Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball GT. All rights go to their respected owners.
Claimer: I own all my original characters.
Chapter 3
Beyond
Piccolo stood at the edge of the Lookout as always, standing stiff with arms folded, ignoring the harsh winds of the upper atmosphere. While many of the Z-Fighters exposed their sadness at Goku's death through tears or looks of disbelief as they moved about the sacred platform, Piccolo kept his always stern expression whilst deep in thought, looking at the horizon.
He had seen Goku for what he was: a simple man who had simple goals in life with an appetite larger than that of a third-world village. Piccolo had never truly seen Goku as an enemy, more as an obstacle that might have ruined his former plans, but as time passed the two became rivals, allies and eventually even friends. Piccolo would indeed miss Goku as more than a good sparring partner, but also as a comrade.
And it was all thanks to Gohan.
The pupil was like a son to him, was his best friend in the world, the only one who really understood him, and thus it was with some great worry when he had left the man behind to fight against the monstrosity that had managed to topple a person who was supposedly the strongest person in the universe in one blow.
The Namekian had been keeping tabs on the battle through a mixture of telepathy and ki sense, creating a sort of mental television event in his mind's eye. He had been one of the few to latch onto 1's odd energy signature and was therefore able to tell that Gohan had the upper hand from beginning to end.
Or so he thought.
Cutting off his telepathy after it seemed as though Gohan had wiped the android off the face of the earth, Piccolo was about to turn around and report the good news to the others when suddenly Gohan's already faint energy signature vanished altogether, almost as if it was a candle that had finally gone out.
The Namekian stood mouth open in shock, realization hitting him as now only 1's energy signature had returned. The machine had somehow won. Gohan was dead.
The comprehension struck like a knife through his heart, rendering the warrior speechless as his mouth hung open in disbelief. Piccolo could see it, the image of that once small boy in a gi much like his own, slowly fading away as he smiled and waved towards his master and friend.
Noticing his comrade's distress, Krillin spoke up, "What's wrong Piccolo?" Neither the monk nor anyone else who could sense energy thought anything else had gone wrong, being unable to bring themselves to focus on the battle.
"G-Gohan failed. He's dead," the Namekian responded, collecting himself and his statement electing a mixture of shocked looks and gasps from the group.
"What are you talking about?! But Gohan just… and he had all that power… and…" Yamcha mumbled, as the full weight of this enemy hit him. This android had toppled a power greater than that of a Super Saiyan 3!
The former bandit fell down to his knees and grabbed his head in denial. All throughout the Lookout, the group was hit by another wave of sorrow. The remaining warriors hung their heads low as Bulma and 18 went to comfort the three female members of the Son family.
Chi-Chi, Videl and Pan were all in tears, as now their family had lost not one, but two loving fathers and husbands. Pan cried loudest of all, feeling her father's soul slowly fade away from this world. Chi-Chi was reduced to murmurs as tears poured out her eyes and held Pan close while Videl kept her face to the tiled floor as she sat on her knees, small tear droplets falling out her eyes as memories of her husband passed before her.
Away from the group, Hercule stood looking at the sky with a large frown on his face. "Darn it, boy… why'd you have to go and get yourself killed? Videl and Pan… they need you."
Far from the Lookout, two teens flew at top speed, all the while keeping tabs on the raging battle and mentally cheering on Gohan. When 1's power disappeared, the two smiled knowingly at one another and turned around, ready to go and congratulate Gohan when all of a sudden, his power disappeared as well, 1's feint energy signature resurfacing not too long after.
The two hung in the air for a few moments, letting it all sink in. Gohan, the Gohan, strongest of their group, had just been removed from the land of the living. Goten suddenly unleashed a scream of pain at the heavens and unknowingly activated his Super Saiyan form as harsh winds burst from his form, his energy illuminating the surrounding area as tears poured out the Super Saiyan's eyes.
The second youngest of the Son family turned his anger-filled, teary gaze towards the android's location, "Th-that monster! First dad, now Gohan?! I'm going to get him!" Goten was about to blast off, vengeance in mind, when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder firmly.
The teen turned around with rage and growled at Trunks as he held him back. The purple-haired hybrid kept his head low as he spoke, "I'm sorry, Goten, but I can't let you do that. You… we're not strong enough. If that monster is anything like Buu, he'll have all his power back in no time." Trunks looked up at his best friend, hoping his words would have put some sense into Goten's mind, but they seemed to do nothing but anger him further.
"I don't care!" Goten yelled as he harshly ripped away from Trunks. "In just a few minutes, that thing has taken away almost everything I love! You have no idea what it's like to lose a brother!" the Super Saiyan declared harshly as he got ready to depart once more.
Trunks went silent and hung his head once more in thought. "Yeah, Goten, you're right." The words momentarily stopped the angered fighter. "I have no idea what it's like to lose a brother…" Trunks suddenly lifted his head as he yelled, "And I don't want to find out! You selfish jerk!"
"Huh?" was all the Goten could respond with as Trunks continued on.
"You think rushing in there will solve anything? Are you even thinking at all? Of course not! All you're doing right now is being selfish, caring only about how you feel, and not about how we'll feel when you die!" Goten paused a few moments before a frown formed on his face as his Super Saiyan form dissipated and Trunks continued. "How do you think Chi-Chi will react when I tell her that she's lost not only her husband but both her sons? And how I'll feel when I have to tell her that I couldn't stop you?!"
The boy lowered his head in shame as the words finally pierced his mind and brought his brain back to a rational level of thinking. "I'm sorry, Trunks… I just got carried away… but… I-I'm gonna miss them so much." Goten suddenly found his comrade's hand on his shoulder once more, but this time the grip was far more comforting than harsh.
Lifting his head, he found Trunks looking at him with a reassuring smile. "Hey, quit that talk. We're still going to get this guy for what he did, no matter what! Then we'll just wish back Gohan and Goku!" The teen slowly looked off into the distance. "That is of course if my dad doesn't get rid of him first."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. But knowing Vegeta, we'll never get so much as a punch in." Goten pointed out with a small smile, starting to get some hope back, "Come on, we better get to the others fast before they start to worry."
Vegeta looked over the body of his rival's son as the waves crashed against the small mound of dirt the hybrid's corpse currently lay upon, the waters slowly beginning to cover the shrinking island. The man's body lay on the dirt with his mouth open and eyes wide in shock, not having seen the attack coming.
Vegeta kept his face stern as he thought things over. He had never really known the boy in a personal sense, but did have respect for him as a warrior. Although what possible reasons Gohan could have for wanting to live a laidback life alluded the prince, he could at least agree he would rather not have his family in danger, even at the cost of a good fight.
Gohan had fought hard, but it hadn't been enough apparently. Vegeta would need to finish the job, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Turning his attention to Android 1, Vegeta found the muscular machine staring up at him as the Super Saiyan floated in the air, alongside Buu. It was odd how one so powerful moments ago was now reduced to a fraction of his strength. Gohan had at least managed to tip the scales in their favor if nothing else.
1 meanwhile was still slowly putting his insides together again. True, his healing limits were equal to that of the original Majin Buu, but it was somewhat diluted, resulting in it being relatively slower. Gears locked back into place and wires reconnected as the android began to once again gain proper control of his limbs and energy ran through his systems.
Having healed though seemed of little consequence now. 1 was running on reserve power and was facing two opponents, one which, although familiar, had no place in his databanks. The machine needed to escape, gather energy where he could find it and return ready for a fight. While being offline his energy absorbing powers had run at minimal capacity, making it take years to reach his default power, but if put at full force, the android could take in enough sunlight to be back at full power in more or less an hour.
While his enemies hung in the air, he could easily throw up a large column of steam by introducing an energy ball to the water and escape, 1's odd energy signature aiding him by becoming harder to track under the waters. If the machine fired a blast at the water, he could have executed the plan with an 82% chance of success and 95.3% chance of survival. But the android instead waited, putting himself in harm's way. So he could be stopped.
The machine was originally programmed for peacekeeping around the planet, to work with the Z-Fighters, not murder them. Android 1 would rather die than continue with this killing, but his self-preservation protocol prevented the android from taking his own life, or simply allowing it to be taken without a struggle.
Although the android couldn't resist his programming in the least, he could still carry out what he thought was the best plan. While staying still had a measly 7% chance of survival, it was still a chance, a loophole that 1 was exploiting as far as he could.
With every passing second, the number dropped until 1 had no choice but to try and flee, Vegeta apparently waiting for the android to make some kind of move. The new plan had a 1% chance of survival. It still counted, and would be the Saiyan's last chance to end it before everything turned violent again.
The android suddenly burst from the ground and headed away from Vegeta and Majin Buu at top speed, which now seemed like a snail's pace to the machine compared to how he had been traveling mere minutes ago.
1 had made it farther than he thought he would after about ten seconds, hoping that any second now the prince would come down and put an end to his existence. And so his wish was granted.
Vegeta suddenly transported before the android with Buu not too far behind, 1 coming to a grinding halt mere metres before the Super Saiyan who kept his arms folded, unimpressed by the machines pathetic act of cowardice.
"Well, what do we have here? Where do you think you're going, chrome dome? Truly, I am offended. You actually thought to write me off as a threat? Thought you could escape after what you did?!" The prince yelled yet the machine remained silent, its processors forming a new tactic of escape. "Not so talkative now are we? What, do I scare you?" The prince asked with a smile. "Rightfully, you should be. Today I was planning on ripping Kakarot apart limb for limb, but then you went and ruined my afternoon plans. Not a very wise decision for anyone who wishes to live a long life." Again the android remained silent, this time causing Vegeta to drop his smile.
"Alright, let's cut the small talk then. I know you can speak, android, I've heard you talk to Kakarot and the boy, so let me have some answers and I may be willing to end your existence quickly." Vegeta was no fool. He could sense the machine's power slowly rising due to some unknown source of energy. It wasn't a large amount in terms of power increase, but the prince wasn't all too keen on letting the android reach full power once more.
"First question: Who built you?" the prince hastily inquired.
"I was created by Dr. Gero, head scientist of the Red Ribbon Army Robotics Division." The machine answered plainly, taking in as much power as he could from the sun as quickly as possible.
"Of course it was that blasted fool Gero. Should have checked the laboratory for the psychopath's corpse and made sure it was vaporized," the prince stated with venom in his voice, gaining the machine's full attention for a moment.
"I'd rather you did not make unflattering remarks about my father," 1 said as threateningly as he could with his monotone voice, the prince smirking once more and dropping his arms to his sides in response.
"My, my. You are quite the chatterbox. Alright, second question: Why did you kill Kakarot and Gohan, even though your creator died a long time ago, along with all his other pathetic monstrosities? What made you think you could survive the challenge?"
"Eliminating all of Earth's Special Forces is my primary objective. All other programs, directives and objectives are unimportant when my primary objective is at stake... Including my survival. My power, abilities and directness in combat give me a 39.3% advantage over any other known androids programmed to eliminate the Earth's Special Forces."
"Tch. You machines and your numbers. A real warrior battles with instinct and tenacity. You, on the other hand, are just some murderous creation of an old man. A pathetic excuse for an assassin and a mockery of everything Kakarot and his son stood for." The prince clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at 1. "I've changed my mind. I don't care about the answers anymore, I only care about finding out what color blood comes out of your neck after I rip your head off."
1 was out of time and he knew it. The android threw the hardest punch he could, landing on Vegeta's jaw with a resounding crash, turning the prince's head as a result but the rest of him remained still regardless. The prince slowly turned his head back to its original place with a smile on his face, 1's fist still implanted in the Super Saiyan's jaw.
"That almost tickled. I think when this is all over I'll have you made into something useful, like a punching bag. Here, let me give you some experience." The prince's fist shot out with lightning speed and too landed on the android's jaw but with far more devastating effects, sending the machine away at an unparalleled speed. Before 1 could get too far however, the prince grabbed hold of the machine's ankle and began to spin around at supersonic speeds.
As the world continued to blur before the machine's optical sensors, he could make out the pudgy Majin Buu clapping and laughing with each spin. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Scary man look like carnival ride! Faster! Faster!"
Always one to please, Vegeta complied and increased his torque speed twofold before suddenly coming to a complete stop and letting go of the android simultaneously. 1 was sent flying off, over the ocean at Mach 5, flailing and desperately trying to summon the energy to cease his flight. The prince ended his short onslaught by firing a large, purple beam of energy after the android.
Sensing the incoming attack, 1 stuck his hands out midflight, catching the blast and absorbed the beam and all its much needed energy. The android was finally able to halt its uncontrolled flight with some effort, now staring once more at Vegeta and Buu.
"Drat!" The prince cursed at himself. "I forget about the piece of scrap's cheap trick. I can't take any chances. It is time to see whether or not my training has paid off after all these years." The prince turned to his pink, pudgy comrade with a frown on his face as the creature stared back at 1 with a finger on its mouth. "Buu."
"Huh?" the pink demon returned, rotating to look at Vegeta.
"You know I hate to ask for favours, but I need you to keep that thing busy for a few minutes. I have something that will take care of it without a doubt, but I've used it only once, so it's going to take me some time to get ready. Can you handle this?" Vegeta asked, receiving a few moments of silence as the creature slowly put the words together in his brain before Buu smiled brightly.
"Uh-huh! Buu do! Buu do!" The creature declared with glee and took off towards the pale menace.
"And Buu," the prince hollered after his comrade, making the pudgy creature halt and turn at the sound of its name. "Watch out for his hands. He can absorb energy, remember?" Majin Buu's face suddenly became serious as he nodded once more before heading off towards his target.
Majin Buu stopped mere feet before 1, the two magical beings stared each other down, a soft breeze moving in an Easterly direction, causing Buu's cape to flutter in the same direction as the superpowers floated above the ocean. "Buu no like you. You hurt boy and nice man. Buu make you dead!" The pink blob declared, raising his power for emphasis, steam coming out of the holes in his head as 1 looked on, unmoving as the being before became shrouded in a dark pink aura.
1 couldn't put his finger on it, but he could somehow tell this pink, fat man-child and him were connected, as though they were family in a sense. It was some sort of link he felt, but his databanks refused to yield any such information as his processors deemed it either unnecessary to the upcoming battle or restricted information. The android didn't have long to think it over as a yellow gloved fist landed in his face followed by another in his gut.
The machine was suddenly bombarded on all angles with powerful blows, some even ripping through his body entirely, sparks flying from exposed wires. Left, right and centre came either a yellow fist or boot as the machine was harshly beaten upon once more in a dizzying flurry of combos and yells. The pink demon ended his onslaught with a vicious left hook to the android's cheek, sending him careening off into the distance.
Buu hung in the sky, panting harshly from exertion as he surveyed the damage caused, and was not disappointed by his handiwork. 1 was clearly riddled with dents and holes on every possible place a wound could be, the damage evident by the fact that 1 hung in the sky with a shoulder slumped.
Unknown to Buu however, this was nothing to him. To the demon's surprise, the holes and dents became filled and undone once more. The healing abilities of this monster were clearly akin to that of his, and as such, the fight would need to be ended soon.
"Buu sorry, Hercule, but Buu need to get angry to make everyone safe," the demon whispered to himself, suddenly increasing his power to the absolute max, illuminating the area in dark pink light. The blob put his hands next to his side, forming a familiar stance in the air. Without deeming the chant necessary, Buu fired off his pink variation of the Kamehameha without hesitation, quickly crashing into the android and blowing off the machine's right arm before 1 could react.
The machine once more began to knit himself back together, 1 resuming his former altitude as his fleshy outer layer reformed and his arm was whole once more. Seeing as Buu was still tired from his previous attack, 1 took the initiative and suddenly lobbed a ball of white energy at the creature's girth. The android was surprised however when his attack went right through the unprepared demon, forming a neat circle in the Majin's stomach.
The demon looked down at the newly formed hole and with a loud growl, Buu healed his rather large wound in a small matter of time, once again good as new.
"It appears that our abilities are similar in nature," the android declared, coming to the same conclusion as Buu. "I shall need to eliminate you prior to doing the same to Vegeta. I apologize as I will now use any means necessary to defeat you."
"But… you so weak. How you beat Buu?" The demon questioned, scratching his forehead as he tried to think the situation through.
"My power cells may be low, but my skills and higher intellect assure my chances of victory," 1 returned.
"In-tell-ect? Huh?! You say Buu stupid?! Buu even madder now! Buu make you super dead!" The Majin declared, rearing back his fist and his face turning red with anger.
"Have I improperly stated my calculations, resulting in increased levels of testosterone?" The android asked before a fist once again landed in his face.
The machine was once again sent flying, though this time 1 quickly regained control of his momentum and made a sudden U-turn for Buu, aiming a kick for the Majin's head that hit with an explosive force.
Buu almost perfectly copied the android's attempt though 1 was actually able to dodge, but was forced to do so again and again as Buu began another onslaught. It was true that the two combatants were currently worlds apart in terms of power, but 1 had far more skill when it came to fighting and had already picked up the rhythm for Buu's simple attacks.
The demon unexpectedly increased his pace in hopes of catching the android off guard and it worked like a charm. After evading three consecutive punches, the machine suddenly found a foot under his chin followed by a double-fisted blow to the stomach that sent the android careening into the waters below with a humungous splash.
The salty waters were suddenly pummeled with pink blasts from Majin Buu, aiming directly where the machine fell. The pudgy monster continued his assault with energy blast after energy blast, sending up columns of water again and again. The Majin finished off his offence with a final ball of energy, this one far larger than all the others and required two hands to hold as the monster held it above his head.
With a growl of exertion, the pudgy menace heaved the pink ball of doom at the waters with all his might, the area abruptly covered in a pink hue once more as the waters spread out and a large mushroom cloud of steam filled Buu's field of vision. The demon was certain that had put an end to his muscular doppelganger.
The demon was stunned however when 1 suddenly leaped out of the water behind him and fired a decent sized sphere of white energy that took off the Majin's head.
The headless body of Buu searched the space above his neck blindly before grabbing the top of collar and pulling out a new cranium from seemingly nowhere. The pink menace slowly turned around to face his opponent, a frown on his face.
"You good at fighting. Why you have to be so mean? Buu want to play with you and not worry about making you dead like with all other people," Buu slightly whined, wishing this were more of a game than the serious business it was.
"I have no will of my own. Truly I do not want to kill, but I have no choice," the android answered simply, Buu scratching his chin in thought.
"But… what if Buu find will for you? Then we can play?"
The Majin before him was only making matters worse for one. It was like fighting a child or sick animal, but not be able to stop. This creature before him was something of pure, unadulterated innocence, and he had to kill it.
"I apologize, but the will I speak of is not a tangible possession. I must carry through my objectives."
"Really? That sad. You not so bad. Buu tell by fighting you," Majin Buu declared with a smile. With no words left between them, the two immortal beings entered the fray once more, disappearing and reappearing at random points in the sky as their fists and shins collided in a cacophonous battle that shook the heavens to their core.
Vegeta looked upon the duo, arms folded as they battled with greater and greater intensity. "Buu must not realize it, but it seems every time he comes into contact with that thing, some of his energy is stolen. I'll need to finish this quickly."
The prince grinned as he unfolded his arms, entering a squatting position and concentrating on gathering the necessary energy to exact his plan. "I wonder Kakarot, if you had lived, which of us would have won in a battle…" the prince growled loudly as his veins became filled with energy. "…between two Super Saiyan 3's?!"
Vegeta screamed at the heavens, his voice being carried throughout a large portion of the planet, clouds slowly being brought towards his shining form as electricity now coursed around his form, transforming into the Super Saiyan 2 state, causing him to jump in height as he bulked up.
"Wh-what?! No way!" Krillin declared as he sensed Vegeta's energy sky rocket in an all too familiar fashion, hardly able to stay standing from the sudden surge of power, all the other Z-Fighters just as awe-struck, save Piccolo who merely smirked.
"So, that's what you were doing all that time in space, huh Vegeta?" the Namekian said with a slight laugh. The prince had left many months ago into the vastness of space so as to complete some private training, swearing that he would come back stronger than ever before. It seemed as though Vegeta had indeed done so. "We might just win after all."
"You better show him what it means to mess with us Vegeta… Give him one for me!" Bulma murmured as she looked off into the distance, hoping her son would return soon.
"Goten, do you feel that?" Trunks asked as he looked once more at the battlefield where the two immortals and Saiyan were.
"Are you kidding? I think even Hercule could feel that…" Goten responded, mouth agape. "Is that really your dad?" the teen asked, turning to his friend who smiled in response.
"Hmph. Never underestimate the Prince of all Saiyans I guess." The pair hung in the air a few moments longer, staring, before resuming their flight path and certain everything would be back to normal in no time.
The prince's throat was filled with a low growl as power began to enter his veins once more, but this time the energy was far more dense and potent. The energy began to envelop him as Vegeta's growl continued to get louder and sweat poured from his forehead.
Finally, when his lungs could bear it no more, the Saiyan began to scream, his cry of exertion reaching far and wide as his energy went through the ceiling at an alarming rate, breaking limit after known limit and sending shockwaves throughout the Earth, his signal now sensible even at the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
"There they go again," complained Old Kai as he scratched his chin after being rudely awakened from his nap by a powerful surge of energy once more. "I swear, all day energy signals have been coming from Earth like a light switch going on and off. Grr…. I'm trying to sleep here you know!" the elderly immortal yelled in the direction of Earth.
"It is odd, isn't it?" Kibitokai chimed in with a worried glance, sitting cross-legged on the green grass of the World of the Kais. "And what's even stranger is that Goku's energy signature isn't even on Earth, or Gohan's… you don't think…"
"Peh! As if anyone could kill a Super Saiyan 3 and the Guardian of The Kais! I've seen things in my time boy, but not something as strong as those Saiyans! I'm sure they're just playing a prank on us." The old coot declared and again curled up into a ball so as to return to sleep.
"If you say so, sir…" the Supreme Kai declared with some worry in his voice, looking at Earth one more time before returning to his meditation.
The Earth began to tremble as raw power spilled over its continents and cities, screaming citizens running in fear from debris and shattered glass fell from buildings as a result of the sudden earthquakes and tremors rocking the planet's core.
1 and Buu struggled to hold their ground as the winds produced pushed their bodies away from Vegeta's shining form, his screams seeming to only grow louder and scratchier with each passing second.
Down below the waves crashed and formed once again thanks to the displaced water from the prince's power increase. Beneath the waters, aquatic life swam for any cover they could find away from this enormous pressure currently pushing down on them.
In the epicentre of all the destruction stood a screaming Vegeta, his painful transformation seeming to occur in slow motion. With every passing second, he could feel his veins fill with raw power to the point he was certain they would burst as his lungs and voice box were put to the test once more.
The first time he had achieved this transformation was only a few months ago, deep within the bowels of unchartered space so as to focus without any distractions and keep any habitable planet from destruction. The prince had spent hours upon mind-numbing hours in a meditative state, searching within himself for the reservoir of power he could feel just beyond the tip of Super Saiyan 2. The prince had only gone this deep into a trance once before, when learning to control his Oozaru form. But this was beyond even that level of difficulty.
Just as the Super Saiyan was about to call it quits for the day, he felt his mind brush against something right in between the mental 'switches' for his Super Saiyan 2 and Great Ape forms. Cautiously reaching in between the two, he felt a wall shatter within his mind as the power suddenly burst forward, seeming to try and embrace and attack Vegeta at the same time, and the prince welcomed it with open arms.
However, as soon as the power came, it seemed to disappear back into the chasms of his mind, like some dog who realized it was about to be punished and now tried to find sanctuary. Vegeta would have none of it.
Instead of pulling the power up kicking and screaming to the surface, Vegeta did the exact opposite. The prince moved under the power and pushed it kicking and screaming to the surface. It felt angry and violent as soon as he touched it. Vegeta was certain him and this new power would get along just fine.
When the prince opened his eyes, he was more than pleased with the results.
Things were different though this time. Unlike in space where his mind and body had to be detached so as to properly find the key to unlocking the form, Vegeta had felt little to no pain during the transformation
The prince could now however feel every hair follicle lengthen, every muscle bulge abnormally, his eyebrows slowly fade away as his forehead jutted out and several new vertebrae slowly grow into existence so as to support Vegeta's new height. It was surreal and unbelievably painful at the same time
On the outside, the change suddenly accelerated exponentially, Vegeta's biceps ballooning once more and his hair a long, spiky mess that reached to the base of his spine while his power level took one final leap.
With a concluding scream, the winds blasted out once more before calming down slowly until the normal breeze had returned to the area and the waters below returned to their usual flow. In the skies above, thick dark clouds hung with flashes of lightning occurring every few moments as if signaling an arrival of sorts.
Vegeta opened his now green eyes to this scene with a smile, finding that Buu was currently uncovering his eyes as they adjusted to Vegeta's new violent, golden aura complete with streaks of electricity. The prince flexed his hand a few times, finding that his clothes had now been bathed in the light of his aura and seemed darker in color.
"So then, Android 1 was it?" Vegeta asked with a smirk, the machine remaining in an uneasy stance as the prince looked upon him. "What do you say we start the fourth and final round?"
"That's just… incredible…" Yamcha said with his mouth open in shock. "No matter how many times a Saiyan does that, I don't think I'll ever be used to it."
"You're telling me. But Vegeta seems to be even stronger than when Goku transformed. Must've been all that time he spent training." Krillin replied with a smile, certain that today would just be a bad mark on his calendar.
"They're back!" Dende suddenly shouted, pointing to the sky with delight. As the others turned their heads they were able to make out the shape of Goten and Trunks as they neared the sacred platform.
The pair landed to be greeted with warm smiles, Bulma running over to give her son a large hug and a gentle slap on the face. "Next time something like this happens, don't stick around!" The woman scolded her son, earning a downcast look and a nod.
Goten's reuniting with his family however, was less than happy. The moment he saw his mother and niece, they immediately opened up a space for him. With tears already forming in his eyes, the teen joined what remained of his immediate family in their time of depression. The remaining Z-Fighters stayed respectful and left the household to their moment.
Piccolo returned to viewing the horizon once more in deep thought. This day would definitely leave a scar on the Son family, and things would change. Whether or not this android was truly acting by himself was of great importance to the Namekian, as it meant there could be another villain somewhere in the shadows, maybe even with an army of these things!
"Wait, what's going on?!" the warrior suddenly said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"What's wrong Piccolo?" Dende asked worriedly, hurrying to his friend's side. "Did something happen? Is there another monster now?" The other Z-Fighters gathered around their ally quickly, so as to learn of this apparently worrying revelation.
"It's… Vegeta! Darn him!" the Namekian yelled, earning a gasp from everyone. "He's not attacking #1! He's just floating there, using up his stamina and waiting for him to do something!" The Namekian growled and looked off into the distance, speaking telepathically and out loud at the same time to the prince. "Vegeta! Just end it before he gets a chance to absorb more energy!"
And Vegeta would have gladly done so in one move if it weren't for a tiny detail: Buu. The prince's idiotic ally had been transfixed on Vegeta's new power ever since the change, staring at him intently, dazzled by the display of colours and electricity.
Getting caught up in the wonder of the form, Majin Buu had lost his focus on his opponent, making the surprise all the greater.
An ivory hand suddenly latched onto Buu's cranium with a vice-like grip. "Power absorption at 100% percent speed." The machine declared with his monotone voice.
"No!" Vegeta yelled in defiance, raising his arm and firing hundreds of golden blasts, not caring if Buu was hit anymore; the tub of lard would just have to be wished back with everyone else!
It was of no use, however, for every blast that went through, a wound was healed at a quickening pace as new energy entered 1's body at an escalating speed. Buu however was experiencing an opposite effect. Slowly, his consciousness left him and his view became murkier and murkier while more energy exited his body. The monster struggled with every ounce of waning strength he had, trying to remove the android's hand from his forehead, only to lose more power in the process.
Vegeta managed to get a lucky hit in however, blasting off the machine's wrist, only for 1's other hand to pop out of seemingly nowhere and grab onto Buu's arm. The pudgy menace finally ceased his struggling when his eyes could no longer remain open. Slowly, Buu's outer layer changed from its normally happy pink to a dull grey as his cells were drained dry of every last drop of energy.
The machine finally let go, letting the monster fall to the ocean below only for his grey corpse to turn to ash and blow into the wind midway silently. Buu's cape, gloves and boots crashing into the ocean with a small splash as they slowly sank into the blue waters.
Back on The Lookout, Uub suddenly jutted up with an ear scathing scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! AAAAAAHHHHHH!" the boy choked out as his mind felt like it was being pummeled by ten thousand rhinos. As quickly as Uub had awakened, however, he fell back to the world of slumber with sweat glistening on his forehead.
"What was that about?" Hercule asked rhetorically, not expecting a response. Somehow, however, he had a burning sensation in the bottom of his gut that this had something to do with his best friend. Hearing a quiet whimpering sound behind him, the elderly man turned around to find his equally elderly dog, Bee looking up at him with seemingly teary eyes. Kneeling down, the man began to pet the canine whilst reassuring it. "Don't worry, boy, I'm sure Buu is fine. He's invincible after all. This'll all blow over, I'm sure." The last part however was more to assure the champ than his hound.
"D-damn it." Piccolo growled, lowering his head and his fists shaking.
"No way. He… he killed Buu." Krillin said with mouth agape but staying quiet enough so that only those around him heard with the exception of Hercule.
"But Buu was invincible… he came back from almost everything…. What the heck is this guy?" Yamcha mumbled in a panicked state.
"We're going to Plan D." Piccolo simply stated, turning around and grabbing hold of Trunks' shoulder dragging the teen with him along with his complaints. "Goten, you're coming too." The Namekian commanded.
The boy looked at his family for a moment, contemplating and then slowly nodded while getting up to leave his still teary-eyed kin.
"Wh-what are you going to do with them?" Chi-Chi asked, distraught but feeling too weak to stop the Namekian.
"I just need them to invite an old friend of ours over." Piccolo replied as he and the two boys entered one of the many dark rooms of the Lookout, an eerie feeling seeming to follow them as the others watched with confusion.
The world around 1 and Vegeta became quiet as they stared each other down. 1 had finally returned to his original energy levels yet was still below Vegeta in terms of raw power, skill and experience. But the prince knew that mattered little when fighting this menace. Gohan had still been a decent amount stronger than himself with his mystic form yet the monster had managed to tire him out.
Vegeta would need to stay focused and wait for a humungous opening, so as to fire off all his energy in one attack. That would most likely be the only way to get rid of this thing for good. To do that, however, he would need to fight the machine while keeping his distance, not firing unnecessary energy blasts and keep contact time with the android to a minimum, lest he gain even more energy.
This left the prince with a rather large handicap, not to his liking.
"Hear me now machine," Vegeta began with his husky voice. "Today you have stolen the lives of my rival and two of my allies, as well as putting the peace we have long sought for at risk. Normally I would relish any challenge, but you are no fighter. No, you are an abomination upon this world. You fight without honour or glory, without any conviction even! You say you're not doing this of your own will, which means that you are truly so weak that you can't even fight an old man who told you to do something!" 1 remained silent throughout the speech, searching for a moment where Vegeta might let his guard down but listening at the same time, the words hitting harder than Vegeta knew.
"You and your pathetic android kind are a plague upon this world, wanting to only destroy and kill, and I've had more than enough of it." Vegeta's eyes narrowed as his power jumped for a moment. "Today I will end Gero's line of creations once and for all! Once I'm done with you, I'll go find the fool's blasted lab and wipe every last molecule of it off the face of the Earth."
The world shook once more as the beings stared one another down while the sky seemed to grow even darker, each ready to end it at a moment's notice. 1, however, seemed to have something to say.
"It is true that my level of power and will is below average, or 'weak' as you say, but do not speak ill of my creator. He has had no part in my change of programming. I apologize for all I have done and will do today, however, you should be informed that Android #20, not Dr. Gero, is responsible for all that has occurred." With his message over, the machine watched Vegeta's reaction, only to be surprised when the prince smiled.
"I never was one for mind games, but I thought you would at least try. No more words. I'm going to send you to the scrap pile where you belong."
With no more disputes left to say between each other, the battle finally began. The beings crossed the space between each other in a blink of an eye, their fists meeting in the middle with a cacophonous shockwave following, ripples of energy were sent across the Earth as a strike of lightning flashed behind them.
Vegeta suddenly pulled back and performed a cartwheel kick to the machine's chin with pinpoint accuracy, sending 1 flying off into the sky. Taking aim, the prince fired off a series of small but powerful yellow blasts that crashed into the machine's form with a resounding explosion that lit up the sky.
1 was quick to recover, however, and came soaring back down at the prince with his fist reared back. The machine's punch met Vegeta's block in the form of a cross-arm guard. The prince unexpectedly dropped his defences and jumped to the side. Using the android's momentum, Vegeta grabbed the machine's arm as he flew forward and tossed him towards the horizon. Not letting 1 get too far, Vegeta appeared ahead of 1's flight trajectory and landed a solid kick on his back, sending the machine tumbling downwards.
Android #1 however turned abruptly, facing upwards now, and fired a large blast of energy that caught Vegeta by surprise and hit the prince in the gut hard, winding the Super Saiyan 3. Down below, 1 crashed into the waters once more, only to see a recovered Vegeta prepare an immensely large ball of energy.
Vegeta had had it with the sea continuously being used to 1's advantage, so he thought it best to remove a portion of it. With a loud growl of effort, the prince chucked the attack away from Android 1 so that he could not absorb it.
The area was suddenly filled with an ear-piercing hiss as gallons of water evaporated into the sky, adding to the already thick, black clouds. They could hold no more water vapour, and the battle grounds were suddenly bombarded with heavy water droplets from the sky.
As the water turned back to steam upon contact with his aura, Vegeta looked down to see the now uncovered soil of the ocean floor down below, a large section of the area now seemingly a barren, muddy wasteland of dead fish and sea life. Sticking out like a sore thumb stood Android 1 in the centre, looking up at Vegeta expectantly.
It seemed as though the machine was expecting some sort of follow up attack.
Vegeta would give it to him.
The prince suddenly unleashed a torrent of golden blasts upon the android below, lighting up a trail of smoke as the machine moved west as fast as possible so as to avoid the onslaught. A lucky blast hit, however, and 1 was abruptly covered with explosions of untold magnitude from every angle.
A large cloud of disturbed earth and steam began to form, obscuring the android from sight in a matter of moments, yet Vegeta continued to pour more energy into his rapid assault. Behind him however, a mangled Android 1 silently appeared, slowly stitching himself together automatically and moving in closer behind the Super Saiyan 3.
The machine stretched his hand out towards Vegeta's shoulder, entering his Super Saiyan 3 aura, 1's fingers only a few inches from contact when the warrior unexpectedly sensed a change in his aura and ceased his blasting, abruptly spinning around and delivering a harsh kick to 1's face, sending the android careening off into the distance.
Vegeta blasted off to follow the android, appearing above his opponent's outstretched form and prepared a punch to send him crashing into the ground below, only for 1 to catch the prince's telegraphed blow and deliver his own to Vegeta's stomach, knocking the prince back and giving the two some space.
The long-haired Super Saiyan glared angrily at his foe. His last attack had been too sloppy, and it had cost him. Vegeta had not been able to train properly in this form yet and the famous stamina drain Kakarot had spoken of was beginning to take hold.
Pushing those thoughts away, Vegeta leapt forward and distributed several well-placed kicks and punches to the machine's abdomen and face, ending off his small combo with an energy blast to the face.
While the machine was dazed and in repair, Vegeta prepared one of his signature moves from close range. Putting one stiff hand before him, the prince readied a small cobalt orb of condensed ki, the attack crackling with power. "Big Bang Attack!" Vegeta yelled and fired the ball without hesitation, the sphere sending Android 1 back a good distance yet again before the orb erupted in an explosion that shook the planet from Diablo Desert to Anembo Island and resulting in a blinding light that could be seen for a many miles around.
The light slowly died down, but 1's energy was still very prominent as far as Vegeta could tell. These attacks were getting him nowhere, and he knew it. The prince would need to deal some sort of finishing blow and soon before his stamina was sapped from him completely.
The veil of smoke finally lifted and 1 seemed to be no worse for wear, most repairs already complete. Unfortunately for Vegeta, the machine was becoming more and more certain that this fight would go to him. Unless he gave the prince some form of an opening, 1 was sure to win... but try as he might it seemed as though he had exhausted his newly found loophole to the limit.
It seemed the machine wouldn't be given a chance to think things over when Vegeta came rushing in, fist reared back and screaming.
1 managed to put up a guard causing Vegeta's fist to collide with the creature's forearm, sending out a gigantic shockwave and devastating the muddy land around them. The machine countered with a knee to the gut that Vegeta managed to block with his free hand and then used the elbow of his attacking arm to bash in the android's face, only for the monster to move his head to the side and counter with a punch aimed at Vegeta's ribs, but the blow did'nt connect and the machine's hand was instead forced away by Vegeta's knee.
The pair began to connect and block blows at an increasing pace, their bodies becoming blurs to the average eye as their forms streaked across the skies with explosive shockwaves being sent out every few moments when their attacks connected.
Suddenly the Earth was shaken once more as the pair's fists met midair, abruptly stalling their sky battle as they entered a stalemate.
Both pushed their fists against their opponent's as hard as they could, Vegeta growling in exertion and 1 staring back emotionlessly with his disguised optical sensors.
The prince began to realize that this machine was not only sapping away his strength with every moment of contact, but also figuring out his attack patterns little by little. Vegeta was at least lucky his gloves slowed the absorption process a tad, but it was a small help. The prince knew that every moment he remained in contact with this thing, the less his chances of victory were. He would need to end this soon.
Suddenly jumping back, Vegeta surprised the machine with a harsh kick to the face only for 1 to reply to a jab to the prince's groin, forcing the warrior back as he growled in pain and covered his fresh bruise.
Following up the harsh blow, 1 fired a blast of ivory energy from close range that managed to connect with the prince's face, scorching it and throwing up some dark smoke. Vegeta quickly flexed his aura so as to clear the smog only to find his opponent rushing at him, fist reared back. The punch was fired quickly only for Vegeta to raise his arm and block with his forearm, buckling slightly under the strain.
Refusing to show weakness the Saiyan delivered a roundhouse to the monster's chin and a heavy punch to his stomach. With the android momentarily occupied, the prince interlocked his fingers and brought his hands down harshly upon the machine's head with a resounding thud.
The machine was sent barreling down at Mach 1, crashing into the thick ground with tremors emerging along the earth, his crater in the middle of a larger hole.
Not one to waste time, Vegeta prepared an energy ball as quickly as possible. Throwing the ball with a large chunk of energy, the attack hit the Earth in no time, sending out entire earthquakes, activating car alarms and shaking the planet's populace with fear once more.
The explosion could be seen from space itself with little need of attempting to look closer. The heat generated by the attack reached higher than that of any fire as the dome of energy continued to extend and widen the once small crater, soon taking up the space of an entire city. The attack ended with one final explosion, for as far as the eye could see there was nothing but light and raw power.
Slowly, the heat and the energy of Vegeta's attack died down, a colossal mushroom cloud rising from the now unbelievably large basin that was now the space's predominant feature.
"Let's see… you get up from that… you piece of scrap." Vegeta said with many huffs and puffs in his voice. The prince's lungs were on fire, his arms were beginning to pain in areas without bruises and his heart seemed to be on an unstoppable drumming session. This new form was slowly killing him, he could feel it. That last attack had taken up a large portion of his energy, more than necessary most likely, but it was worth it to get the job done.
Vegeta's mouth suddenly became agape in shock, however. "No! It-it can't be!" the prince declared, his hand balling into a fist and his nails digging into his palm so deep, blood began to seep through it.
1 was still very much alive, but not without being worse for wear. No one is truly indestructible, even the likes of a Majin, whether altered or not. The healing abilities, while life-saving, are extremely painful and while stamina may be limitless, power is not. To survive that last blast, 1 also had to use up a decent portion of his own energy. While he had the luxury of not feeling pain, he could tell he would most likely be screaming blue murder right now if he could.
His body was a mangled mess to say the least. 1's once bulky form was now a droopy mess, his white flesh literally dripping off his remaining arm, if you could call it that, his legs were nothing more than a puddle that now attached his abdomen to the ground and his face was pulpy mess.
Yet, his ancestral magic did its work and slowly yet surely his atoms were once again restored to their rightful place and states. It took longer than usual, but 1 was back on his feet soon enough.
"That's… that's impossible!" the Super Saiyan 3 yelled with ferocity, not believing his eyes. The android began to walk forward slowly, apparently ready for more, when suddenly Vegeta noticed something: 1 was no longer moving smoothly and human-like, but instead his body seemed to be convulsing and stopping at some points.
Vegeta gave no smirk. This was his last chance, the attack for all the marbles. If he failed now, it was all over, his family, friends and the people of Earth, they would all die. It was his burden to stop this thing now.
The prince spread his arms, gathering crackling energy in both hands, lightning and rain beginning to up in anti as Vegeta poured more focus into his final attack. He needed to get this just right. Too much power and the planet would be destroyed, too little and 1 would just walk it off again.
Down below, 1 was giving it all, not to move, but to do the opposite in fact. He had scrapped together what tiny fractions of free will he had and forced it into his limbs, telling them to stop, to give up. If Vegeta wasn't going to stop him, then Android 1 would just do it himself, and hopefully die trying.
The Lookout was now too feeling the effects of Vegeta's power, any who could sense ki struggling to not to fall over from the tremendous pressure and those who couldn't noticing a large cluster of clouds in the distance as they tried to maintain balance against the tremors on the tower.
Inside, Piccolo was sweating bullets, not having time to divert his attention to Vegeta's actions but allowed himself one mental message. 'Vegeta… you'd better know what you're doing, or else you're just doing this thing's job for it.' Breathing out deeply to calm his nerves, Piccolo turned back to Trunks and Goten, "No, no, no! Keep your fingers straight!"
"Vegeta… please be careful…" Bulma quietly mumbled to herself, falling on her knees and silently sobbing in worry.
Vegeta smirked, his attack almost ready. 'Don't worry Namekian, I've helped save the Earth before and I'll do it again… but on the off chance I fail, you know what to tell my family.' With his short message over, the prince put his game face back on, scowling at #1 who was now seemingly slowly rising towards him.
"This is it machine! It is time you pay for what you've done! You will go to the grave a weakling and a pathetic excuse for an opponent! You toppled giants by slitting their throats when they weren't looking! But I see you here and now, and it shall be the last of it, till we meet in hell!" Vegeta brought his hands together abruptly, a large sphere of crackling, golden energy forming in moments. Taking precise aim, Vegeta prepared to end it all with one last show of fireworks.
"FINAL FLASH!" Faster than anyone could blink, the golden wall of energy streaked across the horizon, leaving roar in its wake as it sped towards the planet, the hopes of all the Z-Fighters resting on it.
Like a train smacking into a fly, the attack struck 1 with dead accuracy, pushing the machine back down into the depths of the crater, threatening to puncture the Earth's crust, only for a screaming Vegeta to force the blast towards a ninety-degree angle, forcing it off into the horizon, the attack's speed allowing it to pass off the Earth's curvature and into the darkness of space, the Final Flash only losing its last limps of energy as it narrowly passed Pluto, its remnants sprinkling onto the distant planet like fairy dust.
Back on the third planet from the sun, Vegeta fell to the ground, reverting down the line of Super Saiyan transformations as he went along, pain and exhaustion consuming his body. The prince landed with two soft thuds, panting heavily but a smile on his face.
1's energy signature was nowhere to be seen, or had been reduced to such a miniscule amount that he wouldn't be a danger to even a normal human. Sighing in relaxation, the prince allowed himself to drop his smile and his guard.
But only for a moment.
Vegeta's ears jumped a familiar wooshing sound, the prince pushed himself up, doing a summersault in the air, and landed a few feet away on hand and knee, panting.
Where his face had been moments ago was now a deep hole. Occupying said hole was 1's distorted fist. Looking upwards, Vegeta found that his opponent had apparently not been killed, but had been severed clean in half. Vegeta's attempts to save the planet had cost him, as apparently the job had only been half done, which in this case meant nothing.
Moments prior, when hit with the Final Flash, the force had been so great it had knocked 1 back upon first contact and smashed into him a second time after his body had been sent spinning, landing on the machine's form when it was parallel to the attack instead of facing it head on like originally planned.
His power also had not dropped due to the fact he had no time to use any of it, the remaining energy of Vegeta's attack had merely masked his own energy signal momentarily.
Vegeta, of course, knew none of this. All he knew, was that his life would most likely end very soon, evidenced by the fact that 1 had already repaired most of the damage, the monster's fist already back to normal.
'Bulma… Trunks… Bra…' Vegeta began in his mind, slowly forcing himself up and hoping his family would somehow hear him. 'I won't be coming back, at least I don't think so. I've lived a good life, and you've all made it that much better… thank you for all that you've done, and goodbye.'
With his message over, Vegeta forced himself back into the Super Saiyan 3 form, the pain unbelievably excruciating... but he didn't care; he was going to die, so he might as well end it in a form that showed his success as a warrior.
The prince rushed forward with a fist reared back, screaming his final scream.
1 didn't want to do it, but his programming as usual didn't care. The android grabbed Vegeta's hand harshly and thrusted the Saiyan into the ground with a vulgar smash, rocks being thrown up.
It was clear that Vegeta had lost far too much power to put up a challenge anymore, even in his highest form. But that didn't faze him. The prince reached out of his crater, grabbing hold of 1's wrist as he hard as he could. "Get your hands off me, you pathetic excuse for toilet paper."
As a response, Vegeta was smashed into another piece of land harshly, this time the taste of metal entering his mouth. With little time to recover, Vegeta was smashed once more, this time held by the leg.
Again and again, over and over the Saiyan's body was tossed around like a rag doll, each blow knocking off more of Vegeta's life force and his mind becoming murkier as blood began to pour from a cut on his forehead.
Suddenly Vegeta felt the back of his head being grabbed, his face now being pummeled into the soil of the gigantic crater that had been created with his body.
Little by little, Vegeta saw his life flash before his eyes, one image for every bash in the head. He had indeed changed, going from a ruthless space pirate and mass murderer to a loving yet strict father and husband. Fate may have given him a good hand for all his misdeeds, but now it appeared fate wanted its payment.
Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, died once more on the same day as his rival and his rival's son. He had fought to the bitter, bloody end, even when his lungs had been punctured and his face a gory mess. His body was left not too far from Gohan's, his attack barely missing the man's corpse. He died not a psychopath like many saw him to be, but a warrior as many less knew him to be.
His silent words within his mind were carried to a single little girl upon the Earth's highest place, a final reminder to her that in her short life, she did indeed have a loving father despite what others would say.
"Daddy?"
Q&A:
Q: Anyway, he seems to have lost a lot of power as well, so I get the feeling he won't be able to take Vegeta... and if he doesn't want to fight, then why is he coming up with clever stratagems mid-fight, like hitting Gohan with those hovering energy balls when he wasn't paying attention? Is it because of the self-preservation protocols?
A: This chapter should have covered that question nicely... I hope.
Q: Nice but are there any clues to what happens to android 1 and what's the future of Goku will he be restored was he ready when the android attacked or was he powered down and it made it seem easy for the android to kill him?
A: Sorry, but I'm not going to give away all of the story. And as for 1 vs. Goku, Goku was indeed in base and 1 has a basic power level of about a regular Super Saiyan 3… so yeah.
