Chapter 025 - The Ginyu Force
"What?" Vegeta's yell caught his daughter's attention. She turned back around, horrified to see the tall blue man had a Dragonball in his hand!
"S-S-So f-f-fast!" Gohan quivered.
Corset thought she'd seen him move but couldn't tell if that had been movement or not. Her eyes had been kept on the Ginyu Force the whole time and she could have sworn she'd seen the blue man replaced momentarily by a blur. It had been so fast she wasn't sure if her eyes had been playing tricks on her or not. Still it did seem like a coincidence he'd suddenly had the Dragonball in his possession.
Corset'd thought she was fast! This guy was completely in a higher league!
'Cool', she thought to herself. Why she thought it was cool was a complete mystery considering the circumstances they were in.
"Nice try Vegeta but Burter here is the fastest person in the universe!" The purple man jeered.
'The fastest...' Corset repeated. The tall purple guy wasn't kidding!
"Destroy it!" Vegeta bellowed frustratedly.
Corset perked up and turned to see Krillin raising his fist above the last Dragonball in their possession. Her first reaction was to scream out no; if he destroyed it they couldn't get their wish!
Then the Dragonball was gone; one moment in Krillin's hands, the next moment completely gone.
Krillin looked baffled; a look that reflected all of them.
Turning back in confusion, her eyes fell on the green fighter; the Dragonball he now held in his hands was Krillin's Dragonball!
"What just happened?" Krillin asked flabbergasted.
"I didn't even see him move…" Corset gulped. 'There wasn't even a blur like what the blue guy had. I thought he was meant to be the fastest person in the universe!'
"Damn it. So it's true what they say..." Vegeta cursed.
"Um... Are you gonna tell us what they say?" Krillin asked at a loss.
"They say that Guldo here has the ability to momentarily stop time," Vegeta answered.
"What? That's impossible!" Krillin gasped.
"You just keep thinking that," the green man smiled.
The purple guy started to talk to his men again.
"Vegeta, is there any way out of this?" Krillin asked quietly.
"What do you think?" Vegeta sneered. "It's useless to run. You guys showed a little potential back on Earth before I mauled you. If we combine our powers maybe we can take at least one of them down..."
Corset gulped and took in her father's words. She just wished she could believe in them. She felt as if she'd let everyone down on Earth; did he want her to do that again?
"I'll handle Vegeta, you men ro-sham-bo to see who gets the others?" The purple guy announced. Apparently this was met by an uproar of protest from the other men; Corset guessed the purple guy was their leader.
"Fine, you win!" the purple man sighed. "You all decide between yourselves who gets Vegeta and who gets the other three. I'll take the Dragonballs to Lord Freeza. Aren't I the best leader?"
"You're awesome!" The four cheered in sync.
"Who's gonna get the other three?" the red-haired guy asked. "They don't look like they'd be much if we took one each between the rest of us..."
Krillin, Gohan and Corset all began to quiver, realising they were now the centre of attention.
"I say the winner in ro-sham-bo gets Vegeta and the runner up gets the other three as a set," the red man suggested.
"Sounds good!" the blue man agreed.
"Rock-paper-scissors!"
The game had begun.
Corset watched dumbfounded as the men before her began to ro-sham-bo. She couldn't help but wonder if they were serious about this. It seemed like such a strange way to decide who would fight. It was the kind of thing she and Gohan could get away with, but not grown adults like them!
"... Can't we just run away now while they're not looking?" Gohan asked.
"We could do," Corset nodded.
"Don't even bother, idiots! They'll catch you and kill you in an instant!" Vegeta snorted.
The game continued for quite some time until eventually the red-haired man cheered. "I got Vegeta!"
"Feh, you always win," the short green man pouted.
"Now now, Guldo, don't be a sore loser; fair is fair!" the purple man pointed out.
"I'll tell you what Guldo, I'll rough him up a little and let you have a couple of shots," the red-haired man offered.
Corset's eyes diverted to the movement she saw – the Dragonballs were floating up into the air!
"Well I'd better take these back to Lord Freeza; he'll finally gain eternal life." With that the Captain took off into the air.
'No... Not the Dragonballs!' Her heart sunk.
"Oh no you don't!" Gohan cried, raising one hand back and starting to charge up his energy.
"Don't be a fool!" Vegeta snapped stopping Gohan. "Don't waste your energy – just concentrate on beating these fools!"
Gohan begrudgingly lowered his fist.
Corset frowned, "I don't want him to get his wish either," she mumbled.
Vegeta ushered Krillin over to him and the adults began to talk amongst themselves. Corset picked up upon their opponent; the opponent she was being pitted up against. She was glad she was with Gohan and Krillin but still couldn't get her confidence together. Even if it was three against one, the power these guys had scared her. On top of that, the guy they were facing... he made her feel sick just looking at him!
"Alright, let's go!" The red-haired man jeered stepping towards the fighters. Corset nervously put up her guard alongside the others.
This seemed to bother the tall man. "Hey Guldo, these midgets are in the way! How about you deal with them first?"
The short pudgy green fighter stepped forward with a grunt. "Fine but does this look like a janitor's uniform to you?! Why'd I get stuck with the garbage?"
"Gohan, Corset, just remember the image training we did on the ship," Krillin encouraged the two as he put up his defences.
Guldo frowned. "I was hoping they'd just surrender! This is going to be over before you know it!"
Corset gulped, skin crawling as Guldo made his way towards her and the others.
"Ready?" Krillin cried. "Let's go! Release your ki!"
Corset jumped startled as Gohan and Krillin began to power up to maximum beside her. She couldn't find the ability within her to power up. Their opponent was just too disgusting-looking! She didn't want to go anywhere near him or touch him!
In a flash Gohan and Krillin had jumped up into the sky and fired off attacks straight for their opponent...
Corset gasped at what she saw next; he'd vanished at the last second! The beams struck and exploded against the ground, forcing Corset to take to the skies and watch from a safer distance. Both Gohan and Krillin were in pursuit and seemed to have this guy running. They didn't need her help. It would be ok if she didn't join in.
As the fight continued she began to grow more anxious and guilty. She felt bad for Gohan and Krillin; she wanted to fight alongside her friends but that guy just grossed her out! Her heart and head told her to fight but her stomach completely disagreed! He looked so toad-like...
Within a flash, Guldo had somehow ended up on his back! An instant ago he'd been inches from Gohan and yet had somehow ended up a good hundred feet away from him!
"He used it again," Corset realised, referring to the time control powers.
"Aren't you supposed to be fighting along with them?"
Corset jumped at the sound of her father's voice. She didn't want to tell him why she wasn't fighting, it was too embarrassing and he'd just jeer her about it! She didn't want to tell him he reminded her of a toad and how much she hated frogs and toads – the guy looked slimy.
"Well?" Vegeta barked a little more stern sounding than before.
"... Krillin and Gohan don't need my help..." Corset mumbled quietly.
"KAMEHAMEHAAA!"
"MASENKO HAAAA!"
Two more powerful attacks were fired off; Guldo dodging both by dumb luck!
It seemed Guldo's comrades were growing impatient; Corset could hear them leering at their tired friend making all sorts of threats.
Gohan and Krillin were talking amongst themselves; Corset could make out what they were saying.
"From the looks of things, all that time stopping is beginning to wear him down," Krillin noted. "This might be our chance. Come on, let's go at him one more time!"
"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "... Hey Krillin, wasn't Corset supposed to be fighting with us?"
"Yeah but I guess she's not," Krillin nodded. "It doesn't matter; the two of us are more than enough for this guy anyway. Let's go!"
Corset's heart sunk in shame. She was letting them down. Again.
The pursuit continued and continuously Guldo evaded his opponents. The frustration was even getting to Corset; neither Gohan nor Krillin had managed to get a single hit in because of his powers. They were unfair to have! Just watching him dodge and dodge again was getting on her nerves. She knew she wanted to help the guys out but she had no idea how to do so without going too close to that freak they were fighting.
It looked like she wasn't the only one getting annoyed. Once again Guldo's friends began to threaten him to end the fight.
Gohan and Krillin charged in once again.
"Those idiots!" Vegeta snarled to himself. "They'll never beat him charging head-on at him!"
Corset had heard him and wondered if she could use it to her advantage. What would Piccolo do...?
Something had happened. With a terrific squeal, Guldo's ki surged and somehow Gohan and Krillin had stopped moving, now seemingly stuck in mid-air!
Corset watched in confusion; she had a bad feeling about this.
"I warned them about his abilities and they go and charge him head-on!" Vegeta snapped.
The two Earth-fighters struggled to break free of whatever it was holding them static in the air, neither of them able to do so. Corset couldn't figure out what exactly it was but she assumed it was because of something that Guldo guy had done. Surely if she somehow managed to distract his attention, the two boys would be freed. There had to be something she could do; they needed her help! What though, what could she do to help them?
Guldo began to use some more strange power; tiny fragments of the ground rose and began to pelt Gohan and Krillin.
Corset began to grow angry. This guy was hurting her friends. He'd pretty much been in total control of this fight from the start and it was infuriating to see her friends be shown up like this. She didn't want to see them be pelted with rocks, be unable to hit their targets and be the butts of jokes make by mean aliens who were trying to kill them.
Guldo rose up towards Gohan and Krillin and began to beat each of them down.
Corset saw her chance. She slowly descended down towards the ground. Her opponent Guldo did the same, now taking an interest in a tree nearby. He somehow managed to sharpen it into a spear, now somehow holding it up into the air with what Corset could only guess was telekinesis or psychic powers.
He was going to throw it!
Charging her ki in a quick burst to her feet, Corset jumped forward as fast as she could feet-first.
The unsuspecting Guldo turned around at the last second, allowing Corset to strike him straight between his eyes!
The hit sent the pudgy fighter rolling across the ground.
Although she had been wearing shoes and socks, Corset felt she may have well have just touched him bare-foot – her foot felt diseased and disgusting to her now! She hurriedly rubbed it against the ground below her as if she'd die if she didn't. "Eww, eww, eww!"
"Hey, I can move again!"
"Me too!"
Corset was glad to hear her friend's voices but she had more important things to worry about! Despite frantically brushing the foot she'd kicked him with against the grass, Corset stood her ground metres away from Guldo who was getting to his feet; face bruised where he'd been struck.
The short fighter faced her furious. "H-How dare you, you little snot-nosed brat!" He bellowed. "I was just about to kill them!"
"I won't let you do that!" Corset bellowed back, still grossed out by the chubby fighter. "You're gross, smelly and a bad fighter! Your breath smells so bad I can smell it from here! NO ONE THAT DISGUSTING AND SLIMY IS GONNA HURT MY FRIENDS!"
"WHAT? YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR - I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!" Guldo roared taking a couple of steps forward raising both his hands-
There was a flash of light.
Guldo's head fell off his shoulders and rolled across the ground.
Corset almost vomited in disgust, having to avert her eyes.
Vegeta stood beside the decapitated body, attention on the severed head. Corset could hear it was talking but couldn't make out his words. It wasn't a long conversation; with little effort and little thought, Vegeta blasted the talking head. It vanished into a fire, dust and dirt blown up into the air.
She felt sickened; she hated how violent and gruesome her father was. She hated how violent and gruesome battle was.
Her attention wasn't on it for too long; Krillin and Gohan landed beside her.
"Hey, thanks for the help Corset," Krillin smiled. "What made you not fight with us from the beginning?"
Corset blushed and looked at the ground awkwardly. She really didn't wanna say! "Well... um..."
"Does it really matter?" Gohan asked. "At least this way she was able to catch that guy off-guard."
"Yeah, that's true," Krillin nodded, turning his attention to Vegeta. "I never expected you to intervene and save us all though..."
"Thank you very much," Gohan smiled.
Vegeta snorted and glared at the trio, "Save you? Don't push your luck! I didn't do it to save you; it was the perfect opportunity to dispose of that repulsive Guldo. Don't waste your time feeling saved because that was only the beginning. Next time you won't be so lucky."
Corset smiled to herself. She liked the thought that perhaps her dad had tried to save them, even if she knew this wasn't true!
The remaining three Ginyu Force Fighters seemed to be in a panic. The blue man and red man began to ro-sham-bo again!
"... These guys are rather strange..." Krillin mumbled.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll keep tying forever..." Gohan stared baffled.
"Now is when the real Hell begins." Vegeta muttered.
"Alright Vegeta, now it's our turn."
Corset realised the tall red-haired man was making his way forwards. This was the man who'd ended up getting to fight her dad. She felt anxious for her dad's wellbeing, not entirely sure how this was going to end up. 'Please win this, Dad...' She prayed in her mind.
"By the way kids, this fight is between me and Vegeta – but if you feel like jumping in to help him then that's fine with me!"
"Whoa Recoome! The little midgets are ours!" The red man yelled. "Don't kill them!"
Krillin glared agitated, "... Are they making fun of us?"
"Either way we're toast!" Gohan gulped.
Recoome stopped and suddenly began to strike some flamboyant and wacky poses! "Ginyu... Force... Recoome!"
His opponents once again were baffled by the sight before them.
"Unbelievable..." Krillin mumbled.
"Why are they always doing that?" Corset asked scratching her head. "They look kinda funny..." She was finding it confusing that these powerful guys were this wacky and yet perfectly capable of destroying them all.
The shockwave of her father's ki knocked Corset from her thoughts and she found herself having to defend from the wind and dust.
In an instant Vegeta had dashed forwards and the fight had begun. It looked so one-sided; Vegeta was all over his opponent.
'Yeah, that's it! Go get him, Daddy!' Corset smiled, cheering in her head.
Vegeta swung the towering fighter around by his ankle, tossing him to a far-off rock formation. He immediately fired up his ki and sent out a terrifyingly strong energy attack. Corset screamed and jumped down to the floor.
The attack struck the rubble, exploding upon impact and sending up a gigantic mushroom cloud. Corset's ears hurt with the loud explosion, eyes stinging from the strong winds and dust that had kicked off from the blast. Even at the distance she was from it she struggled to stay on the ground.
"SEE YOU IN HELL RECOOME!" Vegeta bellowed, sending even more power through the blast, creating even larger explosions and almost turning the entire area into a sea of deep dust and rubble.
The rumble of the aftershocks could still be heard even when the ground stopped violently shaking below them. Corset peered through the smoke to try and get an idea of what had just happened.