Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Dragonball Z. The amazing Akria Toriyama does. I only own the plot and my own characters

Absalom

Chapter 7

As Goku and company speculated about what was going to happen next, Hollo, himself, had finally had enough of watching events unfold. He realised that to claim Absalom, he would have to the dirty work himself. But he was actually looking forward to for a good fight. One of these fighters was certainly the one who defeated Frieza.

"Which ever one it is," He thought, "It would be fun to see what they have."

Finally, with a nod, Hollo turned and headed out of the ship. It was time to present himself to his foes.

Outside, despite their worries about what was in store, the Z warriors and the residents of Planet Absalom were taking advantage of the lull. All except for Vegeta and Piccolo who were standing guard. Bardock wanted to know what happened between Frieza and Goku. He knew that the event would happen thanks to the psychic powers he received before his death. But he wanted to hear the details that his foresight didn't give him. Proudly, Goku told his father exactly what he wanted to know. As he spoke, Kayla rested a hand on Bardock's leg, feeling his skin under her fingertips and listening to her son.

"At one point, he held me under water by standing on my head," Goku told them, "I had this image of him going to earth and killing my friends. That caused me to explode and got at him with everything I had!"

"Tell your dad about the Spirit Bomb, Goku." Krillin smiled eagerly.

"Then about how you became a super saiyan." Gohan added.

Now Bardock was very interested. He and the other dead saiyans had seen Goku transform from Hell but it still didn't feel real. He wanted to know how it came about and how it felt.

But before Goku could tell Bardock what he wanted to hear, Vegeta suddenly flew straight up in to the air and stopped high about the village. His movements made everyone turn and look up at him, putting the entire population on alert.

"We've got company!" He called down.

On the horizon, they could see a new figure flying towards them. There was no mistaking who it was. Vegeta landed again and watched with the others as the figure got closer. Goku and his team lined up as the residents of Absalom poured back in to the caves. Shinto and Gem helped Kayla to her feet intending to take her deeper in to her cave. But the saiyaness had other plans.

"I'm going nowhere," She demanded, "I will not leave my family."

"Kayla, please, get back," Bardock warned, "At least get out of sight. We can handle this."

Kayla wanted to argue but when she looked in Bardock's eyes, she saw the same look he gave her the last time they saw each other. He was trying to protect her and asking her to trust him. Eventually, she nodded in agreement. Just like the old days, he took her hand and softly kissed the back. Then Kayla allowed Shinto and Gem to help her away. Now Bardock could focus.

When Hollo landed in front of the Z Warriors, they were a bit surprised by what they were presented with. Those expecting an ugly creature with bizarre features were absolutely wrong. What they were looking at was a tall, athletic strong body dressed in white armour. Underneath the armour he wore a dark blue shirt and tight black pants. A long tan cape covered his body from his shoulders to his ankles, where a pair of leather boots were. Then they saw his face. He had dark brown hair, perfectly styled, bright blue eyes and a confident smile. To the likes of Bulma, he was a very handsome man. But in his eyes, it was clear he wasn't a good man.

"So you are Hollo." Goku said, his voice deep with gravity.

"Correct," Hollo was very well spoken, increasing his menacing appearance, "And may I say I am very impressed that all six of you managed to defeat my men."

"You should've hired better men," Vegeta sneered, rather teasingly.

"Vegeta's right," Bardock smirked, "That wasn't even fun."

Since arriving, Hollo looked insulted. How dare they mock him. But his loss of confidence was only brief.

"Well, I can assure you," He replied, silkily, "They are no reflection on my fighting abilities. Now, which of you was the one who defeated Frieza?"

Interested to know why that mattered, Goku stepped forward.

"That would be me."

"Ah, the famous Goku."

Goku just stared. Hollo didn't need vocal confirmation. He knew who he was looking at. Satisfied he'd found his man, Hollo removed his cape and threw it away.

"Excellent, I was hoping we'd meet so that I could fight a worthy opponent."

Goku wasn't so amused. "You could have just looked for me. You didn't have to threaten these people."

"Ah, but I did. For you see, I wanted this planet for myself many years ago. I searched a very long time for a planet especially for me and my army to use as a base. I would be the most formidable emperor this galaxy has ever seen. But that bitch of a saiyan beat me to this planet. So, now I wish to claim it."

"What took you so long?"

"I had to build an army to quash any resistance first. It did well for Frieza so why not me?"

"You're a bully," Gohan called, "You could've gone after any other planet when you realised that there were people living here. Yet you decided to put these people through hell again."

Hollo just chuckled at Gohan labelling him a bully.

"That's rich coming from a half breed saiyan. You Saiyans slaughtered millions of innocent people and you're calling me a bully. I've given these people time to leave this planet. Saiyans didn't do that."

"Enough talking," Vegeta snapped, "Are you two fighting or not?"

"Ah, of course. Are we ready Goku?"

"Let's do this."

But, just as the two opponents took their fighting stances…

"Hold it!" Bardock suddenly barked.

While Hollo had been talking, Bardock had been listening intently and was now furious. Hollo had attacked and harmed Kayla just to make a point. And to make things worse, he couldn't be bothered to do the work himself. Then he had the front to smear the saiyan name. In front of a shocked group of fighters, the scarred warrior stepped forward alongside Goku, clearly wanting to fight instead of his son.

"Father," Goku insisted, "I can handle this."

"I don't doubt that, Kakarot. But it's my mate he's threatening. I should've been here to protect her. I want to destroy this bastard myself."

Goku stared at his father, concerned. Bardock may have once been one of the most powerful saiyans on Planet Vegeta but he was still dead and had been for a long time. There was risk that Hollo would be too much for the older saiyan and he'd be crushed. Bardock could see the look in Goku's eyes. He just smiled confidently.

"Don't concern yourself," He stated, "I've not been wasting the years away. I have enough to the job."

Still not completely sure, Goku finally gave in and stepped back to his friends as Bardock squared off to Hollo. The handsome enemy stared, surprised by the developments.

"Bardock, I presume. Well, it's admirable for you to protect your mate's honour but it will be in vain. You'll be back in the underworld when I'm through."

"Shut up talking! Let's get on with it!"

To make the point, Bardock pushed off the ground and flew at full speed to Hollo. He was so quick that he disappeared and reappeared in the blink of an eye. Before Hollo knew, a boot connected with his face, sending him flying with the force. But, it was a brief loss of composure. Hollo brought himself to a stop, turned and glared angrily at Bardock. Then the two opponents flew at each other and began exchanging blows. They moved themselves higher in to the sky to give themselves more room. The rest of Z Warriors looked upwards and watched as the fight unfolded. Despite being dead, there was no sense of fragility from Bardock. He was fighting as if he had never been away. Hollo, however, was proving that he wasn't just talk. He too had great skills, giving Bardock a tougher fight than first imagined.

"Wow," Krillin said, "Bardock is really going for it. Easy to see where you get it from, Goku."

"Yeah," Gohan added, "It's amazing."

"But he's not plagued with over confidence like you, Kakarot," Vegeta pointed out, "That's how a real saiyan warrior fights."

Deep inside the cave, Kayla could hear the fighting overhead. Each blow was causing the caves to shake like an earthquake. She had seen Bardock replace Goku to face Hollo and was keen to see her mate fight. She glanced round to see that Shinto was wrapped up trying to keep the rest of Absalom calm. Seeing her opportunity and using every bit of strength left, she stood up and, using the wall of the cave for support, steadily made her way to the entrance of the cave.

Meanwhile, the fighting was building in intensity. Neither fighter was prepared to back down yet. There was no sign of either gaining the upper hand. Despite the power behind each blow, both fighters hadn't caused any damage to the other. But, there was more going on than could be seen. Frustrated, Hollo finally stopped fighting and glared at Bardock. He was made angrier when he saw Bardock smirking.

"How is this happening? I cannot lay a finger on you." He demanded.

"Easy, you and I seem to be even." Bardock replied, not fazed at all.

Hollo didn't reply. He was furious that someone other than the famous Goku rivalled him. But why was Bardock still confident.

"However, we are not equal." Bardock added.

"Bardock's been holding back." Piccolo relayed to the others.

Surprised, they all turned to the Namekian. By this point, Kayla had finally reached the edge of the cave. Seeing his injured mother, Goku went to her and supported as she looked up at Bardock floating high above.

"He's still as brilliant as ever." She sighed.

Back in the air, Hollo could feel a new sensation coursing through him. Fear. Surely, Bardock was just bluffing. But Hollo wasn't prepared to show his fear.

"Well then," He sneered, "Go all out. I dare you!"

Bardock smirked then dropped back to prepare for what was to come. He began powering up, the roar of his voice filled the air, echoing around the valley. The ground began shaking and the sky darkened as lightening flashed across it. The Earth fighters realised what Bardock was doing.

"No way!" Vegeta called in surprise and annoyance.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Krillin asked, shouting.

Suddenly, it was like the saiyan warrior was on fire. For Goku, it was like looking in a mirror. In front of a shocked audience, Bardock floated in the sky, his hair golden, standing on end, eyes blue and the gold aura around him. The father of Goku was a super saiyan too.

The gold aura that radiated from Bardock's new super saiyan form was almost blinding as Hollo and the Z-Warriors stared in shock. Hollo in particular didn't know what to think. He had not seen anything like this.

"What is this?" He asked, "Explain yourself."

Bardock smirked, "This is a form that was sacred amongst my people. When I was boy, stories of a warrior of immense power and speed were told throughout. They said one day this mighty force would rise up and redeem the pride of the saiyan race."

Hollo stood, wide eyed, believing he had heard this too.

"Then one day, your pal Frieza met his end at the hands of one such warrior, my son Kakarot. Now, I have achieved this level. I am what we call a super saiyan.

There was a pause as Bardock glared.

"And I going to use it to rip you apart!"

Taking advantage of Hollo's stunned state, Bardock darted at him and punched him hard in the face, smashing his nose and sending him back. The power from the super saiyan was suddenly overwhelming.

From below, the Z Warriors were all watching, hope building. Now they could see that Hollo couldn't hold out much longer. Bardock was taking the power of a super saiyan in his stride, like he was meant to reach this level. Kayla watched in astonishment as she leaned on Goku. Mother and Son were smiling to each other at what was going on.

"This is better than I dared to believe," Kayla smiled, teary eyed, "I was terrified that Hollo would be unbeatable."

"I think any of us would've been more than a match for him," Goku agreed, "But seeing dad take him seems right."

"One last fight for a seasoned warrior." Gohan summed up.

Everyone seemed to agree with that sentiment.

After a series of punches and kicks, Bardock finally swooped back to assess what damage he had caused. Hollo was now covered in cuts and bruises and blood was smeared on his skin. His once immaculate clothes were torn and tattered. His breathing was laboured and his eyes were wide with desperation.

"Your time is up," Bardock stated, "You are going to pay for what you did to my mate."

"Look, what if we come to some sort of arrangement?"

"There is no way for you can smooth talk you way out of this."

Finally, Bardock flew at Hollo, punched him, sending him flying backward. Bardock then flew over the top, grabbed Hollo from behind and kneed him in the back. Lastly, he clasped his hands together and bashed Hollo to the ground. Hollo crashed hard in to the ground and just lay there groaning. His body was completely broken. Bardock hovered overhead, staring. He knew what he had to do next.

"For the first time," he called to Hollo, "I will take no pleasure in this. But if I don't kill you now, you could come back and attack this planet and its people."

"NO! Father don't do it!" Goku suddenly called up.

Bardock glanced down, confused.

"You've made your point! Show this guy some mercy."

"I wish I could Kakarot. But at what point did you see him show your mother or these innocent people mercy? Besides, I'm already condemned to hell for the number of lives I've taken. One more won't make a difference."

Silence fell across the planet. Goku glanced down at his mother, staring up at Bardock, and realised that his father was right. He nodded, giving Bardock the signal. In a flash, Bardock charged and released his ultimate attack then it was all over. The seasoned warrior closed his eyes and returned to his base state. Although he had won, he couldn't help feeling empty. He knew what was coming next.