Disclaimer: All rights to the names "Ranma" and "Dragonball" belong solely to Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama respectively. I make no profit whatsoever in writing this story.
Author's Note: Almost done here. I want to thank all those who have read and reviewed, it has been a pleasure. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!
--
Power Levels
King Chapa: 34
Chi-Chi: 79
Master Roshi: 139
Cyber Tao: 160
Chaouz: 141
Yamcha: 177
Yamcha (Spirit Ball): 220
Ranma (Girl): 145
Ranma (Guy): 185
Ranma (Hiryu Shoten Ha): 233
Krillen: 206
Krillen (Kamehameha): 225
Tien (holding back): 155
Tien (serious): 260
Tien 1: 65
Tien 2: 65
Tien 3: 65
Tien 4: 65
Kami: 275 (He referred to the other original half, the weaker half. Piccolo Daimou young maxed at 260 and got beat by Goku. Kami owned this same Goku thus the power level. He is weaker than the new, current Piccolo though.)
Goku (weighted clothes): 260
Goku (w/o weighted clothes): 304
Goku (Kamehameha): 345
Piccolo (weighted clothes): 280
Piccolo (w/o weighed clothes): 302
Piccolo (Bakurikimaha): 340
Piccolo (Explosion): 550
--
Both Ranma and Tien rushed out onto the tournament sight where they were greeted by Krillen and Yamcha. The majority of the crowd had already run away after finding out Piccolo's true identity.
The only people present were the ones who participated in the tournament, Master Roshi, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, Chi-Chi and the announcer.
At once, Krillen and Yamcha were relieved to find that Ranma was all right.
"Hey, you look much better. I guess Tien was able to get those Sensu beans, right?" asked Yamcha.
"Yeah. Got me cured pretty quick. I mean, it was a good thing 'cause I don't want to have to miss the fight of the century here!" said Ranma with glee.
"It is more than just that. Goku is fighting for the sake of the entire world." Called out a voice from behind them. At once, the fighters turned to find Kami at their midst. Yamcha and Krillen went into their defensive stances but Tien calmed them at once.
"Show him so reverence. This man is not Piccolo. He is Kami, Guardian of Earth. He has come down to witness the battle at hand." Informed Tien knowingly.
"Are you sure? He looks just like Piccolo." Said Krillen who was not too convinced.
Kami nodded his head as he smiled, with a bit of fang showing from his mouth. It really unnerved Krillen.
"You have nothing to fear from me. Tien is right. I am the current Guardian of Earth though I can understand your apprehension. You see, Piccolo and I are of the same mind, body and soul. When I wished to become Guardian, I was forced to purge all evil from my very being. That evil manifested itself into that Demon, Piccolo. Goku defeated him three years ago but alas, I knew it was not over for Piccolo had given birth to offspring before his death. As such, my life was preserved but now, we confront a foe in which the world has never known before." Informed Kami.
"I see. So if Goku kills Piccolo, then…"
"Yes, Yamcha, I will die. That is the sacrifice I am willing to take for the safety of this world." Said Kami.
"Then, who will replace you?" asked Ranma, who was quiet curious over the state of affairs.
"Why, I would hope that Goku would take my stead for he is a selfless young man who has nothing but good intentions for everyone. He would make a great guardian." Said Kami.
As soon as this was finished, there was a great crash and dust flew about the arena.
"Let us go join the others. We need to keep their safety in mind just in case things get out of hand." Said Kami.
"Then let us go." Replied Tien as the warriors all went to join the others.
--
Piccolo stepped out of the crater that he inadvertently created with not much damage on his person. He was grinning like there was no tomorrow as a small trickle of purple blood began to stream from his mouth.
"Not bad Goku. I did not think you would be able to make sweat, let alone bleed." Said Piccolo haughtily as he cracked his neck, getting himself back in shape.
"Yeah, I have been practicing that move for a long time already. I'm glad that it worked!" said Goku with a goofy smile on his face, which only served to piss Piccolo off.
"Well, that was a lucky shot! You won't be having any more of those." Said Piccolo as he vanished from sight.
"Then I have no choice but to prove you wrong." Replied Goku, who suddenly got serious and vanished along with Piccolo.
At once they started to fight once more though they could hardly be seen. They would collide at one point, in which there would be a resounding boom as contact was made and their figures would appear for a split second before they would vanish once more and continue fighting at supersonic speeds.
As they fought, Goku began to feel the first pangs of fatigue. Using zanzuken for such an extended amount of time was very taxing on the body and Goku knew that he could not sustain it much longer. He did not know whether Piccolo was beginning to tire as well or not but he was not about to continue this battle of attrition.
When they attempted to collide once more, Goku made a very risky move. He knew that if he missed timed this move, it would leave him wide open for anything Piccolo could throw at him. But he had to do it.
So, instead of meeting Piccolo's attack head on and clashing once more, Goku merely stopped and dropped his guard, hoping that it would throw Piccolo off.
Piccolo, not expecting this, hesitated for just a split second; a second so minute that it would not be noticeable to the normal eye.
But at the speeds they were fighting at, it was enough for Goku to capitalize. He immediately knocked ducked Piccolo's hesitant punch and made a strong gut punch to Piccolo's gut.
Piccolo felt all the air in his body suddenly leave him. His diaphragm felt as if it would explode out of his body, so powerful the punch. His fanged mouth opened as a small bit of purple blood escaped from it.
Goku punched once more, knocking what little wind was left out of Piccolo's body before using a double axe handle to slam Piccolo in the back and knock him back down the arena.
As Piccolo was going earth bound, Goku began to pull his arms back and cup his hands.
"Kame-"
Piccolo recovered just in time to avoid crash landing on the arena floor once more. He cursed himself for being hesitant, knowing that if only he had followed through regardless of whether Goku dropped his guard or not he would have had an open shot.
"Hame-"
Piccolo suddenly sensed a massive amount of ki being gathered towards Goku. Piccolo knew that Goku was planning to finish this. He began to charge his own ki.
"HA!"
Goku unleashed a strong, blue beam that went on a path of destruction towards Piccolo. Piccolo's body began to glow yellow as he waited for the blue beam to close in.
"Bakurikimaha! (Destructive Wave)" roared Piccolo as he launched two palms into the air, separated at shoulder's width, then pulling them together with one hand supporting the other, and unleashed a huge yellow beam to counter the blue beam.
There was an impressive light show as both beams collided with each other, causing a great deal of turbulence.
"Oh my gosh folks! Never have I seen such a sight, what a battle! This is certainly the best fight I have ever witnessed even though it is not official! I wish I had a video camera on me so that I could record this!" roared the announcer at a nearly non-existent crowd.
Goku was struggling. He knew that he and Piccolo were near strength but he launched his beam to late. He gave Piccolo too much time to gather his ki and counter-attack.
To make things worse, Piccolo was on the ground, giving him a firm foundation. Goku, on the other hand, had to use part of his ki to stay airborne AND still put out enough to hold his attack. As such, Piccolo had the terrain advantage.
Which would lead to Goku's downfall.
Piccolo, being on firm ground, was able to afford to place more ki on his beam and was able to over take Goku's. The yellow beam swallowed the blue one up and Goku barely had enough time to put his arms to defend before getting hit full force by the beam.
Goku felt the searing heat slam his arms and at once he saw the world go dark.
--
The crowd watched in awe as they saw the battle play out before them.
"C'mon Goku, beat that green freak up! You know he can't win!" cheered Bulma while she was, again, slamming her small fists on the baldhead of Oolong.
"Hey, hey, HEY! Stop that already!" cried out Oolong as he attempted to get away from Bulma.
"Oh Goku, please be careful." Said a very concerned Chi-Chi.
Ranma, on his part, was just dumbfounded. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe that perfecting the Art would lead to such feats of super human speed, strength, endurance and technique. He thought Tien and Krillen were fast when using zanzuken since he could barely follow them.
But Goku and Piccolo put new meaning into the word fast.
Ranma had always prided himself for being quick, agile and a great fighter, especially in mid-air combat. Yet he was sorely out-classed by Piccolo and Goku, it was not even funny.
For once in his lifetime, Ranma felt subdued and humbled. Sure, he had beaten Saffron, but he had a lot of help and a bunch of lucky breaks. It also helped that Saffron, who could withstand elemental and ki attacks very well, could not take a simple punch to save his life.
He knew that if he were to face off against Piccolo or Goku when they were serious they would demolish him. He would get beat down, torn up and knocked out before he would even have a chance to throw a punch.
But out of this feeling of inferiority came a giddy excitement. Ranma knew that he had not reached his limits and that there was still so much more that the Art could show him.
It was then that Ranma had an internal battle against himself. Even though he wanted to go home, he would not leave until he learned these fighters' secrets. He wanted to train with them, undergo the vigorous routines they had to endure to attain their power and become stronger.
Three eyes.
Yes, of course. How utterly he was outclassed by Tien, who was not going all out when he could have. Ranma did not like losing and when he did, he always liked to come back and beat his opponent so that he could redeem himself.
It did not matter whether he would stay a year or for a decade. He would stay and train until he would beat Tien so that he could go back home with peace of mind.
He could not wait.
"Hey man, you alright there?" asked a concerned Krillen to Ranma.
"Huh, oh yeah! Just thinking is all." Replied Ranma.
"Oh, well don't think too much! We got us a good match here to watch!" said Krillen as Ranma nodded in agreement.
It was then that Ranma saw Goku overtake Piccolo and knocked him down to back to the arena. He saw Piccolo regain his composure quickly and landed without harming himself.
Then Ranma felt the largest amount of ki he had ever felt. He looked up to see it was Goku, preparing for an immense attack. Goku launched it and Ranma recognized it as the Kamehameha; the same technique that Krillen used against Shen.
Except this beam, though not much bigger, was so concentrated that it hurt just being in the vicinity.
"That beam puts Ryoga's to shame." Thought Ranma as he watched the blue beam go down in a path of destruction.
That was when Piccolo retaliated with a beam of his own.
"How do they do that, releasing such a large amount of ki without having to experience emotion?" thought Ranma, which served to excite him even more.
But then, the whole crowd gasped in dismay as Piccolo's beam overtook Goku's. Goku was going down back into the arena and it did not look like he would recover.
--
Goku felt himself slip out of consciousness before opening his eyes to see the arena floor smack him right in the face. Goku found himself being buried within several feet of rubble and dirt.
"Gosh that smarts." Thought Goku, rubbing his jaw as he made his way out.
As Goku leapt up from the crater, he was immediately intercepted by Piccolo, who had delivered a fierce punch to his jaw once more. Goku felt himself go back onto the arena floor. Piccolo flipped up and extended both his knees outward.
Goku snapped his eyes open at once and guessed Piccolo's intention before rolling to the side to avoid getting his legs broken in his prone form.
Piccolo did not stop as he dashed forward once more and started to stomp mercilessly at Goku.
Goku did his best to not get stomped as he kept rolling back and forth. With a quick summoning of ki, Goku launched a small beam towards Piccolo's face.
The blast completely took Piccolo by surprise as he received the dragonball version of getting your face hit by a pie only this was ki blast.
Piccolo roared out in pain and Goku took the imitative and righted himself to a better position and started his counter attack.
Unfortunately, this would be Goku's biggest mistake as Piccolo immediately recovered and used eye beams on Goku.
Goku could not defend in time and the eye beams went straight through the left side of his chest, narrowly avoiding his heart.
Goku slumped down in pain as two scorch marks were imbedded in his upper left chest. It was beginning to bleed profusely.
--
The whole crowd was caught in shock. They could only watch in horror as Goku slumped down into the ground, with two gaping wounds on his upper left chest.
Ranma suddenly felt a pain on his chest when he witnessed this and fell down to his knees as well. It felt like Tien had pierced him with that attack of his all over again.
He understood exactly what Goku was going through.
"NO! GOKU NO!" shrieked Chi-Chi, was getting held back by Bulma, Oolong and Master Roshi from doing anything stupid.
"But how? This was not supposed to happen! Goku would never lose!" said an angry Yamcha, his fist clenched as he hit the ground over and over.
"The battle is not over. Let us continue to watch this fight to its conclusion." Said Kami.
So all watched the battle, knowing with a sudden realization that they were powerless to help.
--
Piccolo laughed cruelly as he watched Goku writhe in the ground, holding his wound in pain.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. Does that hurt? Here, let me make it better." Said Piccolo as he rushed in and proceeded to stomp on Goku's open wounds, causing Goku to scream in pain.
"I have always wanted to do this Goku. You don't know how much pleasure I am getting in hearing you scream. So scream for me again Goku. SCREAM!" roared Piccolo as he stomped over and over and over again.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Goku as his chest was being repeatedly stomped on.
Piccolo did this for about a minute before moving back, as if to take a breather.
Yet, before Goku could enjoy his respite, he felt a strange sensation hit both his knees and heard a dull crunch. It did not really hurt but he felt heavy pressure. Once the pressure was lifted, Goku felt as if his knees were engulfed in some sort of liquid or something, as they were moving too and fro in odd directions.
That was when the pain made itself know, pure, unimaginable pain. Goku screamed once again, so loud, that it hurt the ears of the crowd.
Which hurt Piccolo's as well, but he was basking in the delight of Goku screaming to really care at the moment.
"I can't believe what is happening! What brutality! What cruelty! Will anyone save this young man from this monster?" asked the announcer loudly.
It was at this point that Piccolo went over to Goku, who was still screaming, and peered over him.
"It was fun Goku. I had such a good time and hearing you scream like you are now was the cherry on the top. So thank you. I shall relieve you of your pain now. Die…Goku." Said Piccolo as he started to gather ki for a lethal shot at Goku's heart.
But before he could get his attack off, he felt the sole of really rough shoe smack his face as flew off and hit the brick wall near the arena.
Ranma had come in to save Goku.
--
"Wha-NO! Don't do that! You'll only get yourself killed!" roared Tien as he saw Ranma go and stop Piccolo from killing Goku.
"What does it matter three eyes? If Goku dies, then we all die. I'd rather die fighting than stand around doing nothing. Hurry and get Goku those sensu beans!" roared Ranma as he got in defensive stance.
"S-Sure." Said Tien, confused by Ranma's actions. He went over to get the bag of sensu beans so that he could give Goku some. If they could get Goku into good health, then they would still have a chance.
As Tien made his way into the arena, Piccolo suddenly emerged from the rubble and flew straight towards him.
"Come get me!" roared Ranma he went off to confront Piccolo.
Piccolo snorted in annoyance and easily slapped Ranma aside. Ranma found himself flying towards the brick wall but recovered, but not fast enough.
For Piccolo was soon in front of Tien and glared at him.
Tien glared back in total hatred and aimed to punch…
Only to find himself on the ground, writhing in pain as Piccolo easily avoided his attack and snatched the bag of sensu beans.
"I would have to thank Korin for personally growing these for me. I might spare his life." Said Piccolo as he got a sensu bean out. He gathered a bit of ki and incinerated the rest of the beans, leaving none left for the other warriors. Once this was done, Piccolo took the one surviving bean and proceeded to eat it.
"No!" roared Ranma as he attempted to stop Piccolo but could not get to him in time.
All the warriors looked on at Piccolo and knew that their last chance of winning this battle was no gone. Without Goku, they knew they could not win this battle.
--
Author's Note: I know, kinda short but I hope you all enjoyed it. The end is coming around already so stick around! Anyway, have a good night!
