Episode 37
Triple Trouble!
Hello, readers! It's been a long time, but I was able to write another chapter and quite a lengthy one as well. Hope you all enjoy reading this! I got some motivation back after listening to several, inspiring DragonBall, Z, and GT songs and from my reviewers as well.
Author's Note: Just a brief comment about posting reviews. I really appreciate respectful and positive reviews as they help me with my writing. If you feel you need to give me some feedback, please write it in the most professional and respectful way as possible. Let's always do our best to respect one another. Please no rude and disrespectful reviews. I will not tolerate them and they will be deleted and/or reported immediately. Thanks in advance!
A/N #2: Take note that in this story, the moon was not destroyed at all by anyone. That's why I decided to add a full moon instead to my previous chapter and not have Vegeta use the Blutz Wave technique to keep my story unique from the original series.
Again, hope you enjoy!
Gohan, Krillin, and Goku remained floating in air. Great Ape Vegeta still sought for them and while he did so, Goku whispered to Krillin and Gohan that they should hide in another corner so they can hide from the three monstrous apes for a brief moment and see if they can carry out their plan.
When the three began to move, Vegeta's heightened sense of hearing was able to pick up even their almost inaudible sounds of their flight. With an evil grin appearing on his face and his eyes glowing red, he turned around and yelled, "I see you!" he declared, discharging a humongous and quick energy blast straight at them.
"Huh?!" the three instantly turned around and noticed that the blast was coming to them fast, ready to consume them.
"Hyah!" Goku took the initiative as he quickly placed his hands together. He moved them forward, releasing a Kamehameha wave. "HA!" the two energy beams came in contact, but they exploded in the middle, leaving residues of haze and flickering sparks behind, which can actually hurt one's skin.
"Let's go!" Goku told Krillin and Gohan.
They rushed and darted underneath the night skies, trying to get away from the vicious Vegeta. Despite of his massive height, however, he can still run after them. He trailed behind them, his giant feet making quakes on the fractured battleground. His hands began to glow and then, he fired multiples of scattering energy blasts. They occupied every space and corner of Goku's path including Krillin's and Gohan's. The three had no choice but to evade all of these blasts face-to-face. Since they were large in size, one wrong move and these could easily consume them.
Because of these chasing blasts, they had suddenly caught Great Ape Raditz's and Bardock's attention. They stopped demolishing the place for a while and they stared at Great Ape Vegeta as well as Goku, Krillin, and Gohan. For some odd reason, they became very enraged, revealing their sharp fangs. Uncontrollable as they were already were, they became even more out-of-control when they felt this peaking anger burning in their chests.
"Take this!" Krillin quickly collected energy into his hands as he fired barrages of speedy, exploding waves, hoping that his Scattering Bullet should cancel some of Vegeta's homing energy blasts.
Gohan realized that there were at least three blasts coming at him, but with courage beating in his heart, he immediately placed his palms on his forehead facing forward. "Masenko-ha!" the strong energy wave shone bright, filled with quite some power, and it canceled those three blasts.
"All right! Great job, Gohan!" Krillin cheered for him.
Gohan found himself smiling and laughing.
As for Goku, he was firing energy waves on his own, but his target was towards the ground instead where Vegeta was standing on now. When they touched the surface, there was fog everywhere along with dust and particles.
Even with their combined teamwork, this did not stop Vegeta from getting them where he wanted them. "You will not escape from me!" he opened his mouth this time, carrying out an enormous, cylinder-shaped beam from his throat. It rushed towards Goku, his best friend, and his son as it broke through the hazy fog and was prepared to demolish them at will.
"Look out!" Goku warned. Even though his body was terribly exhausted and bruised from the quadruple Kaioken he risked doing before, he still spared some of his energy from his rest after he wreaked Vegeta with his tremendous Kamehameha combined with his Kaioken ability. He grabbed Krillin and Gohan just in time, the three avoiding Vegeta's attack.
Goku felt his body going under immediate pain again after just using physical energy, but he tried to ignore it for now. He, Krillin, and Gohan immediately took more speed to hide behind a huge canyon.
Vegeta had lost them once again and he became more furious than ever. "Where are you, you sneaky scums?! You can't hide from me forever!" he sought for them once more.
Goku tried to take a deep breath while Gohan kept vigilant to his surroundings. He turned to his father this time. "Daddy, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Goku smiled a little. "I just need to catch my breath for a moment," he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Krillin took a slight peek and saw the angered Saiyan Prince. "Man, Vegeta's persistent. He won't stop until he's certain that we're killed by him," he turned to his best friend. "Look, Goku. We can't hide here for long. It's about time we do something to stop their transformations."
Goku was still thinking in his head about the Spirit Bomb; if only he could buy enough time to actually make it.
His mind, however, was still stuck on the idea that he had seen this Great Ape transformation before at some point in his life. "For some reason, I can remember this as far back when I was a little boy. What's the meaning of this? Is this for real?"
Gohan was about to say something to his father until he, Goku, and Krillin felt heavy vibrations spreading throughout the ground, almost making them lose their balance. They became frightened, believing it was Vegeta who had found them again, but instead, Goku had sensed this life force was quite different. Following these shakes underneath the surface, they heard a high-pitched howl that was different from Vegeta's.
The three knew there was no use trying to hide. They quickly moved away from the canyon to see if Vegeta had found them, but they noticed that the howl came from Great Ape Raditz instead. The raged-look on his face conveyed that he intended to destroy them as well.
"Uncle Raditz!" Gohan yelled.
"RAARGH!" Raditz bellowed. With his giant arms, he broke a huge portion of a damaged canyon that was beside him and used it as a boulder to throw it towards Goku and the rest.
"Watch out!" Goku shouted. He, Gohan, and Krillin immediately reacted and they were able to evade this. The boulder instead hit the ground and it broke into a thousand pieces, which scattered in the air. They had to cover their bodies and arms for a while to not let these huge chunks of rocks hurt them.
Goku knew that Raditz and Bardock could not control themselves at all, but he hoped that by talking to them, he might just be able to lead them back their senses.
"Raditz!" Goku spoke to him first. "Don't you remember me?! It's me, your brother, Goku!"
Raditz paid no heed to his voice. He did not identify him as his own brother at all. Without a mind to be aware of what was really going on, Raditz proceeded to hit his own sibling with a dangerous, energy wave from the inside of his own throat.
Goku kept his mind focused and at that right moment, he successfully evaded it. He tried talking to Raditz again to help him remember until suddenly, another shadow loomed over him. He sensed this, quickly turning around and this time, he found Great Ape Bardock staring back at him. His vision was not on him rather it was on Krillin and Gohan instead; however, they did not notice him since their backs were turned from Bardock and that they were too focused on Raditz.
"Krillin! Gohan! Get out of there!" Goku shouted.
"What?!" Krillin and Gohan turned around this time and they felt their bodies almost petrified. They were shocked to see two Great Apes standing before them.
Goku held a shaking, frustrated fist. The events were happening now were truly worrying and aggravating him. He cannot believe Raditz and Bardock were forced into this cruel scheme Vegeta had set up, which held his brother and father against their will and were forced to change into these mindless, violent Saiyans; and now, Krillin and Gohan had to be involved in this, too, in this one treacherous confrontation no other being had ever witnessed before in this planet.
"Don't hurt them! HYAH!" Goku had no choice but to stop his own family. He spread his arms wide and from both of his hands, he released a "Double Kamehameha." One went straight to Bardock and the other towards Great Ape Raditz all at once.
Goku's technique had inflicted an unbelievable amount of damage to them both. The giant apes were pushed back, their feet sliding heavily on the fractured grounds, causing severe bruises underneath them. They were rammed against huge boulders and canyons. They were quite injured, but this only made them angrier. They roared as loud as they could, greatly disturbing the darkness of the night. They began to smash and blast everything whatever that was around them. They had completely forgotten about Goku, Krillin, and Gohan as if they were just in their imagination.
"Come on!" Goku told Krillin and Gohan. The three soared higher into the skies once more.
Gohan shook his head. "Grandpa and Uncle still can't control themselves!"
"Just trying to talk to them is highly impossible!" Krillin exclaimed.
Goku, however, just could not leave Raditz and Bardock in this state. He looked at them with great worry. "No, they need to stop this!" he shouted again to Raditz including Bardock this time, hoping he can snap them out from this deep trance they were in or rather an invasion of wild violence in their inner conscious. "Brother! Father! Please, listen to me! You're going to-!"
All of a sudden, he fell silent. That thought which constantly played in his mind about him actually witnessing this Great Ape transformation back many years ago…he was convinced that this was true. His mind unconsciously went back to the past, when he was a young boy being raised in the woods by his loving adoptive grandfather, Grandpa Gohan. He remembered those words he had said, about the moon whenever it inscribed a full circle. He warned Goku that a giant ape always came out during those full-moon nights, destroying everything that gets in its way. He advised that he should always stay at the house whenever there was a full moon.
In addition, he remembered that he was at Kami's Lookout and the tail he once had, had suddenly been cut off. He was in a deep sleep on that day though, but he felt he clearly remembered these words that Kami told him: his tail was gone, but he will understand sooner or later why he needed to remove it.
Goku focused back on the battle again. This time, Great Ape Vegeta had finally found him, Krillin, and Gohan. With a sneer on his face, he was sure he will eliminate them this time.
"Split up!" Krillin yelled.
"Gohan! Krillin! Be careful!" Goku told them anxiously.
The three had no choice but to go to separate directions. Great Ape Vegeta though proceeded to lock onto Goku, his main target. Knowing that he had the highest power level of all, he needed to exterminate him first before moving on to, he believed, the less significant ones, which were Krillin and Gohan. Vegeta gave heavy, claw strikes at Goku, attempting to give him the most destructive pain ever.
"Kyah, hyah, kyah!" Krillin and Gohan teamed up together and endeavored to distract the Saiyan Prince by firing numerous energy blasts at him, all with varying strength and speed. Vegeta's focus slightly wavered, but their attempt was not enough to stop the obstinate prince from accomplishing his goal.
Due to Vegeta's peaking anger that he had not laid any successful hits yet to any of his opponents, he made the decision to emit a strong force field accompanied by his anger from the center of his body. "RAARGH!" invisible force fields and gust of winds were made and Krillin, Gohan, and Goku were almost carried off with these strong bursts of air.
Krillin was able to get his balance back and he resisted the fierce winds to the best he could. Gohan was not able to until Krillin caught him in his arms. "It's okay. I got you, kiddo!"
"Thanks, Krillin," Gohan said, covering his eyes from these heavy winds battering their bodies. The two of them then tried to move farther away from Vegeta, discreetly hiding from him. They came to a low-leveled plateau. When they resurfaced, they noticed Goku had landed on another, more elevated rocky mountain. His eyes were still on Vegeta.
This time, Goku had a strange look on his troubled face. It was an expression of dreadful realization, which then slowly turned into regret and remorse. Years ago, when his adoptive grandfather was killed by this giant ape he claimed to have always seen whenever the moon was full, Goku broke in tears and during restless days and nights, he had constantly wondered with desperation who this ape was that killed his own adoptive grandfather who raised him dearly like his own son. Goku had actually vowed revenge on the one who destroyed his grandfather.
However, it was clear now who he was exacting his revenge on. "I now understand…all this time, Grandpa was talking about…me all along! I was the giant ape!"
He was more distressed, in more sorrow to have finally known the truth now; the painful truth about his mysterious powers of his untold transformation and the devastating truth behind his grandfather's death.
"I was the one who destroyed the tournament years ago. I was the one…who crushed my own grandpa!" his words almost fell apart. He gritted his teeth together, his hands curling into fists whilst they shook.
Great Ape Vegeta sprinted towards Goku and destroyed the canyon where he was standing on. Goku luckily avoided his staggering punch that almost looked like a giant, heavy stone heading straight towards him.
"Stop running away, Kakarot!" he roared angrily and pursued after him.
While Goku tried to run as far away as he could from Vegeta until he can find that perfect opportunity to go for his attack without any mistakes, his mind now began to ask questions about why he was not informed of this mysterious power that he once had, which had put his friends' lives in danger a few times; this kind of power that he was battling against now.
"If my friends had known all this time, how come they never told me anything about it in the first place? Why did they hide it from me?" he questioned. He soon realized that perhaps it was for his own good. He was only too young, too innocent, and too ignorant back then to understand. His heart, although was the most courageous heart any child could have, it was also fragile and can be struck with a lot of emotion.
Goku took a gaze at the night skies, seeing how the stars appeared like they were refusing to shine as this place had been much tainted by his enemies' menacing strength and intents.
Yet, beyond all that, in those glistening stars, he could somehow feel a bit of a faint light that was "calling" out to him somehow. He could imagine…that it was his grandfather's spirit cheering him on in this battle.
After learning the reality and painfully accepting it, he knew it may be one conflict in his heart that he may never resolve or at least, may take a long time to recover from. He took a while to speak to his grandfather's soul. "Grandpa, I'm really sorry. I hope you forgive me. I want to make it up to you somehow. I promise."
The revenge that was actually directed towards him had now turned into absolute resolute, into pure strength of mind to help Bardock and Raditz return to their original forms and to stop Vegeta from his evil deeds and senseless desires. He knew it was what his grandfather would have wanted it; therefore, he will grant his wish. It was now the only act he can do to redeem himself and finally let his grandfather find full peace.
Goku quickly checked on Gohan and Krillin and he noticed that they took hiding under an arch canyon. Their focus was primarily on Bardock and Raditz now who were still destroying their surroundings. They had to cut off their tails before their uncontrollable powers can lead to complete decimation to this place.
Gohan and Krillin then turned around and looked at Goku, seeing how every second of his battle can always change what kind of fate he will have to face.
Goku tried to call out for them until he was stopped as the enormous size of Vegeta covered the night skies above him. He had finally had him where he wanted.
"If you're thinking of aiding your friend and son, Kakarot, you'll be long gone before you even have the chance! Rargh!" he went for a direct strike with his right fist.
"Hyah!" Goku was in a state of full focus as he watched his arm drawing to him fast. With just the right timing, he was able to evade his punch. He took a leap and he landed on his furry arm instead. He began to run straight to his shoulder.
Vegeta tried to grab him with his left arm, but Goku took another leap and he resurfaced behind the prince's right foot. Goku looked up and noticed his tail. With no time to delay, he made an effort to slice it off as soon as he can.
"Here we go!" he began to raise his right arm as he consumed some energy to make an attack similar to Krillin's Destructo Disk. Suddenly, he became alerted to see that due to the prince's gigantic size, when he moved his right foot back, Goku knew he would have already been crushed if he had lingered for long even for just a second. The fighter jumped quickly to avoid it; however, he did not anticipate his real plan.
"Hah, hah!" Vegeta's laughter could only mean it was just a ploy on him. He unexpectedly used his tail and with surprising haste, it struck Goku directly at his abdomen.
Goku groaned in so much pain. He was hurled towards a rocky mountain, smashing on its surface and leaving a dent behind. Goku closed an eye. "Rrrgh, didn't see that one coming!"
Vegeta went on to finish him off this time. "Now, Kakarot, it's over for you now. There's no way you can escape my wrath!" with both of his colossal-sized hands, he intended to fully compress and beat him with these fearsome palms. He was only a few feet away from deciding Goku's fate.
Gohan clearly saw this including Krillin.
"No, DAD!" he screamed as he emerged from his hiding. He raced against time, hoping that he can save his father.
"Goku!" Krillin also shouted.
Goku although was not the one who will give up that easily. He still had some fight left in him and as long as he had this unending fortitude blazing in his heart as well as the eternal promise for his adoptive grandfather, he will continue to move forward. Goku noticed the moon and using the power of its mysterious glow, Goku had an idea in an instant. He placed his hands on his forehead, closed his eyes, and shouted, "Solar Flare!"
Intense, vivid rays dispersed from his hands and they struck Vegeta's eyes, which resulted to his vision being temporarily blurred. Although this type of Solar Flare was weaker since it did not have the power of the sun to fully exhibit its full effect, it was enough to hinder the Saiyan Prince from attacking.
"Augh! No, what did you do to me?" Vegeta questioned, having no idea what just happened. He rubbed his eyes, but his vision was still the same. "Curse you, Kakarot! You will pay for this!"
It was a good thing that Gohan and Krillin were distances away enough to keep the Solar Flare from taking effect on them as well.
Gohan gave a huge sigh of relief and gratitude. "Dad, he's okay!"
Krillin wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Phew! I thought he was gonna be a goner."
As for Goku, he continued with his clever retaliation. He powered up, raising his power and speed for just a burst. He was in his Kaioken for this chance to somehow weaken him.
"Take this!" Goku soared quickly into the skies and then, he dove back down, using this given acceleration to boost the intensity of his attack. With red and flaring aura enclosing him, he gave a powerful hook punch straight at Vegeta's face, sending him damage. He immediately flew back into the skies and then hurried back at him; this time, he opted to use a one-two kick to push the Prince of all Saiyans back several feet away from where he stood.
Vegeta was in more pain, yet his vision was still blurred. "GAH! C-curse you! I still can't see! I will get you for this, Kakarot! Do you hear me? I will!" he roared with rage and resentment towards this low-class Saiyan. He thought that he can easily conquer Goku, his friends and family now with this transformation that was considered the true power of the Saiyan race, yet his opponents were still surviving this combat including Goku whom he considered just a third-class, a weakling like Raditz and Bardock.
Was he finally seeing that he was just wrong on this? Was he just underestimating the Z-warriors' powers all along since the moment he placed his feet on the soils of Earth?
Goku turned around to look at Gohan and Krillin another time, and just several feet from behind the two of them were Great Ape Bardock and Raditz. They continued to destroy their surroundings. They were still in full rage from when Goku gave them the Double Kamehameha so as to prevent them from hurting his friend and son.
It was about time they take these Great Apes' distraction and bewilderment to their advantage.
"Krillin! Gohan!" Goku said as loud as he could. "Go ahead! Cut off Raditz's and Bardock's tail now! I'll take care of Vegeta!"
"Right, Goku!" Krillin heard him. He turned to Gohan. "Gohan, stay close to me, all right? We'll work together on this."
Gohan understood. "Okay, let's do this."
"Be careful!" Goku told them. He quickly turned around to keep an eye on Vegeta. He proceeded to settle on top of another rocky canyon. He remembered his ultimate technique that he had said he will resort to do, and now it was the perfect time to make this happen.
Unbroken meditation and spiritual strength were the essential keys to make this technique as extraordinarily powerful as it can get. Goku took a deep breath. Then, he slowly lifted his arms and he closed his eyes. He tried to collect all of the energy that the living things could grant to him. His fatigue, internal and external injuries were impeding him just a bit though, but if he could just mentally remove all painful senses in his body and just dwell into the serenity that was resting in his mind, in no time, his Spirit Bomb will soon happen.
As for Gohan and Krillin, they returned to the arch canyon they were hiding underneath earlier. Instead of taking flight, they ran instead and be somehow closer to Bardock and Raditz without getting hurt. The closer they were, the more quakes were felt underneath their feet and the more they had to be wary of their incoming attacks and heavy rocks shooting into the air.
Krillin and Gohan hid behind a boulder this time. Krillin watched the uncontrollable Great Apes for a short moment. "Hmm, this is a lot tougher than I thought. It would be good if we can somehow cut their tails in one move."
"Can't you use your Destructo Disk?" asked Gohan.
"That's what I was thinking, but I have to be careful though. I don't want it hitting them in the wrong spots," Krillin mentioned.
Gohan stared at the apes this time. "I need to distract them somehow without letting them see me and without getting hurt, then you can make your move, Krillin."
With a smile on his face, Krillin had to look at the young half-Saiyan. "Hah, hah! You've really changed, Gohan. A warrior is what you've become to be."
He also surprised himself with this remarkable change in him, but he must also confess that he was still awfully scared just being in this very intense battle. What had kept him going was his master, Piccolo, and his words that taught him to always be strong in life. His father as well was keeping him on his toes, too.
Gohan had made promises that he will stand alongside his family and friends and overcome any challenges they may face.
He was still scared to death, but he kept relentless courage in his young heart.
"All right, Gohan," Krillin told him. "I'll give you the signal and then we'll go. Keep a safe distance from them and try to keep them where they are while I'll quickly get behind them and cut off their tails!"
"Right!" nodded Gohan.
The two were prepared to go until suddenly, two hands just grabbed their backs and pulled them backwards, which made them trip and fall. "OW!" the two yelped.
Krillin held the back of his head. "What the? What the heck was that all about-huh? Yajirobe?!"
"Yajirobe, it's you," Gohan saw it was really him.
Without a doubt, it was Yajirobe. "Are you both crazy?! You're gonna get yourselves killed by those giant monkeys!"
Krillin gave a look instead. "Well, it's about time you got here. You've been hiding all this time, man! Do you always have to scamper off every time there's an important fight going on?"
Yajirobe spat at him. "Don't judge me! I have a very good reason why I just came here not too long ago."
"And let me tell you what that good reason of yours will be," Krillin stood up, wiping the dust from his clothing, "and that's to help us cut off Bardock's and Raditz's tails," he then pointed at the sword sheath that was attached on Yajirobe's waist. "Look, you have your sword with you, and didn't you say it can cut through almost anything? That should really help right now!"
"No way!" Yajirobe shouted. "I ain't gonna risk my life getting near those monsters just to get rid of their tails. Here's an idea! Why not you just blast the moon and that should get 'em back to normal."
This made Gohan and Krillin glance at the moon.
Krillin thought about it for a moment. "It's worth a try, but even with half of a Senzu Bean Gohan and I ate earlier ago, we don't have that much energy still to release that much power that can travel long distances and blast off the moon-WAAH!"
With his foot, Yajirobe had just pushed Krillin's back and insisted, "Just try it anyway!" he spat again.
Gohan tried to keep them calm. "Hey, guys, now's not the time to fight here."
Krillin held his back. "Geez, Yajirobe! Fine, I'll try, but it won't work. Just watch!" wanting to prove he was wrong, he quickly placed his hands together and took as much power as he can. Blue lights began to emit from the center of his palm and they spread all over the place. Making his attack strong enough, but not too much that could drain all of his energy, he placed his hands in front of him and yelled, "Kamehameha!"
This blue, vivid beam made its way as far as it could towards the moon, breaking through even the highest elevated clouds in the atmosphere, but it did not go as far as Krillin, or at least Yajirobe, hoped it would go. The Kamehameha wave just vanished.
Yajirobe began to laugh to himself nervously. He scratched his cheek. "Oh, heh, heh…I see your point."
"You see now?" Krillin told him. He then focused back on what he and Gohan had to do. "Okay, no time to waste. We need to-h-huh?"
He did not notice that the bright lights that were emitted from his hands earlier had actually caught Bardock's attention, but not Raditz since his back was turned from them. Great Ape Bardock glared at Krillin and his allies with fiery eyes. The ferocity of his growl startled them.
"Oh man! I can't believe this!" Krillin complained.
Bardock stomped on the ground, creating a quake to make them lose their balance. Afterwards, from his throat, he released a massive wave towards them.
"Oh no!" Gohan yelled.
Yajirobe panicked immediately. "AAH! We're all gonna die!"
"Not at this time!" Krillin though kept a clear mind as he took great speed to take Yajirobe and Gohan into his arms. He used "Super Rising" to immediately soar into the night skies as far as possible. The massive wave which Bardock had released destroyed the background instead, which shot off more huge chunks of rocks in the air.
Krillin flew to another canyon and placed Gohan and Yajirobe back into safe grounds.
"Thanks, Krillin," Gohan said.
Yajirobe was shaking from too much fright; he fell to his knees and he had a shocked facial expression. "I've never seen any attack that big before!"
Bardock tried to look for them, but since it was already dark, it took him some time to pinpoint their location with his eyes. Again, he bellowed and beat his fists on his chest as more rage fueled inside of him.
"Here's our chance!" Krillin said as he elevated from the ground. He turned to Yajirobe one more time. "Hey, Yajirobe, for once, help us out! Use your sword!"
With no time to delay, he and Gohan departed and they headed towards Great Ape Bardock and Raditz.
"Wait a minute, guys! Don't leave me here!" Yajirobe shouted, but his pleads were unheard.
Gohan and Krillin tried to sneak-in unseen, as discreetly as they could while Bardock continued finding them. They also hoped that Raditz was too busy to even notice they were there.
"Almost there," Gohan thought to himself. His plan was to launch some energy blasts on his own in the open space, to somehow confuse Bardock as his mind would try to comprehend where these blasts were coming from.
Goku's son bent his arms to his waist, his hands already shining in dimmed and blinking lights. He looked out for Krillin who was able to hurry behind Bardock with success. He, too, was collecting energy to make his Destructo Disk. He planned to maneuver it by hand as accurately as he can in order to cut off Bardock's and Raditz's tail in just one hit.
Gohan was about to do his first set of energy blasts until he did not expect that Great Ape Bardock had somehow sensed the half-Saiyan despite of his turbulent mind. He turned around and locked his eyes on him, his eyes glowing more of fierce red.
"What?!" Gohan did not anticipate this.
Krillin realized that their plan was suddenly collapsing. "Oh no, Gohan!"
Bardock gave the most piercing cry ever as he headed near the half-Saiyan, swinging his arms at him and discharging enormous beams from his mouth to destroy his own grandson. Gohan kept his awareness intact as he did his best to avoid his every attack without getting hurt. He tried to take wing higher into the skies to somehow escape from him, but Bardock's massive beams can still extend as far as Gohan could fly.
Gohan was terribly frightened, but he was more concerned about his grandfather. He had no idea what he was doing, but it was not his fault at all. He tried to speak to his grandfather, hoping that his voice would make him remember who he was. "Grandpa Bardock, please remember me! I'm your grandson, Gohan! Please, stop destroying this place!"
His voice did nothing at all to make him listen, and Bardock pursued after him. Just before he made his next incoming move on Gohan, he then suddenly felt someone was holding onto his tail. It was Krillin who was trying to divert his attention from Gohan. Bardock became aggravated to feel this, he roared louder and moved his tail back and forth, trying to make Krillin release his grip.
"Rrrgh!" Krillin held as tightly as he could while enduring these fast up and down movements. When he was lifted back into the air, it was when Krillin had let go. He took this lift to increase his power into his right leg as he gave an unexpected sidekick to Bardock's back. Though it was not enough to make him fall over, it was enough to make him feel some pain to distract him.
"Here goes nothing!" Krillin took this chance now to create his Destructo Disk as swift as he can, yet due to the brief struggle that went on between Gohan and Bardock, Great Ape Raditz had heard of this and he shifted his focus to Krillin and Gohan this time.
Raditz dashed towards the monk fighter while giving a bellowing howl, and he was about to end Krillin's existence by crushing him with his own gigantic foot.
Gohan was able to spot this. He had no choice but to hurt his own uncle. "Uncle Raditz, stop!" he needed to release his first set of energy blasts straight to his uncle's face instead, which distracted him, giving time for Krillin to escape from Raditz.
Krillin had no other choice but to fly back again into the skies to avoid Bardock and Raditz so he and Gohan can re-strategize.
"Thanks, Gohan. I owe you one. Are you doing all right?" Krillin asked.
"Yes, but watch out! Grandpa is coming at us!" Gohan told him.
Bardock advanced forward, prepared to give them a beating until he was certain he had finally destroyed the two.
At the other side of the ruined battlefield, Goku was still gathering the energy he needed; on the other hand, Vegeta's vision was still blurred, but he was slowly getting it back. Goku kept his arms raised high into the skies. Regardless of all the worries in his uneasy mind, he continued to remind himself that he needed to stay calm. He cannot make one error in making this technique of great strength. If he did, its potential may not be enough and all of his efforts will be thrown to waste then. He had already done his chant in which he asked all living things in nature to lend their energy to him. When he had said this, glimmering, white sparkles started to depart from all living things and they entered Goku's weakened body.
To Goku, it felt like almost hours just to make the Spirit Bomb, but in reality, it had only been a minute or so. "No, don't rush. Don't feel pressured. Just stay calm. The Spirit Bomb needs to be completed!" he told himself, keeping tranquility and endurance flowing within him.
Finally, Vegeta's vision had gone back to normal. The moment he released his gloved hands from his face, there lied nothing but resentment in it. "Curse you, Kakarot!" he gave a shattering cry.
The echoes of his howl almost made Goku's focus disappear, yet he made every effort to keep his mind, body, and soul calm. He had to admit that preparing for this ultimate skill of his was getting difficult by the second.
All of a sudden, he felt a gentle surge of outstanding and mystic power in his body after he had combined the energy from all living things they can bestow upon him.
Vegeta then turned around and saw Goku. "Hah, hah! You're mine now!"
Goku's heart beat more rapidly, but soon, his instincts called onto him. His eyes opened wide. "All right! The Spirit Bomb's complete!" he held his right hand immediately and he clenched it. When he tightened his palm, a spark quickly came into view. Soon, rotating swirls of clear mists and light like stars gracefully moving in a unique fractal enclosed his right hand.
Gohan and Krillin were still trying to escape from Bardock's clutches. Occasionally, they were launching energy blasts at him to make him lose sight of them, but he would still locate them one way or another.
"He's not giving up, isn't he?!" Krillin said while releasing continuous, homing waves from his palms.
"No matter what I say, Grandpa and Uncle can't remember us at all!" Gohan was very worried for his grandfather's and his uncle's well-being overall.
To their shock though, Great Ape Raditz was on the pursuit for them as well. The moment he saw their faces, he released an enormous beam of violet energy straight towards the half-Saiyan and the monk fighter.
It was moving to them fast, but they still had enough strength in their bodies to allow them to escape it once more. They did not, however, anticipate the next attack coming from Bardock. Surprisingly, he was able to take flight, lifting himself up a few feet in air, despite of his heavy size. With his right hand drawn back, at full force and power, he drew it forward and was close in attacking both Krillin and Gohan.
Yajirobe saw this and closed his eyes, thinking it was the end for them.
Krillin and Gohan felt petrified. Their hearts nearly stopped. Krillin, however, took an act of urgency as he shielded Gohan and himself with some sort of force field that immediately protected the two of them. Since this shield was made from a spontaneous reflex though, its effectiveness was only little compared to an incoming, overwhelming punch from Bardock. Bardock proceeded to present his most ferocious strike ever.
"Uwagh!" Krillin felt excruciating pain hurting his entire body. Thanks to the force field though, the damage was only reduced to half, but this protective shield instantly shattered and he including Gohan was blown away towards a mountain. They collided against its surface hard, sending more pain into their bodies.
"Gah!" Gohan cried out in pain as well, almost feeling paralyzed.
Goku's ears immediately picked up these sudden cries of pain. He became very concerned and anxious. As quick as he can, he turned around and saw that his son and his friend were in deep trouble. "Krillin? Gohan? Hold on, guys, I'm coming!" forgetting about his battle with Vegeta for now, he darted towards them to rescue them both from the clutches of Bardock and Raditz.
Vegeta saw where he was going to and this infuriated him. "Kakarot!" he bellowed, hating him for leaving their fight that was only between the two of them without any interference.
Raditz, this time, readied for a brutal attack to finish off Krillin and Gohan. From the center of his body, flashing, dark rays emerged as he was all set to discharge a terrifying, super shockwave that will, without a doubt, perish half of the already-ruined fighting zone and bring Goku's family and friends into complete obliteration.
This horrified Goku deep to the core, but it had unconsciously given him this enhanced quickness and heightened senses, which came from his intuition to protect the ones he cared. He had no other choice but to go back into his Kaioken form. He dashed towards his transformed father and brother to stop them.
"HYAAH!" with a strong, battle cry, Goku tremendously punched Raditz straight to his gut, this abrupt, overwhelming pain vibrating throughout his brother's body. Due to this enhanced strength Goku had gained, Raditz's incoming super shockwave was instantly canceled. Raditz screamed in anger, his piercing howls shattering the night skies.
Bardock had definitely saw Goku the moment when he arrived, yet to his eyes, he did not see him as his son but just a complete nuisance. He growled at him, showing his fangs to intimidate him, and he decided to attack him head-on.
Goku sensed him coming. Because of this, he took more power into his body. He had to send a grueling sidekick to Bardock's face along with a sparking uppercut to his chin. Bardock jerked back while covering his face with his hands after he got a taste of his Kaioken-driven strikes of grace, yet explosive power.
Goku did not end there, however. He rushed behind Bardock and he struck him again, making the ferocious ape collide against Great Ape Raditz. Due their colossal sizes and height, they lost their coordination completely, easily falling on top of each other, which made way for more violent shakes and trembles on the ground.
Yajirobe was some safe distances away, still watching this fight with great fear and hesitance. He lost balance and fell to the ground. He hid his face. "This is all a dream! This is all a dream!" he panicked.
Goku grabbed Gohan and Krillin and took them away from the two uncontrollable Great Apes for a while. His son and friend took a while to gain back their awareness.
"Oh, what happened?" Gohan held his head.
"Are you all right, guys?" asked Goku. He lowered his head and felt some shame in his heart. "I'm really sorry you have to be involved in this mess. But I promise you, I'll find a way somehow to end this madness!"
Krillin rubbed his back. "I really hope this ends quickly. Facing three giant apes at the same time is not an easy task!"
Their conversation was cut short when Great Ape Vegeta had already caught up with the determined Goku along with his son and friend. He frightened the three with his gigantic appearance as well as the towering strength he proudly possessed. "Forgetting about someone, Kakarot?!" he smirked.
If his intent was to eradicate his son and his friend, Goku will not allow him to carry on with his evil ways. He remained in his Kaioken form as he fought Vegeta face-to-face. He was able to land a successful, dynamic punch to his cheek, leaving a trail of red aura behind, and then he followed with a high front kick to his chin.
"Rrrgh!" Vegeta tried to resist this though.
With the Spirit Bomb remaining dormant in his right palm, Goku knew it was that time to release its full potent. While Vegeta was temporarily sidetracked from his flurry of attacks, Goku hastened behind him and was prepared to unveil his most powerful finisher ever learned. He slowly drew his right arm back, the glistening, white mists were ablaze and they were awakening with a lot of spirit around his palm. The crystal-clear lights were shining with more vigor, ready to be freed. "Here it goes! Go-!"
Fwish!
Just before Goku had carried out his ultimate attack, he was surprised to know that Great Ape Vegeta had suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye. Goku did not expect for the Saiyan Prince to have suddenly teleported behind him without any warning. Goku's mind was instantly invaded with fear. He did not sense him at all.
"You're finished!" Vegeta brutally hit Goku with his left hand and he hurled him towards an intact canyon near-by. Due to the narrow space between it and Goku, the clash was heavy enough to smash the entire canyon into many pieces.
Witnessing such overwhelming potential gained from the elite's transformation and enduring such excruciating pain almost made Goku's body paralyzed and his mind traumatized.
"Daddy!" cried Gohan when he saw this.
Goku almost fainted. If he was not a Saiyan in the first place, he would have been a goner already. He noticed though that he could still move. His senses were still with him; therefore, the valiant warrior attempted for a fast counterattack with equalized strength.
Goku strongly fought the pain hindering him. "HYAH!" he powered-up and countered, giving a clean, direct punch to Vegeta's face. Trails of white sparks and cosmic-like red aura were left behind from his fist; however, his eyes widened with terror to see that his punch now had little effect on his adversary this time due to his defense going down significantly.
Vegeta took this vulnerability of his now to his advantage by striking Goku directly to the ground. Using his left foot, he deliberately stomped him on his knees, breaking his bones.
Goku's eyes nearly turned white and he screamed with horror. "AAUGH!"
"Goku, NO!" Krillin yelled to see his friend being tortured.
"DAD!" Gohan's heart nearly stopped.
Yajirobe also saw this, too, and he bit his lip while quivering with more fear. "Dang, this is horrible!"
Vegeta laughed at Goku's pain and at his helpless expression. He was nothing more now but a useless warrior who could not do anything else, but to wither. "Oh, did I crush your legs?" he mocked him. "I'm sorry! I guess I don't know my own power! HYAH!" he stomped again and broke his bones even more.
Goku screamed without end. He shook his head from left to right, placing his hands on his forehead. He felt all of his senses were lost in his lower body. Again, if he was not a Saiyan in the first place, he would have been long gone already. It was still a miracle how he was alive up until now from all this torture, but Goku just could not take this agony any longer.
Because of Vegeta's pride, he still wanted to see him suffer more; therefore, he quickly picked up Goku from the ground and he began to compress his body this time with both of his hands, draining every bit of life until he was dead once again.
"GAAH! AUGH!" Goku cried in more pain than ever before, he felt a bit of tears coming from out from his eyes. His body was too wounded that it forced him to revert back to his original state. The Spirit Bomb that he was wielding in his right hand with its incredible power ready to be unlocked had to lay dormant once more. In fact, it appeared to be that what was keeping Goku alive was the Spirit Bomb's hidden, almost healing-like energy resting inside of his body, which was helping him to keep on living at least. Of course, this may not last for too long.
"Yes, you see now, Kakarot?" Vegeta told him. He believed that he had rightfully earned back his title as the mightiest of all Saiyans, the strongest, most fearless warrior in the universe. "I'm the one who reigns at the end. No low-class like you can beat me this time. You really think strength alone is not enough to beat your opponent? You were wrong there! It's all over for you now and for this puny planet!" he declared while compressing him even more.
Gohan could not stand watching this anymore. He stood up and made the decision to risk his own life to save his father. "Daddy! Let go of my dad…NOW!" that feeling was returning to him once more, that burning emotion which may help unveil the other hidden warrior inside of him.
Krillin, however, restrained Gohan by grabbing him and keeping him to where he was. He knew his fury will only do him more harm than good. "No, Gohan, you need to stay back! Vegeta can kill you if he does!"
"NO! Let go of me!" Gohan refused. "I need to go help my father!" he tried to get away from Krillin's hold, but Krillin just cannot let him go at this time.
Vegeta busied himself injuring Goku as much as he wanted, and after hearing what Gohan said, he told the young warrior, "The fate of your worthless father has already been decided, incompetent fool, and you will not interfere with it!" his evil, red eyes suddenly brightened and without hesitance, he discharged two eye beams. He intentionally hit the tip of the canyon instead, letting the force of the beams' explosion blow Krillin and Gohan farther away from him and Goku.
As for Great Ape Bardock and Raditz, they had recovered from Goku's attacks, but the more they were hurt, the angrier they will become. Raditz continued with his mayhem, his rage reaching almost its peak to the point he may no longer be able to stop himself. These quakes he was making were actually reaching where Yajirobe was hiding from.
Yajirobe began running for his life as many fractures were beginning to appear on the ground, which can make way for deep pits and divided grounds if this destruction was triggered more. He panicked. "Aah! Need to get outta here!" as he sprinted away though, he had been looking at the Great Apes' tails for a while.
Krillin and Gohan were carried off with the wind and in addition, more injuries were brought upon them from the heated rays emitted from Vegeta's eye beam attack as well as the explosion that came afterwards. Krillin and Gohan fell slowly to the grounds; their clothes were more in tatters now with more open wounds and scratches on their bodies.
"No! Goku…!" Krillin tried to speak. He needed to help his best friend, but he just could not move a muscle at this time.
Gohan bit his lips with tears coming out from his eyes. He clenched his fists as he tried to force himself to prevail over his wounds, to stand right back up on his two feet so that he may save his father, but his awful wounds were keeping him to where he was. He was very afraid that he may lose his father again.
Goku's screams of pain were shattering that they echoed throughout the area. This was how agonizing it was, making Goku almost feel he was melting from the inside. Goku continued to suffer and wither, wishing that this will all just stop. He needed a miracle to happen.
Vegeta although took great pleasure in hearing his endless suffering.
Great Ape Bardock was about to join Raditz in his continued rampage of this site until it transforms into nothing but a wasteland; however, the constant cries and screams from Goku made Bardock suddenly…stop.
Bardock fidgeted a little as rage persisted to invade his body and mind, yet his ears were now listening more to these cries of pain that were begging for this torture to seize its merciless bringer of endless suffering. Bardock did not know where these screams belonged to…until he turned around slowly. The vicious ape that was once demolishing this battlefield had suddenly turned quiet and strangely docile.
Bardock growled almost softly and he continued to show off his fangs, but he was not exposing this because of anger, but from curiosity instead. The moment he saw Goku, his glowing, red eyes grew wide. Unexpectedly, a very vivid memory passed in his head.
In this memory, he saw a person, a Saiyan in resilient armor made for battle, and he was looking through a glass window, which divided him and an infant who was on his crib, crying and wailing loudly, seeking for warmth from his family. The infant, although he was told he possessed such a low fighting level, his cries contradicted to what his calculated power level was. His cries were described to have a lot of life in them. They were the cries of a great warrior.
The infant continued to cry, whimper, and wail while the person from the other side stared at him with confusion and frustration for him not being too special, yet also sympathy and hope for his future, believing that he can be…someone great someday.
The memory soon passed. Bardock kept standing in the same spot for a while. His face seemed like he was trying to comprehend what he just saw, what the significance was behind that memory. He was not focused anymore in his mindless rage. His eyes were just fixed on Goku.
As for Great Ape Vegeta, he incessantly laughed at Goku's great affliction. He ever so enjoyed making his opponents suffer especially if it was someone he had always known, or should be, inferior to him. "Hah, hah, hah! The pain is too much, isn't it? I'll deliver you some more!" he compressed Goku even tighter.
Goku screamed helplessly. "GAAH! AAH!"
Bardock stood there motionless, his hands trembling. Very soon, more anger built up inside in his pounding heart which had supposedly to have forgotten all the sympathy he had for the ones he cared, but this kind of rage was not the mindless kind. It was actually…care for his own…son.
Vegeta had not ended the battle yet as he wanted to punish Goku more for trying to humiliate the Prince of all Saiyans, himself, whom people had once feared his name and will continue to be fearful of him, and to bow down before the mighty prince of terrible power and might.
"Now!" Vegeta roared, finally deciding to give the final blow to Goku and make him vanish forever.
Goku heard this and actually believed this was truly the end for him.
Then, all of a sudden, Vegeta felt stinging pain immediately plaguing his body when a surprising energy blast just hit his back. He lost his focus and he was slightly wounded as well. This distraction made him loosen his grip on Goku, but he still held onto him. Once Goku felt this release, he let out a heavy sigh of fatigue, but the terrible ache still consumed his entire body. He lowered his head.
Vegeta became confused, but more enraged. He wondered who had dared to interrupt his moment of triumph.
"Ugh! Who did that? I demand to know!" he quickly turned around and realized that it was Great Ape Bardock who had done it. He had his mouth opened; his body was still fidgeting.
"What?" Great Ape Vegeta exclaimed.
Goku weakly opened an eye. "D-Dad?"
Krillin and Gohan realized that Goku was not screaming in pain anymore. They shook more, hating to know what could have happened to him. The two of them stood up as they were prepared for the worse, but instead, they saw that Goku was still alive and Vegeta's eyes were on Bardock now.
"Huh? What happened?" asked Krillin.
Gohan worriedly looked at his father.
Vegeta gave a glare at the unmoving Bardock. "Bardock?" he said.
It was as if Bardock was suddenly able to take control of his mind. Through his body moving uneasily, his mouth still growling and showing off his fangs to the prince, out of the blue, he actually uttered a word! "K-k…Ka-Kakarot…!"
Vegeta became shocked to hear this. He thought that this was highly impossible for a third-class Saiyan warrior to have suddenly spoken like that. Only those who were elites and of royal blood were able to talk even in their Great Ape transformations, but he was proven wrong on this.
Bardock was able to break through the chaos of his mind. As of now, he can somehow control himself.
He roared, quickly darting towards the prince and did a shocking fist to his face. Vegeta did not expect this for him to take assault towards his foe.
"GAAH!" Vegeta cried, forcing to let go of Goku due to the unforeseen pain that Bardock had given to him.
"Daddy!" Gohan watched his father falling from the skies. He took flight and caught him, and both father and son then dropped to the ground due to Goku's weight and injured body.
Gohan held his father's head and shoulders. "Daddy, please wake up!" he pleaded.
Goku heard his son's voice and it somehow gave him strength to find his despite of his severely wounded body. "Go-Gohan?"
"Daddy, you're okay," Gohan smiled.
Goku nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you, Son."
Krillin ran to Goku and he knelt beside his friend. "Man, Goku, I'm so glad you're safe! I thought Vegeta will have you for sure!"
Goku grunted. He slowly turned his neck to witness Bardock and Vegeta now having this stare-down. "What's going on with Bardock? It looks like he-"
"I guess he remembered you, Goku," Krillin thought. "He's somehow back to his senses."
"This is outrageous!" Vegeta declared. He shook his head, trying to rid of this humiliating ache he had received from someone who he believed should be a thousand times less strong than him. "Your mind should have left you under your transformation, particularly that you're still a low-class scum. How is this possible?"
Bardock was fuming, now hating this Saiyan Prince so much. After seeing Goku being tormented by him, he will never forgive him. "RAARGH!" he howled. He elevated in air and flew towards Vegeta.
Vegeta bent his arms to his waist as he locked his eyes firmly onto his opponent, ready to do serious battle with him.
In a split second, the two fearsome Great Apes immediately exchanged blow shots. Their punches and kicks generated invisible shockwaves, demolishing the background bit by bit. Their rush combo gave out sounds like loud thunder in a rainy storm. Their auras became visible and they clashed at each other with great intensity.
"What power!" Krillin exclaimed. This was the first time for him including his allies to see two giant apes battling each other.
At the end, Bardock and Vegeta then gripped each other's massive hands, their auras still colliding against each other. They strove to overpower one another to see who will fall first and become defeated.
"I've already been humiliated enough!" Vegeta told Bardock. "I will not get humiliated by you again for the second time!" he vowed to himself that he will never let anyone prevail over him in any way especially those with lower status than him. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, and this title he will never lose or abdicate to anyone else.
In response and by instincts, Vegeta roared at his opponent as loud as he could to instill some fear in his mind to make him lose this battle.
Just before everything was to be decided, another blast came out from nowhere and struck Bardock this time on his back. The pain was, at first, nothing to him since his mind was too occupied on his fight, but it gradually became more noticeable after a while. He turned around and saw Great Ape Raditz who had become aware of this commotion that had been going on. He decided to intervene, of course, his mind having no idea what it was trying to do but to tear down everything in its way including friend or foe.
Vegeta took his opponent's distraction to his advantage as he powerfully struck Bardock to the surface. After he did this though, Raditz then carried a humongous boulder into his arms and he threw it towards Vegeta and his own father.
"HYAAH!" Vegeta used a knife-hand strike to slice the boulder into a thousand pieces. The broken, masses of rocks dispersed everywhere like meteors. Gohan and Krillin, while holding Goku, avoided these by moving farther back to keep a safe distance from the three Great Apes that were now at grueling war against each other.
After Vegeta had blown the boulder into bits, unexpectedly, he felt a tight grip on his leg. Bardock had just grabbed him and he strongly pulled him down to the surface hard, flat on his face, inflicting such harsh pain to his front body.
Bardock stood up as fast as he could regardless of his humongous size. He continued to do more battle with the Saiyan Prince until his own son, Raditz, locked him into his arms from behind and squeezed him as tightly as he could. Bardock roared in pain, trying to escape from him.
The Saiyan Prince quickly sprang back up on his two feet with more rage seething in his chest. Every time he thought victory was coming in his path, one way or another, someone was always there to thwart his moment of triumph. Almost losing his thoughts and senses, Vegeta was in a kind of enraged state beyond his imagination. He howled at the top of his voice.
"That's it! You both will be killed!" he charged towards Raditz and Bardock in a rapid speed no one could possibly anticipate. He threw a heavy punch to Bardock's face and then, with his gloved fists clasped together, he gave a hard-knuckled strike on Raditz's head. Once they collided with the ground, Vegeta immediately placed his hand in front of the two Great Apes. After spinning, blazing rays were formed from the center of his palm, he released a vibrant, yet destructive sphere, waking a huge explosion once it made contact with the two giant apes.
Krillin, Gohan, and Goku had to cover their eyes from this sight. Once the fog had cleared up, Bardock and Raditz now had more wounds on their bodies along with scratches and a few broken parts on their armor. They were outraged to have been hurt like this, but they were now too weakened to move. They could only stand on one knee this time. Vegeta advanced towards them, his presence shadowing the now weakened apes. The two tried to fight back, but the prince suddenly grabbed them both by the neck. His anger had risen to its peak that both of his hands began to electrify in violet lightning, which were ready to claim Bardock's and Raditz's life.
"I assure you that you'll be long gone from this planet after this mighty attack! Say goodbye!" Vegeta shouted.
Goku was horrified when he heard this. He wanted to save them, but these severe injuries were binding him down like chains. Goku was devastated to know he may be too late. To Krillin and Gohan, they, too, were shocked, but they saw this as another opportunity that was opened up to them. Their plan that they had hoped to accomplish way earlier ago can be accomplished again.
"Wait a minute! Gohan, now's our chance!" Krillin told him.
He understood what he meant; therefore, he and Krillin lifted themselves up into the night skies as they reacted faster than Vegeta's incoming, final attack on Bardock and Raditz.
Gohan placed his hands on his forehead, gathering as much energy as he could in just a second, and he placed his hands forward. "Masenko-HA!" despite of his weakened body, this golden beam of his was still quite filled with brilliant strength because of the unending care he had for his family and friends. He intentionally aimed it towards the ground in order to distract Vegeta and let another round of hazy fog to come into view. It was a success, yet Vegeta's attention was slightly diminished as if he had mentally prepared himself for this.
Krillin went as fast as he can to prepare for a Destructo Disk move before Vegeta could have finished off Bardock and Raditz for good…until someone moved in the shadows almost unseen, Krillin did not know who that was.
Vegeta was prepared to send his Bardock and Raditz to their own dooms until…he suddenly froze. Every feeling he had all over his body had been lost for no rhyme or reason. He felt that the tremendous potential he gained from his monstrous transformation just vanished into thin-air.
He now felt like something was missing.
Krillin, Gohan, and even Goku wondered why everything just fell quiet. They wondered who the shadow was they saw.
"What the?" Krillin noticed that the figure can now be seen clearly. It was behind Vegeta whose tail…had finally been cut off! "Huh? Yajirobe!" he exclaimed.
Yajirobe, with his sword shining with a lustrous streak under the full moon, used this opportunity to slice off Vegeta's tail and end his transformation once and for all. Even though he had always hated fighting and had always made up excuses of not being involved in one, at this moment, he just needed to help his friends for once.
Once Yajirobe landed on the other side, he almost tripped. "Wah!" he yelped. He then yelled at Gohan and Krillin, "Hurry up and hit 'em now, you guys!" he then scurried off again into hiding.
Gohan laughed happily. "Yajirobe!" he said.
Krillin had a smile on his face. "Hah, hah! All right, Yajirobe!" he laughed; he was very thankful for him to have helped out in this crucial battle.
Goku smiled a little, knowing that Yajirobe had decided to commit a heroic act.
Soon, Krillin's Destructo Disk was completed and he threw it towards Raditz first. The disk sliced off his tail and he, too, was in a frozen state in an instant like how Vegeta was now. Krillin was prepared to fire another one for Bardock until suddenly, another energy attack similar to his Destructo Disk was launched towards Bardock this time and it cut off his tail with success.
"Huh?" Krillin wondered who finished the job for him. He looked at Goku and noticed that he had his left arm up, but struggling to keep it up there. Even though he was terribly injured, the bones of his lower body had been fractured greatly, that still did not stop him from helping out his friend and son.
Goku weakly turned to Krillin and chuckled softly. "Heh, heh."
Krillin nodded and gave him a thumps-up.
"Dad!" Gohan smiled.
Vegeta shook his head. He almost cannot believe this. To the Z-fighters' minds, this was his second defeat already. "No! What have you done, you fools?! No!" he exclaimed.
Vegeta, Raditz, and Bardock shrunk slowly and they reverted back to their normal sizes. They lost all their body fur, their Saiyan armor went back to its original fitting, and they returned to their original states. Their tails that were cut off had become smaller and they simply disappeared. Soon, their transformations had ended. In no time, they were back to normal.
Raditz and Bardock closed their eyes. This transformation they had undergone brought them to complete exhaustion, which made them nearly lose their memory of what they had almost done to their family and friends. It felt like to them they were trapped in this dream-like state of nightmares. They breathed heavily while falling to their knees and they lied down almost unconscious on the wrecked grounds. Some blood from their new, open wounds slowly poured out from them. Both father and son continued to breathe heavily.
Goku smiled with relief. "They…they've finally changed back, Raditz and Dad…"
Krillin and Gohan also felt relief in their minds. They hoped that if there were any more conflicts they must confront, they can keep on fighting still.
As for Vegeta, he continued to stand in one place. He stared at his torn gloved hands, seeing his own flesh with more blood and bruises on them and everywhere on his body. He cannot believe his victory that he had desired to reach to obliterate his enemies had left again. He felt like he had been pushed back many more steps from achieving his wish for immortality.
He just cannot believe this at all.
However, this anger of his remained scorching in his heart. His mind was stuck on one thought now: he had made a grave mistake. He should have finished the Z-warriors since the beginning when he made his presence known in this planet.