?"
The five warriors advanced through the smoke thrown up byRaditz's attack, stepping over jagged and molten metal as theyentered the cave.
Dr. Gero's lab was sparsely decorated and poorly lit, and varioushalf-finished devices littered the chamber. Android 19, standing inthe corner, looked up from a control panel at the fighters. "Youare too late," it told them, in its strange, high-pitched buzz."Android models 17 and 18 have been activated. Therefore, youwill perish." As it spoke, two pods embedded into the wallopened with a hiss of steam. Two human-looking figures climbed out,stretching and taking in their freedom.
"Yeah, that's them." Goku smiled, relishing theprospect of a real challenge for his Super Saiyan powers. "Seventeenand Eighteen. Just like she said."
"Seventeen! Eighteen!" 19 ordered, pointing at theapproaching group. "Destroy the enemies of Dr. Gero!"
"Oh?" Eighteen smirked. "And where is the gooddoctor now?"
"Dr. Gero has been terminated by the saiyans," 19explained. "But you are superior combat models. You have thecapability to destroy them. Do so now."
Seventeen leaned against the wall. "Ah, no need to rush. So,you were created after us, is that correct?"
"I am android model 19." The pale-skinned robot wasgrowing increasingly agitated. "Attack now! I order you toattack!"
The other androids ignored him. "Hmm… an energy-absorbingmodel… wholly cybernetic, too, not human-based like us…"Eighteen looked over at her counterpart. "What do you make ofthis, Seventeen?"
"It's simple, really." Seventeen gave a menacing grin."Dr. Gero was scared of us. He couldn't control us. So hecreated an obedient slave instead-even if that meant having tosettle for a weaker model." He looked up at 19. "Youshouldn't even exist, 'nineteen'. We're the ultimate combatmachines-there was never a need to create any more."
The Earth's defenders were within a few metres of the androidsnow. Zarbon called out. "Hey! You might want to listen to yourfriend there."
"Yeah," Yamcha added. "There was a battlegoing on, and we're not taking a break so you can play 'name thatandroid'!"
"Our 'friend'?" Seventeen snorted. "Did you hearthat, Eighteen?"
Eighteen nodded. "Heh. That thing isn't our friend.You were fighting it, right? Let me give you a hand." 19swivelled as it realised what she meant, but she was already moving,and before 19 could react she drove her foot straight through itstorso and out the other side. She pulled her leg out, taking hold ofits head in one hand. "That's for trying to order us around,"she said, before crushing 19's head with ease.
She kicked the broken machine away, shaking her head. "Damnthing got oil stains on my jeans…"
"Oh, how sad." Raditz chuckled. "My heart goes outto you."
"I don't understand…" Gohan looked from one androidto the other. "Are they still our enemies? They just destroyedthat other android…"
"That's a good question," Seventeen said. "What doyou say, Eighteen? Shall we kill them?"
"It might be fun," the female cyborg replied,straightening her denim jacket. "Plus, no doubt thanks toGero's programming, I've got this annoyingly strong urge to killGoku…"
"Yeah, same here." Seventeen stood up straight next toEighteen. "I guess that settles it."
"All right, then." Goku powered up to Super Saiyan asRaditz did the same, the force of their auras sending loosemachinery cascading around the room. "Attitude aside, you'restill his revenge machines… doesn't look like we can avoid this.But I'm warning you, this isn't a game-we're going to war here!"
"That's right…" Raditz stood in a combat stance. "Andthe last war we fought… well, ask Frieza and his lot how thatturned out."
"Frieza?" Seventeen asked. "I have no data on a'Frieza'."
"Oh, you'll see him-when you get to Hell! Give him myregards!"
Unstoppable
Chapter 26: Unstoppable
The air warped and reality split open as Break's time machineappeared several feet off of the ground. She jumped out, putting thevehicle back in its capsule, and after pulling her jacket on toshield against the cold air, began flying towards the city. Seeing apopulation centre like this-full of life, even at night-brought hopeto her heart. In her time, there just wasn't anywhere like thisleft, but here they were all over the planet. It occurred to herthat she'd never seen, or felt the presence of, so many people inher entire life. Her thoughts were brought back to reality by thesight of a pair of burning buildings that the emergency serviceswere already swarming over. Her first instinct was to help, but theauthorities were doing a good job on their own, and she had no doubtthat the battle had already begun, in which case it took priority.There must have been a slight fluctuation as she traversed thetimestream-she'd meant to arrive the day before theandroids' arrival. Still, the fact that the destruction was thislimited meant that, at least, they'd managed to move the fight awayfrom the city-maybe they were even still alive.
Seeing damaged rock formations off in the distance-aneasy-to-find sign of a superhuman battle-she headed for the desert,landing in the middle of the crumbling rock. There was a body (Dr.Gero's) a few metres away, and she walked over, crouching down andexamining it. It's an android… But this isn't Seventeen orEighteen… more androids? Have I changed things this much just bycoming back in time to warn them? I should have been more subtle!Well, at least they managed to beat this one. They seem to have gonein that direction… but where-ah, I think I can sense them. Theyall seem to be alive, at least, but they're spread out. That groupthere must be onto something-they're not moving. She took offagain, swallowing nervously. She knew she'd stand no chance againstSeventeen or Eighteen. It had been proven time and time again. Shehad to hope that the others had found a way.
"So. Who gets to fight Goku?" Seventeen asked. "Iknow you want to kill him as much as me."
Eighteen shrugged. "If you really want to fight him, goahead. I'll take Raditz. Just remember not to kill Goku too quickly.Let me get a few hits in once he's beaten."
"Heh…" Goku grinned nervously. "Wow, hearingthem talk about who gets to kill us… it's so creepy!"
"Yeah, it's easily the second strangest conversation I'veever heard," Raditz replied.
"Second?"
"I worked for Frieza for several years. You… don't want toknow."
"If you say so." They turned their attention back tothe androids, who were beginning to advance. "Okay," Gokureadied himself for battle, "here they come!" Who'dhave thought… after Piccolo… the saiyans… Frieza, Cooler…it's the Red Ribbon Army that produces the greatest threat to Earth…
The tension was abruptly broken as Raditz ran out of patience andcharged the androids. Eighteen stepped up to intercept him, but hisfirst kick launched her across the room, right through the wall andout the other side of the mountain. Seventeen jumped past Raditz,heading for Goku. The younger Super Saiyan jumped back, avoiding theandroid's first few punches. They met head-on, and Seventeen foughtGoku back into the lab's entrance.
Raditz turned to the other fighters. "You might want to getout of here. This mountain is getting in the way."
"What?" Yamcha gasped, before turning and running,followed by Zarbon and Gohan. Raditz gathered all the power hecould, then flung it out in all directions, completely demolishingthe mountain and Gero's lab.
Raditz hovered in the wreckage, seeing Eighteen waiting for himin the air. "Hey!" she called down to him. "Are youdone flailing around, beating up rocks?"
"Oh, a comedian too." Raditz charged up at her,attacking first, but she caught his fist. He twisted around,elbowing her in the back of the head, and she used the forwardmomentum from the attack to spin downwards, kicking him in thestomach with both feet. Raditz staggered away through the air,holding his stomach with one hand. "Not… bad."
Goku finally connected a punch to Seventeen's shoulder, but thecyborg didn't flinch, grabbing Goku by the shoulders and headbuttinghim. Goku grunted in pain, ducking away and raising his guard tofend off the next volley of attacks. He jumped over a low strike,kicking Seventeen away and pursuing his foe. Where did he get sostrong? Seventeen wondered. I might have to use full powerin a minute… but then it'd be over far too quickly… hmm,decisions, decisions…
"Look at them go," Zarbon said. "They seem to beevenly matched."
"Do you think that they can win?" Gohan asked.
"No," came the reply. "It's like I feared-theandroids are just too tough." The three observers looked aroundto see Break, landing on the ground near them. She was accompaniedby Tien, Krillin, and Nail, who she'd met up with along the way-theSuper Saiyan energy being given off by the fighters wasn't hard totrack down.
"Are you sure?" Tien was doing his best to follow thefight. "They seem to be doing okay."
Break shook her head. "Even if the androids are fightingseriously-which I doubt-they have infinite energy. They can juststay on the defensive until their enemy gets tired. You can't beatthem without a significant advantage to overcome that." It waschilling-seeing the monsters that had haunted her life born again.
"Should we help them?" Gohan asked.
Break frowned. "I don't know if we can…"
Eighteen stood up straight and took a direct punch from Raditzwithout flinching. "I wonder how long you'll last?" shemused. "You must realise sooner or later you're outclassed."She swatted his hand away, and they jumped back a step from eachother.
"Say… you don't come with an instruction manual, do you?"Raditz asked with a mocking smile on his face. "Excuse me, isthis Tech Support? I'm having problems with my combat android. Sheappears to be an arrogant bitch." This got him punched halfwaythrough the forest, but he laughed as he picked himself up. Well,I'm starting to make up for all of Frieza's 'monkey' jabs…Unfortunately, though he may have won the war of words, theactual battle was another moment entirely. Eighteen rocketed towardshim, a high kick snapping his head back and knocking him to theground again. "You're… getting stronger, aren't you?" hecoughed.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but humouring you by holding back wasdragging on a bit…" she shrugged. "I was getting bored."
Goku was experiencing similar problems. Seventeen was nowblocking every one of his attacks, and when the android went on theoffensive, Goku felt like his defences were being tested to theirabsolute limits. Before long, a vicious elbow got through, doublinghim over, and Seventeen followed up by taking hold of Goku's SuperSaiyan hair, swinging him around several times to yelps of pain, andthrowing him away into the horizon.
The assembled fighters were unsure of what to do. "I can'ttake this any more!" Gohan was shaking.
"Please, Gohan! Think!" Nail put a hand on the younghalf-saiyan's shoulder. "Your father knows what he's doing. Hewouldn't want you to get yourself killed. Let's face it, nobodystands a chance better than those two."
"But… we must be able to make some kind of difference!"Krillin argued. "Even if it's just slowing the androids downfor a few seconds!"
Seventeen was repeatedly shoving Goku's head down into the sharp,rocky ground, drawing blood from small cuts all over his face. Gohanfinally snapped. "I don't care!" he shouted. "I'mcoming, Daddy!" He flew full-speed at Seventeen.
"Damn it!" Tien growled. "I guess we've got nochoice now! Hyah! " His Kaioken aura burst into lifeas he followed Gohan. He was followed by Krillin, Yamcha and Nail.Zarbon and Break stood behind, deliberating. "I think we're outof our league here…" Zarbon said. "Come on, there's nopoint dying like this!"
I'm not letting it happen again! "Do what you want.Hrrr… " Veins stood out on Break's neck as shesummoned her inner power. The now-familiar golden light appearedaround her as she powered up to Super Saiyan. As always when shetransformed, reason slipped away. There was only the coming battle."YAAAH!" She charged in with no further thought,unslinging the Nyoibo on her back and making straight for androidEighteen, who was driving another punch into Raditz's gut. Eighteenjumped, somersaulting over Break's head. Raditz's daughter saw themovement, lashing out with her weapon and catching Eighteen bysurprise, knocking her back to the ground. The android stood up,dodging a second swing. Almost gently, she knocked Break into theair, appeared behind her and hit her back down. Break skidded alongthe ground, ripping up her trousers and cutting gashes into herlegs, but she stopped herself, stood up and charged back in, firinga barrage of energy bullets at Eighteen, who just laughed. She flewstraight into the path of each one, knocking them out of the waywith a simple wave of the hand, then dashed right up to Break andkicked her to the floor. Break fell out of Super Saiyan, fightingfor consciousness and losing. I tried… father…
Meanwhile, Gohan and Nail launched themselves at Seventeen fromopposite sides. Seventeen let go of Goku, turning and blocking bothattacks. He punched to one side with each hand, using his full powerstraight off the bat and instantly taking the fight out of both ofthem. He turned back to Goku, but the time bought by the other twohad been enough. Raditz used Instant Transmission to jump over toGoku, grabbed hold of his brother and teleported them both away.Seventeen scowled. "Where did they go? What was that?"
"I have no idea…" Eighteen glanced around. "Ihave no record of this ability. Then again, they're all a lotstronger than records show. Not that it made a difference…"Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were hovering in the air a few metres away.Zarbon was frozen with fear, back near Gero's lab. Piccolo wasnowhere to be seen. Everyone else was down. "Hey!"Eighteen called up to the three human fighters. "I don'tsuppose you know where Goku is?"
"No! And we wouldn't tell you if we knew!" Krillincalled down defiantly. "They could be anywhere on the planet bynow!"
"Heh. Quite a technique," Seventeen commented. "Iguess Raditz has to die too. Can't have him spiriting Goku awayevery time we catch him." He looked up at the humans. "Well,fine. We're leaving. We'll just search this planet for Goku. If youwant to attack us, fine, but you can see how well your friends did."He indicated the beaten saiyans and Namekian on the ground. Thehumans made no move, and Seventeen smiled. "Smart choice. Well,see you around." The androids took off, heading into the sky ina roughly north-west direction.
Sinking to the ground, the humans breathed out a collective sigh."Wow, that was close…" Yamcha muttered. They all knewwhat he meant-Goku and Raditz were actually very close nearby, underan outcrop of rock. They'd had to hope that Break had been right andthe androids couldn't sense ki. It had worked, though; and now theyhad at least a short while to regroup, heal the wounded and plantheir next step. Or so they thought.
There was a deep rumble from the ruins of Dr. Gero's laboratory.Piles of rock cascaded down the mountain 'stump'. Somethingwas moving under there. The four fighters still standing stared inhorror as a tall humanoid figure pulled itself out of the rubble,jumping down to the ground where they were standing. Zarbon gulped."That guy just came from the lab… he must be anotherandroid!"
"And he doesn't seem to be damaged at all from when Raditzblew the place up," Tien noted. "He must be pretty tough."The figure began to approach, and they saw him (it?) more clearly.The android designated number 16 was massive, sporting green bodyarmour, a red mohawk, and a chin that would make Jay Leno wince. Hisface was expressionless, which seemed somehow strange-even thecompletely mechanical 19 had been capable of showing emotion. Thisone, it seemed, didn't share that trait.
"I don't like the look of this." Krillin tensed up,ready for anything (he hoped). "Get ready, guys."
The towering android's gaze swept over the area, until it came torest on a location. "Goku located," he said in a deep, butartificial voice. He began to stride, slowly but purposefully,towards Goku and Raditz's hiding place.
Raditz! Tien tried to signal the saiyan telepathically.There's another android headed for you-this one can sense you!Get out of there!
I'm trying! came the reply. But I've lost a lot ofenergy… I just need a few seconds, a minute or two maybe, then Ican get us to safety. But if I try to use Instant Transmission now,I won't go more than a couple of feet!
"All right." Tien's face grew stern. "I'm going tobuy Raditz some time. If anybody wants to come with me, feel free.I'm not going to lie, it'll be dangerous, but we don't have towin-just hold it off for a bit." He flew over to the advancingandroid, putting himself between 16 and the hidden saiyans. "Stopright there!" he called. Within a couple of seconds, he wasjoined by Krillin and Yamcha. "Heh… thanks, guys."
"Hey, no problem!" Yamcha grinned. "You won't seeme running from a fight any time soon!"
"And I'm not abandoning my oldest and best friend,"Krillin added. He'd known Goku since they were both young children,and they'd come through too much together for Krillin to run now.
16 stopped, considering his opponents. "Scanners indicateyour power levels are insufficient to stop me." He frowned."Please, do not resist. I have no desire to harm you. I am onlyprogrammed to kill Goku. I would prefer to leave you in peace."
"How weird…" Krillin muttered. "I guess Dr. Geromessed up with his personality. But not, unfortunately,with his motivation to kill Goku. Gero had a regular complex aboutthe guy…"
"Well, that's too bad!" Tien raised his guard. "We'renot backing down! We'll defend our friend, no matter what!"
"Very well." 16's face hardened further. "Then Iam sorry." He continued his slow advance.
"Okay, get ready," Tien told the other two. "I'msure we can't beat this guy head on, and they know all our usualmoves-so let's try and surprise him. Use techniques you've developedrecently, or that you don't use often."
Krillin nodded. "Right. After the battle with Kuriza, we allrealised that a few new tricks wouldn't do any harm…" Heraised both arms into the air. Razor-edged yellow discs of energysprung, fully-formed, from each. " Double Kienzan !"He flung the discs at 16, who had been programmed to expect thenormal form of this attack, but two at once was unexpected.
16 ducked under one disc, throwing himself forwards over thesecond. The brief period of time before he stood up gave Tien theopening he needed. Here's another one he won't be expecting…"Dodon Burst!" Jumping into the air over the fallenandroid, Tien extended all ten fingers, firing streams of shortyellow rays from each. They crashed into the ground, the attackcovering the entire area around 16, hitting him while he was down.Tien and Krillin smiled in satisfaction, but when the dust cleared16 was picking himself up, completely unharmed. "Man… I wishthese androids had ki to sense…" Krillin grumbled. "Idon't know when to celebrate…"
16 looked back up at them. "It seems your power hasincreased. You have acquired new techniques as well. It does notmatter. You are not capable of defeating me." He continued hisslow walk towards them.
"Man!" Yamcha growled. "He's not even shootingback! I bet he doesn't even think of us as a threat!"
"Well, we're not-not really." Tien shrugged. "Butlike I said, we don't have to win. Just last long enough."
"All right," Krillin said, pulling his power to thesurface, "let's try for a combined blast. Remember, go for theunexpected."
The three warriors focused their power to its maximum, theandroid now only a few steps away. Krillin brought his handstogether at his side, a blue glow appearing, but then changing tored as sparks started to flicker up and down his arms. He hadn'tbeen able to push the Kaioken as high as Tien yet, but by the samelogic that a higher boost could be used for a short amount of time,if the boost was applied to just one attack, not his whole body, itcould be even greater. He swung his hands forwards. "KAIOHAMEHA!"
Tien knew the android would be programmed to expect all of hisusual tricks-but maybe he could overwhelm it with sheer quantity.Gritting his teeth, he separated into four copies. Each one thenfocused further as all four of his Multi-Form copies sprouted asecond set of arms from their shoulders-the Witch Arms techniquehe'd last used in the tournament when he'd first fought Goku. Eachset of arms formed the familiar triangle, and eight Kikohos shotforth at 16.
Yamcha flung his arms out in front of him, dozens of tinyversions of his trademark Sokidan-each with almost the power of thefull version-forming and coalescing into a brightly glowing mass."Spirit Beam, HAAA!"
The ten beams sped towards 16. His sensors' report alarmedhim-the humans shouldn't have been this strong, and the mix of newtechniques was confusing. He raised his arms in front of him,catching the attack with the palms of his hands. He grunted as thecombined force pushed him back, his feet grinding along the groundand throwing up dust. Current situation untenable… concentratepower to relevant functions only. Disabling unnecessary motion.Maximising forward thrust. 16's movement slowed, and he came toa halt. He gradually began to move back towards his enemies, pushingtheir attacks back. It didn't take long for the concentrated natureof their attacks to tire the humans out, and their power faded.
"Well… that was a nice try, guys…" Krillin gasped."We even worried him a little. But this guy's too much. Hehasn't even attacked us yet, and I already know I'm beat."
"Damn it…" Tien looked around behind him. "Whyare those two still here?" Raditz! We're running out oftime!
I must be more injured than I thought… Raditzanswered. I'm trying, but it's hard to focus, especially with along jump like we're going to need to get out of this android'ssensor range…
"Fine." Tien turned back to 16, who was now moving withmore speed. "Just a little longer, then."
"I will not be stopped," 16 said as he neared them."Goku will be terminated."
"He's getting too close!" Krillin warned. "Weshouldn't try to take him head-on!"
"No choice!" Yamcha told him, summoning up whatstrength he had left. He hadn't been able to master the Kaiokenproper, not having direct teaching from King Kai, but had refused tolet Krillin and Tien leave him behind entirely, and after learningas much as he could from them had come up with his own solution."Wolf Fang Kaioken-YAAAH!" The red aura was flickering andunstable, but it was there. Tien and Krillin powered up to their ownhighest levels of Kaioken-times twenty and ten respectively-andjoined in Yamcha's charge.
16 stepped sideways as the three warriors flew into him, raisinghis arms in perfectly-timed blocks. Their speed has increased,he noticed. Further errors in Dr. Gero's data. He must not haveaccounted for an extraneous variable. It is irrelevant. Hespent several seconds on the defensive, as the human fightershammered home attack after attack. Once he had processed their powerincrease, he was on more familiar territory-he was programmed withan intricate knowledge of their fighting styles. Tien's was directand smooth, Krillin's was cautious but powerful, and Yamcha's, whilesomewhat wasteful in energy, was unpredictable and difficult todefend against-at least to anyone without the data 16 possessed.Having acquired all the information he required, and identifiedexploitable weaknesses and openings in each fighter's technique, 16chose his moment and struck.
He suddenly spun 180 degrees, driving his elbow into Yamcha'schest. Ribs cracked with the force of the blow, and Yamcha wentdown, choking and coughing up blood. 16 ducked under a punch fromKrillin, taking hold of the short warrior's leg and neatly breakingit at the shin. Krillin howled and fell away to the side, almostblacking out. Tien, realising he was the only one left, raised hishands to his forehead, but 16 identified the Solar Flare techniqueand countered with short-ranged energy beams from his eyes. Theimpact threw Tien's head back forcefully, snapping his neck. Tien'sbody hit the ground heavily, and he lay still. 16 looked down withregret. I had not intended to kill him. Evidently, his power wasdrained from his earlier efforts, and I overestimated his endurance.The sadness vanished, however, as his primary objective overrodeeverything. Goku must be terminated. But just as he turned to facethe saiyans' location, they dropped off his scanners. 16 looked allaround with confusion. They were gone. Out of his sensors'range-which meant they must be miles away. But there had been noenergy trail. Dr. Gero's records showed no evidence of such anability. Another error. What had gone wrong?
Zarbon floated down to the others. He went over to Krillin, dugthe bag of senzu beans out of the fighter's pocket, and fed him one."What happened?" Krillin asked. "And where the hellwere you?"
"The android left." Zarbon shrugged. "I guess he'sstill looking for Goku. And I… I was afraid to die. Is that soterrible? I wanted to help, but I couldn't bring myself to face thatthing!" They immediately went to help Yamcha, another beanrestoring him, and then the three of them shuffled over to Tien."He… he can't be…" Yamcha crouched down, staring indisbelief. "Tien! Come on, you always know what to do! You…can't just leave! What about that rematch you promised me? Tien…damn it, we need you, man."
"Hey, it's okay." Krillin patted Yamcha on theshoulder. "The Dragon Balls-"
"We already used them on him!" Yamcha snapped. "Itdoesn't work twice!"
"Well, there's the Namekian set…"
"… I guess… but that doesn't make it all okay, you know?He just died . I don't care how many Dragon Balls we have,it still means something." Yamcha stood up. "Shoulda beenme. Tien's the hero. What have I ever done?" He was on theverge of a breakdown. "When have I ever been useful,huh? WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN ME?!"
"Yamcha…" Krillin decided it was best to just leavehim alone, and flew off to give Gohan and Break the last two senzubeans (thanks to his regenerative abilities, Nail was doing a littlebetter, and was starting to stand up on his own). They all gatheredaround Tien's body. To varying degrees of surprise, after a fewminutes it faded, vanishing from existence. "I guess he musthave got permission to see King Kai again," Krillin suggested.With nothing else to do, they flew off to Kame House, where Raditzhad taken Goku.
When they got there, Raditz had already raided Roshi's fridge togive him an energy boost, teleported back to the city and broughttheir non-fighting friends to Kame House. Shortly after, thefighters arrived, and told the rest of the story. The room fellquiet as Tien's death was recounted.
Raditz noticed Break, who was standing outside the house, staringoff into the ocean. He walked out to her, and they stood silentlyfor a full minute. Eventually, he spoke. "I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"I wasn't able to protect you. You had to grow up without afather. The androids destroyed your world. And now… we've failedagain. They're running free. They'll find us eventually…"
"Oh… you know, then?" She turned to face her father,who nodded.
"Goku told me just a few hours ago, actually. I mean, you'vealready been born, so he decided it was safe." He smiled alittle. "But you've grown up strong, Break. I'm proud of you."
She sniffed. Unable to contain herself any longer, she ran overand hugged him tightly. "Dad…"
"Er…" Raditz was still learning about this sort ofthing. He had no idea how to be a father. "Hey. Look… if thisgoes as badly as I think it might… if, you know, we lose… andI'll be honest, if we all die… I want you to know I'm glad I gotto meet you. You're a hero, do you realise that?" They steppedapart slightly. Behind them, a soft light began to rise over thehorizon as dawn broke.
"I guess I take after you, then," she said, grinning.
"No." He shook his head. "I'm not a hero. I don'tthink I can ever be." He turned away from her. "I've wipedwhole worlds clean, every man, woman and child. No, you're a farbetter person than I'll ever be."
"But you regret it now," she reasoned. "You'refighting for a good cause. Trying to protect this planet, and yourfamily!"
"It doesn't change the fact that billions of people are deadbecause of me…" he stopped. "Look, this discussion ispointless. I am what I am. We're here, we're in this situation, anddebating morality isn't going to help." He looked more closelyat her face. "You do take after me a little in appearance,though, even if your hair is straight from your mother… look."He pointed out over the sea, to the teeming cities just visible fromthe island. "You see that? Millions of people. Good people,most of them, just… being alive. Blessed, wonderful mundanity.They might grumble, but everyone does that. They're free, they'resafe, they're happy. I've been all around the galaxy, and I can tellyou how rare that is. That is what you've missed, growingup in your timeline. That is what we're fighting for. And Idon't want you to miss it this time. That other you-in there-she'sgoing to have a future. I can guess you've spent a lot of your liferunning, avoiding direct confrontation. Being beaten today probablyhasn't helped. But we're not running again. The next time, we'refighting to the end."
"Do you have a plan?" she asked.
He was wondering this himself. "Not a plan, as such… moreof an idea. I've encountered it over and over. Frieza's living metalcopies… these androids… according to you, King Cold… enemieseven more powerful than a Super Saiyan. This isn't theultimate power. This is not the peak of the mountain. There arehigher levels we can climb to."
"You really think so?"
"There must be! If we just accepted our limits, we'd allhave died on Namek! There's no reason to stop improving now."He smiled. "Hey. Shall we train?"
"Really?" Break grinned. "Of course!"
"All right then. Let's take this seriously. We've got tounlock greater powers, but we don't have much time-who knows howlong the androids will take to find us?"
Seventeen and Eighteen were cruising down a clifftop road intheir stolen sports car-they could have flown, but Seventeeninsisted on 'having fun'-when a large figure appeared in their path.They swerved to a halt, almost crashing into the concrete highwaydivider. "Hey, what gives?" Seventeen grumbled, beforenoticing that the figure was, in fact, android 16. "What'sthis? One of us?"
"That is correct," 16 replied. "I am the androiddesignated #16. You are models 17 and 18?"
"That's right," Eighteen replied. "What's it toyou?"
"You seek to kill Goku. I am programmed with the sameobjective. Logic dictates that working together will yield a greaterchance of success."
"Gero didn't give you much of a sense of humour, did he?"Seventeen asked, shrugging. "But you're probably right. Hop onin."
"Making use of inferior technology is illogical," 16commented as it sat in the back of the car, "but mycalculations predict that the advantage of two allies outweigh thedrawbacks of indulging your personality flaws."
"… Right." Seventeen scratched his head. "Whateveryou say. Let's hit the road."
Goku looked out the window, seeing Raditz and Break sparringseveral hundred metres above them. "Well, they're hard at workalready. I guess Raditz knows we're going to have to fight themagain eventually."
"There's something that's been bugging me, though,"Krillin said. "When was the last time you saw Piccolo?"
"Huh…" Goku tilted his head back and forth, trying toremember. "The battle with those first two androids, I guess.Since then… nothing. I wonder what he's up to."
"It's absurd!" Kami was saying. "Ridiculous! Whywould I ever want to re-fuse with you?" He was pacing back andforth in front of Piccolo, as they stood atop the Guardian ofEarth's Lookout. His servant, the genie Mr. Popo, was coweringinside. "We separated for a reason!"
Piccolo was beginning to run out of patience. "Look, it'ssimple! We've been in conflict since we were created from theoriginal Namekian who came to Earth, but we could never defeat eachother without killing ourselves. If we joined, that struggle wouldjust become an internal one-we'd still exist, in spirit, and we'dboth have the power to achieve our aims."
"It is an… interesting suggestion," Kami admitted."Usually, a fusion between two Namekians requires one to be thebase, and they absorb attributes from the other. Are you proposingwe both put our entire essence into this fusion?"
"Exactly," Piccolo explained. "That way, werecreate the nameless Namekian who gave us life. According to whatNail has told me, we'll be at least as powerful as one of thoseSuper Saiyans. We have different reasons, but neither of us wantthese androids to destroy everything!"
"I… do not know. It is a drastic measure."
"Drastic times. You know the saying."
Kami fell silent for a long time. "… I want you to knowthat ordinarily I would not agree to this. But there is anotherthreat to Earth. More terrible than even the androids. At themoment, perhaps slightly weaker, but with a far greater potentialfor evil."
"What are you taking about?"
"You'll know-when our knowledge is shared." Kami heldout a hand. "Come-let the son of Katas live again."
Cell
Chapter 27: Cell
"How's it going?" Goku floated up to Raditz and Break,who were still sparring in the air above Kame House.
"It's hard to tell," Break replied. "We've onlybeen training for a couple of hours."
"Actually, we haven't really started." Raditz shrugged."I'm trying to improve Break's stance and technique. Your sondid his best to teach her in the future, but he never reallycompleted his own teaching before we died. And I'm going to need herto be a true fighter before we even think about reaching past SuperSaiyan."
"Say what?" Break asked, rounding on Raditz. "Youcan't think about me so much! Do what you have to on your own!"
He held up a hand to try and calm her down. "Look, I knowyou've got potential. We can both surpass Super Saiyan, I know it.Just give it time… you're a quick learner. It won't take long tobring you up to speed." He turned to Goku. "Oh. Yourfriend died, right?"
"Tien? Yeah," Goku told him, suddenly feeling lessoptimistic when he remembered hearing the news.
"Are you going to wish him back with the Dragon Balls?Correct me if I'm wrong, but you'd have to use the ones on newNamek."
Goku nodded. "That's right. But we figure we'll wait untilthe threat is over, then bring everyone who's died back in one go.Otherwise, some emergency wish might come up, but we've already usedup our wishes for a whole year and we're doomed."
"I guess so…" Break joined the discussion. "Butwhat if one of the balls is destroyed, like in my timeline? Then youwouldn't get any wishes."
"We'll have to risk it," Goku decided. "It's worthhaving them in reserve in case something comes up."
"Oh! Goku." Raditz remembered something he'd beenthinking about. "I want to ask you something."
"Huh? Okay, I guess…"
"If I die in battle… don't wish me back. Allright?" He looked extremely serious as he said this.
"What? Why?"
"Nature has given us this one life, to live to its fullestextent. I don't want to have a free ticket out just because I knowthe world's greatest scavenger hunters. Look, the Dragon Balls can'tbe used on natural deaths, correct?"
Goku tilted his head back, trying to remember. "I… thinkso. Yeah, that's right."
"And let's face it, to people as strong as us, naturaldisasters and accidents aren't very threatening," Raditzcontinued. "The only death of mine you could reverse with themis a death in battle! But-that's the only death I'd ever accept!"He faced Goku, looking him in the eyes. "Understand?"
"I think I do." Goku nodded. "If you die anhonourable death in battle, you want to be remembered that way-notcheat your opponent of their victory, and go out quietly in your oldage. Right?"
"That's exactly it." He folded his arms. "Mywarrior's pride won't allow anything else! So promise me, Goku! Onyour word as my brother and as one of the last saiyans-swear youwill never revive me with the Dragon Balls!"
Goku gave a thumbs-up, but his face was grim. "All right. Ipromise. Now I'm gonna go see what everybody's got planned. Goodluck ascending!"
Raditz considered this as Goku left. 'Ascending'… hmm…
The light slowly faded, and Mr. Popo looked up. Standing oppositehim, on the edge of Kami's lookout, was an almost-familiar figure.He was a Namekian, that much was certain. He stood almost a foottaller than Piccolo (who had already been over seven feet) had, andfrom his imposing musculature must have weighed nearly twice asmuch. He wore simple blue clothes, with Piccolo's symbol on thefront and Kami's on the back, and had a stern expression on hisface. Slowly, he turned to face the bewildered genie. "Do notbe afraid, Mr. Popo," he said. His voice was strong but kind.
"Who-who are you?" Mr. Popo asked.
"Me? That's a very good question." The Namekian crossedhis arms, furrowing his brow. "I am not Kami, nor am I Piccolo.I have not existed as one being for a very long time. I am the sonof Katas. I am the Namek who has long since forgotten his name."
"So… what should I call you?"
"I'm not sure. It might not matter, anyway. You probablywon't see much of me in the future." He shrugged.
"I won't? Why?"
The Namek smiled. "I'm not fit to be guardian of Earth. It'sPiccolo, you see. His evil taint still resides within me." Hesaid this jovially, as if commenting on the weather. "No,you'll have to find someone else. You know, you wouldn't make ahalf-bad guardian yourself, if you had a bit more self-confidence."
"I-" before Mr. Popo could speak, the Namek had takenoff, his slipstream bowling his former servant over onto the floor.
The Namek flew through the air. Kami discovered a great andterrible evil during the last few days… but it's hard to follow.It masks its trail like a cunning animal… I can feel traces of it,where it's been in the past, but not where it is now. Damn! It'slike trying to catch water in your hands! He flew onwards. Itcouldn't hide forever.
"Wait, what?" Goku asked.
"That's right!" Bulma held up the printout. "Look,it's a Capsule Corp vehicle! But I don't recognise the model atall…"
"And you say they found this in the middle of the jungle?How weird…"
"Yeah, it was covered in moss and stuff like it'd been therefor years."
"Hey…" Break (who, along with Raditz, was restinginside Kame House after a few hours' training) leaned over, lookingat the picture. "That's my time machine!" Everyone fellsilent as she continued to speak. "But it looks so old… itmust be from further in the future than I come from. I wonder whoused it? Whoever it was, they blasted their way out-see that hole inthe canopy, there." She looked up. "We should go checkthis out."
Raditz stood up. "I'll take you with Instant Transmission.We can't risk leaving a ki trail, one of the androids can sense us.Bulma, you should come with us. You know Capsule Corp technologybetter than any of us."
"Right." Bulma nodded.
Zarbon walked over. "Then count me in too."
"What am I, a tour bus?" Raditz muttered, as Break,Bulma and Zarbon all placed a hand on his shoulder. Still grumbling,he teleported them all away, leaving everyone else to wait for theirreturn. Chi-Chi was upstairs disciplining Gohan, but the rest werejust milling around, waiting for new developments. The world seemedto be in a strange state of limbo at the moment. They didn't reallyhave a direction. Master Roshi sighed. "First the androids…now another time traveller… things are getting complicated."
"I know what you mean." Goku nodded. "I liked itbetter when it was simple. Androids are coming in three years, trainhard, fight, win. Well, we did all that, but then more of them camealong, and we lost. Only we didn't. We're still here. And nowthere's this." He scratched the back of his neck irritably. "Idon't like this."
"Yeah, that's definitely my time machine-only not myversion. My one's in one of my capsules in my pocket…" Breakpeered at the aged vehicle. "To see it in this condition…it's just creepy."
Bulma was examining it too. "Well, it's definitely a Capsulemodel. Looks like something we might come up with in a couple ofdecades, I guess."
"Yeah, you will." Break smiled. "You never failedto amaze me, you know. There were all these powerful fightersaround, but it was still you that saved us nine times out of ten."
Bulma laughed. "Hah! Sounds just like me. Trust you fightersto get into messes you can't handle… still, I hope it doesn't cometo that. If you can beat the androids in a straight fight, that'd begreat. The prospect of trying to figure out a way to turn them offisn't exactly enticing."
Break shrugged. "Well, the future version of you has beentrying for seventeen years. If it was possible, I think you'd havedone it."
"Well, I'll still take a look at it if I have to, but let'sjust focus on this for now."
"Yes, let's." Raditz agreed, standing a few paces away(Zarbon was on guard duty, hovering about a mile overhead). "I'malready getting bored of this little field trip."
"Oh, hush." Bulma waved him into silence. "We'reinvestigating the unknown. Go punch something or whatever."
"Huh!" Raditz scowled at her back as she turned toexamine the time machine. "Did you come up with that all byyourself?"
Bulma ignored him. "Hey, Break! Give me a boost!"
"Uh, sure." Break hefted Bulma up until she could get alook into the cockpit of the time machine.
"Hey… what's this?" Bulma reached in and pulled out…something. Jumping down to the ground, she laid the two objects downin front of her. "Take a look. Is this some component of themachine?"
"No. I've never seen them before," Break replied. Theywere two identical, hollow hemispheres, light purple in colour andcovered in small bumps. "Looks more organic than mechanical."
"Yeah, I see what you mean…" Bulma rubbed her chin inthought. "Almost looks like… two halves of an egg orsomething."
"An egg? Are you sure? What kind of creature would hatch outof that ?"
Raditz spoke up, having wandered over out of curiosity. "Well,whatever it is, it knows how to work a time machine-or at leastwhoever put it there did. And this creature's been here, in ourtime, for quite a while now, if the state of the machine's anythingto go by."
"But… why would someone put a strange creature like thatin a time machine and send it here?" Bulma asked.
"I don't know and I don't care. I'm much more worried aboutkiller robots that are actively searching for us than some mysterytime-travelling creature that may or may not actively be a threat."He held out a hand. "Come on, let's go back. We're not going toascend just standing here."
The small house on Mount Paozu exploded violently. Stalking awayfrom it, android 17 ground his teeth. "They're. Not. Here." He complained.
Eighteen rolled her eyes. "Of course they're nothere, Seventeen. It's far too obvious. They know we're looking forthem." She shook her head. "You could have waited to blowthe place up, you know. There might have been something worthtaking. I could do with a change of clothes, for one thing-mine arestill torn up from that last battle."
"Oh, quit whining," Seventeen replied. "If itmeans that much to you, we'll stop at a shop or something on theway."
"Let's just get going," she said. They returned totheir stolen vehicle, where Sixteen was silently waiting for theirreturn. He only spoke once they had started moving again. "Itold you the probability of their anticipating our search and movingelsewhere was significant," he stated.
"You too?" Seventeen moaned. "Give me a break…"
I can feel Piccolo's spirit within me… the newly-fusedNamek thought. Like a posion eating away at my good intentions.I will have to deal with that-but not like last time. I won'tunleash that monster on the world again. Luckily, Piccolo wantedthis threat eliminated as much as Kami-so I won't have to worryabout that in the immediate future. I should focus on… there. I'vefound you.
He banked right, arcing down towards a small city calledGingertown. Human energy signatures were disappearing, one after theother. There were only a couple left by the time the Namek landed.This place feels… wrong. Like the town itself is sick.Whatever's killing this people, it's unnatural. The air seemedto hang thick and cloying around him, and he almost turned away atthe sight of the inhabitants' remains. Of their bodies there was nosign, but their empty clothes lay scattered all around, like theyhad been sucked right out of them, or vapourised without touchingthe clothes. A few guns lay on the ground with them, spentcartridges dotting the road. They had fought back, evidently, buttheir foe had been beyond the level of mere firearms. If onlythere were more great fighters in the world… hm? His headturned as one of the last two human energy signals in the townfaded. But at that moment, he'd felt the faintest flicker of anotherpower. It had been small, but he knew it was just the tip of theiceberg-an extremely powerful being trying to hide itself. Without adoubt the culprit-he made straight for the town centre, where he'dfelt the signal. Whatever it was, it wouldn't escape.
"There you are." The voice startled the creature, whichwas obscured by shadows as it crouched in the corner. Thisdistraction gave its human victim the moment he needed to try andflee. He leapt up, terrified yelps escaping his mouth, and scrambledaway, but something lashed out from the darkness, stabbing into hisback. With a sick gurgling sound, the very life was pumped out ofhim. His skin began to wrinkle and crack, as his insides liquidatedand rushed up the appendage. His skin soon followed, and his clothessank to the ground, an empty husk. The Namek watched all this inhorror, and took a wary step back as the creature emerged.
It stood even taller than he did, and was roughly humanoid,though otherwise it appeared to be somewhere between an insect and alizard. It was coloured various shades of green, speckled with blackspots and the occasional splash of orange. There were gemstone-likeblack circles in the centre of its chest and forehead, eerilyreminiscent of Frieza's family. It had two horn-like protrusionsextending at angles from its head, insectile wings stretching downits back, and a long, twisting tail ending in a needle-sharpstinger.
"What are you?" the Namek growled. "Why are youdoing this?"
"Ah…" the creature hissed. "Picco-no. No, notPiccolo. Not quite." It blinked a couple of times, its eyesnarrowing to slits. "Who are you?"
How does it know the name Piccolo? "I am the Namekwho first came to Earth-I created Piccolo and Kami, many years ago,"he replied. This was a test, to find out how much it knew.
"Ah… I see. They fused, did they?" it rasped."Unexpected, most unexpected. But nothing to worry about… youare still no threat to me… still, what shall I call you? 'TheNamek' doesn't really work, now does it?"
He smiled. "I've been giving that some thought, actually.And I've decided-I shall take the name of my father, the honourableNamekian who spared me from my home planet's catastrophe… you cancall me Katas."
The creature opened its beak-like mouth, baring four small fangsin a strange sort of grin. "Heh heh heh… well then, 'Katas',let's get a move on. I know you're here to stop me, but you don'thave a clue why I'm here… trust me when I say you have no ideawhat you're getting into. My name is Cell, and I am the lastopponent you will ever face!" It crouched, like a spidertensing itself to pounce.
Katas waited for Cell's attack, dodging to the right as its taillashed past him, demolishing the building behind him. He struckback, leading with a low kick that Cell jumped over, making a grabfor him with both hands. Katas jumped inside its guard, punchingCell in the jaw and sending it staggering back. He followed up withan elbow jab, but swung through Cell's afterimage, his foe appearingbehind him, spinning and knocking him through a city block.
Rising from the rubble, Katas scowled at the approachingcreature. "You're right-I don't know why you're here. So whydon't you tell me?" He raised his guard, waiting for the nextattack.
"Very well. Your fused power is impressive, but hardly amatch for my own, especially augmented by the people of this town."Cell laughed, a noise not entirely unlike styrofoam-coatedfingernails on a chalkboard. "So I suppose you won't live totell anyone else… I, Cell, am the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero!"
Katas' eyes widened. "What?"
Android 16's eyes flickered, concern briefly registering on hisface. "I detect two high powers in combat," he commented.
"What's this?" Eighteen leaned back. "Who'sfighting?"
"I do not know," 16 replied. "The energysignatures do not match any in my database, or any of the warriors Ifought earlier. However, their power is in the region of yours-ifnot quite your equal."
"There you go." Seventeen smiled. "They're stillno match for us, so it doesn't matter. I'm sure we'll run into themeventually… let's just focus on finding Goku, all right?"
"Which would be a lot faster if you didn't insist on drivingthe whole way…" Eighteen muttered.
"You see," Cell continued, "even now, hidden in asecondary, underground laboratory, Dr. Gero's super-computer iscontinuing his work. It is programmed with his intelligence andpersonality-for all intents and purposes, it is Dr. Gero,but without the limits of a human mind! I was the final product ofthis computer, the ultimate bio-android. I possess the ability tosteal energy from others-something you'd know about if you watchedthe news. "Town emptied by mystery killer", that sort ofthing, I'd imagine."
Katas frowned. "But how were you created in such a shortspace of time? Gero himself hasn't been dead for long."
"Well… I'm not from your time period," Cell replied."But I know a little girl called Break, who owns a timemachine. Well… I knew her. And now I own a time machine.Or I would if I had much use for it… but why would I? I come froma desolate future, with barely any life on the planet for me toabsorb…"
"So you can steal power?" Katas spat. "I'd hardlycall you 'the ultimate creation' just because of that. The androidsfrom earlier were stronger than you."
"Ah, but that's not all, my friend. You see, I'm built fromthe combined DNA of the greatest fighters ever to grace this planet.Even yours. Not only that, I'm programmed with an innate knowledgeof all their techniques! Let me demonstrate…" He raised twofingers to his forehead, electric yellow bolts of power arcing offof them, crackling loudly. " Special Beam Cannon !"
"What the-" Katas couldn't believe the amount of powerbeing generated by the attack. "His power really is greaterthan mine… and he knows Piccolo's technique…" Cell releasedthe attack, and Katas tried to leap out of the way, but Cell wasfaster than him. In trying to dodge, Katas manage to get most of hisbody clear of the piercing beam, but it shot right through his leftleg, bringing him crashing back down to the ground. Trying to ignorethe pain, he rolled to the side as Cell's foot came crashing downwhere his head had been. He pushed off the ground with his good leg,landing two solid punches that knocked Cell flying. With someeffort, he focused his internal energies and regenerated the damagedtissue in his leg, allowing himself to stand again. All right…now where is he? He heard a hiss of a fast-moving objectspeeding through the air behind him, but before he could turn Cellwas upon him, the whip-like tail curling around to Katas' front andstabbing at his chest. Katas ducked, causing Cell to stumble andnearly stab itself in the chest. It righted itself, but in itsmoment of hesitation Katas struck, another punch putting Cell down.
Cell dragged itself to its feet, a low growl coming from the backof its throat. "You're a tricky one… but your luck has to runout sooner or later. I'll drain your energy, just like all thesehumans… but how much more power can you offer me than thoseweaklings, I wonder?"
"Don't plan on finding out, creature!" A voice called,as Cell jumped away to avoid an energy blast. The smoke cleared toreveal Nail, both hands extended in the aftermath of his attack. Hesmiled. "So, I was right. It felt like a Namekian presence, butdue to the distance I wasn't sure, so I came alone. I didn't want torisk everyone running into the androids… still, I have to wonder,who exactly are you?"
"Call me Katas," the larger Namekian replied. "I'mthe fusion of Piccolo and Kami."
"Ah, so you rejoined! That explains it." Nail turned toface Cell, who was glaring at him. "Of course, that begs thenext obvious question: who-or what -is this?"
"Calls itself Cell. It's another creation of Dr. Gero's-thisone designed by his supercomputer in the future. It stole Break'stime machine and came back here."
"Of course." Nail began to look wary as Cell advanced."Nothing's ever simple, is it?"
"Your gallows humour is appreciated…" Cell hissed."But your time is up!" It leapt at Nail, but Katasintercepted. Nail won't have a chance against this thing… Heled with a high kick that crashed into Cell's block, shaking theground beneath them. Cell countered with a quick swipe of its clawsthat raked strips of cloth off of Katas' shirt. He jumped away,hurling an energy ball to cover his retreat, but Cell knocked itaside without much difficulty. Nail ran at Cell from the side,trying to get in a sneak attack, but Cell noticed the attack comingwithout much trouble. It jumped over Nail's swinging fist, grabbedhold of his shoulders and plunged its tail into his back. Nailgasped as it began to pump energy out of his body. As he began tolose strength, he fell to his knees.
Seeing this, Katas acted quickly. His eyes flashed, two thinenergy beams scything through Cell's tail, slicing it neatly inhalf. Cell snarled, spinning to face Katas as Nail dropped to theground. Katas grinned. "No more stealing energy, Cell."
"You think so?" Cell replied, waving its cauterisedtail-stump as if showing off. "Didn't I tell you? I have yourDNA, Namekian. And that means-I have your ability to regenerate!"It grunted, and a new tail-end burst, dripping with gore, from theruins of the old. Cell laughed softly. "How do you like that?Not that I needed it to defeat you…"
Damn! I'm not getting anywhere! Katas tried to think ofa next move. Wait for more fighters to arrive? Who knew how longthat would take.
"Haa!" Nail, using the last of his energy, was back onhis feet and charging Cell again, but the bio-android vanished andreappeared on the other side of the town square. "Here'sanother technique I've inherited!" it shouted, forming a blueball of energy between its hands. " Kamehame-HAA !"The beam shot from Cell's outstretched palms, smashing into Nail'sunprotected form and launching him away. Katas flew over as he hitthe ground, crouching next to his fellow Namek. "How bad is thedamage?" he asked quickly.
Nail coughed up blood. "Doesn't look great." He wascovered in scratches and burns. "You're not looking 100%yourself."
"I'm fine," Katas insisted, "but listen, there'snot much time. Can you regenerate?"
"I've been trying…" Nail told him. "Managed tofix a couple of vital organs. But I used most of my energy throwingup a last-minute shield when that blast hit. Look, I haven't gotlong. It's drastic, but… there's a way one of us can make it outof this. You can beat that thing, maybe the androids too!"
"You don't mean-"
Nail held one hand up towards Katas. "Take my power."
"You want to fuse with me? You realise this isn't like Kamiand Piccolo-we were never originally one being. You'd have to use meas a base, you'd cease to exist."
"I'm… dying anyway. I can't believe how quickly he beatme…" Nail glanced over to the side. "He's coming thisway. Taking his time, showing off how he hasn't got anything toworry about, but… look. Together, we'd be far more than the sum ofour parts. Trust me, the planet needs a defender with that kind ofstrength."
"I can't do it!" Katas protested. "There's evil inmy heart-Piccolo was a testament to that. I try to do good, but themore power I possess, the greater the temptation to misuse it.Let's… use you as a base. You can take my power."
"No good. I'm too injured. Look at me, I'm a mess."Nail smiled. "Look, the fact that you even consideredsacrificing yourself and letting me be the base is proof that, atheart, you're a noble being. You are fit to be thisplanet's guardian. Just have faith in yourself…" he raised ahand, and Katas took it.
"… All right. I won't forget you, Nail." A blue glowbegan to envelop the two of them.
"What's this?" Cell stopped his approach, examining thesituation. "Oh, I see… Nail is just giving Katas what littleki he has left. Well, it still won't make him my equal." Hedecided to wait-if they had false hope, their defeat would be allthe sweeter-and more energy to be drained was a good thing, ofcourse.
Just as Nail prepared to transform his essence into pure energyand pour it into Katas, the other Namek grinned. "I'm sorry mysecond stay on this planet was so short… I wish I could've beenaround longer."
"What?" Nail gasped.
"With this energy, you should be able to heal yourself andstill win the fight, no problem."
"What are you talking about?" He's reversing thefusion-giving his life for me! Nail realised. He tried to fightit, but Katas' spirit was stronger, and there wasn't anything Nailcould to to stop him.
"You can defeat Cell-and with this act, I can finally ridthe world of Piccolo. Good luck…"
"No-" The light grew to blinding intensity, and Cellstepped away involuntarily.
"What are they doing?!" In his timeline, noNameks had ever fused together-this was entirely new to him.
The light receded, revealing Nail, lying alone on the ground. Hecould feel Katas' essence-containing both Piccolo and Kami-fadinginto his subconscious. "You… stubborn bastard! "Gritting his teeth, Nail forced rejuvenating energy throughout hisentire body, knitting flesh back together, re-setting bones andsmoothing over burns. He stood up slowly, turning to face Cell.Another quick burst of light, and his clothes were remade anew.Kami's symbol was branded onto the back of his jacket. He turned toface Cell, his eyes burning.
"Your power… what did you do? Where did the other one go?"Cell demanded. His response came in the form of a fist to the gut,driving him to his knees. Nail followed up with an uppercut thatknocked Cell flat on his back. Cell sprang back up, charging Nail,but the newly-fused Namekian dodged its attacks with little effort,kicking it into the air.
Cell gasped for air, feeling its bruises throbbing as painfulreminders of the sudden turnaround. "I won't forget this! I'llreturn, and you will die! You-the saiyans-the humans-all of you!"
"You're not going anywhere," Nail told it.
"So you say…" Cell raised both hands to its forehead,splaying out its eight fingers. " Solar Flare! "The sudden burst of light burned into Nail's eyes, blinding him. Bythe time he could see again, Cell was gone, its ki signature hidden."Aagh!" I should have expected this!
Goku landed in the town, now almost reduced to rubble from theintensity of the battle. "Hey Nail, what's going on? I feltsome huge powers-something a bit like Piccolo's, but not as evil,fighting, well… first it felt like it was fighting Piccolohimself… then me -and then Tien. What happened?"
Nail sighed. "Let's get back to the others. I'd rather nottell this twice."
"And we never even got to meet this Katas guy?"Krillin, back at Kame House, lamented. "Ah, that sucks."Plus, we're gonna have to rely on our friends over on new Namekfor Dragon Balls now-Kami and Piccolo fusing would have got rid ofthem, from what Kami told us when we were training for that yearunder him…
"Well, he is a part of me now," Nail told him. "Hewas noble, despite his flaws, and we should remember his sacrifice."
"Hmm…" Chi-Chi was next to speak, sittingprotectively next to Gohan (who was-grudgingly-doing his homework)."The androids are looking for Goku, right?"
"Seems that way," Master Roshi answered.
"So," she said, "if they're programmed with allthis knowledge like you said, they'll know where we live. They'llhead to Mount Paozu first, and since we're not there, they'll cometo the next most likely place…"
"Here," Raditz finished. "We should move, andsoon. Kame House won't be safe anymore."
Lunch spoke up. "I know a place. I visited Tien there, afterthe last World Tournament we went to. He had a secluded home in themountains."
"Yeah-that's our house," Chiaotzu said. "At least,it has been since Master Shen turned us out…"
"Then we should head there," Yamcha agreed. "We'llbe safe for a while. But I guess we do need a plan-we can't runforever."
"Yeah… Hey, Nail." Goku looked over at theamalgamation of all their Namekian allies. "Do you think youcould take on the androids with your new power?"
"Well, it's hard to say." Nail thought this over. "Imean, it's not like they have any ki to measure. But, and this isn'ta boast, I'm definitely stronger than you Super Saiyans now. I can'tpromise I'll win-but to protect this world, it's worth a shot."
"All right. Do that if you want. But we'll have to wait forthe androids to show themselves-we can't sense them, remember."
Nail smiled. "Simple enough. We've worked out they're comingto Kame House. The rest of you go and hide in the mountains-I'llstay here and wait for them. When you sense me powering up tomaximum, you'll know the battle's begun."
"Right." Raditz nodded. "We'll keep trying tofigure out a way to surpass Super Saiyan, and we'll join you if wedo."
"All right." They stood up and began to head for thedoor. A smile crossed Goku's face. They had a plan. They had hope.Maybe-just maybe-they could come out of this on top.
Android 16 continued to scan incoming energy signatures on hisinbuilt sensor array. "The two powers I was following havestopped fighting," he announced. "I must report that oneof them grew significantly during the battle. It now equals yourown, Seventeen."
"Equal to me? No way." Seveneen laughed quietly. "Thatisn't possible. I'm the ultimate fighting android."
"'Ultimate android'?" Eighteen shot back. "I'mright here, you know."
"Oh, you know as well as I do that Dr. Gero suppressed yourpower in comparison to mine," Seventeen retorted. "I thinkhe was trying to make you less rebellious."
"Didn't go too well, did it?" They chuckled, recallingandroid 19's continued attempts to give them orders in theircreator's name, and its subsequent fate at Eighteen's hands. 16lapsed into silence, warning delivered.
"Don't worry, 16," Seventeen said, as the coast cameinto view, "it's probably just a sensor malfunction. There'sno-one on this planet that can challenge us. No-one."
Ascend
Chapter 28: Ascend
Nail was growing uneasy. The androids could arrive at any time,without warning-but he had to stay at Kame House and wait for them,as this would be the best chance he'd get to confront them. Wouldhis new power be enough? He didn't know. Cell was also preying onhis mind. The creature was on the move, he could sense that-moretowns were being drained of life in a matter of hours. But not onlymight he miss the androids, by the time Nail would be able to get tothe site of Cell's next attack, it would be gone again, masking itsenergy. What was its true purpose? To absorb everyone? He thoughtback to the moment he'd been pierced by that terrible stinger. Thesensation of your very life force being ripped out of your body. Hecould only imagine how much more terrifying it would be to die thatway. Cell would have to be stopped. But first, the androids.
Break, finished with her training routine for the moment, wentover to Goku and Raditz. They'd been sitting opposite each other, indeep meditation on a hilltop, for nearly three days now. Despite thewind and the nearly Arctic temperatures around Tien and Chiaotzu'smountain home, the two saiyans didn't seem to be affected atall-presumably they were slowly burning small amounts of ki to keepthemselves warm. "Hey, uh…" she didn't really want todisturb them, but she had to know. "How's it going?"Roused from their semi-conscious state, her father and uncle lookedup. "There is a higher level," Raditz told her."I can feel it, but it's so… distant."
"Right." Goku turned to face his niece from the future."We're not prepared-physically or mentally-to take on this kindof challenge."
Raditz stood up, stretching and yawning. "What we need istime-but we just don't have that. A couple of weeks, maybe. We can'thide indefinitely… if the androids are anything like the ones inyour time, they'll get bored and start random attacks on humansettlements soon…"
"They will," Break agreed. "It's in their nature.Dr. Gero created them to be weapons, and that's exactly what they'llbe."
"Hmm…" Goku lapsed into silent thought, thensomething seemed to come to mind and he sprang to his feet. "Time!That's it! It's like you said, Raditz, we need more time!"
"Well, what about it?" Raditz asked irritably.
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber!"
"The, uh, the what now?"
Goku brightened up. "It's a special room in Kami's lookout,where you can train for a whole year in just a day!"
"That's possible?" Break wondered.
"Yeah!" Goku grinned. "I never considered itbefore-we've always had plenty of time to prepare, and you can onlyuse it for two days in your life-but it could come in really handyright now."
"Let's not waste any time," Raditz decided. "Goku,Break, grab on." He focused his mind, searching for Kami'sservant djinn's energy signature at Kami's lookout, InstantTransmission taking them straight to him.
…"And you're sure you haven't seen any signs of the heartvirus?" Break was asking as they approached the door to thechamber, through the otherworldly architecture of Kami's lookout.
"Nope," Goku answered. "I've felt just fine."
"Weird… I guess all this time-travelling really alteredhistory. Keep the medicine around, though-who knows when it couldstrike."
"Right. Well, the chamber only has enough food for twopeople to go the full year, so who's going to go in first?"
"Let Break go with me," Raditz suggested. "I knowshe's got a lot of potential. With a full year, there's no doubt wecan unlock this higher level."
Break smiled. "Thanks… dad. I'll try not to disappointyou!"
"Don't worry. You'll do fine."
Goku nodded. "Sure, that sounds good. Go ahead, you two-andgood luck." Raditz slowly opened the door to the HyperbolicTime Chamber, and Break followed him in, waving goodbye to Goku.Earth's hero, after wandering aimlessly for a couple of minutes,realised the one thing he hadn't got enough of recently: sleep.
It was almost an hour before a noise awoke Goku from his nap. Twoquiet feet touching down on the lookout. Curious, Goku stood up andwalked out onto the lookout's exterior. A small figure in orange wasstriding towards him. "Gohan?"
His son nodded. "I'm here to train with you, dad!"
"Ah…" Goku hesitated. "You want to fight withus, don't you? Chi-Chi would kill me…"
"I'm not a baby anymore!" Gohan protested. "I'mturning ten in a few days, you know!"
"That's still pretty young. I was twelve when I startedhaving adventures-I'm just worried you'll get hurt, son."
Gohan's temper snapped. "STOP PROTECTING ME!"
Goku flinched back. "… Uh?"
"It's always like this," the half-saiyan child growled."You told me to stay back when the saiyans attacked, and onlyfight if I had to… everyone said I shouldn't go to Namek… youleft me and ran off to fight Kuriza… you left me with mom when theandroids came… I've had enough! You're not gonna leave me behindagain!" His lip was quivering, and he sniffed to hold back thetears.
Goku stepped forwards, picking up his son and holding him close."Hey. I'm sorry, Gohan… I just didn't want you getting hurt…"
"Dad…" Gohan looked up at his father hopefully. "Willyou take me in the time training place with you? Please?"
"Um…" after that outburst, Goku didn't want to say'no', but he'd hoped he'd get to train on his own or with Raditz.
"Please, Dad! I wanna become a Super Saiyan like you! I haveto be able to protect my friends!"
Goku smiled. Gohan certainly had potential, and his heart was inthe right place. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all."You've grown up far too fast, son… sure. As soon as Raditzand Break are done, we'll train together. Okay?"
Gohan beamed. "All right!"
"Woah." Break stared around her-the Hyperbolic TimeChamber consisted of a small building acting as living quarters,surrounded by an endless expanse of white, empty nothingness. "Thisplace feels… weird. Like a waking dream."
"I know what you mean…" Raditz walked out into theemptiness. "Hmm… and out here, the air is thick, thetemperature's risen a bit…" Break tried to follow him outsideand promptly fell over. "… Oh, and the gravity is ten timesEarth's," Raditz added by way of an explanation.
Break grunted, standing up shakily and throwing off her jacket asshe felt the effects of the heat. "Thanks for not mentioningthat a few seconds ago…"
"Oh, quit your whining. Let's begin."
"Begin?" Break asked. "What are we going to startwith-" she was floored by a lightning-fast punch to the face.
"Your reflexes could use some improvement," Raditzcommented, rubbing his aching knuckles. "Hard skull, though."
Early the next day…
The androids had ditched the car upon reaching the ocean, andwere flying at a leisurely pace towards where their database saidKame House would be. "I still haven't gotten a change ofclothes," Eighteen muttered.
"Well, it's not my fault you've got a short temper,"Seventeen told her, smirking as he remembered the incident. "Youcan hardly take the clothes if you blow up the whole building,right?"
"Don't blame it on me!" she snapped. "That guy atthe counter deserved it!"
"Deserved being spread over a half-mile blast radius? Idoubt it." Seventeen grinned. "Still, it was prettyfunny."
16 interrupted them, pointing to an object appearing on thehorizon. "We are nearing Kame House. Exercise caution-it ispossible that they are prepared for our arrival."
"Sure, sure," Seventeen said, waving 16's concerns off."It doesn't matter. They're no match for us."
"But the powers I sensed shortly after our battle-"
"I told you, it's just a sensor malfunction. Lighten up-it'simpossible that anyone on this planet has the strength to challengeus. Well, we're here. Sixteen?"
16 glanced around. "I only detect one energy signatureinside. It is being suppressed, and I cannot determine its fullmagnitude. It could be any of them."
"I guess they were expecting us." Eighteen shrugged."Well, we can beat on this one until they tell us where theothers are hiding…" she trailed off as the door opened. Nailwalked out, taking in the scene. "I can't sense your power, butyou make a lot of noise," he said. He was carrying a glass ofwater, from which he periodically sipped through a straw. "CanI help you?"
Seventeen nodded. "You could say that. Tell us where Gokuis."
"And if I don't?"
"I'll leave it to your imagination."
"Hmm." Nail appeared to genuinely consider this. "Howabout this. I'm not going to tell you anything. You, on the otherhand, can leave right now, before I send you to that great bigjunkyard in the sky."
"Why, you…" Seventeen clenched his fists. "Youthink you can threaten us ?"
"Calm down, Seventeen!" Eighteen urged, putting asteadying hand on her brother's shoulder. "Getting mad won'thelp us at all."
Seventeen exhaled slowly. "Right. You're right. Sorry."He looked over at 16. "Hey, 16. He's being uncooperative. Youwant to loosen his tongue some?"
"No." 16 replied instantly, giving an automated,pre-determined response.
"No?"
"I am programmed only to fight Goku. If this fighter is notactively obstructing me, I will not attack him."
"Whatever you say," Seventeen replied. "You're sodull, 16. You should learn to have some fun once in a while."16 declined to answer. "Fine." Seventeen looked up. "Hey,Namek guy!"
Nail, having grown bored of the androids' bickering and driftedinto a daydream, looked up just in time to notice Seventeen's fistswinging for him. Reacting without thinking, he swung his arm up andcaught the android's hand mid-swing. The glass of water formerlyheld in Nail's hand fell to the ground, shattering and spilling itscontents on the sand. "You know," he said, "I wasn'tfinished with that."
Nail twisted, throwing Seventeen over his shoulder and into theocean. Seconds later, the android burst back up to the surface,seething with rage. "That's it! I don't care anymore, you'redead!"
Nail gave a half-smile, and with a noise like distant thunder, hepowered up to maximum, whipping up a small sandstorm around himselfwith his ki.
"This is one of the powers I sensed battling earlier!"16 called out urgently. "Seventeen! Do not attempt to fighthim! His power exceeds yours!"
"What did you say?!" Seventeen shouted. "I toldyou, that's impossible!" He rushed at Nail, who easilysidestepped his blow and kicked him away, knocking the android backat supersonic speeds, leaving a jet-stream of water behind him. Nailtook off after his foe, 16 and Eighteen just behind.
I'll try and keep this away from Kame House… Naildecided. It's already been destroyed once, after all. Heswooped down underwater, grabbed Seventeen by the back of his shirtand flung him over onto a small, grassy island nearby. Seventeengasped, pushing off the ground and jumping to his feet. "Thiscan't be happening!" He growled. "I'm the strongest in theuniverse!"
Nail laughed. "Hahahah! Is that so? Well, maybe the secondstrongest now."
"You… I'll…" Seventeen shook with anger. "I'll kill you !"
"Is that so?" Nail asked, jumping over and duckingunder all of Seventeen's strikes as the dark-haired cyborg chargedback into the fray. "You don't seem to be getting very far withthat."
"You'll tire out eventually!" Seventeen snarled. "Iwon't! I'll wear you down and-" he was cut off by a chop to thethroat that sent him reeling, choking as pain caused his neckmuscles to spasm.
"You're far too overconfident." Nail raised an eyebrow."Hey, tell me, have you ever fought anyone who could actuallychallenge you before? I'm guessing not, the way you're reacting."
"I'm coming, Seventeen!" the female android yelled,charging Nail from behind just as Seventeen recovered and kicked athim in front. Nail smacked Seventeen's leg away with his rightelbow, knocking Eighteen's arm aside with his left forearm. Movingquickly, he launched a punch to each side, hitting them both in thestomach. They landed next to each other on the island, glaring up atNail. "That was the same strike you used on Gohan and me a fewdays ago, Seventeen, by the way. If I'm honest, it's a bitpredictable. Easy to guard against-unless you're entirelyoutclassed, of course."
"SHUT UP!" Eighteen shouted. "We're going to-"Nail waved his hand, and the island the androids were standing onexploded. They jumped up and away in opposite directions, hoveringopposite from Nail.
"How did this happen?" Seventeen mumbled in disbelief."I took him down in one hit three days ago. Hey!" Headdressed Nail directly. "Were you hiding your power before?"
Nail shook his head. "I've improved."
"That quickly? You're lying!" He thrust his handsforwards, a volley of flickering energy bullets flying at Nail. Asecond stream of attacks appeared as Eighteen followed his example.
"You think so?" Nail crossed his arms, folding his bodyup as the blasts approached. "Then explain- hrrr-this!" He unfolded like a spring released, spreading his armsand legs and flinging out a rolling wall of ki in all directions."YAAA!" The energy attacks were bounced back likeraindrops on a windshield, flying off and dissipating in the air, ordetonating in the sea. Eighteen gritted her teeth. "What's ittake, huh?"
"More than you've got!" Nail replied, flexing hismuscles. "Feel free to give up any time you like. I won't killyou."
"Go to hell!" she shouted back. "I guess you don'tknow us very well-our freedom means more to us than anything! We'renot giving ourselves up to anybody!"
"Yet you're following Dr. Gero's plans…"
"We don't have a choice in that!" Seventeen told him."It's in our programming. I'm telling you, you can't keep thisup forever. We'll win in the end."
Nail sighed. "We'll see."
Seventeen raised his hands to either side of his head, chargingup a yellow ball of energy in each. He threw them at Nail, who stoodstoically staring into space as they flew at him. Eighteen flewaround behind Nail, hoping to take advantage of the momentarydistraction defending himself would give. But Nail wouldn't move-hehovered, unmoving, as the attack drew nearer.
"Eighteen-look out!" 16 warned as his sensors alertedhim to the danger, but it was too late-she flew straight throughNail's vanishing afterimage, crashing head-first into Seventeen'sattacks.
When the smoke cleared, Eighteen was hovering there, arms raisedto protect her face, sleeves entirely burned away, scratches runningup and down her forearms. "… Ow." Nail stood a fewmetres away, facing away from the androids, staring off into space.
"Okay, that does it!" Seventeen charged back up atNail, his fist swinging through empty air. "Wha-" He'dbeen able to follow Nail's movements so far, even if he hadn't quitebeen fast enough to react to them. But this time, he'd seennothing-Nail had been there, and then he was gone.
"Looking for me?" Nail asked, inches away, practicallybreathing down Seventeen's neck. He held up a small red object-he'dstolen Seventeen's scarf from around the android's shoulders withouthim even noticing. Nail waved it mockingly. "Oh, and yourfashion sense is atrocious, if Bulma's frequent lectures areanything to go by…"
"Yaah!" Seventeen started wildly lashing out at Nail,none of his blows connecting. "Eighteen! A little help here!"
"Right!" Eighteen flew up to join the attack. "Hecan't dodge us both at once!" She began to furiously rain blowsat Nail. "No, I think I can," the Namekian warriordecided, and proceeded to do just that.
"Stand-still!" Seventeen snarled.
"Okay, but you asked for it!" Nail stopped dodging,grabbing Eighteen by one arm and throwing her down into the sea.Seventeen kicked at his head, but he dodged again with the sameease, landing a solid punch to Seventeen's gut, kicking him into theair, appearing above him and elbowing him back down into the ocean.
The android duo slowly rose out of the water, gasping for breath.Nail floated sternly above them. "Have you figured it out yet?You're fighting a losing battle."
"16! You want to lend a hand, huh?" Seventeen shoutedup to their unmoving comrade.
16 shook his head. "I told you, I am programmed only tofight Goku. And this warrior will not kill you. He has said as much,and I predict an overwhelming probability that he is telling thetruth. My advice is to surrender until an opportunity to locate Gokupresents itself."
"Not happening!" Seventeen growled, grinding his teeth.
"Well, what choice do we have?" Eighteen asked. "I'mopen to suggestions, but let's not just keep attacking blindly. He'sbarely broken a sweat."
"You should listen to her," Nail suggested. "You'renot getting anywhere. I-huh?" He tensed up, sensing anunnatural, evil ki. Cell! What's he doing here? He turned,to see the bug-like bio-android already approaching. 16 was alsostaring in that direction, watching Cell's arrival with detached,almost scientific interest.
Finally noticing the new arrival, Seventeen and Eighteen lookedbehind them seeing Cell flying towards them. "And who's this?"Seventeen wondered.
"I don't know, and frankly I don't care." Eighteenlooked up at 16. "He's not anything to worry about… is he?"
16 looked visibly worried. "This is the other power I sensedbefore. He has grown stronger…"
"I know." Nail clenched his fists. "He's drainedenergy from thousands of people-fighting him won't be so easy thistime…"
Cell cam to a halt to the group's right. "Well, isn't this anice little gathering."
"Who the hell are you?" Seventeen demanded.
"Shut up!" Nail snapped, then turned to the new foe."What do you want here, Cell?"
"I never told you my ultimate goal, did I?" Cell asked."Dr. Gero made me with a very specific aim in mind-to achievemy perfect form."
"Well, I'd say you're far from perfect…" Nailshrugged. "No offence, but the bug-wings are kind of redundant,given that you can fly with your ki… and I can't help noticing,your mouth looks exactly like your-"
"Enough!" Cell snarled. "To attain my perfectform, I must absorb androids 17 and 18 into my being. Kindly removeyourself from my path-destroying you will be a waste of time."
"A bit bold, don't you think?" Nail asked. "Tellingme your plan."
"It doesn't matter," Cell hissed. "There's nothingyou can do stop it!" It vanished, reappearing in front of Nail,who blocked its first punch. They pushed against each other,struggling to break the lock and gain the upper hand.
"Incredible…" 16 muttered. "Their power levelsare both equal to mine…"
Nail ducked to the left as Cell swung past him, and they spunaround to face each other. "You've grown strong, Cell,"Nail noted. "But it won't make a difference. I can't let youachieve this 'perfect' form. I imagine it would make you much morepowerful… and I'm not one of those people who'll just sit aroundwhile you power up just for the challenge, so trust me, you're notgoing any further."
"You underestimate me!" Cell growled.
"Hey!" Seventeen called up to the battling pair. "Don'twe get a say in this?"
"No!" Nail and Cell shouted simultaneously, beforelaunching into a high-speed exchange of blows. "But…"Nail decided as he dodged and blocked with expert precision, "youmight want to get out of here. If he does beat me somehow, you'll benext, and trust me, you're no match for this guy."
"Run away? Not a chance," Seventeen protested.
"It might be a good idea…" Eighteen said, indicatingthe battle. "You know they're above our level."
"Think about it…" Seventeen tapped his head. "Thosetwo are about equal, right? So whoever wins is going to betired-their power will drop massively! If we work together, we cantake them out, no problem. And then the only two real threats to uswill be gone. You want me to run away from that chance?"
"I… I guess not." Eighteen looked hesitant. "Ijust hope you're right…"
"Trust me."
Nail finally landed a blow, but Cell's natural chitin armourplating absorbed it, and the creature seized him by the throat,sinking its needle-sharp tail into his arm. There was a scraping,sucking sound as Nail's energy was pumped out of him. But he'd feltit before, and he was prepared for the pain-twisting, he preparedhimself for far greater agony and ripped his own arm off at theshoulder. Purple blood sprayed in a wide arc, and he had to bite hislip to stop himself screaming. With a further grunt, he forcedenergy into his shoulder, regenerating the severed limb. Cell hissedagain, throwing away the empty husk of Nail's former arm. "Quiteimpressive, Nail. But I drained a lot of your power, and that littlestunt just cost you even more. Now, I have the upper hand."
"Heh heh… so sure?" Nail grinned. "Ever sinceyou stabbed me the first time we fought, I've been working on atrick that'll come in handy if I ever find myself with a substantialamount of my energy inside my opponent's body."
"Wha-" Cell never got to finish his sentence-Naildetonated his stolen ki at the moment it entered Cell's main body,completely obliterating its midsection. Cell's legs and tail fellaway, into the ocean, as its upper body hung in the air, twitchingand growling in pain. "Cunning…" With surprisinglylittle effort, Cell regenerated itself, within seconds becomingwhole again. "… But ultimately futile."
"I wouldn't say that," Nail said. "As yousaid-regenerating takes a lot of energy. And I should think thathalf of your body is more draining than one arm…"
"Hmph!" Cell braced itself. "Well, victory isdetermined by intelligence just as much as power. And I have thecombined knowledge and brainpower of the entire Brief family, everyNamekian ever to visit the Earth, and the greatest fightingtacticians among the planet's defenders…" He dashed at Nail,who raised his arms in preparation to block. Cell made a familiarmovement, and recognising the Solar Flare technique, Nail flinched,closing his eyes. "I won't fall for the same trick twice!"
"No, you'll fall for a whole new one this time!" It wasmerely a feint, and Cell placed both hands on Nail's stomach in themoment the Namek warrior had his eyes closed, charging cracklingpurple energy around his fingers. " Galick Gun !"
Nail just had time to think, Vegeta's technique- beforethe blast hurled him away in a blaze of light, boiling the wateraround him as he landed. Several seconds passed, and nothingsurfaced. Cell took a second to enjoy his victory, before focusingon the androids. "Well, now. That went rather well. Who's goingto help me achieve perfection first, hmm?"
Break sat down, panting-her training was really taking everythingshe had. She'd found a limit, unfortunately-an upper plateau, whichshe hadn't been able to push her power past. She knew the otherSuper Saiyans had found the same thing when preparing themselves forthe androids' attack. Raditz had, after cleaning up her form andtechnique, begun to meditate, telling her to go and train on her ownwhile he searched for the next level, and to come back when she'dreached the upper limit of Super Saiyan. Now she had, and shewearily trudged over to him. The temperature in the Hyperbolic TimeChamber fluctuated more, the further away from the living quartersyou went-right now it was biting cold. At least the gravity hadn'ttaken long to get used to. She approached her father, who wasstanding up straight with his eyes closed.
"I've reached it," she said. "The limit. I can'tpush my power any higher." She took a deep breath. "Haveyou found the next level yet?"
Raditz was silent for several seconds, and then nodded slowly.
Opening his eyes, he powered up to Super Saiyan. Then,maintaining perfect focus, and entirely without speaking, he pulledon another, greater reserve of power. Golden light flooded thesurrounding area, and Break shielded her eyes, peering over herraised hands when it cleared at her transformed father."Incredible…" she breathed.
Humanity
Chapter 29: Humanity
Huh. It turns out the third Kai chapter has been done for acouple of weeks, but I kept forgetting about it. Well, it's at theend of this chapter. Enjoy.
The androids Seventeen and Eighteen faced off against Cell, thehissing bio-android calculating the perfect moment to strike. "Allright, Eighteen," the male android said quietly, "he's gotto be tired after taking on the Namek. If we work together, we can-"Cell disappeared, moving far faster than they could follow as itcharged at them. So much for that theory! Eighteen thought,bracing herself for the coming attack.
There was a flash of green, and two fast-moving blurs condensedinto solid figures, android 16's fist planted firmly in Cell's face."I will not permit you to absorb Seventeen and Eighteen,"he said calmly. "Come no closer or I will be forced toterminate you."
"Bah. Out of my way, you inferior model!" Cellshrieked. They locked hands, pushing against each other. Two loudcracks sounded in unison-Cell's foot smashed into 16's jaw as 16'skick drove into Cell's gut. Knocked back by the force of theirblows, they separated, preparing to renew their attack.
"16's keeping up with this Cell creature?" Seventeenwondered aloud. "But it was moving so fast… could 16 be amore powerful model than us?"
Eighteen nodded. "And he's so obedient to his programming,too… why do you think Dr. Gero needed us?"
"I don't know… let's just be grateful for 16."
16 was knocked back again by an unexpected punch that followed alow feint, skidding to a halt in mid-air in front of Seventeen andEighteen. "Leave now!" he commanded. "I cannotguarantee that I will prevail against Cell. Our power levels areabout equal-it isn't weakened nearly as much as I predicted."
"Hey…" Eighteen smiled. "Thanks for protectingus."
"The Namekian warrior promised not to kill you-I saw noreason to intervene," 16 responded. "But I cannot allowCell to harm you. Please, leave this place immediately."
"Run away?" Seventeen growled. "I'm not-"
"Yes you are." Eighteen grabbed him by the arm andpulled him away. "Come on, Seventeen. We're not helping 16 byhanging around."
Seventeen hesitated. "I… guess you're right. We're out ofour league here…"
Eighteen sighed with relief. "Thanks for seeing sense. I wasworried you wouldn't be able to get past your pride-"
"Hey, Seventeen!" Cell shouted. "What's this?Running away, letting the big guy fight your battles for you?"
Seventeen's eyes narrowed. "Rrr… you…" He brushedEighteen off of him. "What did you say?!"
"Some ultimate fighting machine you turned out to be!"Cell taunted, goading Seventeen into charging recklessly at it.
"Seventeen, no!" 16 warned, but it was too late.Seventeen was lashing out madly at Cell, who was laughing andcatching every blow. 16 and Eighteen rushed Cell from oppositedirections in an attempt to divert its attention, but Cell saw themcoming, grabbing hold of Seventeen's neck and pulling him with it asit dodged out of the way, the pair of attacking androids collidingin mid-air. Cell blasted them at close range with a high-poweredbolt of energy, then turned its attention back to Seventeen, who wasstruggling in a futile attempt to escape Cell's grip.
Cell's tail swung around, the needle-like point expanding into awide funnel. It swooped down over Seventeen's head and shoulders,enveloping him. He was trying frantically to push his way out, butit was no use-he was rapidly being sucked inside. Cell laugheddeeply as Seventeen slipped entirely into its tail, vanishing intoCell's body. The tail closed up again, and Cell's entire form seemedto shudder and shake. 16 and Eighteen stared in horror, as did threeother observers.
Zarbon, Krillin and Yamcha came to a halt, seeing the androidsand Cell. "What just happened?" Krillin asked.
"I'm… not sure…" Zarbon answered. "Cell just…sucked up Android 17 with his tail…" he frowned. "Idon't see Nail anywhere."
"You think Cell absorbed him too?" Yamcha wondered,then noticed something. "No, wait… I can feel his energy-it'sfaint, but he's underwater somewhere."
Zarbon nodded. "I'll get him." He dived down into thewater.
"So what does that leave us to do?" Yamcha asked.
"I don't know…" Krillin said. "Hey, wait! Cell'schanging…"
Cell's body began to glow with light, which then faded andappeared again, coming on in pulses that slowly increased inbrightness and frequency. "Hyaaa!" It shrieked, eitherfrom the pain or the effort of its transformation. There was a lowrumble, and in sporadic bursts Cell began to grow, its alreadymassive height increasing even further. "Hrrr… Raaah…aaagh!" Its hands grew more human-like, and its toes fused intoa boot-like shape. It grew further, becoming monstrously tall,bulking out as well-no longer the spindly, almost frail-lookinginsect creature. Bio-electricity sparked up and down Cell's body. Hewas now a more humanoid figure overall, with splashes of orange tohis carapace, heavier armoured 'plates' and an almost human face,although he still possessed no nose. His former head orb and spikeshad shifted back to become a smooth crown-like configuration restingon top of his head. Finally, his wings had completely gone. "Hehheh heh… that's better." Cell looked around, seeing theterrified gazes he was receiving. "Now, Eighteen, you've seenhow pointless it is to resist… let's not go through all of thatagain. Don't you want to be a part of perfection?"
Eighteen spat. "If that's perfection, count meout." Seventeen… you idiot, you walked right into thatone… now what can we do?
16 raised his guard. "I will not let you absorb Eighteen,Cell!"
"Just like you didn't let me absorb Seventeen?"
Ignoring this, 16 leapt at Cell, swinging a fist for his face.Cell caught 16's arm, grinning. "Come now, 16, you must be ableto detect my power… it's far greater than yours now."
"That is irrelevant!" 16 replied. "You must notsucceed!"
"Oh, really?" Cell had an amusing idea. "Well, howabout this? You know if you fight me, you'll almost certainly bedestroyed. If that happens, you'll never carry out your mission.Come on-your primary drive. Surely it takes priority, hmm? Go on,16. Go kill Goku."
"I…" 16 hesitated. "N-No. NO!" He graspedaround Cell's shoulders in a tight hold. "You… c-cannotsucceed…" I must… protect Eighteen! I've already failedone of my 'family'…
He's overriding his programming! Cell realised. Soselfless and strong-willed… No wonder Gero was afraid to use him.He narrowed his eyes. "Well, congratulations. You've got me.Now, before I tear you into pieces, would you care to inform mewhat, exactly, you plan on doing?"
16 smiled. "Detonating the bomb inside of me."
"W-What?!" Cell struggled. "Get off me, you fool!You can't be suicidal!"
"I can be whatever I choose, Cell. This is the end!" 16began to vibrate, a slight hum emitting from his body. Cell pushedand pulled, and began to loosen 16's grip slightly, but he knew heonly had seconds-not enough time to free himself. Thinking quickly,Cell flung a hand out to the side, accessing his schematics of Dr.Gero's androids and his database of the Earth's fighters' techniquessimultaneously. " Kienzan !" he growled, thebright energy disc springing to life inches away from hisfingertips. He swung his arm around, the Kienzan attack slicingright through 16. There was a noise of grinding, tearing metal, and16's legs and most of his torso fell away. They fell into the oceanwith a barely-audible splash-but the explosion that followed wasdeafening.
When the noise, and the sea, had died down, Cell spoke again."Quite a clever move… unless, of course, your opponent hasdetailed blueprints in their memory of exactly where yourself-destruct device is, all the better to cut it out with…"Slowly, Cell pried 16's fingers off his shoulders, holding theremains of the noble android up by its neck. "And now, to takeout the trash."
" gzzt… you won't… kkk… win, Cell…"16 was making an effort to speak, his voice coming out harsh andgrating.
"What's this?"
"Someone… kzzz… will stop you…"
Cell frowned. "Bah! Like who?" He reached up with hisother hand, crushing 16's head like tissue paper. "And one moredown." He tossed the android's remains into the ocean, lookingover at Eighteen. "Well? Didn't he tell you to run?"
Eighteen was frozen with fear, staring wide-eyed at the horrorbefore her. Seventeen… 16… how did this happen so quickly?Just a short while ago, everything was perfect… then… Sherecovered from her daze just in time to see Cell rushing at her. Sheflinched, trying to prepare herself for battle, knowing she couldn'twin. There was a splash from below, and Zarbon, powering up fromconcealment in an instant, rocketed up out of the water, landing asolid uppercut to Cell's jaw. "Go!" he shouted. "Now!"
Eighteen turned and flew away as fast as she could. She heard animpact from behind her, and Zarbon flew past her, crashing to theground on the shore-the battle had slowly moved back towards thecoast. There was a flicker in the air, and Cell appeared in front ofher, smiling cruelly, his tail curling and twisting.
"Okay, I'm going in!" Krillin decided. "Yamcha,cover me!"
"Right!" Yamcha nodded. "Hurry!"
"You don't have to tell me!" Krillin raced over toEighteen and Cell, activating the Kaioken up to times ten. Cell'stail was snaking towards the trembling Eighteen. I'm not gonnamake it! "Kaioken-times twenty !" His speeddoubled instantly, and he pulled Eighteen out of the way, Celloverbalancing from the missed swing, snarling as he turned to facethem.
"Get off me!" Eighteen snapped, pushing Krillin away."I don't need your help!"
"Well, you weren't exactly doing a great job of dodging onyour own!" He retorted.
"I-" she paused. "Aren't you afraid?"
"I guess…" he shrugged. "But I've been facingthese kinds of threats all my life. I've actually died, twice. Iguess I know what I'm getting into…"
"No, I really don't think you do," Cell said, swipingat them as they jumped back away from him. "Get out of theway-and Eighteen, stay right where you are. I'll get to you."
"Not a chance!" Krillin shouted, stepping up to Cell,but the bio-android just backhanded him away, knocking him out withthe single blow.
Cell turned back to Eighteen. "And now for the main event-"
" Kamehameha! " Cell lurched sideways as hewas hit in the side by the energy beam, quickly recovering andswivelling to face Yamcha, who hovered with his hands outstretchedin front of him, a nervous grin on his face. "Yeah, how'd youlike that?" he taunted.
"A little annoying, actually," Cell replied. "Iwouldn't go as far as to say actually painful, but points foreffort."
Oh, man… he isn't even shaken… Yamcha grimaced. I'llhave to do better if I want to buy time for her to escape. How can Iincrease my power? Combining King Kai's technique with my own was aneat idea, but like the normal Wolf Fang Fist, it only works forclose-range strikes… if I want to make my Kamehameha morepowerful, I'd need the full Kaioken…
Far away, King Kai shook his head. "No, Yamcha! Don't tryand pull off a Kaioken! You've never been officially taught! You'lljust damage your own body!"
I've got no choice! Yamcha looked up at Cell. "Allright. KAIO… KEN! Rrrrgh!" The red aura that appeared wasunstable and flickering, blinking on and off and shooting offviolent sparks, but it was there. " Ka… Me… Ha… Me…HA! " Yamcha fired the attack again, and Cell raised ahand to catch it. The force of the impact surprised him, pushing himback. Eighteen saw the opportunity and finally fled, soaring backtowards the mainland.
"No, you don't-" Cell began, but Yamcha increased thepower of his attack even further, forcing Cell to put both handsinto him block, and focus on defending himself.
"Even with the Kaioken…" Goku was saying, "Yamchastill couldn't hold off Cell… he's putting his life force into theattack, too!"
"What?" Gohan jumped up and ran over to his father. "Wehave to go and help him!"
"No, Gohan. We'd just be getting ourselves killed. Yamcha…has to do what he has to do. We can't save him now-and hopefully,he's buying enough time for the remaining android to escape."King Kai had filled them in on current events via telepathic relay.
"But dad!" Gohan protested. "Can't you feel hisenergy? It's fading already!"
"I know… he hasn't got proper knowledge of the Kaioken,and it's tearing him apart from the inside…"
Gohan sniffed. "He's going to die, isn't he?" Goku wassilent for a moment, then nodded.
"YAAAH!" Yamcha continued to pour all of his energy outthrough his hands.
"How long can you keep this up?!" Cell roared infrustration, knowing his prey was getting further away with everysecond.
"As long as I have to!"
"You can't keep attacking at this level forever! You'reweak. You'll fall."
This just strengthened Yamcha's will further. Yeah, likealways. That's what I'm here for, is it? To get beaten up until thereal tough guys come and save the day? Not this time! Tien… youwouldn't back down… you could do this… so I can, too! I can-andI will! "You're wrong, Cell!" Waves of force buffetedCell, driving him further back. "I will! Not! Fail!"Yamcha screamed.
Eighteen flew over the beach, searching for a hiding place. Ineed something out of the way, somewhere I can really stayconcealed… she saw a small figure lying prone on thecoast-Krillin. If he lay there in plain sight, Cell would no doubtkill him when he came this way looking for her. No time! Leavehim. Why should I help him, anyway? A thought carved its waythrough her mind, overwhelming everything else. A hurried, snatchedconversation. "I don't need your help!" "Aren'tyou afraid?" "I know what I'm getting into…"Thinking to herself the whole time that she was making a mistake,she flew down and picked up the small warrior. He sighed in hissleep, bringing a small smile to her face, but her expressionquickly hardened and she took off again. Clouds began to gather, andthe sky darkened.
Goku was shaking with anger, but managed to keep control ofhimself. "That's enough, Yamcha… stop! You'll kill yourself!That should be plenty of time for-" he stopped talking as heheard a click-the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was opening.Goku and Gohan turned to see Raditz and Break emerge.
"Hey, guys!" Goku waved cheerily. Raditz returned hiswave, and Break nodded in acknowledgement. She was a couple ofinches taller than the last time he'd seen her, and her hair hadgrown-it was almost as long as her father's now. Her muscles weremore developed now, too-she had previously had the physique of arunner, a survivor-now, she was a fighter. Both of them wore tornand shredded clothes, and after a few too many energy blastsunsuccessfully dodged, Break had completely discarded her CapsuleCorp. jacket. Raditz was tying on his red headband as he walked, asign to those who knew that he was fully prepared for battle."What's happening?" he asked brusquely.
"Oh! You'd better hurry," Goku told them. "Cell'sabsorbed one of the androids, and become even more powerful!Yamcha's holding him off, but he could find the other android anytime now!"
Raditz's brow furrowed. "Yamcha? We don't have much time,then. Hmm-ah. Found them. Break?"
"Right!" His daughter put a hand on his shoulder as hebrought two fingers to his forehead.
"Wait!" Goku asked, excitement edging into his voice."Tell me one thing. Did you find the next level?"
Raditz grinned, nodded, and then they were gone.
"AAH!" Yamcha could feel himself slipping. Cell waspushing back against his attack. Just a few seconds more!As long as he could. Who knew how long it would take for the androidto escape? Just… a few more… a few… He had nothingleft. Blackness crept up from the edges of his vision to envelophim.
There was a gentle splash as Yamcha's corpse, completely drainedof all its energy, hit the water. The clouds, still gathering, werethick and black overhead. Cell heaved a sigh of relief, waitingseveral seconds to catch his breath before speaking. "Fool. Hethrew his life away… hmm? Damn him, he succeeded! She's gone!"He fumed with anger. "I had my shot at perfection, and now I'llhave to start over again! Well… at least that tiresome battle'sover."
"Wrong, Cell! It hasn't even started!"
"What-" a foot caught Cell across the face, throwinghim back. He righted himself, to see Raditz hovering opposite him,Break just behind him. "Raditz? And Break, too… Where haveyou been hiding?"
"We're not here to answer your questions," Raditz said."We're here to destroy you, Cell."
"Destroy me? Hah!" Cell laughed. "My power wasalready greater than you Super Saiyans' in my first, imperfectform-and now I've absorbed android 17, I'm even stronger! What areyou going to do?"
"Well, if you're even stronger than a Super Saiyan, we'lljust have to go one better," Raditz said nonchalantly.
"One better?" Cell gulped. I don't like the soundof that…
Raditz nodded. "Break? Care to demonstrate?"
"All right." Break stood in a wide, internally-focusedstance, breathing deeply. "Are you ready, Cell?" Sheeasily turned Super Saiyan, lighting up the darkened sky as thefirst raindrops began to fall.
"Ready? Heh heh…" Cell's confidence was beginning toreturn. What could they do? Cell was the perfect being-the ultimatecreation of Dr. Gero's genius! Cell and Break smiled at each other,each assured of their coming victory. "Am I ready?"Cell continued. "My abilities have increased beyond yourcomprehension-and my perfection is only halfway complete! Clearlyyou don't understand why you cannot win."
"Maybe the old me couldn't win…" Break said quietly."I couldn't win anything. Do you know, until I came to the pastand destroyed Cooler and Cold, I'd never won a single battle in mylife. Who was there to fight? The androids. But you didn't fightthe androids. You ran away. Well-I'm done running!" Her aurablazed gold around her, vapourising the rain before it touched her."Haaah…" The aura continued to grow, exploding outwardsand sending gale-force winds crashing into Raditz and Cell-whowatched with increasing concern. "Haaa….Raaah… Rrrgh…"she grunted as she reached into her soul and dragged the power tothe surface, kicking and screaming. Her aura continued to intensify.Super Saiyan they'd got used to. It wasn't easy, but they couldaccess it just about on command. But this-this was still hard everytime. "Nnh… hhhh… RAAAH!" Veins stood out on herforehead and neck. Her Super Saiyan hair began to wave back andforth in the unnatural wind her transformation was generating.Streaks of light shot out of her body. The sea formed itself into awhirlpool beneath her, the water being pushed away by the unearthlyforce.
"Woah… her energy's still rising…" Goku marvelled."It's incredible. Maybe they can win!"
"Hey, dad…" Gohan tugged on his arm. "Just incase… let's start training as soon as possible, okay?"
"Oh! Right." Goku nodded. "Let's go, Gohan. Evenif they do win, it can't hurt to train for just one 'day', right?"He grinned, following Gohan towards the door.
Break's power continued to grow. Cell's smile slowly faded as herealised the scale of this new threat. Is there really… alevel beyond Super Saiyan? "Hng…" she growled aspower coursed through her body. "HUAAAH!" Her musclesbegan to grow, starting with her arms and upper body and flowingdown to her legs, until her athletic figure had become almostAmazonian. "Arrr… hnng… rrrr…" Cell gaped in awe asanother flash of light heralded her transformation's completion."HYAAA!"
The huge power level shot through Krillin's mind like a bolt ofelectricity, and he awoke with a start, sitting up hurriedly. "Wha…where am I?"
"Not far from where you fell," came the reply. Krillinlooked up, seeing Eighteen sitting opposite him, poking the smallfire she'd made with a stick. They were in a cave near the coast,sheltering from the building storm outside, and the titanic battledeveloping over the shore. "Ah!" Krillin yelped, theninstantly felt embarrassed as he realised she wasn't going to hurthim. "Oh… you saved me?"
She nodded. "You were right in the line of fire."
"Why?"
She sighed, standing up and walking over to look out of the cave."I don't want to talk about it."
Break exhaled slowly. In addition to her heavily-muscledphysique, her power had grown massively. She gritted her teeth asher ki fluctuated-this form was always difficult to keep control of.Not just the effort of maintaining so much power-for her inparticular, keeping her emotions in check was even harder than as aregular Super Saiyan.
"Wha… what have you done?!" Cell demanded. "Whatis this?" He recoiled in terror as a smile spread acrossBreak's face. Her mind raged, and every word was an effort."I-have-ascended!"
"That's right." Raditz indicated his transformeddaughter. "I achieved this form first, then she followed mylead. She's had less time to practice it, so her power isn't quiteup to mine… so, just a warning. Should you somehow prevail,another, even stronger warrior awaits you…"
Cell wouldn't have believed it, had he not been standing right infront of it. "How… how did you get so powerful in such ashort time? You couldn't have even been a match for Seventeen orEighteen just a few days ago!"
Break began to give out a low growl. "No… more… talk.Fight me!"
"I-"
"NOW!" Break charged, her fist smashing into Cell'sstomach, doubling him over. She followed up with a vicious elbowthat staggered Cell back. "Heh. Ultimate… being, huh? Not…so much."
"Grr… you'll pay for-" Cell was cut off by a kick tothe back. "Damn it-" Break punched him in the head. "Stopinterrupting-" she knocked him away with both feet. "Aaargh!"
Raditz was laughing hysterically. "Hahahah! This is great!No dramatic, vengeful speeches for you, Cell!" Cell made anangry swipe at Raditz, but stopped short as Break grabbed hold ofhis tail in both hands. Swinging him around her head, she hurled himinland.
Cell skidded along the hard ground, throwing up his own canyon ashe went. Finally managing to stand, he looked up just as Breakslammed into him from above, hammering a string of short-rangedpunches into his midsection.
Raditz came to a rest on a rock a few metres away, watching thebattle unfold. Amazing… she has more power than I realised…I might not even get a chance to fight! Ah well, there'll still beplenty of strong fighters to test my new powers on-especially ifGoku reaches this level…
Break stopped to wipe sweat from her forehead-practically amocking gesture-and in the brief moment she left herself open, Cellkicked her away, jumping to his feet. Break straightened up,grinning. "Weak."
"Hrrr…" Cell knew he wouldn't win in a straightfight. Even in only a few seconds, her strength and speed had farsurpassed his. He'd have to use his intelligence to hisadvantage-something which, he knew, she lacked.
Krillin smiled. "You're not really as bad as you're hyped upto be, are you?"
Eighteen looked around, surprised. "What?"
"Well, you seem to just want to have fun. You don't reallywant to kill anyone except Goku-and even then, that's only becauseit was programmed into you." He sat back against the cave wall."Hardly the nightmarish machines of death I'd been expecting."
There was a long pause, and then Eighteen sighed, and sat backdown opposite Krillin. "I was human once, actually."
"Huh?"
"Seventeen and I were just ordinary teenagers… Dr. Gerokidnapped us and turned us into what we are. I mean, he made us sopowerful, but took away our lives… I don't know if I'm grateful orangry…"
"Oh," Krillin said solemnly. "I'm… sorry."
"Don't be. It's nothing to do with you."
"Hmm. Well, if you were human, do you at least have a name?"he asked. "Besides 'android number 18', that is."
"I must have," she said, "but Gero wiped ourmemories. I don't know who I was… what kind of person, where I wasfrom… anything about myself, really."
"Oh. Wow. Huh."
"Don't worry," she said with a half-smile, "Idon't mind 'Eighteen'. It's distinctive, at least… so how aboutyou?"
"Eh?" This took Krillin by surprise.
"Well, you've heard my story, now you tell me yours."She indicated the cave entrance, the distant thunder and theconstant barrage of rain. "While we're weathering thestorm-literally, and your friends' battle with Cell-why don't youtell me your story?"
"Why, uh, why do you want to know? Uh." Krillin asked.
"Because I'm bored!" she exclaimed, pacing up and down."It's better than sitting around, thinking about whether I'llever see my brother again!"
"Okay… okay…" Krillin closed his eyes, recallinghis childhood. "It's kind of a long story…"
Eighteen leaned against the wall. "I've got time."
"All right…" Krillin nodded. "Well, I was raisedin the Oorin temple. That's where I got these," he said,indicating the six censer burn marks on his forehead-two verticalrows of three dots. "It was an initiation ritual."
"That must have hurt."
"I guess… I don't really remember it. The other monks usedto bully me…"
"Why?"
"'Cause we were supposed to be fighting monks, but I wassmall and weak… it got so bad I ran away. I decided I'd become agreat fighter, and return and beat them all!"
"And did you?"
He grinned. "Actually, yeah! I found the great martial artsteacher Master Roshi-he's taught me everything I know about fighting(barring a few techniques I've come up with myself…). Anyway, itwas while I was training under Roshi that I first met a certain boynamed Goku…"
"Right." Eighteen mentally checked her files. "You'regood friends."
Krillin raised an eyebrow. "How much do you know?"
She shrugged. "Not that much. Gero didn't think it wasimportant we knew every little detail about you-only what wasimportant. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking." She paused. "Goon." She had claimed she only wanted to hear it because she wasbored, but she was sounding increasingly interested to Krillin.
"Well, let me see." He tilted his head to the side,dredging up the memories. "Then we went to the World MartialArts Tournament-my first of three, so far. I was up against one ofthe Oorin temple monks in the preliminaries-and it turned outRoshi's training paid off! I beat the guy in one hit!"
"Ah, justice."
"Is that why you killed 19?"
She grinned. "You catch on quick… uh, did you win thetournament?"
"Nah." Krillin shrugged. "I've never been thestrongest of our fighters. This old guy called Jackie Chun beatme-though I'm convinced to this day he was just Roshi trying tosteal our victory. He beat Goku, too."
"Did you ever win a tournament?"
Krillin shook his head. "I always made it through thepreliminaries, but never got further than the semi-finals. You'veprobably got data on our fights after that-'cause by the secondtournament we entered, Goku had already destroyed the Red RibbonArmy, so Gero's revenge, and blah blah blah, here we are."
She nodded. "Yes. I know about the rest. Although not yourtrip to space…"
"Well, I was dead for that part, don't ask me…" heshrugged. "I did get to train with King Kai, though. That was…an experience."
She yawned, then looked back at him. "You've had an amazinglife, do you know that?"
"I have? I guess so. I mean, not many people have seen whatI have. And I know most of the others…"
"Right." She smiled. "It must feel prettyspecial."
"Says the superhuman android…"
Cell beckoned Break to attack. "Come at me!" heshouted. "I won't lose this time!"
"Unlikely," Break growled, dashing along the groundtowards Cell, her fist swinging through thin air as his afterimagefaded.
She got too overconfident… Raditz noted. If she'dbeen paying attention, she would have noticed that. Cell stoodbehind Break, his hands forming a triangle. " Kikoho!"He yelled, the blast crashing into Break's back at close range,driving her face-first into the ground. There was a short pause, andshe pulled herself up. "Hhh… Huh… Hhh…"
Cell grinned. "What's this? Crying?" It didn't takelong for her to prove him wrong.
"Hhh… Heh… Heh heh heh… HAH!" she bellowed,wiping the dirt out of her face and brushing her golden hair back."I hope… that wasn't… your best!"
"Wha-no! Impossible!" Cell hissed. "You can't bethat strong!"
"No?" She closed the distance seemingly instantly,smashing Cell into the air with her knee and hammering him back intothe ground with both fists. "Not even… trying hard!"
"Why, you… if I had my perfect form right now, you'd benothing! Powerless before my supreme might!" He trembled withrage. "How can I have come so close to perfection, only to failnow?"
Break appeared in front of Cell again, looking curious. "Saythat… again."
"If…" Cell hesitated, trying to turn the situation tohis advantage. "If I could just attain my perfect form-my powerwould be unparalleled in the entire universe! Why couldn't you havecome an hour later? Victory would have been mine!"
"How?" she demanded. "Become perfect? How?"
"W-well… I need to absorb android 18…"
"Go."
"Eh?"
"Absorb… android. I'll fight… perfect form. I'm thestrongest."
Cell grinned. "We'll see."
"GO!" she shouted, and Cell flew up into the air tosearch for Eighteen.
Raditz jumped over to Break. "Hold on a second! You're notgoing to let him-"
"I am."
He scowled. "No. No, we're not doing that. We're stoppinghim now. Letting him get stronger-it's ridiculous! He's alreadyamazingly powerful!"
"But isn't that… exciting?" Break grinned, pantinglike a hunting beast. "Want to see… perfect Cell? His mostpowerful?"
Raditz sighed. "A little. Yes. The prospect of a challenge…it's tantalising. But look, we can't let him do this. It's just toorisky." Lunch's face flashed up in his mind. "There aretoo many people who'll die if he wins. We have to finish this now…"
Break shook her head. "Not your choice." Raditz triedto raise his guard, but wasn't fast enough and her backhand knockedhim flying away. "Cell!" she shouted. "Hurry up!"
"Yes, all right…" Cell muttered. Where hasEighteen hidden herself? One way to find out, I guess…
"EIGHTEEN!" The cry came, shaking Krillin and Eighteeninto readiness. "COME OUT!" Cell bellowed. "YOUR TIMEHAS COME! JOIN ME IN PERFECTION!"
"Not a chance," Eighteen muttered, clenching one fist."I'm not going the same way Seventeen did. Cell can't senseme-he can search all day without finding us in here."
"I hope you're right…" Krillin murmured. I'll tryand keep my own power level down as low as possible…
"BEING DIFFICULT, I SEE!" Cell continued. "WELL,YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO COME OUT OF HIDING BEFORE I BLAST EVERYTHINGAROUND US TO ATOMS!"
"He wouldn't…" Eighteen whispered.
"He would," Krillin told her. "He's charging up alot of energy… hey." He smiled. "I'll go and distractCell. You can get away-if you can get to cover, he'll never findyou."
"You'd do that… for me?" she asked. "Risk yourlife for mine, again? Just this morning we were enemies…"
"Things change pretty quick, huh?" Krillin grinned."Between you and me, you're all right. I don't think there'sany reason for us to fight, if you stay out of trouble."
"THIRTY SECONDS, ANDROID!" came Cell's roar.
"Heh." Eighteen walked over to stand next to Krillin,looking down at him. "You're a nice guy, Krillin." Sheleaned down slowly, and hesitantly, not entirely sure why, gave hima small kiss on the forehead. "But you don't have to be thehero every time."
"Uh?" Was all Krillin had time to say. Eighteen waved ahand in the air with superhuman speed, and the invisible wave offorce knocked the bald fighter out cold. Let me save you thistime, she thought.
"TEN SECONDS!"
"All right!" Flying up out of the cave, she approachedCell. "Here I am! Satisfied?"
"Ah, there we go…" Cell gave an evil grin. "Now,why would you come out without so much as a struggle… ah…someone in there, perhaps?" she froze. "Someone you don'twant hurt?" Cell taunted. Beads of sweat ran down Eighteen'sforehead. Cell could still kill him! I really didn't think thisthrough… "Don't…"
Raditz rose to his feet, transforming to Super Saiyan almost asan afterthought. "You're overconfident! I think I need to teachyou a lesson in humility. HYAAAH!" He transformed again, to thehigher, ascended state, much faster and more controlled than Break'searlier ascension. "But that can wait. First, Cell-hah!"He took off, making straight for Cell, but Break appeared in hispath.
"Be patient… heh heh…" she chuckled. "Notworth fighting… yet."
"Break." Raditz's hands formed into fists. "I'monly going to tell you this once. Get out of my way. Iwon't hesitate to-" she swung at him, and he caught her fist."Fine. We'll do it your way." Twisting with the momentumof her attack, he brought his elbow around, smacking it up into herchin and knocking her back. "I know I'm trying to beat you, butthat was just embarrassing!" he jumped back and away as sheswiped at him again, still dazed from his strike. "Didn't Iteach you anything in the Chamber?"
"How about this?" Cell suggested. "A deal. I won'tdestroy this place-so wherever your friend's hiding, they'lllive-but you must surrender yourself to me. Become part of myperfect form." Cell's tail twisted over his head, funnellingout into its full-absorption mode. "What do you say?"
Eighteen was torn. Programming. Obey. Goku's allies are myenemies. Let him die. Save myself. I could make it, with the rightdistraction… the same scene, all of those humans, one afterthe other, putting their lives on the line for her, kept replayingin her mind. "Is that why you killed 19?" Youknow what? Programming can go to hell. "Between you and me,you're all right." Whatever has been done to me, I'm still ahuman being. I have a heart. And I can occasionally do stupid thingsfor the sake of other people. She looked up, trying to keep hervoice level. "Go ahead, Cell. Absorb me. Just don't… don'tkill him."
"Him? Well, that narrows it down to about half the planet'spopulation," Cell joked. "Not that I care. Don't worry. Idon't plan on killing anyone who isn't in the way. I'm abovedraining random weaklings now. Well… let's get on with it."
Raditz pressed forwards with a high kick, but Break ducked underit, slamming both fists into his stomach. He gasped in pain, butrecovered quickly, spinning and bringing his forearm down on theback of her neck, doubling her over. He prepared to deliver anotherblow, but looked up and did a double take. "Damn it, Break!It's too late! He's absorbing Eighteen!" He glared at hisbattle-hungry daughter. "What have you done?"
Perfect
Chapter 30: Perfect
Fun fact (okay, just a fact): Just to change things up, I wasgoing to have Yamcha and Eighteen have a scene together instead ofher and Krillin. But Yamcha was dead at the time, due to me onlythinking of Yamcha's sacrifice at the last minute.
Lightning split the sky as rain poured down onto the battlefield.Cell was laughing maniacally as Eighteen disappeared into hisabsorption-ready tail, while two saiyans looked on-Raditz withhorror, Break with anticipation.
A bright green glow erupted from Cell, completely obscuring hisform. Jagged, electric bolts of power shot up and down as he beganthe metamorphosis to his long-awaited perfect form.
"Break!" Raditz growled. "You've put all our livesin danger out of your bloodthirsty need to fight!" Justlike I noted in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber… it seems her rage onbecoming a Super Saiyan gets worse the higher she ascends… of allthe women on this planet, it had to be the one whose DNA would causethis, didn't it?
Break just grinned. "Come on, Cell. Don't… disappoint me."
The light began to flicker, and flashes of Cell's body could beglimpsed inside. Then, the glow expanded suddenly, growing tounbearable intensity until it could be seen from space, the massivelevels of energy scrambling satellites' instruments and bringingdown communications networks all over the planet.
And with that, it faded. A humanoid figure, shorter than Cell haspreviously stood, was standing in a crater in the ground. The lightfinally vanished, revealing Cell's final form.
He was a little shorter than his first form now, still largerthan any of the others there. He was, as before, mainly green(though now a lighter shade) with black touches, but the orange wasgone, and his features were much more refined, with a human-likeface. He had retained the crown-like structure on his head, and hiswings had returned. Everything about him was smoother, lessmonstrous and more artificial. There were small blue streaks downthe sides of his otherwise light-grey face. He stood still forseveral seconds, silent but for the storm, and then smiled. When hespoke, it was with the refinement of an educated being for whom toneand inflection are nothing less than an art form to be masteredalong with everything else.
"I… am… perfect."
"Hey!" Break flew down to Cell, loudly announcing herpresence and breaking the silence. "This… is perfection?"
Cell slowly turned his head to Break. "That is correct."
"HAH!" She indicated to herself. "Remember… wholet you. You know… what I want."
"Break-" Raditz landed behind her.
"No!" She held a hand out. "Mine!"
He shrugged. Fine. She can have it her way. When she's down,I'll step in-I can probably fight better without that maniac in theway.
Break begin to advance towards Cell, who turned to face her."Fight me," she demanded.
"All right. Have it your way." Cell raised his arms ina peculiar defensive stance, arms fully outstretched, one handresting on top of the other. "You should be honoured-you willbe the first to sample my new power. Care to help me warm up?"
"Not playing… your games, Cell!" She shouted,launching herself at the completed bio-android. So, this is hermaximum! Raditz thought. Just as I thought, she's beentaking it easy so far… her power may exceed mine!
"Very well." Cell spun ninety degrees right as Breakswung past him, angrily twisting and kicking at Cell. He caught herleg in both hands, throwing her away head over heels. "That'squite some power you've got there," Cell told her. "For aninferior life form, that is."
Raditz frowned. Well, there's no doubt he's got Cooler'scells in him…
Break charged back towards Cell, enraged. "Die!" Buther fist swung through empty air. She balanced herself, her headsweeping back and forth. Where'd he go? She froze as a slowclap rang out around them. Slowly, she turned to see Cell standingseveral feet behind her, sarcastically applauding. "Yes, yes.Very well done. Now, I've tested my speed. How about my strength?"He vanished, appearing right in front of Break and landing astraight punch to her stomach before she could even move to defendherself. There was a noise like a mountain being split in two, andBreak folded up and dropped to the ground, hissing in pain."Satisfactory," Cell decided.
Break pulled herself up, gasping for air. "You… rrr…kill you…" she threw an uppercut that crashed into Cell's jawfrom below, but he didn't flinch.
"And endurance is satisfactory as well," Cell said."Thank you very much for helping me assess my perfect form.I'll dispose of you now…"
"How…?" she choked, unable to believe that Cell hadtaken her attack without making any move to defend himself, yetemerged completely unharmed. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't care…how strong… I'll win!"
"Win?" Cell chuckled. "You poor, deluded thing.This isn't a fight . You've helped me warm up, so I've gotno further use for you. Good-bye." Faster than she couldfollow, he kicked at her head, sending her flying away. A distantdust cloud was thrown up as she landed, and then silence fell again,for the few seconds it took Cell to feel for her energy. "Ah…it seems she's still alive," he noted with disappointment. "Isuppose I should have put more power into that attack. Ah, well."He smiled. "What will you do now, Raditz?"
"I'm trying, dad!" Gohan panted, collapsing afteranother day's unsuccessful attempt to transform into a Super Saiyan."I can't do it!"
"I know you can, Gohan." Goku sat down next to his son."You have the power inside you, I'm sure of it. Don't worry,it's not your fault."
"No… it isn't." Gohan sat up, a strange look in hiseyes. "It's yours!"
"Huh?"
"You're always keeping me back, trying to protect me! I'mtired of it! You made me stay home when you went to fight Vegeta!Then I could only go to Namek when I had Bulma, Tien and Yamcha tobabysit me!"
"Uh, calm down, Gohan…" Goku recoiled from hisenraged son. This is a bit sudden… he was calm a minute ago…
"No!" He fumed. "It's why I can't transform! It'swhy I've never been any use when I do fight! I got beaten up bythose saiyans, by Frieza and Cooler-when Kuriza attacked Earth, youlet me stay in bed while you almost died! Then you didn't let mefight the androids-I had to stay home while Mom watched me dohomework!"
"Hey, you're just a kid…"
"Well, what were you doing when you were a kid?Having adventures! If you want me to be a real fighter, you've gotto stop holding me back!"
"Gohan… I'm sorry, I just…"
"No! You don't 'just' anything! I'm not there when you needme, or if I am, I can never help! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" The beastheard the call, and awoke. Golden light burst out of Gohan's body,lifting up his hair and throwing Goku back. He breathed out. Itworked…
Raditz was standing behind Cell, shaking with anger. Drops ofrain slid down his face, the bleak weather seeming to reflect histhoughts. Break really was even more powerful than me… butCell just brushed her off without any effort! I guess I've got toget tactical. I died in that future timeline earlier on, and evenbefore that, I didn't have much reason to train for any particularthreat… that means he won't know anything I've developed over thelast three years. Four, if you count the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"I know I'm outmatched, Cell… but giving up's never reallybeen my way. That girl was blinded by anger, but she's got a goodheart. She's already seen one world devastated by Dr. Gero'screations-I won't let it happen again!" He somersaulted overCell, spinning and throwing a barrage of red energy bullets from onehand. "Blitz Cannon!" Cell jumped into the air to avoidthe attack-he wasn't afraid of being injured, just that the dust itthrew up might get his perfect form dirty-but Raditz had predictedhe'd dodge like that, and threw a second, more concentrated attackup at him. I was never really one for originality-so thanks forthis one, Jeice… "Crusher Ball!" The flickering redsphere arced up towards Cell, but Dr. Gero's ultimate creationsimply stuck out one hand, catching it without any real effort.Almost gently, he closed his hand, crushing it between his fingers."A clever ploy indeed. Futile, of course, but clever." Hefloated back down to the ground, landing with graceful poise.
"That… didn't just happen, did it?" Raditz askedhimself. "He's too much! How am I supposed to beat somethinglike that?!"
"I'm feeling generous today," Cell said. "Achievingmy perfect form has put me in a good mood. I'll give you one morechance to attack me before I retaliate-how does that sound?"
"Hyaah!" Raditz ran straight at Cell, throwing astraight punch that Cell caught easily.
"Is that all? You saw me fighting your daughter, you musthave known a strike like that wouldn't work." Raditz swung hisother hand, and Cell caught that too. "Pitiful…"
"You think so?" Raditz grinned, grabbing Cell by thewrists. "Let me show you something I discovered in theHyperbolic Time Chamber. At first I thought it was an even higherform above Super Saiyan…" He gritted his teeth, lines ofenergy sparking up and down his body. "Haaah… Hrrr…"His muscles bulged out even more than before, and it seemed to betaking all of his concentration just to keep his power undercontrol. His hair became elongated, sticking out in all directionslike a mad, twisting bush. The pupils vanished from his eyes as hecontinued to grow more heavily-muscled, then reappeared as hefinished. "Of course… rrr!… This isn't really a 'form', assuch. I've just bulked up my muscles. The Ascended Super Saiyan formis really the limit of how far you can get just by simple 'poweringup'. Past that, you just add brute strength at the expense of speed…which is why I made sure I had a hold of you before powering up!"Cell's eyes widened as Raditz squeezed the "perfect being"'swrists between his massive fists. "Aargh!" Cell yelped,knowing if this kept up his arms would eventually break. He pushedoff of the ground, kicking Raditz in the head with both feet, and asthe Super Saiyan let go and fell back, Cell backflipped away andlanded upright. He twitched to the side as Raditz's fist slammedinto the ground next to him, throwing out cracks through the Earthfor a mile around.
And now I need speed! Raditz 'relaxed' back into hisAscended Super Saiyan form, kicking up at Cell, who ducked under theattack, elbowing Raditz in the side and bringing him down. Raditzrolled away, trying to ignore the pain.
"Heh heh heh… Well, it seems you do have somefight in you…" Cell said. "Not only do you know how tomake yourself stronger, you know when it's a bad idea to have excessmuscles slowing you down! Impressive! Of course, it's useless wheneven your maximum, 'un-weighted' speed is nothing compared to mine…but I thank you for being a small challenge, however briefly. Ifit's any consolation, when you bulked up, you were stronger than me,at least in terms of physical, 'brute strength' as you put it…"
"But what good does it do if I can't catch you?" Raditzmuttered. "And adding strength just makes me even slower! I'velost!"
"You lost before the battle begun, Raditz," Cell said."Did you ever truly believe you stood a chance against theperfect being? Still… you were surprisingly powerful. How did youaccomplish that so quickly?"
"We just did," Raditz spat. "None of yourbusiness."
"Very well… could you do it again?"
"What?"
"I'll put it in words of one syllable," Cell joked,"then maybe you'll understand. Could. You. Get. Strong. Er. A.Gain?"
"Yes! But we'd need time! I mean, you're probably going toblow up the planet or something…" he paused. "Say, whatis your purpose? Now you've become 'perfect'."
"Well, I'm still going to kill Goku, as Dr. Gero intended,"Cell said. "But after that… I'm not sure. I'll decide soon.However, I do know one thing: this world-this universe-belongs to menow."
"Somebody will stop you," Raditz growled.
"Yes, 16 said that too." Cell shrugged. "I reallydon't know who this 'somebody' is you're all talking about. Isuppose it's in the nature of good-hearted people to be optimistic."
"Good-hearted? Me?" Break had said something similar.Raditz began to wonder… had he truly changed? Even Cell consideredhim a good person… No, that couldn't be right. Cell only thoughtthat because Raditz opposed him. Fighting for good once or twicedidn't erase half a lifetime spent fighting for evil.
"Sorry about that, Dad," Gohan said. He was sittingnext to his father, powered down to normal, breathing heavily. "Ijust realised that I wasn't getting anywhere by trying to 'powerup'-I had to get angry at something, I had to need totransform."
"So…" Goku looked down at him. "You madeyourself angry at me?"
Gohan nodded. "And myself. For not being able to compete inthese battles. I didn't really mean that… well, I did, but not tothat extent."
"Has anyone ever told you that you talk like an adultalready?"
Gohan grinned. "Mom says I'm 'very eloquent'." Hegiggled, and suddenly seemed a child again.
"Hah!" Goku rubbed his growling stomach. "Thatreminds me-we should grab lunch soon."
"What? How does that remind you of food?"
"Well, everything does…" They got up and walked backtowards the living area. "But you thought of a way to turnSuper Saiyan all by yourself? See, I knew you had potential!"
"But back to the point!" Cell announced. "What ifI gave you time? Could you get a lot stronger?"
"If you… gave us time?" Raditz considered this."Well… I guess with a few weeks, we could-"
"Excellent." Cell's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn'twant to leave my perfect form untested-and you, here on Earth, mightbe some of the universe's strongest warriors. You have one week. Ifyou don't face me then, I'll destroy this planet. You'll be able tofind me-I won't bother concealing my power. Now excuse me."
"Excuse you… where are you going?"
"Well, to my chosen battlefield, of course," Cellreplied. "But first, I'm going to steal your Dragon Radar."
"Wait, what-" In an instant, Cell was gone, leavingRaditz to stand in the rain, contemplating his defeat. He spunaround, trying to follow Cell's energy signal. He's moving sofast! If he's capable of that kind of speed, he must have beenholding a whole lot of power in reserve when he fought me! I coulduse Instant Transmission to follow him, but what would I do when Icaught him? He powered back down to his normal state, walkingover to Break's unconscious body. I can feel Nail, Zarbon andKrillin around here, too. I guess I'll need to make several trips toget everybody back-to the lookout, I guess. Still… stealing theDragon Radar? I don't like the sound of that.
Goku stood silently, reaching within himself for the hidden powerhe knew was there. Opposite him, Gohan sat cross-legged,meditating-a skill he'd learned from Goku (who had learned ithimself while training with Kami) and had taken to doing more andmore often in the Chamber-currently trying to maintain the idealstate of 'inner peace' as a Super Saiyan. It was just an idea thathad occurred to him one day, and finding it suitably challenging,he'd applied himself to it wholeheartedly.
"Gohan." Goku called, and Gohan looked up. "I'vefound it!" He shouted with focused effort, transforming firstto Super Saiyan, then going a step further to the Ascended formRaditz and Break had discovered. "All right! Take a look atthis power! Hmm…" He tilted his head one way, then the other."I could go even further, but I think I'd just be slowingmyself down for the sake of more strength… this is about as far asI can power up without losing speed."
Gohan smiled. "You figured that out just now?"
"I've been thinking about this for a while now. To behonest, I could've transformed hours ago-but I wanted to make sure Ihad it just right."
"Okay…" Gohan frowned as Goku began excitedly testinghis new power, throwing punches, kicks and energy blasts thatdetonated with satisfying boom 's, laughing with delightthe whole time. Gohan looked up, then slowly shook his head. "Idon't know, Dad."
Goku stopped. "What do you mean?"
"I mean-you're really powerful, but I'm not sure if that'senough."
"I… still don't follow…"
"Well, it always uses up a lot of energy to transform-andnow, you're having to transform twice. That's quite a lot of wastedpower…"
"Well, I don't know how we get around that. I mean, withouttransforming we don't have enough power to fight Cell… to fight…to, uh…" Goku scratched his head. "Gohan… how longhave you been a Super Saiyan now?"
"Huh?" Gohan blinked. "I'm a… oh yeah, I am. Uh…a few hours, I guess. I lost track of time meditating…"
"And how long could you stay transformed when you firstunlocked Super Saiyan?"
"Not very long. Less than an hour, I think." Gohanlooked curious. "What is it, dad?"
"The problem you pointed out? Wasting energy-plus thispowering-up limit I'm running into… I think you've just solved it,Gohan."
"Oh!" Gohan stood up, running over to his father. "Weneed to practice staying as Super Saiyans for as long as possible,right?"
"That's it! We can make it more natural-less effort. Wewon't waste as much energy when we transform." Goku patted hisson on the head. "Well done. It would have taken me a while tofigure that out on my own-I'd have just been stuck with AscendedSuper Saiyan's limit. At some point, you've got to think beyond justpowering up, I guess." He looked down at his heavily-muscledtransformed body. "Okay." He powered down to his regularSuper Saiyan state. "Let's get started, Gohan. Train asnormal-but stay transformed as long as you can. Got it?"
"Right!"
"And he just took off, faster than anything I've ever seen,"Raditz was saying. He'd taken Nail, Zarbon and Krillin to (formerly)Kami's lookout, before teleporting back to Kame House and bringingthe others as well. Now, assembled on the lookout, they had justfinished listening to Raditz's account of the battle withCell-although Nail and Krillin had told the parts before he arrived.
"So we've failed…" Roshi said gravely. "Cell hasachieved his perfect form… you can't beat him, and you can't powerup any more either… the situation just keeps getting worse."
"Wait! He's coming this way!" Krillin jumped to hisfeet, tensing himself. "You don't think he's coming… up here,do you?"
"No… he's stopped." Break frowned. "Rightunderneath us… what's he doing? He said he'd choose his ownbattleground… but that'd mean…"
Raditz nodded. "Korin Tower-or at least the surroundingarea. I'll go and see what's going on. Stay here and wait for me."
"What if something happens to you?" Lunch protested."Let me or Break go with you!" She'd become very attachedto the girl after finding out she was her daughter.
"What are you going to do? If it comes to a fight, we'vealready lost. I'm hoping to avoid confrontation… he did say he'dgive us a week."
Raditz appeared a few metres from Cell with Instant Transmission,causing Cell to open his eyes, looking slightly bored. "I waswondering if one of you would come along to check on me… I do hopeyou're not looking for a rematch already."
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid."
"I'd disagree."
Raditz ignored this. "Why here?" He indicated the tall,seemingly-impossible architecture of Korin Tower, that stretched upto the sky, towards the lookout.
"I suppose it's fitting." Cell smiled. "So closeto home, as it were. This is where Goku became a true fighter…it's where he rose to greatness. And it's where he'll fall. With therest of you."
"What did you do with the Dragon Radar?"
Cell laughed softly. "Well, stealing it was child's play.With enough speed, the weaklings of this planet won't even noticeyour passing. And all the fighters had left Capsule Corporationunguarded, conveniently enough. Anyway." He indicated thesurrounding area. "After destroying the radar, I stole one ofthe Dragon Balls. They're inert now, of course, since Kami fusedhimself with Piccolo and Nail-and since Nail's a warrior-typeNamekian, he can't create Dragon Balls. It took me quite a while tofind the thing, inactive as it was, but I managed-and why shouldn'tI? Bulma found one entirely by accident in her basement-but Ibrought it here and buried it several miles from here. So, even ifyou find some way to revitalise the Dragon Balls, it won't do youany good. It takes more than a week to build a Dragon Radar, if myinformation is correct, and you can't find the ball without it. Idon't want some troublesome wish stealing away my victory."
"So, I guess we can't bring Tien or Yamcha back until wedefeat you…" Raditz realised.
"Defeat me? Go ahead and try. In a week's time, of course.Go on and train-however it is you increased your strength last time,do it again! I'll be waiting."
Raditz frowned and vanished.
It was the next day by the time the door to the Hyperbolic TimeChamber opened. Goku and Gohan emerged-smiling, orange gi's rippedand torn (Goku had discarded his overshirt, leaving the blue oneunderneath), and at the moment, Super Saiyans. But they seemeddifferent somehow.
"Hey!" Chiaotzu pointed at the emerging pair. "Gohan'sa Super Saiyan!"
"Yes, I expected that… hold on." Raditz peered at thepair. "What's this? Your energy feels… calm. But you're SuperSaiyans. What am I missing?" He noted also that their eyes werea gentler shade of blue, and their hair was less rigid and a lightercolour. In addition, the usual glowing golden aura was absent.
"Well-" Gohan began to explain, but Chi-Chitackle-hugged him to the ground and started fussing over his hair,forcing Goku to take over. "Well," he explained, "youcan thank Gohan-he gave me the idea. Transforming uses a lot ofenergy-and just ascending like you did has a limit."
"Yes, I found that too." Break nodded. "My fatherdidn't quite reach it, but I did. I didn't think it was a problem,though-I felt so powerful, I could have sworn we were invincible. Iguess that fuelled my overconfidence. I…" she turned to walkaway. "I'm sorry, guys. It's my fault. I let him win."
"Don't talk like that!" Raditz stepped in front of her."You weren't in control of your emotions. What happened-it's inthe past. Let it go, all right?"
"You'd do well follow your own advice," she shot back."You still won't admit you're a good person now!"
"That's because I'm not," he growled. "Amoment of folly causing us to lose a battle is one thing. What I'vedone is completely different!"
"You know what, never mind." She held up a hand to tryand end the argument. "I don't have the energy to keep arguingabout this. Goku, continue."
"Okay…" Goku looked from one to the other, shruggingand putting it out of his mind. "So we practiced staying asSuper Saiyans as long as possible-making the transformation moreefficient. In effect, it sort of raised our power base-so we startout higher. It's sort of hard to explain… but it broke rightthrough that limit you got stuck on."
Raditz snorted. "A higher power base, you say? Well, forgiveme for saying this, but your power doesn't feel that high.And it's not like you can suppress your power while transformed… Imean, transforming to increase your power is kind of the opposite ofreducing it to hide…"
"Hehe!" Goku grinned. "That's the point, Raditz!Super Saiyan is now just as easy as our normal form now! So yeah…we can suppress it. Want to see some of our real power?"
Break gulped. "I'm not sure if I do…"
Raditz nodded, stern-faced. "Show me."
Goku looked serious for a second. "Raditz. Move everynon-fighter off the lookout. This is going to get intense."
"Raditz! We need to talk…" Lunch put a hand on hisshoulder. He sighed.
"We will. I promise. But I have to see this, okay?"
"I understand. I know how important it is to you…"she said, "… to be up there with the strongest." Raditzteleported the non-combatants away, and shortly returned. Gohanstood back as Goku took a deep breath. In front of him, watchingintently, stood Raditz, Break, Nail, Zarbon, Krillin and Kuriza.
"All right!" Goku said, exhaling slowly. "I'llshow you about half of my power! Haaaa-AAAAAH!" He screamed, asa golden Super Saiyan aura burst into life around him, powerexploding from his body and shooting out from it. Krillin was sweptstraight off the lookout, as Zarbon clung to the edge by hisfingernails. Kuriza hurriedly transformed into his final form,digging his fingers into the floor to keep himself from being thrownaway. Raditz and Break both transformed to Super Saiyans almost as areflex, using their enormous ki to anchor themselves to the lookout."What?" Raditz hissed. "His power… no way!"
Roshi-standing on the beach of Kame House with the othernon-combatants-flinched as if struck, then turned in the directionof the lookout. "Is that really… Goku? I didn't even knowthat kind of power was possible…"
"HAAAAAH!" Cracks spread out from Goku's feet,spidering throughout the entire lookout's floor. Mr. Popo, theservant genie who attended the place, was currently cowering in acorner inside the main building, believing the lookout to be underattack-nobody remembered to tell him what had gone on until severaldays later.
"That's… enough!" Raditz shouted through the enormousroar of energy. "You'll destroy everything! Goku!"
Goku stopped screaming, and his power died down. "Okay…how was that?"
"That was incredible…" Break said as she and herfather powered down to normal. "That can't be only half yourpower?!"
"Yup!" Goku walked over to Raditz as the othersclambered back up and made their way to them. "What do youthink?"
"Even half of your power is greater than my maximum…"Raditz smiled. "Good for you, Goku. You've come a long way,little brother. In fact, you're even stronger than the power Cellput out when he fought us."
Gohan spoke up. "That's a funny way of saying it… youdon't think it was his full potential?"
"Not even close." Raditz looked grim. "I'd saywhat we sensed before was just a fraction of what he's capable of!Still… if that was only half your power, who knows?" As hespoke, the world seemed to begin to shake. "What the-"
"It's Cell!" Zarbon exclaimed.
"Yeah, you're right," Krillin said, nodding. "He'spowering up too… he must have felt Goku…"
"He took it as a challenge," Goku said grimly, "andthis is his answer…" They continued to observe with theirmind's eyes, struck silent with fear as Cell's energy, far belowthem, continued to climb to unbelievable heights. "No way!"Kuriza cried, as Cell's power passed what they'd previously feltfrom Goku, and kept on climbing (Gohan had taught Kuriza how tosense energy, when requested). "I don't like this!"
Finally, it built to a crescendo, and abruptly vanished-Cell hidhis power even quicker than he'd revealed it.
"That… was insane!" Goku gasped. "That was aboutas high as me at full power-and we have no way of knowing whether hewas still holding anything back or not! His real power could betwice that for all we know!"
"It is troubling…" Raditz nodded. "Come on.We've got a week-let's get back to the others and plan."
"That simple, huh?" Krillin muttered. "I'm tellingyou-we're doomed…"
"Ever the optimist, huh?"
Legendary
Chapter 31: Legendary
"Okay. We've got seven days until the end of the world."Goku was speaking to the entire group, assembled outside Kame House."I'm pretty sure Cell's got us all outmatched. I mean, it's notimpossible that we'll win, but I'll be honest, it's lookingunlikely."
"We should use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber again,"Raditz suggested. "We can improve very quickly in there."
"Well, that's a good idea," Goku replied, "but Idon't think Gohan and I can really benefit anymore by torturingourselves for another year. It's going to provide diminishingreturns-I'm pretty sure this is the full power of Super Saiyan."
"All right…" Raditz shrugged. "If you say so.But Break and I should go in for a second day, to see if we can getup to your level. And I imagine the others will want a chance."
"That's right," Krillin said. "I'm up for it!"
Break sat up straighter. "Okay, so that's sorted. And therest of us, while we're not in the chamber?"
"This may surprise you, but we should just take it easy,"Goku told them. "I mean, seven days isn't enough time to worryabout training in normal time. Let's just try to relax, and enjoywhat time we've got left. And Gohan, we should try and stay as SuperSaiyans the whole time-except for when we're asleep, of course-totry and get as used to the form as possible."
"Well, I suppose that's all right," Chi-Chi said,smiling, "it's not like that hair's going to cause a fuss-heisn't going to school for a while anyway." She laughed despiteherself. "You know, it's funny-it would take the end of theworld for you to finally take a break and spend time with yourfamily!"
"Haha!" Goku grinned. "I guess so. So, have Imissed anything?"
"The Dragon Balls," Nail pointed out. "With Kamigone, they're useless. We could get a new guardian from New Namek?"
"No, not yet." Goku shook his head. "Even if theycan recreate Earth's set, Cell still has one, and we've got noDragon Radar."
Bulma raised her hand to draw attention to herself. "I'llwork on it, but I think Cell's right-it'll take longer than a weekto build. It's really complicated to build from scratch, for such asmall device."
"In that case, don't bother. If we lose, it won't matter-andif we win, you'll have all the time in the world."
"All right then…" she leaned back in her chair. "Youcan't stop me from working completely though, you know. If you canretrieve some parts from those androids that got destroyed, I'll seeif I can analyse them and find a way to weaken Cell, or just plainshut him down."
"You could do that?" Goku's face lit up.
"Won't know until I try!"
"I think that's everything." Goku clapped his hands."So… who's first in the Chamber?"
"Let me," Break said, standing up. "I need to getover my anger when I transform. It's cost us too much already. I'llgo in alone this time."
"Not like that, you don't!" Lunch strode across theroom, standing in front of Break while holding the warrior's youngerself in her arms. Her blonde, aggressive personality tended to giveher a very strong, if a little domineering, mothering instinct."Look at you! Before you spend another year training, you needa change of clothes and a haircut, at the very least."
"How about this?" Bulma fished in her pockets,eventually finding a capsule containing the outfit she'd worn toNamek. Retrieving it, she held it up. "Knew I'd forgotten totake it out of my pockets. It's pretty practical-what do you think?"
"That's great, thanks." Break took it and folded itover her arm, to change into when inside the Chamber. "Oh, anddon't worry about my hair-it's starting to look like Dad's. I likethat."
"Are you sure about this?" Lunch asked. "A year onyour own?"
"I need to do this, okay?" In an instant, she was gone,soaring away through the sky.
"Raditz…" Lunch, having given baby Break to Chi-Chito babysit, walked over to the saiyan fighter, who was staring idlyout to sea.
"Hmm? Oh. Hey, Lunch. You wanted to talk?"
She nodded. "In private. I don't mind where."
"All right…" This sounds serious… He tookher by the arm, spiriting them away with Instant Transmission. Theyappeared on a barren plain, with mountains visible in the distance."This is where I fought Piccolo when I first arrived on thisplanet," he explained. "Is… something the matter? Areyou all right I'm sorry, I'm not very good with all this, uh,sensitive stuff."
"You do just fine," she said, hugging him. "Butit's about what you and Break were talking about."
"Oh… You heard?"
"Uh-huh." She took a deep breath. "Look, I'm notthe 'nice' me right now, so I'll say it plain: you're wrong aboutyourself, Raditz. You're a good person." He opened his mouth toprotest, but she cut him off. "No, I know, I know, don't startabout how many people you've killed. Okay, we know. You were a badperson. You were an awful person. But you were never entirelyevil, were you?"
"What, you think I had redeeming qualities back then?"
"Compared to Vegeta? Frieza? Yes."
"You've never met them. You don't know what you're talkingabout-"
"I know enough!" she snapped, rounding on him. "Stopbeing so self-pitying and move on! You can't change the past! Whatyou've done, that's happened! But this life you've got now-you,personally, have saved the lives of billions of people. Three timesnow, if you include the Namekians, and I do."
"That's nothing compared to how many I-"
"Shut! Up!" She commanded, and he did. "How aboutthis? You became the Super Saiyan. Not a Super Saiyan. TheSuper Saiyan. The first for thousands of years. How did you do that?Righteous anger! You were upset that your brother died! You couldn'thave achieved all that without a good cause!"
"Vegeta's a Super Saiyan, I wouldn't call that righteous-"Yet again, he didn't get to finish his sentence.
"Do I look… like I give a crap… what Vegeta did?!"
"I… guess not…"
"Listen." She stepped closer, pointing her finger rightin his face. "If you were so bad, you wouldn't even care aboutall those people you killed! The fact that you go on and on about itis proof that you've changed! Sure, you might still have urges tokill now and then, but you resist them, don't you?"
"I… hadn't really thought about it like that…" Hewas beginning to come around to her point of view, but hishesitation annoyed her.
"Aargh! You're infuriating!" She unslung a pistol fromher waistband and emptied it into his face in annoyance. It didn'thurt him, of course, but it was a great stress reliever for her.
For the first time in the conversation, he smiled. "I loveit when you do that."
"Shoot you?"
"Yeah. Well, get violent in general. You know, saiyan womenwere found attractive largely because of a propensity for violence,and fierce independence. Sound familiar?"
She grinned. "That explains a lot. But… the other me?"
"I guess…" he scratched the back of his head. "Iguess saiyans aren't perfect. Maybe there's room for gentlerfeeling. I mean, I live here, right? I don't know… There'ssomething about humans."
She laughed, stepping closer. "C'mere, and I'll show you athing or two about humans…"
Several minutes later, they lay a few feet apart, panting. Thegrass was scorched and burned away for a metre or so aroundthem-small fires still burned on the edge of the blackened circle.Lunch rolled over to face Raditz. "So, you were saying aboutviolence… physicality…"
He laughed softly. "Sometimes I wonder if you're just asaiyan in a human body…"
"Though I wish…" she trailed off.
"Wish what?"
"Ah, never mind."
"No, what was it?"
"Well… you know, I'm always tackle-hugging you, shootingyou, all that, but you have to be so gentle with me…"she pouted. "'Cause I'm just a fragile little human."
"Hey, now don't talk like that!" he propped himself upon one elbow. "I happen to like being gentle occasionally. Ispend the rest of my life fighting, I need a break every now andthen."
"That's a lie." This was a simple statement, not aquestion.
He sighed. "Okay, yes. Fighting-action-I never get tired ofit. Sometimes I wish you were a little… tougher." He realisedthe potentially offensive implications of what he'd said. "Well,not like-I mean, in a sense you're tougher than me, as in character,but… you know, physically…" he finished lamely.
She nodded slowly. "It's okay. I wish that too." Then,struck by an idea, she sat up. "Okay. I'm gonna get stronger,then."
"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! We know plenty of tough humans! Tien, Krillin,Yamcha, plus a few others. There's no reason I can't be every bit asstrong as those guys."
"You still wouldn't be on an equal footing with me…"He sat up next to her, looking with admiration into her eyes. "It'sjust biological. I'm from a race of alien warriors."
"Who said anything about equal?" She asked mockingly."I just want to get a bit closer to where you are! So you couldaccidentally tap me without taking my head off, for instance."
He weighed this up in his head. "All right… sure. I'lltrain you if you want, toughen you up. But let's wait until afterCell's beaten… if he's beaten. We might only have a fewdays left-let's just enjoy them, okay?"
When Break emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Raditz waswaiting for her, alone and wearing a fresh combat outfit (theprevious one had gone through a years' training, as well as thebattle with Cell). He noted with growing interest that she was aSuper Saiyan-it looked like her transformation had undergone thesame change as Goku and Gohan's, although occasionally there was asmall flicker of power and a tiny golden flash from herotherwise-invisible aura, implying that there was still uncheckedpower within that she was just barely keeping a lid on. Bulma's lentoutfit was in tatters, despite the supposedly less harsh nature oftraining to achieve this 'form', and there were slowly-healingscratches dotting her body, like some kind of animal had clawedher-had she done this to herself? What had she put herself throughin there? "Break?" he asked. "Are you…"
She smiled, though it seemed somewhat strained. "I'm fine."
"You have full control?"
She narrowed her eyes. "I said I'm fine! I've… tamed thebeast. It wasn't easy. If you're going next, uh, there's a bit ofdamage to the living area." She walked over to him. "Comparedto 'calming down', the rest was easy. Heh… my hair really doeslook like yours now."
"It looks good," he said. "Now… like youguessed, I'm going in next. I need to get this over with."
"You sure about going in alone? I mean, you asked me thesame thing, but…"
"Anything three other saiyans can do, I can. Don't worry.It's figuring out the trick that's the hardest part-and my brotherdid that for me. I'll manage it." He headed for the door.
"Good luck!" she called after her father.
"Wow," he muttered, shaking his head as he lookedaround the Chamber, "she wasn't kidding about making a mess ofthe place! Girl had some serious anger-management issues…" Hekicked some rubble out of his way. "Well, no time like thepresent."
Krillin, talking to Bulma on the phone, groaned. "I'm sorry,please say that again. I must have heard you wrong, because itsounded like you said that Cell is on television." There was achatter from the other end of the line, and the other occupants ofKame House's main room strained to listen as Krillin answered. "Oh.Oh. And he's giving… an exclusive… interview. To ZTV news. Ofcourse. For a second there, I was expecting the world to actuallymake sense. How silly of me." He hung up, turning to MasterRoshi. "Roshi… turn on the TV."
"But what-"
" Turn on the damn TV !"
"All right, all right…" Roshi hopped over to thetelevision set, switching it on. Bulma had been telling the truth.Cell- the Cell, the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, theself-prophesised terror of mankind, was giving ZTV news an exclusiveinterview.
"So, Mr. Cell-"
"Just Cell, thank you," the bio-android corrected. Thescene was surreal-the otherworldly Cell was standing in the familiardaily news studio, talking to the familiar daily news anchor. Therewas a crumbling, smoking Cell-sized hole in the opposite wall.
The interviewer continued speaking. "Er, Cell-you displayedsome kind of superhuman strength getting in here. Can you explainthat to our audience?"
Cell smiled. "Hmm. Typical of the masses of humanity-to notunderstand even the most basic form of energy control. You could alldo it, if you knew how-though, of course, not nearly to the extentthat I can…"
"And you say you're here to challenge the human race?"
"That's right." Cell nodded. "I hereby declare waron humanity! He stood up. "Send your war machines, send yourarmies, send your greatest fighters, and I will face them all! Thetime of battle will be in five days. I throw down the gauntlet toyour world! Don't disappoint me. If you fail to defeat me, I'lldestroy this entire planet. I'm not too attached to it." Hevanished, flying away with speed far faster than the human eye couldfollow, or the cameras could record.
"Well… that was unique…" the anchor said slowly,when he had calmed down. "I've got nothing to add, really. Uh…here's Ann with the weather."
Ann shrugged. "I was kind of excited about this one. Perfectsunny week, tidal wave up North. But, you know what, nobody caresnow. An evil bug robot just declared war on humanity. You've got mebeat. In fact, if the world is going to end, I quit. Bye." Shewalked off of the screen, much to the bemusement of the televisionstation, and Roshi turned the TV off.
"This is bad," he said. "Anybody who had a chanceagainst Cell already knew."
"The world's nations are gonna send their armies in,"Lunch observed, "and they're gonna get slaughtered."
Krillin sighed. "Hopefully they'll at least wait five days…"
Raditz too managed to master the Super Saiyan form completely, orso it seemed. It would be impossible to tell to quite what extentthe four saiyans had perfected the form to until the actual battlewith Cell, when they could all power up and cut loose. Maintainingit during training was one thing-in battle was quite another. Assoon as he left the Chamber, Nail entered. The days began to passuneventfully, and they noted Nail had emerged significantlystronger-around the level of Cell's second form, perhaps a littlemore. It was shortly after Zarbon and Krillin had begun their turninside the mystical room that the next notable event occurred.
The entire group met almost every day now, usually at CapsuleCorp. One of these gatherings was underway, when an enormous noisewas heard overhead. All heads turned to the sky, to see a largespaceship arcing down towards them. Bulma tapped a button on herscouter, activating its communication function. "Hey, Dad, youin the lab?"
"Of course," Dr. Brief replied, "I'm just helpingalong that anti-Cell project you're working on."
"Ah, you're the best! But some kind of ship is about toland, didn't it show up on the scanners?"
"No…" Within the building, the scientist peered outof the window. "Well, I'll be damned. Right on our doorstep,without so much as a beep from our sensors. Must be verywell shielded-I designed those sensors myself, you know."
They all turned to face the ship as it landed, its impressivepropulsion system not even so much as rippling the grass. The hatchslid open, folding down and forming a ramp down which severalmilitary-looking types, clad head-to-toe in obscuring body armour,marched. They didn't carry weapons, and with good reason-they hadpower levels comparable to that of Frieza and Cooler's elitesoldiers. The fighters tensed, hoping they were ready for anything.
The soldiers formed two lines on the ramp, and between themdescended a man who appeared to be their leader. He was of averageheight, with untidy black hair and a thick moustache. There was ascar running over one of his eyes, and he wore aheavily-personalised, dark green version of the armour Frieza'ssoldiers used to wear-so customised it almost looked to Raditz likethe ridiculous outfits the inhabitants of Yardrat had worn,accompanied by a white cape slung over one shoulder. His power wasslightly higher than the soldiers', but his ki signature wasunmistakeable.
"He's a saiyan," Goku muttered. As he said this, theynoticed the tail curled belt-style around his waist.
"Greetings," the saiyan said. "It has taken me along time to find you-does anyone know where I might find… I…where… wha…" his eloquent speech broke down into a haltingstutter.
"Uh… hello?" Goku stepped over to him and waved ahand in his face. "Are you okay?" This simple movementraised the ire of the ever-alert soldiers, who instantly moved tosurround Goku, each raising a hand and forming a threatening ball ofenergy around it, all of them pointing at the fighter's head.
"Okay, put 'em down," Raditz warned. "You do notwant to start this. Not with him."
The soldiers remained silent and stationary, until the mysterioussaiyan came out of his trance. "Uh… at ease, men! Right now!"The soldiers withdrew, resuming their previous positions. "You'reblind if you think you'd stand a chance against someone like him,even all together!" He wiped his brow nervously. "Iapologise. My name is Paragus. Greetings, my fellow saiyans."
"I didn't think any more of us survived planet Vegeta'sexplosion," Goku said.
"Indeed-I myself thought I was the only survivor,"Paragus told them, "until I heard word that the entire Coldfamily had fallen-at the hands of a mighty golden warrior, a SuperSaiyan. This was truly amazing news, so I followed up any and allleads I could find-my search was a long one, and almost completelyfruitless. Finally, I followed King Cold's path to his demise-to aplanet called Earth. I expected to find only traces of your passing,but it seems you've elected to stay here."
"It is one of the finest worlds in this galaxy," Raditzanswered levelly. "I would not trade it for Frieza's entireempire."
"I see…" Paragus ignored this. "I apologiseagain for my earlier amazement, but your appearance…" TheSuper Saiyans were all, of course, transformed. "I was underthe impression that there was only one Super Saiyan. Whichof you destroyed the Cold family?"
"Er…" Goku scratched his head. "Well, it's kindof complicated. Cooler killed Frieza, then Raditz killed Cooler,then Cooler came back with King Cold, and Break killed both of them,and then Frieza came back, and Raditz killed him, and then Kurizacame along, and I fought him, but I guess I sort of… reformedhim." All throughout this explanation, he was pointing atRaditz, Break, Kuriza and himself. He was going to start explainingthe whole alternate timeline and the android situation, when Paragusinterrupted.
"The spawn of Frieza lives?" he growled, noticingKuriza. I'll kill it quickly, before it transforms! Heprepared to hurl a quick-charging green energy beam. "This isfor our race, you monster!"
However, Goku caught his arm before he could launch the attack,holding it in an unbreakable grip with no effort at all. "Let'sget something straight," he said in a low, unusually menacingvoice. "These people are my friends. No matter what race theyare, or what they've done in the past, or who they're related to."He put a tiny bit of energy into his hold, and it felt to Paraguslike his arm was being crushed between planets. "If you harmany of them, there will be no escape for you. I will hunt you to theend of the universe. Are we clear?"
Paragus nodded, letting out a small whimper. Goku smiled. "Good."He noticed that the soldiers were again threatening him. Loyal,but stupid, I guess. An invisible wave of force, preciselytargeted so as not to touch Goku, Paragus or the ship, knocked eachsoldier senseless individually, their armoured bodies clattering asthey dropped to the ground. Goku looked around in annoyance. "Thatwasn't necessary! They were no threat!"
Raditz shrugged. "What? They were getting on my nerves!"
A few minutes later, things had calmed down a bit. The soldierswere piled up inside the ship, and Paragus was sitting oppositethem, massaging his arm and sipping a glass of juice Mrs. Brief hadforced into his hands. "Do any of you know where I would findPrince Vegeta?"
Raditz's nose wrinkled. "Vegeta? Left him on some planet inthe middle of nowhere a couple of years ago, after we fought on newNamek. Haven't seen him since." He sighed. "He's probablytraining to get stronger than us…"
Paragus' face registered a brief moment of shock, but heimmediately covered it up "You… fought with the Prince?"He hesitated, but his warrior's instinct compelled him to ask. "Whowon?"
"Ah, so you are a true saiyan after all!" Raditzgrinned. "It looked like an even match-he was slightly superiorin strength, and I had some unique techniques-but Frieza interruptedour battle, and I was forced to knock Vegeta out during the eventsthat followed. That was the last time I saw him."
Paragus nodded. "Well, let me tell you a little bit about mymission. I have discovered a planet I have declared the New PlanetVegeta. It is the perfect place to begin a new saiyan empire! Justpicture it!"
"I don't see what's so-" Goku began, but Raditz elbowedhim in the ribs, telepathically growling at him, Play along!You're a saiyan! Act like one! "-uh, that sounds great!"He forced a smile.
"Exactly. With Frieza and his forces gone, the former empirein disarray, now is the perfect time for us to seize power! And withthe might of the Super Saiyans, none can stand before us!" Hepaused, with just a touch of dramatic flair. "Well… almostno-one. There is a great and powerful force in the universe. It hasalready devastated many star systems, and is moving towards my newplanet Vegeta."
All four of the other saiyans and half-saiyans leaned a bitcloser, eager to hear of this powerful force-even, not entirelyconsciously, Gohan. "What is it?" Break asked, a smilecreeping onto her face.
"The Legendary Super Saiyan, a being of enormous power, andbloodthirsty madness to match," Paragus answered. "Havingheard vague stories of his rampage, and seen somewhat shaky (due tobeing transmitted through half-broken scouters) footage of the Coldfamily's demise, most believe him to be the very same that wipedthem out. Of course, you're all living a relatively peaceful lifehere-"
"I'd dispute that," Bulma muttered. "We've gottroubles here on Earth too, you know."
"-a relatively isolated life, then," Paraguscontinued with a hint of irritation, but since Goku's warning he hadbeen trying his best to remain civil towards them, "so thismonster cannot be any of you."
"Vegeta?" Nail suggested.
"I'm afraid not," Paragus replied. "You see, avery few manage to survive and escape this saiyan's rampages, and aneven smaller number catch a glimpse of the beast himself. I have metwith some of these, and from their description I can assure you thathe is not Vegeta. In fact, I first thought it was he who'ddestroyed the frost demons, and was hoping for his aid-but obviouslyI was wrong."
"I see… let me guess." Raditz stood up. "Yousaid this Legendary Super Saiyan's path is taking him towards yournew home planet. You want us to defend it."
"That's about right. Will you?" He gave a pleadinglook. "Think of the future of our race! This raging monster isa disgrace to our line of proud warriors-we, the truesaiyans, must emerge victorious."
"Hmm…" Goku came to a decision. "All right!Let's do it!" The lure of a true challenge was irresistible.
"Wait, what?" Nail looked incredulous. "You can'tbe serious."
"Sure I can! There's still time to heal after this beforethe battle with Cell, don't worry. Plus, this'll be a good test ofour new power, right?"
"I guess…" Gohan clearly wasn't sure. "But whoshould go?"
"How about just the fighters we've got here?" Gokuindicated the group. "Us four Super Saiyans, and Nail."
"Hey, what about me?" Kuriza asked, pouting.
Goku patted the young frost demon on the shoulder. "Well, nooffence, but if this guy really is a Super Saiyan, then he's way outof your league. I mean, you've come a long way, but you're still noteven at your father's level."
"Aww, okay…" Kuriza shuffled off.
"All right, then it's decided!" Goku marched up theboarding ramp, followed by Raditz, Break, Gohan and Nail. "Hey,I wonder if there's a fridge around here somewhere…"
"Hey!" Came a familiar voice. Chi-Chi was stomping upto the ship, venting anger. "Hold it right there! You can'tjust go running off to have a battle in space now-especially not with my baby boy!" Just as she was about toboard the ship and drag Gohan out by his ear, the hatch slammed shutand the ship took off with explosive force. "One day, Goku!"she yelled after it. "One day you'll learn that life isn't allabout having adventures!"
Roshi shook his head. "No… I don't think he will."
Goku looked over at Raditz. "You flickered for a secondthere. Did you-"
"Run at full speed into the cockpit and instruct the ship totake off early? Yes, but don't tell your wife."
Goku laughed out loud. "Don't worry! We're going to be inenough trouble as it is…" He looked around, one way and thenthe other. But I could have sworn I heard… no, never mind.Distracted by Chi-Chi as they were, they'd failed to notice a smallwhite-and-red blur zipping into the ship at the last second.
"The journey will take a few hours, my noble companions,"Paragus said, bowing deeply and turning to head up to the ship'sbridge. "Please, make yourself welcome, there are adequatefacilities."
"All right!" Goku rubbed his hands together, skippingoff towards the canteen. "Hey, chef!"
"Eh?" The chef, a light brown creature with eight armsof varying length and thickness, looked with a disinterested eye atthe excited saiyan, who licked his lips at the sight of theexquisite array of food on offer.
"I'd like some of that… no, wait, that looks nice… ooh,is that… hmm…" Goku snapped his fingers. "I know! I'lljust have one of everything. Or maybe two of everything… yeah,that'll do-for a first course, anyway…"
Raditz shook his head. Some things never change. Hewalked off to inspect the ship, and Break and Nail trailed afterhim, leaving Gohan on his own. Sort of. There was a bump behind awall, and he peered through a wall-mounted grille, only to seeKuriza, curled up in a ball and hiding in the ventilation shaft."Kuriza? You snuck on?"
"Yeah!" Kuriza grinned. "Soon as I learnt tocontrol energy, I practiced real hard! Nobody can sense me if Idon't want 'em to!" He suddenly looked nervous. "You won'ttell that I'm here, will you? I don't want to get in trouble…"
Gohan gave a conspiratorial wink. "Don't worry. I won't saya word-I wouldn't do that to my best friend." He hesitated."I've got to go. If someone sees me talking to the wall,that'll look kinda suspicious. Just… be careful. This guy might bereally strong, okay?"
"Okay!" Kuriza crawled away, disappearing into theblackness of the tunnel as he headed off to explore the rest of theship. Gohan stood up straight and strolled off to join hisfather-partly to see if he'd left any food at all for the rest ofthem. He could tell the others weren't afraid, but he was deeplyworried-this mysterious, unkown enemy was out there somewhere.Another Super Saiyan. Gohan could almost feel his presence in theirfuture, looming like a shadow over the voyage. He didn't know why,he simply had a terrible feeling of foreboding about the comingbattle.
Paragus stood on the bridge, a cunning smile crossing his face.This has been somewhat unexpected. Instead of my intendedtarget, I've encountered a group of renegades… traitors, even.Fighting other saiyans, letting their enemies live, harbouring theson of Frieza, living in harmony with the lower creatures…however, they're all Super Saiyans. That could prove troublesome. Nomatter. There's no way their power can exceed his. He'lldeal with them-and then no-one will stand between me and my ultimaterevenge on Vegeta…
KAKAROT
Chapter 32: KAKAROT
All was silent as Paragus' ship gently touched down on thesurface of New Planet Vegeta. The hatch slid open, settling to theground as a boarding ramp. Paragus was first out, followed closebehind by Goku, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement.Raditz and Nail were the next to leave the ship, followed byBreak-feeling somewhat uncomfortable in her civilian clothes. A yearin the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had done for her previous outfit,Bulma's semi-armoured suit she'd worn to Namek, so Break hadborrowed the closest fit from Bulma's day-to-day wardrobe-a redhalter top and orange shorts with pink shoes and purple socks. Notexactly a fighting outfit, but Raditz's were all custom-made forhim, and he was a good amount taller than Break. Of course, Breakhadn't actually been planning on doing any fighting for another fewdays-this had snuck up on them. It wasn't so much of a problem forGoku, Raditz and Nail, who always wore their fighting outfits, andGohan generally kept his Turtle School gi in a capsule about hisperson. Break felt a little out of place, but her Super Saiyanappearance gave her some confidence.
Gohan was the last out of the ship, other than the two lines ofsoldiers who marched after the group, trying not to look at Raditz(who had previously knocked them out with minimal effort). "Please,follow me," said Paragus, pointing to a tall building in thedistance. "My palace is that way-" as soon as the wordshad left his mouth, there were five small explosions of sound as his'guests' shot off through the air towards it. Grumbling, he took offafter them, followed by his soldiers, who flew in perfect formation.This new generation… Paragus thought. So impetuous.Not like me. For all these years I've waited, biding my time… Iwon't let them ruin everything! He sped up, chasing the fivevisitors to his planet.
Goku jumped around the palace, skidding through corridors,running up and down stairways, peering out of windows. "Whereis he? Hey, Legendary Super Saiyan! Come here so I can fight you!"
"Idiot." Raditz dragged Goku back downstairs to meet upwith Paragus. "He said the Legendary Super Saiyan willbe here soon. We're going to wait for him."
"Aw, but that's boring!" Goku frowned. "And wehave to be back on Earth in time to fight Cell…"
"Don't worry. Now I know where this planet is in relation toEarth, I can return with Instant Transmission any time."
"Oh, okay." Goku turned as Paragus and his troopslanded. "Hey, Paragus! So when do you think this LegendarySuper Saiyan will arrive?"
"I am not sure." Paragus shrugged. "Based on hisprevious movements, within the next few days."
"Hmm… why don't we just go and fight him now?"
"By the time we tracked him down and got there, he'd havealready moved on," Paragus explained. This didn't quite seem tomake sense to Goku, but he shook his head and put it out of hismind.
"Hey, who's that?" Break pointed to a newcomer, who wasjust emerging from a passage in the palace.
"Oh, that's Broly," Paragus told them, "my son.I'm ashamed to say he's never been much of a warrior." Broly'spower certainly wasn't very impressive-something like the saiyans'when they'd attacked Earth (of course, this was quite powerful bysome standards, but not the Super Saiyans', and evidently notParagus' either)-and he had an unimposing appearance. He stoodslightly shorter than Goku, and had scruffy black shoulder-lengthhair (hardly unexpected, for a saiyan) and a dull, lifelessexpression on his face. He wore baggy white pants with a red sash,with gold wristbands, armbands, belt, collar and a matching smallchestplate, all studded with dark blue jewels.
"Oh, uh… hey! Hello!" Break waved at Broly, whoremained unresponsive, acknowledging her comment with a glancebefore his eyes flitted away again.
"Break!" Raditz hit her jokingly on the head. "Stopstaring at the shirtless kid!" He turned to Paragus. "Notmuch of a talker, is he?"
"No…" Paragus shook his head. "A bit of a waste,really. Neither strong or smart. I honestly don't know what to dowith him… hmm?" He looked over at Broly, who was gritting histeeth and staring at Goku, his eyes narrowing.
"Kakarot…" Yes, the hair was different, but this wasdefinitely him, after all these years… Kakarot. "Kakarot… " A faint green aura appeared around Broly, andhis power began to rise rapidly. Soon it was almost as high asParagus', but Broly's father acted quickly. He raised a hand, thestrange gauntlet-like device he wore glowing brightly, and the gemon the younger saiyan's forehead began to glow with the same light.Instantly, Broly relaxed, his power dropping and his face becomingcalm again. "Broly! That's enough!" Paragus hissed. Brolyturned and slowly shuffled away down the corridor, and Paraguslowered his hand. "I apologise." He spoke directly toGoku. "I believe when you were infants on planet Vegeta, youwere in the bed next to his… apparently, you cried incessantly,and this… disturbed Broly. Formative experiences tend to magnifyin significance with the passing of time, and he bears someresentment towards you. I will discipline him-this won't happenagain." He turned and strode off.
"That does sound like me," Goku laughed, "causingtrouble even back then… but wow, way to hold a grudge. He musthave great memory…"
"Yes, very funny." Raditz motioned to the others tolisten. "But in all seriousness, something doesn't add up here.Paragus must know Broly's power is as great as his own, maybehigher-I'm sure what we saw just now wasn't all of it. So why wouldhe pretend Broly's weak? And furthermore, this whole Legendary SuperSaiyan thing." He pointed his thumb off towards the directionParagus had left in. "Surely there's a closer world we can goto, and intercept him sooner? Less people will die that way."
"I guess Paragus doesn't care about that," Breaksuggested. "He just wants to protect his precious "newsaiyan empire". Two whole saiyans. Not really an empire."
"True…" Raditz nodded. "That's anothersuspicious thing. I mean, how many saiyans are left in the galaxy?Five, and two half-humans. Most of them wouldn't accept his rule, oranyone's for that matter. Though I guess if offered a leadingposition Vegeta might accept…"
"Well, whatever." Goku stood up straight. "We'llgive it a couple of days, okay? I'm sure you're just worrying aboutnothing. There's five of us-we can handle one Super Saiyan. And evenif Paragus is up to something, any one of us could take him, his kidand his whole army without breaking a sweat. So don't worry."He sprinted off. "I'm gonna go explore this place!" Wow,a palace! Cool! I wonder if there's a larder around here…
Paragus sat in his chambers, deep in thought. I had thiswhole elaborate charade set up for Vegeta… the supposed empire,the fake 'new planet Vegeta'… the comet, set to strike and destroythe planet 24 hours from now… the back-up plan, my ace in thehole… I was certain he was on Earth! Who else could have beenemitting that Super Saiyan energy? But now I have to deal with theseclowns first… and start my search for Vegeta anew! All of my work…He stood up, opening the door and heading off down thecorridor. The plan, the charade can go hang! Vegeta may be anobject of my personal vengeance, but at least he's an honourablesaiyan warrior! These fools are… they're kind-hearted!Soft! He threw open Broly's door. Enough playing around.Sometimes you have to do things the old-fashioned way. "Broly!"
His son looked up. "Father… I… K-Kakarot…"
Paragus grinned. "Yes, Kakarot. How would you like to killhim?" Broly's face lit up. "I thought so. Just don'tforget the others. And be careful-we'll need to keep this planetintact if we're going to escape. Now, go. Show them what it means tobe a true saiyan."
Goku ambled along the passage, meeting up with Nail at anintersection. "I've been searching for ages, and there isn'tany food around here!" He moaned, dispirited.
"Ages? It's been less than an hour, Goku." Nail shookhis head-as a Namekian, from a race which only drank water, thesaiyans' immense appetites never failed to amaze him.
"Yeah, well-" A blur of movement catapulted through thewall, carrying Goku of through the opposite wall in a cloud ofpulverised masonry.
"Why does everything we do have to end like this?" Nailmuttered.
Goku kicked away from his attacker, landing in the forest beneaththe palace's plateau on both feet and shaking his head to clear thedizziness. "Uh… Broly?" The mysterious saiyan stoodopposite him, shaking with anger. "Kakarot… ! Kill… you!"
"Hey, that's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Gokuducked as Broly swung at him, grabbing Broly by his attacking armand throwing him into the dirt. His power's increased-it'd be inthe millions on the scouter's scale. Just how strong is he?Growling, Broly launched himself back up at Goku, who sidesteppedand knocked Broly away with a backhand.
Paragus, watching from above, frowned. He's losing… hetapped a setting on his gauntlet, the light fading a little. I'lllet him use a little more power.
Broly breathed deeply, then let out a low growl. He suddenlyseemed to grow a little taller as his body filled out, his hairstanding up on end and changing to a dark blue colour. A blue-purpleaura sprang to life around him. "What the-" Goku quicklyraised his arm to block a lightning-fast punch. Is he a SuperSaiyan? If so, why's his hair blue and not gold? Well, I should beable to handle it. He's only about as strong as I was when I foughtKuriza… but then again, it's still going up… He continuedto block Broly's mad attacks, walking steadily backwards.
Three large ki signatures signalled the arrival of Gohan, Breakand Nail. "Hey, Dad!" Gohan called. "You need anyhelp?"
"Nah, I've got this," Goku told him. "His powerkept growing, but now it's topped out at around 17 and 18's level.Where's Raditz?"
Break shrugged. "He said he had an idea. I guess he'll behere soon."
"I wouldn't worry," Goku said. "Broly heresurprised me, but his speed isn't up to mine. Here, I'm gettingtired of this." He aimed low, punching Broly in the stomach,following up with a high kick to his chin. To his surprise, thestrange Super Saiyan didn't flinch. "Eh?" Gokusomersaulted away, dodging another swipe from Broly. "Careful,guys-his strength and endurance are much greater than his ki orspeed would imply…"
Broly stalked towards Goku, grinning. "Die…"
"Not if that's the best you've got!" Goku readiedhimself for battle. "What's this all about, anyway?"
"Rrr…" Broly stopped all of a sudden. His head turnedslightly to look up at the palace, then back to Goku. A smile creptacross his face. "Rrr… Grr… RAAAH!" Energy explodedout of him, throwing the fighters back.
"What?!" Goku complained. "You mean that stillwasn't his full power? What is he?" Broly's headband,previously glowing with the controlling red light emitted fromParagus' gauntlet, had gone dark for some reason. Without this,there were no limits on Broly. "AAAH!" He screamed as hisaura blazed around him, the ground shaking beneath his thunderoustread as he began to advance again. Lightning wracked the sky, andBroly's scream became a laugh. "A-hahahaaa! HAHAHA!"
"What is he doing?" Nail hissed. "He's strongerthan me now, that's for sure… of course, Goku hasn't used his fullpower yet since he came out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Let'shope it's enough…"
Broly's power-limiting metal headband finally shattered, andbright blue and purple light seemed to emanate from inside him. Itbuilt to unbearable brightness, until it seemed to much for his bodyto contain, and Broly appeared to simply blow apart from the insideout, energy bursting out of his body in all directions.
"Wait… Did he just kill himself?" Gohan stared intothe light as it began to fade. "No, he's still in there! It'slike he just… discarded a shell… this isn't good." Thetransformation reminded him of Kuriza's, as if it was revealingBroly's true form within.
Broly now stood higher than any of them, his muscles huge,rippling and contorting up and down his body-he was wider fromshoulder to shoulder than some of them were tall. His hair wasstanding up even further on end now, and had a sickly green hue. Aviolent green-gold aura burned around him. His ki wasenormous-easily dwarfing any of theirs.
Though scared, Break was not unappreciative. "Hmm, and Iforgot to bring my camera…"
"Break!" Came a voice from above. "What did I tellyou?!" Raditz landed next to her. "Sorry I'm late. Idecided to beat a few answers out of Paragus when I felt youfighting. Be careful-this whole thing's a trap! Broly's really theLegendary Super Saiyan!"
Goku groaned. "Yeah, I kind of guessed that." Heindicated the transformed monster. "I mean, either that or he'sbeen taking steroids like nobody's business… did you find outanything useful?"
"Well, he told me he was using his gauntlet thing to controlBroly and keep his power in check…"
"Ah! Then we just have to-"
"… after I destroyed it."
"Ah."
Raditz shrugged as Nail and Break glared at him. "Sorry! Itlooked important and the bad guy had it! What did you expect me todo?"
"A-hah!" Break pointed triumphantly at Raditz. "Soyou admit you're not the 'bad guy'!"
"Excuse me." Broly was surprisingly lucid in hisLegendary Super Saiyan form, aside from constantly emittingunintelligible growls. "I hate to interrupt, but… heh… no.Actually, I'd love to."
"Well, that's just rude-" Broly's fist slammed intoGoku, knocking him away through the air.
"Hey!" Raditz charged Broly from the side, but thegiant fighter just grabbed him right out of the air, throwing himback up into the palace. Break ran up from behind, her stomachmeeting Broly's elbow in mid-air, flooring her. Nail ran at him, anenergy blast detonating harmlessly on Broly's back, serving only toalert the saiyan of the Namek's attack. Broly swung around, kickingNail's legs out from under him.
"Leave them alone!" Gohan shouted, standing right infront of Broly, his guard raised. Break and Nail jumped to theirfeet and stood next to him. "All right, attack him together!"Nail instructed them. Broly ran at them, his slow loping gaitleaving craters where he stepped. There was a flash of gold, andGoku and Raditz appeared behind him, punching simultaneously andcausing Broly to stagger sideways, missing the three others. "Let'sshow each other how much we've improved, all right?" Raditzsaid confidently.
"Yeah!" Gohan answered, and the five warriors poweredup simultaneously, rocking the planet with their combined power."Yaaah!" They leapt at Broly from all sides, and he justsmiled. "That's right, try everything you can! I want this tobe fun!" He dodged around their charge, smashing Raditz to theground and turning to the others. Nail, displaying a little-usedNamekian ability, stretched out one of his arms, extending it tomany times its normal length, using it to trip Broly at the ankle,unbalancing him long enough for Goku to fly in under his guard andland a solid two-footed kick to his chest. Broly skidded back,grunting with annoyance, but instantly recovered, standing upstraight and charging back at them.
"This way!" Raditz shouted, flying back up towards thepalace. The other four followed him, Broly in pursuit. They landedon the rooftops and spires of the gigantic building, dodging backand forth as Broly's attacks smashed huge holes into it.
Paragus, beaten and bloody from Raditz's interrogation, staggeredto his feet, painfully managing a run as chunks of rubble began tofall from the ceiling. "That fool… he's destroyed the onlything that can control Broly! There's no helping it now… I'll justhave to leave. The comet will hit the planet, as planned… andBroly will die with the rest of them. It's for the best…" hereached the main exit as soldiers and technicians streamed past him."Yes, I'll still have my revenge on Vegeta… but now I won'thave to worry about these idiots. All it'll take is a littleplanning…"
Raditz caught Broly's punch, the impact driving him down insidethe collapsing building. He grunted, freed a hand and punched back,Broly mockingly copying his block with much less effort. "Heh…Cell made the same mistake!" Raditz said, powering up past hisnatural maximum and bulking himself up further until he was almostas muscular as Broly. "With this extra strength, at closequarters like this, I have the advantage!" He began to pushBroly back, but the Legendary Super Saiyan's look of surprisequickly changed to mild amusement. His aura intensifying, Brolypushed back, and Raditz realised with horror that he was stillweaker than this terrifying enemy. Even Cell wasn't this strong!Broly shoved Raditz away, tossing a flickering green energy blastafter him that exploded on impact, throwing Raditz further back.
Broly jumped back up to the crumbling rooftops, kicking Goku inthe side and causing him to crash painfully into a twisted spire,the impact jarring against his ribs. Gohan jumped up fromunderneath, using the element of surprise and punching Broly squarein the face. As they were beginning to expect now, it had no effect,and Broly threw Gohan away into the air, then appeared above him,grabbing him in both hands and soaring back down towards the palace.The ensuing piledriver levelled the entire palace in a clatter ofbreaking rock. When the dust cleared, Gohan was lying half-buried inthe dirt, at the bottom of a vast, deep crater. Broly stood on theedge, grinning as he looked down at his battered young foe.
"That's my son you're beating up!" Goku yelled, landingbehind Broly. "Try this-KA… ME… HA… ME…"
"Go ahead," Broly told him. "Let's see it."
"HA!" Goku released the energy beam, the attackcompletely engulfing Broly. As Goku continued to pour on the power,he noticed an approaching shape within the ki-charged light-Brolywas running right through the Kamehameha attack without evenbothering to defend himself! Could his power… still begrowing? This thought was as far as Goku got before Brolykicked him away again. The Legendary saiyan's attacks wereuncoordinated, with no real skill behind them, but his size andstrength belied his incredible speed, which rendered Broly's lack ofreal training irrelevant.
The entire plateau exploded as Raditz flung his power in alldirections. "BROLY! Get over here!" He rocketed throughthe air at their invincible enemy.
"Hey, Raditz-why don't we just cut our losses and leave? UseInstant Transmission and let's go!" Nail suggested.
"Run from a fight?" Raditz snarled. "What do youtake me for? This 'Legendary Super Saiyan' has to learn who he'sdealing with!" He slammed into Broly, punches and kicks rainingdown on the giant, but none did any serious damage. Raditz quicklycharged his energy inside one hand. "Crusher Ball!" Hereleased it at point-blank range, but Broly flicked his body to theside, avoiding it with ease. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that meant forme?"
"Well, if we can't run, we'll have to fight." Nail sethis jaw. "I'm not out of tricks yet… HAH!" With asudden, unexpectedly fast convulsion, he grew to many times hisnormal size. This is a little technique I picked up fromPiccolo… it was ineffective against a fighter who knows what he'sdoing-like Goku, who climbed into Piccolo's giant body and beat himfrom inside-but against someone like Broly, it might just work…
"Woah!" Gohan, crawling out of his crater, looked up inamazement. "Nail's a giant! Way to go!"
Nail body-slammed Broly to the ground, crushing the saiyan underhis massive form. "All you respect is power, huh? Well, here'ssome-" his voice trailed off into a pained squeak. Slowly, herolled over, revealing the gaping hole in his stomach. Broly,standing where Nail had previously been lying, had one hand raisedin the air, smoke rising from the ki blast he'd fired, drenched inpurple Namekian blood. "Nice try. Do carry on." As hespoke, Nail's body began to shrink again, the warrior gasping andclutching at his torn and ragged torso as he returned to normalsize.
This is insane! Goku thought as the blood-soaked Brolythundered towards him. How are we supposed to beat this guy?The thought that they might try something other than fighting neverentered his mind, of course. "Hey, can't you give us ahandicap?"
"Sure," Broly answered, smashing Goku's face into hisknee, "how about brain damage?"
"That's not really what I-aah!" A second blow sent Gokureeling.
Broly began to laugh hysterically. "HAHAHAAA! Is that reallyall you worms can do? And you call yourselves saiyans?!"
"Is that what you think?" Break stood facing him."You're the one who's unfit to call himself a saiyan!"
" What… did you say?"
She stood fearlessly before him as he advanced towards her."That's right! You're no warrior-you're just a monster!"Raditz had told them all telepathically what Paragus had told himabout Broly-how he'd been born with enormous power, using it tosurvive the exection dealt out by the saiyan king Vegeta, father andnamesake of the prince they'd fought. Broly had gone on to saveParagus and himself from the saiyan homeworld's destruction, andParagus' hatred for Vegeta's line had lived on. "You were borninto your power! You've never had to work hard a day in your life…well, we've had to work our whole lives to get where we are, and nofreak of nature is going to beat great fighters like Goku and myfather!"
"Is that so-" Broly was cut off as Break's elbowcrashed into his stomach, winding him. She followed up with anuppercut that staggered him back, and two swift kicks to his face.Roaring with anger, he stood up straight, his body heaving. "Why…you…"
She got him! Raditz was flying back towards thebattlefield after his last beating. Could she really be thatstrong?
It didn't last long, though-unbelievably, it seemed Broly's powerstill hadn't finished rising. He growled as his ki shot up again,throwing a huge energy bullet her way. Quickly using InstantTransmission, Raditz appeared and shoved Break out of the way,teleporting off before the attack could hit him. He materialisedbehind Broly, who took his kick without flinching, then simplyflared his power up around him, knocking Raditz away again. Breakstood up, jumping at Broly. He swung, but only hit her afterimage,and she appeared above him, launching a barrage of golden energybeams. Broly smacked them all out of the way with a look ofirritation on his face. "That stung a little, I'll give youthat, girl."
Goku caught Raditz in mid-air, stopping his involuntary flight."Okay, ready to go another round with him?"
"Of course!" Raditz told him. "You won't see mebacking down!"
"All right then. Brothers together and all that."
"Count me in!" Nail called, flying up to hover next tothem.
"Hey… you're healed?" Goku wondered.
"Of course." Nail nodded. "Don't underestimate myregeneration. Now, are you ready?"
"Let's do this!" Goku powered up, flying back intobattle with the other two at his sides. The three fighters crashedinto Broly, the impact flattening the ground for miles around.
Paragus stumbled up the stairs cut into the rocky cliff, finallyreaching his hidden space-pod. "Finally. Goodbye, Broly, myson. You've outlived your usefulness."
"And here I thought I had a bad father!" saida voice from behind.
"What-" Paragus was sent flying by an impact fromKuriza's tail, knocking him right through his pod, smashing it topieces. "Aargh!"
"Yeah, take that!" The juvenile frost demon was in hisfinal form, and looking extremely pleased with himself. Then hefrowned. "Oh, wait! I destroyed the pod… we probably neededthat… no, we've got Instant Transmission and another ship. We'regood." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, you stillthere?"
"Demon!" Paragus hissed, infuriated. "Filth! Spawnof the tyrant!"
"Hey now, there's no need for name-calling," Kurizapouted. "My dad was like that, you know. Monkey this, inferiorbeing that, it just gets old after a while. You don't want to belike him, do you?"
"Silence!" Paragus threw a green energy blast, butKuriza kicked it into the air with ease.
"Come on, is that really the best you can do?" Okay,I'm still getting the hang of this… "HAH!" Hethrust one hand forwards, launching an invisible wave of force-the'kiai' technique many of the other fighters used often-that knockedParagus flat on his back, out cold. "Aw, yeah!" Kurizadanced around with joy. "I'm the best! I did it! I…" hesighed. "Yeah, he wasn't really a challenge. Oh, well. I'll gosee how the others are doing! You stay right there, okay?" Hetook off towards the enormous powers off to the west.
Goku, Raditz and Nail lay beaten and bloody next to Break. "Greatidea," she muttered. "Charge him head-on. Because thatworked so well all the other times we've tried it. Really, you wereplaying right into his hands."
"I didn't see you helping!" Nail snapped.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she retorted, "it's just thatI appear to be half-dead over here."
"Hey… where's Gohan?" Goku wondered.
"I don't know, I haven't seen him since Broly floored himthat one time," Raditz told him.
"That's not really helpful, Raditz. You could pretty muchdescribe this whole fight like that…"
Gohan was curled up into a ball behind a boulder, crying into hislap. His fear had overcome his sense of betraying his friends bybacking out. Sobs wracked his body as he heard the others fight andlose. I… I can't do it! I'm sorry, Dad… everybody… he'stoo much! Please… I'm just a kid, I… can't fight him… don'tmake me… please…
"Is that all?!" Broly demanded. "Is that allyou've got?! I demand more! You insects have disappointed me-andyou're going to pay for that! Especially you, Kakarot!"
"You want me, Broly?" Goku staggered to his feet. "HereI am."
"Goku, what're you-" Raditz began.
"Don't worry. I have a plan."
"That's a first…"
"Raditz. Nail. Break. give me your energy," Gokuordered.
"What?"
"Give me your energy! All that you can spare!" He eyedthe impatient Broly. "Right now, or he's going to kill us all!"
"All right…" Raditz raised a hand, a stream ofvibrant energy flowing into Goku's body. It was joined by two morefrom Break and Nail. "Don't fail us now, Goku!" Nailwarned. "We're giving you everything we've got!" Raditzand Break gasped as their energy fell below the level needed tosustain Super Saiyan, and were forced back into their normal forms.
"I know." He flexed his invigorated muscles. "Okay,Broly. Here I come…" He was battered, beaten half to death,his clothes ripped and his body almost broken-just like all theothers. But now he felt supercharged, the power of three SuperSaiyans and a twice-fused Namekian inside of him. His wounds feltlike nothing.
"It doesn't matter how much power those fools give you, itwon't be enough!" Broly boasted.
"Hah! We'll see about that. You'll never really know forsure until I try." With his suddenly-boosted speed, Goku dodgedBroly's wild swing, preparing his counter-attack. " Yourhour has arrived!"
"What?" Broly stumbled back. "Where is he gettingall this energy?" Goku thrust his fist straight forwards intoBroly's chest, shattering his golden 'chestplate' (though it wasmore ornamental than protective). Goku's fist drove up into Broly'sbody, and he felt a crunch beneath his fingers as he hit bone. "Nowthe real fight begins!" Goku shouted. Pushing against eachother, they struggled for a moment… and then Broly rightedhimself, took hold of Goku's arm in both giant fists and snapped itin two places. Goku collapsed to the cracked, buckling ground,howling. Broly staggered away, the punch clearly having weakenedhim. He breathed heavily, glaring at his bruised chest, the firstpain he'd felt for a long time. Then he looked down at Goku again,still writhing in pain. "You… Grrr…" Broly's eyesnarrowed as his sanity slipped further away. "KAKAROT!"
"STOP HURTING MY DAD!" Broly slowly turned to see Gohanshakily walking towards him. The boy was sniffing back tears, hisface trembling-he looked like he was about to explode with rage, orpossibly break down and give up. Either way, he was clearlyunstable. "I… I won't give up!" I'm the only one whocan save Dad, and all the others, now! I have to beat him! I don'tknow how, but… I have to! He shook with nerves as he adoptedhis fighting stance. The others tried to lift themselves from theground, drained and injured as they were, to watch. "Get him,Gohan…" Goku urged.
Gohan tried to steel himself. "Okay… okay… I can dothis…"
" Can you, little man ?!" Broly roared,stomping towards the half-saiyan child. The terrifying creature,power barely contained within his gigantic body, laughing with angerand screaming with rage almost simultaneously, was too much. Gohan'scourage broke, and with a frightened yelp he turned and ran, leapinginto a crevice in the fractured ground and lying low.
Broly snorted. "What a waste… I guess I'm done here. Huh?"He looked up into the sky, alerted by a steadily-growing light inthe sky. "Oh, I see. That's the comet Daddy dearest was makingsuch a fuss about. It was going to destroy this planet and killVegeta." He bellowed with laughter. "Not if Vegeta coulddo this !" He launched an enormous emerald energy wavethat arced up into the sky, hitting the comet as it drifted throughspace and obliterating it within seconds. "See where all yourcareful planning gets you?" Broly said, apparently talking tohimself, or possibly an imaginary Paragus. "Now me, I neverplan. I live in the moment-and I've never lost! This is thetrue life of a warrior!"
Kuriza's voice sounded out across the devastated forest. "Ifyou think that's all there is to life, you're kidding yourself!"He hovered, arms folded and tail swishing back and forth, a fewmetres from Broly. "I should know-I was like that once."
Gohan peered out of his hiding place. Kuriza, no! Don't doit!
"You were like me?" Broly chuckled. "There'snobody like me!"
"Yes there is…" Kuriza settled to the ground andstarted marching towards Broly. "The whole galaxy is full ofpeople like you! I grew up around them-people who prey on anyoneweaker than them! Who don't respect anybody who they can just crush!You're not special, you just got lucky being born in the right placeat the right time! There are thousands of people just like you-and I'm sick of it! "
"Well, my deepest apologies." Broly gestured around."But look at them. Compared to them, you're nothing-what areyou going to do to me ?"
"The only thing I know how to do!" Kuriza declared,pointing one finger towards the sky. A crackling red energy ballbegan to form, growing rapidly in size. "Fight, and keep onfighting until I can't anymore! I don't care how strong you are-Ican't let you keep on hurting my friends!" He hurled the DeathBall, a technique Frieza had used to destroy entire planets inseconds, straight at Broly, who tensed himself, braced for impact,and punched it straight out of the air, the attack fading to wispsof red smoke as Broly's fist completely shattered it. Kuriza's eyeswidened, but he stood his ground as Broly walked towards him withthundering footfalls.
"Kuriza!" Gohan leapt up, eyes dilating with fear,shouting to his friend. "Run! Don't try to fight him! Y-you'lldie! Don't!"
Kuriza just grinned. "Sorry, Gohan. Goku turned my lifearound… and you're the only friend I've ever had. I owe you guysso much. I'd never be able to live with myself if I gave up now."
"You… you'd rather die?"
"I guess so. I'm trying not to think about it. Here goesnothing!" He charged, knowing defeat awaited him. Vicious blowshammered into his small body, knocking him back and forth. Hecoughed up blood, his muscles screamed, his head swam, but everytime he picked himself up and flew back at Broly. His species'hyper-efficient, survival-oriented biology would keep him alive fora few seconds longer, but no more.
Gohan watched, wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. Fear warred in hismind, fear of death and fear of letting everyone down fighting fordominance. Finally, something inside… snapped. He closed his eyes,biting his lip until it bled. His shaking hands balled themselvesinto fists.
Run from a fight? What do you take me for?
You've never had to work a day in your life… well, we'vehad to work our whole lives to get where we are, and no freak ofnature is going to beat great fighters like Goku and my father!
Get him, Gohan…
The whole galaxy is full of people like you… and I'm sickof it!
You're the only friend I've ever had.
I'd never be able to live with myself if I gave up now.
"Hh… Hhh… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! "
Gohan was gone. The beast had awakened.
Goku struggled to look up. All had seemed lost. Then-some kind ofnew power had stabbed into his mind, the ki sense's equivalent ofstanding too close to a rock concert or staring into a bright light.He saw… something gold and orange slam into Broly, a blur ofmovement shoot past him and an impact stagger him back a step."Aah!" The insane saiyan growled. "What was-"Another impact knocked him flat on his face. Gohan was moving toofast for any of them to keep up with, not giving Broly any chance todefend himself. He lurched back up to a standing position, spottinghis enemy's movement, heralded by a brilliant golden glow. Brolylashed out in a feral, uncoordinated swing, catching only empty air,and receiving a hard stomach punch in return. Again, Gohan was gonebefore they could even see him. His attacks began to speed up,smacking Broly back and forth, punctuated by his enraged screams."NO! MORE! I WON'T LET YOU!" Bones cracked under hisfurious assault.
Broly fell to his knees, gasping for breath through crackedteeth, wincing through an eye swollen shut. His body washalf-crushed, one arm hanging limply by his side and a huge scorchmark down his back. There were cuts and bruises all over his body,and everywhere he bled, he seemed to be leaking pure pale-greenenergy. The air shimmered, and Gohan appeared in front of theLegendary Super Saiyan. The fighters struggled to look up, but thelight emanating from Gohan was too intense to see through. The airhad an electric, charged feel to it. Had he made some kind oftransformation? Broly stumbled forwards, and another blow launchedhim up into the air. They could just about see Gohan's outline,cupping his hands at his sides before throwing them forwards in onesmooth movement. "YOU HEAR ME, BROLY?! NO MORE!" A massive kamehameha wave erupted from his palms, lighting upthe sky and enveloping Broly, blasting him out into space andutterly crushing his body. He howled in frustration, uttering onefinal growl as he vanished into the void. " Ka… ka…rot…"
The light faded, and Gohan fell to his knees, losing the energyto maintain his Super Saiyan form. With an exhausted smile, hecollapsed, happily losing consciousness and sleeping better than hehad for weeks.
Several hours had passed. Raditz had dragged himself out of thedirt, collected everyone (including Paragus) and teleported them toNew Namek, where their healers had used their magical arts to fullyrestore everyone (except Paragus) to full fighting condition. They'dthen left for Earth, arriving back at Capsule Corp. to find nobodywaiting for them-after a while, they'd all gone inside out ofboredom. They were a sorry sight; even after being healed, Goku hadhuge ragged gashes all over his outfit, Raditz had completely losthis shirt while Gohan's hung loosely from one shoulder and onetrouser leg was ripped away, and Break was basically down to herunderwear (Kuriza didn't require clothes in his final form, due toits natural armour and efficient biology, and Nail could recreatehis jacket with the abilities he'd picked up from Katas). It wasagreed that the saiyans would spend the rest of the day in theirnormal states, resuming their Super Saiyan forms the next morning.As for Paragus, when they finally went inside (and received muchberating, especially from Chi-Chi, about running off at the drop ofa hat, and explained their adventures), Bulma agreed to make him aship which would take him anywhere in the near galacticvicinity-accompanied by a warning that if he continued to actanything like he had while in control of Broly, destroying planetsand species simply for the thrill of victory, he would not live verylong.
"Still," Goku said, as he relaxed with his family backin their secluded home on Mount Paozu that evening, "we learntsomething important today."
"We did?" Chi-Chi, passing Gohan some cough syrup,raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah. We know what Gohan's capable of when he's pushed.If he can access that kind of power on command, Cell doesn't stand achance." He grinned. "Compared to Broly, this is going tobe easy."
Eye of the Hurricane
Chapter 33: Eye of the Hurricane
Sorry to tell you all this, but the next chapter won't be outthis Sunday, but next Sunday. Yes, I'm going to miss two updatedays. Apologies, but I've been neglecting a bunch of stuff due towriting this. I will continue after that, though whether once a weekor twice a week I'm not sure. Let me make it clear that I have nointention of stopping this anytime in the foreseeable future, sodon't be alarmed.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The overexcited announcerproclaimed as a helicopter swooped down from above, twin spotlightsfocusing on an X-marked spot on the ground as cheering crowds linedthe streets. "I present to you…" the announcercontinued, his voice carried by dozens of speakers all throughoutthe city. " Hercule Satan, the martial arts champion of theworld !" The cheers intensified as a tall man leapt fromthe helicopter, executed three perfect somersaults, landed withperfect poise and stood up straight to roars of adulation, holdingup two fingers in his signature 'V' salute. "Hello, West City!"Hercule greeted his adoring public. He was large, with a wrestler'sfigure, sporting a black Mexican-style moustache and stubble on hisrectangular chin, topped off with an afro almost the size of hishead. He wore a large, gold-lined belt declaring his title as worldchampion, and had absolutely no ki whatsoever.
"Ugh." Bulma groaned as the night-time TV specialcontinued. The whole procession was actually occurring only a fewblocks away, but she found it marginally less obnoxious viewed on ascreen. "Is this guy for real?"
Zarbon, entering the room, glanced at the screen. "Regrettably."
"Well, he's silly. Isn't he, Trunks?" Bulma held up hergreen-skinned, lavender-haired baby to the TV, and he waved a hand,enchanted by the flashing lights and loud voices coming from thestrange box. "Yes, he is!" Bulma cooed. "Yes he is!"
Zarbon shook his head. "I sometimes wonder which of the twoof you is more grown up."
"Well," Bulma muttered, "at least we're both farmore mature than that clown out there!"
"Have no fear, people of Earth!" Hercule declared,talking into his microphone as he strode down the street. "Cellhas challenged us-the entire human race-and I intend to meet thatchallenge! Who else but the world's greatest fighter should take onthis alien menace?" Er… His train of thought failedto arrive at the station. Is he an alien? Ah, I don't know. Itsounded cool, that's all that matters. "Yes, I, the greatHercule Satan, will defeat Cell, with my own-two-hands!" As hesaid this, a stack of stone blocks was placed before him by a pairof sycophantic attendants. "Observe my power!" Leapingseveral feet into the air, he brought his hand down in a swiftkarate chop, smashing straight through fourteen of the fifteenblocks. On the fifteenth, however, his hand bounced painfully, andhe hopped away, hissing in pain and leaving the last block unmarked.
"Um…" the announcer made a quick recovery. "What skill ! Not only does he possess the strength to punchright through solid rock, Hercule has complete mastery of hisawesome power-enough finesse to carefully leave the bottom blockuntouched! Truly, Earth could not hope for a better champion!"
"I can't watch any more of this," Raditz complained,watching the spectacle at Kame House. "I'm going."
"Going where?" Lunch (blue-haired) asked.
"I don't know. For a walk. A fly, even."
"I'll come!" Break (wearing a similar outfit to the oneshe'd worn when they fought Broly, only now in pink, much to herirritation-but as the owner of all these clothes, it was Bulma'schoice) offered, jumping up and running off after him.
Roshi shrugged. "Have it your way. I'm finding thishilarious!"
Lunch giggled. "I know what you mean. I bet that guycouldn't even take an ordinary bullet!"
Roshi shook his head. "So this is a world martialarts champion… what's the world coming to?"
Raditz glanced over at his daughter as she flew up next to him,soaring over the ocean as the sun began to sink over the horizon. "Idon't recall asking you to come."
"I don't recall asking your permission," she shot back,bringing a grin to his face. She's really something…
"We are going to have to do something about that, though,"he mused.
"About what?"
"That Hercule person. We can't let him fight Cell, he'll bekilled. The same goes for any mundane military force that's sent tostop him."
She frowned. "It's not our problem if people want to bestupid."
"Stupid's one thing. Ignorant's another."
"You know what I mean." She gestured over at a city asthey passed Amenbo Island. "Think of the bigger picture. A fewdeaths is regrettable, sure, but nothing compared to all the peoplethat'll die if the real fighters let themselves get distracted byall these little concerns."
Raditz fell silent for a few seconds. "You really think so,huh?"
"Of course. It's results that matter."
"Yes, I used to think so, too…"
They landed on the edge of the island. "It's time for me todo something I've neglected so far," Raditz decided.
"What's that?" she asked warily.
"I'm going to be your father." He ignored her bemusedexpression, walking towards a nearby tree. "Come here. I'vetaught you how to fight, and you've taken to it like anatural-you've learned how to be a saiyan. Now, you're going tolearn to be something much more important… human."
"But aren't saiyans better?"
"No!" His voice was harsh for a second, and he seemedon edge, but the moment passed. "No, they're not."
She followed him up into the tree, sitting on a branch next tohim. "What's this all about?" she asked.
"All your life you've been dealing with the big figure. Youcan save this person or that person. You can only help somany. Statistics. Compromises. Death becomes a number. The androidswould always kill people. A low number is good." His face grewsad. "But it isn't. The world shouldn't work like that. Youshould have time to notice the small things."
She sighed, already growing tired of this conversation. "Likewhat?" And why are we in a tree?
He continued undaunted. "As you know, because I never shutup about it, I've spent most of my life on the extreme end of thatspectrum. Deaths were just a number. It didn't matter, Ijust got the job done. Well… you're nowhere near that. But I seetraces of the old me in you, and I'm worried for you. Here." Hepointed to a bird's nest. "See those eggs? They're going tohatch pretty soon."
"Yeah, so?"
"You're going to stay here tonight and watch them. Make surenothing happens to the bird or the eggs-no predators, strong windsknocking them off, nothing. You're going to protect them."
"What?!" She spluttered. "Why?!"
"Because you don't think it matters. I'll come back atsunrise," he told her, floating down to the ground. "Ifanything's happened, or if you're gone, I'm going to punch you.Repeatedly, if necessary."
"Punch me? What happened to all of that nice stuff just asecond ago?"
He smirked. "I'm still me." With that, he was gone,leaving Break alone in the tree. She scowled at the bird, settlinginto a more comfortable position on the branch. This isridiculous. I'm going to kill him. She thought about juststaying the night at Capsule Corp and coming back a few minutesbefore dawn. No. If this turns out to be some kind of endurancetest, I'm going to pass it. And if it is as pointless as it seems,I'll just hit him.
There were two other things for Raditz to do that night. He'dalready eaten at Kame House, but he teleported over to Mount Paozufor a second dinner with his family, as usual. Chi-Chi was upstairstaking Gohan's temperature, and the saiyan brothers wolfed downtheir food in five seconds flat, so by the time she got backdownstairs Raditz was already gone. After that, he teleported overto Capsule Corp. Bulma had finished Paragus' ship (an upgradedduplicate of the ship the brothers had taken to Namek) earlier thatday, and Raditz was there to see him off.
"Get out of my sight," Raditz told him. "If I eversee you again, the beating you got last time-"
"Yes, I know, it's going to seem like a picnic, et cetera,et cetera…" Paragus stood on the boarding ramp. "I stilldon't understand you. You're Super Saiyans-the ruthless, unstoppablewarriors of legend!" Even in the controlled, mastered state,Raditz's golden hair glowed faintly in the night. "How can yoube this… soft and forgiving?"
"Don't confuse merely letting you go with forgiveness,"Raditz warned him.
"But nonetheless, you are letting me go. Why? Where is yourpride… your lust for battle?" His one working eye narrowed."What are you?"
"I'm a saiyan, from Earth." Raditz hit a button on anearby control panel, and the hatch began to slide shut. "Nowget the hell off of my planet."
Break groaned, eyeing the bird. "I am so hungry I could eatyou. I could honestly eat this tree." She rubbed her forehead,grumbling to herself. "I swear he's psychic. He picks the onenight where everything on this whole damn island tries tokill this one bird. If I ever see a hawk again in my life, I amgoing to murder its entire family." Stunned and unconsciouspredators lay scattered around the tree. Splashes of dirt and muddotted her body, and her clothes were soaked. "Not to mentionthe goddamn rain. But I can't power up and evaporate it, becausethat might dislodge the nest and smash his oh-so-precious eggs. AndI can't go somewhere else to do it, because every two secondssomething else tries to eat-huh?" She sat up straight, hearinga peculiar noise, something not unlike crackling paper. "Hey…what do you know…" She leaned over as the first cracks beganappearing in one of the eggs. "It really is hatching…"she smiled despite herself as a tiny beak broke through the fragileshell. "Come on, little guy. Almost there. Hey! There you go…"one after the other, the chicks emerged, their mother fussing overthem each in turn.
Raditz floated up silently next to Break, who was now totallyentranced in the scene. "Having fun?" he asked, breakingthe silence. She did a double take, nearly falling off the branch,and hastily sat up straight, folding her arms. "Hmph! There, Iwatched your damn eggs! See, they're hatched now! Are yousatisfied?"
"Still don't think it's important?"
"Of course not! It's just some birds! Who cares about…"she trailed off as Raditz raised one hand, forming a tiny glowingsphere of energy in front of his palm. "Oh well. I guess I'vewasted your time. I suppose if they're getting on your nerves thatmuch…"
"No!" Her face a mask of fear, she dived at him,tackling him to the ground and taking the energy blast straight toher chest. "Aagh!" They crashed onto the grass, rollingapart.
"So, nobody cares about them, huh?" he asked. "Wouldn'tit have made more sense for you, as a fighter, to save your energyfor Cell rather than waste it on stopping me?"
"They were… lives. I just saw a whole bunch of new livesstart, right in front of my eyes." She tried to sit up, windedby her father's attack. "And you were about to wipe them allout, just like that. So… fragile…"
He nodded. "I think you understand now."
"So… we're not letting those people fight Cell?"
"Right." They stood up, dusting themselves off.
"You're insane, do you know that?"
He looked genuinely puzzled. "What makes you say that?"
"You attacked me!" She punched him on the arm.
"What, so I start caring about something and suddenly I'mnot allowed to be a warrior, is that it?"
This is most curious. Cell stood at the base of KorinTower, having remained there, motionless, since first arriving. Agroup of relatively high (though nothing compared to me, of course)power levels arrived on the planet from space, and took Earth'sfighters with them. Shortly, the fighters returned. But one of them…his energy feels different somehow. Not necessarily higher, but…deeper? It is perplexing… he gave a mental shrug. Itdoesn't matter. I'll find out everything I need to know soon enough.The day is fast approaching… this is going to be glorious.
Finally, it was the dawn of the sixth day. Cell's ultimatum ranout in 24 hours. There was no official decision that everyone wouldmeet up at Caspule Corp, they just… did, as if they were drawn tosee each other for what might be one last time.
Krillin was practicing furiously, putting the finishing toucheson his stance and technique. I might be no match for Cell… butif it comes to it, I'm not going down without a fight! Although…it'll probably be a pretty short fight… he gulped. I hopeGohan comes through for us… I'll just have to trust Goku knowswhat he's talking about.
Zarbon was finally paying attention to his son, painfully awarethat Trunks' life might be cut off before it ever fully begun. Foronce, the baby was being held by his father, hesitant but generallyrelaxed in the alien ex-soldier's arms. "You can win, right?"Bulma asked. "I mean, there's so many of you, and just the oneof him…"
"I don't know. Honestly." He took her hand in his."Cell really is unbelievably strong. I think our hopes all reston Gohan now. Well… let's face it, it's all beyond me. You've gota better chance of stopping Cell than I do!" He smiled."Speaking of which…"
"It's almost done." She nodded. "I won't have timeto test it… we won't know if it works until we try."
"Still going to keep this mysterious 'anti-Cell device'you've been working on with your father a secret?"
"Yup!" She winked. "Don't worry. All will berevealed. I mean, it's not like we're asking you to power up andshow us how much you improved in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Wejust kinda assume you'll demonstrate when you get to the fighting."
"All right, be that way."
"Thank you, I will."
Break was standing on her own, atop Capsule Corp's highestbuilding. How did it come to this? She wondered, knowingshe didn't have an answer. This time travel is all so confusing.In one timeline, the androids kill everyone. The best we can figure,Cell must be from further on in my timeline-he killed me and took mytime machine to get back here, to a time when the androids stillexisted. That means in that future I was able to destroy theandroids both here in the past, and in the future. But as I am now,I could easily beat Cell in his first form, the state he apparentlykilled me in. So in that time I must have found a way tobeat the androids without necessarily getting stronger than them…she shook her head. Gah! I'm giving myself a headache! Itdoesn't matter, anyway. By the looks of things, this 'perfect' Cellis going to kill us all in this timeline, which means welose in every time! Cell's future stays empty, my future isruled by the androids, and the past by Cell! Time travel wasn't theanswer to all our problems, Bulma. It just multiplied them.
Goku sat on the grass next to Chi-Chi while Gohan and Kurizachased each other around. "I'm glad you're finally spendingtime with your family and friends, Goku," Chi-Chi said. "Itmay have taken the greatest threat to Earth we've ever encountered,but…"
"Yeah, I know what you mean." He kissed her on thecheek. "It sounds so strange coming from me, but there ismore to life than just training and fighting…"
"Awww, you big softie!" She laughed as he blushed. "Butdon't worry. I've got no problem with you fighting… it's what youlove."
"It brought us together, too!" Goku realised, as Gohanmade a dive at Kuriza, who jumped over his grab. Gohan hit theground, rolled and jumped to his feet, coughed and wiped a few beadsof sweat from his forehead, then leapt straight back into the chase.
"That's right," Chi-Chi reminisced. "Remember thattournament?" She giggled. "You'd promised to marry me, andyou didn't even know who I was."
"I didn't even know what 'marry' meant!" He scratchedhis head. "I thought it was some kind of food…"
"You would."
"Well, call it a happy accident." He lay back on thegrass. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Roshi walked over to Krillin, ducking past Lunch (who wascurrently using Raditz as target practice after he'd made aparticularly sarcastic remark). "Hey, Krillin," Roshisaid, waving an amicable greeting. "Hey, uh… I know youyoungsters have all surpassed me by a long way, but, uh… it seemsso serious, I thought maybe-well-maybe I could help, you know?"
Krillin smiled. "You would?"
"Sure. This old dog still knows a few tricks!"
"Look…" Krillin put his hand on his old teacher'sshoulder. "I'm sorry, but it really is out of your league. I'mnot even sure if I should be going, and no offence, but I'mmuch more powerful than you are…"
Roshi brushed it off. "Oh, none taken, none taken. You'vetrained under Korin and Kami and King Kai, and all those people…it's only natural." He sighed.
"Hey, don't worry!" Krillin bowed to the aged master."You've already done the Earth a great service by training thisfine new generation of warriors. Oh, and Yamcha."
Roshi snickered. "Heheh… Just don't say that to his face…all right, I see your point. I'll stay out of the fighting. Butspeaking of generations, I'm seeing plenty of new faces around here.If, you know, if any of 'em ever look to becoming fighters…"
"I'll know where to point 'em."
"Well, if you don't want to send them to Korin or someonelike that, might make a better teacher…" Roshi mumbled.
Krillin pointed down at his orange gi. "Hey-I'm stillwearing your colours for a reason! And so's Goku! Don't undervalueyourself, all right?" I'd better get back to training… hethought. "Well, see ya around!" he jogged off.
"Right… see you around…"
Krillin's run took him towards Chiaotzu and Puar (Yamcha's odd,hovering, anthropomorphic feline companion) next, both lookingsomewhat downcast. "Hey, guys," Krillin called, waving."How you doing?"
"Not too great." Puar sniffed. "Yamcha… Tien…"
"I know." Krillin crouched next to the pair. "Butwe're going to go and get the one who did it, all right? Well…Cell didn't actually kill Tien, but… he's the last android-so thatcounts. I guess."
"It's not revenge I'm worried about," Chiaotzu replied."I just want my best friend back. He's like a father to me…"
Krillin nodded. "Don't worry. As soon as this is all overand we get back the Dragon Balls, we're going to wish back everyoneCell and the androids killed."
"Should I have trained?" Chiaotzu asked, out of theblue.
"Huh?"
"For the saiyans. Tien told me not to, and I haven'tseriously trained since then. So I've never really been in aposition to compete." The pale-skinned child looked up atKrillin. "Could I have made a difference, do you think? WouldTien have lived?"
"I don't know…" Krillin sat down next to them. "Ijust don't know. I mean, you're still alive, there's that… try notto think about what might have been. Here's what is goingto happen. We're going to fight Cell. We're going to win. And we'regoing to undo everything he and his kind have done to us."
The charging, tumbling children crashed past Raditz as hesnatched Lunch's gun away, holding it over his head to keep it fromher reach. He was so captivated by the sight that he didn't noticewhen she jumped up and grabbed it from his hand. Super Saiyan andfrost demon… playing together. "Heh." Maybe there ishope for this universe after all.
Nail approached so quietly Break didn't realise he was behind heron the roof until he spoke. "Something on your mind?"
She nodded. "I'm just thinking… by time travelling backhere to try and make things better, I've just made everything worse…now there's all these different doomed timelines, instead of justone. I've failed."
"Don't talk like that." Nail stepped forwards, standingnext to her. "In your timeline, how many of these people-theones you see down there-were dead by now?"
"Uh…" she looked around. "Most of them, Iguess."
"There you go, then." Nail smiled. "You've changedthings for the better. The Earth got to live in peace a littlelonger. And we actually stand a chance of winning this time."He hopped off the rooftop, gently floating down towards the others."How would you like to join us?"
Slowly, her air of depression seemed to lift. "I'd love to."
The planet, thousands of light years from Earth, had been laidbare by the invaders' random, impulsive acts of destruction. Everymajor city had been ransacked, anything especially valuable-lookingstolen before the rest was reduced to rubble in seconds. Almost nonative life remained. The attackers, spotting a squadron of inboundtransport ships, imagined a relief force from the former frost demonempire had been sent.
"But Lord…" one of the invaders protested, "yousaid the empire was in chaos-we'd encounter no resistance."
"Calm yourself!" The leader waved the objector's doubtaway. "It isn't impossible that some new leader's takenadvantage of the power vacuum and re-organised enough to answer thedistress signal the natives sent out. Don't worry, though… theywon't have anyone who's a match for us."
The four attack pods opened simultaneously, and Vegeta emergedfrom the lead one. "Finally, we're here…" he flexed hisshoulders, feeling the perfect fit of his new, custom-made armour.Flashes of red, reminiscent of his father's colours, mixed with theroyal saiyan blue and touches of gold-a symbol of his status as aSuper Saiyan. He walked out onto the surface of the planet (hehadn't bothered to learn its name. What did it matter?), followed byfive uniformed soldiers. Each bore the saiyan royal crest on theirchestplate, a mark of their allegiance to the prince. In his travelsthrough the galaxy, he'd handpicked these three as the most skilledand loyal warriors he could track down-some others had resistedjoining him (and consequently their lives had ended abruptly).
Vegeta's eyes flicked left and right as he reached out with hismind. There. East of here… and they were every bit as powerful ashe'd hoped. This one might actually be worth his time. His troopswere evidently being informed of the same on their scouters. He'dtried to teach his men to sense energy at first, but they neverlasted long enough to we worth the effort. Another consequence ofthis quick turnover was that he never took the trouble to learn hissoldiers' names. Why should he? If they couldn't live long enough tostick in his memory, why did he owe them anything? "Vegetaforce-move out!" Frieza had jokingly used the name on Namek,and it had grown on him (he'd inherited something of a penchant fornaming things from his father).
The group flew in an efficient, defensive formation, landing inthe midst of a ruined city-abruptly, the energy they were sensingvanished. "Caution!" Vegeta warned his subordinates. "Theyknow we're here, and they know how to hide. Dumb one-reconaissancewest. Pretty one-take point. One with weird powers-guard the rear."
"Yes, sir!" came the chorused response, as his minionsspread out to carry out his orders. He relaxed, trying to empty hismind, focusing his ki sense. I sensed them just seconds ago…they can't have gone far. You can't hide from me… there! It'sfaint, but they can't hide their power completely. One slightlybelow ground level a few hundred metres in front… two to the left…a big one to the right… and one- Vegeta whirled as a bluestreak of movement shot up from behind, the prince's combat reflexeskicking in, his elbow jamming into his attacker's throat andflooring them in one swift movement. "Incompetents!" hesnarled at his underlings. "They're all around you. Stayalert!" He looked down at his would-be assailant-a tall,blue-skinned man with bright, floppy orange hair held up with aloose headband. He wore a baggy black and white outfit and carried along sword at his waist. At the moment, he was rolling away fromVegeta, choking for air from the saiyan's brutal attack.
The being clambered to his feet, taking a deep breath andstraightening up. His face hardened. "You got lucky."
"Who are you to challenge the prince of saiyans?"Vegeta demanded.
The man smiled, drawing his sword. "I am but an emissary ofmy master Bojack-and this world is his! Leave immediately, or wewill destroy you!"
"A fine job you're doing so far." Vegeta grinned. "Icall it one-nothing, my favour."
One of the prince's henchmen turned to face the attacker, when afast-moving shape erupted from the rubble opposite him. A secondfigure, this one female but of the same race, materialised next tothe soldier, snapping his neck with a quick movement. Incensed,Vegeta's other two minions flew off in pursuit of her, firingvolleys of energy beams which she easily dodged, leading them inwide circles around Vegeta and his opponent. "See how yourservants already begin to fall?" the swordsman boasted.
Vegeta laughed out loud. "Oh no, Expendable Big Stupid Guy#3, whatever shall I do without him? You think I need those idiots?Allow me to demonstrate."
"Don't you want to know who you're dealing with? Bojack theconqueror-" Vegeta leapt forwards, closing the distance betweenthem almost instantly and kicking the swordsman in the face,knocking him back through the air. Moving quickly, he appearedbehind his enemy in mid-flight, backhanding him casually to theground. "I don't care who it is I'm fighting!"Vegeta told him, his smile widening. "I don't care about thisplanet, either! I'm not some liberator trying to put Frieza's empireback together!"
The alien staggered away, raising his sword defensively. "Thenwhy are you here?!"
"I have only one desire-to be the best! The universe'sgreatest warrior! I cannot tolerate any stronger force! So when Iheard of your little trail of destruction… it was too good toresist. A perfect opportunity to prove my superiority."
The swordsman's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just useus as practice ?! You'll die for that!" He dashed atVegeta, swinging his sword in a wide arc, but he found himselfhalted halfway through his swing. Vegeta was blocking his sword withthe back of one hand, a large gash bleeding a red stream down to hiselbow and dripping onto the ruined ground, but no pain registeringon his face. Vegeta slowly smiled. "You seem very confident inthat weapon. A true fighter doesn't rely on petty tools!" Witha sudden shout, the royal saiyan sent out a wave of ki thatshattered the sword down to the hilt. "So, I'm going to die forthis, am I?"
"Kogu!" The second marauder came to a halt behind hermale ally. "Do you need any help over there?"
"I can handle it, Zangya!" he shouted back. "Justwatch yourself, they're catching up!"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course they are. I let them."She vanished, there was a blur and several loud impacts, and asecond soldier dropped dead at her feet.
"Oh look, there goes the arrogant, effeminate one,"Vegeta said in a sarcastic monotone. "One with weird powers,deal with her, all right?"
"Uh… sir!" His final remaining soldier turned back toZangya, gritting his teeth and resuming the chase.
"You can handle it, you say." Vegeta raised an eyebrow."Not from where I'm standing."
"So you say…" Kogu chuckled. "But you have yetto witness the true power of the Hera-jins!"
"Hera-what now?"
Kogu groaned. "Our species. The race of Hera… you don'tcare."
"I really don't."
"Fine. Let's just… ngh… get this- over with !"With these words, Kogu underwent a sudden transformation. Hismuscles bulged out, shredding his shirt, and his power rosedramatically. In addition, his skin became green and his hair red.With his boosted power, he jumped at Vegeta, grabbing the princearound the neck with both hands and slamming him into the ground."Now you know… never to underestimate your opponent!"
Vegeta gripped Kogu's forearms, one in each hand, pushing withall his strength to relieve some of the pressure on his hand."You're about to… be eating your own words… you freak…"
"What…?"
"You see…" a mocking tone came into his voice."You're not dealing with the average saiyan warrior… HAAA!"He felt the welcome surge of power as he transformed into his SuperSaiyan state, feeling new energy flood into his muscles, letting himeasily lift Kogu's hold as if it was a child he was pushing against.He swung his body around, throwing the Hera-jin away. Kogu skiddedto a halt, glowering at him. "You can transform too? What areyou?"
"You don't know?" Vegeta dropped his guard, not in theleast bit afraid of his opponent anymore. "I'd have thought thestories were a bit more widespread… I am the legend brought tolife-the Super Saiyan!"
"The Super…" fear filled the alien's eyes. "No!It can't be… not here…"
"Ah, so you have heard of me." With this,Vegeta disappeared, materialising in front of Kogu just long enoughfor a final pang of fear to register in his opponent's mind beforehe brought his hands together, messily crushing Kogu's skull betweenthem.
Vegeta kicked his dead foe (although 'foe' may have been toostrong a word for such a disappointing opponent) away, the bodyrolling heavily and coming to a halt at Zangya's feet as she came toa halt, gazing dispassionately down at him. "That's a shame,"she murmured. "A little inconvenient, I suppose." Vegeta's'Henchman with weird powers' skidded to a halt in front of her,breathing in deeply. "Finally, I've got you!"
"Really? And what are you going to-aagh!" She foundherself encased in a flickering red field of electricity as Vegeta'sminion's hands waved in the air, subtly manipulating the shockingcurrents.
The soldier grinned. "That's what overconfidence gets you…"There was a soft hiss, and his entire body jerked to the side, as ifpulled by an invisible puppet-master. A third Hera-jin stood behindhim, arms held up in front of his face, and as Vegeta watched withintent he saw the daylight reflect off… something. He'screated some kind of… strings? They seem to be very durable, inany case… As the trooper struggled to escape thenear-invisible trap, Zangya found herself freed. Acting quickly, sheclosed the distance and ripped the soldier's head off withouthesitation.
"So, this is the 'Super Saiyan' we've all heardabout," a harsh voice called out. "I imagined you alittle… taller."
Vegeta grunted. "Funny." He turned to face the speaker,and saw another pair of aliens approaching. And that accountsfor the last two power levels I sensed. The one on the rightespecially-he'll be a worthy challenge… "But you'rehardly one to talk about appearances. The idiot I just killed wasblabbering about someone called 'Bojack' who this world apparentlybelongs to. Which one is he?"
The Hera-jins assembled around the newcomers. All bore the samehued skin and hair, along with upward-slanting pointed ears. Theysported baggy civilian clothing and, without exception, the samestupid grin. It said, ' you're no threat to me, but I'll playalong until you start to bore me '. Zangya, the group's onlyfemale, he'd already encountered. Of the lot, the one who'd trappedhis last soldier was the smallest, a purple turban wrapped aroundhis head. There was a large bearded thug with a small jacket and aridiculous mohawk, and finally the tallest of the group, a bandanapartially holding in his wild expanse of hair, bearing a multitudeof scars. His power was by far the highest of all of them, and itwas him who spoke. "I am Bojack," he replied. "Inyour position, I wouldn't speak to me that way. I make it four toone, little ape."
Ignoring the jab, Vegeta returned Bojack's arrogant smile. "Thenwe must see things differently. As I said to your deceasedcomrade-and discounting those three fools who accompanied me, whoselives I don't care for in the slightest-I make it one-nothing."He indicated Kogu's body. "Your move."
Bojack shrugged. "Very well, little man. Let's make anexample. Bido, if you will?"
"Going to take me on one at a time?" Vegeta taunted."That hasn't worked out so far, now has it?"
Bido, now revealed to be the large, jacketed one, sneered."Please. Kogu was by far weaker than any of us-with theexception of Bujin here," he nodded towards the turban-wearingone, "but his unique abilities more than make up for it.Really, you just did us a favour by removing a dead weight."
"Very well. I'll fight you one-on-one." Vegeta settledinto his familiar stance, one hand down by his side ready to strikeat any moment, the other held high in front of his face to guardfrom a frontal assault. "This won't take long." HopefullyI can get this done quickly, and move on to the main event… thisBojack intrigues me. It's been a while since I've had a properadversary.
Bido strode forwards with confidence. "Excellent. Let's seewhat the legend is made of…"
The invader charged, and Vegeta leaned casually to the side,avoiding his first punch and blocking his second. "Tell me,"the prince asked sarcastically, "where did you getthat haircut? I've always wanted to look completely ridiculous."
"Gaah!" The comment enraged Bido, and his next attacklacked focus, leaving an opening for Vegeta to kick him straightthrough the only standing building left of the city. Just as Bidowas standing back up Vegeta was upon him, throwing a barrage ofpunches designed to test his enemy's skill-which, as it turned out,was not great. Bido reacted to each in turn, never planning for thenext and constantly being caught off-guard by tiny, constantalterations in Vegeta's attack pattern. He kept his blows light,treating this as a warm-up-this one obviously lacked real training.
Vegeta's attacks began to slow down further, teasing Bido withhis inaccuracy as the former apartment block crumbled around them,but the Hera-jin was not entirely without fighting sense. Feigningweakness, he stumbled away, then straightened up and landed a hardpunch to the back of Vegeta's hand-right where Kogu's sword hadslashed it. Hissing, the prince fell back, his vision blurring. Inthat moment, Bido pressed forwards, another punch flooring thesaiyan. Vegeta moved with the momentum of the blow, pushing off theground, spinning in the air and throwing himself back at his enemy."I guess you're not a total waste. I'll have to try a littleharder!" He slipped through Bido's obvious, telegrapheddefenses, driving him back and finishing with a spinning elbow thatsent Bido reeling. The Hera-jin began to back away in fear. He'stoo fast!
"Stay right where you are!" Bojack ordered. "Thereare no cowards under my command." His eyes narrowed. "Ifyou shame the reputation of the greatest space pirates in theuniverse, then you're no longer of use to me. Do you understand me?"
Bido gulped, turning back to Vegeta. "Right."
Vegeta smiled. "Let's play a little game, shall we? Three."
"Uh… three?"
"That's how many hits it'll take to bring you down."Before Bido could respond, the prince shoved his knee into thepirate's neck. "One." Dropping to the ground, he duckedunder a clumsy counter-attack, launching an uppercut that snappedBido's head back and flung him into the air. "Two."Springing forwards, he finished with a haymaker that sent Bidoskidding across the ground, coming to a halt at Bojack's feet."Three."
There was a long silence as each side weighed the other up,calculating eyes searching for weak points, opportunities to attack.Finally, it was broken-the prince stared straight into Bojack'seyes, grinning.
"Next."
Broken
Chapter 34: Broken
Goku
Awake. It's the day. Cell. Stay calm. We can do this. We haveGohan. Chi-Chi reassures me, but I can see the fear behind her eyes.She doesn't want Gohan to fight. "I don't either. But don'tworry. It won't even be a challenge. He'll wipe the floor with Cellwith this new power." I wish I believed that.
Breakfast. Dressed. Second breakfast. Warm-up. Third breakfast.Okay. Ready as I can be. Super Saiyan-no, I'm already transformed.I'm getting nervous. Losing focus. Calm. It's going to be-wait…Gohan, what's-?
Raditz
Couldn't sleep. Cruised over the ocean. Back now. Roshi's up.Good luck, he says. Luck isn't an issue here. Gohan is stronger thanCell, or he isn't. Why am I even going?
No, don't think like that. This is important. Dress. Armour? Istopped wearing it when fighting Cooler-didn't want to wear hissymbol-but, you know… I could use every advantage I can get. Threemourning bands. Bardock. Goku. And… what was her name? Why can't Iremember? How long has it been since I've been able to remember hername? Put it out of my mind. Focus now. The battle approaches.
Is Break concealing something? I can't help but feel she hasn'tquite got the same level of control over Super Saiyan as we have.The occasional flicker, and the rage resurfaces momentarily. Nevermind. We can worry about it later. She's up. Oh, she cut her hairback to shoulder-length. Eh. I imagine it could be inconvenient-Iguess I'm just used to it.
Break
Raditz was already awake and dressed for battle. Typical. I rollout of bed, climb to my feet. Clothes. Going to need something tofight in… ah. There it is. I remember-Bulma was annoyed at havingto make it at the last minute, but she came through. It's a set ofsaiyan armour. And not just any armour-it's an exact copy of the setone of my grandfather Bardock's comrades wore. Her name was Fasha, Ithink? Finally-I've been in civilian clothes for too long. I discardthem, and put it on.
It feels good. The fabric is an alien make, stretching toperfectly fit any size (I couldn't wear Raditz's-they were tailoredexactly to him, and while they can stretch to become larger, theycan't get smaller). It's a dark shade of pink, a colour I neverliked much, but I think it must have been by association. Here, itlooks fine. I tap on the armoured chestplate a couple oftimes-durable, but not heavy at all.
Now I look the part. I feel like a warrior, possibly for thefirst time. Just remember what he's taught me. Saiyan, but stillhuman. If that makes sense.
We raid the fridge, prompting cries of protest from the others.Whatever. Time to go. The world isn't going to wait.
Lunch.
She stands in the doorway, holding back tears. They share amoment. I try not to look. Then it's my turn. Lingering. I don'twant to leave, but I don't want to stay. Goodbye? Maybe. I hope not.Please, come through for us, Gohan.
Nail
I've been meditating for 12 hours. I can feel Cell like a distantpressure on my mind. It's time. They're awake. I stand. Leave theCapsule Corp building silently. Take off. I'm just going to observe,really. Gohan will win. I've been studying his power, and Cell's.It's hidden, but no amount of concealment can defeat the level ofsearching I've been doing.
Gohan will win. I know this. So why am I still so worried? Whatcould happen?
Krillin
It's time. Oh man, I'm gonna die, I'm too young to die… No,we'll be okay. We've got Gohan. Apparently he took down this Brolyguy like it was nothing.
But Cell… ah, who am I kidding, we're all doomed.
Are we?
What am I doing? What difference can I make? Cheering them on?When even the Super Saiyans might not get a shot? Well… I can'tjust stay home and let them go out and fight. I guess that settlesit. My conscience won't let me stay behind. It doesn't matter,anyway-we're all dead if Gohan loses.
Why is Eighteen stuck in my head? She's gone. Forget her. She wasprobably going to kill me sooner than talk to me, anyway. Forgether… but I can't.
Zarbon
Yes, I could leave.
I could just up and leave this planet to get destroyed. But Iwon't. Because I know Bulma wouldn't. And I wouldn't abandon her forthe entire universe.
You think I'm exaggerating? I could own a fairly large chunk ofsaid universe, if I wanted. There really aren't many people outthere who could stand up to me. But I'm here, on Earth. Here at theend of the world.
What? Yes, I said it. The end. We're going to lose. I'm notkidding myself-I experienced Cell's power myself, however briefly,and I know what I'm talking about. But I'm going to be there when ithappens. It's a better end than some I can think of.
Bulma
It's not finished!
Well, it is. Sort of. I mean, theoretically it mightwork. But I haven't had time to perform even the most preliminarytests! Dad says it'll work. He would. I guess we won't know until wetry.
Still, Raditz's last-minute armour request for Break gave me anidea. I've got a little gift for him. Eh, I'll give it to him whenwe get there.
What? Yeah, I'm going. This is everyone's battle. I'm not gettingleft out. Besides, I might be one of their best chances for winningthis thing. Bulma Brief, saviour of the Earth… has a nice ring toit, don'tcha think?
Wave to mom and dad. Anti-Cell device stowed away.Capsule-jetbike. Time to go to work.
Gohan
Oh. It's the day. I should be confident. How can I fail? But I'mterrified. Can I- Woah. Almost tripped getting out of bed. Not agood start. Heh.
Still. That was weird. Not like me to lose my balance like that.Oh well. Probably just still tired. Eh. Getting dressed. An outfitjust like dad's. I like that. I know they expect a lot from me. I'lltry and deliver. I can't help but feel a little resentment, though…why should a kid be expected to save the whole world by himself?
No, don't think like that. They're only depending on me becausethey don't have anybody else. And this is going to be easy, right? Imean, Broly-uh… whoa.
Room's spinning. I'm not a Super Saiyan, when did that-
I'm on the floor. How did I get here? And why do I feel…
"Dad!" My voice sounds so distant. Hot. Cold. Coloursstarting to distort. Can't…
Goku rushed into the room. "Gohan! What's-oh, no!" Hesaw his son on the floor, bent down to pick him up. Chi-Chi beat himto it, sprinting downstairs carrying the boy. She laid him on thecouch, scurrying around fetching wet towels, tablets, medicines.Gohan groaned. Goku felt his forehead-extremely high temperature. Itwas so sudden! He was fine yesterday… what kind of disease couldhave done this? Gohan gritted his teeth, his hand desperatelyclawing at his chest. Goku leaned down. "What is it, son? Doesit hurt there?" Slowly, as though only half-awake, Gohannodded. Wait… his… heart? Could it be…
"Chi-Chi! I know what the problem is!" He snapped hisfingers. "It's the heart virus Break warned us about!"
Chi-Chi skidded to a halt, dropping the armful of medicines. "Ithought she said you were going to get it… actually, whenyou didn't, I forgot about the whole thing…" her face lit up."But she gave you the cure, didn't she?" Without waitingfor an answer, she headed upstairs. "Don't worry, I'll get it!Our little boy will be just fine."
"Right…" Goku sat down next to Gohan, who wasbreathing heavily, his body violently convulsing. The timelinemust've altered even more than we thought! What next? "It'sokay, son. You're going to be fine. Just hold on, Mom's going to…"His eyes widened. What's this I'm sensing?! No, that'simpossible, he wouldn't- There was a crash from upstairs. Gokusprang to his feet and climbed the stairs with superhuman speed. Hewas too late-Chi-Chi was in her bedroom, looking startled. The roomwas half-destroyed, one wall ripped out and the cool air blowinggently inside. "Chi-Chi! Don't tell me…"
"C-C-Cell…" her teeth were chattering, her pupilsdilated. "He took… he took the…" she gulped. "Goku,he's got Gohan's medicine!"
Goku growled. "Not on my watch!" He leapt into the air,taking off after Cell's receding energy trail as his golden auraburst into life. It took less than a minute for the high-velocitychase to end up with both standing at the base of Korin Tower, Cellhaving beaten his pursuer by several seconds.
"Ah, Goku," Cell said, nodding to the Super Saiyan."You're just in time…"
Gohan's tortured, anguished face filled his father's mind. "Give me that medicine, you bastard! "
"Heh." Cell sneered. "You can have it, if youlike… it's hidden underground, a few miles from here, along withthe Dragon Radar. Of course, you've got no chance of getting time tosearch for them while I'm still alive-call it insurance. I did takeone other item of interest, while you were all gallivanting off intospace, but I'm keeping this one closer to hand…" he held up astandard-looking capsule.
"Huh? What's inside?" Goku asked.
"That's for me to know…" Cell closed his hand,concealing it again.
"How did you know where the medicine was, anyway?" Gokudemanded. "And why steal it now?"
"Simple!" Cell shrugged. "I knew how you died inmy timeline. I reasoned Break would want to prevent it, and there'sonly one known cure. I sensed Gohan's energy drop in that particularway-the amplified Super Saiyan metabolism actually making it worse.Clearly the virus striking. Then, using the schematics of your housein Dr. Gero's database, I isolated the most likely area for you tostore it."
"I get it." Goku nodded. "You felt Gohan's powerwhen he returned from Earth. You know what he's capable of, don'tyou? You're scared of him."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Cell snapped. "I fear nobeing."
"Sure."
Raditz and Break arrived at this point, shortly followed byZarbon and Nail, and finally Krillin. "Ah, the gang's allhere," Cell said with a soft laugh.
"What happened to Gohan?" Krillin asked.
Goku sighed. "Heart virus. Cell took the cure." Therewas a pause as this sunk in. They were on their own. Despair beganto take hold.
"Let's not waste time." Goku told them. "I won'tlie, I don't like our odds. But I know all of you. You're greatfighters, and we won't let each other down. Fight hard. Don't dieeasy… uh, where's Bulma? And Kuriza, for that matter…"
"I don't know." Zarbon shrugged. "They should behere by now. Maybe they had to stop and do something… or theyforgot something… I don't know. We'll have to do this with whowe've got."
"In such a rush to get started?" Cell asked. "Onemoment." He grunted, his power fluctuating wildly, and his tail(hidden under his wings in his perfect form) flared out into thefunnel shape. Something shot out from within… and stoodup, grinning maliciously.
Raditz's eyes widened. "What the… it's like a miniatureCell!" It was followed by six more, emerging in a staggeredline and grinning like idiots. Each stood no more than a couple offeet high, its pale blue coloration contrasting with Cell's green.
"These are my Cell Juniors," Cell explained, indicatingthe chattering group as his tail retreated back under his wings."Don't be fooled-each is nearly as powerful as I am myself."
"What's this?" Nail demanded. "Going to have themdo your work for you?"
"Nothing of the sort," Cell replied. "But there'sso many of you, and just little old me… I'll fight one of you at atime. If the rest try to interfere, my Cell Juniors will step in."The seven Cell Juniors stood in a row in front of Cell, with anopening in the middle of their line. "Now, who will fight mefirst? Step forwards."
One on one? Goku thought. This day just keepsgetting worse. He opened his mouth to volunteer. No particularreason-it was just the kind of thing he did.
"I'll go first." Break stepped forwards.
"Break? Are you sure-"
"HAAAAH!" She responded by almost instantly powering upto her maximum, flooring Zarbon and Krillin.
Goku blinked. Her power… it's like I suspected when wefought Broly, she's as least as strong as me…
"I need to do this," she told them. "This wholemess is partly my fault. And you've all shown so much kindness tome…" she smiled. "I've got to meet my parents. All thegreat heroes I've heard about. And I've been able to see what theworld should be like. Thank you all." With that, sheturned and walked up to Cell. "Let's go."
"Very well." Cell raised his arms in his peculiarstance, one hand over the other. "Start when you like."
"Hah!" Standing only a couple of feet away to beginwith, she started with a low kick that he jumped over. Again…his speed never fails to amaze me… She leaned to the side,blocking Cell's first punch and launching a jab at his side, whichhe caught, swinging his knee at her face. She broke away, jumpingseveral metres back and coming to a halt.
"Ah, quite impressive." Cell smiled. "This willbe entertaining. The girl from the future… my first challenger.This day is starting out rather splendidly!"
"Does anyone else hear that?" Zarbon asked.
"Yes…" Raditz spat. "There's no mistaking thesound of an ego that large."
Goku put his head in his hands. "It's Mr. Satan, isn't it?"
"Unfortunately."
"The atmosphere here is incredible!" The commentatorboomed. "Hercule Satan, Earth's greatest hero, is about toconfront the monstrous Cell! How do you feel, champ?"
"How do I feel?" Hercule flashed a grin. " Ifeel like kicking some ass !"
"Simply astounding! Even in the face of death, hisconfidence never falters for a second! I… who's that?"Raditz, powered down into his normal state, stood blocking theirpath. "Hey! Get out of the way! Hercule's on his way to-"
"Yes, yes, defeat Cell and save the world." Raditzfrowned. "Go home."
"Uh…"
"You heard me." Raditz pointed away from thebattlefield. "Go."
Hercule marched up to the saiyan. "Oh, really? Sorry,mister, I'm here on business. Now get out of my way, or this mighthave to get ugly."
Raditz sighed. "You're not going to listen, I guess. You'recompletely in over your head, you know. Cell's far too powerful foryou to stop."
"Are you questioning my abilities?!" Enraged, Herculeswung a fist at Raditz, who didn't bother to lift a hand to stop it.The punch connected with his jaw, to no effect.
"'Questioning' would be an exaggeration."
"Wha… what kind of trick is this?" Hercule spunaround, delivering a powerful kick to Raditz's stomach, again to noavail. The saiyan just flared a tiny amount of ki, throwing Herculeto the ground. "I see…" Hercule jumped back up. "You'repretty good with all that smoke and mirrors stuff, huh? But yourcheap tricks can't fool me!"
Raditz snorted. "Trick? Nothing of the sort. I'm just a realwarrior-something you wouldn't know anything about."
"Go on, prove it!" Hercule shouted. "Stop standingthere and fight!"
"Fine. But remember, you brought this on yourself."Raditz stepped forwards, closing the distance in the blink of aneye, the lightest tap from one of his knuckles flinging the martialarts champion several metres back. "This can go on as long asyou want it to, or you can recognise the truth."
"What… I… it's a-a trick, that's all!" Hercule toldthe cameraman following the fight. "You don't believe him,surely?"
"Uh…" the commentator looked at the camera, which wasrelaying the footage live to millions. "No comment. You've seenit with your own eyes, folks-it's up to you to decide. Parlourtricks? Or is this superman for real? Either way-whose side is heon? Is he in league with Cell, or is this Earth's true hero?"Raditz remained motionless. I don't care what he thinks. Allthat matters is that he isn't going to get himself killed.
Break charged again, but Cell ducked her kick. She spun in theair, swinging her other leg down and knocking him to the ground.Cell shot bursts of ki from both hands, propelling himself into anupwards shoulder-charge that took Break by surprise, winding her.She fell away, righting herself in mid-air and blocking Cell'sfollow-up punch. He pressed the attack, pushing her slowly back."Well, this is a surprise!" Cell laughed. "Youmay well be the strongest of the lot…"
But still, she realised, I get the feeling he'sholding back, even now. Just how powerful is he? Only one way tofind out, I guess… "Okay!" She started dashing leftand right at random, putting on bursts of speed and throwing outafterimages to confuse Cell. He hesitated, his eyes flicking backand forth between them. The real Break appeared behind him, and henoticed at the last second, turning just in time to raise a hand toblock. The punch never came-instead, a volley of red-tinged energybullets from her other hand drove him into the ground. She diveddown at him, aiming for his exposed midsection with both feet, buthe caught her by the ankles and threw her away into the air.
Stopping her flight, she floated down to Cell, who was standingup with apathetic slowness. "I have to admit, Cell, you're afighting genius," she told him.
He smiled. "I didn't declare myself 'perfect' for nothing.This is the combined tactical knowledge of all your greatestwarriors at work, combined to form the ultimate combat machine!"
"Let's test that, shall we?" They disappeared, loudcrashes reverberating around the landscape.
"Uh…" Nail glanced back and forth. "Can… canyou keep up with their movements?"
"Of course!" Goku looked faintly puzzled. "Can'tyou?"
Break… I wish I could help… Nail looked at theassembled Cell Juniors. But I fear any intervention we madewould just make things worse. Besides, I think this is how you'dhave wanted to do this-alone. You do take after your parents…
The fighters reappeared as a quick energy blast from Break's eyestook Cell by surprise, and his last-minute dodge left him open to anelbow jammed into his shoulder. He fell away, gritting his teeth,and she pursued relentlessly, a double-fisted swing smashing him tothe ground. This time, he was on his feet in an instant, becomingslowly more wary of her abilities. "I have to admit, thisreally is a pleasant surprise." Cell smiled. "But let's bepractical. You don't have to do this. You could just leave… if youhad this, of course." He held up the mysterious capsule again.
"What's that…?" She dropped to the ground, cautiouslyedging closer. Cell pressed the switch, throwing the capsule to theground, the miracle technology opening out and revealing the muchlarger contents-a multi-legged yellow vehicle. "Hey!"Break gasped. "That's… my time machine? How'd you get it?"
"Simple. Anyone fast enough to notice my passing was inspace, so I took the liberty." Cell indicated the machine. "Youdon't have to remain in the past. Go ahead, leave-you're now easilypowerful enough to destroy both the imperfect version of me, and theandroids, in your timeline."
"You'd… let me leave?"
"But of course." Cell shrugged. "I'm nothing ifnot practical-the less fighters who oppose me, the better. We'd bothgain something from this."
Her mind, of course, was already made up. "You know I can'tabandon these people."
"But what about your family? Your real family, inyour time." He studied her reactions carefully as hespoke. "Bulma? Trunks? Gohan?"
Break took a deep breath. "The last time I saw them…Trunks was dead. Android Eighteen was beating Gohan into the ground.Bulma might have got away."
"You see? Why don't you go help them? If I kill you here,there'll be nobody to save them…"
"I can't do that." Break smiled. "I'd be betrayingGohan's trust!"
"What? That doesn't make sense…"
"He'll find a way. There's always a way. I have completefaith in him, he won't let himself lose. And even if they get pasthim, Bulma will think of something. She always does. Here, though,things are different. You're a much greater threat than the androidsever were…"
Cell scowled. "You're delusional."
"Gohan and Bulma will come through. They'd all want me tostop you. If I run now… I've let everyone down. Here andthere. And one more thing…" She waved a hand with a ripple ofki, and the time machine abruptly exploded.
"What?!"
She grinned. "… I can't fight you at my full potentialwith that kind of distraction there! I won't allow that temptationto exist in my mind-now I can be completely focused on victory. Thehere and now."
"You… fool!" He hissed.
"Maybe so. But I'd rather be a fool than the kind of personwho'd betray all these people." She raised her guard."Billions, Cell. There are billions of people on this planet.And thanks to my father… I now appreciate how important everysingle one of them is! And you threatened to wipe them all out…just because you were bored ? There's no way you're goingto win!"
"If you say so…" he charged her, alternating high andlow strikes to keep her on the move. She stepped back, dodging outof the path of his latest attack, but he just continued the movementof the punch, dropping forwards onto his hand and springing off theground towards her, kicking with both feet. Crossing her arms infront of her face, she took the attack head-on, sliding back withthe force of it. Then she jumped, Cell's charge carrying him furtheron underneath her, and she slammed him down into the dirt again,leading with her knee. Cell threw his ki outwards in a sickly greenflare of light, knocking her off and springing into the air.
"Get back here!" She blurred as she chased after him,their soaring forms colliding in mid-air and trading furious,high-speed blows. She landed a punch to his jaw, he kneed her in thegut. He kicked her in the side, she hit him square in the chest.Neither seemed about to give way.
Hercule was flat on his back, panting. He'd been trying, withoutsuccess, to get past Raditz, for several minutes. Raditz shrugged."I'm going back to watch the fight now. Be warned-that was justa tiny fraction of what I'm capable of, and I'm pretty sure Cell's alot stronger than me."
"Well…" The commentator shrugged, almost lost forwords, as Hercule lost consciousness. "You saw it here first,folks!"
Break ducked under an overhead swing, landing a solid kick toCell's abdomen, doubling him over. She grabbed hold of hiscrown-like head structure in one hand, shoving him face-first intothe dirt, but he took hold of her attacking arm in both hands andlevered himself up, forcing her down and kicking off of her. Cellsomersaulted away, only to see Break's afterimage fade-and aconcentrated energy wave fly at him from behind. Cell spun quickly,grimacing and kicking it away into the air with some effort.
The battle resumed in full, each attack shaking the surroundinghills. Finally, the pair came to a halt a few feet a part. "Hehheh heh…"
"Still laughing?" She brushed some dirt off of hershoulder, rubbing a painful spot where she'd blocked a full-forceblow with her forearm. That's going to bruise tomorrow… "Ican tell you're holding back, Cell." The saiyan battle-hungershined in her eyes. "But knowing what I do about you… you'regoing to save your reserves for the most satisfying moment. So-all Ihave to do is give you a challenge, and I'll get to see the greatestpower in the universe…"
"So ready to die?" Cell sneered. "But you'reright… with so many fighters to take care of, I can't revealeverything straight off the bat. So for the moment, indulge me…there's a technique I've been wanting to try." He raised a handinto the air on each side of his head, palms facing the sky."Actually, I only just thought of it while we've beenfighting."
"Do what you want…" Break settled into a moredefensive stance, waiting for Cell's next move.
"Oh, I intend to. I think I'll call this one… the SOLARKIENZAN!" With that, two reddish-purple discs of energy sprunginto life above his hands. His eyes narrowed, and the discs began togrow brighter until they were too brilliant to look at.
"Gah!" Break stumbled back, shielding her eyes, andthis sudden staggering movement saved her life-the first disc hummedpast her to the right, exactly where she'd been standing momentsbefore, cutting through several trees before curving around andshooting back at her from behind. At the same moment, Cell releasedthe second disc, flinging it at her head-on.
"I see…" Goku muttered. "Cell's combiningtechniques. Krillin's sharpened Kienzan attack… he can direct itsmovements, like Yamcha's Sokidan… and he's imbued it with the sameblinding property as Tien's Solar Flare!"
"Break!" Krillin shouted. "Don't look at them! Tryto feel their position!"
Break jumped as the discs passed inches beneath her. "Isthis a bad time to mention my ki sense has never been the best,exactly?"
"Oh, wonderful…" Krillin shook his head. "Justwonderful."
Break twitched to the side as a ki spike behind her warned her ofan incoming disc, the twin attacks directed by Cell's expert controland precision. The second disc flew around from the left, headingstraight for her neck. She heard the deadly hum at the last moment,and flung herself out of the way, but the edge of the disc caughther as she moved, shearing off a lock of hair and slashing rightthrough her armoured shoulder-strap, biting into her flesh. It wasonly a shallow cut, but it stung like crazy-the Kienzan was almostimpossibly sharp. "Aagh!" she cried, resisting the urge tograb onto her injured shoulder and stem the bleeding. Such a cleancut wouldn't bleed too much anyway, and she needed to be alert tostay alive-full concentration.
"It's like I feared…" Nail said. "Just onedirect hit from those things, and it's all over… and if you somuch as look at them, you're blinded and an easy target."
The discs came around again, and she dived towards the ground,flying low, straight at Cell. The discs, gaining on her frombehind-as if things weren't unfair enough, they were faster than hertoo-throwing up huge dust clouds as they carved thin lines into therock beneath.
"Ah, I see," Cell gloated, "you're trying to makeme choose between having to dodge my own attacks, or dissipate themto fight you hand-to-hand. But you underestimate me. I'm not limitedby your inferior minds! Maintaining those attacks while fighting youface-to-face is no problem!" He held up his hands in a triangleshape. "Like this-KIKOHO!" A massive beam of yellow lightraced at her, and she pushed off the ground with one hand to quicklychange directions, dodging the Kikoho. But as she rolled and stoodup again, one of the pursuing discs flashed in the corner of hereye, the blinding light forcing her eyes shut. In a panic, shejumped back, hearing the telling hum of a disc just missing her infront, but the clumsy movement made her easy prey for Cell-heappeared behind her, punching her to the ground. As she fell, shecaught the edge of a disc again, but this time it was no cleancut-she twisted as she landed, opening up a ragged gash in her leg.
Cell grinned, recalling the discs to hover above his outstretchedhands. "If that's the best you can do, I don't think you'll getto see much of my power after all…"
Damn it! She pushed herself off the ground, breathingheavily as she stood. "I'm getting tired of this crap…"she eyed Cell, his shadowy outline just visible underneath theblazing discs. There's got to be a way around this… everytechnique has a weakness! Come on… I can't lose like this-it's noteven a straight fight!
"Well, time to wrap this up. You've got impressive power,but your tactical ability is limited-and that will cost you yourlife!" He hurled the discs again, already smiling inanticipation of his next opponent. Who will it be? Goku? Raditz?
"Don't count on it!" She smiled. I've got it.She ran straight at the discs, looking down at the light they caston the ground to pinpoint their position in the air, and making sureto focus her ki sense to get an exact lock on them. Timing would beeverything here. She ignored the pain in her shoulder and leg, bothof which were bleeding steadily, as she ran. Exactly twenty-fivepaces away, she jumped into the air, somersaulting and landing righton top of the centre of the razor- edged disc. Shecrashed feet-first into it, shattering it into tiny fragments, whichquickly faded as Cell lost control. Then she dropped to a sittingposition as the second flew overhead, placing her hands on theground behind her as leverage and swinging a two-footed kickupwards, smashing the second disc in as many seconds.
Continuing the movement of the kick, she back-flipped to herfeet. Acting on some instinct, she immediately spun and raised ahand, catching Cell's wrist as he appeared behind her in mid-swing.They struggled silently against each other for a moment before shespoke. "You know, you're actually pretty predictable. You'vegot a taste for the dramatic-so it's only natural that you'd want toget me down as soon as I'd beaten your attack like that. Yaah!"She brought her knee up into his chin, knocking him several stepsaway. He rubbed his chin, scowling.
"That was quite a clever trick, destroying my attack likethat."
"Simple, really." She smiled. "Why would youbother concentrating energy into the centre? You can't, anyway-thatmuch surface area would require way more power than any of us haveto make a properly concentrated disc."
"Hmm… I guess I was wrong. You do have some fightingsense. But still, you're injured now-clearly at a disadvantage. Areyou going to continue this fight?"
"What kind of a question is that?!" She dived back intothe fray. "I'm not finished with you!"
Raditz walked over to the other fighters. "Hey, you didn'tmiss that, did you?" Goku asked. "I mean, your daughter…"
"Don't worry, I saw it." He beamed. "I admit I hadmy doubts, but I'm proud of her. She's actually holding her ownagainst that monster…"
"So, where's that Hercule guy?" Krillin asked.
"Lying in a pile of dirt, bruises and shame," Raditzreplied.
Cell punched Break in the stomach-her armour absorbed some of theimpact, willpower the rest. Willpower, as a matter of fact, wasabout to be the only thing she was running on-her energy reserveswere draining, fast. She swung a spinning kick at him, but it hissedthrough his afterimage, and he appeared behind her, a targeted kiaito the ankles taking her off her feet. She rolled away, avoiding astamp aimed at her head, and jumped back to her feet, just in timeto raise her guard and stop another punch. She grunted as the impactthrew her away, stumbling back to keep her balance.
Cell shifted his stance. "You're not getting tired, are you?Shall we break for lunch? Pun not intended."
"Just stop talking, okay?" She brushed her hair out ofher face, feeling her aura evaporating streams of sweat on herforehead, surrounding her with a miniature heat haze. "ThatSolar Kienzan is now officially your second-most annoying technique,next to running your mouth."
"'Annoying' is a bit of an understatement for my attempts onyour life, I'd have thought… but perhaps you're right. Maybe Ishould let actions speak louder than words, eh?" With that,Cell disappeared from sight.
Not this again! Break frowned as she spotted theoccasional glimpse of movement, but it seemed to come from everydirection at once, with no discernible pattern. He's even fasternow… is this just a demonstration of his real speed? I wouldn'tput it past him… "All right, I get it. You're prettyquick. Now are you going to-" Cell suddenly appeared in frontof her, inches away, grinning. She lashed out on instinct, but hewas already gone again. He materialised again, this time behind her,and she swung an elbow, but again he danced away before she couldhit him. "Hey!" she protested. "Stand still!"
"No thanks," came the reply, as he appeared to herright, vanishing again before her attack hit him. This happenedthree more times before she finally decided to just wait-no pointtiring herself out and never getting a hit in. In this precisemoment of hesitation, before she had put her guard up, Cell struck,ramming his elbow into the small of her back. She cried out,staggering forwards, only to be met with a kick to the face thatknocked her to the ground. Feeling blood rise in her mouth, shepulled herself up, trying to focus. Okay, just focus on defense…He appeared again, and she blocked a punch. Then a kick fromthe side. Then another punch. This continued for five minutesstraight, Cell popping up and attacking, Break successfullydefending, and Cell vanishing into his high-speed dash that made himimpossible to hit again.
Finally, she began to tire. She was getting dizzy from constantlyturning to defend from different angles, and the blood loss fromearlier was slowing her reactions. He threw a straight jab at her,and she unthinkingly blocked it, but it was merely a feint-his kneesmashed into her side, knocking her away.
She bounced painfully three times before managing to control herfall and right herself. "Ah… huh…" she looked up atCell, who was now hovering in the air with his arms folded.
"So, just out of curiosity, how much longer is this going togo on?" Cell asked. "You don't look like you've got muchleft. I mean, are we talking thirty seconds here, five minutes,what?"
"As long as it takes…" she growled, launching herselfup at him. The battle rejoined, going back and forth through the airhigh above its observers.
Raditz glared at the seven hopping, laughing Cell Juniors. "Hey,Goku…"
"Yeah?" His younger brother looked over at him.
"Do you reckon we could take those Cell Juniors? If we allattacked together?"
Goku sighed. "I know you want to help her, Raditz. But it'djust make things worse. Each of those things is about a match foryou or me, I reckon. But we're outnumbered, and most of our guys areless powerful than either of us. The only other people who couldtake on of those little guys on one-on-one are our kids… and oneof 'em is lying at home on death's door, and the other is up therefighting the Original Recipe Cell. So… I don't think it would gowell." Krillin, standing nearby, stifled a laugh as thiscomment made him imagine various flavours of Cell. What wouldCheese & Onion Cell look like, I wonder?
Break and Cell collided, her kick being blocked by his forearmwhile she held back his punch with both hands. Cell smiled. She'sweakening. Now is the moment to strike… he slipped away tothe side, simultaneously driving the edge of his hand into hershoulder and his foot into her thigh, hitting both of her woundsfrom his Solar Kienzan attack earlier. She dropped to the ground,landing heavily on her hands and knees, gasping as her injuriesburned.
"And now, the moment I've all been waiting for!" Cellboasted, throwing both restraint and grammar to the wind. He almostinstantly flew over to Korin Tower and placed both hands on it,anchoring himself to the enormously tall building with his ki.Tensing himself in preparation, he ripped the gigantic tower out ofthe Earth. He leapt up into the air, wielding Korin Tower like aweapon.
Two tiny specks tumbled out of the tower, falling towards theEarth. Goku frowned. "Raditz-"
"I'm on it." Raditz used Instant Transmission toinstantaneously travel to the falling figures, snatch them out ofthe air and return to Goku's side, carrying the tower's twoinhabitants, the cat sage Korin and portly samurai Yaijerobe. Hedumped them on the ground. "What am I, your courier?"
Goku looked up at Cell, ashen-faced. "This doesn't lookgood… it's not hard to guess what he's got planned. Come on,Break, if you're going to dodge anything he does, now's the time!"
Cell swung Korin Tower around until the base was pointingstraight down at Break, then-flaring his wings out for effect-heflew downwards, throwing Korin Tower at her with all his might.
Break grroaned as she began to move her battered body, feelingevery cut and bruise. Something seemed to edge into her awareness."Uh… where'd Cell go? And what's that sound? Coming from up…there…" the tower grew larger in her field of vision,blocking out the sun, as she finally noticed it. "Well, I'm f-"her voice was drowned out as the huge structure crashed into her.Cell pushed down on it from afar with his ki, driving it into theground until it was completely ground into rubble.
"And it looks like the battle is really heating up!"The TV reporter shouted into his microphone, over the deafeningnoise. "I don't know who's fighting Cell-maybe the mysterywarrior who knocked out Hercule-but it doesn't look like they'vewon, at least not yet…" he pointed into the sky at Cell'sdistant figure. "Cell appears to have taken to the air, andseems to be alive and well! More as it occurs. This is HarrisonKirby, ZTV news. We'll be back in the studio with George, afterthese messages."
Break struggled to stay awake. I'm not… done… got tokeep… fighting… finally, she lost her internal battle,collapsing into unconsciousness.
Cell laughed deeply as he came to rest on the ground near hisdefeated opponent, among the ruins of Korin Tower. "Well, thatwas a nice little warm-up. Shall we continue?"
Survive
Chapter 35: Survive
Gohan fell back into consciousness for a brief moment. A memory,lurking in his head since the previous night, floated to thesurface, and his eyes widened. Have to warn them… Break…she'll… power… "I have to…" The monkey-tailedboy collapsed again as Chi-Chi came running.
Goku walked through the gap in the ranks of the Cell Juniors asRaditz carried Break off the battlefield. This is it. Time tosee if all my training paid off… I know I'm not as powerful asBreak was, but hopefully that fight left Cell drained-I might juststand a chance.
"Ah, now we get to it," Cell said. "My truepurpose…"
"Killing me, right." Goku nodded.
"Indeed. While perhaps lacking in raw power compared to thegirl, I'm willing to bet your superior skill and tactical abilitywill make this fight interesting at the least."
"I'm hoping to be more than 'interesting'…"
"What's this?" Cell sneered. "You don't actuallybelieve you'll win, do you?"
Goku grinned. "No idea. Let's find out."
Vegeta beckoned to the three Hera-jins still standing. "Comeon, then. You've done a lot of bragging about your amazing power. Ihaven't seen any proof yet… in fact…" he smiled. "Ifyou're so mighty, why was it Frieza's clan ruling the galaxy allthese years?"
"Simple." Bojack inclined his head. "Bujin, tellhim."
Bujin nodded. "Very well. Unlike some people, Itake care to study potential threats. And obviously, the frostdemons were among those. Now, Frieza's power level in his secondform was measured at a million units on those obsolete scouters'scale."
"There had better be a point to all this, or I'm going toremove all of your limbs and beat you to death with them,"Vegeta grumbled.
Bujin chuckled. "Have patience. I'm getting there. Anyway,Frieza's full power was measured once-from orbit, using aship-mounted sensor. It clocked in at a hundred and twenty million."He paused. "His false sense of superiority made him lazy-hisintelligence service was extremely sloppy, and getting hold of thisinformation really wasn't very difficult. And now, my point… KingCold's power in his second form was slightly higher thanFrieza's maximum-a hundred and forty million. Do the math… I'destimate King Cold's full strength to have been in excess of tenbillion. It's possible the relationship between their forms' powerdiffers from one individual to the next, but with Frieza as our onlypoint of reference, we must assume it to be true."
"So what?" Vegeta snarled. "These numbers don'tmean anything to me!"
"Well, they should." Bujin smirked. "You see, I'vestudied such things extensively-such is my job, as the brains ofthis particular outfit. I've calibrated my ki sense to fit thescouters' scale, and I can assure you that your own power level isnowhere near that number. Not even lord Bojack is thatpowerful… although I assure you that one such as you isstill no match for him."
"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged. "Fine." Isuppose the Earthlings and their pet Super Saiyan must have killedCold in one of his lower forms… "Not that I care… youtalk too much. Don't worry, though-I've decided to kill youquickly."
"Oh, look at me, trembling," Bojack laughed, "somebodysave me from the almighty Super Saiyan!" His eyes narrowed."You have no idea what you're up against, Super Gorilla…"
"And that remark just cost you your quick death."
Goku focused his mind. Okay… we win or lose here. I've gotto be at my absolute best. Don't give an inch. "Yaaah!"He charged in, leading with a high right that Cell blocked. Hebrought his left hand around, simultaneously punching and kicking totry and throw Cell off-but the bio-android just dodged, almosteffortlessly. "Come on, Goku, I know you can do better thanthat!" Cell elbowed him in the ribs. "Show me what you'rereally made of!" Goku grimaced, spinning and throwing a rapidburst of punches, none of which connected. Damn it, stand still…Cell stepped in close, and Goku saw the opening, throwing Cellover his head by one arm, turning and charging energy between hishands. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Cell was thrown back by the beam, butwithout time to really charge it, Goku hadn't been able to produce ablast strong enough to seriously injure Cell.
Cell stood back up, turning to face Goku. "Ah, there we go.Fight like that, and I might have to start paying attention."Goku charged back in, launching a high kick that Cell ducked,swinging a fist. Goku spun in the air, pushing himself out of theway with a quick burst of ki. Landing behind Cell, he fired a rapidkiai of invisible force that sent Cell sprawling. Gokutried to follow up, but Cell was already on his feet, and with hisusual unmatchable speed he evaded Goku's next attack, punching himto the ground.
Goku sprang back up, bracing himself as Cell charged in again. Hesent out a telepathic signal to his wife, all those miles away.Chi-Chi.
Huh? Goku? Is everything okay?
How's Gohan? Goku dodged Cell's first attack, findinghimself being forced back.
He's getting worse. He was talking a little at first, but nowit's like he's in a coma… he needs that medicine, Goku!
He fired another kiai, but it missed. I know. I'mtrying. I'm fighting Cell right now.
She paused. You'll win, right?
I… don't know. I wish I could tell you. Cell landed apunch. He should be weakened from fighting Break, but he's justso fast, and he knows everything I try almost before I do…Another.
Please… don't die.
I'll do my best. And you keep Gohan alive.
All right. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. Staysafe.
Goku blocked another attack, but it was just a feint, and Cell'sfoot hit home in his stomach with immense force. Goku staggeredaway, raising his guard. "Ugh… damn it…" I knew hewas powerful, but this is insane! We're not ready for this!
Raditz laid Break down on the ground. "Hey. How are youdoing?"
Her eyes opened slowly. "I… what… oh! I lost. I'm sorry…I failed." She sighed.
He shook his head. "No, you did more than any of us couldhave hoped. Don't talk like that, you did fine."
"Should have… lasted longer…"
"You did fine," he insisted. "I'm proud of you."As the words left his mouth, it occurred to him how strange andalien they would have sounded just a few short years ago. How farthey'd all come. "Look, just take it easy. I'll get you a senzubean… hey! Cat thing!"
"All right, all right," Korin grumbled, "you couldshow a little respect, you know."
"Just give me one of those damn beans or I will remove yourwhiskers with a chainsaw."
"Fine! Geez." Korin waved a hand at Yaijerobe. "Hey,give him one of those senzus."
"Yeah, whatever." Yaijerobe held up the bag of healingplants, but before he could hand them over there was a hiss, the airseemed to glow, and the bag burst into flames, burning to ash inseconds. Cell stood opposite them, one smoking finger extended. "Idon't think so," he said.
"Wha…" Again, Raditz had caught a glimpse of Cell'strue speed, and was awed. I didn't see the attack at all… justa flash of light… he's a monster!
Goku ran at Cell from behind. "Get back here!"
"If you insist." Cell dodged Goku's fist and swung hisknee up into the Super Saiyan's face.
"Agh!" Goku fell back, wiping blood from his nose. Thisisn't working… I'm getting nowhere fast! "How… how areyou this much better than me? You say you're made from our fighters'cells, and you've absorbed androids Seventeen and Eighteen… butnone of us have ever been this skilled! What are you?!"
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," Celldeclared. "And besides… I'm programmed with an innateknowledge of your fighting styles. I know your moves inside out,Goku. Your Turtle School martial arts are so predictable."
"Heh." Goku smiled.
Cell raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Thanks for the tip." Goku ran at Cell, but at the lastsecond his stance shifted, moving lower and wider. Cell missed astep, caught off-guard, and Goku swung the edge of his hand into thecreature's neck. He somersaulted over Cell, turning and blocking theinevitable counterattack with both arms crossed over his face."Wha…" Cell was staggered back as Goku hit him with atwo-handed open-palmed strike to the chest. "This is theNamekian fighting arts!"
"That's right!" Goku told him. "I trained underKami for three years. And I've sparred plenty of times with Nail."He smashed both hands into Cell's head in that claw-like positionunique to the Namekian Demon Style. "So I figured, if you knowmy style I'll just use another one!"
Cell backed away, knocking Goku's energy blast aside. "Aclever trick, but you must have known it wouldn't last long. Now Iknow what you're up to, I can counter your moves just as effectivelyas I did before." To illustrate his point, he danced aroundGoku's face-aimed kick, ramming three punches in rapid successionpast the warrior's guard. Goku stumbled away, remaining on thedefensive. No problem. I'm not out of tricks yet… Cellleapt in, but Goku's stance changed again, and he stepped aroundCell's attack, elbowing him in the back of the head. He didn't letup, bringing his knee around and knocking Cell away. Cell stoppedhis fall, hovering just above the ground. "Oh, I see. Nowyou're using Raditz's style."
"Yeah-I picked it up on the way to Namek."
"I see. Well, a valiant effort." Cell saw Goku's nextattack coming before the saiyan had even moved, and kicked him away."But I think you're out of options now. What's left? You can'tsurprise me anymore. Korin didn't teach you any new styles. King Kaididn't. You've caught me off-guard a couple of times, but it won'thappen again."
Goku! Raditz's voice sounded in his younger brother'shead
What is it? He asked, fending off Cell's renewedassault. He was alternating between his human, saiyan and Namekianmartial arts, but he was still failing to land any hits. He tookanother kick, feeling blood rise in his mouth.
I've got a plan-we'll have the Cell Juniors to deal with, butif it works it might take care of the big guy.
Goku blocked a strong punch, skidding back with the force of theimpact. I'm listening.
Raditz continued. Can you knock Cell away just one more time?
I'm not sure… Goku ducked, just barely avoidinganother kick. I'm pretty much out of tricks… well, there isone thing I could try.
Do it. Raditz tensed himself up in preparation. Ijust need you to get one good hit in on him, and we've got him.
Goku stood up straight as Cell barrelled towards him. "You'rewrong, Cell!"
"What's this?"
"There's one teacher you've forgotten about-the mostimportant of all! And here's a little technique he taught me…"He brought his left fist around, colliding with Cell's punch andblocking it head-on. "Rock!" He brought up his right hand,jabbing Cell in the eyes with two extended fingers. "Scissors!"His right hand came down, and he thrust it against Cell's abdomen,throwing out a wave of ki that blasted Cell away into the air."PAPER!"
Cell was hurled away, spinning end over end. Just as he was aboutto right himself, Raditz appeared above him with InstantTransmission, punching him back down towards Goku and disorientatinghim. Goku raised both hands to his forehead, splaying his fingersout. "SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled. Cell, only noticing theattack at the last moment, was blinded by the intense light. Gokujumped out of the way of Cell's flight path, revealing Krillinbehind him, red Kaioken x20 aura burning around him. He raised onehand above his head, palm-up. "KIENZAN!" He hurled theenergy disc at the stunned Cell, and powered up by the Kaioken, itsliced right through him, taking his head clean off.
Cell's head and body dropped to the floor with a satisfying thud.Goku and Raditz settled to the ground on either side of Krillin, whowas staring at their handiwork, wide-eyed. "Did… did thatjust happen?" He couldn't believe it. Cell… the 'perfect'android… lay headless on the floor, slain by Krillin's own hand.He'd never been the one to actually defeat a really tough enemy-atthe most, he got to beat a henchman or two, and sometimes he justgot beaten up. Winning- really winning, a major battle-wasa new experience. I could get used to it…
"Yeah! It worked!" Goku cheered. "Awesome, guys!"
Raditz nodded. "Don't go celebrating yet. Those Cell Juniorsdon't look too happy…"
The news crew peered through a gap in the rock face. "Absolutelyincredible! It seems this group of warriors has actually defeatedCell, using some kind of magical energy attack! But now that groupof miniature Cell-like creatures are taking up the fight! Staytuned!"
The seven Cell Juniors leapt at the three warriors, who bracedthemselves for impact. Before the two sides met, though, there was ablur of motion and the Cell Juniors were thrown back. Nail, Zarbon(fully-powered up, with bright golden eyes and elongated fangs, atrait he'd developed when fighting at full power since his trainingin the Hyperbolic Time Chamber) and Kuriza stood next to them, readyfor action. "Count me in for this one," Kuriza said,grinning.
"Kuriza!" Krillin gave a thumbs-up. "When d'youget here?"
"Just now, with Bulma. Sorry we're late-she needed to stopand make some last-minute adjustments to her anti-Cell machine, andshe needed me to hold some wires together for her."
Krillin nodded. "Yeah, we may not need that anymore-unlessit works on these little guys too…"
"Of course it will!" Bulma called from a 'safe'distance. She was wearing mechanic's clothes, and her arms werecovered in grease up to her elbows. She held a metal tube in bothhands, covered in switches, dials, buttons and blinking lights. Acable ran out of the back, connecting it to a yellow box on thefloor, which was humming and glowing with a soft blue light. "Justget 'em over here!"
"Easier said than done…" Krillin muttered, as theCell Juniors charged again. One fighter met each one, all jumpingaway as their battles took them in different directions. With one'spare', two of them rushed at Krillin (as the one who'd actuallydone the deed on Cell). He pushed off of the ground, fleeing towardsBulma as he pushed the Kaioken as high as he dared. Just as theywere closing in, Break appeared in mid-air, punching a Cell Juniorinto the ground. "Get the other one!" she growled as ithopped to its feet, unfazed.
Krillin raced off in combat with the remaining Cell Junior, asBreak faced off against hers. "Hurry it up, Bulma," shemuttered, trying to shake off the dizziness-she wasn't sure how longshe'd be able to last in this fight, after her previous battle withCell. "Okay, come get some." She swung a fist, but theCell Junior jumped over it, kicking her in the face with both feetand sending her bouncing away over the grass. She rolled and sat up,raising both hands in front of her face. "Try this… BURNINGFLASH!" The gigantic beam of golden energy sprung to life inseconds, arcing up at the Cell Junior, who giggled and playfullykicked it away into air, dissipating in the atmosphere. Thesethings are tougher than they look! She realised. It was justgearing up for another round when it found itself encased in ashimmering blue field of light.
"Gotcha!" Bulma shouted triumphantly. "Phase1-immobilisation-success!"
"Bulma, have you tested this? At all?" Break asked.
"Not as such, no. But it should work. Probably. Maybe."She flipped a switch. "Now, phase 2-capture!" The CellJunior screamed and tried to escape, to no avail. Bulma scowled atit, its protests wearing her patience thin. "Stop that! I'vebeen awake for over 50 hours straight, most of them working on thisdamn machine, I am now running purely on adrenaline and caffeine,several of my friends are dead and injured, and I'm trying not topanic at the fact that I'm wearing an unlicensed particleaccelerator on my back. I AM IN NO MOOD." With that, shetwisted a dial, and the field of light contracted, stretching andcompression the Cell Junior's image and drawing it into the tube.Haphazard sparks of electricity shot up and down the cable as itsessence was sucked into the box. "And now for part three…total annihilation at the sub-atomic level." She grinned madly,pressing a large red button. The box shuddered, glowing a brightblue. She frowned and kicked it, which seemed to do the trick-itsettled down, and a light turned green. "Excellent!" shesaid. "He's history! Brains over brawn any day."
"That's great, Bulma!" Break agreed. "Quick, getthe rest-we're not doing well." This was true-Goku, Raditz andNail were holding their own, but still on the defensive against theunexpectedly powerful creatures, and Krillin, Zarbon and Kuriza weregetting knocked around like toys.
"All right!" Bulma pointed the device, calibrated totrack movement at superhuman speed, at Krillin's opponent, pulling alever on the side. Several lights turned red, and it began to emit aloud, insistent beeping. "Uh…" she glanced down at it."Oh. Um… slight… technical difficulties… I'll just getto… fixing that…"
"How long will it take?!" Break demanded.
"Oh, up to half an hour or so… hopefully." Sheshrugged, busying herself with the machine.
"Oh, that is good," said a depressinglyfamiliar voice. Cell, looking good as new, stood in the centre ofthe battlefield, arms folded and laughing to himself. "Did youmiss me?"
The battle paused as everyone stared. "He's… alive?!"Goku hissed. "No way!"
"Oh, but I'm afraid so," said Cell. "You see, itdid take me a little time to re-grow most of my body, but Namekianregeneration is such a useful trait. Perhaps if my CellJuniors hadn't distracted you, you'd have Hmm… I appear to be downto six children… that is a pain. And you, baldy…"he pointed at Krillin. "I just thought I'd like you to knowthat I'm going to save you for last. You damaged my perfect body…and for that you will pay dearly."
Vegeta shifted from one foot to the other, waiting. "Well,come on then. Who's next?"
"Bido!" Bojack growled. "Get up, you waste ofspace!"
Bido stood up slowly. "Forgive me, master Bojack… he'sjust so powerful…"
"Silence. I'll give you a chance. Enough of this playingaround. Bujin-Zangya-give him a hand." Bojack's three henchmengrinned as they approached Vegeta. Oh, I see, the princerealised. The short one's going to try that immobilising trickwhile the other two beat on me. Well, not if I take him out first!He took the initiative, running straight for Bujin, using hissuperior speed to get past the other two before they could stop himand barrelling into the turban-sporting Hera-jin. Vegeta landed ontop, raising one hand to execute Bujin, but before the blowconnected, he felt his whole body being jerked backwards. Whatthe…?! Zangya stood behind him, fingers extended towards him.She can do it too!
"Now I've got you," she said, as the almost-invisibleenergy bonds bit into his flesh. He hissed in pain, struggling to noavail.
"Don't bother," Bojack said. "The more you fightit, the more energy it drains from you."
"Nothing's… unbreakable…" he growled, pushingoutwards with all his might-nothing. "You… won't… win…"
"Think so?" Bojack indicated the saiyan. "Bido,would you do the honours?"
"Right you are, lord Bojack." Punches rained down onVegeta, the blows aimed with cruel precision to inflict the maximumpain. It took over a minute for the prince's head to roll back, hiseyes closing as he lost his Super Saiyan form. "There,"Bido said, rubbing his knuckles after throwing in a few more hitsfor good measure. "It's done. He lasted pretty long, though…"
"Yeah, he's a tough one," Bujin agreed.
Bojack nodded to Zangya. "Put him down. I'll dispose of thebody." However, as soon as she released Vegeta, he immediatelypowered back up, throwing out a wave of golden energy in everydirection. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Super Saiyanprince raced off into the distance.
The Hera-jins stood up-Bido was trembling. "He was consciousthe whole time…"
Bojack nodded. "He feigned weakness to escape. Don't fallfor it again."
"But… to take all that punishment without flinching…what kind of a man is he?"
"He's a born survivor. He'll never give up while he's stillbreathing." Bojack smiled. "Luckily, I'm a born killer, soit all evens out in the end."
No More Games
Chapter 36: No More Games
The Earth's fighters clustered together on the plain, trying tocatch their breath after the intense battle with the Cell Juniors.One of the creatures had been vapourised by Bulma's machine, but theother six stood opposite the heroes in a neat line, forming a wallbehind which towered Cell, laughing to himself. "Well, I see noreason to stop my little game now… the show must go on!" heswept an arm around dramatically. "Who's next? Raditz? Or haveyou still got some fight in you, Goku?"
"I'll finish what I started!" Goku said confidently,stepping in front of the others. "Come on!"
"Hold on a second!" Raditz growled, pushing past Goku."You've had your turn!"
Cell chuckled. "Dear me… you still honestly believe youhave a chance? That trick you pulled won't work twice."
"It doesn't have to." Raditz grinned. "You've justbeen through two intense battles, then had to regenerate your entirebody from just your head. Your power's been severely drained."
"Oh, I see. You think so?" Cell seemed amused, his calmdemeanour unsettling them.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nail demanded.
Cell settled into a lower stance. "Well, you might have beenright… had my full power not been so vastly beyond any of you thatit makes no difference!"
His full power! Goku thought. "Let's see it!"
Raditz grinned despite himself. I knew it!
Cell inhaled deeply. "If you insist." There was a noiselike a thunderclap, and Cell's ki skyrocketed. "HAAAAAA!"Shockwaves of pure force poured out of his body, hurling Krillin,Zarbon, Kuriza and Bulma away from him, and a sparking golden auraflickered to life around his body. The noise died down, and Cellstood up straight. "Well. How do you like me now?"
"What the hell is this?" Raditz backed away a couple ofsteps involuntarily. "We can't fight that!"
Nail frowned. "His energy feels like… like he just becamea Super Saiyan!"
"Of course." Goku raised his guard. "He's got ourDNA, remember?"
"I don't think DNA works like that!" Bulma called frombehind them.
"Given the evidence," Cell replied, indicating himself,"I think we must conclude that it does. Now…" he wavedhis Cell Juniors to stand back. "As you can see, though I haveindeed used up a considerable amount of energy during our battle,I'm still leagues above any of you!"
"Raditz! Nail!" Goku jumped at Cell from above. "Alltogether!"
"All right!" Raditz set his jaw, running at thebio-android from the left as Nail approached from the right.
It took Cell exactly six point three seconds to take down Earth'sstrongest fighters.
Nail fired an energy beam from one hand as he charged, but ithissed through Cell's afterimage as he appeared behind the Namek.Cell returned fire at Nail, but Goku jumped in and shoved it out ofits flight path, dodging a second blast from Cell, leaping in andthrowing a quick Kamehameha wave at point-blank range. The dust blewaway to reveal Cell's hands raised in front of him, having absorbedthe attack with ease. He vanished, and afast-to-the-point-of-invisibility strike floored Goku, before Cellappeared in front of Raditz, who flung himself to the side to avoidCell's punch. Executing a perfect handspring, Raditz launchedhimself back at Cell, but was backhanded away. He drove his footinto the ground, stopping his flight, turning to see Cell rushinghim.
The fighters crashed together, rapidly exchanging blows. Beforelong, Cell's attacks started to get through Raditz's defences, andthe third took him down. Nail ran in from behind, but he might aswell have been moving in slow motion. Cell turned, lazily forming anenergy ball between his fingers and detonating it in Nail's stomach,throwing him away through the air.
It was done.
"There," Cell said, dusting his hands off. "Now doyou see? Do you understand ? You never stood a chance. Ijust wanted some fun out of you, that's all. But…" hecrouched down next to Goku, who was trying to sit up. "Beforeyou die, I want you to know there was nothing you could do.I want you to despair ."
"We're not… done yet!" Cell looked up on hearing thevoice. Break was lurching towards him, wincing with every step asher wounds stung.
He rolled his eyes. "You again. Don't you ever give up?Well, I suppose not. Saiyans never do, after all… bravery to thepoint of idiocy is in your nature." He stood up, turning toface her. "Thankfully that's a trait I didn't inherit, thoughI'm grateful for those I did."
"This fight… isn't over." Her speech seemed forced,fragmented-like how she'd used to talk when she'd transformed. Butdidn't she learn to control the form? Raditz thought, lookingup and wiping blood from his face. It' s like she'sreached a tipping point… she's reverting back to her old self…
There was a blur of movement, and Break felt an impact knock herto the ground. She closed her mind to the pain, pushing herself backup. She didn't have a plan, didn't know what she was going to do.But I won't… stop. I have to keep going.
Cell was turning away, but saw her walking towards him again. Hiseye twitched. "You're back already?! When are you going toaccept your fate?"
"I think… you know." She took another step. Another.One at a time. Don't think. Just don't stop. There wasn'tmuch hope, of course. Even if she had been at her absolute maximum,it wouldn't have been enough. Cell was too strong, too fast… maybehe really was the ultimate being. But she was the only one stillstanding. She was the strongest. This was up to her. If only Gohanhad been there… against that mysterious power that he'd used todefeat Broly, Cell would have been utterly crushed. But theycouldn't rely on that anymore. Besides, it was all her fault-hertime machine had brought this monster here, her arrogance hadallowed it to achieve its perfect form. It was her responsibility.
"Stubborn little…" Cell flexed his arms, regaininghis composure. "I was going to kill Goku first, programming andall that, but such determination must be rewarded! Yes, I think I'mgoing to start with you." His image flickered, and instantly hestood inches away from her, looking down at the injured, staggeringhalf-saiyan, who flinched away at the sudden movement. "Gokuwill of course be next, then the rest of these 'fighters', if thatisn't too strong a word, and then the rest of the people of thisplanet you've tried so hard to protect. But I'm going to save thoseparents of yours until last." Break shook with fear as Cellcontinued, taking a leisurely step towards her as she shrank back."And when they die… oh, so slowly and painfully… they'llknow. They'll know it all came down to you… that you had onechance to save them, and. You. Failed!" he spat the last fewwords. "And that is your reward for thinking yourselfabove me, you insect ."
"NO, CELL!" she screamed, her hair wild with its goldenenergy. "I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" Throwing her head back, shebegan powering up, pushing her body.
Having mastered the Super Saiyan form, any attempt to simply bulkherself up cost her dearly in speed; her body just couldn't containany more energy without losing agility. But she continued pushing,ignoring the pain, her eyes becoming blank and hollow. It felt likeher body was on fire, but there was one driving thought forcing herto carry on. I have… to be… stronger!
Cell began a slow, sarcastic clap. "Yes, very impressive.But you must know that this won't help you. All you're doing ismaking yourself an easier target to hit. Really, I expected better…all right, I'll be honest, I didn't. This is exactly thekind of amateur mistake I'd expect from you."
Raditz pushed himself up onto one elbow. "I know you'retrying to make yourself stronger, Break… but not like this! Itdoesn't work, I've already tried it! Even when I knew what I wasdoing, it just delayed the inevitable…"
The pain was almost unbearable now. Her skin felt like it wasgoing to rip; her muscles ready to burst. But she kept going. It wasthere, somewhere… a burning emerald beacon. It rose up in her,pulsing through her blood, pushing her to breaking point. "IWON'T… LET YOU…"
Goku's eyes widened. "Stop! Break, stop it now! Your bodycan't contain that much energy! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
It detonated. Her entire body seemed to rip apart, engulfed inthe fiery green glow. The roar of energy grew so loud it deafenedthem, seeming to wrap right back around into silence.
Cell blinked, trying to focus his enhanced senses to see what wasgoing on. What the hell just happened?
The light faded slightly, darkening to a deeper shade of green. Afigure became visible at the centre, slowly becoming clearer as theglow dimmed to a bearable level. Cell lunged, hissing, but there wasa crunching sound and he was jerked to a halt. As he hung there,unmoving, all was finally revealed.
Break stood at least a foot taller, and more muscular thanbefore, though not quite as much as the usual bulked-up form. Herwounds seemed to be healed, and her eyes were pure, blank white. Herhair seemed stretched-out, almost completely standing up on end, andhad the same green hue as her aura. She had one arm outstretched,fist planted in Cell's face. He fell away, grimacing.
"Wha… what did you do?!" he demanded.
"It's… over, Cell," she growled. Another quickmovement, her leg swung around, and Cell was knocked up into theair. She appeared above him, bringing her elbow down into his backand sending him flying back down, smashing into the ground andthrowing out a huge crater.
Cell crawled out of the crater, unsteadily rising to his feet."What is happening? How are you doing this? ANSWER ME!"She landed in front of him, smiling slightly. He snarled, focusingall of his ki into one fist and throwing a punch straight at herface. But her hand was already there, catching his wrist andstopping the blow before it connected. "Let go of me!"
"Whatever… you say." She released his hand, and hejumped away, massaging his wrist. "Rrr… Cell Juniors! Dealwith this!"
"Uh… guys…" The group of fighters had regrouped asthe battle unfolded, and Krillin finally spoke. "Is anyone elsesensing this? Because her power… it feels like…"
"Broly." Raditz nodded. "I guess both our kidsturned out to have some serious potential, eh, Goku?" Evenif Gohan's was greater, he thought with just the slightest hintof bitterness. "I mean, I guess she is just like hermother-always ready to fly into a rage. You know how thetransformation's always affected her mind. But still… I can'texplain this. Wasn't there only supposed to be one Legendary SuperSaiyan every thousand years? Broly was the one, not her."
"Only once in a…?" Nail looked puzzled. "I don'tremember that…"
Raditz shrugged. "I heard it while I was interrogatingParagus. I didn't take much notice at the time, but he blubberedsomething about the Legendary Super Saiyan being a once-a-milleniumevent."
Goku looked at the fight, then back at his brother. "Yeah,you're right… you did mention Paragus saying something like that…so how is she doing it? This doesn't make sense at all…"
The six Cell Juniors launched themselves at Break from all sides.She didn't move until the last second, jumping up into the air andavoiding their attacks. She landed behind one, putting her arm rightthrough its skull with ease. She swung her arm back as a secondleapt at her from behind, fingers scything through its neck like itwasn't even there. She brought her hands together around a third,its chest caving in beneath the incredible force and its ribs andspine shattering. The remaining three jumped back, wary. She whippedaround, firing a tiny, pencil-thin energy beam from one finger thatpenetrated a Cell Junior's eye, killing it instantly, and then shewas gone. The final pair looked frantically around, searching forher, but they couldn't keep up with her speed. She appeared behindthem, holding up a hand behind each one and incinerating them.
"Hey!" Goku yelled at her. "You didn't have tokill them! They were no match for you, you could have easily justknocked them out!" She ignored him. "Are you listening tome?! They were living, thinking creatures! You could have at leastgiven them a chance!" No response.
Nail was closest to the fight and following it with raptattention. He had never imagined that Break would have this kind ofpower… of course, a few days ago he'd never have imagined thatanyone would have it, but Broly, Gohan and Cell had shakenup his worldview. This energy is incredible… "Itmakes sense," he explained to the others. "I think I'vegot it. Look, Paragus said 'once in a thousand years', butI don't think he knew what he was talking about. It's clearly somekind of dormant or recessive gene, and those don't operate to aschedule. However, if it was an extremely rare gene, itcould well be that in all likelihood, only one LegendarySuper Saiyan is born every thousand years. I certainly wouldn'tcount on primitive people like the saiyans used to be keeping exactcount of years passing. Let's see… it's in all saiyans, but…buried so deeply, it'd have to be activated by some form of mutationor genetic instability. And Lunch, with her literal, physicalmetamorphosis tied in with her split personality, which by the wayis suspiciously similar to Super Saiyan-blonde hair, aggressivepersonality…" he looked around. "Are you following me?"
Raditz shrugged. "Mostly."
"All right, good." Nail continued. "Add this tothe fact that Raditz had already achieved Super Saiyan whenBreak was conceived, which has never happened before. Cell basicallyconfirmed earlier that Super Saiyan does something to your DNA-whichis then passed on. With this combination of uniquely unstable andpowerful genes, it must have activated the latent potential that'sin every saiyan. I just hope she can control herself better thanBroly could…"
"Well, she isn't nearly as massive as he was," Zarbonpointed out. "That implies control."
Nail shook his head. "Only over her power. Her personalityis anybody's guess… and after the way she killed the Cell Juniors…well, let's just say that I don't think Broly would have hesitatedto kill Paragus if he'd had the chance."
Break looked at the twisted corpses of the Cell Juniors, hermouth twisting into a cruel half-smile. However, the distraction hadgiven Cell enough time to get behind her and charge up an attack.Sensing the ki spike, she turned, just in time to see the brightyellow burst of energy. "KIKOHO!" Cell shouted. Breakhurriedly swung a hand up, knocking the blast away into the air, butshe hadn't had time to fully focus her energy and the beamincinerated her left glove, scorching the skin underneath. Shegrowled, advancing towards Cell, who was beginning to sweat. "Takethis… KIENZAN!" She jumped over the disc with casual ease,now that she was expecting an attack. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"Sidestepped. "DODONPA!" Backhanded away. "KAMEHAMEHA!"Caught between both hands and held back until it flickered out."D-Damn you!" He hissed, nervously backing away as sheapproached. "What is this?!"
Break's reply came in the form of a violent pulse of ki, throwingCell back. He scrambled to keep his footing, and she grinned at hisfear.
"I told you… Cell. It's over. Your stolen techniques…won't work anymore."
"SHUT UP!" He shrieked, launching himself at her,feeling his blows swing through the empty air as she moved theminimum distance necessary to dodge each one. Cell shuddered. "I-Iam the ultimate… th-the ultimate being!"
" Save it !" She fired another kiai,this one sending him reeling back, his feet digging up skid-marks inthe ground.
No… no, I won't be beaten this way… not by her! Cellraised his hand as if to punch again, and she prepared to idlydodge, but he shifted stance quickly, adopting a familiar pose."SOLAR FLARE!" Break staggered away, her overconfidenceand rage having left her open, arms waving in front of her face in afutile effort to ward of the disabling light.
Cell saw his opening and struck, charging up his foot with energyand planting it directly in her midsection. A soft hiss of breathescaped her mouth, and she folded up, dropping to the ground. Cellretracted his leg, standing up straight with a satisfied smirk. "So,you're not invincible."
Break rolled over onto her back, and Cell saw to his surprisethat she was smiling. "Good…" she said, climbing to herfeet. "You're not so weak… not a total waste of time…"
"Of course I'm not!" Cell snapped. "I am theperfect combination of DNA from the Earth's greatest fighters!"
She snorted. "Right. You're always… talking about that.Perfect. Ultimate." Her eyes narrowed. "It gets old."
"Don't think you've won!" Cell snarled, raising hisguard. "I'm going to kill you! It doesn't matter how powerfulyou are, you're an inferior design! You're flawed-you haveweaknesses! I'll kill you, and all your friends!"
"My friends? Like… Yamcha?" she asked, breathingheavily. "Like Tien?" Visions of her dead future flashedin her mind, and her blank, pure white eyes blazed. " LIKETRUNKS ?!" Cell felt an impact to his chest, cracking hisarmour plating and making Break's previous blows feel like gentletaps by comparison, hurling him up into the air. "I'm doneplaying with you!" she yelled, raising both hands in front ofher face. "BURNING…"
"No!" Cell howled, crossing his arms in front of hisbody to try and shield himself. "It can't end this way!"
"… FLASH!" A bright golden energy beam shot forthfrom her hands, slamming into Cell and carrying him off into thesky. It arced up, shooting off into space, burning, flickeringenergy stabbing into Cell's body from all around. He felt himselfcoming apart, the attack ripping into his flesh and tearing itasunder. "N-no… I will not… be defeated… my… myperfection…" Piece by piece, he dissolved, evaporated, andfinally he was gone. The beam faded into the dark void.
Break lowered her arms, panting with near-exhaustion. Though shedidn't want to show it, beating Cell hadn't been easy. His kick hadgenuinely hurt, and her defences hadn't been nearly as effortless asshe'd let on. She'd had a significant advantage, yes, but onlybravado and intimidation had made the two seem so completelyoutmatched.
Raditz cautiously approached her, smiling hopefully. "Break?Are you…"
"I'm… in control." She shrugged, her huge musclesrippling. "I guess."
"But… how?" he asked incredulously.
Nail frowned irritably. "I just explained it to you-"
"That's not what I mean." Her father looked into hereyes. "Break… how did you do it?"
"I'm not sure…" she looked uncomfortable. "Younever… deliberately aim for something specific… finding a newlevel. You just know… you need something . I had to win…I just had to."
Raditz grinned. "We thought we'd reached the limit ofpowering up… I guess you broke through it. You can thank yourmother for this, you know." Break raised an eyebrow. "I'llexplain later… right now, let's just be happy!"
"That's right!" Goku had a grin plastered on his face,spreading almost from ear to ear. "You did it, Break! You savedthe world… you stopped Cell!"
" IS THAT A FACT ?!" boomed a harsh,imperious voice.
"No… no…" Goku clenched his fists. "Doesn'tthat monster ever die?"
"He can't… be alive!" Break growled. "I… blewhim to pieces!"
"Get ready!" Raditz warned, glancing up into the sky.I'm getting tired of this regeneration crap! "He'scoming, but… tell me I'm not the only one sensing this."
"You're not." Nail nodded. "I'm afraid his power-"
"Is even greater than before, is that right?" Cell saidquietly from behind them. They whirled, jumping with fright, seeingthe reborn monster perched on a rocky outcrop barely a metre away.
Zarbon choked. "But-but he was in the sky just a momentago!"
"I didn't even see any movement…" Goku muttered."He's faster than before, too…"
Cell bowed. His power was indeed much greater now, but thatwasn't the only change. Blue sparks of electric energy crackledaround his body, filling the air with an acrid, metallic taste."Now, I suppose you're all just dying for anexplanation. Well, don't say I never gave you anything." Hecleared his throat, as if giving a lecture. "Namekianregeneration is such a useful little trait, and coupled with thefrost demons' ability to survive in space, well… coping with thatattack was child's play, really!" He chuckled. "But ofcourse, wouldn't you expect me to be weakened, drained-not strongerthan ever? Well, as a matter of fact you saiyans are responsible forthis latest development."
"Don't tell me…" Raditz scowled. "You came backstronger after a near-death experience, just like a saiyan!"
Cell nodded. "That's right."
"But you couldn't have! That ability provides diminishingreturns at higher power levels. It doesn't give us any benefit atall at our strength!"
"Oh, normally you'd be quite right," Cell said,grinning. "However, the ability would give a greater powerboost, would it not, if the user had come back from, say, beingreduced to a single cell ."
Krillin frowned. "You regenerated from one cell?!"
"Oh, I did. Even I didn't think I would survive, so perhapsI was exaggerating a little when I called it 'child's play'. Maybethe fact that I thought I would die was the reason the saiyan traitactivated… who knows? It's irrelevant. I thought I was perfect asI was before… now I see the truly perfect design is the one thatcontinually improves, always growing stronger. But enough of thisgloating. Our battle can now resume." He pointed at Break."Isn't that right?"
She growled like a cornered animal. "This doesn't… changeanything."
"Oh, but it does. Shall I prove it to you?" Cell leaptforwards, laughing, and disappeared. Break stumbled back in alarm,eyes widening, and quickly vanished as well. The fighters ricochetedback and forth around the plains, every strike and block twistingand tearing up the landscape. Break missed a punch, and a mountainmiles away shattered. Cell blocked a kick, and a nearby townsuffered an unprecedented earthquake. After a full, unrelentingminute of this, they reappeared, landing opposite each other. Breakwas swaying from side to side, trying her best to remain standing,her aura flickering as if ready to explode. Cell stood confidently,arms folded. "Well, that was interesting. With yourpower so volatile and unstable, and us both having so recently comeinto our full potential… I genuinely didn't know who was thestronger. But it appears to be me, does it not?"
"HAAAH!" Break yelled, throwing herself forwards andkicking Cell in the face, but he didn't flinch.
"Incredible…" Krillin muttered. "That attackcould've split the planet in half, but he just stood there and tookit!"
"I fear…" Raditz said quietly, numbly. "… thateven Break's new power can't save us now. Cell really is perfect. Hecan survive anywhere… he can regenerate any injury… and just getstronger. We can't beat him… nobody can…" he sank to hisknees, his fingers digging into what little grass hadn't been burntto ash around them. "We were fools to even try."
Goku shook his head. "This isn't over yet. Have a littlefaith."
"Hmph." Raditz grimaced. Faith…
Cell spun, knocking Break's legs out from under her, and aidedher fall with a sweeping overhead elbow strike, throwing her to thefloor. She stuck both hands out beneath her, stopping her fall andswinging her legs up towards him, but he ducked back, easilyavoiding the double-footed kick. She continued the movement, pushingoff with her hands and back-flipping to her feet. "Nice try,taking my attack… but I felt it." She grinned. "Yourenergy dropped… for a moment. It's the same trick I used… you'restronger than me… but not by that much."
Cell snickered. "True, true. You did injure me somewhat.Perhaps you'd have a chance, however small, at full power. Butyou're not, are you? No, that blast you tried to kill me with took alot out of you. And so, you will fall." He raised a hand,firing off a quick energy bolt that smashed into her, driving herbackwards. "And your planet falls with you."
"No… you won't!" She charged him again, furiouslyattacking. "YOU CAN'T!"
Cell laughed, precisely-timed blocks and parries turning asideeach of her attacks. "It's not your choice anymore," hegloated, ramming a knee into her side, feeling ribs buckle, but notbreak. Not yet.
The news crew continued to watch. "I'm not… entirely surewhat to make of this!" the reporter whispered, as the ordinaryhumans clung to dear life for their cover as shockwaves from thesuperhuman battle rolled past them.
"You don't believe all that crap's really happening, doyou?" a gruff, boisterous voice asked. Hercule marched up tothem, posturing like usual. "I told you, it's all cheaptricks-not real fighting."
The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Cheap tricks like the onethat knocked you out?"
Hercule frowned. "Well, of course! It's not called a trickfor nothin', you know! But I won't fall for it again-" anotherwave of force knocked them all to the ground.
"Well, I believe what I see," the reporter saidobstinately, "and you can't just explain all this away."An assistant ran up to him, whispering something to him-the resultsof a hurried investigation. The reporter smiled. "I see. Well,Hercule, how would you respond if I asked you about the worldmartial arts tournaments before you begin to compete? There aremultiple eyewitness accounts, not to mention photographic evidence,to suggest similar supernatural fighting techniques were employed,and not used as grounds for disqualification by the tournamentofficials…"
Hercule began to look flustered. "Look, Mister, I don't knowwho you think you are, but…" he puffed out his chest. "I,sir, am the Martial. Arts. Champion. Oftheworld ! And Iknow real fighting when I see it!" At this point, anothershockwave bowled him over, sending him spinning end over end alongthe ground away from the battle.
The reporter shrugged. "I leave you to draw your ownconclusions, viewers."
The broadcast was live, international. Millions were watching.And, though many drank in everything the champion told them, somebegan to mutter.
"Got himself knocked out, of course he'd call it a trick…"
"I've been to those tournaments, I saw people fly!"
"Get back to the fight!"
"What about King Piccolo and those aliens a few years back?"
"I know what I saw!"
Break collapsed, gasping for air. She was bruised, beaten half todeath-or at least it felt like it. Cell stalked towards her, in arelaxed pose. "Well?" he asked. "Don't disappoint me.You're the best the Earth has to offer, at least help me pretendyou're worth killing. Come on, stand up! Fight!"
"If you insist." Goku stood firmly between Cell andBreak.
"Goku?" Cell sneered. "Out of my way. Your turnwill come. But I must destroy this one first. She needs to die…"She almost killed me. I cannot let such a being exist in thisworld.
"Not while I'm still here." Goku attacked, but fivesharp blows sent him sprawling before he could even connect onepunch. He sprang back up, tasting blood in his mouth. It mingledwith the metallic taste that Cell's electric aura filled the airwith, and with a shock Goku realised something. That energycoming from Cell… I know it. The taste in the air. It's like…Gohan? When he beat Broly? Yes… the energy's the same! Cell… ishe tapping that same power? And what is that power anyway?He shook his head. It didn't matter. He couldn't feel any suchreserve inside himself, and he didn't have Break's potential either.He just knew what he had to do. He had to win. It was what he'dalways done. He'd fought, and he or his friends had come out on top.But Cell was invincible, it seemed… what could he do? He had to bestronger… had to be… stronger… that's it.
Several days ago, within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber…
Goku was pacing back and forth. He had it. He was replayingthe memory over and over in his head. Yes, that was it.
"Dad?" Gohan asked. Goku looked up, smiling.
"Hey, son. Just thinking about something."
"I thought we were going to be Super Saiyans for as longas possible, Dad." Gohan was himself transformed at the time."You're, y'know, normal."
"Yeah, I know." Goku settled into a low stance."That's intentional. Let's see…" he gritted his teeth,summoning up his energy, and- concentrating it, almost likeit was folding back in on itself, compressing, doubling itsefficiency. "KAIOKEN!" A burning red aura flared to lifearound Goku's body, enveloping him. "Cool! It worked!" Hejumped back and forth, trying a few experimenting punches and kicksin the air. "My speed and power are definitely increased, but…"he relaxed, powering down and letting the aura fade. "It'snothing compared to Super Saiyan. Ah, never mind, I guess." Hetransformed into a Super Saiyan with little effort, turning to faceGohan.
The half-saiyan looked confused. "I didn't know you knewthe Kaioken, dad…"
Goku laughed. "Actually, that was my first try! But I'veseen Tien and the others do it, and I'm a quick learner."
"Quick learner?" Gohan shook his head. "Nobody can do the Kaioken without King Kai's training, and youhaven't had that."
Goku smiled. "Hey, Master Roshi said it'd take me 50years to learn the kamehameha, and I did it first try." He felta little self-conscious. "Uh, not to brag or anything. But itdoesn't matter. There's no point using Kaioken… it's not like Ican use it on top of Super Saiyan or anything…"
Or can I? Goku honestly didn't know-but he was gettingdesperate. As he was, he was obviously no match for Cell. It'sworth a try, I guess…
"No! No, no, no, a thousand times no!" King Kai's voicestabbed into his mind. "Goku, let's be clear on this. I tellyou people not to do a lot of things. You do them anyway, and you'reusually right. But trust me on this one. It won't help you.The two types of energy are completely different. They'll clashinside your body, and you'll be burned out of power at best, rippedapart from the inside at worst!" he grew frantic. "Do youunderstand me?"
Sure, Goku thought. But I'm going to die hereanyway. Might as well go for it. Besides, aren't you curious?
"No! No, I'm not! Goku, there has to be another way!"
Well, I don't see one. Here goes… Goku inhaled deeply,collecting his power inside himself. "HYAAAA…" And…focus. " SUPER KAIOKEN!" he bellowed, feeling itburst out of him. His golden aura and hair flashed red, and he shotforwards with boosted speed. A strengthened fist cracked into Cell'sface, hurling him away through the air. However, the moment passed,and Goku felt a clash inside him. Instantly, the power vanished, theKaioken and Super Saiyan energies within his body reacting violentlyto each other. He collapsed, his power gone, only remaining in hisSuper Saiyan state at all due to weeks of learning to sustain itwith almost no energy consumption.
Cell, having leisurely righted himself, was walking over towardsthe fallen forms of Break and Goku. "Interesting," hesaid, rubbing a bruise on his face where Break and Goku's attackshad hit the exact same spot, "but I'm afraid that gamble endedup hurting you a lot more than it did me. Oh well." Heshrugged. "It was certainly an inventive move. But you onlydelayed the inevitable… I'm done here. Your mightiest have fallen,and now all that is left is for me to clean up-wha… what is…what is this ?!" Cell found himself unable to move,encased in a shimmering blue field of light.
"This?" Bulma snapped her goggles down, wiping greasefrom her face and flicking a switch on her anti-Cell device. "Thisis science ."
Innocence Falls
Chapter 37: Innocence Falls
Cell hissed angrily, writhing in frustration as he struggled toescape the shining energy field Bulma's machine projected. "This…cannot be! I am meant to do battle with great warriors… not fallprey to some mechanical trick!"
Bulma winked, wagging a finger. "Now now, fair's fair.Science and technology created you, after all, so it'sreally just my genius against Dr. Gero's." She sighed as shetwisted a dial on her device. "And really, that's no contest,now is it?" I didn't honestly think it'd be fixed thisquickly… sometimes, I even impress myself!
Cell twisted, pounding on the barrier, but it held. "C-Curseyou! I wasn't ready for this…"
"Uh-huh." Bulma tapped a series of buttons. "Aaaaand…capture." A shudder ran down the cable connecting the tubelikehand-held portion of her machine to the large metal box that was nowbolted to the ground for stability. The vibration reached Cell, andthe immobilising light grew brighter. Cell's form began to stretch,elongating and compressing as he was sucked inside the tube. Itshook violently, and the shaking began to pass back down the cable,into the box. Lights flashed wildly all over the machine, blinkingon and off like traffic lights gone mad. Come on… Bulmawrestled with the device, holding it steady. Keep it up… Shejammed the palm of her hand down on a lever, wrenching it across tothe 'on' position. "And… disintegrate!"
There was a final shake from the box, and then it fell silent.The lights darkened as the entire machine powered down. Bulmagrinned nervously. "I… I think it worked!"
"I wouldn't be too sure…" Raditz glanced aroundwarily. "He's been decapitated and blasted into pieces, buthe's always come back… don't let your guard down!"
Bulma shrugged. "I don't think so. He can regenerate fromone cell, but this wouldn't have even left that much." Shelifted up her goggles, propping them on her forehead and shaking offher gloves as she set the device down. "You know what they say,third time's the charm! He's gone for good this time, guys."
"Nope." Bulma froze. She knew. She knew it was Cellstanding behind her, having pulled off yet another death-defyingescape. In that moment, she felt despair. Cell realised this, anddecided it was the perfect emotional note for her life to end on.
Cell raised his hand with superhuman speed, Bulma, a normalhuman, appearing frozen into place to his eyes, and the otherfighters, desperately trying to intercept him, looked like they weremoving in slow motion. Even Break seemed sluggish and lethargic, andCell grinned maliciously, just long enough for them to see it. Thenhe released a tiny energy beam from his fingertip.
It shot in a perfectly straight line at the back of Bulma's head,drilling a neat hole in her skull, instantly cauterising the wound,leaving no blood at all. It burrowed inside her head, piercingthrough into her brain. Cell, programmed with an intimate knowledgeof human anatomy, expertly directed the beam, boring through hermental pathways, searing and burning out all the vital areas,completely destroying her brain.
With almost no visual damage, Bulma dropped to the ground. Itwould almost seem redundant now to state that she was dead.
Zarbon, seeing the body of the woman he loved hit the floor, flewinto a murderous rage. With a wordless scream, he rocketed at Cell,his eyes blazing gold, but the creature's hand plucked him out ofthe air, neatly pinching his neck between two fingers. "Now,now," Cell said with a smirk, "don't be hasty. You'll getyour turn."
He threw Zarbon away, turning his attention to Break, who wasbarrelling towards him with thundering footfalls. If Gohan had beenlike a father to her, Bulma was everyone's mother. Even this youngerversion of her was a loss that struck deep. "Ah, ready foranother round?" Cell leapt off into the air, and he and Breakdisappeared as their battle rejoined, their violent clashes shakingthe landscape once again.
Their reaction, however, their pain, their loss, was nothing toGoku's. He was crouched on the ground, cradling Bulma in his arms.Tears streamed down his face. "Bulma… get up…" hesounded like a child again. She was his oldest friend; aside fromhis adoptive grandfather, the first human being he'd ever met."Don't leave me alone… I can't do it, I'm sorry… I'm notstrong enough…" The assembled fighters began to despair. Gokunever lost hope like this. He was always trying, fightingharder. But he had nothing left. If even Goku had given up, therewas truly no hope. He hung his head, shoulders shaking as he wept.
"Huh? A human? Really?"
"Yes, silly! I'm just like you! Take a look!"
"You're kinda like me, but there's something…different…"
"Well, duh, brainiac! I'm a girl!"
"G-girl? You mean female?"
"Hello! Surely you've seen a girl before!"
"I never saw another human before! My deadgrampa always told me…'if you ever meet a girl, treat her nice'."
"So what is that monster anyway? How'd youcatch it?"
"That 'monster' happens to be my car . Peoplemake them."
"So this is a car… woah, wait… are you from'civilisation'?"
"Well… I guess I hafta let you in on my little secret…they're called 'dragon balls'."
"You're collectin' them?"
"The next closest is… to the west! About 1,200kilometers! By the way, what's your name?
"I'm Goku. Son Goku! How 'bout you?"
"I'm… Bulma…"
"Isn't that a word for underwear? Hah!"
"SHUT UP! I didn't PICK it!"
"Which capsule is the bike… oh yeah… number 9!"
"Eeee-yaaahh! I knew it! You ARE a witch!"
"Get over it, ape-boy! Everybody in the city'sgot capsules!"
The memories flashed through his mind, passing in an instant. Hejust couldn't deal with it. Cell had taken the Dragon Balls, therewas no bringing anybody back. And he had the heart medicine too… aworld without Bulma or Gohan. It just didn't fit into Goku's mind.It couldn't happen. But it was happening before his eyes. Confrontedby a situation he just couldn't cope with, Goku's mind was stretchedto breaking point. Then, there was a flickering at the edge of hismind. Gohan's energy was fading.
And staring into Bulma's lifeless eyes, his tears falling on toher face-realising his son, too, was dying-he broke.
"How did you do it?" Break hissed, as Cell blocked herfist. "You were trapped in that machine!"
"Easy. Instant Transmission. It was actually more of adefensive reflex than anything-I wasn't even aware that I wascapable of the technique." Cell delivered a sweeping kick,knocking Break to the ground again. "Nice try… but I thinkyou knew how that was going to go." Suddenly, his head jerkedback and his body convulsed as a huge wave of power rippled throughhim. What…? Trembling as he sensed something almostbeyond comprehension, Cell turned.
There was a blur of motion, and Bulma's body lay next to Zarbon.Another movement, and Goku stood in front of Cell. His hair wasslightly more pointed, angling upwards more, and sparks of blueelectricity crackled around his body, arcing up and down through hisaura. With a shock, Cell realised it was exactly like his own aurasince coming back from near-death, only somehow Goku's seemed farmore potent.
Goku's ki was also massive, intimidating even Cell, but the thingthat really terrified him was the saiyan's face. It was harsh,seething with anger, but not boiling over like Break. Goku seemedcold, almost calm. His eyes were hard, and yet he was still crying."Cell." It was one quiet word, but it brought completesilence to the battlefield. Then without warning, Goku flared up hisaura, his golden power roaring angrily. " I will makeyou suffer ."
"What are you?" Cell whispered in fear.
"I am what Goku was afraid he might become," the saiyanreplied, tensing up as he prepared to attack. "I'm his saiyanwarrior's heart… you can call me Kakarot."
Bojack's head swung left and right, searching for his elusiveopponent. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd be victorious; healways was. He'd seen his enemy's power, and impressive though itwas, it paled before his own.
There was a sharp crack over to his left, and Bujin's bodytumbled out of the window of a nearby ruined building, landing witha wet thump. Bojack growled in irritation-these minions weredifficult to replace. "Zangya!" he called.
"Lord." She appeared behind him, answering his call.
"Heed your comrade's example. Don't let your guard down foran instant; this foe will seize any advantage you give him."Zangya nodded at his words, and leapt off to continue the search.Bojack's gaze again swept back and forth as he strolled through theruins of this once peaceful civilisation. "Come on, SuperSaiyan!" he shouted. "Come out and fight us. This skulkingdoes not become you. You are royalty, are you not? Face me!"
"Not while the witch lives!" came the reply. "Iwon't fall for the same trick twice!" Bojack spun, firing ablast that levelled the remains of a suburb, but Vegeta had alreadymoved on, creeping from shadow to shadow, keeping his energy outputas low as possible, an impressive feat while still in the SuperSaiyan form. Bojack snorted. I'm getting bored of this. "Zangya!To me!" he shouted. His last remaining servant settled to theground in front of him.
"My lord?" she asked.
Without warning, Bojack fired a pulsing green energy bolt intoher stomach, blasting her away from him, her form disappearing in aviolent explosion. "There!" he called out to the ruins."She's dealt with. Will you face me now?"
In answer, Vegeta leapt up behind him, landing a two-footed kickto the back of his head, bowling him over. "You're wide open!"the prince said triumphantly.
Bojack quickly recovered, raising his guard in time for Vegeta'ssecond assault. The saiyan and the Hera-jin traded rapid blows,Bojack allowing himself to be pushed back by the onslaught, thepirate's expression permanantly one of mild amusement. "You'rebetter than I expected!" he congratulated Vegeta, who answeredwith a high punch, but Bojack's lightning reflexes saved him as heducked to the right.
Breaking off from the close-ranged combat, Bojack jumped up andbackwards, unleashing a hail of energy bullets. Vegeta found thehigh-speed projectiles difficult to dodge, dashing back and forth toavoid them one at a time. He skidded to a halt as the last oneexploded next to him, and at that moment Bojack appeared behind him,kicking him to the ground. "Hah! Now who's wide open?"
Vegeta allowed himself to roll along the grit and rubble, lettingthe natural momentum of his movement spin him to face Bojack as heraised one hand. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"
Concern registered on Bojack's face as the off-white energysphere shot at him, but he dived to the side just in time, avoidingthe devastating blast. "Where did that come from all of asudden?" He frowned. "Your energy control is admirable…"
Vegeta stood up shakily, trying to recover from the power drainof charging such a powerful attack so quickly. "And there'smore where that came from… this fight's just getting started."
"Oh, is that so?" Bojack smiled. "From where I'mstanding, it was over before it even begun. Let me show you…"Without warning, his ki skyrocketed, and he underwent the sametransformation Kogu had, his muscles bulging out as his skin colourbecame a light green and his hair turned from orange to dark red.His jacket, not designed for such a huge creature, ripped awayentirely, and his bandana fluttered free, drifting to the groundnext to him. "Ah, that feels much better."
"Hah!" Vegeta's disdain was clear. "You think I'mintimidated by that? I've transformed, too! Come at me with allyou've-" Bojack's attack swept him off his feet, the spacepirate blurring as he moved, slamming his forearm into Vegeta'schin. The Super Saiyan caught himself, pushing off the ground andlanding on his feet, but Bojack was already behind him, one gnarled,meaty hand grabbing around Vegeta's neck. He threw a ki blaststraight into Bojack's face in desperation, but it had no effect,and Bojack just swung Vegeta face-first into the ground, letting goand stamping his foot down on the saiyan's back.
"Aaaahhhkk!" Vegeta coughed up blood, feeling thesharp, broken rock digging into his skin as Bojack drove him intothe ground. No! I won't lose! He shot out a burst of kiupwards, shoving himself further down and hiding him underground.Bojack stood up, looking warily around. "Where are-" Theground collapsed beneath him, Vegeta jumping into the air andsimultaneously kicking Bojack down into the hole he'd created,flying higher as he charged energy between his hands. Bojack wasstruggling to dig himself out, and Vegeta took the opportunity tofire. "FINAL…" A colossal golden beam shot down frombetween his hand, crashing into the ground with explosive force. "…FLASH!"
Vegeta hung in the air, breathing heavily as smoke billowed upfrom the hole. Luckily, Bojack seemed to have taken most of theforce of the attack, or the entire planet would have been seriouslydamaged, perhaps even destroyed. Careless! Vegetareprimanded himself. If he'd dodged at the last second, we'dboth be dead! I've got to focus… I won't throw my life away forsome amateur mistake like that. Just as he was about to powerdown, there was a flicker in the air and Bojack, appearing onlylightly singed, appeared in the air in front of him, grabbingVegeta's head between both hands and ramming his knee into theprince's face. Vegeta fell away, stunned, and failed to stop hisfall, landing awkwardly and grunting at the impact. He pulledhimself up as Bojack landed a few feet away.
"Is that really all you've got?" Bojack asked,disappointed. "I know I'm strong, but come on, you're justmaking this easy for me!"
Vegeta glared at his approaching opponent, who was grinningsmugly as he contemplated his victory. Well, this is what Iwanted, isn't it? Vegeta thought. I searched the universefor a challenging opponent… I can't give up now that I've foundone! I'll just rise to the challenge, like I always have! It's how Ibecame a Super Saiyan… that driving desire to be the best! Thegreatest warrior the universe has ever seen! Whenever I found alimit to my power, I just plowed through it-the muscled form waseasy, once Frieza's metal forms showed me a power greater than myown was possible! And this… the mastered state… I discovered italmost by accident, staying transformed for greater and greaterperiods of time as endurance training… I've surpassed everybarrier, risen to the ranks of legend… I can do it again! Heraised his guard, reassuring himself. If this pi ratecan attain such ridiculous power, so can I!
Vegeta roared, flaring up his aura as Bojack approached. Vegetaswung a fist, but Bojack took the punch with barely a flinch, thenswung his own arm around in a lazy arc, twisting the prince's headaround. Vegeta had to push with all of his ki to stop his necksnapping completely in two, stumbling back with an angry cry. How…how is this possible? I am the mightiest-the most elite of thegreatest warrior race this universe has ever known… I'vetranscended even the power of a Super Saiyan… and this freak isslapping me around like I'm a joke! He prepared to attackagain, when he felt… something.
Like ripples through a pond, something was spreading out throughthe universe. He felt a kinship with the strange force, and tried tofocus on it, receiving a brief flash of a vision. A burning goldenfigure, a Super Saiyan. No… this warrior was beyond a SuperSaiyan. They were something more. Something great and terrible. Thevision passed, but he could still feel the presence in his mind. Itwas too distant to tell for sure, but had it been… Kakarot? Or hischild? It had felt something like their energy, but comparing whathe'd felt to their power when he'd last met them was like comparinga seed to a hundred-year-old oak. No… "NO!" Heroared, straightening up to face Bojack. "You… you will notsurpass me… I will not be left behind again!" I willrise… and claim this power… I will be the greatest once again!And I won't let this freak of nature stand in my way! "Prepareyourself, Bojack!" he growled. The space pirate leapt forwards,battering through Vegeta's defences and punching him in the gut.
"Prepare myself?" he laughed. "For what? Who doyou think you are?"
Vegeta gritted his teeth, tasting blood but remaining standing,feeling his energy build around him as he drew back his fist. "Iam… the prince of all saiyans… you worm… I am DEATH!"
There had been no more speeches, no posturing. One second hadpassed, and with calm, brutal efficiency, Goku-or Kakarot?-hadbeaten Cell half to death. He stumbled away, gasping for air, as thetransformed saiyan stood calmly. Even in the brief moments that hadpassed, it was clear Cell was gravely outmatched.
"Uh… Goku?" Raditz ventured. "Kakarot? What-"
"Call me Goku if it's familiar," his brother saidquietly. "It makes no difference to me. What matters is what Iam… what the Goku you knew could never be. I'm the part of himthat lay dormant after he suffered a head injury as a child… atrue, ruthless saiyan warrior. And you… " hisattention turned back to Cell. "… you, monster, are my prey."He lowered his stance, bringing both hands around to his side. "I'mnot going to play with you, Cell. Prepare to die."
"This can't be happening!" Cell howled in frustration."Every time… every time I rise to a new level of power… Iattain my perfect form, I surpass it… and these warriorskeep emerging to challenge me! How do these saiyans get so strong soquickly?"
"KA… ME…" A shining blue glow of energy flashedinto life between Kakarot's hands. "… HA…"
"WAIT!" The saiyan's eyes widened as he saw Krillin,standing between him and Cell. His eyes were tightly shut, and hewas trembling-obviously fearing for his life. But he flung his armsout to either side of his body, standing firm. "Don't do it,Goku!"
"Krillin…" the Super Saiyan hissed. "Get out ofmy way…"
"I can't!" Krillin wailed. "Thoseandroids-Seventeen and Eighteen-they're still inside him! We mightbe able to save them… I can't let you kill them! I talked toEighteen-she's a living, thinking person! You can't kill her! And ifshe's anything to go by, then Seventeen, too…"
"Not 'her', Krillin," Kakarot said, "'it'. They'remachines, just like Cell! Remember what they did to Break's future?I'm not showing any mercy this time! My oldest friend-my son-they'redead because of this thing!"
"I'm telling you, they deserve a chance!" Krillinshouted. "They were human, once-Dr. Gero made them out ofnormal people! Please, don't kill them!"
"Krillin!" Nail called from the sidelines. "Ifthey were human, they can be resurrected once Cell is gone and weget the Dragon Balls back! Just step aside… you don't want to getin Goku's way right now, trust me."
Krillin nodded. "All right…" Just as he was about tostand aside, Cell raised his hand, two fingers extended. "SPECIALBEAM CANNON!" He said triumphantly, letting loose a spiralling,piercing beam. Kakarot leapt forwards to intercept, appearingbetween Krillin and Cell and catching it between his hands. Hesnarled as the attack detonated, scorching his palms. "Don'teven think about it, Cell!" But Cell was already moving, firinga barrage of special beam cannon blasts at Break, Raditz, Nail andKuriza.
"Just stopping that one looks like it hurt," Cellchuckled. "Can you save them all, I wonder?"
"Damn it!" Kakarot rocketed backwards, chasing the fourbeams. Break, though still slower than either of the combatants, hadenough speed, and enough of a warning to dodge on her own, but thatleft three, and Cell had a head-start. Kakarot shoved Raditz to theground, pushing him out of the way, and moved to intercept theattack aimed at Nail, kicking it up into the air. His leg achingfrom the effort, he kept moving as the final beam inched its waytowards Kuriza. I didn't save him just to let him die here, damnit! He only made it just in time, throwing his body between theoncoming beam and his unlikely friend. The Special Beam Cannoncrashed into Kakarot's midsection, throwing him away, trailingsmoke.
He landed on his hands and knees, coughing. Was that a crackedrib he felt? He couldn't tell. His vision blurred. There hadn't beentime to defend himself, but luckily Cell hadn't had time to chargethe attack fully, or he'd be dead.
"KIENZAN!"
"Wha-" Kakarot heard Cell's shout and forced himself tomove. He turned to see where the attack was coming from, but sawonly brilliant light, and staggered away, blinded. It's thatSolar Kienzan technique he used on Break! I should have known not totrust anything that comes out of that bastard's mouth! He threwhimself to the left, but felt the disc scoring a deep gash on hisforearm, one of his wristbands being neatly sliced open and fallingaway. Blood followed it, and the sharp pain caused Kakarot to fumblehis landing and fall to the ground in an untidy heap. He forcedhimself to sit up, squinting and seeing a bright flash at the cornerof his eye. He pushed himself up with his good arm, using a burst ofki to launch himself into the air and hearing the ominous hum as theSolar Kienzan passed just underneath him. Cell, thinking him stillblinded, appeared above him to knock him back down towards the disc,but Kakarot reached up and grabbed Cell by the shoulder, swinginghim down into the path of his own attack. Cell hurriedlyextinguished it, dissipating the Kienzan before it cut him in half.Then, curiously, he smiled. "You think you've got me, don'tyou? I'm out of tricks, is that it?"
"Something like that." Kakarot reached up to snapCell's neck, but the 'perfect' android vanished. "Wha-"Instant Transmission! he realised, too late. Cell appearedbehind him, and slowed from his injuries, Kakarot couldn't react intime. Cell brought both hands up and neatly broke Kakarot's goodarm. Terror and pain overwhelmed him, and Goku was back. Themysterious power remained, but the cruel ruthlesness was gone. Hescreamed as Cell fired tiny blasts into his knees, detonating themunder the skin and shattering bones in his legs.
Goku dropped to the ground, beaten.
Cell remained floating in the air, looking down at Earth'scrushed resistance as one admiring a great work of art. "Ah,exquisite. So you see, Goku, it's not always strength that decidesthe battle-it's intelligence! Not just that, either… you see, youwere claiming to be this 'true saiyan warrior', but I don't buy it.You can be angry, yes, but I don't believe you ever had thepotential to be a heartless killer, blow to the head or not… youproved that by wasting all that energy saving your friends…"
"Wasted?!" Raditz growled. "You callous… pieceof…"
"Ah ah ah," Cell warned. "Watch your temper,Raditz. Your turn will come, but if you want to speed up yourdemise, just keep talking like that." Raditz fell silent,glowering at Cell. "As I was saying, Goku… it's thiscompassion, which you so foolishly insist on keeping even in theheat of battle, that makes you weak! And this weakness has doomedyour planet! Now… how to finish you off…" He nodded. "Yes,that's it. I believe you and your friends managed to repel thisattack once… I think it would be quite fitting if it ended upkilling you after all…"
What's he going to do? Goku wondered. He didn't have towait long to find out.
Cell raised his hands next to his head, a deep purple energybuilding up around them. "GALICK GUN…"
Goku closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. I've got…nothing left! This might be it…
"… FIRE!" Cell unleashed the roaring, raging energywave, sending it straight down towards Goku. "This is the end,Goku! For you-and for humanity!"
Rise
Chapter 38: Rise
Cell's Galick Gun arced down towards Goku, the roaring purplebeam seeming to almost lazily approach the ground, as if it sharedCell's arrogance, his sense that victory was assured. "It'sover, Goku!" Cell taunted, leering at his horrified opponents."Don't try to fight it… it's just natural selection inaction. I, as the superior life form, will survive, and you inferiorpure biologicals will die."
Goku, completely drained and shattered, shut his eyes, waitingfor the end. How could I fail like this? We came so close towinning so many times…
Raditz watched, terrified. I… I have to do something!That's my brother he's going to kill there! We've already lost somany… he trembled, realising that, despite his urge to helpout, he wasn't moving. His fear was freezing him to the spot. No…damn it, I won't stand and watch!
What would my father do? The thought came completely outof the blue. Just like that, the trembling stopped. His facehardened. By the time he had actually made up his mind to act,unfortunately, the beam had almost hit its target-there was no timeto move Goku or Cell out of the way. Only time for one InstantTransmission jump. Then… I know what I have to do.
Goku thought of Chi-Chi, of course, as he waited to die. Herealised this might be his last thought, as his mind cast back totheir first meeting, back at the tournament when he'd beaten Piccolothe second time. He hadn't even realised who she was until she toldhim… yet they'd left the ring engaged. Placing the thought of thathappier time firmly in the fore of his mind, Son Goku smiled andwaited for death.
He heard a flicker of familiar sound, somehow carrying over theroar of the incoming Galick Gun. Opening his eyes, he saw Raditz,silhouetted in the purple light, grinning like a madman-standingover his brother, shielding him. That moment lasted just long enoughto imprint itself on Goku's mind, then the attack hit. There was atitanic explosion, and Raditz's outline was blasted apart. The earthshook, cracks spreading out from the impact zone and spidering awayaround the plains. The news crew's camera completely overloaded,exploding in a surge of energy.
Goku stared, wide-eyed, as the light faded. There really wasn'tmuch left of his older brother, but he caught a telepathic message,sent directly to him in Raditz's dying moments. Goku… I trustyou'll honour your promise not to bring me back, but… you have todefeat Cell. We've come too far to fail. I know you'll remember meas a saiyan warrior, but please, remember me as something more…something better. Human.
Cell frowned. "That fool… I should have put more powerinto that attack. If I'd really been trying, I'd be capable ofwiping out not just this planet, but your entire solar system! Shallwe try that again?"
Goku felt the rage-felt Kakarot-surging up through his mind, butrealised something. No… I don't need you anymore. I'm angryenough myself. I… hate this creature. I hat esomeone… that's new. His face twisted in anger. "Youandroids… hundreds of innocent people… Tien… Yamcha…Piccolo, Kami, Katas… even your own kind… Bulma, Gohan… nowRaditz… when will you be satisfied?!"
"When you, and this planet are no more!" Cell repliedwith a laugh. "When the universe is my playground!"
"You…" Goku's teeth ground together. He began tocollect energy in his right arm-it was deeply slashed, but his onlyworking limb. ' You'… what? There is no word… no word in anylanguage… for this monster. "Y-you're not… gonna getaway with this…" Power began to crackle up and down his armand hand, more power than he'd realised he was capable of even inthis higher form. "I just… won't… let you…" Heslammed his arm down into the ground, launching a massive Kamehamehawave downwards and catapulting himself up at Cell.
I am the hope of the universe.
Krillin gawked. "Woah, Goku! Don't shoot that at the ground!You'll blow up the Earth!"
Nail shook his head. "No, it's more controlled than Goku'susual kamehameha… a tight, focused beam… it'll make a deep hole,but it isn't large enough to seriously affect the core. We can fixthis kind of damage… if we win the battle."
I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace.
Cell grinned. "Yes, have your last little shot at victory.In your condition, what can you really expect to… to…" Thisenergy… what is this? "You still have power?!" hegasped, too late.
I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in thedarkness. I am truth.
Cell threw his hands in front of his body to protect himself, buthis guard was smashed aside by Goku's massive ki aura, and the SuperSaiyan spun in the air, extinguishing his kamehameha and pointingthe ki-charged fist of his good arm straight up at Cell. It punchedstraight through the evil android, Goku's arm penetrating rightthrough Cell's midsection and out the other side, covered in greenvital fluids.
Ally to good! Nightmare to you, Cell!
The pair fell limply, almost pathetically to the ground. Gokuwrenched his arm free, ripping out chunks of Cell's flesh as herolled away from his enemy. Cell weakly climbed to his knees,retching blood. He was already weakened, but this was almost toomuch. Almost. Wincing, he began to will on his regeneration. Ineed… to end this! It's getting out of hand…
"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku had managed to prop himself on hisbroken arm, gritting his teeth at the pain, and now fired anotherblast from his good hand.
Cell spun as quickly as he could manage, forced to leave thegaping hole in his abdomen unhealed as he caught Goku's attack inboth hands, desperately trying to hold it off. "You damnsaiyan… don't you ever stop fighting? Do I have to… break everybone in your body?!" Still, his frustration aside, it seemedthat they were about equal, neither giving an inch. Goku's energystruggled with Cell's, pushing off each other and both throwingtheir entire being into the battle. Cell took a step forwards,pushing the blast back. "Impressive… Goku…" he hissed."But you're just… too injured… three limbs down… giveup…"
"Not while I'm… breathing!" Goku growled, but hecould tell he was losing. Cell was half-dead, but Goku was almostincapacitated. He threw everything he had into his Kamehameha, butit wasn't enough. Here at the end, he was losing.
"BURNING FLASH!"
Cell's eyes widened as Break's voice called out. "No-"he managed, before a second beam-green tinged with gold, and muchmore volatile-crashed into him from behind, starting to melt hisback. Cell lashed an arm out to the other side, trying to block onebeam with each hand. "Hnnngg… no… you won't…" Thetwo attacks pressed in from left and right, overwhelming Cell'sdefences.
"Goku!" Break shouted. "Finish it now!"
"HYAAAAAH!" They screamed in unison, smashing rightthrough Cell's guard and incinerating first his arms, then workinginwards and pulping his body like paper in a shredder. Cell hissedhis last few venomous words as he disintegrated. "This…cannot… be… I am… perfect… !" There was no sparing evena single cell this time, no regenerating-energy was blasting in fromall sides, crushing and obliterating even the smallest piece of thehorrific creature. Finally, the two attacks met in the middle, theenergies clashing and cancelling each other out in the most massiveblast wave yet. This one dwarfed all other explosions, any clashbetween the universe's most powerful fighters. The light from Cell'sdefeat could be seen from solar systems away, lighting up Earth likea beacon, then slowly fading.
Goku collapsed to the ground. Chi-Chi… he managed tolock on to her mind with telepathy. It's done… it's finallydone. But I'm sorry, I'm too late… Gohan's…
He's just barely hanging on, Goku… hurry! He's fading fast,he hasn't got long… his wife replied.
Goku gasped, his weariness forgotten. "He's alive?!" hesaid out loud. His energy must have dropped so low I couldn'tsense it at all… "Break! Gohan's alive, but he hasn'tgot long… we need to get him the medicine… you're the fastest!I've got no strength left, hurry!"
Break struggled to her feet, sighing as fatigue forced her toreturn to her base form. "Right, but… where's the medicine?Cell buried it somewhere around here… that's pretty vague… howdo I find it?!"
Chi-Chi was shaking Gohan by the shoulders, trying to get hisattention. "Gohan! Hold on! Just a few more minutes, they'recoming!" His eyes rolled up into his head, glazing over. Hisbreathing began to fade. Just as she was about to despair, there wasa hiss and a pop. She looked down to see a bottle of liquid hadmaterialised in her hand. In a frenzy, and perhaps moreunderstanding than she realised, she started unthinkingly spooningit into Gohan's mouth. A couple mouthfuls, and he gasped, colourreturning to his face. She smiled, overjoyed, and only then did shequestion what had just happened. "Where did this come from…?"she wondered aloud.
You're welcome! A kindly voice said, directly into hermind. Instead of panicking, she approached the situation logically.She'd experienced telepathy before. "You must be… King Kai?"
That's right! Came the reply. You guys all said youwere saving the Dragon Balls on Namek for an emergency, so I figuredthis qualified… I contacted their elders a few minutes ago. Theyowe Earth one for saving them from the frost demons, andtransporting the medicine to you was easy for Porunga!
"Porunga…" she nodded. "Namek's dragon, right."
Yup! Hold on, I'll just tell the others. Give him smallamounts every few hours until he recovers, all right? Oh, and youmight want to take a little yourself, plus anyone who's been incontact with him since he fell ill. Can't be too careful. Well, seeya. The cheerful voice cut off as King Kai informed thefighters of this latest turn of events.
Hearing the good news, Goku smiled, letting himself power down tonormal. It was a bittersweet victory-many had been lost-but for now,he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.
Events began to move quickly after that. With no InstantTransmission user available, the second wish from the Namekiandragon was used to transport the Namek child (now almost a teenagerby Earth reckoning) Dende over from Namek. He'd taken a liking tothe humans after being personally saved by them on the originalplanet Namek. With his healing abilities, he quickly restored thefighters to full strength.
Gatherings of the Earth's defenders usually took place at CapsuleCorp, but due to the planned restoration of the Dragon Balls andother important decisions about the future, it was decided that themeeting would be at what used to be Kami's lookout, in 24 hours.
"All right. You're sure that you can re-energise thedragon?" Goku asked.
Dende nodded. "Sure. Now you've fixed up the model…"he indicated the miniature stone dragon on the floor in front ofthem. "It'll be fine. I can even make it grant three wisheslike the one on Namek!"
"Oh, cool!" Goku smiled. "But remember that Cellkilled a whole lot of people, so we'll need to be able to bring backgroups of people with a single wish."
"Right." Dende fell silent for a second, thinking thisover. "That'll take up some of its power, but it'll still beable to grant two wishes. And it won't be able to resurrect anybodymore than once."
Goku shrugged. "That's fine… since it's technically adifferent dragon now, it's like we're starting from scratch. We caneven revive the people who've been brought back before by the oldShenron."
"It's a good thing you got to Gohan when you did,"Dende said quietly, "or he'd be gone for good. No wish can undoa death by natural causes, like disease…" he shook his head,clearing his mind of such thoughts. "Never mind. Let's just getto fixing things."
"You're sure?" Break asked. "You'll have to adoptfull responsibility as Guardian of the Earth, like Kami before you.You might not see your home for a long time."
Dende sighed. "… I know. But what would you think of me ifI left your planet in this state? For now… just stand back."He mumbled a few words in the Namekian language, and an enormousbolt of lightning struck the model, the gathered Dragon Ballsglowing as their old power re-filled them. The sky darkened, andwith a thunderous noise Shenron burst forth, emerging and fillingthe sky over the lookout.
"YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME," Shenron boomed, "SPEAKYOUR WISHES, FOR I SHALL GRANT ANY TWO OF YOUR HEART'S DESIRES."
Krillin grinned. "Ah, it's good to see the big guy again.Hey, guys-let's be careful exactly what we wish for. There's a lotto consider."
"And remember Porunga, on Namek, still has one wishremaining before his power is dissipated," Dende reminded them.
"Huh? It's been a while… you mean he's still waiting onthem?" Krillin asked.
Dende frowned. "Yeah… Moori tells me he's prettyimpatient, but they asked for a day or two to think, given the kindof losses Earth has suffered, and the dragon agreed to wait thisonce."
"Okay." Goku stepped ahead of the others. "Firstthing's first… the actual planet itself's suffered some prettyheavy damage, not least the hole I blew in it, so let's get that outof the way. SHENRON!" He spread his arms wide, speaking loudlyand boldly. "Please repair all the damage caused to the Earthduring the battles of the past few weeks!"
Shenron's eyes flared a brighter red. "YOUR WISH HAS BEENGRANTED. NOW SPEAK YOUR SECOND WISH, SO THAT I MAY RETURN TO MYREST."
"Okay." Goku looked back at the others. "Prettysimple, right? Resurrect everybody Cell killed? Wait, make that Celland the androids…"
"Hold on." Nail shook his head. "That might notwork for Yamcha, as from a certain point of view he killed himself…and don't forget that Piccolo levelled an apartment block right nearthe beginning, when 19 and 20 showed up. Not to mention thatSeventeen and Eighteen were actually killed by you, Goku…"
"Oh, yeah." Goku tapped his forehead. "Ah! Howabout this? We ask for Shenron to bring back everyone killed duringthe battles against the androids and Cell… ah, we should say'except Cell', I guess. He might count as living. I don't think 16,19 or 20 will, though."
A voice cut through their minds. You're forgetting one thing,if I might interject.
"Uh?" Goku stared slightly upwards, his habit whentalking telepathically to someone far-off. "Raditz?"
Who else? Raditz answered. King Kai's helping meboost my telepathy so I can talk to you from the afterlife. Anyway…remember what you promised. I died an honourable death. A warrior'sdeath. You can't… you can't bring me back so that I can just fadeaway. A saiyan's life is meant to end with a bang, not a whimper!
"Uh… Lunch?" Goku turned, seeing the dark-blue-hairedwoman already walking out ahead of the group. She was carrying thebaby version of Break from this timeline. "Aren't you gonna askhim… to come back?" Goku asked.
Eyes shining, but holding back tears, she shook her head. "…No. Raditz!"
Yes?
"I know this is how you want it, and… I won't argue."She was shaking slightly, and then her whole body shuddered, and shewas suddenly in her agressive, blonde personality, somehow havingchanged without the usual sneeze trigger. Evidently, her mind wasunder some considerable stress. "I'll… raise our kid… butmore than that." She switched back to shy, but her tone ofvoice didn't change. Her outline seemed to blur. "I told youI'd get stronger… at least, one half of me did, but…"Switch. "But all of me meant it!" She sniffed. "We'llmeet again, before the end. I don't know how, but… sometime inthis life, I'm gonna see you again." Switch. "And I'll bestrong enough… you'll look at me as an equal!"
In Otherworld, millions of miles away, Raditz smiled, touched.Lunch… I never saw you as enything less. He looked up.But if you say we'll see each other… then we will. I believeyou.
"You bet!" The personality switches became a blur,starting to become indistinguishable from each other. "So go.Go have an adventure… the greatest adventure in the universe. AndI'll be waiting."
He laughed softly. You know how I'd say I wanted to be asaiyan, but human? I should have listened to you more. You've got itwithout even trying.
"Just get going, you… you wonderful idiot. Don't drag thisout." She waved a hand to the sky, and baby Break did the same,laughing. "See ya!" There was a snapping sound, a loudcrack, and the two blurring images settled together, forming one.Dark blue hair, run through with a streak of blonde, and projectinga new air of confidence.
I will. And with that, he was gone.
Goku took a deep breath. "All right then… Shenron!"
"WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"
"Please bring back to life all those who were killed duringthe battles with Cell and the androids, except Cell and… Raditz."
"VERY WELL." Shenron's eyes glowed for longer thanbefore, the specifics of the wish taking several seconds to workthrough. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. MY TASK IS DONE."The dragon faded, the dragon balls scattered to the far corners ofthe Earth, and the sky returned to normal. Shortly, they were joinedby several more figures on the lookout-Tien, Yamcha, Bulma,Seventeen and Eighteen.
"What happened, guys? I don't remember…" Bulma asked,trailing off.
"Well, uh," Krillin mumbled, "Cell kind of, uh,killed you. And then Goku went completely mad…" he continuedto recount the story, various parts requiring re-telling as Tien andYamcha walked over and asked what had happened since they'd died.Seventeen and Eighteen hung at the edges, listening intently but notjoining in with the conversation-they were only there at all becausethey'd needed to hear the full story.
"So now what?" Nail asked. "We've still got thedragon on Namek hanging around, waiting for somebody to use its lastwish, remember?"
Yamcha scratched his head, looking optimistic. "Well, we'vedone what we need to do, so… we could wish for a giant pile ofmoney?"
"Or a never-ending supply of food?" Goku suggested.
Break coughed. "This might sound a little selfish, but maybewe could use that wish to get me back to my time? Cell destroyed mytime machine, after all."
"Don't worry about that." Bulma indicated herself."Cell said he stole your time machine, right? You're looking atthe world's foremost expert in state-of-the-art technology, alientech, future, tech, you name it!" A thought struck her, and shelooked slightly uncertain for a second. "Of course, that camefrom some third timeline, so that could be a problem, but now thatwe know there are different timelines, I'm sure we can useyour… temporal signature or something, I don't know… andcalibrate the machine to return you to your proper timeline. No needto use a wish for that."
"Hold on a second," a voice said. Android Eighteen, herbrother Seventeen drifting along just behind, was approaching thegroup. "You come from the future?"
Break nodded, eyes hard. "A future the pair of youdestroyed. Krillin keeps telling us you're different here, thatyou're human, but where I come from you're heartless killers. You'vedestroyed most of human civilisation, and killed a lot of peopleclose to me. When I get back there, I'm going to destroy thatversion of you… it'll be easy, with the power I have now."
Eighteen nodded. "I think I understand, I…" shesighed. "What was it like?"
Break seemed surprised. She cares? "Like athunderbolt from a clear sky, I've been told. There was no warning.The first few weeks were the worst. You had only just been released…I guess you must have killed Dr. Gero, because we never saw any signof him, but you were just having fun with your power. Even in thistimeline we couldn't stop you at first, but in that one, when wewere unprepared-with both Goku and Raditz already dead-it was aslaughter. First Earth's defenders." She spoke tonelessly, asif reciting from a book, trying not to bring emotion into it. "Youhunted them across the world, picking them off… only Gohansurvived, taking Bulma, Trunks and me with him as he escaped. Andthen there was nothing between you and billions of innocents. It wasthe apocalypse. The end of the world. Judgement day. Today, thereare probably less than a million humans on the planet, and that manyonly because you can't sense energy and you don't particularly feellike destroying the whole thing. It's not just humans, though. It'sa wasteland. You rarely see animals… there's hardly any greenleft… do you know, I…" her voice started to crack. "Icame back to this time, and the first thing that struck me was howbeatiful the planet was. I barely recognised it as the same place.The future doesn't even look like Earth anymore. Even those stillalive are in constant fear of your next attack. It's not living…it's just waiting for death."
Eighteen was biting her lip, forcing herself to listen. EvenSeventeen, normally detached and aloof, seemed horrified. "Couldwe… really do that?" he whispered.
"Twenty years…" Eighteen muttered. "Almosttwenty years of absolute freedom. Wandering the Earth, takinganything we wanted. Yes, we could do it. Remember how proud we were,just a few days ago? When no-one could match us? It wouldn't takemuch to change us from just arrogant into monsters." She lookedup, staring straight into Break's eyes. "I want to go withyou."
"What?"
"I want to go to your time. When you've beaten thoseversions of us… there's going to be a lot of work to do, isn'tthere? Fixing the world."
Break nodded. "If humanity can continue… there's a lot ofdamage to undo. And no dragon balls to magic the problem away."
"Well, I want to help. My strength can make a difference. Iknow it was a different time… it wasn't really us. But I stillfeel responsible. It could have been us… if it weren't for Break'scoming back here, it would have been us."
"Hey, Eighteen…" her brother looked her in the eyes."You're serious about this? That's a major commitment."
"I'm sure." She gave a slight nod towards Krillin."I've… done a lot of thinking, lately. I think we were wrongabout a lot of things."
"In that case… count me in. You're not going anywherewithout me." A nervous grin passed between the siblings. "Plus,when Cell absorbed us, I came to some conclusions about what I thinkof Gero's plans. Anything we can do to spit in his face, in anytimeline, is fine by me."
Break was puzzled. Could these two, the monsters she'd run fromher whole life, change so much? What had Krillin said to Eighteen?What she didn't know was that it wasn't really about what the manhad said. He had done something else: he'd listened. And understood."Well… all right. I'm putting a lot of trust in you, but youseem pretty sincere. It's going to be a shock to Bulma, seeing you…"Inside, she was still hesitating. She'd watched so many die becauseof these two. So why hadn't she outright refused? Maybe… maybe shewanted to believe that they could change. That evil andcruelty wasn't their real nature. Because they were human, once. Andif all it took was freedom to turn them into monsters… did thatmean all people were like them, deep down? Break had tobelieve that they were good at heart. That humanity was the race shehoped it could be. And so, she had to give them this chance. Even ifshe raged inside, every second they were still alive.
"Well…" Krillin smiled slightly. "If you reallywant to do it, then I might be able to make it an easier job. Hey,Dende! You still got a telepathic link with your family on Namek?"
Dende nodded. "Yes! Have you decided on a final wish forPorunga?"
"I have. Now, relay this wish word for word." He took adeep breath. "I want all the people of Earth in Break's futureto forget what androids Seventeen and Eighteen look and sound like.They have to remember them only as vague, shadowy monsters. Thatway, when this version of Seventeen and Eighteen try and help, theywon't be feared and hated."
Dende frowned. "It is difficult. The Namekian language is…I think that should do it. Oh… hmm."
"'Oh' what?" Krillin asked. "I don't like thesound of that."
"The dragon… is not sure. Affecting another timelines…might be beyond his power. But he'll try."
"Right. I mean, I was hoping just affecting people'sperceptions would be possible…" Krillin started pacing backand forth nervously. "I guessed affecting that other timephysically would be too much, I never thought that we'd be able toactually fix that other world from here, but maybe… just maybe, wecan do something subtle like this. Especially if he can, I don'tknow, lock on to Break's temporal something-or-other, since she'sfrom that universe."
"Well…" Dende replied. "We'll see. For now, wecan only wait."
Bulma leaned out of the window, feeling the biting wind whip ather eyes and hair, watching the derelict time machine as it waslifted out of the dense undergrowth that had sprouted around it overthe years. "All right, haul it up!" she shouted as thecrane pulled. She could have asked one of the superhuman warriors todo the heavy lifting, and it would probably have been a lot quickerand easier, but sometimes it felt good to live in the real worldonce in a while-even if the 'real world' involved salvaging a timemachine.
In short order, her assortment of remote-controlled vehicles hadrecovered the machine and loaded it into the transport plane, whereit was whisked back to Capsule Corp. Work began immediately, despiteher parents' protests. "You've only been back from the dead aminute, dear!" Dr. Briefs muttered, shaking his head as Bulmadashed off into the hangar.
"I'm busy! Get off my case!" she called back, skiddingto a halt and looking up at the time machine. It was broken, almosta complete wreck. It was calibrated for the wrong future timeline.And it was technology twenty years ahead of her knowledge.Impossible, some might say. She grinned, snapping her goggles down.Well… the impossible takes me a little longer…
"Uh, guys?" Krillin called from the front room. "Youmight want to see this…" The inhabitants of Kame Housetraipsed in, to see the martial artist pointing at the TV screen, a'what-can-I-say' expression on his face. A serious-looking man inmilitary uniform, several medals and decorations adorning his chest,was speaking calmly and solemnly, staring directly into the camera.
"… the combined armed forces of the entire worldgovernment, including a full fifteen regiments of the King'sGuards-a show of force unparalleled since the incident involving theDemon King Piccolo-arrived to find the field of battle utterlydevastated," he was saying. The caption at the bottom of thescreen read 'General Ripper, commander-in-chief, King's Guards'."Previous footage had already proven both Cell and the groupfighting him to be on an entirely different level to ordinaryhumans. With the Earth still intact-and reports are beginning tocome in that the death and destruction caused are being undone bysome mysterious force-we must arrive at the conclusion that thecreature known as Cell has been defeated. We have had a team ofscientists investigating the site since we arrived, and from thedata we gathered before the damage was somehow repaired, we haveestimated that the combatants have power outputs in the megatons, atleast. I should stress that these people were unarmed, and extensivefootage analysis has revealed no sign of trickery or imagemanipulation, as claimed by world martial arts champion 'HerculeSatan'." He paused, blinking for the first time, his expressionnever wavering. "And now, if you are listening out theresomewhere, I would like to address these warriors directly. Whoeveryou are… you have done the people of this planet a great service.The Earth thanks you." He stood to attention and saluted.
"Well, what do you know…" Krillin mumbled. "Somegratitude at last."
The General continued speaking. "And now, a request. If youare watching, I invite you, formally, to Central City. We wish topersonally congratulate you for your services, of course, but thereis another thing. What I want, and what I know the people want rightnow, is the truth. It's said that smaller-scale versions of theabilities you possess have been seen at past world martial artstournaments, and this may be true, but I hope you can understand thedifference between that and the kind of awesome power displayedyesterday… I only request that if such power is achievable by allof us, its secrets be made known. At least to the world government…at most, to the public. We are all created equal. That is all."He stepped down from the podium as the news station returned to thestudio. Krillin turned the TV off. "Well, guys? What do we do?"
"We tell them." They turned at the voice, seeing Gokuin the doorway. "There's no reason to keep secrets, whenpeople's lives could be benefited by knowing what we know."
"Everything, though?" Krillin raised an eyebrow. "TheDragon Balls? Time travel? Saiyans? People might not believe allthat…"
Goku laughed. "Well, maybe not everything . But howki works, at least." He shrugged. "I mean, he askednicely, right? What's the worst that could happen?"
Status Quo
Chapter 39: Status Quo
Goku stood at the top of Mount Paozu, early the next morning,staring into the mists. I killed Cell. Why is that bothering me?
He was evil. Absolutely irredeemable… he was designed to bethe engine of our destruction. I shouldn't feel anything. And it'snot remorse, really, but I do feel a certain… sadness. Hate himthough I did, he was a great warrior. I can't help feeling I mightnot ever meet a challenge like again that in this life. It's morethan that, though.
He looked up and nodded, realising. That's it. When I was akid… I didn't have much self-control. Some of my opponents endedup dead. I didn't choose to kill them, it was alwayscircumstances-like kicking General Tao's grenade back at him oninstinct, or using the last of my strength to finish King Piccolo…but even given that, I still killed some people. And yet, since I'vegrown up I've never taken the life of an intelligent being. I evendefended Vegeta, and the Cell Juniors. But once more, I've had nochoice but to act as God and choose who gets to live or die. I hopethat never has to happen again.
He took a deep breath, using a ki-sharpened fingernail to open asmall cut in his forearm and letting the blood soak into his rightwristband, the red stain covering the blue. He held up the bloodysaiyan tradition to the sky. Raditz… I'll never agree withyour warrior's pride. But I do understand it. Have fun out there,bro.
Lunch was staring out into the ocean from the beaches surroundingKame House when Break approached. "Hey. You got a minute?"
"This is where I was standing," Lunch said quietly,fondly. "And he appeared out of thin air, right… right overthere. We hadn't talked much, before he left. We weren't… sure.About us."
"Left? For Namek?" Break walked up to stand next to hermother.
"Yeah. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don'tlike sayings, but… in those days apart, I knew. I think that waswhen he knew, too."
"Hey, you're embarassing me!" Break laughed. "You'remy parents… hearing this is kind of weird."
"Ah, I'm sorry." Lunch turned, patting her daughter onthe arm. "Hey, I'm proud of you, kid. Your father is, too."
Break sighed. "I know… I'm not sure if I earned it,though."
"What do you mean?"
"After all I did… I didn't beat Cell, or the androids. Itcame down to Goku in the end, to be the strongest. I helped, butothers still achieved so much more than I did." Abruptly, Lunchpunched Break across the face. The half-saiyan didn't flinch, butnoticed the fluidity of the motion. She's been practicing.
"Don't you talk like that." Lowering her fist, Lunchleaned closer. "Now listen. None of this would be possiblewithout you. You're the catalyst, you changed everything. We've gothope now, and a future-thanks to you. And now you can go back andsave your time, too."
Break shrugged. "I guess so. You're right. Yeah, you'reright. I just…" she searched for the words. "I don'tknow. I guess I just imagined myself riding in from the future, thegreat hero coming to save the day at the last minute. Not to be amessenger and help out every now and then."
"I know what you mean." Lunch stepped back and sat downon the sand, indicating the spot next to her, which Break sat in.The older woman continued. "But don't try to be a hero. Theyalways have so much pressure on them to make everything right. Gohanwas the hero of your particular story, yes?"
Break shuddered, remembering. But… "Don't be ahero? You're saying I shouldn't help people?"
"By all means," Lunch said, "be a good person. Bethe best you can be-which, in my experience of you, is pretty damngood. Just don't let yourself become a symbol, or people will startasking the world of you."
Silence fell for a while, Break finally speaking as dawn broke,sweeping away the mists. "So… sorry if this is a difficultquestion… you're one person now. What's up with that?"
Lunch lay back, half closing her eyes. "Honestly? I'm notsure. My gut instinct, though, is that both sides of me were finallystarting to meet in the middle. The good me was getting angry an'determined, and the bad me was feeling compassion… and regret."
"Was this how you were born, then? If the two halves aregenetic, was the split activated by a childhood trauma?"
"Don't remember. Maybe it was. My early life's pretty vague…Our minds are pretty good at supressing that kind of thing, y'know.Maybe something did happen… and that's why one half of me was sobitter all the time. Maybe…" echoes of memories, shadowimages played across her mind, but were gone as soon as theyappeared. "… maybe we'll never know."
"… All right, fire it up!" Bulma realised she wasspeaking to herself. Her second realisation was that she'd been upall night working on the time machine. The third was that she'dalready been sleep-deprived for several days before that, working onthe anti-Cell device. Ah well. I'll sleep, uh, that thing.Thing. Comes after now. Later. Right. Sleep later. She shookher head to clear her vision, focusing on the machine. "Hmm…should be set to the right timeline, if I know my temporalprobabilities. Which is a field of science I invented yesterday, soI should." She powered up the machine, and the targetingmechanism located Break's future timeline, a row of lights down theside of the control panel going green. Well, that works, atleast… It had also been modified to carry several people,given the androids' intention to accompany Break. Now, let mejust go find our time travelers, and we'll be done with this wholething.
Porunga was growing irritated. It couldn't be done. This wish, itwas impossible. Well. It seemed impossible. But the dragon wasn'tentirely, one hundred percent sure, and it was physically incapableof refusing to grant a wish within its power, so it had to eliminateall doubt.
There.
Something sparked on the edge of its world-spanningconsciousness. Its omniscient senses whirled, homing in on Earth,detecting some kind of link between this world and the world of thefuture-the one it had been asked to affect. Porunga worked quickly,seizing on the pathway and pouring its energy through.
"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED," it grumbled. "FAREWELL,AND DO NOT TRY MY PATIENCE IN THIS MANNER AGAIN!" The Namekianleft to watch it glanced up in surprise, scrambling to his feet andrunning back to the village to inform the others.
Bulma was on the verge of passing out, so completely missed thecrackle of red sparks that ran up and down the time machine asPorunga used it as a gateway for its power. Besides, Break,Seventeen and Eighteen were just walking into the hangar at thetime, and shortly took to inspecting the machine.
"Hey, nice work!" Break said, tapping on the side withone finger. "Looks good as new!" She turned to face thewoman who, in the future, had practically been her mother. "Hey,uh… I guess I won't be seeing you again. Not this version of you,anyway."
"I know…" Bulma sighed. "You sure you can't staya week or two?"
Break shook her head. "Sorry. I'm afraid all I can thinkabout is going home, finding out who survived… and finally fixingthings there."
"You said goodbye to everyone? Lunch?"
"Yeah. You're all great people, you know? I'm glad to havefinally met everyone you used to talk about."
"You're not so bad yourself. Look after yourself, all right?Thanks for everything."
Break nodded, started to speak, and found herself lost for words.She nodded, smiled, and climbed into the time machine.
"And you two…" Bulma turned to the androids. "Well,I guess I'm glad you came around in the end."
"I'm not going to become like the future version of me,"Eighteen said firmly.
"Well, I think you're crazy," Seventeen told her. "Wedon't owe those people in the future anything. But you're not goingwithout me."
"Hold on a second!"
Everyone turned to see Krillin, slightly out of breath andwearing a backpack, standing in the doorway. "Let me come withyou!" he said.
"Krillin?" Break leaned out of the time machine. "Whydo you want to…?"
"I…" he glanced around nervously. "I care aboutyou guys. I want to help. Look, there isn't much for me here. I'venever had that much of a full life. I mean, all my stuff fits inhere…" he held up his bag.
"Hey now, that's a bit sudden!" Bulma put her armaround him. "You've got friends, what are you talking about? Ofcourse you have a good life! I've never known anybody to have morefun than you!" She patted him on the back. "Maybe you'recomparing yourself to Yamcha or someone. Don't. Just because hewakes up with a hangover on somebody else's couch every othermorning doesn't mean he's doing better than you are."
"I know, but I…" He looked torn.
Bulma groaned inwardly. "I know what you're feeling,"she whispered to him. "I know you care for Eighteen, and youwant to help her out. But those two really haven't had a life sofar. There's nothing for them here, and they're doing somethingincredibly selfless by going. You'd just be making us all miss you.There are so many people here who couldn't bear to see you go."
"I… I guess so…" He hung his head as the androidsgot into the time machine.
"Hey, I know it's hard," Bulma said. "But theysay, if you love something… let it go."
A large crowd awaited them in Central City, and Goku and Gohanarrived with flair, pure white auras blazing around them as theylanded in front of several important officials. "The King makeshis apologies, he's taken ill this morning," the prime ministerinformed them. Goku nodded-he'd met the king before, but couldn'treally remember it very well, it having been a long time ago. Theprime minister was accompanied by Dr. Briefs, as the world's leadingscientist (his work unparalleled in practically every field), andthe previously-seen General Ripper. The crowd's reaction to thefather and son duo was mixed, but mostly one of apprehension, andanticipiation.
The prime minister shook Goku's hand awkwardly, Dr. Briefs gave ahalf-hearted wave as he scribbled down an idea for perfecting theexperimental flux capacitor he'd just had on a notepad, and theGeneral saluted. Goku smiled and waved to the crowd. "Hi!"Gohan lurked behind him, remaining quiet. News helicopters swarmedaround like angry insects. After a couple of minutes, the crowd wasmotioned to silence, microphones were brought forwards to all on the'stage', and the conversation began.
"Thank you for responding to my invitation," theGeneral began.
"Oh, sure," Goku replied. "To be honest, I didn'teven know it was a big secret. I mean, I've been able to do thisstuff for years."
"I see," the prime minister, whose nametag read'Erics', said. He was a thin, smiling man with messy hair and roundyellow sunglasses. "So I by 'this stuff', you mean thesuperhuman abilities you used in the battle with Cell, among othertimes?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess so."
"Are they, though?" Dr Briefs cut in. "Superhuman.If anybody can learn them, and I have it on good authority that theycan, then is 'superhuman' really accurate? Does that make being goodat music or sport 'superhuman', then?"
"I, uh… I guess so, hahah!" the prime ministerreplied with a nervous grin. "But I hope you, uh, know what Imean…"
"If I may get back to the point…" General Ripperturned to Goku. "Sorry about that. Anyway, how, exactly, doyour powers work? Where do they come from?"
"Uh… hmm." Goku thought for a minute. "Well-"
"Hey." Gohan spoke for the first time, still lookinguncomfortable. While his father had remained in his ever-presentorange gi, the eleven-year-old boy had changed into more casualclothes, with a specially-designed belt for hiding his tail. "Dad,why don't I explain this? Not to put it too bluntly, but I've had,y'know…"
"An education?" Goku laughed. "Yeah, go ahead,kid."
"All right." Gohan frowned. "It's like this:There's an energy, a force, that flows throughout the entireuniverse. We call it ki, or sometimes just 'energy' or 'power'. It'sin every living being, which is how we sense people's locations, byfeeling for their ki signature. And you can train to increase yourki, and then channel it…" he held out a hand, producing asmall white energy ball. "… while we tend to focus onfighting, it's often just handy in life to be able to generateenergy. For instance, having a larger ki makes you stronger, fasterand tougher, or as we put it generally 'more powerful', plus you canlearn useful techniques, like flight." Extinguishing the energyball, he hovered a couple of feet above the ground, cameras trackinghis movement and broadcasting to the world. "You see? It'sactually not that hard when you get used to it." He settled tothe ground. "Honestly, it wasn't some big secret that all thiswas possible. People like the Turtle and Crane hermits have beenteaching ki use for hundreds of years."
"I… see." Ripper frowned. "And… at a certainlevel of power, a ki-trained fighter is above the level ofconventional weaponry? Guns, tanks?"
"Sir." Gohan looked him straight in the eye. "Withall due respect, your entire army could attack me and I'd be capableof disarming them all before a single shot was fired. However, notwishing to boast, I count myself as exceptional, and perhaps mostchildren would not be able to overcome them quite so easily, nomatter how much training they had." He smiled a little. "It'dtake them a couple of minutes, at least."
"And…" Ripper scratched his head. "What if thearmy deployed nuclear weapons? Just to extend that hypotheticalscenario… not that we would, naturally…"
"Then, hypothetically, it would depend." Gohanshrugged. "King Piccolo had about the equivalent power of anuclear bomb, I suppose. But we're way past his level at this point.Right now I'd be fully capable of destroying a planet."
"Y-you could destroy Earth?" Ripper gulped. "I,uh…"
"You don't feel safe with us here?" Goku asked."Listen… you're a trained soldier, with years of experience.You're probably capable of killing most men fairly easily. I don'tthink that should be a reason for your friends and family to fearwalking into a room with you, do you? Don't worry. You've gotnothing to fear from us. All we've done is protect this planet."
"Hey, all right…" the prime minister began to paceback and forth. "… nobody's afraid of you. The General's justjumpy-it's his job. But you have the intention of making this poweravailable to everyone?"
"Anyone who wants it." Goku shrugged. "I mean, noteverybody has to be a fighter. But sure."
"So who will spread this knowledge?"
"Uh… hmm." Does Master Roshi still teach? Surelyhe can't deal with thousands of new students. "You know,that's a good point. There aren't enough teachers, and I can't seemyself spending every waking minute just teaching all this… hmm."
Gohan grinned. "Got it."
"What?"
"I know what we'll do." He stepped forwards. "Youalways wanted me to develop my power, right? And mom always said Ishould study more. Well, how about this? I'll write a book.Everything about ki, how to train it, all about what we do. I'lleven include explanations for our battles with Cell and so on. How'sthat sound?"
"Hey, now that's a good idea!" Goku grinned. "Thenpeople can just get one and not have to run to one of only a fewteachers… yeah, that sounds great!"
"All right." Gohan turned to the cameras. "Itmight take a couple of years, so sorry about that, but I want tomake sure it's done well."
"Uh… all right then." the prime minister said,feeling that events had left his control. "I guess we'll haveall the answers we need soon, people!" he tried to speaktowards the cameras, but they were focused on Gohan.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Goku turned around, seeing a familiar figure, and groaned. "Oh,not again…"
"NO MORE OF YOUR TRICKS!" Hercule yelled, somersaultingoff the top of his car and landing in front of Goku, one fingerextended in a challenge. "I, the Martial Arts Champion of theWorld and the man who defeated Cell, challenge you! Do you thinkyou've got what it takes to face the champ?!"
Goku sighed. "You've got to be kidding me…"
Vegeta fell back from another blow to the head. He'd had hissecond wind, and more, but it wasn't any good. This opponent waslike a wall he just couldn't climb no matter how hard he tried.Why…? Why is this happenning? I am the universe's greatestwarrior, am I not? I have risen to the top… thrown off Frieza'soppression, surpassed all my limits… is it not my right to bevictorious? Is it not my right to live to claim revenge on therenegades on Earth? I… I am an elite of the highest calibre, andthis lowlife scum is picking me apart! This cannot… I will not…another punch sent him tumbling away, rolling over and over onthe broken ground. And staring into the dirt, watching his lifebloodseeping into the uncaring earth, hearing his executioner's heavy,approaching tread, a dawning realisation hit him.
It didn't matter.
None of it mattered. He was the prince of all saiyans, thegreatest of his kind, a pure-blooded fighter and what's more, aSuper Saiyan. So? What did it matter, when some pirate fromwho-knows-where could just come along and beat him into the ground?What was the point? Suddenly all his boasts, his pride at being fromsuch a privileged warrior breed seemed empty. "I am theprince of all saiyans… I am DEATH!" The words ranghollow in his mind. What did it mean, anyway? His royal blood… Itmeant that his ancestors had been great warriors. It said nothing ofhim. All that mattered… all that ever mattered in this life… wasstrength. The ability to back up your claims. To stand on your owntwo feet, and defeat your enemies. If you were beaten, if you wereweak, it didn't matter who you were. This battle was testament tothat. His pride, his standing hadn't saved him. He had alwaysthought that it was his birthright to be the greatest… how blind.Kakarot had surpassed him with apparent ease. Raditz hadbeaten him to becoming a Super Saiyan. And now this… nobody, thisscum… was about to kill him.
He shoved himself off the ground, vision blurring as he facedBojack. How could I have spent my whole life spouting thatgarbage about being born superior? That's been proven wrong morethan enough. All that matters… the only thing that matters is thehere and now. And I will win this battle… and I willkill those traitors on Earth. "Y-You…" hehissed.
"Hmm?" Bojack grinned. More of the same, no doubt.Prince this, saiyan that.
"Get out… of my way…" It's the only thing…that matters. I have… to be… stronger than him. I have to getpast him.
Bojack chuckled. "Get out of your way? I thought you wantedto fight me."
Vegeta fell forwards, stopping just in front of Bojack. Hegasped, catching himself, trembling as he raised his guard. No,I won't lose here… I can't… die… here! "I said…GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
Judgement
Chapter 40: Judgement
Because I've been having computer troubles, this is going tobe kind of a short chapter, so treat this and chapter 41 as a sortof extended two-part chapter… sort of… thing. For the samereason, chapter 2 of Best Served Cold will take a while.
Also, some people have been telling me that canon SSJ Gohanwas stronger than Goku at the Cell Games. Yeah, my bad. Okay, sojust take that number I gave for BTtL Gohan, then. Not that itmatters too much-I'm not going to venture any guesses at actualpower levels or anything, and any important information you canprobably pick up from the story itself.
Oh! One more thing. The thing in this chapter about Hercule'sname was actually something Akira Toriyama (the creator of DB andDBZ) said in an interview, so I didn't just randomly come up withit.
Actually, make that two more things. I really don't like theway this site makes my double dashes single dashes, so sorry ifthat's a little annoying, but my computer kept deleting files so Istarted just writing BTtL directly onto the site.
The media had been frantic the last few weeks, and today was noexception. A special arena had been set up at extremely short noticeusing Hercule's considerable funds, a giant 'ring' made from dozensof perfectly-cut stone slabs, topped off with four huge spikes ofthe same grey rock, one at each corner of the ring-a feat ofhigh-speed, large-scale engineering made possible by a combinationof near-limitless cash and cutting-edge Capsule Corp technology.
News crews swarmed around the site like angry insects, cameraswhirring and flashing, microphones waving frantically as they chaseddown even the most minor functionary who showed themselves outside.The two fighters, or possibly one fighter and one man with amoustache-Goku and Hercule-were safely hidden from the mediaattention in tents on opposite sides of the ring. Goku sat in histent, talking with Chi-Chi and Gohan.
"I don't like this whole set-up," Chi-Chi muttered.
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Goku gave his usualcarefree smile. "They just need a little proof, that's all."
"Well, you just wipe the smirk off that big jerk's face, allright?" she asked.
Her husband laughed. "Hey, that's not so hard. You couldbeat him yourself, you know. The fight-if you can even call itthat-isn't what's important. What's important is that people seethe fight."
"Yeah, that's about it." Gohan stood up. "I'mgoing for a walk. I need some fresh air…"
"You sure?" Chi-Chi asked. "All those annoyingjournalists are out there…"
Gohan shrugged. "Don't worry. I can outrun them in mysleep." As he left, Goku and Chi-Chi heard gunshots fromoutside. They looked up, curious, as Erics-the prime minister they'dmet earlier-rolled into the tent, breathing heavily and holstering asmoking revolver. "Oh, hey there!" he said, with afriendly wave. "Just had to fire a few warning shots. I gotswarmed by reporters."
"Right…" Goku nodded.
An awkward silence followed, and as he mentally floundered,Chi-Chi tried to make conversation. "So, uh, Mr. Erics, what doyou predict… who do you think will win?"
Erics grinned. "Aw, c'mon, don't treat me like an idiot. Weboth know Hercule doesn't stand a chance. I mean, he's a skilledwrestler, but it's still like Bruce Lee trying to take on Superman…"
Goku blinked. "Sorry, I don't know who that is." ThatSuper-guy sounds tough… bet I could take him, though.
Erics scratched his head. "Wow, you must have been onesheltered kid, huh?"
"You have no idea," Chi-Chi agreed.
Gohan idly whistled to himself as he zipped along at speedsfaster than the reporters could follow, eventually finding a spot-upon top of a hill-within view of the ring, but far enough away thatno news crews would spot him. However, as he sat down on the otherside of the hill, he realised with a start that someone else hadbeaten him there, probably with the same intention-he must not havebeen paying attention, as he hadn't noticed their ki signature. "Oh!Uh, I mean, hi."
The girl looked up. She was about his age, with shoulder-lengthblack hair in pigtails and large, staring blue eyes. She wore a longwhite shirt that came down to her knees, contrasting sharply withthe black of her pants and fingerless gloves. Seeing this neat,almost uniform-like appearance, Gohan suddenly felt uncomfortablewith his scruffy, asymmetrical hair and loose orange gi. "Hi,"she said. "You're his kid, aren't you? The guy my dad's goingto fight."
"Your dad… Hercule Satan's your father?" Gohan asked,surprise.
"Yeah. My name's Videl," she said.
"Okay… I'm-"
"Gohan, I know." She looked up into the cloudlessmid-day sky. "You were on TV… I have a good memory fornames." After a brief pause, she added: "My dad's going towin, you know."
Gohan chuckled. "Sorry, but he isn't. Almost everybody Iknow could wipe the floor with a hundred of him… uh, no offense.He just hasn't had the chance to learn the proper-"
"Hmph." She frowned. "Say what you like. My dad'sthe strongest person in the world. He can punch through solid rock."
Wordlessly, Gohan picked up a rock lying on the ground next tohim, and gently crushed it between two fingers.
"There you go again. I bet you picked a cracked rock just totrick me," she said firmly.
Gohan shook his head, resisting the urge to repeat the processwith a boulder or a mountain. "You'll see." They sat on insilence.
"Hey…" Videl eventually said. "You want to knowsomething?"
Gohan looked up from his internal musings. "Huh? What?"
She leaned in close and whispered, "My dad's name isn'treally Hercule. That's just his stage name." She smiled. "He'sactually called Mark." She leaned back as Gohan giggled, foronce acting like the child he was.
"Hehe… Mark? Really?" Gohan grinned. "I guessthat is a bit less impressive than 'Hercule'…"
Raditz and King Kai appeared in the main portion of the afterlifewithout ceremony-King Kai had provided the location, and Raditz hadused Instant Transmission to speed up the transport process. Hetapped the halo above his head with a small measure of disbelief,remembering the fateful judgement which had allowed him to keep hisbody at all and progress here.
(An indefinite period of time after Raditz was killed byCell, undefinable due to the slowed-down way time passes in KingYemma's room of judgement, a necessary feature to allow him to judgeall the souls of the dead within a short time of their demise)
Raditz stood in the large wood-panelled room, first taking inthe circumstances of his death, then his location-several ogres inbusiness suits were positioned around the room, and at a giganticdesk (also wood-mahogany, perhaps) in front of him sat a hugespecimen, red-skinned and with a bushy, angry-looking beard whichjuxtaposed the friendly expression on his face. "Ah, here weare," he said, shuffling some papers. "Greetings…"he eyed a sheet of paper. "Raditz, saiyan, North galaxy, dieddefending his brother… ah yes, I remember you. I am King Yemma,judge of the afterlife" He leaned forwards, steepling hisfingers in front of him. "Now, we've given you your body on atemporary basis for this judgement, but please don't try anythingunruly as we can just as easily take it away… usually we justjudge the incorporeal soul, but I wanted you with full awareness andmental capacity…"
"Why?" Raditz asked, still looking around. Ihonestly don't know what I expected from the afterlife, but it surewasn't this .
"Well, you see… I'm not entirely sure what to do withyou. I wanted to hear what you have to say for myself."
"What I…" The deceased saiyan paused. "Thisis… my final judgement…? You're going to decide what happens tome, in the afterlife… for eternity." His voice cracked as headded, quietly, something he'd never have admitted to under normalcircumstances. "I… I'm afraid…"
"And well you should be," King Yemma replied,pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he peered atRaditz. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you there's a lot goingagainst you. However, the latter years of your life were spentengaged in… somewhat nobler pursuits than the first part. Soyou're not damned for certain… go ahead. Make your case."
"I…" he didn't know where to begin. So he justtalked, anything that came to mind. "I don't want to go toHell. Or whatever you call it. I won't lie, I desperately want to goto… that other place. But I'm not sure if I can plead with you, ifI can argue that I should be allowed. I don't know if I deservethat. I've only just got over this in life… justifying myself.Everyone around me was always telling me it was fine, that I'dchanged. Does that matter? How do you judge these things?" hechoked. "How many people have I killed? Innocents?" Helooked up at King Yemma. "That's not a rhetorical question. Youshould know this kind of thing! How many ?"
King Yemma shook his head. "I don't think you want toknow. But it is a very large number. I'd say millions, but that'd bea few orders of magnitude off…'cleansing' a planet is a lot oflives, you know."
"Yeah… I know…" he sighed. "I guess I'vedone good things since then. I've saved people, helped those weakerthan me. But only a couple of planets. What I've given the universeis nothing compared to what I've taken away. And even so, does itbring back anybody I've killed? They're still dead because of me!"he realised he was shouting, and tried to calm down. "I… Iguess what I'm trying to say is, I don't know. I don't know what youshould do with me either. And for what it's worth… I'm sorry."He put his head in his hands. "I wish none of it had happened.Maybe everybody'd be better off if I hadn't been born in the firstplace. I just… I don't know what I can say… I'm so sorry…"he trailed off.
"And… genuine remorse, check…" Yemma startedticking boxes. "Acknowledgement of deeds, both good and evil,check…" Raditz looked up, astonished, as Yemma continued."Desire to continue to do good, that's a big one,check… and I should also add, complete inability to see the biggerpicture." The minor god smiled. "Think about this. Who,despite all odds, was the prophecy-fulfilling Super Saiyan whobrought about the end of two-thirds of the galaxy's oppressors in asingle day?"
"Wha…?"
"And who was sent to Earth to find his long-lost littlebrother, bringing its warriors into contact with the wider galaxyand causing the fall of the entire frost demon dynasty, thuspreventing countless future centuries of bloody repression andgenocide, which would have far outweighed any crimes that this manhimself might have committed in his earlier years? A galaxy, I mightadd, which did not in fact collapse into anarchy and is now incapable, and what's more just, hands-a woman, O-something, can'tremember, and her robot lieutenant-and is now enjoying peace andfreedom for the first time in hundreds of years! And finally, whosaved said younger brother from death at the hands of Dr. Gero'screations not once, but twice-the second time giving his own life inthe attempt, allowing the defeat of the monster Cell, who ifvictorious on Earth would have gone on to wreak havoc on the entireuniverse, as a far more terrible threat than Frieza's kind ever was?Hmm?"
Raditz gaped. "I… I did do all that, didn't I…"
"Indeed. It seems, in fact, that whatever your societydrove you to do at first, in your heart you find it almostimpossible not to do good deeds when given the opportunity.And now-" he stamped a red seal of approval on Raditz's file,"-I'm giving you that opportunity."
Raditz smiled awkwardly, forcing himself to hold backtears-he could scarcely believe the implications of this. "Thankyou… uh, sir. I'm-"
"Yes, yes, you're very grateful, I know, so is everybodywho is allowed to enter the happier part of the afterlife. And as areward for the manner of your death, you'll be allowed to keep yourbody, in order to continue your fighting career here in Otherworld.Now, go-and don't use up any more of my time! I've got seven millionsouls to process in the next three living-world seconds! Goodbye!"
The long-haired fighter nodded-he had been lucky. Had the judgebeen harsher… he didn't want to think about it. "So," hesaid, "the judge god said I could continue fighting, orsomething like that?"
King Kai nodded. "As with all great champions and heroes,you've been allowed to keep your mortal form for that reason.They've had millenia to train-you'll find plenty of warriors herewho make even you look like nothing!"
Raditz grinned, striding through the tall grass towards thedistant group of figures. "Not for long."
Into the Future
Chapter 41: Into the Future
Bulma, of course, didn't know. Nobody knew. Not even Porungaknew-this had been an entirely new and untested use of its powers.But Bulma had been standing rather close while the dragon had beenusing its magical powers across time, and there had been some…leakage. Excess radiation, a scientist might call it. A mere flash,a single event, a black, twisted day in their future, so meaningfuland terrible it was etched into the timestream itself, the day theentire universe cried out in pain-so strong that even the brief,limited exposure to raw temporal energy she'd experienced had burnedit into her subconscious.
Bulma first got a hint that something was amiss when she woke upthe next morning, having finally gotten some sleep. Shefelt… strange. Still tired, as if she'd barely rested at all. Shelooked down. There was a pen in her left hand. Scrawled on her rightpalm was a number 7. Then again, further up her arm. One more on hershoulder. She tilted her mirror towards her-three more inky 7'sdotted her face. Worried, she let the pen drop, jumping out of bedand flicking on the lights.
Empty, dry pens littered the floor. The walls and ceiling werecovered in 7's. "What the hell?" she breathed.
Vegeta stood over the green, bloodied corpse, slowly crushingBojack's ribs with his foot for good measure. I suppose I shouldthank whichever of the Earth maggots achieved this power before me,he thought to himself as he vapourised the body with a wave ofhis hand. Bright blue electric sparks crackled through his aura.Just knowing it existed made it far easier to attain. Perhaps'easy' is the wrong word… it wasn't easy . Realising thefoundations I'd built my world upon… were meaningless… itdoesn't matter now. He put it out of his mind, trying not toacknowledge the pain he'd felt, inside and out. I'm sure Kakarotor Raditz or whoever has got a head start. .. I'll have totrain, and master this new level. Then I'll return, and once thetraitors are dealt with, I shall realise my true destiny… I'llcarve out a new saiyan empire, by my own strength! I won't ever haveto rely on anyone again.
Powering down, he flew over to his pod, ignoring the empty onespreviously used by his squad. He climbed inside, tapping in theco-ordinates of a nearby trade planet. No use destroying thisworld-I'll leave it like this. Let them find it… and wonder.
Alternate timeline, 17 years in the future…
Break stepped out of the time machine, taking a deep breath andtasting ash and dust on the wind. Even the air is sick here…Seventeen and Eighteen followed, looking around at thedevastated landscape. Crumbled remnants of burned-out buildings layall around. No greenery was visible. The occasional skeleton orscavenging animal dotted the area. This is the place I left…Break thought. But where are Gohan, Bulma and the otherandroids? I guess they must have moved on-I had to return a daylater, to avoid temporal interference, which would create anothertimeline. I can't see any fresh bodies, at least, so that'spromising.
"This… this is wrong…" Eighteen whispered, shakingher head. "How could we have done this?!"
"Is the whole world like this?" Seventeen asked, onlyslightly more detached.
Break nodded. "Pretty much." Her head whipped around,and her eyes narrowed-a group of human ki signatures was starting tovanish, one by one. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Gohan winced as his improvised bandage rubbed on his raw wound.His shoulder was a bleeding stump, his severed left arm abandonedseveral miles back. In the distraction caused by Trunks'self-destruction, he'd managed to escape death, but 18 had beenholding him by the arm and he'd had to literally tear himself free.Since then, he'd been wandering, trying to find some sign of them.He knew it was stupid. He should return to their shelter, not golooking for another fight he couldn't win. But he couldn't let itgo. The battle wasn't over. He'd almost certainly die, when the timecame, but so be it. He'd failed the task he'd been appointed so manyyears ago… Lunch's final words to him rang accusingly in his mind.
"Our children, Gohan. They're the only hope for thefuture. Take care of them… here they come! Gohan-go, NOW!"
His face hardened at the memory, and he trudged on, towards thedisappearing human energies. He crested the hill, and a frightenedwoman ran past him, shrieking. Android 17 stalked after her, firinga large-calibre pistol at his fleeing victim. Gohan caught thebullet in mid-flight, popping it in his mouth and grinding it todust between his teeth. He nodded towards the gun. "A grown manlike you, still playing with toys. It's disgraceful."
17 smiled. "Oh, look who it is. You know, I'm actually gladyou survived losing your arm. So you can see…" he turned sothat the light from a burning ruin illuminated him from behind,revealing his own damaged arm, the human exterior skin and clothingcompletely melted off to reveal a metallic skeleton beneath. Thecyborg flexed his visibly-robot hand, scowling. "That brat didthis to me! Look at it… now that is disgraceful."
"Leave these people alone, 17," Gohan growled, turningSuper Saiyan. "Your fight is with me now."
17 shrugged. "I was just having a bit of fun. But have ityour way, I won't hurt them. My sister, on the other hand…"
There was a flicker of high-speed motion, and 18 appeared inmid-air, grabbing the escaping woman and preparing to snap her neck.Gohan grimaced. They're so fast! "Go ahead and takeGohan out, 17," the second android said, grinning ferally."I've already taken my pound of flesh from him."
"How generous of you." 17 raised an arm, a brightyellow ball of energy forming easily, drawing on his infinite energyreactor. "Now, Gohan, are you going to try and actually fightin your condition? Or can we make this easier for all of us, and youjust let me end it? Or, I guess, you could make a futile attempt tosave that poor innocent my sister's got hold of, but you'd leaveyourself quite open to attack…"
Gohan trembled. Damn! This would be so much simpler if it wasjust me and them… I'd just go out fighting. Can I save this personand hold the androids off long enough for them to escape? If I'mresigned to not being able to save them, can I bring myself to letthem die to give me an advantage? How did my father do this kind ofthing all his life and come out smiling?!
"Time's running out, my friend," 17 said, in amock-parental tone. "Now, you haven't made a decision, so I'llmake one for you. It's been fun, but this is the end-" Therewas an almighty CRACK, and 17 folded up, wheezing quietly anddropping to the ground. In that instant, his energy ball had beendeflected harmlessly into an empty office block, and the woman 18had been about to kill had vanished, finding herself placed safelyout of harm's way, a mile away.
"What the hell?" 18 asked, glancing left and right.
"Hi there," said a voice. 18 gasped, jumping away andraising her guard to see Break, in a fresh suit of her replicatedsaiyan-style armour, golden hair blowing softly in the wind,completely calm. "Miss me?"
"Break!" Gohan shouted, overjoyed. "You're back!Well," he said grimly, not noticing that she was concealing herpower, "I suppose that we can at least die together…"
Break shook her head. "No-one's dying today." Her eyesnarrowed. "Except these two."
"What are you talking about? Even with all of us at ourbest, we've never-"
"HYAAAAAAAH!" Break yelled as she powered up to hermaximum Super Saiyan strength. There was the level beyond that sheand Broly had used, but that wasn't necessary. The androids weren'tworth bothering with it.
Gohan and the androids took a step back, the information Gohan'ski sense gave him filling him with awe. "Is that… reallyyou?" She looks older, he realised. Tougher, even.
Break turned her attention to the androids. "Of course I'dfind you trying to murder someone… someone who hasn't doneanything to you!" she snarled, barely able to contain heranger. "Not only her… but one of the only still-livingfriends I have!" I've seen what the world could have beenlike without you… how far you've dragged us all into the dirt…maybe a true hero would find it in their heart to try and forgiveyou, but… you two, you made me what I am, and I'm no hero.The air crackled with the heat of her power as she fumed, the rocksat her feet buckling and melting under the immense pressure. Gokuasked Cell something…'how many more?' Well, I know the answer tothat now. "NOT ONE MORE, YOU ANIMALS!"
"What-" 18 was cut off as a fist, hard and unyielding,smashed into her face, driving her back. She stumbled, clutching herbroken nose, screeching in pain. "Ahh! Bitch! My… aaagh!"Without responding, Break thrust her hand into the android'smidsection, reaching inside, feeling for some mechanical part thatseemed large and important and ripping it out, leaving a gaping,sparking hole in 18's stomach. She fell, lying still, eyes goingblank, mouth twitching slightly. As she died, a sudden change ofexpression swept her face… an immense sadness seemed to come overher… perhaps even regret.
But Break wasn't focused on her. Tossing the piece of 18 away,she turned to 17. "This… this can't be happening…" hestuttered. "There's no way… you killed her! You just stabbedright through her!"
In an instant, Break stood in front of him, smiling coldly as shebegan to speak in sugar-sweet, mocking tones. "Oh, that'sfunny. Is that what I did? That's real funny." She grabbed 17by the shoulders, pressing down with impossibly strong fingers anddigging great rents into his skin, making him cry out in pain."Stabbed right through her, you say? You know, that sounds kindof familiar… Do you," she hissed, almost spitting in hisface, "by any chance, remember someone called Trunks?!" Without another word, she sent a gigantic wave of ki outthrough her hands, shattering 17's body like glass. Broken pieces ofmetal and flesh rained down in front of her as she powered down.
Gohan, having also reverted to his normal state, staggered overto her. "Break, you… you're incredible! How did you get sopowerful? And you were in control, too…"
She grinned. "I'll tell you the whole story later, okay? Youjust see if you can get a real doctor for that wound, and then we'llgo tell Bulma what's happened. What's important now is that it'sover." She smiled to herself, realising the truth of the wordsas she said them. It's finally over… they're gone. We're freenow. "I'll join you soon."
"Soon?" he asked. "Where are you going?"
Break sighed. "Oh, this is going to be awkward… there's acouple of people I'd like you to meet."
Main timeline, present day, Otherworld…
Raditz dusted off his hands, frowning at his downed opponent-alarge, toga-wearing fighter with a floppy blond mane of hair namedOlibu. "Honestly. I've only been here for ten minutes, andalready I have to prove I'm not just idly boasting about my power."
"Well," Olibu said as Raditz helped him up, "whenone claims to be many times stronger than Frieza, tyrant of theNorth Galaxy… it's not always easy to believe that, especiallysince you haven't had thousands of years of training like we have."
"Good point," Raditz replied eagerly. "We've gotthe whole of infinity to train-there's no limit to the power I canachieve!"
"I wouldn't bet on it… everyone meets their limitseventually."
"Believe what you want. I'm a saiyan-we're all about gettingstronger." They both looked around as a tall figure landed onthe heavenly world, approaching the training grounds. The strangerhad green skin and no visible nose, and wore white and blue robes,topped off by a turban. "Who's that?" asked Raditz. Hemanaged to avoid commenting on the stranger's halo, having finallygot used to the fact that everyone but the Kais (there were indeedmultiple Kais-another new discovery, though he had yet to meet anyother than their own familiar King Kai) had them here.
"That's Pikkon," Olibu replied. "He's thestrongest of us all, easily." He read the expression onRaditz's face. "Don't even think about it. He's way above evenyour level, my friend. He's just returning from a special missionfrom the Kais-Frieza and his family were stirring up trouble inHell."
"Not Cell?" Raditz asked. "I know he hasn't beenhere for long, but it sounds like just the kind of trouble he'd loveto get in on."
"No…" the heavenly warrior's expression darkened."King Yemma was afraid of just such an occurence, and there'snobody in Otherworld who can match Cell, so a special prison wasconstructed for him in the depths of Hell. The only two people onhis level are still living."
Goku and Gohan, right. Raditz weighed this up in hismind, but it didn't add up. "Why not just take away Cell'sbody? And Frieza and the rest of them, for that matter."
"It's not that simple, or so I'm told," Olibuexplained. "You see, King Yemma doesn't quite have the power helikes to advertise. He can separate a person's soul from theirOtherworld body, but if the person is an exceptional hero orvillain, if they rise above the masses through force of character,their soul and body gravitate together. That's the reason for thewhole system."
"I don't understand."
"It's like this… What you might know as heaven is wheremost people go. Their souls drift away from their bodies, and theylose some of themselves when they die, but as generally decentpeople on the whole, and as long as any crimes they committed werejustified or minor enough to be excusable, they are allowed apleasant afterlife. The despicable wretches who commit mindless actsof evil, and are not strong of mind enough to retain their bodies,are fed into a negative energy machine, where their essencecoalesces into a useful fuel source-for instance, it is thisconstant stream of energy that fuels Cell's prison." He paused,making sure he had everything the right way around. "The strongof will, it is impossible to keep from their bodies forever. Theevil ones are cast down into Hell, and the great and good allowed toascend to here, the world above even the heavens… I like to callit the true heaven."
Raditz tried to take this all in, but he was sure he'd forgetmost of it soon. "All right then… well, that's nice. I'mgonna go take a look at this Pikkon guy. Do you think he took downFrieza's family easily?"
Olibu nodded. "I am sure that it barely deserved to becalled a battle."
"Excellent!" Raditz cracked his knuckles, walking awaytowards the distant form of Pikkon. "Who knows, maybe I'll evenspar with the guy a bit."
"Don't! Trust me on this." Olibu laid a restraininghand on Raditz's shoulder. "You are powerful, I grant you that.But no more than about twice Frieza's strength at most, judging bythe way you beat me, and I can tell you weren't holding any power inreserve."
Raditz grinned. "No, I wasn't holding anything back… inthis form, anyway."
"This… form?"
"See ya!" Raditz waved a dismissive hand, heading forPikkon. Hah! He already thought I was something special, and Ihaven't even turned Super Saiyan yet! This Pikkon had better be abit more challenging.
He approached the green-skinned warrior. "Hey there!"
Pikkon looked him up and down. "And you are?"
"Raditz. I'm new here. I was told you beat Frieza and hisfamily?"
"That is correct. What of it?"
"Was it easy?"
"Yes. Again… why do you ask?" Pikkon was beginning toget annoyed by the newcomer's constant questions.
"Awesome!" Raditz grinned. "Because that Olibu guyover there is helpful and all, but he's not much of a sparringpartner. Then I heard you were pretty strong, and this is supposedto be a training ground…" he grinned hopefully, but Pikkonturned and walked away.
He did beat Olibu… that counts for something, but… no.I'm getting tired of easy victories-I can already tell this onewould be no challenge at all. "Sorry," he said. "Idon't spar with weaklings. And especially not newcomers."
"Is that so…?" Raditz took a deep breath. Staycalm… stay calm… stay… ah, the hell with it. "Hey,Pikkon!"
"Wha-"
"BLITZ CANNON!"
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
Goku tightened his belt.
"The fight you've all been waiting for!"
Hercule fluffed up his afro.
"Both declare themselves to be the strongest in the world…one claiming the existence of a supernatural ki force, the otherdenouncing it as a pack of lies… now together in the ring for yourentertainment!"
The fighters entered the ring, standing opposite each other, anintense stare passing between the two.
"Son Goku! Hercule Satan! Are you ready?" They noddedsimultaneously, and the announcer backed out of the ring, then saidwith a dramatic flourish, "then let the match begin!"
Instantly, Hercule leapt forwards, leading with a strong rightjab that sailed straight at Goku's face. The saiyan didn't move asthe wrestler's fist approached. Hah! Hercule thought. He'sway too slow-hasn't even moved yet!
At the last moment, Goku stepped aside, Hercule's fist hissingpast his face. To the ki-trained martial artist, the world championmight as well have been standing still. Nothing too fancy, Gokureminded himself. Nothing he can claim as a 'trick'. Hetook a step backwards, moving just out of range of Hercule'sfollow-up elbow jab and subsequent volley of kicks. "Nicetechnique you've got there," he said. "You're quiteskilled. But you're way too slow to hit me."
"We'll see about that!" Hercule tensed up, and launchedhimself forwards, pushing himself off the ground with all his might.
To the audience, Hercule appeared to vanish as he charged. Gokusmiled, impressed as he recognised a primitive version of thehigh-speed movement technique ki-trained fighters used to instantlyleap around the battlefield. In fact, he could even detect thetiniest flicker of ki from the moustachioed martial artist-anatural, but still impressive, result of training one's body to thepeak of normal human fitness. To Goku's eyes, of course, Herculestill moved painfully slowly. The saiyan swung one fist up, catchingHercule on the jaw and flooring him with ease-appearing to theaudience to have punched his opponent out of thin air. Allright, that was good. Remember, don't tap him-make it look like apunch. Not that I have to pretend to be weaker than I am oranything; I just have to make it look like I'm actually fighting.
"Hey, not bad." Goku grinned. "You were movin'pretty fast there, champ."
"Hrrr…" Hercule climbed to his feet, rubbing hischin. "Nice shot, punk."
"I try."
"Oh, and the first blow goes to Goku!" the commentatorshouted into his microphone. "Hercule seemed to have theadvantage, moving faster than the human eye could follow to strike,but it appears Goku's reflexes are even faster!"
Sitting in the front row as the audience around them watchedeagerly, Gohan nudged Videl. "See? He isn't even trying."
"Oh, just wait," Videl retorted, folding her arms. "Mydad's just warming up."
Hercule nodded. "Hmm… well, I guess you weren't lyin', atleast not entirely. Whatever that power you're always on about is,you're a fast one, huh?"
"You could say that," Goku replied with a nonchalantlook. Oh, just get on with it already!
"Well, fine. You're pretty quick, I'll give you that. Butthey don't call me the strongest man in the world for nothin', youknow!"
"Oh?"
"That's right!" Hercule shifted into an attack-readystance. "I bet you one hit from my fists of steel and you'llfold right up!"
"You bet, huh?" Goku considered this. "All right,then. Hit me."
"What?"
"You heard me. I'll prove I've got strength as well asspeed, if you like."
"Why you…" Hercule spluttered, gritting his teeth.Thinks he can play with me like that… well, fine. "Allright, but remember-you asked for it! Hai-yaaah!" He sprang atGoku again, planting his fist firmly in the alien warrior's chest.Goku stood unflinching, still smiling.
Hercule hopped away, clutching his throbbing hand. "Ow!Owwww! What are you made of?!" T-they checked us before thematch, he isn't wearing body armour or anything… could it be?He's… telling the truth? His eyes narrowed. "Nah. I'dhave heard about something like this long before now. This fightisn't over, you hear?"
"I hear you," Goku said. This fight was over beforeit begun…
"Now you pay attention, Go-ku, 'cause I'm gonna show you whyone of us has thousands of adoring fans!" He lifted his armsinto the air, extending two fingers on each hand in 'V' victorysigns. "BECAUSE I. AM. THE. GREATEST!" Half the crowdcheered wildly, the rest sat silently in suspense, waiting for thefinal verdict.
"Come on, Dad…" Videl said quietly.
This is pointless, Gohan thought.
"Now, you…" Hercule rolled up his sleeve, swinginghis arm around in a wide arc and finally tapping his leg. Looking upat Goku, he leapt to the attack again, leading with his foot."Dynamic Rolling Thunder Dynamite Super Champion Style Mess 'EmUp… Kick-ooofff!"
Goku held Hercule's foot, mid-kick, by the ankle, inches awayfrom his face. Meanwhile, his own foot was buried in the champion'sstomach. Hercule fell back as Goku released him, landing in anunconscious heap on the ground for the second time in three days.
"And the winner is Goku! Let's have a big hand for ourchampion!"
"Videl? Hey, Videl!" Gohan ran left and right, dashingback and forth around the arena grounds as the press swamped thering, finally finding Hercule's daughter standing on the same hillthey'd met up behind earlier, staring up into the sky. "Youokay?"
"No."
"Hey, look… it's not his fault. Most people weren't evenaware ki existed… we're just trying to get the truth out topeople." He stood next to her. "I bet your dad's thestrongest non-ki-user on the planet, though."
"Hmph." She shook her head. "I'm gonna learn it,you know. All your techniques and powers… I'm gonna get strongerthan any of you."
"Sorry, but I don't think you can," Gohan replied,sighing. It was a weird feeling-normally, he enjoyed his saiyanheritage and the power it gave him, but now he just felt like he hadan unfair advantage.
"Oh? And why's that?" Her eyes narrowed.
"I… I can't say."
"Uh…" suddenly she sounded hesitant, pointing at aspot just to the left of his waist. "Does it have anything todo with that?"
"What?" Gohan looked down, doing a double-take as herealised his tail was swishing back and forth in the air behindhim-something that often happened when he felt tense or awkward."Uh… I, uh… nice costume huh? Had you fooled, haha!"Her expression told him she wasn't fooled. "Okay… uh, how doI start…" For some reason, I feel like telling the truth…somehow, I know she'll keep this a secret. "Well… do youmind if I fly us somewhere a bit more remote?"
Gohan and Videl stood on the plains as night fell, amidst theruins of Korin Tower, several miles from the media circus. "Allright," he said. "Sorry, but some of this isn't exactlystealthy…"
She sat down on a chunk of rubble. "Go ahead. I'm listening.What's up with the tail?"
"Well… I'm not exactly human." He scratched his head."Sorta. I mean, I'm half-human. My dad's a saiyan-they're avery powerful warrior race, and they all have tails like this. Andthere's one other thing-some saiyans can transform." Goldenenergy burst out of Gohan's body, lighting up the night. "Nowyou can see why we needed to come out here."
"Yeah, that'd attract attention," Videl agreed. "Ilike the hair, but is there a point?"
"Sure. This is called Super Saiyan… and in this form, Iget a lot more powerful. Maybe ten, fifty times, I don't knowexactly. And here's something we discovered in the last few days…"He powered up to the higher level he and Goku had used, watching asVidel marvelled at the mingling blue sparks and golden aura. "This is twice as strong as Super Saiyan…'Super Saiyan 2', Iguess."
Videl nodded. "Right. I guess that answers why a bunch ofyou were blond in the news footage. That's pretty cool, but… doesthat mean your dad only beat mine because he's an alien?" Theexistence of aliens wasn't so much of a shock-Earth had, in fact,been invaded by the saiyans a few years back, and the destruction ofa whole city was hard to ignore.
Gohan relaxed, powering down. "Sorry, no. Any ki-trainedhuman fighter could have beaten him. But my dad's the strongest outof us, and the one who beat Cell, so it seemed… right, I guess.Fitting, somehow."
Videl blinked. "You talk like someone much older than youare, you know?"
Gohan laughed nervously, his tail curling behind his back. "Yeah,I guess so! My mom's always making me study…"
"Well, let's get back over there," the long-haired girlsaid with an awkward smile, "and see if I can salvage some ofmy dad's dignity before he does something stupid…"
Gohan took her arm, preparing to take off. "If I know him atall, it's going to be too late for that."
The End of theBeginning
Chapter 42: The End of the Beginning
"Curious…" Dr. Brief stroked his magnificentmoustache as he examined the readouts from the machine, which washooked up to Bulma's head via several electrodes. "I'm notdetecting any sort of abnormal brain activity. Are you sure it'sstill happening-it wasn't just a one-off thing?"
"I'm pretty sure." Bulma indicated the plastic side ofthe machine, now half-covered with number 7-shaped indentations. "Iscratched those just now without even realising."
"How strange…" Her father turned the machine off, andshe pulled the electrodes off of her head, standing up and followinghim out of the room.
"I know, right?" she said eagerly-her scientificcuriosity outweighed any fear of the unknown. "It's sospecific, though-do you think it might be a message?"
Dr. Brief nodded. "It's possible. Given that we can't detectthe source, it's entirely possible that it's some kind of messagefrom a higher intelligence, more sophisticated than us. But if so,what's so important about the number seven? Seven what?"
"Exactly!" She frowned, rubbing her head. "It's sovague! Is it a place? A time? A person?" she shrugged. "I'vebeen around a lot of experimental tech recently. Maybe it's damagedmy brain somehow, and it doesn't mean anything-I could just be goingcrazy."
"Well, I wouldn't jump to conclusions like that, I… oh,just a minute, dear…" he noticed a passing scientist, andrushed off in pursuit of him, his brain as always trying to doeverything at once. "Simmons! Have you got the test results? Wedon't want another resonance cascade…"
Bulma sighed. That's my dad for you… he can't stand stillfor five seconds… She rounded the corner, intent oncontinuing the investigation on her own, but bumped into a familiarfigure. "Oh! Hey, Goku."
"Hi." The powerfully-built, yet friendly, man standingin the corridor waved.
"Didn't see you come in."
"Yeah, I move pretty fast…"
"So… did you want anything?"
"Well, yeah, no, I…" he stopped, thinking. "I…just wanted to see you alive, back at work. To know that the world'sback to normal, you know?"
Bulma laughed. "Oh, c'mon, Goku, of course it is! Thanks toyou, anyway."
"Hey, it wasn't all me…" he protested. "But doyou see what I mean? When you died… I almost lost myself. It wastoo much. I can't… if we'd lost, you'd have been gone forever…and Tien and Yamcha and everybody…"
"Don't forget yourself," she reminded him. "Theearth would be a lot worse off without its hero."
He shook his head. "No, that doesn't matter. You've got tounderstand, I wouldn't care if I had to die… if you're all safe,that's what matters."
She nodded. "Yeah, I know that. You're a good guy, you know.I guess that bump on the head when you were a kid left you a cleanslate, and your grandpa only taught you how to be a good person…you never knew how to be anything else."
"Sure." He leaned against the wall, looking downcast.
"Goku? What's the matter?"
"…" he hesitated.
"Raditz?"
"Yeah."
She sighed. "Oh, boy. I wish I could say I know how youfeel, but I don't, of course. Just know… he only did what you'ddo. It was you or him, and out of the two, you had the power to stopCell."
"I know!" He pounded on the side of his head with onehand. "I know. But I can't help thinking about it. Goingthrough it in my mind. There must have been another way. There'salways a better way… I should have been able to save everybody."
"You're not a god, Goku."
"No," he said grimly, "I'm not. I've met gods…and surpassed them." He started pacing up and down thecorridor. "I don't know, I guess you're right. I can't beeverywhere, but… I wish I could. I wish I could save everybody. Doyou know, I even feel a little guilty about killing Cell?"
She laughed despite herself. "Yeah, that's you all right.Try not to stay sad like this for too long. It doesn't suit you.And-" she stopped talking as his outline faded and he vanished,leaving at supersonic speeds. Frowning, she looked down, seeingshe'd found a pencil somewhere, and the wall was dotted withhastily-scribbled 7's. "Okay, seriously!" she shouted infrustration. "Seven what ?!"
Tien looked up from his meditations. He'd sensed the approachingki, and eventually heard the footsteps, as the traveller approachedhis and Chiaotzu's mountain home. Reluctantly, he opened his eyesand stood up, as the arrival approached him, cloaked in severallayers of clothing against the biting winds. She pulled down herhood, revealing herself as Lunch. "Finally," she grumbled."You couldn't just live somewhere I can drive to like everybodyelse?"
"Uh… hi, Lunch." Tien led her inside, where Chiaotzuwas cooking dinner, hovering a few feet above the ground to be levelwith the cooker, small as he was. "Oh, hey there!" thefriendly Jiangshi* called, waving and then turning his attentionback to the meal.
Lunch slumped down in the nearest chair, throwing off hertravelling robes into an untidy heap on the floor. She unslung abundle of cloth from her back, cradling it in her arms-thistimeline's Break, asleep at the moment.
"So, uh… you drop by for a reason?" Tien asked,sitting in the chair opposite her. "I mean, people don'tusually take hikes into the mountains just to say hi…"
"Sure," she said. "I need someone to train me."
"Uh…" he blinked. "Well, I don't see why not…any particular reason?"
She nodded. "Yeah. When I next see Raditz, I'm not gonna beso… fragile."
"See him next? You mean in Otherworld?"
She scowled. "No, stupid. Before then."
"Uh, hate to break it to you, but he's dead." Heshrugged. "You accepted he won't let us bring him back…"
Lunch shook her head. "Sorry I snapped at you, I… don'texpect you to understand. But we'll meet again, in this life. I knowthat for a fact, just like I know the sky's blue and the grass isgreen. I just… know it. Trust me, will ya?"
He smiled. "Well, if you say so. So… you want me to trainyou? How strong do you want to get? What are you aiming for?"
"I want to be as strong as he is. Not in Super Saiyan, buthis normal form."
"Can't be done. Sorry, maybe a few years ago, but thesaiyans we know have just gotten so powerful recently… humanscan't catch up with even their base form."
"What about the Kaioken?"
"Even with that… well, maybe I could match Goku's baseform for a few seconds, maybe even have a slight advantage, but it'dbe so much effort it wouldn't be worth trying to sustain that level.So basically… no, it can't be done."
She snorted. "I'll tell you what can't be done when I'vetried it for myself. Now… let's get started."
"Now? Chiaotzu's about to make-"
"Now."
*(Author's note: I am informed that Chiaotzu is based on theJiangshi of mythology, a creature something like a vampire. Ofcourse, he doesn't exactly match the description, but I'm going togo with it, as he clearly isn't human or he wouldn't look sochildlike by the end of the show.)
… And while this measurement of 'power level' isproportional to strength, speed and actual amount of ki, it would befoolish to suggest they all scale linearly…
Gohan sat back at his desk, feeling pleased with himself-he wasfinally going to contribute something to the world, on his ownterms. He'd fought, and saved lives, when he'd been forced to, buthe'd never felt like a true warrior-more like a caged beast to belaunched at an enemy. This was different. So many people's liveswould improve-man would become superman within a generation. Chi-Chiwalked in, handing him his lunch. "Here you go," she said."How's it going?"
"Pretty good." He indicated the screen-his mother hadeven bought him a computer for the express purpose of writing hisbook-with its first, half-typed chapter. "I'm starting with achapter explaining what ki is-and why it's not a great idea to tryand measure it like the aliens in Frieza's empire did." He hadabout half the book planned out in his mind-the second chapter wasgoing to be an explanation of how to actually use ki, and some basictraining exercises, and the final few chapters would be a summary oftheir adventures and battles, particularly the ones that hadaffected the Earth or the galaxy in a big way.
"Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing. I'm just gladthat after I spent all those years telling you to use your head andnot just your fists, you finally listened!" she joked, headingout.
"Right…" he turned back to the book in progress,taking a bite out of his sandwich.
… and on the whole, spiritual methods of detecting ki seemto work better than technological, though that is not to say…
And now, as promised, it's time for:
The Break Through the Limit Dead Zone ExtremelyShort-Lived 'Special'
During the time of peace after Piccolo's defeat and beforeRaditz's arrival…
Piccolo relaxed as the dust settled around him and the roar ofenergy faded back into the barren wasteland's usual silence. Hecould already tell his training was paying off-he was almost twiceas powerful now as he'd been two years ago, at the world tournament.Still, the time wasn't right yet… he'd know. He had patience. Hisfather had waited for decades to enact his plan for worlddomination… he could wait a few more years.
He looked around slowly. Some kind of energy signatureapproaching… he frowned. More than one. Goku and his friends?No, they wouldn't attack me for no reason… staying on hisguard, he waited for them to approach.
There was a hiss of wind as a humanoid figure rushed past him,trying to intimidate the white-clad demon by passing extremely closeby at high speed, then pulling away. Piccolo didn't respond as twomore did the same, all settling on top of rock columns around him.He snorted. "Are you finished? Who the hell are you supposed tobe, and what do you want with me?"
A fourth figure-tall and over-muscled, with dark green skin andan almost reptilian face-hovered in the air in front of Piccolo asthe others surrounded him. Slowly, the leader nodded, and the otherthree leapt forwards, their features now revealed in the midday sun.They were grotesque, demonic-almost gargoyle-like in appearance,dressed in bright, extravagant colours, with equally ridiculoushairstyles. One wielded a pair of short swords, the second had asingle two-handed blade and the third simply balled its fists as itcharged. Piccolo grinned. Finally. A good workout.
Three blades swung for Piccolo, but simply swished through hisdiscarded cape and turban, cutting them to ribbons. The unarmedcreature was slightly quicker, and turned just in time to have bothof Piccolo's feet rammed into its chest, flying back into a cliffface and boring into the rock with the force of the kick.
Twisting in the air, Piccolo caught the long sword between hishands, rolling backwards head over heels and throwing the wielderover his head. The demon tumbled through the air at supersonicspeeds, crashing into its two-sword-holding ally. It let out astrangled cry, falling away, a short sword embedded in its stomach.The other gargoyle stared in shock as its comrade died, black bloodstaining the sand before evarporating under the harsh sun. "You…"the still-standing demon whispered, raising its remaining sword. "…you're a monster!"
"I'll ask you one more time." Piccolo's afterimagefaded, and he stood inches from the cowering creature. "What doyou want?"
Fearful, it glanced towards its motionless master, still watchingevents unfold. "Well, go on," the muscular leader said ina high, grating voice, "answer him! Don't be rude."
"I-uh-"
"Too slow." Piccolo wrenched the henchman's head fromits shoulders, casting it aside with contempt as the body fell tothe floor without its ki-supported flight. Feeling a faint energysignal from the one he'd thrown into the cliff, he launched adispersed yellow energy wave that sent massive explosions ripplingout for miles around, incinerating the final minion. Piccolo thenturned his attention to the leader. "Now, you tell me.Fun as this has been, I don't appreciate these pathetic attempts onmy life."
"Why, you…" the dark green monster ground its fangs,glaring at him with slitted eyes. "Those are not exactly easyto replace, you know." It sighed, recovering its composure."The reason we've come is simple. My name is Garlic Jr.-"Piccolo snickered. "What?!" it demanded.
"No, carry on." Piccolo tried to avoid grinning.Garlic? Really? His parents must not have been fond ofhim… hmm… it is a 'Jr.'… perhaps it's his grandparents thatwere cruel.
"As… I… was… saying… I am the great andmighty lord Garlic Jr., and this planet is soon to be mine!"
"Why?"
"W… What?"
"Why do you want to take over the world?"
Garlic Jr. snorted. Impatient, isn't he? "It wasbefore your time… my father was in competition with the one knownas Kami for the role of Guardian of the Earth. Kami was chosen, andwhen my father tried to claim the Guardian's throne by force, he wasimprisoned for all eternity… since then I have been gathering mystrength, and now I shall usurp that foolish guardian! The Earthwill be plunged into eternal, terrible night… it really would havebeen much simpler to just give my father the throne, you know."
"And where do I fit in?"
"I was getting there!" Garlic snapped. "It iswell-known that you harbour designs for the Earth yourself. I won'thave you stealing my prize… consider this a pre-emptive strike."
Piccolo considered this. "You're a fool," he concluded.
"What did you say?!"
Piccolo appeared right in front of Garlic, throwing a quickpunch, which the demon caught, holding it back in both hands withsome effort. "I said, you're a fool. Or didn't you hear me thefirst time?" He smiled. "Your plan didn't involve theDragon Balls, did it?"
"As a matter of fact…" Garlic shoved Piccolo away,stumbling back a couple of steps. "… once you're dealt with,I shall gather them and have the dragon make me immortal… then myvictory is assured!" The force of that punch… heshouldn't be this strong! What's happening?!
"Ahahahahaha!" Piccolo burst out laughing. "Excellent plan! You clearly haven't done your homework, youimbecile. My life force is linked with Kami's-if you kill me, hedies too… and the Dragon Balls disappear."
Garlic scowled. "Well… if you're both dead, nobody will beleft to stop me!"
"I wouldn't count on it." Piccolo settled into hisdemon style fighting stance. "I've come to realise this planetis home to many formidable warriors… you wouldn't last long. Oneguy in particular would take you down, no problem. Of course, thatassumes you can beat me… and let's get one thing clear. I'm goingto rule this world-and not you, or anybody else, can stand in myway! Hyaaah!" Piccolo and Garlic vanished, reappearing atop anearby rock spire, rapidly trading blows. Piccolo ducked a highkick, sweeping Garlic's legs out from under him and elbowed him downthrough the spire, collapsing it on top of the demon.
Piccolo exhaled heavily-he'd already been tired from his trainingbefore the fight had begun. That should keep him down for a few-Garlic cannonned into him from below, driving a fist into hisface. Piccolo spun away through the air, righting himself in time toblock the follow-up kick. He stepped inside Garlic's defences andhammered home another punch, but the demon held its ground.Growling, Piccolo darted to the side as Garlic's arm swung past himagain, and launched a spinning back kick that knocked Garlic away.
The heavily-muscled monster took a deep breath. This isridiculous! My minions alone should have been able to deal with him,easily-yet he's actually proving a challenge for me! He duckedleft, avoiding Piccolo's leading attack as he charged, creating anopening which Garlic exploited. He swung both hands around, grippedtogether in a double-fisted hammer blow that sent Piccolo flying.The smaller villain grunted in irritation as he arced through theair. All right… time to end this little game. I'll use my fullpower…
"Hah! Now do you see?" Garlic taunted, unaware of hisimpending doom. "I am invincible-I cannot be defeated by thelikes of you! What say you to that?"
Piccolo had, in fact, one particular thing to say to that, as heappeared in a blur of speed behind Garlic. "MASENKO… HAAA!"
And so ends the tale of a would-be conqueror who, had he justarrived a couple of years earlier (or in a different timeline, likecanon DBZ), would have provided a decent challenge. As it is, theevent was so unremarkable that if Piccolo was asked later if heremembered a Garlic Jr., he'd simply shake his head and remind youthat there's no need for seasoning, silly, Namekians don't eat food.
Rest in Peace
Chapter 43: Rest in Peace
Hercule sat in his sparse gym, downcast. A string of utterlydestroyed punching bags lay on the floor, testament to the rage he'dtaken out on the room. He sat silently on the edge of the centralring, going through the fight over and over. There really wasnothing he could have done differently. His technique was flawless…Goku had just been too fast and strong to overcome. How couldthis have happened? I worked my whole life to climb to the top-to bethe best in the world! And now it's meaningless?! Where's thejustice in that? I don't deserve this! He looked up at thesound of footsteps.
"Hey, Dad." Videl waved cautiously as she approached.
"Oh, hi there, Videl…" Hercule sighed. "I…uh…"
She nodded, sensing the direction of his thinking. "I know."She sat down, squeezing his hand. "I feel the same way… kindof. But don't let it get you down, okay? It's not like you."
"But… what's just… it's not fair, Videl… it isn't…"
"Hey, hey." She looked up into her father's eyes, fullof concern. "It's not their fault. They just wanted the truthknown… they weren't trying to hurt us. I've talked to them, youknow-they're ordinary, nice people. Please don't get bitter."
He sniffed. She's right. I have to be better than this, forher. Without her mother here… I'm all she's got. "Allright. Do you understand, though? It's hard. I thought I was worthsomething, but it turns out I'm… weak. Useless."
"Aw, it isn't like that! Think about it!" Videl tappedher head. "99% of the people in the world are in the same boatas us. And of those 99%… who's the most skilled martial artist?Who, in other words, has a head start on catching up to theseki-users?"
"I… I didn't think of that…" he stroked his chin,contemplating. "Yeah… trying to improve is better than givingup, anyway, right?"
"Right! I know you can be number 1 again, Dad!" Shebeamed, but her thoughts were of a darker tone. It'smostly true… mostly. He has the potential to be one of thestrongest humans in the world, but as for the saiyans… none of uswill ever catch up to the likes of them. Still, he doesn't need toknow that yet. He has to have hope, at least for now.
The roar of energy shook the afterlife training grounds,punctuated by the shouts signifying signature moves.
"Blitz cannon!"
"Hyper tornado!"
"Crusher ball!"
"Thunder flash!"
Seventeen gruelling minutes from the first blow, the dustsettled. Pikkon, training weights discarded and wearing his simplemartial arts outfit he'd had on underneath the weighted robes, stoodshakily, panting, but on his feet. Raditz, great gashes scored intohis armour and having lost the energy to maintain Super Saiyan, layface-down in the dirt, in his own scorched crater.
Pikkon settled into a cross-legged sitting position. "That,"he said wearily, "was the best fight I've had in three hundredyears."
Raditz pulled his face out of the dirt, spitting out dust andshaking his waist-length hair out. "Wow… you're prettystrong. I have to admit, you didn't look like much at first, butyou're really something."
Pikkon nodded. "Your appearance was… deceiving, too. Ididn't expect it to be even close. With enough training here, you'llgo far."
Raditz slowly sat up, sighing as his bruised limbs ached. "Well.That gives me a goal at least… I'll be looking for a rematchsomeday, you know."
Pikkon grinned. "I'll look forwards to it."
Raditz looked up, hearing the sound of an approaching ego. KingKai was hopping and skipping over to the pair of tired warriors."Raditz! Stop getting yourself into fights, that's my job!"
"Uh… what?" As usual, the god's conversation was astep ahead of everyone else's, leaving Raditz baffled.
"Well, I was just over there arguing with the West Kai overthere-he was saying Pikkon was stronger than you, but I disagreed. Iguess he was right…" The familiar North Kai shrugged, lookingforlorn. "At least you didn't last too much longer-we wereabout to start betting on the outcome!" He wandered off,shaking his head. It's a shame, really… I had this whole thingplanned out… a grand tournament, a great spectacle to decide who'sthe strongest fighter in Otherworld, with all the afterlifewatching! And these two settle it in less than half an hour, in somerandom field! No sense of occasion.
Raditz remained slightly confused as King Kai left. "Um…West Kai? Oh!" he noticed another portly figure approachingPikkon, a god similar in appearance to King Kai, with purple skin, asingle curled antenna and a monocle over his left eye. Well, Iguess he did say there were others… the afterlife sure is a weirdplace…
Future timeline…
Androids Seventeen and Eighteen stood atop a rocky outcrop,looking down at the settlement below-now supplied with the food andshelter they'd need to last through the coming winter in a fewmonths. As it turned out, 'infinite energy reactors' had simplymeant that the androids would never fully run out of power-theycould still get tired, and indeed they had. Seventeen's scarf wastied around his head to keep the sun off and Eighteen's jacketaround her waist, both with their sleeves rolled up and dirt ontheir hands and faces for perhaps the first time.
Seventeen had grumbled and complained through the whole thing,but Eighteen could tell he wasn't serious-he wasn't going to refusethese people the help they needed.
"Hey…" he said, now that they had a spare minute."Eighteen."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you want to come here? I mean, really?"
"I told you… to help these people those other versions ofus spent all these years terrorising." She shrugged. "What'swrong with that?"
He shook his head. "You know what I mean… what made youdecide? It's not the kind of decision most people make on the spurof the moment. Heroes maybe, true altruists, but let's face it,heroes we're not, as much as we try to avoid becoming the villains."
Eighteen paused, considering the question. "Do you rememberbeing inside Cell?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah." Seventeen shivered. "Don't remind me."
"Try and describe the feeling."
"Well… it was like being lost in darkness, I guess…"
"I couldn't find myself…" She began to add to it, andsoon they were finishing each other's statements.
"I couldn't find you, or anything familiar…"
"… just darkness. I could feel Cell's mind the wholetime…"
"… a twisted, evil thing. He didn't care about anythingexcept his own personal gain, and I realised…"
"… that was us. I was looking at what Dr. Gero intendedfor me, the goal that I was just a step towards… and it terrifiedme. We were so close to becoming just like him," she finished.
He nodded morosely. "I know what you mean… so you justwanted to reject Gero's ideas? Spite the old man?"
"Something like that. I decided to be the best I could…give my all to the exact opposite of what he and Cell stood for. Butthe past didn't need us. This world does."
"Right… we're free here. It's funny… the evil versionsof us thought they had absolute freedom, but they still just playedthe roles set out for them. Come on, now." He turned to facethe sun as it sank towards the horizon. "Let's forget what wewere made for. Nobody can tell us what to do now." I guessthat's all it's ever been about, really. Freedom.
Raditz knew this dream. It wasn't the first time, nor wouldit be the last. But the ending… the ending was always different.Which would it be this time? What would he say?
He was in a corridor. It stretched out into infinity, intodarkness. He knew, though, that if he kept walking he'd find theend, after a distance beyond distance, a time past time. And sureenough, an infinity passed in an instant. He stood at the end of thepassage. A large stone door barred his path, and he heaved it open.Stone wasn't heavy for him in real life, but here it felt likelifting a city.
Through the door lay a large chamber, lit by flickeringtorchlight-but the source of the light was always out of sight. Henever saw any torches or candles. He didn't bother looking for them,he'd had this dream enough. But this time… would this bedifferent? It was the first time he'd slept since arriving inOtherworld. As it turned out, one of the consequences of keepingone's body in the afterlife was that it still required a livingbody's upkeep, albeit a reduced amount (only one meal a day and onesleep a week, for instance-an Otherworld body was much moreenergy-efficient).
The dream continued, as it always did. The room was bare butfor a set of black stone steps in the centre, leading up to athrone, draped in animal furs, decorated with exotic skulls andshrouded in darkness. Face hidden in the shadows above, he saton the throne, Raditz's only un-expelled demon of the past.
Bardock.
His father.
And this was where the dream always changed. Sometimes they'dtalk, as if Bardock had never died. Sometimes the dream would simplyend. Sometimes Bardock would turn away and leave, seemingdisappointed. Still other times he'd simply sit there silent andunmoving until Raditz awoke. What would it be tonight?
Somehow… being dead… Raditz felt bolder. As if it putthem on equal terms, in a strange way. This time-for the firsttime-he spoke first. "Father."
Bardock stirred. His face became visible as he leanedforwards. "The errant son returns… from the wayward path."The voice, its quality-it was him. It wasn't distant, or blurred bytime and faulty memory, like usual. This was his father speaking tohim.
"Are you… really here?" Raditz asked. "Nowthat I'm in the afterlife… is this really you? Or is it all in myhead?"
Bardock shook his head. "Fool. It is both real and inyour mind. You are in the realm of the mind now… there is nodifference here."
"What happened to your soul? You weren't put into that…machine?"
"No. But nor could I pass into heaven… and neither wasI pure enough of mind to count among the heroes or villains oflegend. No, my soul was one of the unlucky few who were simply…lost. I am neither here nor there… in a way, I'm not even awarewe're having this conversation. You're just percieving that we are."
"Why are you here? What's so important about thisdream?" Raditz began to climb the steps.
"Simple…" Bardock shrugged. "I weigh on yourmind. You've accepted that you're morally good… but you doubt yourworth as a warrior. You know how I died… and you worry that youwill never live up to me."
Raditz was shaken slightly by his father's blunt, briefmanner. "Why? Why should I fear that?! Didn't I die in just aheroic a manner as you? Why should I fear your disapproval?!"
Bardock smirked. "Don't ask me. I am, after all, onlyhere because you do fear it. Working out why isyour task."
"Then what are you here for?"
"To test you." At that, Bardock sprang up, a righthook smashing Raditz across the face. As the long-haired saiyantumbled back through the air, the world around him shifted. Planetsand stars faded into view around them. Father and son hovered in thevoid of space. "To test me?!" Raditz growled, trying togather his ki but finding it difficult for some reason. "Whatthe hell is this?"
"Defend yourself!" Bardock ordered, charging again.Raditz blocked the older warrior's kick with his forearm, movingback to put distance between himself and his attacker. "Stopthis, father! I don't want to fight you!"
"And that's your problem." Bardock pressed theattack, and his speed seemed to increase as his fists flew withunrelenting force. The fourth punch slipped through Raditz's guard,and he fell away again, grimacing. "What's the matter? Ithought you'd outgrown this… or are you the same wimp that broughtdisgrace to my family on planet Vegeta?"
"No… NO!" Raditz lunged, but his fist stoppedjust short of Bardock's face. He hesitated, wavering, and in thatmoment Bardock grabbed his arm and threw him overhead, followingwith a two-footed kick to the back. "Better! But not goodenough! Have years of fighting taught you nothing?"
Raditz forced himself upright. "I… I can't! I can'tfight you, father!"
"That's because you know you'll win." Bardock spat."The speed of that punch… I couldn't have blocked it. Youstill idolise me. I'm not a man to you, I'm your father… let go.Allow yourself to surpass me. You have surpassed me."
"I can't just… let go of you…" Raditz sniffed,wiping blood trickling from his nose. "Then what do I haveleft? What can I hold on to?"
"Yourself. Your friends. Your new family. There's no-onein the whole universe I'd rather have by my side than them. And youknow… like Lunch knows… that you'll meet again. Trust yourselffor once, all right? You're not a saiyan warrior anymore… youdon't have to be. You don't have to live up to me… I'm not a greatrole model, trust me on that."
"Heh." Raditz grinned bitterly. "Are youreally here? Or is my subconscious just trying to tell mesomething?"
"I told you," Bardock said. "Both."
"Well… if you believe in me…" his eyes narrowedas his ki built within him, finally bursting out as he transformed,his golden aura shining. "… then I will too!" He smiledas he realised this was the first time he'd been able to become aSuper Saiyan in a dream. It felt just as empowering as when he'dfirst transformed-like he could take on the world.
Bardock smiled and nodded. "There. Now you believe…that you deserve it." He spread his arms, accepting defeat."Finish it. "Lay me to rest."
"Goodbye, Bardock… greatest fighter of your age."He powered up an energy blast in one hand. "But this is a newage, I guess… if you ever come back somehow, I hope you get achance to be the good person I know you could have been. Solong-HYAAAA!" He flung the beam at his father, the brightyellow blaze enveloping the battle-scarred soldier and obliteratinghim, purging Raditz's mind, searing through his mental pathways andfinally eliminating his self-doubt.
Gohan sat back, exhausted-he'd spent the whole day writing.Sooner or later I'm going to run out of information I just knowfrom memory-I'm going to have to do some research. Admittedly,that's not too hard when you can fly faster than the speed of sound,at least…
He got up and stretched. Well, anyway. That's later. Rightnow, I smell something good cooking…
A New Era
Chapter 44: A New Era
Almost a year after the events of chapter 43…
Bulma was sitting at the monitor, working on her new project. Thestrange habit of doodling 7s had reduced in its intensity, and shenow routinely carried scraps of paper to avoid vandalising the wallseverywhere she went-really, she'd stopped paying attention. SevenDragon Balls, perhaps? But that didn't tell her anything.
Ah, well. I don't really care. What interests me now is thisproject I'm working on. The initial idea came to me when I firstcame back… being killed by Cell really made me realise how fragileand vulnerable a normal human can be in this world of super-poweredaliens and heroes. I got a pretty good description of these Kaiokenand Spirit Bomb techniques from some of the guys, and I'm- Somethingfelt different. She almost jumped out of her skin as she glanceddown at the piece of paper she'd been using. Halfway down the page,the 7s had become 6s.
Bulma jumped up and sprinted out of the room. "Dad! Quick!Get over here!"
Raditz and Pikkon's battle paused, and they settled to theground. Their energy pulsed around them, whipping up clouds of dustand carving out cracks in the ground. This was the same place they'dfirst fought, the same place they always fought, and after so manybattles it was completely devastated, reduced from pleasant greeneryto a mile or so square of utterly barren wasteland. "Come on,Raditz," Pikkon said wearily, "how many times are we goingto do this? You've improved a lot, but even with your maximum SuperSaiyan power, you're still about equal with me, and you just can'tstand up to my most powerful techniques. Shall we try the ThunderFlash again?"
Raditz grinned ironically, seeming to accept his coming defeat."Yeah, those tricks of yours are pretty tough to beat. But Iknow a few myself-" with this, he teleported to directly behindPikkon with Instant Transmission. Expecting the move, the alienfighter turned and caught Raditz's punch. Growling in frustration,Raditz broke off his attack, and they leapt into the air, exchanginga blur of punches and kicks as they rose into the sky. Raditzmistimed a block and Pikkon's fist crashed into his face, followedby a double-footed impact as he kicked off the saiyan's chest, usingthe motion to backflip away and quickly charge up his ki, rapidlyspinning in a tight circle, faster and faster until he disappearedinto a high-speed streak of light, twisting around itself andthrowing out gale-force winds. "Hyper Tornado!"
Raditz braced himself as the tornado rushed forwards andenveloped him. Held in the centre by the extreme air pressure, hewaited for the inevitable rain of attacks from all sides as Pikkonorbited him faster than his senses could follow. He gave theappearance of weakness, waiting for Pikkon to slow slightly in anattempt to deliver the finishing blow, and then, in that instant-foronly the third time-he did it .
He went beyond .
It was like turning on a tap, like going Super Saiyan all overagain. He relished the flood of power that exploded from histransformed body. Sparks crackled through his aura, his hair stoodup on end, and his eyes narrowed. Now he could see Pikkon.Now the green-hued hero looked laughably slow. Raditz grinned,twitching to the side to avoid a punch and bringing his elbow downonto Pikkon's back, a single blow smashing him into the ground. Inan instant, Raditz was down there too, driving Pikkon further intothe ground with one foot, then hopping off and crouching next to hisbattered opponent. As Pikkon looked up, bewildered, Raditz staredback unflinchingly, spirit soaring.
"I… win . "
"What… in all the heavens… did you just do?!"Pikkon asked incredulously.
"I ascended to a true higher level…" Raditz replied."I believe on Earth, they called it… Super Saiyan 2."I'm just glad I knew this level of power even existed, or likeGoku and Gohan, I'd have had to go through some kind of emotionaltrauma to unlock it. A lot of things combined to enable this,actually… a less energy-draining Otherworld body was a majorfactor, as was the lack of the subconscious mental block Fatherrepresented, and finally… a target always helps immensely-sothanks for that, Pikkon.
"Ridiculous… isn't one transformation enough?"
"Heh. Not to beat you, evidently." Raditz powered down,turned and began to walk off. "Well, be seeing you-it lookslike you've got some serious training to do."
"You can't be serious."
"I am serious, mom." Gohan stood resolutely, expressionunchanging.
"But… going into space ?! What on Earth for?"Chi-Chi blustered.
"I've got to get this thing done." The boy held up thenotepad he'd been scribbling down notes for his book on. "Youdidn't have any problem with me flying to the other side of theworld to do research, did you?"
"Yes, but leaving the planet… that's completelydifferent!" She shook her head. "No way. Why do you evenneed to do that? What can you learn on some other world that youcan't here?"
"Plenty." He opened up his notepad. "See, we haveno idea what happened to the whole galactic empire since we took outthe frost demon heirarchy. We know next to nothing about saiyansociety-something which I'd personally like to learn about-not tomention the various other species we've come into contact with.Besides, my uncle visited one random planet and learned how toteleport himself anywhere, instantly. That ability alone has savedus all more than once. Who knows what secrets are hidden out there?"
"Hmm…" she weighed all this up in her mind.
"And one more thing," he added, gesturing with hispencil. "I mentioned we don't know what's happened to theex-empire. What if it's fallen into anarchy, or into the hands ofanother tyrant? In that case, it'd be our fault, and our duty to fixit. Right?"
"Aagh!" She slumped back against the wall. "You'rejust like your father. Someone, somewhere, might be introuble, and you have to rush off to save them." Chi-Chisighed. "Now I see what this is really about… you wouldn't dosomething this big just for research. There's always a wrong thatneeds righting, and if there isn't, you'll go find one. It's in yourblood. I guess… if you're that determined, it'd be pointless foranyone to try and stop you, right?" He nodded, and she gave asad smile. "Well… that settles it, then. But you're not goingalone. You got that?"
"Mm-hm." Gohan shuffled his feet.
"I SAID, you got that?! "
"Aah! Uh, yes ma'am!"
There was, of course, only one place to go should one wish tomount an expedition into space-Capsule Corporation. Gohan foundBulma and her father poring over a set of readouts.
"No change in brain activity… " the older scientistsaid.
"I know… weird. Hmm… maybe it's some kind of countdown?"his daughter suggested.
"Perhaps." Dr. Brief replied, nodding. "Or maybeit's keeping count of how many of something there are. One ofwhatever it is just left or was destroyed or ended… it could goback up later. We really don't know. Still… keep watching, tell meif it changes again… oh, hello there, Gohan."
Gohan waved. "Hey, Bulma, Dr. Brief." He scratched hishead. "Your mom not around? It's just you three are usuallytogether…"
"I'm damned if I ever know where that woman is," thedoctor told him, shrugging. "I wouldn't worry. She's just neverbeen as interested in science as Bulma and I."
"Anyway, what can we do for you, kid?" Bulma asked.
"Sorry if this is a bit much to ask, but I, uh, I kind ofneed a spaceship."
"Oh!" Bulma looked thoughtful, walking over to thewindow. "I think… the ship your dad and uncle went to Namekin is still around here somewhere… maybe we've got it in a capsuleor something. Why d'you want to go to space, anyway? Who all'sgoing?"
Ten minutes ago…
"Nah," Goku said. "If Chi-Chi's staying, then soam I. I don't want to abandon you or anything, Gohan, but wheneversomething comes up I'm always running off. I figure it'd be unfairto leave her completely alone this time, right?"
"Well, I guess…"
"Don't worry, I'm sure plenty of the guys will jump at thechance for an adventure. You'll be in good hands… or the other wayround…"
"All right…" Gohan headed out the door, only to bestartled by a voice from the left.
"Space, huh? Sounds fun. Mind if I tag along?" Videlasked. She'd dropped by for her weekly ki training lesson with theSon family, and had overheard the whole conversation.
"Oh! Hey, Videl. Didn't sense you at all-you're getting goodat hiding your ki."
"You know it." She grinned. "So, how about it?"
"Well, I don't know if-"
"Great! I'll tell my dad I'm going to go train in thewilderness for a bit, 'unlock my hidden potential' or some crap. Seeya!" Tensing up her muscles, she took off into the sky, soaringoff with her usual combination of grace and efficiency.
The present…
"… So Videl should be here soon," Gohan explained."I'm not sure if she's entirely ready, but there's really noarguing with her. Who else do you think could come?"
"Hmm…" Bulma chewed her pencil. "…'Fraid Ican't go myself, I've got a few projects here I'm really gettinginto… you'll probably need people who've got space travelexperience. I bet Kuriza would be happy to help, you two have alwaysbeen close, plus he lives right here with us. And you're going toneed at least one adult with you…" a malicious grin spreadacross her face. I know somebody who needs a good road trip toget him off his back. She hammered on a bedroom door. "Hey,Zarbon! Get off your ass, you're going to space!" Ignoring theensuing stream of vulgarity from the other side of the door, sheglanced down as her watch (wirelessly connected to the alarm systemsthroughout the building) beeped, a blinking red light appearing. "…And it looks like Trunks has bitten through his cot again. I'dbetter go round up the little terror. See you in five, Gohan!"
Considerably more than five minutes later…
Gohan, Videl, Kuriza (who, thanks to a newly-learned ki aptitude,was now constantly in his true, 'final' form without risk of losingcontrol of his power), and a groggy Zarbon were assembled in theCapsule Corp garden. Bulma stood opposite them, leaning on theirship (the one based on Goku's saiyan pod), still dented and damagedfrom the trip to Namek. "Well," she said, "it'spretty beat up. It'll take, eh, maybe three days to fix it up. Youalready know what you're doing, vaguely, so come back in three daysto set off, and until then, get ready to set off, and plan outspecific destinations-from talks with you guys, and damaged files onboard the ship, I've managed to make a pretty accurate map ofimportant locations in the galaxy."
To make a short and completely uninteresting story evenshorter…
… They did.
Hercule hissed like an angry cobra. He'd get it this time, heknew he would. "Hhhhh… Grrrrr… kkkk…" Beads of sweatpoured down his face. He'd been trying for months, but this time,this was it . His teeth ground together as he forced hisinternal energy into the palms of his hands, and… "KA…"Out into the air between them. "ME…" His eyesnarrowed. Just keeping the energy stable, not slipping and losingit, required his full concentration. "HA…" Still, it wasworking-he could see the faint blue glow in the corner of hiseye. Videl had done well, relaying the lessons she'd learned to him."ME…" He resisted the urge to take in a deep breath andrelax. He wouldn't lose it now. He focused on the archery target infront of him. Now! "HAAAA!"
Lunch landed on the ground, wiping blood and sweat from herforehead with her bandana. "Huh… ahuh… hahh…" sheinhaled deeply as Tien landed in front of her.
"Well done," he said. "You're improving fast…your flight speed was faster than ever. It's weird… I've neverseen any human increase their power as fast as you-If I didn't knowbetter, I'd say you were a saiyan or something."
"Maybe Raditz's mindset rubbed off on me," she joked."But seriously… I have felt a lot stronger ever since I…fused, even before I started training. It is strange, yeah."She'd changed a lot already-she now had a fighter's athletic build,and her ragged, intense appearance was a far cry from the slick,stylish city girl of not even a year ago. "Anyway… I thinkI've come further than you realise."
"Oh?" Tien raised an eyebrow, causing a strange effecton his three-eyed visage. "How do you mean?"
"Hhhhhh… Haaaaaah…" a shockwave rippled out fromLunch's body as she began to power up. He doesn't even know Ican do this one at all yet… "KAIO… KEN!"
What? Tien took a step back. Already?!
"Okay then… we all ready?" Gohan asked, checking thereadouts on the command console.
"Yeah!" Kuriza answered with enthusiasm.
"Let's go!" Videl urged.
"Mm-hmm," Zarbon mumbled.
"Good luck, you guys!" Bulma called from outside,standing between Gohan's parents as they waved them off.
"Have fun!" Goku added.
"Stay safe!" Chi-Chi warned.
"Right!" Gohan nodded, waved once more, and pressed theignition. With a roar from its engines, the ship lifted off,flattening Dr. Brief, who as usual was standing too close to thedangerous machinery (as testified by his frequent visits to theinfirmary, always insisting that he was fine, despite all evidenceto the contrary).
As they watched the receding glow of its engines, Bulma turned tothe human-saiyan couple. "So… why aren't you guys goingagain?"
Goku shrugged. "I'm staying here with Chi-Chi."
"And you?" Bulma looked at Goku's wife. "Youalways seemed pretty protective of Gohan… why not go with him?"
"Well, I would… but, you see, I've been pretty busylately-I've got to look after Goten, for one thing!" Shegrinned.
"Go… ten…?" Bulma folded her arms, waiting for anexplanation. "What's a Goten?"
"Well, our second son, of course!" Chi-Chi shrugged."He wasn't actually born too long ago…" A couple ofmonths ago, to be precise…
"But… you don't…" Bulma spluttered,incredulous-Chi-Chi bore no sign of the pregnancy, looking just asin shape as ever.
"Well, I guess I work out a lot!" the younger womanreplied cheerily. "It just burns the fat right off, you know!"
"Right…" Bulma grimaced inwardly. I forgot… shemay be human, but she's still part of that family…they're all crazy… "Well, uh, congratulations! Any ideawhen I can meet the little guy?"
"Not really… I'm not sure. When he's a little older, Isuppose. Speaking of which, we really should be getting back soon…can't leave a baby alone for too long! Luckily Goku can fly us backin a few minutes…"
"You ever thought of learning?" Bulma asked. "Flying,I mean. You're already a martial artist, right? The way I hear it,everyone's gonna be doing it when Gohan's book's done."
"Well, I was thinking about it when that Videl girl startedcoming to our house for lessons-you know, seriously putting sometime into training-but then Goten came along and I started gettingbigger and all that went out the window! Maybe sometime soon,though."
Goku offered his hand. "Well, I'll bet he'll be happy to seeyou, anyway, so let's get home, all right? See you, Bulma!"
"Right…" Bulma waved half-heartedly as the happycouple took off. It's changed… why's it changed? What'sdifferent now? 7… 6… is it keeping track of something? Orcounting down? Damn it… ah, well. If it is something like that,time is probably of the essence. This project… could be useful.She hurried off to the lab. I'd better get back to work.
Scum and Villainy
Chapter 45: Scum and Villainy
"Say," Dr. Briefs was saying as Bulma fiddled with somewiring, "where'd you come up with the idea for that anti-Celldevice, anyway? I thought it was rather ingenious."
"Oh, that thing?" Bulma grimaced as her fingers slippedand a spark jumped up from the mechanism she was working on. "Well,you probably never witnessed it, but old man Roshi, and some others,had a technique called the Evil Containment Wave. Did just what itsaid on the tin. Captured and imprisoned an evil being in a smallcontainer. Only problem is, soon the enemies we faced had so muchevil energy it was impossible to keep them contained, so I came upwith a technological equivalent… much more durable, and with theadded bonus that once inside I could disintegrate the capturedbeing."
"Oh… I see. Well, you certainly managed to keep it small,"the older scientist remarked. "I'd have expected the powersource to be enormous!"
"Just a reverse-engineered, localised use of theminiaturising technology we use in the capsules," Bulmaexplained. "The only problem wasn't with the machine, it waswith Cell! Instant bloody Transmission. What's a girl supposed todo?"
Gohan was enjoying space travel. He could leave his tailunconcealed, for one thing, and he got to spend a lot of time withKuriza and Videl, his two best friends. Having only just got up forthe day, he slouched over to Zarbon, who was at the helm.
"So what planet are we heading for first?" Although itwas nominally Gohan's 'expedition', he deferred to Bulma's maps, andZarbon and Kuriza's experience, on matters such as these.
"Well, it's no use blundering around in the dark,"Zarbon replied. "I'm taking us to the business capital of whatused to be Frieza's empire-though who knows what state it's in. Weused to call it planet Frieza 17, but I'm sure they've come up withsomething more imaginative now." He yawned. "It'll beinteresting to find out who's risen to fill the power vacuum thefrost demons left behind. Maybe even more of their race, although Ihope not… well, whoever it is, with you around we've got nothingto worry about, right?"
"Yeah, I guess." Gohan nodded. He wasn't alwayscomfortable with his status as, as far as he knew, thesecond-strongest being in the universe, but his powers were a factof life, and often very useful.
"Well, we'll be able to get detailed answers once we landand can ask around, face to face, but for now, this ought tosuffice…" he tapped a few buttons, bringing up a holographicdisplay, dozens of screens forming a 180 degree semicircle aroundthe Earth convert's head. "We're now in range of galactic newsstations… I've asked to have this feature custom-installed,"he said, indicating the dizzying array of news channels surroundinghim.
"Huh? Why?" Gohan squinted at the multilingual buzz(although there is a certain manner of speech that immediatelydistinguishes a news anchor, no matter their language or species)."How can you understand all that at once?"
"It's an ability of my race," Zarbon answered, closinghis eyes and breathing in deeply. "To take in and process…every bit of sensory information that we receive at one time,comprehend it, and store it. Most of the time, you only store about5% of the sensory information you receive, and most of that isquickly forgotten…" his body fell completely still as certainneural pathways were activated, releasing certain hormones into hisbloodstream, dramatically altering the function of his sensoryorgans. "It can only be used in a state of perfect calm… wecall it Deep Sight."
His eyes opened. And he Saw.
The thing he wanted to find out was what, exactly, allthe news anchors were saying, simultaneously, to get a completepicture of galactic current events. But when you Saw, you saweverything-no filtering anything out, consciously or unconsciously.He saw, and remembered, every fleck of spittle in every reporter'smouth, every screw in every table, the subtle pattern on oneanchor's neck that indicated the onset of a certain virulentdisease. He saw the single strand of hair falling in front of hisface, saw the way the light silhouetted it in the centre of his lefteye's field of vision, took in its exact shade of purple-pink. Hesaw the dust on the floor, the way it rippled and flowed slightlydue to air currents caused by ventilation systems. Peripheralvision, too-he saw Gohan's arm poking into his field of vision,noted and involuntarily recorded every curve of muscle, every foldin the fabric of his shirt. He could see out of the view-port too;and he knew now that there were 358 stars in his field of vision,some barely visible patches of blurred light, some shining pinpointsagainst the blackness of space.
It wasn't just sight, of course. It was Sight. And that meant allsenses. He had, of course, used it primarily for hearing, to be ableto separate out, identify, and memorise the streams of conversationof dozens of news anchors simultaneously, while mentally translatingthem. This he did, as well as noticing the slight crackle indicatinga slightly distorted signal, and based on this data henear-instantaneously performed calculations and deduced how far eachtransmitting station was from his current location. He heard his ownbreathing, and Gohan's; his heartbeat was close enough that he heardthat, too. He heard air currents (again, caused by ventilation), andthe creaking of a door on the other side of the ship as Kuriza movedaround (Videl's footfalls had a slightly different quality of sound,due to the material of her shoes being more conducive to echoes thanKuriza's bare feet).
It didn't end there. He could feel his clothes resting on hisbody, the air gently brushing by him, the pressure his own feetexerted on the floor-he was even dimly aware of the pull of theship's artificial gravity. He could smell the very chemicals withinhis body that fuelled the Deep Sight, which mingled with his naturalscent, and those of human, saiyan and frost demon; and the slighthint of food (perhaps Kuriza was raiding the freezer?). He couldtaste the remnants of his breakfast, hours ago, almost hidden underthe flouride compounds he'd cleaned his mouth out with afterwards.
In short, it was overwhelming, or it would have been without theproper training. All this data, this immense input, had flooded hismind in just the first second, and he planned to continue Seeing forperhaps an hour. This required an intense juggling act on his mind'spart; when using Deep Sight, the normal short-term/long-term memoryboundary was destroyed, and all data fast-tracked to the long-termstore. This could be troublesome later, when trying to extractmeaningful information from the vast amount of clutter. So he had tosimultaneously continue Seeing and 'manually', consciously jettisonall unnecessary information. It was not entirely unlike panning forgold in a tsunami.
Gohan, seeing Zarbon 'zone out' as he concentrated intensely onthis task, absorbing the streams of news that was meaningless babbleto the half-saiyan, decided to leave his companion to it, andwandered back into the living quarters of the ship.
"Well." Zarbon addressed the occupants of the eatingarea as he entered. Kuriza was sprawled over the top of the table,Videl was hovering near the ceiling and reading a magazine, andGohan was wolfing down his third bowl of cereal (none of them everwashed up, of course-sometimes, Zarbon felt like a babysitter)."I've taken a look." Or a Look, you might say… "Andhere's the state of the galaxy right now:
After the Cold dynasty fell, the empire splintered. Generals,warlords and politicians all tried to cling onto whatever territorythey controlled, and for a year or so communication between thesequasi-military states was almost nil. Then the secluded system justsort of fell apart… the people were all against isolation, and theleaders couldn't hold them all in check. A fair government ofsorts-not elected, but held in check by an elected council ofrepresentatives-emerged, and for a while things worked fairly well.Then recently, a terrorist strike at the heart of the governmenttook out every major leading figure at once. What's interesting isthe perpetrator-one Prince Vegeta-did not then seize power, butvanished and hasn't been seen since. In his place, a new breed ofwarlords has emerged. Isolation hasn't come back into force-that'ssure to incite another popular uprising. So they've mostly settledinto their territories now, with occasional skirmishes moving theborder back and forth a system or two."
"So does that affect our destination?" Videl asked.
"Not our first stop, no," Zarbon said. "We stillneed to dock somewhere, maybe pick up supplies… I'll ask aroundand see if any of my old contacts are still active. The planet'sbeen renamed, as I suspected-it's now Nemea. The political situationis… interesting, to say the least." He tapped into thememorised data in his mind, 'expanding' the section on the planet'srulership. "It's divided, roughly, into northern and southernhemispheres. The interesting part is this-the north is ruled by asaiyan tyrant… the south by a Namekian one."
"Come again?" Gohan looked Zarbon in the eye. "Thephrase 'Namekian tyrant' just doesn't seem right, for one thing… Ithought they were a peaceful race. In fact, I didn't think theytravelled off-planet at all."
"And a saiyan?" Videl asked. "There are only a fewleft alive, right? So is it one you've met before?"
"One thing at a time!" Zarbon held up his hands forsilence, then continued. "All right. The saiyan… no, it isn'tone we've seen. Goku, Raditz, Vegeta and Nappa were all on missionswhen their planet went up in flames, and and Broly and Paragusescaped thanks to the power of the Legendary Super Saiyan… butit's reasonable that one or two might have been off-planet, but offthe record too, for one reason or another." He scratched hishead. "As for the Namekian… I don't know. The only selfish orevil one we've ever encountered was Piccolo-from what I gather hemade his own attempt at world domination before I met any of you-buthe was a special case, I believe… Kami created him as amanifestation of the evil in his heart. That doesn't seem like thekind of thing that happens too often. But by all accounts this Namekis as bad as the saiyan."
"Right…" Gohan shrugged. "Well, we'll find outwhen we get there. How long?"
"Twenty minutes or so. While you probably won't find any ofthose exotic fighting techniques you're hoping to run into, thisworld's populated by a whole mix of races, so you should find plentyof stuff on alien culture for your book."
Gohan brightened up. "Cool! I'll get my stuff together…"he stood up, heading for the door.
Kuriza stirred, rolling off the table but reflexively activatinghis flight, hovering at table height as he rubbed his eys, slowlywaking up. "Hey 'vrybody… so where are we going?"
"Turles, sir… their forces are moving again. They'remassing in the Eastern capital," the soldier reported.
Turles, reclining in his custom-made throne, grunted. "Idon't care. Just send our own troops to do the same. They'll backoff, and the cat-and-mouse game will continue."
"But, sir!" the soldier protested. "If we launchan attack to the West, we could outflank-"
"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME?!" Turles snarled,involuntarily throwing out a wave of force as his muscles tensed,shaking the walls of the palace. The unfortunate, low-level servantwas smashed to a bloody pulp against the floor, every bone in hisbody shattered.
Turles took a deep breath. I've got to get control…control… it's the fruit! The damn fruit… I can't not eatit, the power is overwhelming. It makes me unstoppable, but…sometimes I feel like it's not my power I'm using. It's sohard to control it, not to destroy everything around me. Still…just a little longer… a little longer. The Tree is almost ready.I've measured that green bastard's power from afar, and I know withjust one more fruit, I'll be able to crush him. Finally, I'll havethis damn planet to myself. He sighed, glancing at the puddlethat was formerly his soldier. "Somebody clean this up!"
"Try it again," Zarbon said, one eyebrow raised. "Onlythis time, when you open your mouth, try saying something that makessense."
"Didn't you hear me?!" the soldier growled, gesturingwith his laser rifle, as the five others behind him did the same."We're commandeering your ship for Lord Turles' fleet!It's a tax, you hear? Now stand aside!"
"Hmm… no." Zarbon folded his arms, standingresolutely on the docking ramp. "We just docked here. We're notcaving in to a bunch of common thieves. Even government-sponsoredcommon thieves…"
"Why, you… !" The thug grimaced, tapping his scouter.After a few seconds of analysing the threat, it bleeped. The soldiergrinned. "Heh heh… power level's only 500. Not your day, isit? Low power level, outnumbered five to one, ship just begging tobe stolen… and wearing that stupid pink shirt, to top it all off."
Silence fell.
Zarbon took a deep breath. Calm… calm… keep calm…
Nope.
"What."
"What 'what'?!" The grunt grunted.
"What. Did. You say. About. My shirt."
"Oh, is that it?" He laughed. "You're reallypissed off now, aren't you? Well, come on. It looks ridiculous!"
"Stop talking now." Zarbon's fists clenched. "I'mgoing to have to hurt you if you keep talking…"
"Oh, what? What are you gonna do, Mr.500-power-level-and-no-fashion-sense-to-boot…" Perhaps, ifhis internal organs hadn't just been ruptured by Zarbon's foot, thesoldier would have found it ironic how a shoe travelling atsupersonic speeds had collided with his midsection right as he'dsaid the word 'boot'. But, of course he didn't, due toaforementioned ruptured internal organs.
Emitting a faintly pathetic squeak, the soldier folded up anddropped to the floor. Zarbon landed, looking around at the otherfive, wondering who would make the first move.
"What the hell?!" a short, scaly creature to his leftshrieked, furiously tapping its scouter. "It's no lie, hispower level's only 500! Cali's was twice that-how'd this guy get thedrop on him?!"
Zarbon sighed, tilting his head. "Is it such a stretch ofthe imagination that your scouter doesn't tell the whole story?Honestly, people rely on them too much…"
"Shut up!" the second trooper hissed, raising hiscustomised, souped-up rifle and firing a supercharged shot. "Youtook Cali by surprise, that's all!"
"Did I?" Zarbon's hand shot up, and he caught the blastin mid-air, not even taking a scratch from the impact.
"What the-" the alien soldier backed off a step,trembling. "I built this weapon myself… shot's as strong as a3,000 power! Guys… what's going on?!"
"I don't know…" a third soldier muttered. "I'mstill getting 500 here. It's so weird." Nods of agreement camefrom the other three.
"You fools…" Zarbon chuckled. "Battle power caneasily change."
"What?"
Without a word, the former servant of Frieza sent a rush of powerflowing through his body. It didn't appear to take any considerableeffort on his part-he wouldn't need to power up to anywhere near hismaximum. Those are old-model scouters… their maximum toleranceis around 24,000, so… I'll just use about that much. With nofurther ceremony, he did just that, rewarded with five smallexplosions as the scouters detonated, their tolerance circuitsoverloading.
As one, the soldiers began to edge away. Zarbon cracked hisknuckles, taking a step forwards. "Now, I'm about to show youwhy the colour of a man's shirt is none of your damn business. Also, the whole daylight robbery thing."
Gohan, Videl and Kuriza descended the round ship's boarding ramp,Gohan waving to Zarbon. "Hey! D'you get a pass or permit orwhatever it is we needed?"
Zarbon indicated the pile of bruised, uniformed bodies behindhim. "Well, they seem okay with it, so I guess I did."
"Right… who, exactly, are they?"
He tried to think of the most appropriate Earth analogue. "Thelocal Gestapo. We had a disagreement."
"What about?" Videl asked.
"Oh, various things… the definition of a 'tax'… thereliability of outdated technology… the politeness of waving gunsin one's face… the colour pink… don't worry about it, I thinkthey've come around. Let's just get going-the northern hemisphere'sWestern capital is a couple miles from here. There's a mag-lev linethere, but we can fly faster."
"All right!" Kuriza licked his lips. "Let's find amarketplace there, I'm starving!"
"Starving?!" Gohan snapped. "You already ate morethan the three of us combined! Are you ever full?"
Zarbon massaged his forehead. Good lord, I ambabysitting…
Lion's Den
Chapter 46: Lion's Den
Gohan gazed around him. On the whole, the city was not entirelyunlike some he'd visited on Earth-the only noticeable differencesbeing that the technology was generally of a higher standard, andthe blend of species gave the crowds a strange and variedappearance. This in particular was a good thing-Gohan had initiallywondered that his orange uniform and Kuriza's disguise (long greyrobes and Arcos-pattern face-concealing mask, which made his eyeslook like eerie red dots of light under his hood-any relative ofFrieza's would be sure to make a scene just by showing their face)would make them stand out, but they weren't the strangest sights onthe street, not by a long shot.
"So… is it always this busy?" Videl asked, as a smalllizardlike creature pushed its way between her and Gohan.
"Eh… it's a bit quiet, actually," Zarbon replied,ducking under a low-flying jetbike.
"I beg to differ," Gohan muttered.
"You say that…" Zarbon gestured around them. "Idon't mean there's less people. Just look… everyone's just tryingto get from A to B as quickly as possible. Heads down, shuffling,almost no talking. Last time I was here, there were street vendorson every corner, flashing news screens overhead, shoutedconversations halfway down the street. Everyone just seems so…dull. Depressed, even. More so, even, than under Frieza."
"Huh. I would've thought living in Frieza's empire would bepretty depressing."
"You'd think so… and in most places, yes. But he rarelyever came here, or sent any kind of serious garrison to occupy it ordefend it. That low military presence is actually why it became sucha cultural nexus in the first place. Is this saiyan ruler reallythat much worse, I wonder?"
"Not worse," Kuriza chipped in. "Just closer, moreobvious. What I wonder is if the Namekian ruler on theother side of the planet is as bad as this…"
"Hold up." Zarbon put his arm out to stop them. "Don'tget any closer, but something's happening up there." Heindicated a spot, a hundred yards or so up the street, where acommotion was occuring. A armoured figure was dragging a pair ofcivilians down the road, one held by the neck in each hand. "Lookslike we're about to see how this saiyan runs his territoryfirst-hand…"
The tall, swaggering humanoid soldier, sporting dark grey armourand a long ponytail of muted green hair, threw the pair ofcitizens-a couple of blue fish-like individuals-to the ground infront of him. His jewellery clinked as he tossed his hair over hisshoulder, smiling down at them. "Now," he said as iftalking to a small child, "are you aware of the law? That thingstanding between order and chaos?" He was answered by silent,terrified nods. "Then why," he whispered, though thestreet was so quiet-one collective held breath-that it wasimpossible not to hear him, "did you feel that you were exemptfrom it? You know the tax rates, yet you openly, brazenly didbusiness without giving the government its cut… honestly." Heshook his head, looking disappointed. "We run half the planet,protect you from harm, organise everything, and this is how yourepay us? By cheating us of our hard-earned money?"
"Please!" one of the unfortunate victims squeaked. "Wecan't afford the tax, it keeps increasing… we'll starve!"
" Then work harder !" the soldier growled,kicking the protester in the ribs to an audible crunch-he had afairly sizeable ki. "All of you… you're only alive thanksto the good graces of Lord Turles… in his infinite kindness, hehas elected to let you live for the time being. You are, each andevery one of you, in debt to him: to wit, one life." He placedhis foot on his second victim's head, applying the slightest bit offorce and receiving a terrified whimper. "If he demands allyour money, all your property, you give it up and be happy! Happy that you're still breathing, that you can earn some more togive to him tomorrow! Understand?!" Another whimper. "I said do you- "
"STOP IT!"
Silence fell. The soldier's head turned. "Who said that?!"he demanded, stepping off his victim and stalking forwards as thecrowd parted before him. "Come forwards! Or I'll start blastingthis crowd." There was no need for threats-a second partingappeared as Gohan stormed up to him.
"You leave these people alone!"
"Huh…" the soldier sniffed. "What's it to you,kid?"
"Just stop hurting them!" The half-breed's eyesnarrowed. "Now leave before I have to do this the hard way."
"Heh. Heheheh…" the man, easily twice Gohan's height,rolled his eyes. "You're threatening me. This is actually…you are actually threatening me… that's good." Hegrinned. "That's real good, kid. I don't know, maybe you aren'tcompletely crazy, standing up to me… maybe you're somesuper-strong mutant or warrior species… but you're looking at LordTurles' right-hand man. The name's Daiz… you may have heard of me.Lone survivor of the Kabocha massacre… trust me. You don't wantany of what I got."
Gohan's expression didn't change. "You can't beat me. Don'tmake me prove it. I don't want to start a fight… just leave."
Daiz seemed to lose interest in Gohan-possibly due to therepetitive nature of his threats. "Hey." He pointed at thepair of cowering fish-people he'd been menacing a minute ago. "Youknow what their problem is? They can't afford to eat. Too manymouths to feed…" without warning, a red energy beam shot fromhis pointing finger, vapourising one of the aliens. "See?Problem solved- aaack !"
"YOU-!" Gohan, in the space of a second, had cannonedinto Daiz, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into thewall behind him, cracking the concrete. "They weren't doinganything to you! They were totally defenseless! How could you dothat to them?!"
"Ugh… what the… hell…?" Daiz struggled to pullout of Gohan's grip, but his efforts were futile. He threw a kickinto the child's stomach, but his foot rebounded painfully with noeffect. What's going on?! He reached a hand up and managedto tap his scouter-but, unable to cope with Gohan's massive powerlevel, even the newer, reinforced model exploded. "No way!These things top out in the two hundred thousands! But… th-that's…that means…" He went pale, trying harder to pull away."You're a monster! How can a kid be so strong?!"
"SHUT UP!" Gohan smacked the babbling soldier acrossthe face with the back of his hand, the sharp blow instantlyknocking him out. "I'm so tired of people who breakdown as soon as they aren't the strongest person around!"Easily carrying Daiz over his shoulder, he walked back out into thecentre of the street, dumping the unconscious oppressor on theground. "Does this happen often?" he asked the assembledcrowd. "This violence… this killing?" Nervous silence."Answer me! Is it normally like this?" Nods, murmuredassent. "All right." He left in a burst of super-speed,appearing in a back alley next to Zarbon, Kuriza and Videl.
"Idiot," Zarbon muttered. "You drew too muchattention to yourself. We should be keeping a low profile."
"What was I going to do, let them die?!"
"I don't know. Maybe. It might have been better to takethese guys on once we have a better idea of the situation. Don't actrashly, it always leads to trouble… you can't save everybody."
"Zarbon." It was Videl speaking. The alien turned,surprised to see the harshness on the girl's face. "Don't talklike that! At that moment, those people were being hurt. Killed.That's a very serious matter… don't abstract it."
"Yeah," Kuriza nodded. "It's simple. You stop badthings from happening."
"Heroes!" Zarbon groaned. "I'm surrounded byaltruists and bloody heroes! Why me?"
"Sir!" Amond, Turles' third-in-command, entered thethrone room, saluting formally. "Daiz is down."
"Dead?" Turles assumed, barely concerned at the loss ofhis most trusted subordinate. He had seemed somewhat… detached,recently-an effect that increased every time he ate a fruit from theTree. He swung between jaded and uncaring, and violent anger. But,whatever the side effects, there was no arguing with the results.True to his original aim, Turles was now undoubtedly more powerfulthan Frieza (whose full power level of 120 million units was madepublic knowledge after certain documents were unearthed in the chaosfollowing the fall of the frost demon dynasty*).
( *Author's note: Another piece of data uncovered was anapproximation of King Cold's full power. It was between two andthree times Frieza's. It was not anything like 10 billion. Bujin isan idiot. )
"Don't know at this point, sir. However, before his scouteroverloaded, it was trying to read a power level that it couldn'trecord-and those models can handle over two hundred thousand units!We've got a serious threat here, sir."
"Mm-hmm." Turles shrugged. "I guess so. Play thefootage." He watched impassively as Daiz's scouter's video feedreplayed Gohan's furious assault on his huge wall-mounted monitor,right up until Daiz had tried to get an exact fix on his opponent'spower level. "Hmph. A saiyan…"
"Are you sure?" Amond asked sceptically. "Thereare many similar-looking species to saiyans in the universe…"Plus, I thought Turles was the only surviving saiyan…
"Trust me. I know my race when I see them," therenegade saiyan said quietly. I wonder if I could recruit thisone… hold on a second. "Rewind." Amond did so,almost reaching the beginning of the footage. "Keep going…keep going… there. Look. Back left, ducking into the alley. Zoomin."
"Sir? Who is it?" Amond asked, perplexed-the muscularbrute of Turles' squad, he was not accustomed to thinking too much(that was usually Daiz's role).
"Not sure. But he's familiar…" Turles tapped hisforehead. "Run a face-match or something. See if it's somebodyon file."
"Uh…" Amond tentatively tried a button on theconsole, and by luck more than anything else activated theface-match software, running the image by the planet's database.
Twelve seconds later, blinking red letters appeared on-screen asa file from the database opened. FACIAL RECOGNITION CONFIRMED:95% MATCH.
Turles smiled. "Ah, Zarbon… you didn't die in that Namekdebacle, then… the famous Zarbon and some mysterious saiyan,running around on my planet. This just got interesting." Rightas the Tree is about to ripen again, no less…
"You're really doing this."
"Yes." Gohan nodded.
"You're actually going to-"
"Zarbon! This 'government' isn't fit to rule. You've seenthat already."
"You're ridiculous. We haven't been here an hour-"
"Just follow my lead. Or wait back at the ship. Up to you…"
Zarbon rolled his eyes. "I don't believe this. I've workedfor Frieza, I know about irrational decisions, but you're right upthere with him!"
"So you're coming?"
"Yes." He sighed. "I can't let you run off alone.The things I do for that infernal woman… more trouble than she'sworth."
"You don't really think that," Kuriza said.
"I don't really think that," Zarbon admitted.
"Turles! Lord Turles!" Amond skidded into the throneroom. "He's-they're here! The saiyan kid, Zarbon, and a coupleothers!"
"Already?" Turles shook his head, clearing histhoughts. "Shame… it's too early to go out, really."
"It's… almost evening, sir."
"Right." Turles almost didn't seem to hear him. "Well.Get Cacao. And… Rasin… Lakasei, was that their names?"
"Sorry, sir…" Amond stammered, not having realisedTurles would forget so easily. "We lost Rasin and Lakasei…remember, sir? The incident on Ikonda?"
"Right, right. In that case… meet them. Get Cacao. I'll beout soon." He stood up, stretching. So much work… it'sall so much… work.
Gohan threw Daiz's body on the ground in front of him, smashingopen the great stone gates with a wave of his hand. Turles' palacelay beyond-originally constructed in anticipation of a visit fromFrieza, back in his day, it was a labrynthian, Gothic construction,towering spires and gargoyles adorning every crevice. Gohanindicated the unconscious soldier. "Is this yours?" hecalled out.
"Not any more." Twin blasts of energy shot from theright and left, and Gohan jumped to intercept as they sped straightfor Daiz's prone form. This time, the half-saiyan was prepared fortreachery, and he caught both beams, deflecting them harmlessly."You can come out now," he said. "I knew you werelow, but that was despicable. He's your own comrade!"
"Being defeated like that? He might as well already be dead.You should have killed him when you beat him," said the soldierapproaching from Gohan's left. Amond was thick-set, red-skinned, andbore a scar down the left side of his face. His armour was heavilycustomised, adorned with baggy sashes and flashes of colour.
"I won't murder someone just because they're weaker thanme," Gohan insisted.
"Logic error," the soldier to Gohan's right whirred."Basic strategy indicates a dead enemy cannot recover andcounter-attack. Yet you spared him. This was an incorrect action.Perhaps your cogitation system is faulty." Cacao was a large,intimidating construct of gleaming metal, seemingly moulded fromgreat smooth plates of a steel-like substance, with little evidenceon the surface of wiring or internal mechanisms.
"Where's Turles?" Gohan asked calmly, but no responsecame. "So let me guess. We have to go through you first…"
"That's about it," Amond replied, cracking hisknuckles.
"Don't bother with that-you go find Turles. I'll take thebig guy," Kuriza declared.
"I'll get the robot, then." Zarbon entered a fightingstance. "Go on ahead, Gohan. We've got this."
"Right! Thanks, guys. Uh, Videl…"
She nodded. "I'll watch your back."
"All right." Gohan turned to face the entrace. "Let'sgo."
Raditz lay in the afterlife's long grass, idly chewing a stalk ofit. He liked coming out here sometimes, to be alone-in the middle ofthis peaceful train of thought, King Kai came hopping up, shatteringthe silence.
"Hey, Raditz! Raditz! Guess what?"
Raditz sighed, standing up in a leisurely fashion, beforestretching and yawning like a disturbed cat. "Whaaaat."
"You've got an audience with the Grand Kai! He says he'llsee you! Do you know what this means? He's the greatest fightingmaster in the afterlife! Finally, somebody who can keep up withyou!"
"Huh?" Raditz, rubbing his eyes, began to payattention. "Oh yeah, I remember. That's good. Well… I cansense five Kai energies around here… I guess that'll be the fourKais like you and the Grand one. He'll be the biggest power, right?"
"Well, yes, but don't just go Instant Transmission off andleave me here-" The northern Kai's words were wasted, however,as Raditz did exactly that.
The Grand Kai was not what you'd expect from the ruler of thegods of all four galaxies. He wore blue jeans and a faded denimjacket, topped off with square-lensed sunglasses that contrasted hisextravagant white beard and moustache combination. As Raditzarrived, he was crouched over his boombox, trying to repair it."Aaagh… this damn thing…"
"Uh…" Raditz looked around what appeared to be thesupreme deity's residence, an ornate palace quite at odds with itsoccupant. "Grand… Kai?"
"Huh?" The Grand Kai looked up, overcoming his surpriseat his suddenly-appearing visitor. "Oh yeah, that's me. Who'sasking?"
"I'm Raditz," the saiyan replied. "King Kai… uh,I mean, North Kai… told me you'd agreed to train me when you heardI'd beaten Pikkon, and, well, I've kind of run out of challengingsparring partners and teachers, haha!" Casual laughter hadn'talways been like him, but the afterlife had lightened him up, givinghim a more easy-going view on life (death?).
"Oh, yeah… I remember now." Grand Kai nodded. "Well…all right. This thing," he kicked the faulty boombox foremphasis, "isn't behavin', so I guess there's no time like thepresent, eh?"
"Sounds good to me."
"All right, son…" Grand Kai and Raditz stood hoveringin the air in a huge round chamber, hundreds of miles across, whichhad been enchanted to hold dozens of miniature star systems,complete with house-sized stars and car-sized planets. "It'sbeen a while since I've done some serious trainin' or fightin', solet's just see what you've got, to start off with." Ihaven't been paying as much attention as I should've, I think… Iwish I at least remembered how strong Pikkon was, so I'd have somekind of expectation of what this one would be like… who knows,maybe he almost measures up to me…
"Okay." Raditz took in a deep breath. "So justpower up to maximum?"
"That's about it. Go ahead and transform if you can-I needto see your best."
"Right. Hhhhh… kkkkkhhhh…" his breathing becameragged as his power shot up in huge bursts. "HAAAAAA!" Theair burned gold as he turned Super Saiyan. He closed his eyes andreached within, bringing his true power to the surface as heascended to Super Saiyan 2. "Huh… hah… hhh…" hesmiled, his power surging around him. "All right… how'sthis?"
"Woah… what the…?!" Grand Kai was half a mile away,having been bowled over and sent flying by the force of Raditz's ki.Slowly, he righted himself and floated back over. "You're thatstrong…? You've gotta be kidding me…"
"What?" Raditz looked faintly disappointed as hepowered down. "Don't tell me I'm even more powerful than you…"
"I'm afraid so," Grand Kai replied sheepishly. "Wow…you're really something. Sorry, I don't think there's anything leftfor me to teach ya!"
"Oh." Raditz seemed downcast for a moment, but thenbrightened up. "Well, I'll bet Pikkon's training harder thanever to catch up with me… yeah, I'm sure he'll be a morechallenging opponent next time." He nodded. "And even ifnot, I can always try fighting him in a lower form… although thatmight just be as easy a win for him as it is for me at full power…well, whatever." He flew over towards the exit, waving to GrandKai. "See you! Thanks anyway!"
An hour or so later…
Grand Kai sat in his chambers. That guy… I've never felt apower like that in my life, and I've been around over 50,000 years…Thoughtfully, he padded over to a large crystal set in onewall, placing one hand on it-a direct line to the world above, theSacred World of the Kais, where even he was not permitted to setfoot. "Hey, up there… anybody home?"
I am here, a soft-toned voice answered. Is theresomething you wish to bring to my attention, young one?
"Yeah, actually." He paused. "You know Pikkon?West Galaxy, strongest fighter in Otherworld?"
I am aware of this one, yes.
"Somebody beat him."
And this is relevant how? Champions come and go. Theafterlife is not static.
"Well… this guy… this saiyan, I believe… he's a lotstronger than Frieza ever was. I'm nothing compared to him. I'mtelling you, I've never seen anything as powerful as this, in all mymillenia. Plus… he was a hero in his life, I'm told."
How so?
"Reformed genocide, strange as that sounds. Turned his wholelife around, saved more people than he ever killed. Went out savinghis brother, and his adopted planet."
I see. Why are you telling me this?
"Well… that Z-Sword of yours?"
What of it?
"You told me only a truly heroic individual could wield it?And no-one's yet been strong enough, not even you?"
You're not suggesting this mortal is superior to me, surely.
"I don't know! I've never seen you at full power. Just…take my word for it. This one's different, all right?"
I'll consider it. For now, I must depart. Duty calls.
"You still on that witch-hunt?"
Wizard, actually. But yes. I must find Babidi soon. He mustnot succeed.
"I understand. Good luck." The connection broke, andGrand Kai ambled back over to his bed, slumping on it lazily. Well,I had been thinkin' recently that I wanted somethin' interesting tohappen around here… I guess I got what I asked for. What are wegonna do with you, Raditz?
Vindication
Chapter 47: Vindication
Gohan and Videl walked slowly through the main hallway, everystep echoing off the stone like the crash of an enormous drum, theeffect accentuated by the extravagant acoustics of theotherwise-silent building. Gargoyles leered down at them at everycorner. Shafts of daylight from five-metre-tall windows pierced theever-present darkness, and oddly enough for such arecently-constructed building, there were no electric lights to beseen anywhere.
"Can you feel that?" Gohan asked.
"Right." Videl nodded. "That giant ki… must beTurles." The energy signature seemed strange, almostartificial. "You sure you can take this guy, Gohan?"
"I'm pretty sure," Gohan replied. "I don't thinkhe's a Super Saiyan-it doesn't feel like it-but if not, I haveno idea how he's so strong."
"Well, we'll find out soon…" Videl trailed off asthey approached a huge stone set of double doors, engraved with amess of tiny, intricate carvings, depicting countless scenes oftailed, horned figures reaping mass destruction.
Gohan raised his hand to push the door open, when without warningit exploded outwards, launching slabs of high-speed debris at thetwo of them.
Zarbon backflipped away, handspringing off the ground as amissile exploded where he'd been, seconds before. What is this?he wondered, ducking to the right to avoid a jackhammer-likepunch that shattered a pillar next to his head. I've never seenany technology produce a machine capable of keeping up with afighter like me. This is interesting… the robotic creatureCacao lunged again, and Zarbon retreated out of its punching range.However, compartments on its back flipped open as it moved,revealing hidden jets that rocketed it forwards. Unprepared for thissudden burst of speed, Zarbon failed to raise his guard in time andthe glistening metal fist cracked into his jaw, sending him reelingback. Recovering his senses, he moved with the force of the blow,spinning away from Cacao and throwing a quick energy bolt as heturned.
Cacao quickly crossed its arms in front of its face, blocking theblast with only mild scorch marks. The brief time it took to do thisgave Zarbon the opening to hammer his elbow up into a join betweenarmour plates, knocking it through a wall. Zarbon rubbed the bruiseon his chin. "You hit pretty hard," he noted as Cacaoemerged, unfazed, from the rubble. "You're probably programmedto just kill everything in your way, right? I mean, there's no pointreasoning with you…" he received another missile in response."I see," he continued, kicking it out of its flight path,sending it careening into the ground several metres away, where itdetonated. "I'll take that as a 'no'. That's fine… I wasnever good at the peaceful option anyway."
Kuriza nonchalantly dodged Amond's red ki blast, landing atop aprecipice a few metres above the ground, his form-concealing cloakswaying around him. "Are you done yet?" he asked.
"Stand… huh… huh… still!" Amond gasped, exhaustedafter having chased the disguised frost demon around for severalminutes now. "Damn it!" He furiously hammered the buttonon his scouter, but it displayed Kuriza's power level as only 2,000,the same as last time. "How are you doing that?! There's no wayyou could outrun me if you were that weak!"
Kuriza shrugged. "Just a technique I picked up. Now can youstop trying to kill me? I mean, we know you aren't going to succeed,so we could just save both of us some effort and go do somethingelse while Gohan talks to your leader. Because honestly, I'm gettingbored."
"You're… what?" Amond spluttered.
"I'm… didn't you hear me or something?" Kurizascratched his head. "I'm bored. Fighting you is boring. Youjust sort of flail around at the air where I was a few seconds agowhile I dodge very s-l-o-w-l-y…"
"Why, you…" Amond hissed. "DON'T YOU MOCK ME!"He jumped up at Kuriza, swinging an uncoordinated fist. Theadolescent powerhouse caught it nonchalantly, yawning.
"See, I don't just have to dodge either. I can mix it up ifI like." He blocked a low kick with his shin. "Really?You're still trying that? You must have some kind of memory problem,or I'm not sure why you thought it'd work the three hundredth timeyou tried…"
"I'll teach you-" Amond was cut off as Kuriza flung hiski outwards, cracking the walls on either side and hurling Amondaway from him.
"Well? Are you happy now?" Hmm… what shall I donow? Kuriza wondered. I guess I could just take him down,but I might not get to fight anybody else for a while… I couldpower up and break his scouter, but we've all seen that routinebefore, and I don't think that'd really surprise him at this pointanyway… what to do…?
"Hey! Just who the hell are you people anyway?" Amonddemanded, dusting himself off. "Zarbon… a saiyan… that's aweird combination. Where do you fit in?"
"You think that's weird, huh?" Kuriza chuckled. Say,there's an idea… "You haven't seen anything yet, myfriend." Ripping off his mask, he lowered his hood. "Well!If it isn't the handsome devil from your history books!"
"Aaahh… uh… y-you're…" Amond took a step back,trembling. "You're Kuriza! The prince… Frieza's heir…you're dead! They said the Super Saiyan killed you!"
Kuriza smiled. "Quite the opposite, actually… he saved me.Oh, and I wouldn't refer to the 'Super Saiyan' in the singular…there's quite a few running around, now. In fact, I'll let you in ona little secret… one of them's on his way to see your boss rightnow."
"The kid… !"
"Right. He's the first, you know."
"The first?" Amond looked puzzled. "The firstwhat?!"
"The first of the new breed. The galaxy is changing."Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You saw it after the Cold dynasty, myfamily's empire, collapsed. They actually set up a democracy. Ademocracy! In this galaxy! Vegeta set things back, but you can'tstop it. People like Gohan will always come. Turles and his kindhave just been going through the motions, clinging to the oldroutines… thinking they can be the next Frieza… but that age isgone now." He took a step forwards, his tail las