~Twist of Fate~

Goku and the mermaid princesses watched in utter shock and surprise as Gaito's body is completely changing in form, shifting in shadows and increasing tremendously in size, his power skyrocketing, higher than Goku expected.

"No way." Lucia said to herself in shock.

Then Gaito's new form was revealed to be a monstrous humanoid dragon, letting out a loud and howling roar that boomed across the chamber and shaking its surroundings. The mermaids found themselves practically speechless, too shocked to utter a word. Goku looked at his newly empowered and transformed adversary in shock and awe, his body slightly trembling, while Aqua Regina looked at almost a splitting image of the Panthalassa's matron deity. But before she could act, instead of the monster attacking her, much to her surprise, Gaito growled angrily as he fixed his bloodshot eyes at his most hated enemy, Goku. He then clenched his clawed fists in front of him, sparks of pure, dark energy making their way in Gaito's body with intense dark aura forming around him. Goku's eyes went wide as he quickly picked up on what he plans to do.

"RUUUN!" Goku shouted to the mermaids before Gaito unleashed a devastating explosive wave in all directions. Aqua Regina was caught off guard as she yet again disappeared while the blast engulfed and completely destroyed what's left of the castle. If the castle wasn't a good distance away from the shore, South City would have been caught in its massive radius as well.

After the dust settled down, the monster looked around as he hovered in the air with his wings, knowing that Goku would not be taken down so easily. Besides, he planned to give him an agonizing death and he will enjoy every minute of it. Then he turned around and looked up, noticing Goku holding Lucia and Hanon in his arms, while transformed Hippo had other five mermaids on his back.

"Wha… what happened to Gaito? How did he transform into that… thing?" Karen asked in shocked state, much like everyone else in the group at Gaito's new form. Even Sara was horrified to find Gaito that she knew for a while transformed into an abomination that he is now.

"What kind of… monster did Gaito turn into?" Hanon said in a trembling voice. Lucia looked silently at Goku, who was also in a similar condition like the mermaids, looking down at the monster with a serious frown mixed with shock and awe, which worried Lucia greatly.

"Goku?" Lucia said worryingly, but the young fighter remained in silent shock. Then without warning, Gaito charged in a mighty roar at his nemesis. Goku's eyes went wide by his charge, but then he frowned seriously as he immediately regained his composure.

"Hippo, catch!" Goku shouted as he quickly tossed Lucia and Hanon at the guardian. The mermaids screamed a little by Goku's sudden move, but Hippo caught the mermaids with his tail before Goku quickly flew in the opposite direction, where Gaito would not harm Hippo and the mermaids. He attempted a right claw attack at Goku, followed by left claw attack, but he nimbly dodged them and quickly landed down on a cliff. Gaito immediately charged again, slamming his fist into the ground and shattering the entire cliffside. Goku lost balance from the crumbling earth beneath him as he was falling down into the sea.

"NIMBUS!" Goku called out for his cloud. Then Flying Nimbus appeared from the skies and caught Goku mid-air, while the young warrior propelled himself on his feet and immediately flew towards the open sea. Gaito immediately followed as he flapped his wings, sending hurricane winds as he was flying as fast as Goku's nimbus cloud. Hippo struggled not to be blown away by the winds, along with the mermaids that were holding onto his back.

"Goku!" Lucia shouted out worryingly.

"Hurry Hippo, we have to follow them before they get away!" Rina frowned seriously.

"Right!" Hippo nodded.

"Are you insane?! What can we possibly do to sto-whoah!" Hanon screamed as she quickly grabbed onto Hippo's back when he suddenly propelled himself forward to catch up with the two combatants.

At the same time, Goku was flying at fast speed, trying to make some distance between them, but Gaito is in relentless pursuit, determined to spill Goku's blood. Gaito had a wicked grin before he he breathed shadowflame from his mouth. Goku and his Nimbus cloud were caught a bit by the attack, with Goku comically trying to put out the fire on his butt before he dived quickly at the sea before surfacing back. Gaito breathed shadowflame again, but this time Goku nimbly dodged his lethal attack.

"What's the matter Goku, you are no longer in a mood to battle? Quit running like a coward and fight!" Gaito taunted in a deep, beastly voice as he slammed his fist at the water's surface, causing a gigantic splash, but Goku dodged his attack, pressing on further into the open sea. Then tendrils started to continuously sprout from the sea like spikes, aiming towards Goku. But the spiky-haired fighter them coming and he nimbly dodged Gaito's attacks from below, not being aware that Gaito was slowly getting closer to him. He opened his massive jaws and was about to chomp Goku, but Goku screamed in panic as he quickly flew forward just when Gaito closed his jaws, grinning wickedly as he found amusement in Goku's fear. Gaito continued to relentlessly chase Goku, with Goku looking back at the dragon with a serious frown.

"Man, this guy is really fast." Goku said seriously. Then he noticed a seemingly large island as he was flying forward to. But before he could formulate a strategy, Gaito grinned wickedly as he suddenly flapped his wings hard. Goku only had time to look behind him before he was caught in hurricane winds, spinning around in a tornado upward while Gaito flew right above Goku.

"Going down." Gaito said as he backhanded Goku, sending him flying down like a meteor towards the nearby island. As Goku was about to crash into the ground, he flipped backwards and skidded several yards backwards. Goku gritted his teeth and growled in anger, clenching his fists as he looked above at the monster hovering with a vicious grin on his face. He didn't want to end Goku's life quickly, so he decided to have some fun instead.

"Come forth wyverns of the deeps, overwhelm my enemy and send him into oblivion!" Gaito commanded. Within the darkness of the sea, a swarm of dragon-like creatures have answered their master's call and erupted from the sea, flying high in the sky until they surrounded Gaito, fixing their gaze at Goku. Each of the wyverns were twice of Goku's size, their skins similar to Gaito's transformed state. Then Gaito tilted his head upward, which was all the army of the wyverns needed to tear Goku's body to shreds. Goku took a fighting stance as the wyverns swooped down with a howling screeches and roars before he immediately went on the offensive as soon as the wyverns were in reach. Even though they were vicious creatures, Goku's power and fighting experience helped him dodge their attacks and take them down one by one, even though it was rather tricky with so many charging at him.

About a minute later, Hippo finally caught up with Goku and Gaito, with mermaid princesses clinging onto his back due to how high Hippo was flying.

"Goku is in trouble, we have to help him before it's too late." Lucia said worryingly.

"There is nothing we can do now Lucia, the odds are stacked heavily against us. We would have been slaughtered by those beasts before we even have a chance to sing." Rina frowned seriously.

"But there has to be a way to save Goku, we can't just leave him to fight down there by himself." Lucia said desperately.

"No. I'm afraid we are all doomed." She said in a defeated voice.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying it is impossible to beat Gaito now that he turned into that monster?" Hanon frowned slightly in outrage that she gave up so easily.

"Yes. You don't understand do you?" Sara looked at Hanon before she turned her gaze to Gaito. "I never thought it was possible, but Gaito achieved a transformation that mirrors the matron deity of the Panthalassa, something I thought only the goddess herself was capable of. Even if all seven of us were to sing, it would not even faze him. At this point, only Aqua Regina herself can defeat him."

"Aqua Regina had the opportunity to obliterate Gaito on the spot and yet she hesitated and dropped her guard!" Karen said angrily as she looked at Sara before she looked down towards Goku.

"Easy there, Karen. As much as Gaito deserves it, Aqua Regina is not a killer and you know that." Rina said seriously.

"Either way, we are on our own. And if we don't do something soon, we're history." Noel said seriously while Lucia frowned sadly before she looked at their guardian.

"Hippo, please, you have to go and help Goku before he is overtaken." Lucia pleaded.

"No Miss Lucia. As much as I want to help Mr. Goku, my duty is protect you mermaid princesses. Besides, it would seem he is in complete control of the situation." Hippo said seriously. Lucia and the other mermaids looked down at Goku and he was actually holding his own against the wyverns. He kicked one wyvern, elbowed the other, smacked the third one with his power pole before sheathing it back, double axe handled the other, and other combos he executed on the swarm.

"Don't worry, Miss Lucia. If things get out of hand, ill charge in to help him. But for now, I have to stay by your side at all costs." Hippo said. The other mermaids didn't object as in a way, he was right. If Gaito were to charge at them by any chance, they would have been sitting ducks, even if they were to dive in the sea all the way to the ocean floor. For now, they can only hope Goku pulls through.

As for Gaito, he growled in frustration as he noticed that Goku is beating his army of wyverns with little to no effort, despite the wyverns spitting balls of shadowflame at him for added assault. Soon enough, the numbers decreased to about ten of them. Then Gaito grinned wickedly, not surprised at all by Goku's strength as now he is prepared to show him the true meaning of might.

Goku managed to dispatch the last ten of the wyverns, sheathing his power pole and sighing slightly in relief.

"Phew! Man, those were some close calls." Goku said to himself while wiping his forehead.

But he only had a moment to rest as he noticed a wall of shadowflame heading in his direction. Goku immediately jumped and dashed sideways to dodge the attack, but in a split second, he noticed Gaito charging at him, his fist ready. He barely had the time to dodge the attack as Gaito smashed his fist into the ground, destroying a large section of rock formations near the coast. Gaito then pulled out his fist and noticed that Goku disappeared into the forest that covered most of the island, except for a mountain and the land around it. Gaito wasted no time as he flapped his wings and took to the skies, trying to find his enemy. Meanwhile, Goku was hiding under a tree not far from Gaito's location.

"What an incredible level of power. And his energy is a lot different than it was before. I can just barely get a read on his energy, but that's enough for me to see that his power level increased exponentially. Great, how am I supposed to fight an extremely powerful giant dragon?" Goku thought seriously.

Gaito is slowly beginning to feel Goku's power. He then grinned maliciously as he located Goku beneath a tree and breathed shadowflame again directly at the warrior. Goku yelped in panic as he started to run deep in the woods to dodge the flames. Gaito followed Goku's movements as he cut him off with every consecutive shadowflame breath. The game of cat and mouse proceeded for a while until Goku jumped high in the air and dashed towards the mountain cliff until he reached the ground to stand on.

=Play Music = DBZ Remastered Vegeta vs. (Beast) Zarbon – (Nathan M. Johnson) by Coycoy88 0:00 to 4:30=

Goku clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in anger as he found the entire forest engulfed in black smoke and purple flames.

"Where did he go? How can someone so big disappear like that?" Goku said as he looked left and right to find his opponent. Within the smoke, he could hear loud and heavy stomps and see a silhouette of what appears to be Gaito, chuckling evilly in a deep voice.

"Foolish creature. Any chance you had of defeating me before is now out the window. Now I am far more powerful than I ever was and I will use every ounce of energy to destroy you!" Gaito then laughed arrogantly. "You might as well give up, little human."

"Not a chance! I will never surrender to the likes of you!" Goku shouted in defiance.

"You can continue to fight me, but you and I both know this is a one-sided battle." Gaito said as he appeared from the shadows, slowly stomping his way to Goku. "Either concede or fall where you stand." Then he grinned wickedly. "But between you and me, I'd much rather tear you to shreds, makes all the trouble of hunting you all the more worth it."

"You talk big, but your overconfidence will be your undoing." Goku frowned seriously before he shouted as he charged towards Gaito. The monster grinned wickedly as he sent a burst of invisible force of energy, sending him flying backwards and crashing onto a stone wall, leaving a small crater before he fell down on the ground, gritting his teeth as he growled in pain.

"What was that? Sorry, I don't speak pain." Gaito taunted darkly as he snickering arrogantly, while Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly got up.

"Whoah, what power, I didn't even see that attack coming. Amazing." Goku said to himself.

"No witty comeback? Then, by all means, allow me to make the first move." Gaito said as dark aura formed around him. Goku then took his fighting position, waiting for Gaito to attack him as that was the only thing he can do at this point.

Gaito then charged at Goku, slamming his fist and destroying a stone cliff that Goku was standing on. Goku jumped high in the air before Gaito continued to swing his fists at his enemy, but all Goku could do was dodge his attacks in mid-air. Just as Goku saw and opening and charged to deliver a blow of his own, Gaito smacked Goku with his tail and sent him flying down, but Goku propelled himself backwards and landed on his feet, regaining his guard. Gaito then dived down and smashed his fist into the ground before he violently pulled it out and attack hi, swinging his fists wildly while Goku jumped and dashed left and right to evade his attacks.

High in the skies, Hippo and the mermaid princesses observed in worry and awe.

"It's as I feared, Gaito has Goku on the run. What advantage he had before is now gone." Sara said seriously.

"Well, he is resilient, I'll give him that. Any of those attacks he inflicted on Goku would have killed anyone else, even us." Karen said seriously.

"If this keeps up, then Goku is done for and we're next on Gaito's list." Coco said grimly, but Rina growled angrily by their pessimistic remarks.

"Will all of you be quiet?!" Rina snapped, startling Sara, Karen and Coco. "You are not helping Lucia at all to cope with all of this." Rina said. Sara, Karen and Coco looked at Lucia, who had an extremely worried look on her face for Goku's wellbeing. Karen and Coco frowned sadly in realization that they only made her feel worse with their comments.

"I'm sorry Lucia, I guess that one slipped right out." Coco apologized.

"There's no need to apologize Coco, you are just as worried as all of us." Lucia smiled gently before she looked back down to the fight. "Besides, I know Goku will win." Then she frowned sadly again. "He has to win." She then clenched her seashell pendant around her neck worryingly. The other mermaids didn't utter a word as they shared Lucia's sentiment before returning their attention to the fight below.

In the ensuing explosion, Goku jumped forward to make some distance from the monster. Gaito continued with his relentless assault, but Goku jumped high in the sky right above Gaito and when he got behind him, he dashed forward in immediate counterattack. This time, Goku dodged Gaito's tail swipe, along with his other punch that went right through the ground, dashing between his legs and making a good distance between them. But while Gaito's fist was still burrowed in the ground from the previous assault, he grinned wickedly as he conjured row of razor sharp spikes targeted towards Goku. Goku started backflipping repeatedly to avoid the spikes, but due to how fast they were going, he jumped high in the air again to avoid the attack. Gaito expected it as he grabbed Goku in his iron grip while the fighter was in the air.

"And you wouldn't believe me when I told you you couldn't win." Gaito grinned wickedly while Goku was trying to break free of Gaito's grip, squirming left and right, but it was no use. Then Gaito flew forward and dragged Goku into the ground before throwing him forward, making Goku smash through a few stone pillars and tumble all the way to the cliff near the sea, merely inches away from falling down.

The mermaids gasped in shock when they saw Goku thrown like a ragdoll through the stone pillars.

"Hippo, take us to Goku, hurry!" Lucia exclaimed worryingly.

"Right." Hippo nodded, this time agreeing with Lucia's course of action before he flew to Goku's location.

Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he was slowly starting to get up, his uniform torn a little from the fight so far.

"That one hurt, my whole body feels numb." Goku chuckled in pain before he stood upright, while Gaito hovered in the air and looked down smugly at Goku.

"Face it Goku, you're finished. You are outclassed in every way, you are only delaying the inevitable." Gaito laughed arrogantly.

"Man, he's incredibly fast for someone so big. No matter what I do, he's all over me. If I don't think of something quick, then I'm done for." Goku said to himself seriously.

"Goku!" A familiar voice called out to him. Goku's eyes went wide in shock as it was Lucia and the other mermaids arriving near Goku on Hippo's back.

"What are you doing?!" Goku shouted out angrily, startling the mermaids, especially Lucia. "Get out of here, now! Hurry!"

"But… Goku, I…" Lucia said in a low voice before she was cut short by Gaito's arrogant laughter.

"It looks like the cavalry has arrived. Excellent, now I can kill you all at once!" Gaito shouted he charged forward for the kill.

"Great, here he comes." Goku turned towards Gaito again, gritting his teeth as there was no way he could stop Gaito's inevitable onslaught. But then his eyes went slightly wide as an idea popped in his head.

"That's it!" Goku said before he frowned seriously again while turning towards the mermaids. "Everyone, close your eyes, now!" Goku shouted before he jumped high in the air, heading towards Gaito. Hippo and the other mermaids had no idea where he is going with that, but judging how furious he sounded, they complied to his request. As for Gaito, he roared like a beast as he charged right towards Goku, believing that he went desperate and charged to fight him head on.

"That's it, just look over here." Goku said before he placed his hands close to his face with his fingers spread towards his eyes.

"SOLAR FLARE!" Goku shouted as immensely bright white light emanated from him in front of Gaito's face. Gaito never expected that kind of maneuver as his eyes hurt unimaginably by the sheer intensity of Goku's technique.

"Whoah, what is that blinding light?!" Hanon exclaimed as she covered her eyes.

"I can't see a thing!" Noel said as she also shielded her eyes, along with everyone else in the group. After Goku finished with his technique, he immediately flew to the group.

"Everyone, get a move on! Now!" Goku exclaimed before pushing Hippo to move quickly.

"My eyes! My eyes!" Gaito shouted out in pain as he placed his hands on his face and growled in pain.

While Gaito continued to struggle to regain his sight, Goku, Hippo and the mermaids rushed to the other side of the island, hiding in a crevice below the island away from Gaito's sight or knowledge. Hippo regressed to his human form, panting heavily from flying at maximum speed, while Goku also panted a little to catch his breath.

"Goku, what did you do to Gaito? What kind of technique was that?" Rina asked in curiosity and amazement.

"Yeah, it's as if you threw the sun itself right on his face." Hanon smiled in equal amazement, but her smile disappeared when she saw a stern look on Goku's face.

"What do you guys think you're doing?! You could have been killed out there!" Goku asked angrily.

"But Goku, we just tried to help you." Lucia said in a low and timid voice. Seeing that he startled Lucia a bit, Goku sighed deeply and relaxed a bit.

"Look, I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but you have to understand that all of you are in severe danger. If you stay here, then you'll be only helping Gaito." Goku said seriously.

"We already told you before that this is not your fight and yours alone. We are tired of running and hiding from that freak, we will stay here and see this through to the end." Karen said seriously as she was not content to leave the battlefield, not before justice was served.

"Stop it. Neither of you are a match for him, you will only get yourselves killed." Goku said strictly before he looked at the sea. "Gaito's power has increased so much that he's practically in a league of his own. I'm not even sure if even I can beat him at this point." Goku said, making the mermaids gasp slightly on shock.

"Are you serious?" Coco asked in slight disbelief.

"So, there is no way we can win?" Noel said, her hopes plummeting down now that she knows the truth.

"Don't say that Noel, there is always a way to win, right Goku?" Rina said seriously as she glanced from Noel to Goku, but her eyes went slightly wide when she saw that Goku's mood was relatively the same.

"I hate to say it Rina, but if I were to continue this fight right now, then he would definitely beat me into the ground like he did before, I wouldn't even had a slim chance." Goku said in seriously before shock and disbelief surged in the mermaids' hearts. If Goku can't win against that monster, then does that mean that the world is doomed?

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Lucia asked in worry and slight hopelessness before Goku then turned towards the mermaids.

"Well, I may not be able to beat him, but the least I can do is buy you some time to get as far away from here as you can." Goku said seriously.

"Are you insane?! If what you say is true, then what you are doing is plain suicide!" Hanon exclaimed worryingly.

"Please Goku, don't do it. Come with us, there is still a chance for you to leave as well!" Lucia said worryingly with glossy eyes.

"I'm sorry Lucia." Goku said seriously, making Lucia gasp slightly in shock and sorrow. "Even if we were to escape, Gaito would go on a rampage across the planet. I have to stop him before that happens, no matter what it takes. But, I don't want any of you to be involved in this fight anymore, this is an entirely different playing field. I can't fight at my best if I am worried about your safety." Goku then looked at the yellow-haired boy. "Hippo, I want you to transform and take the girls far away from here. And be quick, Gaito is slowly regaining his eyesight and he will not hesitate to attack again."

"Okay." Hippo nodded hesitantly. He was ambiguous on whether he will stay and help Goku fight Gaito or take the mermaid princesses to safety. In the end, he decided for the latter as Goku was right about what he said, he won't be able to fight properly if he was to worry about the mermaids at the same time.

As for Goku, he could sense that Gaito is on the move and that the reprieve they had is coming to an end.

"We are staying here Goku, we are not going anywhere." Karen said seriously.

"Yes, we will have more of a chance to stop him if we…"

"THIS ISNT A DEBATE, NOW GO, GET OUT OF HERE!" Goku suddenly snapped, cutting Rina off mid-sentence and scaring the entire group for a moment, even Lucia. Now that the mermaids knew Goku was dead serious, they complied again to his demands.

"Let's go Hippo." Hanon said in a defeated voice, knowing that Goku was adamant in his decision. As the mermaids were climbing on Hippo's back, only Lucia was standing near Goku, who had his back on the pink mermaid. Goku noticed that Lucia was a little scared to talk to him, which made him feel bad. That was the last thing he wanted for the pink mermaid princess, but it was for their own good and time is in very short supply.

"Goku, I'm sorry I made you angry, please forgive me." Lucia said in a low and timid voice before Goku smiled gently as he turned to face her.

"No Lucia, I should be the one to apologize. I just want you guys to be safe and prevent unnecessary casualties." Goku said as he put his hands on her shoulders, making her blush slightly. "Don't worry about me, I'll be just fine. Trust me, this isn't the first time I've been stuck in a situation like this." Goku smiled before he frowned seriously. "Now go, before Gaito finds us." He said as he turned his back again on Lucia, facing in the direction where Gaito is.

"Do your best Goku, and be careful." Lucia said worryingly. Goku gave her his signature smile and thumb up to soothe her nerves before he jumped in the air and back into the fight. Lucia stood there silently as she watched Goku flying towards Gaito, but soon after she went towards Hippo before she too climbed onto the guardian's back.

"Where is he? I can't even sense him. Maybe he ran away." Gaito said to himself before he looked down at the island. "Or he could be hiding in that island and won't come out." He then extended his hand. "I never thought of him as a coward, what a disappointment. Either way, game over." He then charged his attack, but before he could unleash it and destroy the entire island…

"Wait!" a familiar voice stopped him. It was Goku, who was hovering to Gaito's left side as steadfast as ever.

"So, you didn't ran away after all? Then why bother blinding me if you weren't going to escape?" Gaito grinned wickedly.

"Well, I needed a little break from the action and it was all I needed to finish you for good." Goku smirked.

"Really now? Well then, let's continue, shall we?" Gaito taunted.

"Huh?" Goku's eyes went slightly wide in alert, but before he could act Gaito let out a loud and howling roar right at Goku, catching him off guard as the sonic waves of Gaito's roar sent him flying into the sea below with a big splash.

"And the bluff was exposed." Gaito said to himself while chuckling a bit. At the same time, Goku composed himself and hovered upright underwater.

"Man, that guy read me like a book. Then again, that was a terrible bluff." Goku chuckled a little in thought before he folded his arms and looking down in thought. "Okay, fighting this guy head on gets me nowhere, so I have to think of a good strategy." He thought for a while before an idea popped in his head. "I know what to do! I never tried this trick against an opponent, but it should work all the same. Alright, here goes." He then extended his hands forward. "Kaameee…Haaameee… HAAA!" He chanted the technique in his mind while charging his attack. Then he made two blue energy spheres in place without changing its shape and movement. "That's it, now just stay right there." Goku thought as he was slowly swimming backwards while keeping his hands fixed on the energy balls.

"Come out Goku! Don't think you can fool me, I know that attack wasn't enough to kill you, not by a long shot!" Gaito called out to his nemesis. Goku tilted his head above as he heard what Gaito had to say.

"It looks like he's getting impatient." Goku thought before he looked back at his energy spheres. After he made a good distance, he stopped.

"Alright then, torpedo one, away!" He thought as he swung his arm up, causing one of the energy spheres to shoot upward. Gaito looked to the right as he noticed ripples of waves foaming on the spot.

"There you are." Gaito said. But what appeared from the water was a surprise attack from Goku and not the warrior himself, shooting towards him, but Gaito managed to dodge the attack by sidestepping. "Sneaky little bastard." Gaito growled.

"Number two, away!" Goku thought as he launched the second and final energy sphere.

Then Gaito turned to the right and aimed at the spot where a noise can be heard, but another energy attack was thrown, making him dodge the blast again.

"Cowardly wretch, come out already!" Gaito shouted angrily, but then he sensed that someone was behind him. Goku shouted as he delivered a hard double kick right on Gaito's face, immediately flipping backwards a few yards to make some distance. But much to Goku's shock, he only managed to tilt Gaito's head to the right, while the monster snickered arrogantly as he rubbed his cheek.

"Very impressive Goku. You actually managed to make my face go numb a little." Gaito taunted as he laughed a little.

"No way. I put everything I had into that kick." Goku said in slightly trembling voice, his eyes wide in shock and his body trembling a little.

"Too bad, cause you are going to pay for that little trick." Gaito said before he prepared to backhand Goku, which prompted the young warrior to raise his hands in front of him in defense. Gaito struck him hard and sent him flying down on the island like a meteor, crashing onto the mountain cliff and leaving a small crater around him. When the smoke cleared a bit, Gaito laughed slightly in sadism as Goku was coming back for more.

Far away from the island, Lucia gasped in shock as she felt a surge of pain in her heart before she looked back at the island where Goku is fighting the monster Gaito.

"Goku." Lucia said as she saw dust and smoke appearing from the mountain and Gaito flying above it. It was a clear indication that Goku was in deep trouble.

"We have to go back girls, Gaito is going to kill him." Lucia said sadly in great worry.

"Lucia, I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do to help Goku. If we go there now, then that's more people for him to worry about." Rina frowned slightly as she placed her hand on Lucia's shoulder.

"Yes, we have to respect Goku's wish and let him fight alone. We can only hope that he will pull through somehow." Hanon said sadly.

"No." Lucia said, which slightly surprised Hanon and Rina. "I will not stand and watch this anymore. I love him, I can't imagine my life without him." She looked down before she stood up and frowned in determination. "And I will do whatever it takes for him to make it out of there alive!" Lucia shouted before she jumped from Hippo's back into the sea.

"Lucia!" Hanon and Rina shouted while Lucia was falling down and splashed into the sea, reverting herself to her mermaid form so she could swim as fast as she could.

"Hang in there Goku, I'm coming." Lucia thought, frowning in determination as she headed back towards the island.

"That girl, if she faces Gaito, he is going to pulverize her." Sara said seriously.

"Well, I am not going to allow that to happen." Rina said in determination as she jumped down too.

"Miss Rina, not you too!" Hippo called out in surprise.

"Well, I agree with Rina, there's no way that I will let Lucia to go there by herself." Hanon seriously as she too jumped down into the water.

"I'm going too." Karen smiled in determination as she too stood up, while Sara, Noel and Coco looked at her in slight surprise.

"So you are going to fight Gaito even though you know its guaranteed suicide?" Coco said seriously.

"It wouldn't be nice of me to leave my fellow mermaid princesses to go on a suicide mission by themselves, am I right? Besides, Goku rescued me from The Black Beauty Sisters and the least I can do is fight by his side. At this point, I don't care if he said otherwise." Karen smirked in a mixture of confidence and defiance at Goku's request.

"Well if you are determined to go sister, then I will go with you. We have been separated for too long and I will not let that happen again." Noel smiled at Karen, while the purple mermaid princess also smiled to her sister and nodded silently.

"Then let's do it sister." Karen smiled confidently.

"Wait!" Coco suddenly said, making Karen and Noel turn their attention to her. "I'll go with you. If we are going down, then we will fall fighting as one." She smirked confidently. Karen and Noel nodded silently before the three mermaids jumped in the water as well.

Sara was the only one left on Hippo's back, having a serious, yet conflicted look on her face as she looked down at the three mermaids, who splashed in the water and headed towards Lucia, Hanon and Rina. Then she looked up at Gaito, wondering if she should join on their suicidal attempt. Then again, looking back at all the things she had done, it's probably the only way to redeem herself. If she has to die to atone for all the atrocities she committed in the past, then so be it. And she will do so by helping Goku and her fellow mermaid princesses.

"Well Miss Sara, you know what comes next." Hippo said.

"Yes. Let's go Hippo, before they get too far." Sara smiled, while the mighty beast nodded as he rushed down towards the other mermaid princesses underwater.

As Lucia headed towards the island…

"Lucia, wait up!" A familiar voice called out. Lucia turned around and smiled brightly at who she saw.

"Hanon! Rina! You came!" Lucia said cheerfully.

"What, you thought we would let you go on your own? Not a chance." Hanon smiled.

"We are in this together no matter what." Rina smiled slightly.

"Thank you Hanon. Thank you Rina." Lucia smiled gratefully.

"Don't forget about us." Another familiar voice said.

"Karen! Noel! Coco!" Lucia said cheerfully. But then, the mermaids were surprised when they were all scooped up by none other than…

"Hippo!" Lucia said cheerfully.

"Don't worry Miss Lucia, we all decided to go back to help Mr. Goku win his fight." He said as he flew to the surface.

"Great, then let's go." Lucia smiled confidently as the entire group flew back to the island.

At the same time, Goku gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in pain as he struggled to get back on his face. Then his face went serious as Gaito roared while charging at Goku.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but this isn't the time to conserve energy." Goku sighed a little as he extended his hands forward.

"Kaaa… Meee…. Haaa…. Meeee…. HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku roared as he unleashed a Super Kamehameha Wave as a last ditch effort to defeat Gaito. But Gaito merely grinned wickedly as he extended his hand forward, ready to catch the energy wave. As soon as Goku's attack made contact, Gaito gritted his teeth as he was actually struggling to push back the Kamehameha Wave, not knowing that Goku put a lot more energy into the attack than he thought.

"I won't... let you win. No way!" Goku gritted his teeth in fury before he went for the final push. "Full... POWEEEEERR!" he screamed as he poured all of his ernergy into his attack, trying his best push his energy wave and to obliterate Gaito. The moster was taken aback a little as the blast was slowly pushing him back, forcing him to use his other hand to hold the attack in place while gritting his teeth in the attempt. Then the attack cancelled itself out and exploded violently in every direction, sending hurricane winds and temporary blinding light. Hippo and the mermaid princesses temporarily stopped to weather the aftershock of Goku's blast before they pressed on.

Goku was breathing hard as he knelt down on one knee, trying to catch his breath as he put most of his energy into the blast, but the only thing he got from all that were limp arms, unable to move a muscle. Then Goku looked up into the smoke, hoping that the battle was over, but he gasped loudly and his eyes went wide in shock as he noticed an all too familiar silhouette of none other than Gaito, who laughed off his attack.

"There's… no way. He cancelled it out… like it was nothing." Goku said in between heavy breaths while sweating profusely. Gaito then started to descend at Goku's level, relieved that the only thing he received from that attack were singed palm and nothing more.

"I think I toyed with you long enough. I gave you too many chances to turn this battle to your favor, that was your last." Gaito grinned arrogantly.

"Well, I guess that does it, my body feels so weak. I must have used more energy than I thought into that last Kamehameha Wave." Goku smiled weakly as his limp arms were a proof of his statement.

Gaito's face went serious as he threw a punch which Goku narrowly dodged while jumping sideways, but then Gaito backhanded him and sent him flying down in the open area, slamming him so hard that he bounced off the ground and fell down again. This time Goku didn't had time to recover as Gaito landed in front of him, raising his left fist high. Goku only had time to roll once to the right to dodge his attack, but now Gaito slammed his right fist on Goku, making him scream and gag loudly in unbelievable pain.

Hippo and the mermaid princesses arrived at the island and were closing in to help Goku. But everyone in the group, especially Lucia, flinched and gasped in shock and worry when they heard Goku scream in pain.

"Goku." Lucia said as she covered her mouth in shock, tears started to form in her eyes as she knew all too well what that means. "GOKUUU!" She screamed desperately as she rushed to get to Goku as soon as possible.

"Lucia wait, you can't go alone!" Hanon called out worryingly, but Lucia didn't listen as she continued to run as fast as she was able, prompting the entire group to go after her.

Gaito continuously pummeled Goku on the ground, delivering the everincreasing pain and slowly breaking his bones. Gaito growled in frustration as he was a tough nut to crack indeed, extremely resilient for a human. Most, if not all of them would die from his first attack, let alone survive this far. Gaito then roared as he slammed his fist hard, making Goku scream in agony at the top of his lungs as Gaito broke all of his bones that time.

Lucia flinched again as she heard Goku screaming louder than before, her body shaking and her mouth agape as tears continued to flow from her eyes, absolutely heartbroken to hear her beloved Goku in so much pain.

"No… Goku… please hold on Goku, don't you dare die on me." Lucia thought sadly as she desperately continued to run as fast as she could while the tears streamed from her eyes. Then she noticed something flying above her, immediately recognizing the flying beast to be Hippo in his hippocampus form, rushing to help Goku.

Gaito grinned wickedly as he raised his fist up, greatly satisfied to see Goku wince and gag, writhing in agony and breathing hard in unbelievable pain from all the broken bones in his body.

"Aww, what's wrong Goku? You don't look like you are in enough pain." Gaito said before he grabbed Goku, making the young warrior scream out a little as Gaito lifted him. "Don't worry, this is only the beginning of the pain and suffering I have in store for you." Gaito laughed sadistically. But before he could carry out his dastardly torment on Goku, suddenly a beam of energy shot on Gaito's face, making him drop Goku down with a thud.

"Leave Mr. Goku alone!" Hippo shouted as he continued to fire his eye beams on Gaito's face. The draconic monster swung his fists in his temporarily blind state, trying to hit the guardian, but Hippo flew high in the air to lure him away from Goku, so the mermaid princesses can rescue him.

"You annoying little pest!" Gaito shouted as he started to chase Hippo in the air.

"Goku!" Lucia cried out as she finally reached Goku. She was absolutely shocked and horrified to find Goku battered, bloodied and beaten, heartbroken to see him like that as she quickly ran to his side, kneeling down next to him while gently lifting his head.

"Goku! Please wake up! Say something, I beg of you! Please!" Lucia said desperately while shaking Goku, with tears staining her cheeks by Goku's broken body. Goku tjem gritted his teeth in agony as he slowly opened his eye to see…

"Hey there Lucia. You… you came back." Goku smiled weakly in low, pained voice with only one eye open.

"Of course I came back Goku. I'm sorry, but I just can't leave your side, not when you are like… this." Lucia sniffed, saddened even more to see him in so much pain while drops of tears were falling down on Goku's chest.

"Well I'm glad you did… but at the same time, I wish you didn't. " Goku smiled weakly, struggling to stay conscious before his face went serious." Listen… my body is shredded, I can't use it anymore. You have to… get out of here. Please, before Gaito comes back… to finish us both."

"I already told you I can't! I love you Goku, you gave my life meaning I never knew existed, I can't imagine it without you!" Lucia shouted sadly. Goku's eye went slightly wide in surprise when she said that, he didn't know that she loved him that much that she was willing to die for him. Guess he grew fond of her so much that her words practically warmed his heart.

"I'm… glad you feel that way." Goku smiled weakly before his face went serious again. "But I'm afraid… it won't mean a thing… if Gaito kills you. So please, go Lucia, get out of here… while you still can, please."

"I'm not going anywhere Goku, I can't leave you like this. Look at you, you're hurt." Lucia said in a low, shaky voice on the last part, barely mustering the strength to even look at wounded Goku, let alone speak. The other mermaids arrived shorty after Lucia and they all gasped at shock and horror when they saw Goku so beaten and bloody.

"Well… I guess that plan went out the window real quick." Goku started to laugh weakly, but he flinched and gritted his teeth as he felt a surge of immense pain spreading throughout his body.

"Goku! Please, don't pressure yourself." Lucia said worryingly.

"Well… I hate to say this, but… it looks like… this is it. Honestly it was great… testing the results of my training and all, but…" Goku smiled weakly again before he looked at Lucia. "Hanging out with you… was probably even better."

"No Goku, don't say that! You can pull through, you always have. I know you can do it again." Lucia said sadly while tears were still flowing from her eyes.

"Not this time Lucia… this time, he got me good… he was just… too powerful." Goku said as his eyelid was getting heavy, slowly succumbing to the pain and fatigue. "Please, be careful… Lucia." Then Goku finally passed out, but with internal bleeding and his bones shattered, his life force was slowly slipping away and Lucia knew this, considering his skin was slowly getting pale.

"No, no! Goku, please don't go!" Lucia cried out as she buried her face on Goku's chest, sniffing and hiccupping loudly, completely losing her resolve to fight the monster that was Gaito without her Goku.

The other mermaids felt bad for the young couple, that their friend from school that was Goku reduced to such a bloodied and crippled state, and that Lucia might possibly lose the only person she held closest to heart above all things in this world. But before they could pay their respects to the brave warrior, Gaito grabbed Hippo by the throat in the air.

"Hippo!" Hanon and Rina shouted worryingly.

"Pathetic little nuisance, did you really think you would succeed where Goku could not?" Gaito said arrogantly before he tossed Hippo down, smashing him into the ground and forcing him to revert back to his penguin form, his little body tumbling a few yards. Hanon and Rina immediately rushed to his side, with Karen, Noel, Coco and Sara following suit.

"Hippo, are you okay?" Rina said worryingly gently holding Hippo's head.

"I'm sorry mermaid princesses. I have failed you." Hippo said in a defeated voice.

"Don't say that Hippo, you did your best." Hanon smiled gently. The other mermaids were on immediate alert as Gaito descended with a stomp at the shore facing the mermaids.

"I grow tired of toying with you weaklings, it is time we put an end to this joke of a battle once and for all." Gaito said seriously.

"Rina, what are we going to do? Without Goku, we don't stand a chance." Hanon said desperately.

"I honestly don't know, I can't believe this is the end." Rina frowned as she gritted her teeth in anger and slight hopelessness.

The situation couldn't be more desperate than this. With Goku down for the count and with Lucia's resolve shattered, the six mermaid princesses have no chance to defeat the unbelievably powerful monster that was Gaito. It would seem that there was no hope for victory.

But while Lucia continued to hopelessly cry on Goku's chest…

"Sing, mermaid princess Lucia." A familiar voice suddenly echoed in Lucia's mind.

"Wha.. who is it?" Lucia said before she looked up and to her surprise, an echo of Aqua Regina appeared hovering above them, with only Lucia able to see her.

"Now is not the time to give in to despair, it is not over yet. Remember, our music is love and love is strength. If you truly love this valiant warrior, then you must show that to him. Sing." Aqua Regina said before she disappeared. When she did, Lucia looked down at the unconscious Goku. After a few seconds, Lucia wiped the tears from her face and frowned in determination. The deity was right, the fight was far from over and she will show Goku just how much she loves him. And she will do that by facing Gaito head on with the other mermaid princesses by her side. She gently leaned Goku's head down on the ground before she stood up and frowned angrily at the monster Gaito.

"I hope you made the most of what's left of your lives, mermaid princesses. Because now you are doing to die." Gaito said as he extended his hand forward, charging up his dark energy attack to finish them off.

"Not so fast, Gaito!" Lucia suddenly shouted out, surprising Gaito and the six mermaid princesses as they all looked at her walking towards Gaito.

"Lucia?" Hanon said in surprise.

"Lucia, what are you doing? It's too dangerous." Rina frowned slightly in worry, but her eyes went slightly wide in surprise as Lucia ignored her warning, not averting her gaze from the monster as she continued to walk towards the monster with an angry, stern look on her face. She was greatly surprised that Lucia suddenly gained a drastic boost in resolve, the likes she had never seen before. Even Hanon was equally surprised as Rina to see their beloved friend fearlessly walk up to Gaito.

"What happened to her? She seems completely determined to see this through to the end." Karen said in confusion and amazement.

"Yeah, she is not afraid in the least." Noel said in same state like her sister. Little did she and the other mermaid princesses knew that Lucia was scared to the core, but it was heavily suppressed by her willpower and determination to make her beloved Goku proud and prove her love to him.

"Well, you finally stopped mewling like a sniveling baby and decided to fight me?" Gaito taunted as he laughed a bit.

"You monster! You will pay for what you have done to my Goku, because now you've made me mad!" Lucia frowned angrily as she clenching her fists, but Lucia's words only made Gaito laugh more.

"Oh really, what are you going to do about it, little mermaid? Your threats are hollow, as is your devotion towards that human. Face it, without Goku to hold your hand, you are nothing." Gaito taunted. His words now fueled Lucia with rage, gritted her teeth angrily at Gaito's audacity to question Lucia's devotion towards Goku.

"You are wrong! I love Goku with all my heart and you will see firsthand the power of true love!" Lucia shouted angrily before she turned her attention to the mermaids behind her. "Girls, are you ready?" Lucia asked. The mermaids, except Sara immediately nodded in determination, something that Lucia noticed. "Sara, I know you had feelings for Gaito, but right now we need to fight as one. So please, help us defeat him while we have the chance." Lucia said seriously. Sara looked at Lucia and saw unwavering determination and iron will in her eyes. Seeing no other way, Sara nodded as she joined forces with her fellow mermaid princesses.

"How touching, a commander rallying his troops to the slaughter." Gaito grinned wickedly. Lucia gave Gaito a look as white auras formed around them, signifying their readiness to sing. Lucia then glanced at Goku one more time before she turned towards Gaito.

"Live for you, mermaid voice!" All seven mermaid princesses said in unison, singing a song called "The power of the mermaids"

"All new challenges are waiting for me,
The sea makes me all determined.
I now close my eyes, for i know the pain
of the incoming fall."

"I stand boldly, watching what awaits me
now is not the time to hide.
I raise my head high, i will give you all
for that i promised."

"When something in the darkness is
happening, happening, happening"

"Thats only just the two of us
you and me, you and me, you and me"

"Don't go now.
Don't go now!"

"Pathetic, they are just making this too easy for me." Gaito said to himself as he extended his hand again while they continued to sing, ready to make a dramatic disintegration.

"The days are all gracious
for i want to share them with you.
For one thing is certain
That i will always want you."

Dark energy started to form around Gaito's arm, only seconds away from firing at the mermaids.

"The morning is peaceful
when i believe i have you.
When everything is possible
i recognize you, it's easy."

"For only wish is the strength of true love."

But before Gaito could fire his attack and put an end to their lives…

"Loving power…" Lucia suddenly turned towards Goku, much to Gaito's surprise. "… of the mermaids!" Lucia pointed at Goku, channeling her melody to Goku and not Gaito, sending a heart-shaped projectile at the incapacitated warrior.

"What?!" Gaito exclaimed in shock and surprise.

Hanon, Rina and Coco followed suit, along with Karen, Noel and Sara. With the combined power of the mermaid princesses, the projectile made contact with Goku's body and glowed with immense, blinding light that stunned Gaito a little. After several seconds passed, the blinding light formed into a sphere that engulfed Goku completely. His bones started to heal first, then all of his cuts, bruises and gashes across his entire body, blood retracting back to his body while his torn uniform was restored to its former glory. Soon enough, the sphere cracked like glass and shattered violently, with Goku finally regaining consciousness as he hover down to the ground on his feet.

The mermaid princesses smiled brightly as Lucia's plan worked. They weren't aware of her strategy at first, but they immediately picked up on her plan the moment she channeled her melody to Goku and not Gaito. The ruler of Panthalassa however growled furiously as he was tricked good, believing that they fruitlessly tried to defeat him, yet instead they were helping that human.

"Why you… you will pay for that trickery, WITH YOUR LIFE!" Gaito roared as he unleashed a dark energy blast at the seven mermaid princesses. The attack made contact as it exploded violently, sending hurricane winds in all directions from the aftershock of the attack. Gaito grinned victoriously as he believed he finally eliminated those annoying mermaids, but his eyes went wide in surprise as the mermaids disappeared.

"Maybe you should pick on someone your own size." A familiar male voice suddenly said.

"What?! Where did that voice come from?!" Gaito exclaimed in shock before he looked forward to find Hippo and the six mermaids lying down unconscious. But what shocked him the most is from the smoke above the mermaids in the air, it formed to be none other than Goku, who smirked confidently as he held unconscious Lucia in his arms bridal style.

"CURSE YOUUU!" Gaito roared furiously before gritting his teeth angrily, but Goku said nothing as he slowly descended down near the mermaid princesses. Lucia then slowly regained consciousness and she looked up at a familiar face.

"Goku?" Lucia said in low voice as her vision became less and less blurry.

"Hi." Goku said cheerfully. Lucia smiled brightly and she cried yet again, this time in pure happiness.

"GOKU! You are okay!" Lucia shouted happily as she hugged him tightly while rubbing her face on Goku's chest.

"Whohoa, easy there. We are not out of trouble yet." Goku smiled before they broke the hug. Then Lucia wiped the tears again and smiled gently at Goku.

"You are right. Once the fight is over, we will have plenty of time for this, right?" Lucia smiled.

"You bet." Goku laughed a little before he put Lucia down. Then he frowned seriously as he looked at Gaito. Meanwhile, the other mermaid princesses smiled brightly when they saw Goku alive and well.

"Goku! It actually worked." Hanon said cheerfully.

"Thank goodness, he's okay." Rina smiled as she sighed in relief.

"It's all thanks to you guys." Goku smirked before he turned sideways towards the mermaids. "You actually gave us a fighting chance. It took a lot of courage to do what you did, I'm proud of all of you."

"Actually it was Lucia who faced Gaito head on and united us." Rina smiled.

"Yeah, she was totally fearless, she was about to fight him alone for you." Hanon smiled. Goku's eyes went slightly wide in surprise before he looked a Lucia, who looked down shyly with a blush while twirling a strand of hair.

"Umm, it was nothing really." Lucia said timidly.

"You are wrong." Goku said, making Lucia look at him innocently in slight confusion. "It was everything, more than you know. Thank you Lucia, you are truly the best." Goku smiled. Lucia in turn blushed heavily while twirling her hair again shyly, making Hanon and Rina giggle at her flustered state, even at a time like this.

"So does that mean that we can finally fight by your side?" Karen smiled.

"No." Goku said seriously, which slightly surprised the mermaids. "I'm sorry girls, but like I said before, you are all in severe danger. Gaito is simply too powerful an opponent for you guys to handle."

"So what, you are going to send us away again, even after we helped you?!" Noel frowned angrily, but her face went blank when she saw Goku smiling while he was shaking his head.

"No, not this time. All of you are a reason I'm still standing, I can't thank you enough for that." Goku smiled before his face went serious. "But, I am going to ask you guys to take cover, so I can fight him at my best." Goku said. This time the mermaids did not complain as they all nodded in agreement, excluding Lucia.

"Be careful this time Goku. If you win, then I'll make a lot of delicious meals for you." Lucia cheered Goku on while still having a blush on her face.

"Awesome! Guess that means I have to win." Goku smiled brightly while giving her a thumbs up. Lucia nodded happily before she left with the other mermaids. Then Goku's face went serious again as he started to walk towards Gaito.

"Those cursed mermaid princesses. They never planned to attack me, they tricked me so they could heal that wretched human." Gaito thought angrily.

"I should have finished you off when I had the chance, this time ill tear your body apart to make sure I do." Gaito growled furiously.

"I'm not gonna lie, your transformation surprised me Gaito. Your power level increased tremendously and your size only slightly affected your speed." Goku smirked before he frowned seriously, starting to remove his wristbands. "But, now it's time we end this fight, no more killing." Goku said in dead serious tone as he removed his wristbands and threw them sideways.

He then proceeded to take off his black shirt. He was having slight difficulty removing it due to how heavy it was, but he did it nonetheless before sighing slightly in relief. Gaito raised his eyebrow curiously, he was actually having difficulty removing a shirt? But when Goku tossed it sideways with a thud, he had a feeling that wasn't an ordinary shirt. Then Goku removed his boots and threw them sideways as well. Now that he completely removed the weighted gear, he was now ready to take Gaito on. In truth, he could have removed the gear earlier, but Gaito wouldn't give him a second of reprieve to think of that little detail as he was relentlessly attacking him up until this point. Now Goku put on his orange shirt, completing the Turtle hermit outfit of his teacher Master Roshi.

"Yeah, much better!" Goku smirked as he tied his black belt. "Alright Gaito, let's do this!" He said confidently as he took his fighting stance.

=Play Music: DBZ Remastered Music episode recap Theme=

In an amazing twist, the mermaid princesses restored Goku back to his full strength and the spiky-haired warrior is now ready to get back into the fight, fully confident in his abilities. But what is the secret to his newfound confidence? Does he indeed have the strength to defeat Gaito and save his friends this time? Or is he merely bluffing to catch Gaito off guard? The clash of two great powers continues as the final round for the fate of the world is about to begin.