Avenger Saga:
36. One Last Bow
Vegeta stared into his bathroom mirror, inhaling the steam through his nose.
His face was covered in wrinkles and parts of his once strong raven flame of hair were grey symbolising his old age. This wasn't his end though, he wouldn't accept this. Not yet. No...
Today was his last and final bout with his greatest friend and rival. After he would accept his curse. He looked over at the clock which read 06:00. 'One more hour,' Whispered in his mind.
He exhaled opening and closing his hands, before he reached for the mirror opening the cabinet and grabbed his last bottle of Saiya-Pills.
Vegeta opened the bottle and guzzled down the entirety of the contents inside, clinging on tightly to his youth one last time.
Elsewhere...
Goku stretched off in his bedroom, he had just finished his breakfast and was now getting ready for his fight with Vegeta.
Atop the draws, on a shinning stand shaped depiction of the Eternal Dragon Shenron was the Four-Star Dragon Ball.
The Four-Star Dragon Ball was the only Dragon Ball on the Earth now; the other six had been taken by the Elder Dai-Kaioshin, who had reluctantly, more so convinced by Piccolo into allowing Goku to keep the ball.
"Goku are you almost ready?" Chi-Chi yelled before opening the door and walked through, frowning. "Oh! What're you like? You're still in you dressing gown, get ready, and come on, Uub's waiting for you!"
"Oh sorry, Chi-Chi, I was just thinkin' about my big fight with Vegeta was all." Goku grinned. "I'm just so excited!"
"Oh Goku, just please don't kill each other," Chi-Chi sighed. "I know what you boys are like when you get going..."
"Don't worry we won't." Goku laughed. "I promise."
Later that day somewhere on the Planet Earth, far away from civilisation on the newly designed Planet Earth, in the middle of a hard green vegetation coated brown dirt canyon sitting at the edge of the cliff, prepared to be one of the three spectators of the a rival battle was: Goten, Uub and Trunks.
"Hey, Trunks doesn't this bring back memories?" Goten turned, looking up at his best-friend who stood, wearing black jeans and a light purple buttoned shirt who stood next to Uub, the only one of the two in their fighting Gi's. Trunks furrowed at the response and Goten sighed. "...Like that time you stole my candy when we were kids on that picnic with our parents?"
"Oh yeah!" Trunks clicked in and laughed a little. "And you turned Super Saiyan when it wasn't aloud and gave me a black eye...yeah I remember." Trunks looked down at the two figures at the base of the cliff. "Yeah, then it kicked off with our parents...not because you gave me a black eye though, but because you broke the rules according to my Father..."
"Our mums weren't happy that's for sure!" Goten stood up, brushing the dirt from his blue jeans and white and green t-shirt. "Especially when they both became Super Saiyan Three's!"
Uub smiled. "Yeah, I remember when Goku told me about that. It was an interesting one."
Goten laughed. "That's for sure, though I still think to this day that's why Vegeta hates me!"
The trio looked down into the canyon at Goku and Vegeta.
"Who do you think will win?" Uub eventually asked.
"Goku,"
"Vegeta,"
Goten and Trunks heard the other's reply and locked stern deadly eyes with each other.
"Err; I think you meant my Dad, right, Trunks?" Goten glared.
"No, my Father will win, he's the Saiyan Prince, and not to mention it but mine can become an Oozaru God. Can yours? Oh wait no he can't!" Trunks smirked inclining his head, crossing his arms.
Goten clenched his fists. "Well my Dad has a tail to! Meanin' he can do it if he wants to!"
"Would you two stop fighting? You're just like your Dads..." Uub rolled his eyes.
"No I am not!" Trunks and Goten replied in unison before raising their brow in realisation of what just happened.
Uub smiled at the two before turning his sight down the canyon once again.
Kaioshinkai
Kibitoshin waited. He straightened his blue tunic and crossed his legs whilst mentally rehearsing the information for today's meeting in his head.
He was sat with the Elder Dai who sat at the far end of the well polished mahogany table; that was centred with a large crystal ball filled with empty dark space and twinkling stars. The other three grey thrones around him were empty. They brought back saddening memories for Kibitoshin as he envisioned the deceased Northern, Southern, and Western Supremes who used to converse in this meeting room with him and the former Dai-Kaioshin.
The Elder Dai huffed, crossing his arms. "I wonder what's taking Piccolo so long..." He leaned back. "He's usually annoyingly early."
At that moment Piccolo materialised in the room. His white cape and blue Namekian Kanji Gi eased around him. "Apologies for my lateness," He said, sitting next to Kibitoshin who gave a small smile. "Now, down to business, where are the Shadow Dragons? You have actually found them this time, right? I didn't appreciate the wild goose chase you sent me on last time you know..."
"No..." Dai-Kaio frowned; he turned to Kibitoshin opposite him on the table. "Now Kibitoshin, present your information you've recently acquired."
Kibitoshin nodded and placed his purple hand on the table, an azure pulse of veins flowed into the large crystal ball and the Universe inside spun.
The Elder Dai and Piccolo stared into the crystal in anticipation, watching as the stars spun before finally zooming in on the dark planet with pits of molten spotting all around the globe with seven bright white moons surrounding it.
"By the prophecy..." Elder Dai uttered, his body was trembling as he stared at the planet within the crystal earning Piccolo's attention.
"What planet is that?" Piccolo asked.
"Kaiolore," Elder Dai finally replied. "Just as Seers, the Oracle Fish predicted way back then..." The memories echoed 'One day soon, after a time in a sword of Z, Kaiolore you will return, and the Guardian will bow one more time.' Elder Dai gulped, stroking his jaw in expiration. He lifted his head, his features serious. "It's time. The rift is opening, now the Guardian must release the Black-Star Dragon Balls - too much time has passed for the Dragonkin to be forgiven."
Two Saiyans, perhaps the two strongest warriors in the entire Universe, two who have been through so much in their time, stood facing each the other no more than fifteen metres apart at the base of the open canyon. Silence hung in the air, with an unspoken weight felt by even the entire planet.
Goku wore black boots, with white sports tape wrapped tightly around his ankles meeting his yellow trousers. The blue shirt starting halfway up his thighs wrapped by the white belt revealing his pectorals ruffled in the winds. His tail swung upwards and hung in the air to his right. Goku gripped onto his red wristbands and tightened the white belt before he smiled at Vegeta.
Vegeta locked his glare on Goku's stare, cracking his knuckles before crossing his arms. He wore his leather jacket, which had the Capsule Corporation logo on the left-side; underneath he wore a crimson vest, black leather legging, with his fingerless leather gauntlets and yellow tipped black boots. His tail was wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Kakarot, it's time to stop playing around and to fight against a real warrior."
"I guess," Goku smirked, earning an angry growl from his rival. "So Vegeta, why is it you suddenly want to fight me so badly?"
"We've never been able to truly settle our rivalry, thanks to Majin Buu and other nuisances." Vegeta announced. "Everyone may think that you're perhaps the top warrior on Earth, but I'm about to knock you down from your throne."
"...From my throne?" Goku furrowed in question. "Hah, that sounds like the Vegeta I know. Okay I won't hold back, you ready?" Goku raised his voice and dropped down into a wide stance, leading with a left upside down clawed hand with his right a clawed right behind his head. It was his own unique stance, mixing the Turtle Hermit and Kaio-Ken Stances.
Vegeta smirked, clenching his fists and dropped into his Saiyan Elite Fighting Stance, his clawed left hand close to his face the elbow pointed out, whilst his right was clawed by his hip.
"I do wonder..." Vegeta broke the silence. "Do you have any idea how long I've been looking forward to this?" The Saiyan Prince opened and closed his right fist by his hip.
Goku's serious expression dropped into a half smirk. "Well, actually now that you mention it...I might." He chuckled. "You know you're not the only one who's wanted this rematch, Vegeta. I've never been one to losing a fight easily. Especially when I know I could've won the last time."
"Is that so?" Vegeta laughed darkly. "You actually think you could have defeated me, huh? Haha, you... You're funny clown. I seem to remember I was beating you quite well the last time we fought until your son Gohan ceased our battle. There again, I wouldn't rely on your inaccurate mind to paint any kind of accurate picture outside of cup cakes."
"Hey c'mon, I have my moments you know." Goku replied, adding a playfully awkward laugh before his brows lowered, his features serious.
The wind rustled their clothing and the two Saiyan's black hair as they stalked the other, waiting for one to make the wrong move so they could make their own. They were already locked in combat without even taking a step.
Dha, a single stone fell echoing across the canyon and with it Goku's black boot grinded into the ground before he rocketed towards Vegeta with his fists tucked to his hips.
Vegeta's opened wide as he snapped his left hand to his face and gripped tightly onto Goku's wrist, but immediately Goku snatched his arm away and side-stepped launching a thrust kick aimed for Vegeta's chest, which barely missed Vegeta who side-stepped just in time and reacted with a wide kick that smashed into Goku's chest -
He winced and grabbed onto Vegeta's black leather leg and launched Vegeta high into the air -
Vegeta spun once before catching himself with a Kiai. His pupils flicked green and power surged through him as his golden aura flared violently around him as he watched Goku do the same. Cliffs below shattered down the side of plateau as Vegeta and Goku roared, azure sparks flashed around their bodies and the outer edges of their auras. Then in the instant, Vegeta blasted down and Goku blasted up, their sonic booms shattering the canyon -
Their right fists shot out –
The shattering spherical wave knocked the Super Saiyan Two warriors back, but they managed to steady themselves in the air with Vegeta launching into attack first, kicking, jabbing, elbowing in rapid-fire motions all over Goku's body, who just barely managed to block, dodge and counter his way out of the onslaught as they crashed back down into canyon. Then Vegeta's left hook broke through Goku's defence and smashed into his jaw forcing the Saiyans head to the side with a flow of blood mixed saliva projected from his mouth, and then Vegeta smirked as he slammed his knee into Goku's stomach and finally smashed his head into his rivals forcing Goku to tumble head over heels.
The Saiyan groaned, feeling the blood run down his face as he quickly jumped to his feet and spun to the side away from Vegeta's fist that was carried past Goku by his own momentum when he failed to make physical contact. Goku flared his golden azure lightning filled aura and slammed his knee into Vegeta's stomach forcing the wind from the warrior. Vegeta weaved away from Goku's next kick aimed down for his back and skilfully blocked, before catching his rival off-guard with a kick to his rib-cage knocking the air from his back bruising his ribs.
Goku winced and back-flipped narrowly avoiding Vegeta's low spin kick and rebounded off the ground at Vegeta, catching his rival across the cheek, but he rolled with the fist and slammed his right foot into Goku's chest, sending him backwards as he punched out. Vegeta then followed up his assault by firing out a spree of golden Ki-Blasts -
Goku tumbled in the air spinning around when he hit the ground to see the incoming golden missiles. He inhaled, closing his eyes and then sprinted forwards, dodging zigzagging around each blast -
Vegeta roared, jabbing furiously try as he might he couldn't help but hold the pattern in his attack. One which his rival knew all too well by now and showed it when Goku twisted through his last blast and landed and a reverse roundhouse kick into Vegeta's jaw, sending him spiralling to the side he rotated in the air and crouched on the cliff face and blasted back at Goku who jolted in surprise and quickly positioned himself blocking Vegeta's fist with his forearm.
Then the two were locked in frenzy of fists as they spun around each other through the air in a series of attacks, but not a single blow landed on the other. They twisted and weaved around the other expertly, looking like a pair of golden blurs to any normal human. Then they both pushed away from each other. Goku and Vegeta outstretched their hands and fired an energy wave at the other blasting both of them into a cliff face of one of the many canyon corridors.
Vegeta growled, pulling himself out of his crater and looked over to see Goku doing the same. "This little warm-up is finished!" He yelled before flaring his electrical filled aura.
"Agreed!" Goku replied flaring his aura. "Actually," Goku smirked. "I have a little surprise for you."
"Oh really," Vegeta frowned, inclining his head. "Do show me."
"Why don't you follow me and you'll find out." Goku smirked, placing his right hands index and middle finger to his forehead before he vanished.
Vegeta gasped in surprise. Immediately he closed his eyes and grasped onto Goku's Ki-Signature, he was no longer on the Earth, but somewhere far away. Vegeta concentrated and disappeared in an azure flash.
Err...
Uub, Goten and Trunks blinked in astonishment.
Goten's jaw dropped, he blinked and shook his head. The last to comprehend what just happened and then his brows lowered.
"Oh what a rip off!"
Vegeta flashed out of his Saiyan Teleportation and appeared on a new world of blue/black mountains all around. In front of him was Goku standing his golden tail curled behind him. The sky was coated in darkness with seven large moons surrounding planet and another bright sparking blue ball above.
"A Spirit Bomb..." Vegeta uttered, before furrowing his brow when the energy evaporated into the darkness. That's when Vegeta realised, Goku had been here before the Spirit Bomb technique was simply a method for him to teleport himself here. He turned his sight back to Super Saiyan Two Goku. "Kakarot, what planet is this?" Vegeta said, glancing around at the landscape, he spotted structures, very old, very decayed, a broken dais with the barely readable blurred out "KAIO" & "RE" what was this? Something felt wrong about that...but what?
"I dunno," Goku shrugged, his golden tail waved. His fingers twitched. "Phipsil showed it me when I went to visit Planet Helior for that PA...err...PAO meeting after the whole Tuffle ordeal. I can't remember all the details, but I got talkin' to him about the whole Blutz Waves scenario for our transformation and he guided me here." Goku smirked, with a small laugh. "And that's when I surpassed myself."
Vegeta furrowed, glancing up at the seven moons in the dark sky. He felt his fingers twitch; he could feel the warmth of the Blutz Waves over his skin. He didn't want to admit what he thought, but at the same time it made his Saiyan blood tingle. "I have to say Kakarot, I'm impressed, impressed that a low-class clown could achieve something that I the Saiyan Prince hasn't been able to achieve since Prince Baby." Vegeta grinned, his tail unravelled.
Their golden tails jolted.
The two Super Saiyans stared smirking at the other. Then the breeze began to blow around them, blowing their clothing and golden azure lightning filled aura.
The wind grew in strength, now storming around the two in a tornado of gold. Then the golden blaze mixed in a red raging fire. Inside, Goku's and Vegeta's body's convulsed as they breathed hard. Their fists were clenched tightly; their eyes glowed crimson like that of the Oozaru with their canines sharpened growing and then the two Saiyan's heads snapped back in an almighty guttural roar.
Whatever world they were on quaked, the battlefield beneath them tore underneath their red and gold flaming auras as the tornado of their creation shredded shooting debris and levelled cliffs in explosions from the thundering pressure waves. Goku and Vegeta opened their eyes, bright red lights pierced out through the tornado before their Ki ruptured violently, and the fiery aura blew out eclipsing the world in flames.
Soon the fire cleared around the scorched battleground. Vegeta and Goku stood no more than fifteen metres apart; their heads were bowed, encased in their own red flames which burned brightly around them. Crimson hair, erect, wild dropped down to the centre of their backs and over the shoulders, black fur over their exposed arms lining the definition of their muscles.
They were no longer Super Saiyans.
They were Oozaru Gods.
Vegeta lifted his head first and grinned. His pupils were red along with his eyebrows and hair standing like his Super Saiyan form except more wild as it fell over his black leather jacket shoulders and down the centre of his back. He could feel his black fur covering his body underneath his clothing except for his pectorals and abdominal area, showing over his arms and down to his leather fingerless gloves as he closed his hands into fists and looked over at Kakarot through the red and gold fire.
Goku breathed, each breath felt like an inferno in his lungs. But he welcomed it, he felt extraordinary, better than ever before and felt like that there wasn't anything he couldn't do.
His black tail that piercing through his yellow trousers and blue fighting top curled up. He clenched his fists, the new black fur covering his muscular arms ended at his hands under the red wristbands. The long white belt along over blue shirt wavered amongst the red flames, with his black fur wrapping around the back of his neck and shoulder and around the sides of his pectorals exposed by his shirt. His crimson hair resembled his normal states scruffy state, only more wild, erected and falling to the centre of his back and over his shoulders.
Goku opened his red pupil eyes and grinned at Vegeta through his gold and red fire.
"Vegeta, I've been saving this one as a surprise... Think you can take me in my strongest form?"
"Amazing," Vegeta uttered before he laughed bitterly. "You truly are Goku. I knew you'd reach the Oozaru God state soon. I could feel it in every fabric of my being; that's why I wanted this battle, because I've been waiting to fight you in this form for a long time."
"I feel the same, Vegeta. I knew from the moment I saw you in this Oozaru God form when you were fightin', Baby, that I myself would one day ascend to the same level and fight with you." Goku admitted, even though he had technically fought Vegeta at this level when he was under Baby's control he himself did not fight him, he was only able to watch. "I'll admit Vegeta you did well to find this form. I would've never guessed it even existed."
"Hm, is that so?" Vegeta inclined his head; uncrossing his black fur coated arms and stared intently through his fiery aura at Oozaru God Goku. "Well we may be the same level of power, but I'm an Elite Warrior. From birth I was destined to be clearly superior to you!"
Goku chuckled. "If that's what you think, pal." His cheerful expression dropped and he lowered his brow seriously. "Now, I'm not gonna hold back, Vegeta."
"Neither will I."
The Prince of Saiyans stood in place for one more, silent moment. Then he lifted his right arm over his left shoulder and slashed his hand down.
And the Kiai Wave burst through the scorched ground in a tsunami of debris towards Goku who glared fiercely at the oncoming wave and at the last millisecond punched out, blocking with his own Kiai of equal strength throwing up an eruption of smoke and debris.
Vegeta shot back into the air wrapped in his fiery aura and outstretched his hand firing a multitude of thunderous golden/yellow energy arrows down at the smokescreen where Goku shot out from -
Goku roared towards the bullets and pushed out his hands, creating an azure energy shield over his hands and the bullets pounded the shield, sending tremors through Goku's body as the arrows shot all over the battlefield in explosions of their own. He pushed and pushed, his flaming aura left a sparking arc through the air, leading into Vegeta.
THUUM!
At nearly the speed of light Goku's kick catapulted Vegeta through the sky in less than a split second. Vegeta twisted in midair, feeling the blood gush down from his temple before he narrowly blocked Goku's punch with his left forearm with a mighty stressed groan as the spherical wave blasted down ripping the ground below apart. Then Vegeta cocked his right fist back and roared as he punched at Goku's face, but the younger Saiyan blocked it in turn, angling himself behind his foe and tried to land a knife-hand to Vegeta's shoulder but Vegeta twisted himself around, catching Goku's arm and turned to smash his knee into his stomach. Goku blocked it and the two were locked in an exchange of fists, kicks and blocks setting of shockwaves that boomed all over the night sky of seven moons.
Vegeta caught Goku's fist, pulling him in and smashed his head into Goku's who was rocketed back in a fountain of crimson. Vegeta pursued, pulling his left hand over his right shoulder, roaring as he powered down at Goku and chopped down at his chest, but his hand sliced through the After-Image and then Goku reappeared dropping down his elbow onto Vegeta's neck, blasting the Saiyan Prince down in a pain filled yell blacking him out for a few seconds.
Goku roared flaring his aura and rushed down at Vegeta clenching his fists, where azure Ki crackled around them, then burst into golden orbs of power before Goku pushed his hands in front of him and he roared gaining speed.
The Saiyan Prince desperately fired down a Kiai into the ground, where he flipped and landed into the crater on all floors before he lifted his head and grit his teeth at the onrushing Goku.
Vegeta closed his eyes. Focusing...Wait...He felt the heat of Goku's energy, the crackling sound of Ki. Wait...
Now! Vegeta's eyes snapped open. Time slowed; he saw the fury over Goku's face the energy orbs mere feet from his face as he outstretched his arms and time sped up again when Vegeta unleashed an almighty Explosive Wave. The golden azure lighting drenched massive expanding energy dome illuminating the darkness under its crackling might before blasted up into the starry blackness evaporating into nothingness leaving a gigantic crater in its wake.
Inside underneath the rumble laid sprawled on his back was Goku.
He was covered in crimson liquid, staining his black and his shredded Gi, exposing more of his black furred muscular body. And after a long several seconds he inhaled choking blood as he climbed to his feet, and immediately collapsed with a scream when he put weight on his right leg. It was dislocated at the knee to femur, positioned at an awkward ugly angle; he held his breath and with a twist and a hiss popped it back into place with sickening crack. He grimaced and bent his leg a few times before finally getting up.
He breathed in and out, calming himself before closing his eyes to sense Vegeta. He knew for certain that he had hit Vegeta and that his foe would be in a similar if not worse state than himself. Then he felt it. He turned, he could see a figure standing, facing him: Vegeta.
Silence fell between the two. No sound could be heard, just the occasional drip of blood mixed sweat against the stone.
Vegeta and Goku stared at the other from the far distance in the crater. Then after a long moment sprinted towards each other, their gold and red flaming auras flaring around them as the two leapt into the air and burst towards the other in thunderous sonic booms.
"Piccolo's in." The Elder Dai-Kaioshin opened his eyes, the mystical azure light dimmed as he stared into the crystal pool, watching the molten charred planet in the starry blackness, the light reflected against his purple Daio-Kaioshin tunic as he waited.
"Thank goodness." Kibitoshin smiled. "I was beginning to have my doubts that we'd be able to get him through. Now hopefully he can destroy the Black-Star Dragon Balls, I have to wonder why the Shadow Dragons were there though..."
"Yes, it is puzzling. My assumption would have to be that they are trying to prevent their destruction, but how could they have known is my question, just why -"
The Dai-Kaioshin and the Supreme gasped when they noticed golden spheres erupted all over the right side of the planet, geysers of gold and red fires shooting up all over.
"Just what is that?! Is Piccolo in danger?!" Kibitoshin exclaimed, panic trembling up his body, fearing for his friend's safety.
Elder Dai closed his eyes calming himself. He furrowed, his wrinkles over his lavender face becoming more defined. "Impossible." He frowned, pupils shaking as he stared into the orb which began to static violently. "This is incomprehensible! It defies all logic and reason. Just how did Goku and Vegeta get onto Kaiolore! That entire system is under a System Lock, mortals such as them shouldn't be able to break that magic!"
A horrible silence filled the dark meeting room of the Gods. They watched the crystal pool flicker and the image faded.
"What do we do now?" Kibitoshin broke the deafening silence.
Elder Dai looked up at his Supreme, his face answered Kibitoshin's fears. "There's nothing we can do for him now, but hope. Piccolo...we can't open a telepathic link when he's in a System Lock like this. He's on his own now."
"No. Dai-Kaio, allow me to go there! Open another portal for me." Kibitoshin stood up, his chair squeezed against the ground. "Please, if it means saving the Universe and stopping these Shadow Dragons I'll gladly risk my own life."
Elder Dai breathed through his teeth. "No," He said. "No!" He yelled, locking his eyes on the younger Kaioshin. "I prohibit it, Supreme! You mustn't set foot on Kaiolore; we can't, and if we die the Realms goes with us!" Distress coated the old Kaioshin. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is." He said wistfully.
Kibitoshin gulped, he obeyed, staring into the large crystal pool in the centre of the table filled with static.
"Piccolo..."
Oozaru God Goku roared, pulling back his fist as he charged towards the rival Oozaru God Vegeta. But instead received a lightning fast right cross to the jaw from his foe, snapping him to the side as blood vomited from his mouth as he fell back through the dark sky.
Vegeta pursued his rival, both coated in red and gold fire he cocked back his right leg as he glared at Goku who recovered with a spin and in a burst of speed smashed Vegeta in the jaw, spinning him to his left side as blood vomited from his mouth as he fell back through the sky.
Neither fighter could gain an advantage over the other. Both were equally skilled, equally powerful, and equally knowledgeable in the arts of combat.
And it made clear again when Vegeta recovered and bared blood covered teeth and twisted his body back into Goku with an almighty kick aimed for his head, only Goku managed to block the deafening blow with his left forearm and stopped another with his right and the punch that followed -
Responding with his own punches and kicks that slammed into Vegeta's as the two burst into each other in a frenzy of perfect-timed kicks, punches, chops and knees as they shot through the air like a blazing shooting star, throwing smoke and debris from the blue/black ground into the air.
They shredded through the cliff, tearing to sunder as spherical waves bolted all around.
Goku screamed in agony when Vegeta's planet exploding fist smashed into his face, snapping the cheek bone and shredding the skin with it. He pulled back with the momentum and shot up at Vegeta with a knee, but gritted his teeth in annoyance when the Prince pulled back and took the lessened impact with his left forearm, then almost immediately responded with a right hook which Goku dodged to the side from much to Vegeta's frustration as he watched Goku shot up into the air with the last fragments of the cliff falling around them.
"So, you've still got plenty of fight left in you." Vegeta grinned; blood covered his broken, bruised and burnt face with his shredded leather clothing revealing his burned black fur scarred blooded body with the nasty thick scar running down his spine from his surgery.
"Yeah, it seems I have." Goku replied with a smirk.
"Hn," Vegeta glared holding his sinister grin. "Impressive, I never would have imagined you'd last this long."
Goku chuckled. "Oh really, well I could say the same you know, Vegeta. I mean this is usually the part where you start packin' in and goin' home."
Vegeta laughed quietly. That pissed him off he flared his fiery aura and lunged up towards Goku and vanished in the azure light –
Reappearing above Goku and fired an upside down axe kick hammering down for Goku's neck, but Goku foresaw it with wide eyes weaving back in reflex and dropped his elbow down onto the back of Vegeta's skull, cracking it as the older Saiyan screamed in agony and shock before he shot down spinning in the air and landed in a battle stance on the battlefield where Goku to landed in his own battle stance.
Vegeta pushed his left hand out and with a growl launched the golden Maximum Flasher. The torpedo of gold arrowed towards Goku who at the last second placed two fingers to his forehead and disappeared -
-Reappearing in the dark sky, looking down at the explosion he sensed Vegeta behind him seeing the azure flash of his teleportation and then felt hammer hand smash into his back, dazing him as he lost control over his body hurtling to the ground and slamming in an explosion from his impact.
Goku rolled to his feet, flaring his flaming fire around him and gasped when he saw the blue ball of Vegeta's Big Bang Attack capitalising over him. Quickly Goku crouched and sprung up into the air before the Big Bang Attack atomised the ground beneath him in an azure explosion as the shockwave smashed into his body throwing him off balance and barely had time to counter Vegeta's punches.
SMASH! Goku timed his counter wrong and received a right jab to the nose from Vegeta which sent him hurtling down in a flaming arrow. He flipped and stumbled back on when he hit the uneven ground, clutching his blood pouring nose through tear filled vision and didn't have time to stop Vegeta's head from smashing into his face, now breaking his nose and staggering him back.
Vegeta grinned feeling his advantage increasing, but he was proven wrong when he pursued Goku who thudded and rolled back flipping off the ground and smashed a perfectly executed spinning kick into Vegeta's face, snapping his nose in a burst of blood before he was sent skidding against the ground and repulsed himself from the ground with a Ki-Blast and he gasped in shock.
Goku was in his Kamehameha Stance. His left shoulder aimed up at Vegeta, his clawed hands together by his right hip, beams of azure light flaring between his fingers as he clenched his teeth, glared eyes of fury locked onto Vegeta underneath his flaming aura.
In response, Vegeta stretched his arms out to his side his red and gold fiery aura blazing.
Energy quaked the entire battlefield of a planet, lifting all sizes of debris and exploding them into bits as the ground below shifted apart erupting geysers of lava into the stratosphere, mixing with the night smoke and white crackles of lightning blitzing all over the skyline.
"FINAL FASH!" He roared, slamming his clawed hands down together in front of him like a cannon. Then a golden-yellow beam powered from his hands and arrowed down at Goku.
"KAMEHAME-" Goku roared, pushing his hands out as he rotated his body so he faced Vegeta "HA!" The azure cannon exploded out of his dragon-teethed hands powering up at Vegeta's Final Flash meeting in the centre in a blinding white flash accompanied with the thunderous BANG.
The crackling ball of energy in centre fuelled by Vegeta's Final Flash and Goku's Kamehameha expanded in the epicentre. Multiple magnitudes of shockwaves blew out levelling the land below, throwing lava all around with bolts of lightning under their wrath, pulling towards the beam struggle's high gravity shredding and exploding everything on impact.
"You're not GOING TO WIN. Not this time!" Vegeta shouted, his body creaking under the energy output.
"Well I guess we'll JUST HAVE TO SEE ABOUT THAT!" Goku replied harshly with one eye closed in his strain.
"ARRRRRRRGGHHH!"
The two Saiyan Oozaru Gods screamed in unison. Their muscles screamed from the strain of pushing their energy to their absolute maximum as the gold and azure Ki bolted, flashing away and annihilating the grounds below in fire. The two warriors winced as the culmination of energy released flares of Ki from the pressure, scorching the warriors in third degree burns before the pressure became too great and both Goku and Vegeta lost control as the blasts exploded in a white flash consuming everything around them -
Piccolo stepped through the portal which snapped shut behind him and onto the blue and black dirt ground. It took a moment but his eyes adjusted to scenery of this new world and he was sombre as he looked around.
Piccolo's white cape and blue Gi with the Namekian Kanji ruffled in the winds.
The skies were covered with dark storm clouds, the occasional crackle of blue lightning bouncing across them, seven moons all around with the starry blackness as their background. All around him across the black/blue dirt and up the mountains themselves were millions of decaying moss covered grave stones of all various sizes from nearly one hundred million years ago – some Kaioshin, some Makaioshin, some Namekian.
They surfaced horrible memories from his first incarnation, Carcolh.
In the far distance, up the breaking crooked stone pathway and atop the hill a hundred miles away was a massive grey, moss covered structure. It was roughly rectangular in shape, hundreds of cracked and destroyed stairs leading to the temple with heavily eroded architecture across the walls. Two large hooded statues with their hands together as if they were praying stood either side of the door.
It was just as the Elder Dai-Kaioshin had described...
Then something else jolted through Piccolo's mind and his head snapped to his left.
He frowned. He could feel clashing energies far in the distance of the dark abandoned war ridden lands of the ancient Kaioshin's original home world. They were familiar...but something on Kaiolore interfered with his senses giving the impression that the Ki was distorted as if further away than they should be.
Piccolo shook his head. He didn't have time to check.
He looked at the brown dirt pathway, amongst the graves of all sorts of sizes and the large stone temple on the hill. With one last glance at the black container under his right arm, Piccolo the Guardian of the Black-Star Dragon Balls took a deep breath and set forth on his journey to the temple of the Kaioshin.
Vegeta's blooded and burned face stirred.
He clenched his bleeding hands and sat up before fully standing with a groan. His body was cut to ribbons, the clothing shredded leaving only half of his crimson vest, revealing his slashed pectorals and abdominals with his Oozaru God's black furred form burned and scorched with blood stains soaking the fur across his muscles. Several of his ribs were broken, the sternum cracking every time he breathed, his nose, right cheek bone and skull gave him a horrible headache from the fractured bones repositioning themselves.
Even though he was injured and breaking he relished every moment of this battle and he could tell that Kakarot did just as much. And for that reason alone he could not and would not lose this. He had to win. He closed his eyes, his black burned skin hurt from the stretched motion but he didn't care. He could feel one other Ki signature closing in: Goku's.
His eyes snapped open and power surged through his body as his flaming gold and red fiery aura flared brilliantly around him. The rock dais of which he stood on broke apart, shattering into a million pieces. Vegeta let out a yell and then blasted off, in the direction of his friend and rival, the sonic booms shredding the ground beneath him. He jetted through the air, feeling Goku's energy increasing as well, and then Vegeta pulled back his blood soaked right fist and saw the outline of his rival appear on the dark horizon.
Vegeta's fist shot out –
And smashed into Goku's!
The shockwave shattered everything around them like glass as the two fighters were fired back, but they flipped and skidded and rebounded back into each other colliding their knees into the others with sparks of fire shooting in all directions and then the two grabbed each other by the shoulders and slammed their heads together.
Both Oozaru Gods strained their grips on the other, forcing each other in as their bloodied foreheads banged again and again and again in succession. There flaming auras raged around the two as they pulled back and collided once again with the force of an exploding star, the thunderous shockwave blasted out around them levelling the grey/blue rocky terrain as they both staggered back clutching their foreheads with blood pouring down their faces.
The red blood flowed down Goku's red eyebrows and down his face before it dripped off his chin and formed a puddle on the ground below him.
Vegeta curled down in a trail over his eyes and crept near the corner of the right side of his lip. He grinned with blood stained teeth before sticking his tongue out and licked the new sliver of crimson.
"Ewwww, Vegeta that was completely unnecessary. Yuck!" Goku recoiled, and instantly it seemed that the prier malicious mood was broken. Both climbed to their feet, Vegeta lowered his hands and Goku wiped the running blood from his forehead before cracking his neck, readying himself.
"Hm, hm, hm," Vegeta smirked, sniggering. "What's wrong, don't you like the taste of the battle, Kakarot? Afraid of getting your hands dirty, is that it?!"
"Maybe I am who knows, eh?" Goku chuckled, and then his face turned serious. He lifted his hands and fired a volley of Ki-Blasts at Vegeta who lifted his arms in an X to defend himself as he ran through the smoke, then Goku shot towards him, Vegeta skidded launching a right hook but Goku slipped underneath and spin kicked Vegeta's ankles sweeping the Prince who fell forwards to receive the winding blood vomiting knee to the stomach as he doubled over to feel Goku's knee drop onto his neck crunching his spine sending pain filled tremors through his body freezing him in place. The assault didn't stop, following up Goku slapped the back of his heel into Vegeta's jaw sending him spiralling -
Dizzzit –
WHAM! The knee smashed into his kidney, spewing blood from Vegeta's mouth and then the left hooked kick crushed into his left arm breaking the humerus bone in a cry of agony, then the elbow dropped onto his temple fracturing his skull further as blood spurted from the open gash over his head as he stumbled back, Goku crouched in front of him pushing his hands out and unleashed a flare of yellow Ki point blank erupting into Vegeta who barely had time to lift his right hand in front of his body to defend.
The Ki flaked his skin, scorching him before he managed to will his body to move as he squatted, and his feet grinded into the ground and then leapt up and smashed his right elbow into Goku's jaw, fracturing it with a roar of pain as the Ki fired up and Goku skidded back harshly against the ground. He flipped to his feet, only to take the full force of Vegeta's right boot stamping into his stomach, rupturing organs as the blood spewed from his mouth.
Vegeta collapsed to his knee in pour exhaustion and Goku did the same grimacing in his pain. They both panted, sweating with a mixture of blood profusely flowing from all over their body.
"There...that should...finally shut you up, clown..." Vegeta spoke, taking in deep breaths his head throbbed miserably from the pressure.
"...Don't be so sure, Vegeta." Goku panted, blood pouring from his mouth. He smiled. "Never thought we'd become this strong."
"Yes, nor did I." Vegeta chuckled, cringing as he held his broken left arm. "But there can only be one winner I'm afraid... So how about it, one last attack?"
Goku clambered to his full height and so did Vegeta.
"If you wish," Goku's smirk disappeared, his fiery aura of the Oozaru God hummed ignited with a spark.
As did Vegeta's, both Saiyans, both rivals, both the last of their race, faced each other covered in all forms of mortal wounds that they had received and given in this battle.
The two Oozaru God's energy blazed growing in power as the planet shaked once again and then they lifted their hands above their heads in unison, forcing them to their sides and roared. Everything beneath them atomised as their fiery auras grew and grew and then –
Goku and Vegeta leapt forwards into the air at each other, glaring with their red pupils and -
"DRAGONNNN...!"
"OOZARRUUU...!"
"FIST!"
Goku and Vegeta roared forcing their fists forwards and they both erupted into a golden storm cloud consuming them and perhaps the entire planet. Then within the moment two embodiments of light shot out which both transformed.
One into a golden wrathful dragon.
One into a golden wrathful Oozaru.
Both roaring towards the other colossal embodiment and into the other, the Dragon and the Oozaru mixed together before they exploded in an immeasurable explosion of golden concentrated energy.
Now the ultimate battle of the Destined Rivals was drawing to close. But this isn't the end. For warriors always striving for greater strength like Goku and Vegeta - the battle will never end.
Meanwhile, Piccolo held himself against this earthquake like the others and made his ascent up the last spiral staircase into another vine covered chamber of upmost floor of the Kaioshin Temple where the ancient shrine rested.
The white and black architecture walls were littered with vines and dust over the thousands of centuries of being untouched since that, one day, where the Black-Star Dragon Balls were created for the Dragonkin to be sealed within the Ryu-Shin Realm.
Dummmmm...
Piccolo's ears twitched. It was the call of the opening of the rift; it called for the seven jewels to be returned as the Kaioshin of old had promised.
Dummmmm...
Piccolo knelt down next to the circular stone shrine with seven black pedestals with cup shaped tops surrounding it. He bowed his head in respect. He opened the black container and all seven of the Black-Star Dragon Balls floated out to Piccolo circling around him.
Dummmmm...
He raised his green hands to the side and the each of the Black-Star Dragon Balls staring with the one star ball floated away in a line and began to rest on each of their respected dusty pedestals around the shrine, where they began to illuminate orange with a humming noise.
Dummmmm...
"Hm, hm, hm," The shrill cold laughter sent chills down Piccolo's spine. "So the false Gods have sent the last of Namekians to do their biddings as is foretold. There is no surprise," She giggled.
"Oceanus," Piccolo announced, he stood to his full height, his back turned for a moment before he turned to see the Dragonkin atop of the cracked spiral staircase. "It's been awhile."
She had a heart-shaped face, with an innocent smile forming over soft ghostly blue skinned face and her purple hair with the thick golden tassel fell down to the base of her back. She wore a midori scarf, white jewelled necklass, golden wristbands and anklets, a blue wrap around dress with a black belt.
"Ah, so you do know who I am. As I know you, Guardian," She giggled, moving her hand away from her golden belt buckle to her face revealing the calligraphic M, unnerving Piccolo. "Or the killer of your own kind, hm, hm,"
Dummmmm...
"That wasn't me," Piccolo glared, clenching his fists tightly. "You and others controlled Gast Carcolh and forced him to do those terrible things. You're the true murderers of the Namekians and so many others countless souls."
Piccolo and Oceanus stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to them.
"So where are Rime and the other Shadow Dragons?"
"They're around." Oceanus finally responded. "Perhaps they're not though, but how'll you find out, Guardian?"
"It doesn't matter. Guess I'll find out soon enough."
Oceanus nodded. "Yes. But to save us all a tremendous about of time, how about you simply hand over the Dragon Balls? Honestly, it'll save us all the bother."
"Hn," Piccolo smirked, crossing his arms. "Do you really think for a second I'd just give you the Dragon Balls? No, instead they'll be sent back to the Room of Spirits and Time. Sorry, but Syn's soul stays sealed."
Oceanus sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, Guardian. Have it your way, but don't think you can defy me and not suffer the consequences." Oceanus lifted her arms, her ghostly blue hand opened, with the two centre fingers closed and she grinned at Piccolo who stood in front of the shrine and the Black-Star Dragon Balls.
Piccolo chuckled. "I'll enjoy every moment of this..." He took his turban off with his left hand and lifted his cape over his head with his right hand before he finally threw them through the temple wall. A moment passed and then a loud BANG could be heard from where the weighted items smashed into the surface of Kaiolore below.
He cracked his wrists and his neck before dropping into his wide battle stance, his clawed hands out close to his jaw. And with that Piccolo flared his white aura and rushed forwards towards the Shadow Dragon with a white energy sphere forming in his hand -
Goku and Vegeta fought vigorously. Zapping through the air in shockwaves throughout the night sky until they yet ago struck the ground like lightning in a violent explosion.
They both panted, barely able to hold themselves up on the last bit of the land, sweating and bleeding profusely. The two were no longer Oozaru Gods; they had reverted into their base forms. There last attack, the sheer power of the Dragon and Oozaru Fist had devastated the world below. The crust of the planet below them had been completely vaporised under their powers, revealing spurting lava threatening to consume the last land of which the Saiyans stood on where lightning struck all around.
Vegeta and Goku smirked at the other through the red heat of the air, their faces covered with blood; clothing completely shredded revealing their muscular battered, broken, burned and bruised bodies.
"No... Not yet... I can still fight!" Vegeta's struggled, his body ached especially his back and his body shook from all the damage to his central nervous system; it took every grain of strength he had just to stand, but he would never surrender.
"Yeah..." Goku coughed, wincing from the burning pain in his chest reminding of the Black-Heart Virus which was wished upon him and nearly damn right killed him a year ago. "There's still a lot of fight left in me, and I won't ever give up on this fight Vegeta!"
Vegeta shifted his legs to a wide stance raising his right fist and flared his white aura. "Very well, Kakarot! Let's finish this!"
Goku screamed, flaring his white aura and jabbed out his fist firing a massive Kiai, shredding the land below and Vegeta's barrel rolled out of the way and screamed when he fell onto his left broken arm. Quickly he shifted his weight and stumbled forwards before dashing at Goku.
The Saiyan Rival Goku willed himself to move forwards, but it didn't happen his body shook violently and he received a punch to his already broken nose which caused him to cry out in agony.
Vegeta fell to his knees, panting horribly but fired a golden energy arrow at the staggering Goku, who managed to lift his burning arm and deflected the energy wave.
Goku let out a yell, the skin over his left arm was completely gone revealing blooded muscle. He inhaled, fighting the horrific migraine; his vision was darkening becoming fuzzy. But he saw his foe.
Vegeta was coughing, down onto his knee with blood dripping from his mouth and was clambering to his feet with a lot of effort. Goku focused, seeing his chance and raced to claim his victory with his fist cocked back -
But something happened, which made Goku recoil his fist and was sent skidding by Vegeta's angry right hook, who then roared flaring his white aura and pursued the rolling Saiyan -
"Vegeta wait!" Goku shouted, holding his hand up and Vegeta stopped in mid-flight. It was then when his true exhaustion gripped onto him, pulling him to the ground and onto his knees with sweat, drool and blood falling from his body.
"What's wrong, Kakarot? Afraid I'm going to beat you?"
"No, Vegeta," Goku walked over with worry in his eyes. "Look." Vegeta furrowed, watching an azure Ki sphere slowly swirl in Kakarot's hand as his foe knelt down.
"What are you -?" Vegeta gasped silently, looking at his blurry withering reflection in the energy ball. His flame-shaped hair was almost completely white/grey now, dying out. He scowled, feeling his face, over the bruises and under the warm blood was a heavy amount of wrinkles; his skin was tighter, older. He bit his finger nails; before anger flooded his vision and he smacked Goku's hand away causing the younger Saiyan to fall before Vegeta abruptly stood up and let out a massive emotional yell with all his anguish and his disbelief.
"Vegeta," Goku stood up. "Tell me, what's happening. I can help."
Vegeta growled, and snapped. "Oh can you not fucking see, clown? I'm aging! Me a Saiyan, succumbing to the laws of time." There was a deep sadness in his eyes. "Well it's not fair!" He punched raised land into oblivion before panting with anger and frustration.
"And how long have you known about this?"
"...A month. It's been happening for over a month, I thought I had stopped it at first with the Saiya-Pills, regaining my youth, but it appears I was only preventing the inevitable." Vegeta's head slumped forwards. "Nobody knows, but you..."
"Hey, don't worry about it. It makes no difference whether we're old or young; we're still the same person." Goku smiled. "If makes you feel better I'll become wrinkly just like you one day soon, haha."
"Ah!" Vegeta clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "Don't belittle me with your pity, Kakarot." Vegeta looked away. "You don't know what this hell is like. My body aches, I can feel my grasp over my strength slipping away, it's only a matter of time before I become...weak."
Goku's smile disappeared. He was silent for a long moment. "Wow, I didn't think the Saiyan Prince would let himself be beaten so easily. All that pride lost, just because you're growin' a little older. What happened to the real, Vegeta?"
"Shut up!" Vegeta exclaimed, Goku's words had reached Vegeta. "Shut your fucking mouth you low-class scum!" He was shaking with fury, but then it faded to depression. "...I don't know...Kakarot." Vegeta fought the brick in his throat, scrunching his face as fought to admit himself to his friend. "I'm afraid, I truly am. I don't want this to happen to me...to watch you grow stronger, whilst I remain the same!" His eyes watered a little, but he quickly composed himself.
"Vegeta..." Goku was about to speak, to comfort his friend and greatest rival, but then the energy, though distorted on this world, jolted from his senses. 'Piccolo...' How long had that been there? In the midst of his battle with Vegeta, he had missed it. The energy was weak now, twinkling away.
Vegeta stood up and looked into the dark, lighting filled skies of this strange abandoned world. "You sense it to, Kakarot?" The aged Saiyan turned said, staring into the distance.
"Yes." Goku nodded. "It's Piccolo, and someone else. Their Ki's are fading, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure. But it can't be good." Vegeta turned, breathing and wiped the sweat from his eyes. "Give me a few, I'll take us there."
"It's okay; I have enough energy for Instant Transmission. You ready?" Goku placed his index and middle fingers to his blooded forehead and concentrated.
"Yes," Vegeta said reluctantly, placing his hand onto Goku's shoulder. There was a small increase in Goku's energy and they disappeared from the lava ridden battlefield –
-And reappeared outside on top of a broken stone and vine coated staircase out the rectangular moss covered ancient architecture temple. Vegeta quickly glanced around; thousands of graves littered the lands below the large stairwell. He then looked up back to the temple and observed the two large heavily eroded hooded statues with their hands together as if they were praying stood either side of the open doorway in front of the Saiyans. There were words on the plaque, faint from all the years, but he could see the "KAIOLORE" and another barely readable word, a name "DAI-KAIOSHIN."
'That's the name of the rank the Elder Kai goes by...' Vegeta noticed, furrowing his brow. He didn't have time to dwell on it though as he saw Goku running into the temple.
"Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, chasing close behind the younger Saiyan.
Goku leapt into the air, dashing through the ancient corridors of the temple uncaring of the eroded statues that looked like the Supreme Kaioshin. His thoughts were in turmoil, he could sense Piccolo's energy clearly now, weak, fading, dying. What had happened? Images flashed through his head. He found himself begging, hoping with what he didn't know, for one of his greatest friends to okay. The corridor reached its end and revealed a spiral staircase.
He saw someone at the bottom of it. A woman looking alien in a blue dress sprawled on her front, her purple hair and the centre golden hair messed up over her injured body. She emitted the energy of the other person Goku had sensed, she was the one who had fought Piccolo. Why though?
"I'll check on her!" Vegeta skidded to a halt next to her. "Go and see to Piccolo!"
Goku obeyed and sprinted up the metallic staircase his feet thudding against each step and at the top of the stairs and halted at the top in horror –
In the strange small room covered with vines and dust and cracked walls in the centre sprawled on some kind of shrine lay Piccolo. His blue Gi was shredded, the Namekian Kanji over his chest ripped revealing his burnt muscular green Namekian body. He was covered in his purple blood; large chunks of body were sliced into like someone had cut down his body with a sword. His neck was snapped, his eye swollen, the face battered and blooded with an antennae ripped off. Blood pooled around him, leaking down the sides of the shrine onto a black rectangular container.
"Piccolo!"
Goku ran towards him, furrowing when he caught the sight of all seven Black-Star Dragon Balls on some kind of sculptured stand around the shrine. "Piccolo! Can you hear me?!"
"The woman downstairs is breathing, I gave a little of my energy she's out of the danger zone. She'll be alright soon enough." Vegeta noticed Piccolo on the shrine; Goku was shaking him whilst he trembled in panic. "Kakarot, stop shaking the Namek for crying out loud!" Vegeta ran forwards and knelt down next to them. He pressed his hand onto his broken neck. "He has a pulse. He'll regenerate himself soon."
At that moment Piccolo coughed harshly, purple blood vomited out of his mouth.
"How did you to get here?!" Piccolo eyes snapped open, his antennae regenerated and his neck cracked from the regeneration process being completely. He sat up and panted in exhaustion. "Did the Kaioshin send you?"
"The Kaioshin?" Goku furrowed. "No... We got here ourselves to have a fight."
Piccolo gasped in realisation, the two distorted clashing energies, the earthquakes, the eruptions, it was Goku and Vegeta. "What? No impossible, the entire Solar Systems under a System Lock, you shouldn't have been able to break through that..."
"Enough games." Vegeta proclaimed, and Piccolo turned to him. "I demand answers this instant, what's going on here, why did the Kaioshin send you to this world, why are the blasted Black-Star Dragon Balls over this shrine and who is that blasted woman downstairs you were fighting?"
Piccolo locked eyes with the aged Vegeta. "Fine, I'm here because -" He was about to speak but then he and then Goku and Vegeta noticed the walls; white cracks were beginning to form over them.
"Those look familiar." Goku frowned, and then he clicked those were cracks in space and time. Just like in their battle as Gogeta with Raichi.
"It's time." Piccolo smiled, but there was sadness in his eyes, which Goku noticed immediately and was about to question -
"It's been fun knowing you both. I'll miss you two, remember that."
"What?" Goku asked –
Then in a blink of an eye, Piccolo had raised his right hand. His frame and eyes leaked a white light. His index and middle finger pointed at both of the exhausted Saiyans who were suddenly frozen, unable to move -
"What's happening?!" Vegeta exclaimed, shrouded in the mystical white light like Goku.
Goku gazed into Piccolo's eyes. "No don't! -"
Goku and Vegeta vanished.
Piccolo smiled, they were safe now. He lowered his hand and lay sprawled out in his own blood on the shrine and resting on their pedestals all seven of the Black-Star Dragon Balls illuminating orange, humming in their respected position around the stone shrine.
Around the structures on the stone walls of the temple, the white cracks of time and space grew.
He heard the growing velocity of thunder outside.
It was almost time. He knew that. But there was still one more person he wanted to speak to.
Earth – Satan City
Gohan yawned, lying on his white king-sizes bed in his bedroom. His midori tie and blue blazer were hung on the door of the red coloured bedroom, with white drawers and a wardrobe. He looked up at the ceilings black chandelier, thinking in his white shirt with the right sleeve tuck away due to the missing arm, the top button undone, his black trousers and white socked feet hanging off the edge of the bed.
He glanced at his black watch, 19:00 he had just finished a long day of work at the Orange-Star University and was resting, waiting for his dinner, secretly in the back of his mind dreading the amount of markings and lesson plans he had to finish later...
'Gohan can you hear me.'
The voice of Piccolo echoed through Gohan's mind, instantly he sat up and focused.
"Is that you Piccolo?"
'Yes, it's me. I have a bit of a situation on my hands.'
Gohan blinked, furrowing. "Well what is, you aren't in any kind of trouble are you?"
'Yes. I am.' Piccolo paused. 'There are reasons why I didn't want to use the Dragon Balls anymore, reasons of which the Kaioshin made forbidden for me to tell you. But I'd say I can bend a few rules now. In brief, the Dragon Balls were created to seal magical entities known as the Dragonkin who were released from the Ryu-Shin Realm over one hundred million years ago and were sealed away again by the Kaioshin and the Namekians.'
Gohan furrowed, processing the information.
'However, due to unforeseen predicaments, our overuse of the Eternals Dragons has broken down their seals. When the Black-Star Dragon Balls were used by Pilaf and when I set Gast free from Ryu-Yin's control it ultimately freed the Shadow Dragons. That's why I'm here, Gohan. On Kaiolore, where they were originally created, now to destroy the Black-Star Dragon Balls by throwing them into the rift and leave before the planets ripped apart... However, things got out of hand.'
'A member of the Dragonkin, a clan known as the Shadow Dragons followed me here to steal the Dragon Balls in order to free the Shadow Dragon Master. To put it bluntly I stopped her, but I'm in pretty bad shape and I can't leave now without being ensured that the Black-Star Dragon Balls have been destroyed.'
"No, don't you dare!" Gohan's chest tightened and now unconsciously stood up, his left hand shaking. "You can just teleport out of there or call the Kaioshin, anything please!"
'I am the Guardian of the Black-Star Dragon Balls, Gohan. It is my duty to see to their destruction, look at how they nearly destroyed the Earth. If I stay, I can ensure they're destroyed forever and no more senseless chaos will ever be caused by them again.'
"I don't want you to die!" Gohan exclaimed, his face scrunched and his eyes wide with stress.
'It's okay Gohan, I know now that it was meant to be this way. Sometimes we have to look beyond what we want and do what's best.'
Tears glazed over Gohan's eyes as he listened to his best-friends words. He found a lump forming in his throat. "But...Piccolo..." He squeezed his eyes shut and tears begun to run down his cheeks.
Thunder roared outside the temple.
Piccolo smiled, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he lay beaten on the altar. The Black-Star Dragon Balls humming on their shrine above him, with the white light reflected against his purple blooded face from the cracks in the fabrics of reality over the ancient walls of the temple.
"Come now, it's alright. This is the path that I've chosen." Piccolo closed his eyes, a sad smile plastered onto his face. 'Let's talk about something else, like how you've matured. You've become a truly great person, Gohan, yet you've remained humble. I thought that I was your teacher, Gohan, but it turns out that was the other way round. You've taught and shown me so much. I owe you more than I can ever give you."
"It's begun." Piccolo grimaced, feeling the gale winds from the rifts tearing his skin, the impossible mixture of both intense heat and shivering cold both melting and freezing the shaking room and the world of Kaiolore beneath him. It was time. Piccolo opened his eyes, tears fell down the sides of his face but he grinned.
"Goodbye my friend."
And with that Piccolo cut the telepathic link off. The light from the rifts burned and froze white eclipsing the room under Piccolo's scream -
Gohan was on his knees, his hands clawing into the carpet of his bedroom. He stared in shock, the last of Piccolo's words replayed in his mind countless times. Then, every memory, every thought of Piccolo, all the good days and all the bad days rushed through his mind. He quivered, he lips curled over as his face scrunched in the realisation of what had happened hit.
"PICCOLO!" Gohan screamed. He broke down. He buried his face into his white bed-sheets and cried howling with all the anguish of his pain and loss.
"Gohan?" The door swung open, he heard Videl's voice.
"Gohan?! What's wrong?!"
Vegeta and Goku snapped out of their forced teleport and fell onto the shinning black reflective floor.
"Goku, Vegeta?" Elder Dai exclaimed, Piccolo had teleported the two Saiyans to the Kaioshinkai in their meeting room.
The blooded and bruised Goku clambered to his feet, he saw the surprised Elder Dai and Kibitoshin, both equally shocked behind their mahogany table with a large crystal pool in the centre. Goku stared into it and realised behind the static, that was the planet he and Vegeta were just on.
Molten fire drew over the dark planet of Kaiolore. The seven moons circling the planet smashed into it, and then with a flash of white it exploded sending several spherical waves into space before the light of the explosion collapsed in on itself.
Kaiolore was no more: just rocky fragments of its remains.
Vegeta closed his eyes in respect, whilst Goku breathed harshly and then dropped onto his knees. "No. No. No. No!"
Goku breathed angrily through his teeth. He stood up, fury blazed in his eyes, his golden aura shot up around as he transformed into a Super Saiyan and stormed over to the Elder Dai. "You know what happened. Who was woman that was fighting my friend and why, Dai-Kaioshin?"
Elder Dai locked eyes with the blood covered Saiyan. "I'm afraid that information is confidential to the Kaioshin. However, I can say that Piccolo's sacrifice was a noble one, Goku."
Kibitoshin stood up, his mouth in the shape of an O in his surprise and shock from Goku's outburst.
"You didn't answer my question. What happened on that planet? Answer me!"
Elder Dai locked eyes with the furious Saiyan. "Are you threatening me, Goku?"
"Kakarot!" Vegeta scowled, his winkles become more defined. Goku snapped out his fury, the red hue faded from his vision. "Leave him. We'll never get any information out of that old fool, we never have he's completely useless. We're in the Otherworld now, meaning we can head to the Check-In Station and ask Piccolo ourselves."
"No..." Elder Dai exhaled. "I'm afraid not, Vegeta. It's hard to explain, but... Kaiolore isn't linked with the Otherworld meaning Piccolo's soul didn't travel there; it's lost in the rift between time and space. He's gone forever..."
Goku shook his head. "...Liar!" Goku shouted, tears of rage pricked his green eyes. "Just tell us what happened please!"
Elder Dai remained silent.
"Goku," Kibitoshin spoke. "I'll tell you."
"Kibitoshin, don't you dare!" Elder Dai ordered.
"They deserve to know, sir." Kibitoshin affirmed. "You know that."
And the Supreme Kaioshin told the two Saiyans everything about the Dragonkin and the Dragon Balls.
Finally at long last... I hope you enjoyed the latest instalment of DBG! This one was just a pain to plan, it was going to go in all sorts of directions, but I like outcome and it was for watching it all come together at least!
The next chapter will be the last of Avenger Saga and then we'll move onto the next one. And oh my that one is going to be a difficult one to re-master but hell I'll give it a go! For those who caught the foreshadow of what's to come in Chapter 27 will probably know what saga is the next one.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Q&A:
Q: Vegeta is afraid of growing old, well, I suppose even Saiyans have midlife crises, but as Vegteta said, he's probably the oldest Saiyan alive, ever probably. Goku vs Vegeta, I'll get the popcorn, because that should be a fun fight.
A: Yeah, first he has his whole Majin crisis and now he's got the elderly crisis to top it off! And I hope you enjoyed their fight!
Q:The leader of the Shadow Dragons, we reach the final arc of the GT saga, skipping over completely the Super 17 one, good choice because while it's an interesting idea, like the majority of things in GT, it was poorly executed. Time to see how they deal with the Shadow Dragons.
A: Perhaps. The true answer will be revealed in the next one.
Q: ive been thinking couldn't they use the other dragon balls then goku and co. catch them because they don't spread faster than normal dragoballs and teen goku was able to catch the for star ball as it was flying away and now everyone is much faster now. just a theory
A: Unfortunately no. The Black-Star Dragon Balls are with the Kai's (Now they're destroyed), Nameks destroyed, and Earth's Dragon Balls minus the Four-Star ball are also somewhere on the Kaioshinkai. However, I like your theory of Goku being able to catch the Dragon Balls before they spread, really makes you wonder why they didn't just do that in DBZ.
Q: So, I'm enjoying your story alot so far. Reading through 14 and 15 I can't help but feel like you were inspired by the "Planet Hulk" movie. Made this part more enjoyable to read considering I loved that one :D. I'm gonna go back to reading now, Can't wait to see what happens!
A: I'm happy to hear you're enjoying it! Ah, yes Planet Hulk did in fact inspire the Warbound Chapter actually. :p Hope you keep reading, haha!
Again, thank you all for reading. Until the next one guys!