Chapter 1: End of the World?
The sky turned black as the battle continued above a deserted city. Each clash between the warriors produced shockwaves that shattered glass in the buildings below. Occasionally, there was a flash of lightning and the roar of thunder, which added to the drama. The final five fighters left to defend an empty planet were clashing with the beastly Saiyan in the skies above. Suddenly, one of the fighters was knocked down, and sent crashing into the ground below at speeds faster than the eye could see. He groaned loudly as he lay there and contemplated the situation at hand.
"Damn it" Goku gasped, as he struggled to his feat. His signature orange gi was torn in various places and the bruises that covered his body was a testament to the battle that they were fighting. His bright blonde hair had small traces of blood smattered around it, which had come from a previous battle. "He's just too strong for us to handle. What can we do against a power like this?"
Another fighter landed next to where Goku was standing, creating another large crater in the earth. Like Goku, his blonde hair was spiked up wildly and he carried battle scars all over his body. He reluctantly got back to his feet and spit the blood that gathered in his mouth onto the floor.
"The boys have fused," he said, with a hint of despair in his voice. "Hopefully they can keep him occupied for a while. How long until we can fuse again, Kakarot?"
"At least 20 minutes" Goku sighed, cursing the bad luck that had befallen them. "If only we knew that he was going to show up just after we finished fighting that android. We never would have fused if we knew what was coming. His strength is unreal, he's become so much powerful than he was before. I'll be honest with you Vegeta, I'm not sure what we can do."
"That fucking wizard" Vegeta spat, while watching his son do battle above him. "He tricked us and we fell for it like a couple of inexperienced children. He knew that we would deplete ourselves while fighting that android and then he took advantage of our condition to unleash this monster. At least he got his just reward, but what's the plan now? Gotenks can't hold him off for 20 minutes and those other two are completely outclassed."
Goku considered the options, but he couldn't think of anything that would work at this point. Gohan, Gotenks and Piccolo were all fighting this enemy and were getting nowhere. He was casually taking everything they could throw at them with minimal effort and throwing easy attacks of his own. He was toying with them now and they knew it. Goku continued to watch the fight above when he realized that he was shaking and beads of sweat were streaming down his face. He had never feared an enemy this much as they had never been so overwhelmed.
Then, there was a green flash in the sky above and three more figures were sent flying down towards the ground. They screamed out in pain as they crashed into the concrete of the ground. The first of them to stand up was Gohan, whose previously neat clothing had been torn to shreds. He stumbled on his feet and only avoided falling to the floor through Piccolo's intervention, who held onto the boy he had practically raised for a year of his life. Gotenks, the fusion of Goku and Vegeta's children, simply glared at the intimidating form that mocked them.
"Kakarot!" he screamed, "Get back here so I can kill you and your children. I want to crush you all in my hands and watch you die." He laughed manically after he had finished speaking, enjoying every second of it. As if to show off even more, he produced another burst of incredible power that shook the very centre of the earth.
"We've only got one option" Goku said, not overly confident in what he was about to say. "We combine our attacks into one and aim it straight for him. We're all exhausted and that's the most power we can produce. Hopefully, he'll underestimate us like he did before and we can break through."
Vegeta wasn't enthusiastic about this idea, partly because it was Goku that suggested it but mostly because of the very small chance it had of working. Predictably, he made his displeasure known.
"You really think Broly is going to fall for that?" Vegeta snapped. "Don't forget Kakarot, he's been defeated using that plan once before. He may not be the smartest warrior I've ever faced but he can't be that foolish."
"It doesn't matter" Piccolo yelled, making his voice heard. "Goku is right, it is the only chance we have. You two can't fuse for another 15 minutes that we don't have to spare. The chances this will work may be slim, but it's better than no chance at all."
"We agree" Gohan and Gotenks said in unison, determined to overrule Vegeta, who sighed as he realized that this plan was going ahead no matter what he said.
"Alright" he said, giving up his one-man protest. "Let's do it then. I just want it to be known that if we just set ourselves up to fail then it is not my fault."
All 5 of them floated up into the sky and charged up. Screams of pain filled the air as they were surrounded by golden light. Lightning that emanated from their bodies clashed with the storm in the air, giving off an aura of power. Gohan and Piccolo reached their maximum states quicker but Goku and Vegeta took several minutes to unleash everything they had. Broly simply stared at them, seemingly ready to face the challenge that might be coming his way. Finally, they all took their stances and prepared for their last stand.
"Kame"
"Final"
"Special Beam"
"HA!"
"FLASH!"
"CANNON!"
All 5 attacks were sent zooming towards their target, who just laughed. The different colour beams intertwined with each other and in any other situation, it could be said that they were dazzling.
"You think you can win here?" Broly said mockingly, as he charged a small green sphere that he then fired towards them. Without too much effort, he held the attack at bay by simply keeping his arm extended and laughed once more.
"Alright" Goku yelled, his voice clearly strained. To their credit, the group continued firing. "No holding back for the sake of the planet. Whatever we do can be repaired with the Dragon Balls. Hit him with your full power or we will lose everything!"
There was a sudden burst of power that stunned the great Saiyan. His attack was extinguished and the combined beam was sent into him. He screamed in pain as the blinding light consumed him, completely concealing him from sight. After they had finished, the tired fighters stayed floating, hoping they had succeeded.
"Is he dead?" Gohan asked, hoping to hear good news. They stared at the mass of smoke that had gathered, waiting for it to clear. When it finally did, their hearts sunk. The hulking great Saiyan was wounded, but he was not dead. He was holding his stomach, with blood streaming from the hole that had emerged there. Yet, he fire and hatred in his eyes still remained, as did the unsettling grin on his face.
"One more time" Goku said, his confidence returning when he saw the state the Legendary Super Saiyan was in. "If we can hit him with what ever we have left, he's going to die for sure."
Just as the rest of the group voiced their approval, Broly interrupted with a low laugh.
"I'm going to die Kakarot, you're right. But, I'm going to be taking you with me!"
Broly yelled as a green orb of ki surrounded him. He continued to power up as the orb expanded, getting slowly bigger. It seemed impossible that he could have so much power left after taking a powerful attack like that, yet there he was. After a few seconds, it became obvious what he was planning to do.
"He's going to blow himself up!" Piccolo shouted, shocking the others. "Attack now, we have to stop him!"
The others attacked, but it was no good. The ki attacks just made the orb grow quicker and didn't affect Broly at all. As the blasts collided hopelessly with the growing attack, Broly screamed with laughter. With no hope left, Goku came to an inevitable conclusion.
'We can't stop him" Goku admitted, exasperated. "He's going to destroy himself and this whole planet. I can't touch him, so I can't use Instant Transmission to get him out of here like with Cell. Our attacks are ineffective and he's too crazy to be reasoned with. What do we do now?"
They all stood there for a second, accepting their demise. It was ironic really, that after everything they had faced together it would be a fellow Saiyan and enemy they had already defeated twice that would finally be victorious. Then Vegeta turned to his comrades, the Saiyan prince's voice filled with pride.
"We can't save ourselves" he said, "but we can still save this planet and at least some of it's people. We all have a little ki left. If we can put up a barrier with everything we have left, then maybe we can just about save this world."
"Ve-, Vegeta" Goku stammered, stunned at what he had just heard. "I can't believe you care so much."
"Shut up Kakarot" Vegeta snapped, looking slightly embarrassed. "This isn't the time for emotional speeches either. If we can keep this planet from being destroyed and if we can keep the young Namek up there alive, then everyone can be brought back. So, come on let's get to it."
The 5 warriors spread out around the planet and used their ki to create a shield. Just expanding their energy to cover the surface of the planet was excruciating and even seemed impossible. Also, because of the ki they had already wasted, they could all tell that it might not be enough.
"All we can do now is hope," Gohan said to himself, as he thought of the wife and daughter that he had lost already that day. He promised himself that the Dragon Balls would bring them back, and he had to make sure that this shield held so that he could keep that promise.
"Dende" Piccolo said, sending his thoughts out to the terrified Namek on top of the Lookout.
"Yes, Piccolo?" Dende responded sounding nervous.
"It's up to you now" Piccolo responded, trying to say everything he had to quickly. "Find the Dragon Balls once we've gone and bring everyone back. Don't grieve for us and don't be too hard on yourself. You have not failed in your duty because that duty will only begin now. Good luck."
"Chi Chi, Pan, Krillin" Goku thought, letting his mind wander. "I do this in the hope that I will see you again.
"Bulma, Trunks, Bra I do this for you and in the hope that we can end our days as a family on this earth" Vegeta promised to himself.
Eventually, the green sphere exploded, the destructive power spreading throughout the earth. The 5 heroes screamed in agony as they withstood the attack and willed their shield to hold. They didn't have enough ki left to put a strong barrier around themselves, so they had to simply endure for as long as their bodies would allow. The green light engulfed everything and the last thing any of them saw was the loved ones they hoped to save.
Their sacrifice was not in vain. The shield held and the earth survived. However, it was not without a dear cost. The earth's population was reduced to a relative handful and the surface was scarred with the evidence of destructive power. Society was forced to begin again, as the survivors tried to heal the wounded planet. The great cities and impressive technology were gone, as were the pioneers that had built them to begin with. Survival instincts had kicked in and the Earthlings simply had to do the best they could with the little that they had. Dende and his faithful assistant, , spent the next millennium scouring the planet for the Dragon Balls, but they were never found. They searched high and low but with each passing years the hopes they had faded. Attempts to contact Namek were suggested but the determination of Dende to complete his task and the protest from the Elder Kai soon blocked those ambitions. The earth was built again, but it was not the same as it was before. Earthlings gained different abilities and lived in a simpler time. Dende was eventually forced to abandon his search as the people of the earth advanced too far to simply restore the past. The history of the earth quickly turned to legend and legend became myth and soon the past was forgotten completely. However, that would not be the case for much longer.
