AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize greatly for the long delay. So much crap has come up, between college classes, transferring, breaking my ankle, and my hard drive crashing on me. But I swore I'd finish this fanfic, and I will finish. Anyway, here is the final battle! Enjoy!
NOTE 2: It seems the site screwed up when I uploaded this before. It cut off the second half of the chapter. My apologies.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, nor do I own the song "Fight"-those honors belong to Akira Toriyama and World Wrestling Entertainment, respectively.
The Chosen One
Chapter Forty-Eight
I, I know your every move
I've heard your every word
I know you well
And I've got nothing left to prove
Your threats I find absurd
I am your hell
Every time you think I'm done
I'll come back stronger
And every time you think that you've got me
I will fight you
And I will put you in the ground
I will fight 'til there's nothing left
'Til my legs are gone
You won't forget me
'Cause I will fight 'til there's nothing left
Just to see you fall
I'll make you fear me
Every time you think I'm done
I'll come back stronger
And every time you think that you've got me
I will fight you
And I will put you in the ground
I will fight 'til there's nothing left
'Til my legs are gone
You won't forget me
Every time you think I'm done
I'll come back stronger
And every time you think that you've got me
I will fight you
Every time you think I'm done
I'll come back stronger
And every time you think that you've got me
I will fight you
"Fight" - WWE Anthology
-48-
As the two fighters stared each other down, dark clouds gathered overhead. In mere moments, the sky was filled with clouds and rain began to fall.
"I hope you like the rain," Gohan said, "as your last day alive will be filled with it."
Rekhas chuckled. "You know, it's funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you."
"Except you don't have the power to back up your threats," Gohan replied.
Rekhas snarled. "I'll show you power!" He then charged at Gohan. The teen, however, charged forward, landed his elbow into Rekhas's back, and returned to his prior position. To even the eyes of Rekhas, it had appeared as if Gohan had not moved at all.
Rekhas stabilized himself and floated back up. He then remembered the words of Lucius: "You'll need to be at your peak if you want to have any hope of surviving, let alone defeating us!" With the way the battle had been going so far, it seemed that Lucius had been right. Rekhas began to raise his power level. Gohan simply watched as Rekhas powered up.
-48-
Goku watched intensely. "So it all comes down to this. Gohan, I pray you know what you're doing."
King Kai turned to Goku, surprised. "Huh? You aren't going to offer any help?"
"I never told you this, King Kai, but there were two reasons I told the others not to wish me back," Goku said. "The first is what I told them--that trouble follows me like a lost lamb. But there was a second reason.
"We both know that I won't be around forever. The others need to realize that, as well. I wanted to make sure Earth would be able to get along without me. In other words, this is a test for Gohan. Yes, I know I took a huge gamble, but it would come to this sooner or later, and what good would it do if no one were left to defend the people when I did go?"
King Kai frowned. "Hmm...you have a point. Let's just hope your gamble pays off."
-48-
Rekhas grinned as the green aura reached its peak intensity. "I am now at full power. Feel free to attack me at any time." However, Gohan did not move. "So, you're just going to stand there? Are you that afraid of dying?" He laughed at his own joke. Still, the young Saiyan did not move. Rekhas then frowned. "Fine! If you won't attack me, then I'll attack you!" He then charged at Gohan. Just as he was about to reach Gohan, however, Gohan disappeared. He reappeared right above Rekhas and drove the bottom of Testament's hilt into the evil emperor's back. Rekhas shouted out with pain and began to fall, but as he did, he grabbed Gohan's left leg and pulled him down with him. Gohan quickly acted to fight gravity, then kicked out with his left leg, causing Rekhas to lose his grip. Rekhas flew back a bit and came to a stop.
Rekhas licked his chops. "All right, no more games. From this point on, this is a test of our swordsmanship."
"Fine by me," Gohan answered.
Rekhas began another advance toward Gohan, this time slowly. When he was within striking distance, he brought his blade down in a vertical motion. Gohan quickly brought his sword up to block. Rekhas pulled his arm back and went for a stab, but Gohan shifted to the right and out of harm's way. His arm still extended, Rekhas brought it to his left, but Gohan lifted his legs up so that he jumped over the blow. As he did so, he thrust his own blade at his opponent's head. Rekhas moved his head to the side to avoid the blow, then before Gohan could swing it horizontally, dropped his altitude. He then charged upward again, blade arm extended. However, Gohan moved in, hit the inside of Rekhas's elbow with a chop from his left hand, then slashed upward. However, Rekhas used the momentum from Gohan's chop to take him downwards and out of his slash's range.
-48-
As the contest between the forces of good and evil took place in the sky, two spectators watched from beneath a protruding piece of asphalt.
"They're moving so fast that I can barely follow them," Android 18 said.
"Same here," Android 17 replied. "Still, I can see how they're fighting. It's like watching a monkey fight a crane."
"What do you mean?" 18 asked.
"Notice how Rekhas moves. All of his moves are sudden and jerky. Gohan, on the other hand, is moving gracefully, almost seemingly with no effort. Maybe because Rekhas is big with large muscles, and Gohan is smaller and more nimble, yet comparable in strength. Or maybe it's something else altogether."
"You mean the sources of their powers, don't you?"
Seventeen nodded. "From what I can gather, both swords hold the spirits of their ancestors. Asok for Rekhas, and Lucius for Gohan. I would not be at all surprised if their ancestors were influencing their fighting styles."
Eighteen turned her full attention back to the fight. "There's something else. Rekhas's larger size makes him use up more energy to dodge Gohan's attacks. If this turns into an endurance battle, Gohan will win."
"And what if Rekhas has more endurance than Gohan?" 17 asked.
"We'll have to wait and see," 18 answered. "After all, as much as I hate to admit it, neither of us is a match for that freak."
-48-
Rekhas stopped his attacks for a moment and began to laugh. Softly at first, but it grew in volume.
"What's so funny?" Gohan demanded.
"You are!" Rekhas answered. "We're fighting against each other, but we both have the same goal!"
"How do you figure?" Gohan replied skeptically.
"We both want peace." Rekhas responded. "But your idea of peace is a joke. People need strong leaders to keep from lashing out at each other. Think about it. If I lose, another war in the universe is inevitable. But if I win, there will never be another war."
"But your methods are completely wrong," Gohan said angrily. "I have seen what the future holds in store for the universe if things go your way. I know what you have planned. You'll use the Dragon Balls to make yourself as powerful as any god that might exist, use your power to take over not only this world, but the next as well, and then enslave every sentient being that isn't a Roxian. From the moment they are born, they will live a life of servitude and torture for the rest of eternity."
Rekhas was surprised by the fact that Gohan knew all of his plans. However, he did not let it bother him. "But there will be eternal peace."
"Peace with that system is worse than war!" Gohan exclaimed. "With war, there's suffering for only a set period of time, but with your system, there will be eternal suffering! Now, are you going to continue to try in vain to get me to give up, or can we settle this once and for all?!"
Rekhas scowled. "Fine. You leave me no choice. I will be especially sure you never have a pain-free moment for the rest of your existence!"
-48-
Piccolo, Vegeta, and the others were flying toward the battle site. However, some of the company was worried.
"If the area was the center of a nuclear blast, why are we Saiyans going as well?" Trunks asked no one in particular.
"It was your choice to join us," Piccolo said. "It's not too late to turn back, you know."
"I don't know if that will be a problem," Ayn replied. "If Gohan has unleashed the full power of Testament-as I believe he has-then Testament will be able to purge the radiation from the surrounding area."
"He'd better have," Vegeta said. "If I travel all this way just to puke out my guts, I am going to be very angry!"
For a moment afterward, no one talked. Then, they heard a shout: "Hey, wait for me!"
"Huh?" The others turned around to see Sephra flying toward them on the Flying Nimbus.
"Sephra, what are you doing?"Piccolo shouted. "We told you to stay at the Lookout!"
"No! I'm not going to sit around while everyone else is risking their lives!" Sephra answered. "I love Gohan too much to let him handle this alone! When you love someone, you do whatever you can for them! Right, Krillin?"
"Huh?" Krillin's face turned a deep red. "Uh..."
Piccolo clenched his teeth. "Look, we don't have time to debate this! Let's go!"
-48-
The battle raged on, and Gohan and Rekhas seemed locked in a stalemate. They were matching each other move for move, and neither had made considerable ground over the other, until a mistake was made.
Rekhas, in a desperation attack, shot up into the air, then came barreling down with his blade aimed at Gohan's head. Gohan, however, lifted his sword to block. Unfortunately, Gohan misjudged the amount of force behind the blow, and while the blade of Ifrit never made direct contact, it caused Testament to whack him in the head with most of the force of Rekhas's blow. This single mistake sent Gohan flying at an angle toward the ground, at a flagpole with the tip broken off. If Gohan did not stop, he would be impaled on the pole. However, Gohan stopped before he fully recovered.
Gohan looked up, his vision distorted from the blow he had taken. Still, he could make out the reason why he stopped. "S-Seventeen! What are you still doing here?"
"Saving you, apparently," the android replied.
Gohan regained his senses completely, and pulled away from 17. "I told you to leave!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that," 17 replied. "I'm not the type of guy who can leave the fate of the universe entirely in someone else's hands."
"I can't do that either," came a voice from below. Android 18 had stepped out of her hiding place.
"And it seems that they can't, either," 17 said, looking into the sky. Gohan followed his gaze and saw the rest of his friends standing over the battlefield.
Gohan tried to protest, but he found that he could not muster the energy to do so. "You guys..."
Rekhas then began to laugh. "Excellent! Now I can deal with all of you at once!"
Gohan turned to Rekhas, anger showing on every part of his face. "You bastard! You focus on me!"
"Oh, I will, don't worry," the emperor said. "But your friends will have their hands full when you see my new powers!" He then formed fifteen spheres of energy around him. The spheres then grew and changed shape. In less than thirty seconds, Rekhas was surrounded by fifteen Roxians.
"You see, I now have the ability to bring my people back from the dead without the help of outside forces!" Rekhas crowed. "Now, my faithful subjects, crush them! But leave the white-haired one to me!" With that, the Roxians charged, as Gohan looked on with horror. However, that horror soon disappeared when the two Roxians who had chosen Vegeta and Trunks burst into flames when they got within six feet of them. There was a flash of light, and the Roxian that had targeted Siber fell to the ground, a series of holes through his body. Yamcha created a miniature tornado which ensnared a Roxian, and then charged in and punched a series of holes through it. None of them had any trouble dispatching their new foes-even Sephra, who created a barrier of light to deflect an energy blast, drew an arrow, and fired it through the barrier, piercing the Roxian's brain.
Rekhas looked on in astonishment. "How can this be? Those were imperial guardsmen before they died!"
"Simple, Rekhas," Piccolo replied. "In the three months we spent in the next world, did you think we sat idling until Gohan wished us back?"
"Of course not!" Raditz said, continuing Piccolo's speech. "We received training!"
"I'm not even a fighter, and I can handle a Roxian now!" Sephra added.
"And another thing!" Rekhas shouted. "Five of you are Saiyans! You should be succumbing to the radiation! Gohan has a reason--" He then stopped, realizing the answer to his question. "THAT DAMN SWORD!!" With that, he rushed at Gohan in a blind rage. Gohan effortlessly dodged each of Rekhas's attacks, and knocked him backwards with a sword thrust that cracked his armor.
"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!" Rekhas screamed in rage. He then looked at his surroundings and grinned. "Ha ha ha! I've got it! I'll grab you and create a nuclear blast with you at ground zero!" Thus began a game of tag. As he flew, Gohan fired energy blasts, but they had no effect on the twisted emperor. He could no longer think of a way out, until he heard a voice in his head.
'Gohan! Listen to me! Channel your energy through Testament!'
'Huh? Who is this?' Gohan responded.
'Not now! Just trust me! Channel everything you have through Testament! Your energy will combine with the sword's, and you can release it in the form of a Kamehameha!'
'But how?'
'I've already reached out to five other people, and they know what to do,' the voice said. 'I need you to focus all your energy into your hands, and the sword will absorb it. It'll take time to do so, though.'
At that moment, an energy blast flew up into the air and hit Rekhas in the chest. The force from the blast knocked him in a loop and distracted him from Gohan. Gohan took the chance to begin channeling energy into the sword as he was told.
Rekhas looked around for the culprit. "ALL RIGHT, WHO'S THE SMART-ASS?!" he yelled. He then felt a blow to his head. He stopped himself from flying too far, and turned around.
"I was wondering when you would figure it out," Raditz commented. "I forgot how slow you Roxians are."
"I'LL SHOW YOU HOW 'SLOW' I AM!" Rekhas yelled as he charged at Raditz. The Super Saiyan, however, simply moved out of the way, and as Rekhas flew by, he fired an energy blast. The blast caught Rekhas in the back and sent him even further than he had intended.
Raditz laughed. "You Roxians are so predictable." In response, Rekhas turned around and flew at Raditz again. This time, though, it was too fast for the Super Saiyan to follow. He landed a punch in Raditz's gut, causing him to double over, then delivered a series of punches to Raditz's back. He finished with a double axehandle that sent Raditz flying into the ground. He then fired an energy blast, but the blast seemed to mysteriously veer away from the Super Saiyan.
"That's enough," came a voice from behind Rekhas. The Roxian emperor turned around to find Ayn standing behind him. "I'll be your next opponent."
Rekhas laughed. "You? You're no match for me if Raditz wasn't! You can't even turn into a Super Saiyan!"
"That's because I don't need to," Ayn responded. "And now, I'll show you something I learned during the three months that I was dead." He spread his fingers apart, and at the tip of each a colored sphere of energy appeared. "You see these? Each one contains the essence of one of the four traditional elements-red for fire, blue for water, yellow for earth, and green for wind." He then clenched his fists. "Now, I'll show you what happens when those four elements are combined!"
Rekhas, however, already had an idea what Ayn was doing. "No...you don't mean..."
Ayn opened his hands, and a sphere of pulsating, multicolored energy appeared in each hand. "Yes. This is the material that existed before the universe. This...is chaos.
"Chaos can annihilate any matter it comes in contact with, provided that matter is not in the form of a gas. I'd assume that includes Roxian flesh, but after being revived by Asok's power twice, it's hard to say. Care to help me test it out?" He then brought his two hands together, fusing the two spheres of chaos. "Chaos Blast!"
A beam of chaos shot forth from Ayn's hands and toward Rekhas. The Roxian emperor tried to avoid it, but the blast caught his left arms. When the blast died down, there was nothing left of his two left arms.
"Rrrrg...damn you..." Rekhas grunted through the pain. Drawing power from Ifrit, the Roxian then was able to regenerate his arms. "You'll pay for that!" He then shot an energy blast into Ayn's chest, which knocked him to the ground. He then set his sights on Gohan, then charged. Before he reached Gohan, however, he was grabbed from behind and a sword placed up against his neck.
"Where do you think you're going?" Trunks demanded. "You're not going to stand me up, are you?" He then let the Roxian go and delivered a punch to his back. He then brought his fist down on Rekhas's face, knocking him downward. Trunks then sheathed his sword and began a series of arm motions, which ended with his arms straight and his palms open. "Burning Attack!"
The ball of energy flew straight down from Trunks's hands and into the chest of Rekhas, where it exploded on impact. Knowing that the blast was not enough to kill Rekhas, he dashed at him. However, from the cloud of dust shot a hand that struck Trunks in the chest, then knocked him to the ground. Rekhas then flew up into the air, but was once again stopped abruptly by a huge fist.
"You're not getting anywhere near Gohan so long as I'm around!" Broly shouted.
What caught Rekhas by surprise was that Broly was at full power, in his legendary Super Saiyan state. "What? What's going on? You should be going like a berserker now!"
"Maybe three months ago, but now I'M in control!" Broly responded. He landed another punch to Rekhas's chest, then grabbed the emperor by the head and threw him into the remains of a building. He then fired an energy blast at the building, which exploded on contact. However, Rekhas flew out from the cloud of dust and hit Broly square in the jaw, knocking him back. Then, Broly seemed to disappear.
Vegeta flew up to meet Rekhas. "You may have defeated the other four, but you'll have a much harder time getting through me!" he stated.
"Oh? And what can you do that's so much better since our last meeting?" Rekhas replied.
"I'll show you!" Vegeta then focused his energy in his palms. Suddenly, a pair of fireballs formed in his hands. However, these flames were black.
"You see this? This is hellfire. It's much hotter than normal flames, and the burns it leaves are agonizing," Vegeta explained. "And now, you'll feel that agony yourself!" He then threw the fireballs at Rekhas. Rekhas tried to get out of the way, but the fireballs hit both of his feet. His feet were burned clear off, and Rekhas started screaming from the pain. However, he was able to fight through it, and charged at Vegeta.
-48-
Gohan continued to channel his energy into the sword, until he heard the voice again. 'That's it! Get ready!'
Gohan looked up at where Vegeta and Rekhas were. He shouted the Saiyan king's name, which then prompted Vegeta to back off. Holding the sword with both hands, Gohan pulled it back. "Kaaaaaaaaa...meeeeeeeeee..."
Rekhas looked down and saw Gohan. "Hee hee hee! You're all mine, now!"
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
Rekhas then stopped short. Gohan was putting off so much power that it was disrupting Rekhas's senses. "What? How can this be?!"
"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."
Rekhas then clenched his teeth. "YOU'RE NOT FIRING THAT BLAST!" He then shot his own energy blast.
Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down. The energy blast flew toward Gohan, but mere seconds before it reached him, Gohan thrust his arms-and the sword they were holding-forward.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
From the tip of the blade erupted a beam of energy so massive that it could have completely engulfed the sun. Rekhas's energy blast was destroyed by the blast. The Roxian emperor could do nothing but scream in terror as the blast consumed him. The blade that was in his arm crumbled away, along with the rest of his body. After that, the beam slowly grew smaller and smaller, until it disappeared entirely.
The rain stopped, and the sun began to shine. Breathing hard, Gohan let his arms down. His hair and eyes slowly faded back to their natural color. No longer capable of sustaining the energy needed to stay in the air, Gohan began to slowly fall to Earth. However, 17 caught Gohan while still in the air. Using what little energy he had left, he spoke.
"It's over... At last, it's over..."
Gohan's eyes then closed as he gave way to sleep.
"Go ahead, Gohan," 17 said. "Sleep all you want. You've earned it."
Down below, someone let out a cheer.
"All right!" Krillin exclaimed. "We did it!"
"Yeah," Siber said, grinning. "Now the universe will never have to fear the Roxians ever again."
"Oh, man, music to my ears!" Yamcha remarked. "After all that, I just want to laze about for a while."
Meanwhile, on King Kai's planet, another person stood watching with the biggest grin thought possible.
"You were amazing, Gohan," Goku said. "You truly are a hero."
