~A Demon Unleashed~
Kami thoroughly remembered the vicious grin Garlic had on his face decades ago, back when they were competing on who will ascend to be the Guardian of the Earth. The same, menacing grin that he shows now right after he emerged from his eternal prison. It only goes to show that he indeed didn't change one bit after three hundred years. Even before the decision was made and the successor chosen, his evil intent for the people of Earth was written all over his face. The son truly reflected his father in that regard when they confronted him, and now they have to beat the father as well to prevent the Earth from falling to darkness and evil.
"Garlic." Kami said grimly.
"The imposter finally got up from his golden throne to greet me. I must thank you for this welcoming committee Kami, saves me the trouble of hunting you down before I kill you." Garlic said in arrogant, yet charismatic tone with folded arms. The Guardian of the Earth was surprised that his behavior changed a good deal. In years past Garlic was known to be rash, impatient and aggressive, barely having the restraint to follow the ceremony required to be the next guardian. He still exudes arrogance and thirst for blood in his entire body, that much didn't change, yet his approach was calm, confident in his every motion, calculating in every moment. Guess three centuries spent in eternal darkness can change even the likes of Garlic to a degree.
"You know that there were more practical ways of delivering you from the Dead Zone. Yet you always preferred the most gruesome ways possible to make your grand entrance." Kami said vehemently as he glanced at the bloodied corpses at Garlic's feet.
"Oh you know me so well Kami. Good, won't have to throw that exposition out in the open." Garlic said mockingly before he glanced at the group accompanying the guardian from back to front. "You have gathered quite the allies to fight your battles. And making it this far, especially with the defeat of my son, is worth at least a standing ovation." He then lightly clapped, deliberately mocking everyone present, as evident in angry reactions from most individuals of the Z Fighters. "Let's see. The royal bloodline of the Panthalassa, or what's left of it." He said as he glanced at Rihito, Kaito and Gaito, making the three of them growl slightly in anger before he looked at the girls. "The mermaid princesses. Beautiful in every regard, yet pathetically weak in combat without their shiny baubles." It was now the mermaid's turn to be furious as they glared daggers at the demon. "And the strongest martial artists humanity has to offer. Against the other powers the Earth has to offer, it doesn't say much." He said, implying to Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chaiotzu.
"This punk is full of himself." Piccolo growled furiously.
"Yeah, but I guess the huge energy that I sense from him has something to do with it." Goku said seriously.
"Ahh, if it isn't Kami's evil counterpart? Piccolo, is it? I'm hardly surprised that you would side with them. When the sense of self-preservation kicks in, everything else is thrown to the wayside. How pathetically undignifying from the one who once called himself 'Demon King'. Despite being negativity incarnate, you show that you are just as weak as the wrinkled green dustbin standing behind you." Garlic mocked, infuriating Piccolo further and further, along with Kami from that insult. He wished he could just rip his head off and pulverize it into mush, but sensing an enormous energy that surpassed that of his transformed son, he was forced to think twice before committing such foolish action.
"And finally… Goku. I must say, you are quite the specimen. Your battle instincts and fighting prowess exceeds any human that ever walked your planet. I've observed your rapid progress in strength, power and skill as time passed, which is quite an admirable feat to achieve in only a few years. You even managed to defeat Piccolo in single combat before his reincarnation. It is no wonder why Kami chose you as his champion to fight him again in a brawl the humans name World Martial Arts Tournament." Garlic commended in slightly impressed tone.
"Spare us the small talk and let's get this over with, we all know that you are biding your time before going for the kill!" Gaito shouted angrily.
"I've been locked up for three centuries princeling. As a prisoner yourself, you can understand the need for me to enjoy every moment of my regained freedom before I take full advantage of it." Garlic smirked arrogantly at Gaito. The former ruler of Panthalassa remained silent at that jab, even shocked a little at how he could possibly know of his imprisonment. He hated to admit it, but Garlic was right about that. Back then after he was released from his prison thanks to Sara, he also behaved much like Garlic right now. Biding his time, plotting and scheming, relaxing in the luxury that recently given freedom had to offer before he went down the path of conquest, destroying the kingdoms of the mermaid princesses one after another. Looking at it now, he felt ashamed for committing such atrocities, one of the reasons why he chose to exile himself in the first place.
"He may have a point Lord Garlic. There is much to do to consolidate your rule on Earth, and we both know these maggots are no match for your power." Fuku smirked wickedly.
For the first time in her life, from the moment she was freed from Michel's prison, Seira felt hatred and anger towards the turncoat bird. Hatred for having the audacity to betray someone as pure as Michel and anger for disregarding them all as vermin to be exterminated without remorse.
"Calm yourself. Don't let your anger consume you." Sara said in low tone to her heiress. After a few moments, Seira quickly calmed down, realizing that being angry won't help anybody right now.
"Patience Fuku. I intend on drawing out every delightful moment torturing Kami and his lackeys, before I take my rightful place as the true ruler of Earth." Garlic said in grim amusement as his eyes were fixed on Kami, not bothering to even acknowledge the presence of the others, save for Piccolo.
"I hate to burst your bubble, but there's no way were letting you get what you want! Get ready!" Goku shouted angrily before he dashed forward at fast speed.
Goku commenced the attack as he threw a right punch. In turn, Fuku quickly flew up in the air while Garlic caught his fist with ease, with an arrogant grin spread on his face. However, Goku shouted angrily as he put more strength into his punch, surprising the demon as he was thrown backwards from the force of the punch, not expecting the boy to be that powerful. He immediately recovered as Goku and Garlic threw flurry of punches and kicks at each other. Goku then threw a left punch, but Garlic ducked and delivered a left blow to the gut, followed by right roundhouse kick, sending the spiky-haired fighter careening down towards the ground. Goku recovered and landed on his feet, but Garlic fired a barrage of shadowy energy blasts, forcing Goku to continuously backflip fast to avoid the volley. As Garlic continued to fire, Piccolo suddenly appeared behind him and cupped his hands, slamming Garlic on his head, sending him careening and then crashing hard into the ground. Then without hesitation, Piccolo fired his own barrage of energy blasts, all aimed at Garlic as he fired his volley for a while, in similar fashion like he did against Goku at the tournament almost a year ago. Then he stopped in his assault as smoke and dust enveloped the area where Garlic crashed down.
"Rest in pieces, garlic breath." Piccolo grunted.
"Did you get him?" Goku asked as he quickly flew next to him. When the dust cleared, both of them were slightly surprised that he wasn't there.
"That wasn't half bad." Garlic said casually behind Goku and Piccolo, prompting them both to quickly turn around in full alert. "This might end up being a good warm up before I start torturing Kami. Along with you Piccolo." He smirked arrogantly with folded arms.
Garlic dashed forward and elbowed Piccolo in the face. Goku tried to retaliate with a right punch, but Garlic grabbed his hand and slammed him onto Piccolo, sending the two fighters crashing into the ground below while Garlic landed not far from them.
At the same time, Roshi jumped from Hippo's back and landed in front of Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu and Gaito.
"Master Roshi?" Krillin said in slight confusion at what Roshi intends to do. But Roshi grunted as he clenched his fists, increasing his energy before his body buffed to immense size, catching everyone except Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu off guard.
"What the…!" Hanon exclaimed in surprise, almost losing her balance at Roshi's sudden increase in muscle mass.
"Okay, I did not see that one coming." Rina said, as surprised as the other mermaid princesses.
"What are you standing around for?! We have to go out there and help Goku before all of us are toast!" Master Roshi said in slight disbelief that they are just standing around.
"My thoughts exactly old man." Gaito said seriously.
"Let's go!" Tien said as he dashed forward, followed by Chiaotzu, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi and Gaito.
"I'm going in too." Hippo said boldly as he put down Nicole and Madame Taki down.
"Hippo?" Lucia said in slight surprise that he will enter the fray as well, considering he always stood by their side.
"Hippo, what are you doing?" Yuri asked worryingly.
"I have to help them beat this monster." Hippo said seriously.
"But even Goku is struggling to fight him! If you go out there, you will die!" Yuri exclaimed sadly, utterly worried that he might actually be killed out there.
"All of us will die if he wins Miss Yuri!" Hipo shouted slightly in anger, silencing Yuri. He immediately regretted raising his voice at Yuri of all people as he sighed deeply, letting out the momentary anger. "On my own I may not be of much help, but if I fight by their side, we might be able to beat him. That's why I must go." He said before he flew in the air towards the battlefield.
"Please be careful, my dear Hippo." Yuri said worryingly as she cupped her hands, praying that he will make it out of there alive.
Meanwhile, Goku and Piccolo pressed the attack as they flanked Garlic on both ends and threw flurry of punches and kicks, all which Garlic barely blocked.
"They are more powerful than I expected. No wonder why they managed to kill my son with such ease." Garlic thought.
Garlic kneed Piccolo in the gut and threw right punch in Goku's face, now taking the fight more seriously with those two. Then he glanced behind him as blue light emanated behind him, only to notice that a Kamehameha Wave was heading his way. He quickly jumped over the wave and instinctively dodged Hippo's eye beam. Then immediately after he was attacked by Tien and Yamcha in combined assault, but Garlic blocked their punches and kicks with relative ease. While they were attacking, two energy blasts were flying in Garlic's opposite flanks. Noticing this, Garlic threw a right roundhouse kick at Yamcha's face and kicked Tien in the face with left power kick before he caught the two blasts that Krillin unleashed and threw at Tien and Yamcha. The two martial artists recovered and barely dodged the energy attacks.
Fuku observed the battle unfold, but was caught off guard when one of the stray energy attacks went his way.
"No! NOOO!" Fuku panicked in place, but before he could escape, the energy attack engulfed the little bird and disintegrated him before the energy attack detonated in the air, putting an end to his life.
"Whirlwind Spin!" Hippo shouted as he spun sideways at fast speed with wings sprung wide, forming a large tornado where he stood. Then he got out of it and flapped his wings, pushing the tornado towards Garlic and trapping him inside the tempest.
"Now!" Tien said as he along with Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu flew up in square formation and prepared their ultimate energy attacks, Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu their Kamehameha Waves, along with Roshi from the ground, while Tien readied his Tri Beam.
However, from inside the tornado, Garlic grinned wickedly as he had enough of toying with them. With a mighty shout, he unleashed a violent burst of kiai, cancelling the tornado surrounding him and sending strong winds in every direction, stunning the Z Fighters momentarily.
"An adequate strategy, but you will have to do better than that." Garlic chuckled.
"Darn it. I knew it wasn't gonna be that easy." Gaito growled angrily, having doubts about their strategy from the beginning.
"You think you can best me with numbers?! Fools! No matter how many of you worms fling yourselves at me, you are no match for my power!" Garlic proclaimed loudly in sheer arrogance before he disappeared in a blur and reappeared in front of Hippo, drilling his clawed hand in Hippo's chest.
"HIPPO!" The mermaid princesses, Nicole, Yuri and Madame Taki shouted in shock and disbelief, while Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu gasped loudly in shock. As blood started to spurt from the gaping wound, Garlic licked the blood from his mouth sadistically as he pulled his hand out. Now mortally wounded, Hippo regressed to his original, penguin form, where not soon after Garlic grabbed him by the throat.
"A giant flying horse was in fact a small penguin? Intriguing. But no less disappointing." Garlic grinned wickedly, holding the little guardian with his bloodied hand before he looked down at the mermaids. "You may join the rest of the trash." He then tossed Hippo's small frame down towards the mermaids.
"NO! HIPPO!" Yuri, Lucia, Hanon and Rina shouted in utter shock, disbelief and sorrow, while Yuri immediately ran towards her bellowed, catching him before he could hit the ground below.
"Hippo! Hippo, please! Talk to me! Hippo!" Yuri pleaded desperately as tears flowed from her eyes. However, as Garlic pierced his heart, the little Hippo could only look at Yuri with a gentle smile on his face, silently thanking her for all the wonderful times they shared before he shut his eyes for the final time, never to open them again. Realizing that he was gone for good, Yuri collapsed on her knees and cried loudly.
"That monster!" Karen shouted angrily as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. While anger fueled Karen, Rina and Sara, along with Kaito and Rihito close to them, pain and sorrow gripped the hearts of Lucia, Hanon, Noel, Coco, Seira, Nicole and Madame Taki.
"That bastard is going to pay for this." Karen growled slightly in anger.
"Girls, we have to go there and help them beat that demon!" Rina said seriously.
"Are you crazy?! We are no match for him, we will end up like Hippo if we face him!" Hanon said in desperation and fear.
"We will be dead regardless if we don't stop him, come on!" Lucia said in determination and anger as she ran forward, followed by the other, slightly reluctant mermaid princesses, excluding Sara as she no longer possessed the power of the orange pearl.
"Why don't you fight your equal, you coward?!" Tien shouted angrily.
"Equal? Don't make me laugh." Garlic grinned wickedly, infuriating the fighters as he realized he didn't had a shred or remorse for what he had done. Then he was hit by Goku with an elbow to the face, knocking the demon down towards the ground, but he recovered and landed on his feet. As he was rubbing his face for the pain to dissipate, Goku landed too in front of Garlic.
"Your fight is with me Garlic! Leave them out of this!" Goku said furiously as his friends landed behind him soon after, followed by Piccolo as he too entered the fray.
"Uh uh uh, they are already committed Goku. If they want to die in battle, then who am I to deny them their death wish?!" Garlic said arrogantly before he dashed at Goku and threw a punch, which Goku blocked. Piccolo threw right roundhouse kick which Garlic ducked to avoid, followed by Tien's right punch that Garlic retaliated by grabbing Tien's arm and tossing him overhead at Yamcha. At that same instant, Gaito attacked with his shadowy claws, but unfortunately Garlic managed to evade Gaito's every blow before retaliating with a knee to the gut and left punch to the face. At the same time, Krillin tried to attack from behind, but Garlic grabbed Krillin's head and slammed him into the ground, dragging him through it a bit before tossing him aside.
"Kaameehaamee… HAAAAA!" Master Roshi shouted as he unleashed the energy attack at Garlic. The demon threw left reverse roundhouse kick at Gaito before he retaliated Roshi's energy attack with an equally large crimson blast that easily drilled through Roshi's attack. But before it could consume him, Goku quickly pushed him out of the way as the crimson blast continued its course until it fizzled harmlessly.
"Let's do it!" Lucia said in determination, with the other mermaid princesses nodding in unison, even Seira.
Up above, Garlic glanced down as he noticed that the mermaid princesses were readying their vocal cords for battle. Realizing the potent threat their unified melody imposes, he decided to eliminate them before things go bad for him, especially if they combine their might with Goku and his friends. As Goku and Piccolo attacked from both of Garlic's flanks, the demon disappeared in a blur, making the two fighters collide their fists, much to their surprise. To Goku's shock, Garlic charged at the mermaids for the kill.
"GIRLS, RUN!" Goku shouted desperately before he flew down as fast as he could. But it was far too late as Garlic sliced Noel's throat while at the same time grabbing Coco by her own throat. Then he slammed her hard into the ground, the force of the impact shattering her body and killing her on the spot.
"NOEL! COCO!" Lucia, Hanon, Rina and Karen shouted in utter shock and disbelief, with Karen immediately running to her sister' side with teary eyes.
"Noel! On no! NO!" Karen screamed loudly in pain and sorrow as she knelt close to her sister and held the back of her head. Her heart was shattered in million pieces at the sight of her beloved sister gurgling blood from her mouth, struggling to breathe, but with her sliced throat, that was impossible. Then after a few brief moments of struggle, she stopped choking on her very blood and died on the spot.
"Noel. Coco." Lucia said silently as he glanced from Noel to Coco in pure shock and disbelief while tears were flowing from her eyes.
That's the sound Garlic wanted to hear, the cry of pure anguish which was a music to his ears. He grinned wickedly in satisfaction as he let go of the now dead yellow mermaid princess and locked his evil gaze at the five remaining mermaid princesses. Seira gasped loudly in fear and panic as Garlic fixed his eyes on her with killing intent, with Lucia immediately hugging her for protection, for all it did anyway.
"This is but a taste of the harsh reality child." Garlic grinned wickedly before he raised his arm, preparing to blast Seira and Lucia to ash. "Time for you to know its bitter taste as well."
"YOU BASTAAAARD!" Goku screamed in pure rage, infuriated at the death of Noel and Coco as he charged at Garlic without second thought, punching Garlic square in the face with all his might, sending him flying and slamming into the ground like a ragdoll.
"Kaameee… Haaameee… HAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku roared in fury as he unleashed a Super Kamehameha Wave at Garlic.
The demon stood up from the ground as he recovered from the punch, only to notice that a bluish-white energy wave headed his way, seemingly engulfing him completely, continuing its course before it detonated violently in a giant cloud of fire and smoke, sending strong winds in every direction in the aftershock of the energy attack. Goku panted a bit, slowly recomposing himself as he unleashed a good amount of energy in that attack.
"Alright, you got him!" Krillin said cheerfully as he landed close to Goku, followed by Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu while Roshi and Gaito joined them from the ground. Piccolo landed in front of Kami, not feeling content of joining the gaggle of goodie two shoes.
"Piccolo, nice work." Kami smiled gratefully.
"Don't be stupid Kami." Piccolo said bluntly in frustration while Kami looked at him with seriously, not surprised by his stern and rude attitude. "He's still alive, I'm sure you too can sense his energy."
"What? He is?" Kami said in shock before he looked behind Goku and his companions.
"Can I join the celebration?" Garlic smirked behind the group with folded arms.
"What the…!" Gaito said in surprise.
"He's still alive!" Krillin said in shock and surprise.
"I can assure you that I'm quite the party animal." Garlic grinned devilishly before he bent his knees and clenched his fists to his sides.
Then he disappeared in a blur on the spot. In that instant at fast speed, he threw a left punch at Roshi's face, right power kick on Yamcha's gut, right hook at Gaito, left elbow hook at Krillin, double axe handle at Chiaotzu, left upward kick at Tien and right roundhouse kick at Goku, knocking the seven fighters hard on the ground, sliding through the dirt before they stopped in their tracks and were lying incapacitated on the ground. Then Garlic appeared at the center of the arena, standing still silently for a few moments before he slowly turned towards his nemesis that he ached to torture, he will no longer be denied his vengeance. Madame Taki, Nicole, Sara, Kaito and Rihito were left awestruck and paralyzed in place in fear at the monstrous being before them, both in appearance and in power, unable to do anything whatsoever to stop him. If Goku wasn't able to hold him back, then what chance do they have? Even Piccolo was left shocked at Garlic's sudden increase and power and speed. Then Garlic dashed towards Kami and Piccolo at almost instantaneous speed and grabbed them by their throats, immediately after flying higher and higher towards Michel's tower. Piccolo and Kami struggled to free themselves from Garlic's grip, but they couldn't even budge. When Garlic reached above the top of the tower, he slammed their heads together before he tossed them down at the tower. However, before they could hit the floor, Kami and Piccolo recovered in time and landed on their feet, immediately locking their gazed at Garlic as he hovered down closer to the two.
"Now Kami! What do you say we turn this dance of death into a showstopper?!" Garlic said arrogantly as he landed down.
Then he clenched his fists and started to growl loudly, increasing his energy at a steady rate while the ground beneath Kami and Piccolo trembled, even feeling uneasy pressure in the air from Garlic's power up. In a similar fashion like his son, Garlic's muscle mass bulged to insane proportions, while his size increased by two heads higher than that of his transformed son.
"This could be trouble." Piccolo growled as he was unable to believe how powerful Garlic is now, not feeling this helpless since his endgame against Goku at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
At the same time, Lucia flew towards Goku to check on him, while Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Gaito and Master Roshi slowly got up and trudged towards the ritual arena to regroup and tend to the others.
"Goku!" Lucia shouted worryingly before she landed next to him. "Goku! Are you okay?"
"Man… he's strong." Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he got up in sitting position before rubbing his throbbing cheek.
"So it would seem. Do you think you'll be able to beat him?" Lucia asked sadly as Goku started to get back on his feet, hoping that Goku indeed has a plan to defeat that demon.
"I don't know. Let's go back to the others and plan this out." Goku said seriously. Lucia nodded in agreement before both of them flew back to their friends.
While Goku, Lucia, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Gaito and Roshi drew closer to each other, the Z Fighters were starting to assess the damage Garlic inflicted on them so far. Krillin walked towards Karen who cried hopelessly for the death of her beloved sister, all tears shed for her alone in those moments.
"Noel." Krillin said in low tone as tears formed in his eyes, sad and heartbroken to see someone as kind, sweet and gentle like her die in such brutal manner. He admittedly had a crush on the dark blue mermaid since the day he first met her back at the World Martial Arts Tournament, but now he regretted that he didn't got the chance to even ask her out on a date, let alone go the distance with her when she was alive.
Lucia, Hanon, Rina, Seira and Sara also mourned for the deaths of Noel, Coco and Hippo, along with Nicole and Madame Taki. Yuri continued to cry loudly in hopelessness for her beloved Hippo, still holding onto his small frame, unable to even process the fact that he died. Kaito, Rihito and Gaito looked down with glum expressions as they silently prayed for their souls. Coco' death was just as brutal and merciless if not more as her entire body was covered in bloodied cuts, deep bruises and shattered bones, her life taken away at the moment of the seismic impact with the ground. Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi, Gaito, Sara, Nicole and Madame Taki approached the dead yellow mermaid in utter disbelief that her life ended in such ruthless fashion.
"Coco." Sara said in low tone as tears flowed from her eyes, utterly sad, heartbroken and distraught that her longtime friend was dead, never to rise again. And her sorrow worsened when Seira cried loudly on her leg, almost at the brink of crying loudly herself as Sara hugged to soothe the little mermaid. As he continued to look at her deceased friend, an agonizing pain gripped her heart when she remembered the day after her kingdom was destroyed by her own hand. She was there when she had done the unthinkable, when she sundered her kingdom to the point beyond repair, beyond redemption. In return for her kindness, she had Gaito reduce Coco's kingdom to ruins and kill her own people before imprisoning her for all eternity in Gaito's castle, remaining their prisoner until the day Goku and the mermaid princesses faced Gaito head on. Even during her exile she had to live with that nightmare, but thanks to Gaito's loving hands, that day slowly became a distant memory. But now an equal wound was inflicted in her heart the moment Garlic took away her life, her brutally bruised body etched in her mind.
"How can anyone be this evil?" Nicole said sadly as she sniffed and hiccuped, placing a hand in her mouth to stem the tide of tears.
"That heartless tyrant." Tien gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in anger.
"Aqua Regina preserve their souls." Madame Taki said sadly as she too shed tears for the deceased mermaid princesses.
"They need more than our prayers right now. They need vengeance." Gaito said in dead serious tone before he walked towards Goku.
Tien nodded in agreement before he took Coco's lifeless form bridal style and carried her with him. Then he moved too towards Goku, followed by Chiaotzu, Nicole and Madame Taki, and along the way Kaito and Rihito. After Seira calmed down a bit, they also slowly moved towards Goku.
"Karen." Krillin said sincerely in low tone as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm truly sorry, but we still have work to do. We still have to stop Garlic before he kills anyone else."
Karen ceased with her crying and looked at Krillin with teary eyes. Inwardly it was hard for Krillin to remain strong when he looked at her, but he knew he had to if they are to see this through. After a few moments of recollecting herself, she nodded sadly, allowing him to carry Noel to the others.
Not long after they reached Goku, who looked up at the top of the tower where Garlic took Kami and Piccolo, Tien gently placed Coco down on the ground, with Yuri doing the same by placing Hippo next to Coco on her left side and Krillin placing Noel on Coco's right side. Goku felt furious for what happened to his friends, but he knew that he can't afford to be reckless against such a powerful foe, not now.
"What a tragedy. They didn't deserve such a cruel fate." Master Roshi said in grim tone as he glanced between the three deceased youngsters.
"It's a fate that will follow the rest of us if we don't stop that monster." Kaito said angrily as he looked at the top of the tower.
"Goku? Can you feel it?" Tien asked seriously as he too looked up at the top of the tower.
"Yeah. His energy raised dramatically, it's far greater than Garlic Jr's. I guess that he too can bulk up like his son and increase his power." Goku said seriously.
"A direct assault failed miserably thus far. The numbers did not help at all and we weren't able to overpower him even when we attacked together. And now if what you say is true, that task became a lot more difficult." Gaito said seriously.
"But it is still possible to beat him… right?" Lucia asked sadly as she along with Hanon and Rina walked towards Goku, Tien, Chiaotzu and Gaito, hoping beyond hope that there is still a way to achieve victory and avenge their friends. Goku felt a sharp pain in his heart to see her so sad, but he understood her concerns.
"I… don't know." Goku said in doubtful tone as he looked down, not so sure at this point of their victory. "All this time he was toying with us, hiding his true power. I'm not sure if we'll be able to beat him this time around, even if we were to attack him as one."
"Come on Goku! You have done the impossible against both Gaito and Piccolo when you fought them months ago. I'm sure you'll find a way to take that demon down as well." Rina said seriously.
"That's right. It wouldn't be the first time where you had to get us out of a sticky situation, I'm sure you can think of something now." Yamcha smiled confidently.
"But what can I do? I don't have the slightest clue on how I am going to beat him. We tried to put a dent on him, but whatever we tried it didn't work." Goku said seriously.
"It is not entirely hopeless Goku. There is a way to defeat him." Gaito said suddenly with folded arms.
"Huh?" The entire group said in slight surprise as their attention was drawn to the former Panthalassa ruler.
"The only way you can achieve the power you need is if you were to be pulverized to the brink of death, for every bone in your body to be crushed and then be healed by the mermaid princesses. For some reason that worked against me when we fought, back then after you recovered you gained exponential increase in power to rival mine." Gaito explained.
"Forget it Gaito! There's no way that I will let my Goku get brutally beaten after what you and Piccolo did to him!" Lucia shouted angrily. Goku was slightly surprised at her sudden, defensive outburst, but he couldn't help but snicker childishly with a toothy grin, even at a time like this. Noticing this, Lucia blushed slightly and looked down in embarrassment.
"Suit yourself, I gave my suggestion." Gaito shrugged, though inwardly he was worried he might die from that monster if they don't formulate a decent plan.
"We don't have time for any of that! If we don't go and help Kami right now, he will die!" Tien protested.
"We can't go out there without a plan Tien. We have to think this through or all our efforts will be for nothing." Master Roshi said seriously.
"Then what do you suggest Master Roshi?" Yamcha asked curiously.
"There's only one choice. The Evil Containment Wave." Roshi said grimly.
"Evil Containment Wave?! But you can't Master Roshi, you will die just like the last time when you tried to imprison King Piccolo!" Tien exclaimed worryingly.
"This isn't a suggestion Tien Shinhan!" Roshi exclaimed angrily, silencing the three eyed warrior. "Garlic is a formidable opponent, none of the conventional means had an effect on him. If we continue to throw ourselves at him, he will kill us all and win in the end."
"Too many people have died already Roshi. I will not allow you to join them." Madame Taki said in serious, yet worried tone as she placed her hand on Roshi's shoulder.
"I'm afraid it has to be done Taki. One life in exchange for millions throughout the world is a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Roshi said seriously.
"No Master Roshi." Goku said in dead serious tone, surprising everyone that someone like Goku can be this serious, which is a rarity. "I will not allow anyone else to die today. If I have to I'll take him on all by myself." He said in determination.
"Goku, you know well it's a suicide to fight him alone, you wouldn't stand a chance. Even when you attacked together and given your all it still wasn't enough to beat him." Sara said seriously after she finally recollected herself from the shock and sorrow over Coco's death.
"No. I haven't given my all. As long as I'm still standing I will fight all the way to the end until I put out all of his lights!" Goku said in pure determination as he clenched his right fists.
"I wouldn't have it any other way Goku. You can count on me to fight by your side in final battle." Tien smirked confidently as he walked next to him.
"I'll fight too." Chiatozu smiled.
"Me too." Krillin smiled confidently.
"Me three." Yamcha smiled.
"Thanks you guys." Goku smiled, nodding gratefully to each of the fighters joining him before he looked at the mermaid princesses, more specifically Lucia. "Lucia, I'm afraid that the rest of you will have to wait for us here. I don't want Garlic to kill you guys off like he did Noel, Coco and Hippo."
"Yes, I… suppose it's for the best." Lucia said sadly, looking down on the ground in disappointment that she can't be of any help at this point. Then Goku had that typical smile on his face as he walked towards Lucia and placed his hand on her shoulder. When he did, Lucia looked at Goku's onyx eyes in curiosity and slight surprise, blushing a bit that he was this close to her.
"Look, if it was any other way, I would have loved that you fought with me. But we can't afford anyone else to be killed, that's why I want you to stay here this time and take care of them. Can you do that for me?" Goku smiled gently.
Lucia really wanted to stop Goku from going at that moment, to do anything to prevent him from getting hurt out there, dreading the outcome that might come to pass like the time when he fought Gaito, at the time when he was bloodied and beaten, and Piccolo, when he was severely wounded on his shoulder by Piccolo's surprise attack and got stomped good on the wound. But seeing his adorable, sincere expression filled with confidence, showing no fear whatsoever, she relented and decided to let him fight for all that yet live. For the people of Earth. For his friends. And for her.
"Okay." Lucia nodded with a gentle smile. Goku nodded as well before he turned towards the four fighters.
"I'll come along too. You are not leaving this old turtle behind." Master Roshi smiled slightly.
"I don't plan on being a spectator either. I'm coming too." Gaito said seriously.
"Please be careful Roshi." Taki said worryingly with sad expression.
"Don't worry, I will." Roshi said with a big smile to ease her worries.
"Same thing goes for you Gaito. I don't want to even think about losing you." Sara said sadly.
"That won't happen my love, I'll see to it that it doesn't happen." Gaito smiled gently before he kissed Sara on the lips, with Sara reciprocating the kiss. In those moments Hanon covered Seira's eyes from the kissing scene as she was too young to witness such a thing. Then after a few more moments they broke the kiss.
"Alright then, let's go." Goku said seriously, his voice filled with determination. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Master Roshi and Gaito nodded in unison before they dashed forward. While they flew towards the top of the tower, Lucia looked at the departing group worryingly, cupping her hands in silent prayer that they will make it out of there alive.
"Go Lucia." Hanon said suddenly.
"Huh?" Lucia said in surprise as she looked at Hanon and Rina.
"All of us know that you want to be by Goku's side in the final battle." Hanon smiled gently.
"Go, we'll take care of Noel, Coco and Hippo." Rina smiled gently.
"Thank you Hanon. Thank you Rina." Lucia smiled gratefully before she turned and flew towards the tower as well, regressing from her Idol Form to her human form, leaving the remaining group behind to tend to the deceased.
A few minutes earlier…
Piccolo attacked Garlic with a flurry of punches on his chest, but now that he increased his energy, Piccolo's didn't even make him flinch. After a few more moments of fruitless struggle, Garlic grabbed Piccolo by the throat.
"Oh how I waited and waited for the opportunity to tear you apart Kami!" Garlic said sadistically as he firmly gripped Piccolo's left arm, drilling his sharp fingernails in Piccolo's arm and brutally tore it out of its shoulder socket, making Piccolo scream loudly in agony from the sudden limb tear. "Now…" He then tore out Piccolo's right ear, making him scream loudly again in pain. "You will feel…" Garlic then chopped Piccolo's right leg from knee to foot. "The hatred of three hundred years…" Garlic then punched Piccolo in the gut hard, making him puke out purple blood. "In the making!" He the slammed Piccolo hard on the ground, his body bouncing off of it as he was thrown in Kami's direction before rolling on the ground, finally stopping close to the Guardian of the Earth while Kami stared in shock at the state Piccolo is now.
"How is it even possible you survived for that long in the Dead Zone?! How did you live for three centuries?! Tell me!" Kami demanded loudly in anger, but Garlic chuckled arrogantly with folded arms in turn.
"I know where you're going with this Kami. You are stalling for time for your champion to arrive with the cavalry to the rescue. Not that it would make a difference even if they were here, weak as they are. But since your fear and helplessness amuses me to no end, I will tell you my tale." Garlic smirked arrogantly before his face went serious as he had flashbacks of the past. "It all started when the previous Guardian banished me to the Dead Zone. My army suffered a much more merciful fate in comparison to what I had to go through. I found myself alone in the cold, unforgiving void, with no hope to ever see the light of day again. As years passed, I realized there truly was no way out of the eternal damnation that was the Dead Zone." He then smirked arrogantly again. "But then I discovered something rather intriguing, making it a proof that I wasn't the only entity residing in there. I encountered many horrors that prowled the vastness of the void, thriving in everlasting darkness. Most of them were mere predators, waiting to drill their fangs and claws on an unsuspecting prey. But one of the residents, a group of dark creatures called the Shadowmancers have learned to practice a very dark form of sorcery. Sorcery that intrigued me immensely." Garlic then raised his hand, conjuring black shadows that whirled around Kami in circular motion, while faint, black aura held Kami in air in firm grip. "And they excelled in harnessing a dark power formed out of negative emotions. Admittedly, I was surprised that they were eager to teach me the knowledge of their wonderful power, probably because we share the same thoughts of vengeance on those who imprisoned us. And over many, many decades, I finally managed to master their craft. Want me to show you what I have learned Kami? It would be an immense pleasure!" Garlic then amplified the force of the black aura, inflicting greater amount of pain as Kami screamed loudly in agony. With Piccolo incapacitated, he could not stop the demon from giving Kami a slow, painful death.
Suddenly Garlic was hit in a head with a knee attack, slamming him backwards, but the demon flipped back and slid a few yards before he stopped.
"Who the…" Garlic said before he noticed Goku landing in front of Kami and Piccolo, along with Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu, followed by Gaito and Master Roshi as they dashed up along the tower and stopped next to the four fighters behind Goku.
"And there they are." Garlic grunted angrily as his stern gaze is now fixed on Goku and his friends.
Before they could attack though, they were distracted by Piccolo's screams of pain. Then they noticed that he regrew his torn ear, his leg and left arm and slowly got back on his feet, breathing heavily as it took a good deal of effort and energy to restore his severed limbs, but he is more than capable of fighting again.
"Piccolo! We have to…"
"I know!" Piccolo interrupted Goku with a furious, brief growl, not averting his gaze from Garlic as he walked forward and stopped next to Goku. "It disgusts me to admit it, but it's pretty obvious that neither of us can defeat him by ourselves. I'm willing to put our differences aside again to take this freak down. If only to have the chance to kill you myself."
"Figures." Goku chuckled light-heartedly as he expected for Piccolo to say that.
"That wasn't intended to be funny Goku." Piccolo said in dead serious tone.
"I know." Goku smirked confidently as he looked back at Garlic. Piccolo couldn't help but glance in surprise at Goku, who looked just as unwavering as ever. He had no idea how does he do that. Even when pitted against impossible odds, he still holds his ground, not showing the slightest sign of fear or even thinking of running away to fight another day. His friends may not see it, but in his gaze alone he can see the thrill of the challenge, admittedly enough the same sickeningly confident gaze he gave him back at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"So you finally buried the weak and got back into the fray, have you?" Garlic taunted with a wicked grin, hitting the fighters right in the nerve, especially Goku.
"Forget this! I heard enough!" Goku shouted in fury as he charged at the demon, followed by every other newcomer except Master Roshi, who again bulked up immensely and cupped his hands in front of him. Then a green electric aura formed around his hands before extending them towards the demon while he charged up his technique. Garlic grinned wickedly as he aimed at the group before unleashing a crimson beam of energy. Goku and the others barely managed to avoid the beam, which fortunately bypassed Roshi as he was rooted in place.
As Lucia flew up, a sudden beam of energy swiped in her direction. The pink mermaid princess reacted on instinct and ducked below the beam before it could cleave her, which soon after dissipated.
"Whoah! What was that?!" Lucia said in surprise before she looked up. "I better hurry." She said in determination before she continued to fly towards the battlefield.
Goku let out a battle cry as he drilled his knee on Garlic's face, but he was shocked when he found that it didn't even make him flinch. Before Garlic could grab him, Goku quickly dashed backwards while Piccolo and Tien fired a volley of energy blasts at him. Garlic shrugged their blasts and lazily deflected some of the blasts while most of them bounced off of his body, exploding harmlessly away from everyone.
"Pathetic!" Garlic said arrogantly before he disappeared and reappeared above the ground, aiming towards the group. "Try some of these on for size!"
"LIGHTNING FLASH SURPRISE ATTACK!" Roshi roared as he unleashed a green lightning on Garlic.
"Huh?!" Garlic said in surprise as he quickly noticed that a green electric wave is heading his way. He didn't had time to react though as the attack hit him, making him scream loudly in immense pain.
"WHAT IS THIS TECHNIQUE?!" Garlic screamed in pain before he continued to cry out, trying to resist the massive volts of electricity coursing in his body. However, Roshi knows that this attack alone is not enough to defeat him. He knows from his fight with Goku when he transformed into a Giant Ape that it is definitely possible for an opponent to free himself from his electric grip. If Goku is capable of doing it, then it's unavoidable for this immensely powerful enemy to do the same.
"Now boys, do it! I can't hold him in place for long!" Roshi shouted loudly.
"Right!" Goku nodded to Roshi before looking at his friends. "Let's go!" He said loudly before he disappeared in a blur, dashing quickly in the air towards Garlic. Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu surrounded Garlic and readied their energy attacks, while Gaito morphed his hands in shadowy blades and dashed towards Garlic.
"Kaameee…Haaameee…!" Goku, Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu chanted the energy wave of Roshi's making.
"Makoseen…" Piccolo shouted as he charged his attack as well.
"Tri Beeeam…!" Tien shouted as he too readied his powerful blast. However, little did the fighters knew that Garlic was merely pretending to be incapacitated as he grinned wickedly.
"Fools." Garlic said arrogantly as he quickly recovered, much to the surprise of the fighters.
Garlic quickly absorbed Roshi's attack, the electricity coursing through his body in both of his hands before he unleashed it on the seven fighters with seven green, electric blasts. The seven surprise attacks hit their targets as they screamed in immense pain. It may not be near as potent as it was when Garlic was struck, but with them caught off guard, it was enough to deliver a good amount of damage. Then the attacks exploded, knocking the seven fighters down towards the tower, their bodies slamming and then sliding on the ground a good distance away from Garlic.
"Goku!" Lucia shouted worryingly as she finally reached the top of the tower, landing on the ground and running towards her beloved. "Goku!" She then knelt next to him and lifted his head slightly. "Goku, are you alright?!" She asked worryingly. Goku gritted his teeth in pain as he slowly started to get up, gradually recovering from Garlic's counterattack.
"Hey Lucia. You just can't stay away from a good fight, huh?" Goku chuckled light-heartedly in slight pain as he slowly got back on his feet.
"Stop joking, will ya? You know that I'm worried sick about you." Lucia frowned sadly in concern for Goku's health.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Goku smiled gently before looking at Garlic with dead serious look on his face. "However, I'm afraid neither of us will be if we don't stop him."
"I had my fill of toying with your minions Kami. Either face me in battle personally or I will obliterate all of you. I still have to assume my rightful place as the Earth's true ruler." Garlic smirked arrogantly with folded arms as his eyes are now fixed at Kami. The old guardian growled angrily, inwardly feeling pathetic that he can't do a thing to stop him. Even with his powers as the Guardian of the Earth, he felt as helpless as an infant set upon by wolves.
"Obliterate? I thought you would be more creative then that. How disappointing." Gaito smirked confidently with folded arms.
"What are you doing?" Piccolo growled slightly in anger and confusion, but he was caught off guard when Gaito suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pinned him close to him.
"Improvising, now be quiet." Gaito grunted in almost a whisper before he nudged him aside.
"What do you mean by that?" Garlic asked curiously.
"You know, give us an ironic defeat, like locking us up in the Dead Zone or something of the sort. Killing us off right of the bat is a bit anticlimactic, don't you think?" Gaito smirked.
"Huh! Don't think you can take me for a fool princeling. It might be something that my son would try, but don't expect me to be so blind. You would use it as a leverage to lock me back in there, am I right?" Garlic grinned wickedly before Gaito's face went angry at that, realizing that he probably knew of that ploy from the moment he stepped out of his prison. "No, I think I'll go for the 'anticlimactic' option, unless you are willing to fight back to make this as dramatic as possible." He then started to hover higher and higher in the air. "Decide quickly Kami. You can run and fight another day or stay with your pets and perish. Would have been a shame in all honesty, then I wouldn't had the pleasure to torture you for a long, long time." He then raised his hand above him and started to form a crimson ball of energy that started to grow in size.
"Darn it. So much for that idea." Gaito grunted to himself.
"I know what will happen to the people of Earth if we were to let you have your way! Too many people have died already due to your senseless slaughter! I would rather die fighting then let you harm another soul, we will stop you no matter what!" Kami proclaimed boldly.
"With you all the way Kami. I don't care how strong he is, we will stop him with everything we've got." Tien said seriously.
"That's right. I don't care about the odds, we won't stop until he is defeated." Goku said seriously.
"Let's do it my pupils! The Kamehameha Wave all together!" Master Roshi said confidently.
"Yes Master Roshi!" Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu nodded in unison.
"Kaaa…Meee…Haaa…Meee…" The six fighters chanted in unison as they cupped their hands, placed them at their sides and forming bluish-white rays, readying their energy attacks while Piccolo charged his Explosive Demon Wave and Kami gathered energy for his strongest energy attack. Meanwhile Garlic finished charging up his attack as his ball of energy increased to gigantic size, ready to be thrown.
"That's more like it! NOW DIEEE!" Garlic shouted as he tosses his giant crimson ball.
"HAAAAAA!" Goku, Master Roshi, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu unleashed their Kamehameha Waves, followed by Piccolo's and Kami's energy waves. All of the energy blasts merged into one massive wave that headed straight towards Garlic's crimson ball. Then the combined energy wave collided with the giant crimson ball of energy, emitting hurricane winds and cracks of lightning from the sheer power of the collision, the winds even reaching the mermaid princesses and the others left behind below the tower.
"What is that?!" Rina shouted loudly through strong winds, trying hard to remain rooted in place without being blown away.
"It looks like they are going for all or nothing!" Kaito said loudly.
The struggle was intense as the Garlic and the Z Fighters tried to overpower each other, but in those moments it was a complete stalemate.
"This must be hard for you boys with all those wounds. I'm sure this makes them BUURN!" Garlic shouted loudly in arrogance as he started to push the energy ball towards the group.
"Yamcha, concentrate!" Goku shouted loudly in anger, gritting his teeth as he struggled to push back the energy ball with the others. "Move past your fears Krillin, you can do it! Are you all willing to let Garlic destroy the Earth and kill innocent people?!" He then glanced at Piccolo. "We can end this now Piccolo, but we must work together!"
Piccolo immediately nodded in agreement, mostly for selfish reason as he wasn't feeling like dying today. Then they started to push back the giant crimson ball of energy back towards Garlic. Even though the demon was slightly surprised, he remained confident.
"A worthy effort, but futile." Garlic said arrogantly as he used his other hand to put more effort in obliterating the group, more than he originally thought as he tilted the ball back towards the Z Fighters.
"No way!" Goku said in shock and surprise as despite their combined efforts, the ball is heading back their way.
"No. They will not be able to overpower him at this rate." Gaito said grimly as he looked at the giant ball of energy closing in on them before he gazed at the demon himself. Since he didn't develop his own energy attack to assist them, mostly relying on his melee arsenal until now, he knew there was only one thing he can do to give Goku and his friends the edge they need to obliterate the demon.
"Mermaid Princess Lucia." Gaito said.
"Huh? Gaito?" Lucia said with blank expression as she looked away from the group to the descendant of the Panthalassa.
"If I don't make it out of this one, tell Sara that I love her." Gaito said grimly.
"What do you mean by that? What are you going to do?" Lucia asked worryingly, but Gaito said nothing as he looked at her with a gentle smile.
"The only thing that has to be done at this point if we are to achieve victory. And for the love of your life to remain by your side for days to come." Gaito said before he morphed his hands in shadowy blades. Lucia gasped loudly in immense shock and worry as she realized that he is about to do. "Farewell mermaid princess." He then dashed fast in the air.
"Gaito, no!" Lucia shouted worryingly, but it was too late as Gaito dashed past Goku and his friends.
"Gaito!" Goku said while still channeling his attack.
"Stay focused Goku! If we lose an inch of ground, Garlic will kill us all!" Master Roshi grunted angrily as he struggled with the others to push back Garlic's attack.
"What is he planning to do?" Goku thought as he too continued the struggle.
Gaito dashed high in the air above the giant, crimson ball of energy that Garlic conjured. Garlic glanced up and noticed that Gaito was dashing down towards him, his blades at the ready. He grinned maliciously as he used his eye beams and fired at Gaito. However, Gaito learned the Afterimage Technique over many months of exile and used it to counter Garlic's eye beam. The demon's eyes went slightly wide in surprise, but then Gaito appeared behind Garlic and plunged his blades on Garlic's back, making him scream loudly in agony.
Goku understood now that Gaito was giving them the opening they need to launch a final push to defeat Garlic once and for all. Now he can only hope that he will somehow escape the mighty blast they are all about to unleash.
"TOGETHER NOW!" Goku shouted furiously.
"HAAAAAAAA!" Everyone let out a battle cry as they poured all the energy they could spare into the combined assault.
The Kamehameha Wave merged with Kami's and Piccolo's energy attacks doubled in size and shattered Garlic's attack, heading fast and sure in the demon's direction. Garlic grabbed Gaito by the head and yanked him from his back. Just when he was about to execute Gaito, he glanced as he noticed that the Kamehameha Wave was heading fast in his direction. In that moment of shock, Gaito kneed Garlic's arm and quickly dashed backwards to avoid the deadly energy wave. With no time to do anything to avoid the blast he quickly crossed his arms and braced for the impact, but when it did, the Kamehameha Wave was proven to be too powerful for the demon to endure, even with the immense power at his disposal. While Garlic screamed in agony as the wave seemingly consumed him, Gaito didn't move fast enough to avoid the deadly blast and received a severe injury from mere contact with the energy wave, the momentary but intense blow that sent him careening down towards the ground. Then the Kamehameha Wave exploded violently where Garlic once stood, creating large cloud of smoke and fire and sending gale winds that blew the fighters away due to how drained they were, the winds even reaching the remaining group below the tower, blowing them down as well. Lucia barely managed to hold her ground as she fought the winds formed from the explosion.
With combined might of the Z Fighters, Garlic's attack was overpowered before the demon himself was enveloped in the fury of their merged energy attack. But even then when victory was seemingly assured, the Z Fighters remained vigilant. Have they truly defeated Garlic for good? Or did he survive the attack for the final round? When the smoke clears, it is then that the truth will be revealed.
-Messiah of authors Thank you. Continuation into DBZ is a big if at this point, for i haven't decided yet about that one.
-Haseo55 Nope, he isn't :D Pure is still taking place, so no DBZ yet.
-Super Kamehameha Haha, thanks bro, glad you love it :D