CHAPTER NINE: Resistance
- Part 1. "Long Live The Prince." -
"Prepare yourself to return to Hell." Vegeta said coldly, clenching his fists as his Ki swelled rapidly. "Trust me, it's going to be exceedingly painful."
"Spare me your speeches." Cell growled, his lip twitching in frustration. There was no way Vegeta could have improved so much, his senses must be lying to him. Frieza too couldn't believe it. Even with his inability to sense energy, his whole body was trembling from the sheer power Vegeta was putting out.
"Very well then, we'll just skip to the part where I beat you to death." The Saiyan's aura exploded brightly again, and Cell reached his limits. With a yell, his own green and black aura exploded, and the mountain trembled as he charged towards Vegeta.
The Prince barely seemed to move, but Cell went flying, hurtling through trees and boulders on the way to the ground. His Ki swelled again as he rose and charged again, the two engaging in a brief exchange of blows before the android was once more sent to the ground. Cell's energy rose again, and this time, he managed to hold out a little longer before Vegeta's elbow slammed into his chin. The android was growing stronger, becoming accustomed to his new powers. But there was something wrong with the Prince.
Whilst Cell's power was increasing, Vegeta's seemed to be falling. He wasn't too concerned, really. He'd neglected his training for a few weeks now, it was to be expected that he wasn't at his peak. And even though Cell was gaining strength, Vegeta's far surpassed his.
The fight continued, Cell lasting longer each time before he was cast aside, but it was still very much a one sided affair. Until, that was, Frieza decided to throw his hat into the ring.
The Icejin was still stinging from the Prince's remarks, and his eyes narrowed as he watched the Android and the Saiyan in combat. Make light of Lord Frieza, would he? His power swelled, a purple aura surrounding him, and he began to grow. Huge spiked gauntlets appeared at his wrists, his shoulders broadening, his head mutating into ghastly shapes. His eyes turned completely red, and a shield slid over his smirking mouth. Frieza was ready to enter the battle.
The Prince remained oblivious, paying heed only to Cell and the ghostly voices in his head that even in this moment of combat refused to be silent. When Cell was once again stricken to the ground, Frieza raised a clenched fist, focussing on Vegeta. He opened his palm, a massive blast engulfing Vegeta's form.
"What?" Vegeta's arms sprang up, managing a shaky defence from the immense explosion. Nevertheless, he was rocked by the blast. Smoke coated his form, his eyes bulging and rage filled.
The momentary distraction allowed Cell to get the jump on him, pummelling the Saiyan in the jaw, but Vegeta retaliated quickly, seizing Cell by the throat and driving three sharp punches into his gut before casting him aside again.
"You miserable coward!" he shouted, charging towards the now not-so-cocky Icejin. "Thought you could pull a fast one on Prince Vegeta? I'll make you pay, all the way to the GRAVE!" Right before he could drive his fist between Frieza's stunned eyes, an unnoticed shout met his ears.
"Galick Gun Fire!" The purple wave rocked Vegeta, driving him sideways into the mountain. His own wave tore his upper Gi to tatters, and Cell smirked broadly as he landed beside Frieza. "Together?"
Frieza nodded and returned the smirk, both pointing their palms towards the rocky debris. Wave after wave exploded into the crumbling remains of the mountain, and it was a few moments before Vegeta's form shifted into view in the skies.
His body was adorned with scuffs and bloody wounds, breathing heavily. Battered, but not beaten. The gleam in his eyes spoke more loudly than any apparent damage could have. Now, however, he was fighting two immensely powerful beings. He'd have to fight smartly.
The duo attacked, Vegeta defending from both sides, managing to stay out of harms way, but not seeing any openings to attack. The Icejin and the Android were fighting harmoniously, with almost surgical precision. The Prince would have to try a new tactic, he'd have to split them up.
But the attacks kept coming, and Cell's power kept rising. Try as he might, Vegeta could not meet this climb. He had the feeling that his Super Saiyan 3 Form would do the job, but try as he might, the energy would not come.
So the tide of battle turned, the villains' hit and run tactics wearing Vegeta out until it became an all out frontal assault. The battered Prince's defensive efforts became weaker, and eventually, Cell landed the critical blow.
His fist, lined with black Ki energy, slammed into Vegeta's mouth, blood spraying in a sideways arc as he fell backwards. Immediately, Frieza's tail wrapped around his throat, choking him briefly before driving him into the ground. Vegeta's choked breath became a scream of pain when Cell's heel was driven into his spine.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen." Cell grinned, twisting his foot, savouring the sound of Vegeta's cries. "I must say Vegeta, I don't think I'll ever be as satisfied by another battle. This was simply too much fun."
Frieza landed next to them, returned to his original and sleeker form. "May I do the honors of killing this one?" he asked, smirking as Vegeta's golden hair faded to black again. "I want to watch the light leave his eyes."
"No, he's no threat to us." Cell said surprisingly. "There are far worse punishments than death. Let him go lick his wounds, feel his weakness, know that he failed. He is nothing, a pitiful excuse for a warrior."
Cell dug his heel in one last time, blood spurting from The Prince's coughing mouth. "The only true opposition we have is Goku. Vegeta is nothing."
These words caused more harm to the Prince than any wound could. It tore at his very soul, which had been bent upon surpassing the Earth's hero. Words drifted back to him, words that had come out of his very mouth barely 17 years ago. "... A warrior Prince, forever in the shadow of a low-level clown!" It seemed he would remain that forever. All the fight had left him.
-Part 2. "Differences Aside."
Gohan and Goten had noticed Vegeta's power-level spike, and they stood side by side in the woods near Mt. Pao, gazing towards the source. The two brothers were shocked, if not downright horrified by the energy he was putting out.
It was the amount necessarily, more the fact of how swiftly he had reached that level, that scared them. It seemed a mere fraction of what he was truly capable of. Gohan's keen senses then picked up 3 smaller power-levels, which had popped into range out of thin air. "Someone's coming." he said quietly to his younger sibling.
"Who? Do you recognise them? Is it Chasity? Is she okay?" Goten's voice was soft, but rather frantic. He was fretting over his sister's state, and had to be, at one stage, physically restrained from going out to save her.
"No, it's not Chas." Gohan replied, closing his eyes. "She's with Trunks, out near Kame House. She'll be fine, trust me. But there's three of them. Tien and Yamcha, unless I'm mistaken. And someone else... Someone I can't recognise."
"Trouble?" asked Goten, fists clenching. "Because if it's someone in league with Cell, I'd sure like to get my hands on them."
Gohan smiled a small, slightly troubled smile and placed his hand on Goten's shoulder. "It's fine, just relax. Tien and Yamcha wouldn't be with them if they were trying to hurt us. Let's wait and see."
The trio loomed into sight, flying low over the trees. Tien leading, Cale following close behind, and Yamcha bringing up the rear, a distrustful scowl on his face. He wasn't happy about their immediate alliance with Cale, despite Tien's trust of the Saiyan. He felt it a little too coincidental that Cell, Frieza and Cale all show themselves on the same day. But Yamcha would wait and see.
Tien hailed to the brothers, a little formally and bluntly, landing and approaching them. "I'm sure you've noticed that we've got company." The triclops said with a nod in Gohan's direction. Out of everyone present, Gohan alone had faced both Cell and Frieza.
"Yeah, we do. And more than just Cell and Frieza. Who's he?" Gohan asked sharply, flicking his eyes in Cale's direction.
"This is Cale. He's just arrived on Earth and has nothing to do with those monsters. You can take my word for it. Cale, this is Gohan and Goten, Goku's boys." A bunch of questions rose to Cale's lips at the mention of Goku's name, but held his tongue. Not now, he told himself. "Cale's going to lend a hand, if it comes to it. But for now, we need to get everyone together."
"Right. I'm going to assume that everyone noticed what happened to Chasity." Gohan said quietly, eyes briefly flicking to his younger brother's worried expression. "Who else have you seen? Where are we all meeting?"
"You two are the first we came to." Said Yamcha, still glowering slightly. "Master Roshi is going to fill Trunks and Chasity in on everything once she's all better, and we're pretty sure that Krillin and 18 are on their way now. They'll all know soon."
"It's only you two, Piccolo and Goku who don't know about this." Tien added. "And we're all meeting at the lookout. It seems fitting enough."
Suddenly, Goten's aura flared, his face tautened, and he took off at a run. "I'm going to make sure Chasity's okay!" he shouted over his shoulder and leaped into the air, grief etched into his features.
"Goten! Wait! We need to..." Gohan made to run after him, but Tien stood in front of him, stating that they needed to act swiftly.
"Let him go. It'll be alright." He said sympathetically. "What we need to do now is come up with a plan. At least until Goku arrives. He sure picked a bad time to go on vacation."
The quartet spoke briefly for a few more moments, when Vegeta's energy signal seemed to take a nose dive. "Whoa, not good..." Gohan muttered, eyes widening.
"Is that... Vegeta?" Cale asked, spinning around and staring off towards the horizon. It seemed impossible that he could be beaten, what with the massive surge of energy he felt before, and experiencing Vegeta's fighting first hand.
"That WAS Vegeta..." Yamcha corrected him, also staring, transfixed.
A few moments of silence passed, and the powers of Cell and Frieza took flight, leaving the scene. A mere trace of Vegeta's energy remained, flickering like a candle about to be extinguished. "I think he's still alive." Cale glanced back over his shoulder at the others. "C'mon, we can still get to him in time."
None of them made a move. All three had a vivid hatred of Vegeta; Tien, for Vegeta's betrayal and constant attacks. Gohan, for threatening his family. And Yamcha, for similar reasons. But it was true, Vegeta had tried to destroy Cell and Frieza, apparently, for harming Chasity. Someone they all considered family.
"All right, I'll come with you." Tien said with a firm nod, walking towards Cale. "Yamcha and Gohan, find Piccolo, fill him in on what's going on, and we'll meet back at Kami's."
Gohan and Yamcha took off, Cale and Tien vanishing into thin air. The sight that met their eyes was like that out of a horror movie.
The blackened ground was cracked and broken, fires burning across the hills. What had once been a tranquil forest mountain was now a shattered wasteland, the twisted corpses of burnt trees dotting the landscape. Several gigantic craters were scattered around the area, and at the very bottom one, laying face down in a pool of his own blood, was the Prince.
No strength remained within him. Each breath was an eternity of agony. Still, however, the conflicting thoughts in his head still chatted incessantly, coupled with the misery of failure.
"Vegeta, can you hear me?" Tien asked none too kindly as he landed and rolled Vegeta over on to his back. One dark eye opened and stared up, and Tien was hit by a sudden desire to wipe the Prince's life from his body.
"He's in a bad way." Cale muttered, kneeling beside him, feeling only concern for the man who had sworn to kill him. "I don't think he'd be up for Transmission, it might do more harm then good."
Tien grunted in response, looking around, trying not to pity the broken man at his feet. "I can carry him, the lookout isn't far. You should meet up with Gohan and Yamcha, take them to Kami's. They can direct you."
"But what if Cell and Frieza show up?" Cale had a surprisingly quick grasp for the dire situation at hand. "Can you hold your own?"
"Not really, not against them. But they won't show up. They're miles from here, and if they came back to finish him off, I'll be at the lookout long before they arrive."
"If you're sure, then." Cale nodded and stood, adjusting the longsword at his back and pressing his fingers to his forehead. "I'll keep an eye on things. If I sense those two getting close to you, I'll come back for you." His form shifted, and then vanished, leaving Tien alone with Vegeta.
Many scathing comments came to mind, but Tien repressed them, simply picking Vegeta up and throwing him over his shoulder (none too gently). The Triclops felt rather satisified at the sound of Vegeta's wince of pain when they took off, but was willing to let the past be the past. For now.