This chapter is brought to you by Mysterious Prophetess and ShadowMajin
Previously on TBLB: Karato slipped and he was wide open for a blast from Dr. Gero's newly recharged laser attack. Karato was too slow in raising his guard and it looked like the end for him. He closed his eyes, only to hear a grunt and a strange modulated shout. He opened his eyes and the blast had been deflected into a batch of Dr. Gero's men. Karato was saved, but who the heck was this guy?
Chapter 12: I'm Here to Help You
The first thing Karato noticed about his savior was that he was green. Like not "green around the gills," but actually green. The second thing was the fact he was wearing a purple gi. If Param had been conscious, he knew she'd be dragging the guy's fashion choices. Third, this guy had pointy ears and antennae. In short, the guy looked alien.
It was at that moment Karato heard an incoming blast screaming through the air towards them. Without missing a beat, the guy phased out of sight in front of the youth, reappearing between him and the blast. With an arm crossed in front of his chest, the green man swung his hand out, swatting the blast away and right back at the alter-human from which it had come. Then the warrior set its sights on Gero.
"Stay still," Karato finally noticed that he was being tended to by another newcomer. He looked just like the other guy, but smaller.
"Who are you people?" Karato asked bewilderedly.
"I'm happy you asked 'who' and not 'what,'" the guy said. Karato assumed it was a guy: it had a male voice.
"That would be my second question." Karato rubbed the back of his neck before he remembered Noot's request.
"I'm Noot. The one fighting is Piccolo." Piccolo? That great warrior was named Piccolo? Karato opened his mouth.
"I'll explain more later, but right now, I think there are more… pressing matters," Noot said, holding up a clawed green hand. Karato nodded, "You're good to go."
"I'll hold you to that promise," he said before he shot up into the air, realizing a moment later just how much easier he had done that. He actually felt amazing. Ok, not amazing but he didn't feel like he'd gone twenty rounds with a truck anymore.
—
It was never a good idea to look away from an opponent in the middle of a fight. Leche almost made that fatal mistake when she found herself looking up to the sky. Then again, it wasn't everyday one saw flying green men.
Fortunately for her, her sister, Feta, pressed her back up against hers, causing her to jerk her head back down in time to see an alter-human charging at her. Feeling her sister hook one of her arms around hers, Leche had to fight back the urge to smirk.
With practiced ease, the two warriors swung themselves around, each spinning to their respective left. Swinging a leg up, their timing was perfect as they landed kicks to the side of their charging foes' heads. It was a little flamboyant, but it was effective regardless. After all, they did like to call it "The Wheel of Death."
—
Despite his reputation, Gero seemed to almost have the upper hand on Piccolo. It was because of this that Karato had no qualms with ramming into the man with his shoulder, sending him flying away from the alien.
"I should have done this sooner," Piccolo grumbled.
"Done what?" Karato asked before he was forced to block an attack. Gero had recovered quickly and lashed back at him with a punch to his head. Huh. Doesn't hurt as much as before.
"Nothing. Dodge!" Karato barely rolled out of the way as Gero's fist and forearm detached and rocketed towards him. That was new.
"You're looking rather we-we-weak Piccolo," Gero remarked.
"You're looking pretty good for a dead guy." Piccolo fired a ki blast at Gero. The green man let out a snarl of frustration when the scrap-bot merely blocked the attack, looking no worse for wear. Seeing an opening, Karato charged towards the elderly man, leaping up at the last second and kicking out with his legs, landing a dropkick to Gero's face. It worked a little as the man stumbled back a step.
"Must be nice to have a Zenkai," Piccolo said.
"A zen what?" Karato asked before he was sent soaring into the ground below, courtesy of a blast slamming into and exploding all over him.
"I do not understand how that d-d-d—"—thunk—"—diluted descendant of Goku gained so much power," Gero said in aggravation.
Piccolo raised an eye-ridge. Raising his hands up, the back of one pressed against the palm of the other, Piccolo charged a ki attack before thrusting both arms in front of him, shouting, "Masenko Ha!" Unfortunately, Gero still managed to deflect the blast, clasping his hands together and leaning to a side before swinging his arms in time to hit the beam away.
However, this was another opening and Karato took advantage of it again. Cupping his arms to a side, he quickly charged his ki. "Ka-me-ha-me-Ha!" he shouted before thrusting his arms in front of him and firing his powerful blue beam. The blast collided with Gero, sending him shooting up into the atmosphere. Piccolo whipped his head towards the youth, eyes wide with amazement.
Karato ignored the look mostly. He had had doubts of it working, but it seemed all of his training had paid off.
—
Two Days Prior
Leche stared down Karato much like a cat would a bug. It was rather unsettling.
"Alrigh', time t'show you the signature move of d'at Hermit who taught mah sisters," Leche declared, giving him a look that challenged him to contradict her. He didn't. "It's a powerful move called the Kamehameha Wave. Only use it if yah've got strength to spare and no one in the crossfire. Copy me." She sunk down into a pose and held her hands at her side. Karato blinked before he copied her. Blue energy began to gather in her hands.
"Ka-me—" blue energy gathering in her hands grew larger, "—ha-me-ha!" She threw her hands forwards and slightly up, aiming into the sky. The beam was impressive and Leche slumped forwards onto her face.
"Leche!" Karato dashed over to her, taking a knee next to her. Roughly, he began shaking her, trying to revive her. "Leche! Are you okay?"
It took several moments, but eventually she stirred. Even then, she gave him a stoic look, her voice still as strong as ever despite how exhausted she appeared. "Only use it when yah have to or yah might end up dead. As ah am, ah can't use it in a fight just yet. Shoul' it come down to it, use it as yahr last resort. Promise me."
—
Karato felt fine, maybe winded but nowhere near as week as Leche had been after she'd shown it to him. Was this another Saiyan thing? Unfortunately, Karato didn't have time to dwell on it.
Sooner than he had expected, Gero had returned and with a vengeance, blasting through the air at breakneck speeds. The flurry of kicks were as fast as ever, leaving Karato on the defensive, doing his best to block each and every kick. Before he even knew it, Piccolo jumped in, throwing a punch towards Gero's head, only for the older man to easily block it. The next thing either of them knew, they were both blocking Gero's attacks, barely avoiding kicks and punches as their arms took the brunt of the blows.
"Kid, can you hold him off on your own for a few moments?" Piccolo asked.
"I can try," Karato said.
"Y-Y-You won't get me with that-that trick so easily, P-Piccolo," Gero sneered. In response, the alien merely smirked as he shot a hand out, pointing two fingers at the man. Barely a second past before a beam fired from his fingertips, a second beam swirling around the first. Unable to react, Gero took the blast to his shoulder, obliterating it and causing the rest of his arm to fall off.
"You fell for that one." Piccolo's smirk was vicious just before he vanished from sight. He reappeared at Gero's more vulnerable side, swinging a kick towards him. Gero ducked to a side, allowing the kick to sail by harmlessly.
That was when Karato rejoined the fight, ramming his shoulder into the old man's back. This sent him lunging forward, where Piccolo clasped his hands together, holding them above his head before swinging them down and delivering a jackhammer blow to Gero's head. The blow sent Gero flying to the ground, making a crater at his impact site.
For a brief moment, Karato contemplated the alien's fighting style. Piccolo fought more like Param and Kaidon did than any of the others he'd encountered with the Zeta Force. That was something worth pondering about later.
Returning his attention to Gero, he noticed the old man getting back to his feet. From where he floated, he could see the rest of his fake skin was gone, revealing a silver skeletal form beneath.
"I thought he couldn't get any uglier," Karato commented. Definitely channeling the inner Param and Kaidon there, eh, Karato?
"Never say that kid; the universe takes it as a personal challenge," Piccolo said.
"Haven't you organic fools figured out you can't w-w-win?" Gero demanded heatedly. Before either of them could move, the robot thrust an arm up above his head and fired a large yellow blast. All Karato was able to do was try to block it, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Unfortunately, it was too much as he felt himself being pushed back, slowly overwhelmed by the attack.
—
"Watch t'is." Leche shot a blast into the air, using the swing of her arm to cause the beam arc through the air. A moment later, she then fired another beam further ahead of the first, the two colliding and exploding in midair. "Sometimes t' only way t' block energy or "ki" is with more of it."
—
Slowly, Karato shifted his hands to a side, cupping his hands together. Gero's beam burned into his body, further pushing him back, but that was a small price he would have to pay.
"Ka...me," he chanted as he gathered his ki. "Ha...me...Ha!" Thrusting his arms in front of him, he set off the Kamehameha Wave and was surprised that the blue beam immediately pushed back against Gero's beam.
"Masenko Ha!" A red blast joined the blue one and the yellow blast Gero had sent out was slowly pushed back. Karato poured more energy into the Kamehameha and Piccolo seemed to do the same for his beam.
—
"N-o-No-no-no- no!" This was not happening! Gero was not losing to these inferior organics and especially not the negligible threat that was this pathetic descendant of Goku. He was at maximum capacity for his output and could draw no more power. The beams...they were becoming too much for his arm to sustain. Damage level critical, his internal sensors blared in his head. His own blast and the other blasts turned against him. Catastroph—
—
A large explosion blasted out in all directions. Blinding light caused Karato and Piccolo to end their respective attacks, shielding their faces with their arms. It took some time, but when the light cleared, all that was left of Gero was nothing more than a burnt up CPU that crumbled in the wind. Karato and Piccolo watched it plummet pathetically towards the ground, a much larger crater having formed from their combined blast.
They did it; it was finally over. Piccolo glanced over at Karato with a small smirk on his face. The kid really pulled through. He opened his mouth to compliment him, when Karato's eyes rolled up into his head. Piccolo's eyes widened before he dashed over to the youth, barely catching the now unconscious Saiyan in time.
Making sure he had a good grip on the kid, Piccolo looked up to survey the battlefield. The alter-humans had stopped in their attack, either hovering in midair, or standing still on the ground. The members of the Zeta Force were staring in bewilderment at this change, each looking to the others in confusion.
That was when one of them, a Dr. Shin if he wasn't mistaken, floated over to them. "Is it just me or are these alter-humans not moving?" he asked.
"I'd say so," Piccolo grunted. He then jerked his head towards the crater below them. "I'd wager it has something to do with Gero being destroyed."
Readjusting his grip on Karato, he then looked to Dr. Shin. "You alright with handling those guys on your own?" he asked. Dr. Shin looked at the Zeta Force.
"I think we can handle these guys," he responded back. Even now, Piccolo could only detect slight spasm from the alter-humans, but no further movement.
"Good." Piccolo descended to the ground, careful of Karato. Didn't want to do any more damage to the kid. The Zeta force was really rallying after their nearly embarrassing defeat. Guess all it took for them to realize they were better than those bums was a show of force on their side.
Piccolo noticed the few remaining scraps of the CPU had ended up not far from where he landed. With a malicious grin, he stomped his foot down grinding the remaining piece into silicon dust.
No more Gero; his reign of terror was done.
—
End Scrap Gero Saga
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