A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been able to update sooner, but I'm here now; your favorite AntiHero is back again! Now it's time to get on with the story, and time for Gohan and Rancor to continue their battle and for us to see the outcome! Some of you may have already guessed what's gonna happen, and you may be right. But enough talk, it's time to get on with this awesome chapter!
Disclaimer – I own nothing
Chapter 15 –
The Fairy Tail wizards stared at their new member with looks of awe; none of them seemed to comprehend what this transformation Gohan had entered was. His hair was even spikier than before along with being a different color, his body had expanded a bit, and he was emitting a gold fiery-like aura. Gohan glanced back at his guildmates, allowing them to get a glimpse of his eyes, having lost their shade of black for a teal coloring.
"Whoa, am I seeing things?" Natsu inquired.
"No, I'm seeing it, too," Gray confirmed.
"Gohan's turned into a blond!" Happy exclaimed.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Lucy said. "What's he doing?"
"It seems that Gohan has some sort of amplification form," Erza speculated.
"Well he certainly looks stronger," Gajeel noted.
"Do you feel it, the amount of force he's releasing?" Lily asked.
Yes, it's incredible… and at the same time, terrifying," Carla said.
"Gohan looks like he's on fire!" Romeo stated.
"He's glowing, he's actually glowing!" Michelle squealed.
Rancor smirked at the appearance of the golden warrior. "So, the Super Saiyan finally decided to show himself," he said. "Well, I'd say it's only fitting for you to be in this form. This is the way I remember you and your Saiyan allies best when you defeated me… and so, this is the way I want you to be when I end your life!" Gohan didn't respond, at least not with words; he dashed toward the Tufflebot and struck it in the gut. Rancor spat out blood/oil just before Gohan elbow bashed him away, sped behind him to kick him upward, then phased above him and kicked him back into the ground. The Hatchiyak's impact made a crater in the ground. Gohan landed in front of the hole and placed out his hands, firing numerous energy blasts into the hole before stopping to wait. The wizards stared at the half Saiyan in astonishment.
"Did anyone see what just happened?" Cana questioned.
"Can't say that I did," Mira replied.
"It was so fast," Juvia noted. "One second the two were standing, and the next Gohan's firing attacks in the crater."
"It's clear that your friend's shiny new form has boosted his power," Lyon remarked.
"Does this mean he can beat that guy now?" Gray wondered.
"I think we're about to find that out," Erza answered.
"Lord Byro, what do you make of this?" Dan asked.
"I'm not sure," Byro replied. "The power that boy's emitting feels so strange to me, it's almost… divine."
Coco and Wendy stared at the Demi Saiyan, looking completely hypnotized by his new form. "Wow! Gohan looks so…" they thought with hearts in their eyes.
"Uh, Coco?" Dan spoke to the athlete, before he recognized the look on her face. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you've been struck by love's arrow, too!"
"What's wrong with you, child? Snap out of it!" Carla shouted, waving her paw in front of Wendy's face.
The Oracion Seis had expressions of interest on their faces from watching the Son of Goku pound Rancor into the ground. "Well, who would've thought that this boy had such astounding power," Midnight commented.
"Indeed, I'm kind of jealous," Angel admitted. "This is the kind of power that should be wielded by a real angel."
"I guess we're in for quite a show, huh?" Cobra said.
Gohan waited patiently for the Tufflebot to emerge from the ground so that they could fight again while wearing an emotionless look. "Why hasn't that thing come back up yet?" Gray questioned.
"Did Gohan defeat it already?" Lucy mused.
"I doubt it, and Gohan doesn't seem to think it's over yet," Erza noted.
"Thing's probably too scared to come back and take another beating!" Natsu stated.
The ground suddenly burst open as Rancor jumped out from behind Gohan. The red robot threw a fist at the Demi Saiyan, who quickly blocked it with his arm. The two warriors began exchanging blows; Rancor ended it by punching Gohan in the gut and kicking him away before hitting him with an energy blast. Gohan shook it off and charged at the war machine, but Rancor dodged his assault and elbow bashed the Super Saiyan. Gohan backflipped and landed on his feet, just as the Tufflebot appeared behind him. Rancor prepared to punch the Z Fighter but was struck in the chin by a kick instead. Rancor growled and ran toward the Son of Goku, who charged back at him. Their fists collided, causing the whole room to quake and rocks to fall all around. The two fighters glared at each other before they backed away.
"Impressive, Saiyan, you've gotten stronger since the last time we've fought," the Hatchiyak said. "You're at a level where you can match my strength on your own."
"And you're still as tough as you were back then," Gohan stated. "It's strange, but I'm actually glad I get to test my power against yours in a one-on-one match!"
"I'm not surprised. Saiyans seem to enjoy the challenge," Rancor scoffed as he took his stance. "But I'll show you that I'm the kind of challenge Saiyans should back down from!"
Gohan retook his demon stance while keeping the smile on his face. Rancor then rushed at the Saiyan; Gohan attempted to punch the robot, but he dodged the blow, appeared behind Gohan, and elbow bashed him. Gohan quickly countered with a kick to the face. Rancor then punched the young fighter in the right cheek and he retaliated by skull bashing the machine. The two continuously pummeled each other. With every blow they landed, parts of the Zentopian tomb crumbled from the force their attacks created. The Saiyan and the Tuffle then grabbed each other's hands and started yelling; their energies mixed as they pushed against each other. Their battle of strength shook the battlefield so furiously that the place started raining rocks at a fast rate while the two of them sank lower into the ground. The Fairies and the Legion Platoon had to use their spells to avoid being crushed.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted as he smashed a large rock. "Man, these guys don't mess around!"
"Ice Make: Cannon! No kidding, feels like this whole place could collapse on us!" Gray agreed as he destroyed another rock.
"Hey! Don't you guys think you should take it easy before you bury us all?!" Lucy screamed while using her whip to protect herself and Michelle.
"Not a good idea for our boy to pull his punches, Blondie! Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel said.
Pantherlily smashed a rock with his sword before saying, "If Gohan begins to hold back for our safety, then he won't be able to defeat the enemy!"
Erza summoned a giant sword and used it to shatter a large stone. "We mustn't distract our comrade. We'll just have to protect ourselves from the debris so that Gohan can fight at full strength without worrying about us!" she said before striking another rock. The Fairies all nodded and began using their magic to protect each other, as did Dan and Lord Byro.
As they struggled, Gohan glanced at his guildmates, giving the Hatchiyak the opportunity to strike; he kicked Gohan in the gut, making him let go, before backing away. The Saiyan glared at the war machine but then noticed that his chest gem was glowing green. Rancor fired a green beam at the half-breed, sending him flying. Gohan backflipped and fired a Ki blast at the wall, propelling himself back at the Tufflebot; he then stretched his legs at his opponent, who raised his arms to block the assault, and hit him with strong kick before rapidly stomping at his arms. The multiple leg barrage began to slowly push Rancor back until Gohan ended it with a kick to the chin. Rancor roared at the Saiyan while channeling sparks of electricity around his body. In an instant, he dashed right at Gohan and struck him hard in the gut; the Z Fighter gasped in pain before returning the attack to the Tufflebot.
Rancor cringed before punching Gohan again. The warriors continued to sock each other in their abdomens before eventually kicking each other away. The two jumped into the air, where Rancor fired a blast at the Saiyan; he sent it back at the Tufflebot, who swatted it aside. The fighters resumed their exchange of blows before Rancor kicked Gohan, sending him plummeting toward the earth. Gohan fired an energy blast that shot the Hatchiyak back to the ground. "Not bad for a monkey, especially for a primitive beast like yourself!" Rancor taunted mockingly.
"Your tricks aren't gonna work on me! I've already had to deal with insults like that from Frieza!" Gohan retorted.
"Oh, are you saying that being called a monkey doesn't infuriate you?" the machine asked.
"Of course it does! But I know how to channel that anger!" Gohan admitted as his fists began to glow with Ki. "And believe me when I say you're going to feel that anger when I'm pounding you into the ground!"
"Is that so? Well then, let's see if you can get to me first. And when I'm beating you into the ground, it'll be with the anger I feel against your kind!" Rancor shouted.
"Before we proceed, I want to know something," Gohan said. "Why are you doing this? I know for a fact that you don't care about humanity any more than Dr. Raichi did, so why are you working alongside these people instead of just using your own power to destroy everything?"
Rancor clenched his fist in anger before replying, "If you want to know the answer, then you'll have to beat it out of me, Saiyan!" He then opened his hand and aimed it at the Saiyan. "That is, if you live long enough to do that!" The Tufflebot fired an energy blast at Gohan; he easily avoided it and Rancor fired a second blast. Gohan dodged that one, too, but was almost hit by the third blast the machine fired. The explosion sent the Demi Saiyan flying, and he landed on his back just as Rancor fired another blast at him. The Z Fighter rolled on the ground to evade the attack before jumping back to his feet. Rancor continued to fire Ki blasts at the Saiyan, who backflipped to avoid every blast before he began flying around the tomb. Gohan glanced back to see the barrage of blasts gaining on him; he then looked forward and saw that he was headed right to where he left his friends. The Son of Goku quickly turned around and fired his own energy attacks to cancel out Rancor's. The collision of blasts created a smokescreen and Gohan flew into it to find the Hatchiyak. When he didn't see the machine, he blew the smoke away with a kiai. He then sensed something above him and looked up.
The Tufflebot brought down his fists onto the half Saiyan, knocking him into the ground. He then fired an energy blast at his enemy; it hit its target and exploded. When the smoke cleared, Gohan was seen inside a golden dome that shielded him from the attack. Rancor descended onto the Saiyan hybrid and started rapidly punching Gohan's shield. Gohan smirked as he raised his hands; the transparent gold dome started shining brightly as it condensed itself and was launched at the war machine like a giant energy ball. It pushed Rancor into the ceiling before it blew up, causing many rocks to crumble and fall. Gohan got back on his feet and saw the Hatchiyak with its arms crossed. Gohan then placed his right foot on his left foot while bending his knees and yelled, "Masenko…ha!" His feet suddenly released a powerful demon flash attack, which sent him flying toward the Tufflebot like a rocket. He struck Rancor in the gut, making it wince for a second before it grabbed him and slammed him into the ceiling. It then opened its mouth and fired a green energy beam at the Saiyan; acting on instinct, Gohan fired a golden beam from his hands to counter Rancor's.
"What kind of battle is this turning into?!" Lily questioned.
"Their collision is releasing such a devastating force," Carla said in awe. "It looks like this fight could go either way!"
"I hope Gohan can win this," Wendy said anxiously.
The two blasts continued to push against each other until they canceled out in a large explosion, pushing both the Saiyan and the Tuffle away. Rancor glared at Gohan before charging at him in full fury. He punched Gohan in his right cheek; elbow bashed his head, and kicked him away. Gohan managed to stop himself in mid air just as Rancor appeared in front of him with his right hand infused with Ki. "DIE, SAIYAN!" the Tufflebot cried as he thrust his right hand at Gohan, intending to hit him with a strong energy blast. The Demi Saiyan covered his face with his arms to shield himself, but after a few seconds of waiting, Gohan noticed that he felt no pain as though nothing happened to him. He moved his arms to see Rancor still aiming his right hand at him like he wanted to fire the blast, but was unable to do so. The petrified machine's body twitched as it glared at the confused Saiyan.
The wizards watching expressed bewilderment and curiosity at the situation before their eyes. "Uh, wasn't something supposed to happen?" Salamander inquired.
"Why'd it stop?" Gray asked.
"Could it have run out of power or something?" Titania suggested.
"Who cares why?!" Lucy shouted. "Now Gohan can take him out!"
Gohan stared at the war machine with great confusion, his warrior pride refusing to allow him to attack his opponent until he knew why it had halted its assault.
"Hey, look! There's something on its chest!" Levy noticed as she pointed at the Hatchiyak. Resting on the Tufflebot's chest gem were six glowing green numbers that made up a magic seal.
"Is that a… magic seal?" Lisanna questioned.
"It looks just like the one on the Infinity Clock!" Mira said.
"I remember seeing that same seal when it was about to kill me," Juvia recalled.
"So that seal must bind him to the will of the Oracion Seis," Lyon mused. "But why would it activate now?"
"Hey Gohan, take a look behind you!" Romeo called to the half Saiyan.
Gohan glanced back and saw that he was in front of something, and that something was the Infinity Clock. The Z Fighter glanced at the seal on Rancor's chest before looking back at the clock. Thanks to his Saiyan hearing, he was aware that the Hatchiyak was a slave to the six demons, and now he knew that the machine could not attack him if it meant destroying the Infinity Clock, which his masters clearly did not approve of. The dark mages all shared a look of aggravation when their robotic comrade's weakness became exposed.
"It appears Rancor's weakness has been found out," Angel stated. "That is most unfortunate."
"Kid's probably going to use that weakness to defeat him now," Racer said. "Should we drop the seal on him?"
"Don't be absurd, letting Rancor cut loose would mean the end of our plans and our lives," Midnight answered. "If we want to succeed, then we have to use the necessary precautions. Right now, it may be best if we retreat while we still have the clock and Rancor as our tools."
"Heh, I wouldn't worry about losing to these brats yet," Cobra chuckled. "Whatever the kid's thinking about, it ain't what you'd expect."
Neither fighter moved an inch to break that pause in their battle. "So, all Gohan has to do to win is to stay by the Infinity Clock?" Wendy asked.
"It would be the best action to take!" Carla said.
"Looks like Gohan's got this one in the bag!" Happy cheered.
Gohan's fists were shaking; logic told him to use the Hatchiyak's inability to attack as his chance to strike it with everything he's got. He looked at his opponent, who was still immobilized, before glancing at the Infinity Clock again. Gohan then closed his eyes as he thought, "No, not like this." He then flew over the Tufflebot and landed back on the ground behind it, causing Rancor to turn and look at the Demi Saiyan in confusion. Gohan raised an eyebrow before asking, "Well, are you gonna stay there all day or are we gonna finish this fight?!" Rancor faced the Saiyan and descended to the ground before him.
"You're just as arrogant and foolish as any other Saiyan!" Rancor stated. "You deliberately refused to use the clock to defeat me, why?!"
"I didn't spend most of my life training to be the warrior I am today just so that I could beat my opponents with a ridiculous magic clock as a handicap!" Gohan responded. "If I'm going to fight you, I'll do it with honor! I'll beat you with the power I have within me!"
"Your Saiyan pride will be your downfall!" Rancor said. "Your kind was never capable of making intelligent decisions, and always relied on your brute force to get through life. The only thing that will lead to is the end of your life of battle."
"Well then, bring it on!" Gohan challenged Rancor. "At least now it's a fair fight!"
"What is Gohan thinking?!" Lucy demanded.
"Why'd he give up his advantage?" Wendy wondered.
"What a fool! This battle is supposed to determine the fate of the world, and he chooses to let his arrogance guide his actions!" Byro said harshly.
"No, Lord Byro, it's not cockiness, its honor!" Dan corrected. "This boy's acting like a true warrior, one who refuses to use an unfair advantage to win a battle. It's a truly admirable quality!" Hearing Dan's explanation, everyone understood why the Son of Goku would choose to fight against the Hatchiyak fairly.
"I hope Gohan knows what he's doing," Romeo said.
Gohan cracked his neck before spitting out a drop of blood. "Well, are you ready to continue?" he asked his foe.
"To destroy a Saiyan? I am always ready, but it seems you are not," Rancor answered.
"What do you mean by that?" Gohan inquired.
"Do you take me for a fool, Saiyan? I know you're suppressing your true power," Rancor stated, surprising Gohan. "I can sense you're holding back, and if you want any chance at defeating me, you'd better unleash that hidden potential. Because if you don't, you won't be the only one who dies!"
Blood slid down Gohan's forehead and lip as he glanced at his friends. He then looked back at the machine and said, "I didn't go all out because I'm not used to this form yet; it's still pretty new to me. But I know what you're capable of; I've had a taste of your power. So if you want me to go full throttle, then I'll oblige! Just don't get too discouraged!" Gohan then threw his head back as he yelled at the top of his lungs, and his body exploded in a gold light as the ground beneath him cracked. When he calmed down, his body had expanded slightly again, all of his gold hair stood up except for a single strand hanging across his face, and his body started emitting electricity mixed with his fiery golden aura. "What you recently fought was the Super Saiyan! Now you'll face the Super Super Saiyan!"
The mages were staring at the Demi Saiyan in awe as they tried to make sense of this new form. "Um, does Gohan look a bit different?" Natsu asked.
"Aye! His hairstyle changed again!" Happy observed.
"He's also got lightning on his body, kinda like Natsu did when we fought Master Hades," Gray noted.
"It's more than that; Gohan's expression is so serious!" Erza pointed out. "It's like the timid, kindhearted child has been replaced by a ruthless warrior!"
"But that's good, right?!" asked a nervous Lucy. "That means he'll win for sure." No one gave the celestial mage an answer as they all anxiously waited to see the outcome of the fight.
"Your new form doesn't show much change, Saiyan!" Rancor taunted. "You still look like a monkey to me!"
"It's not the appearance that matters!" Gohan said. "It's the increase in power, and let me tell you, it's a huge increase!" Gohan then disappeared and started running around the Hatchiyak before stopping in front of him. "See what I mean?"
Rancor showed no emotion. "I'll admit, your power has boosted greatly, but I could still track your every move! This Secondary Super Saiyan form won't be enough to defeat me!" he declared.
"Then what are you waiting for?! Let's get back to fighting!" Gohan said as he took his demon stance. He then charged at Rancor; the machine swung its fist at him, but the half Saiyan disappeared again to avoid the attack. Rancor looked up to see the Son of Goku looking down on him; he then jumped at the Saiyan to strike him. Gohan tried to kick the Tufflebot but it vanished from his sight. Gohan spotted Rancor at his right and flew straight at him. The two started trading blows again, causing the whole tomb to tremor from their collision. "They're at it again!" the Fairies cried. They sped all around the tomb while pounding each other repeatedly. "Something's wrong. He was much stronger than this when we first fought," Gohan thought. He then punched Rancor in the face, who retaliated by striking him in the gut. Gohan kicked him and the machine elbow bashed him back. The two then separated and Gohan asked, "What's up with you? Why is your power significantly weaker than it should be?!"
"My power is as great as when we first fought Saiyan!" Rancor replied. "Let me show you!" His body started channeling electricity while the gems on his body started glowing green. During this, Gohan noticed the magic seal appearing on his chest again.
"Weird, his power's not increasing, and that seal's on his chest again," Gohan noticed. "Wait a minute, is that seal acting as some sort of limiter?! Is that why he's not using his full power?!" When the Tufflebot stopped powering up, Gohan spoke. "So that's it, that seal doesn't just bind you to those mages' will, it limits your power! That's why you're much weaker than before; your full power is too much for them to handle and it would put their plans to risk if you were allowed to cut loose, and since there are six demons, they must be suppressing sixty percent of your power!" The Hatchiyak glared at the Z Fighter but didn't respond to his theory.
"Looks like that brat figured out Rancor's weakness," Cobra noted. "The big guy could be in trouble."
"What do we do now, Brain?" Angel asked. "Should we intervene?"
"Let it be. Rancor doesn't seem to want to back down, so we'll wait and see what his plan is," Midnight answered.
"Not a bad observation, Saiyan, you're much smarter than your kind is known for," Rancor stated. "But just because you know my weakness, doesn't mean you'll have any chance at defeating me!"
Gohan raised an eyebrow at his words. "Is that so?" he asked. He then smirked before doing something totally unexpected: he started walking toward the Hatchiyak.
"What is Gohan doing now?" Natsu wondered.
"Why is he walking toward the enemy?" Gray questioned.
"I've never seen such confidence in a fighter before, let alone a small boy," Erza said.
Gohan stopped directly in front of the war machine, still carrying the smirk on his face. Rancor clenched his fist in rage from the half Saiyan's insulting gesture. "What sort of mockery is this, Saiyan?!" he questioned angrily.
"You say that I have no chance of defeating you, and I think the opposite," Gohan responded. "That's why I'm not afraid to stand before you like this. Now give me your best shot!"
Rancor gritted his teeth before saying, "You dare to insult me with your arrogance, Saiyan?! Don't underestimate the grudge of a Tuffle!" He then raised his fist and brought it down on the hybrid. Gohan made no attempt to block or evade the blow but simply took it to the face. Rancor's eyes widened when Gohan just stared at him as though the attack hadn't fazed him at all. The machine glared at the Demi Saiyan before throwing another punch at him; this time, Gohan blocked the attack and countered by punching him in the gut. Rancor cringed from the blow just before Gohan uppercut him in the jaw, knocking him a few feet away. The machine staggered to its feet while staring at the Son of Goku in shock. "This can't be!" he muttered.
"Hey, are you giving up already? We were starting to have some fun!" Gohan mocked him cockily.
Rancor glowered at him before shouting, "You dare to mock me?!" He then charged at the Saiyan hybrid in full fury. He threw multiple punches and kicks at the Z fighter but his blows were evaded effortlessly. "Bad move, Saiyan, you can't dodge me forever!" he shouted.
"I guess you're right!" Gohan agreed. He widened his eyes at the robot, creating an invisible eye blast that blew Rancor away. The Tufflebot quickly recovered and continued to assault Gohan; this time, the Demi Saiyan blocked every one of his strikes before kicking him away. Rancor skidded across the floor before standing immediately to face the Saiyan; to his surprise, Gohan appeared right in front of him a second after he got to his feet. "Hey, you're bleeding, just like the last time we fought. But that can't be right, you're a machine! Do you have an oil leak or something?" Gohan mocked him when he saw the blood/oil spilling from his mouth. Rancor growled at him before firing a blast at the Saiyan. Gohan bent backward to avoid it and Rancor tried to punch him. Gohan grabbed his fist and threw him into the ceiling before phasing above him and elbow bashing him to the ground. Rancor landed on all fours and looked up but was met with a kick to the face by the half Saiyan, who then finished his attack by firing a kiai that blew Rancor into the side of the tomb, where he was buried by shattered rubble.
"Whoa, Gohan's mopping the floor with this guy!" Cana exclaimed.
"Just who or what is this kid and how can he be this strong?!" Byro gasped.
The rock pile exploded and Rancor revealed himself; he made no attempt to attack the Saiyan as he stood there with a darkened expression. His body twitched as he gritted his teeth, confusing those who were watching. "What's wrong? Are you starting to malfunction?" Gohan taunted.
"RAAAAAA!" Rancor roared as his body started channeling electricity again. Gohan raised his eyebrow as the machine threw a tantrum. Rancor's body was suddenly emitting a green fiery aura and pieces of rubble were floating around him. "SAIYAN! YOU HAVE DISGRACED ME FOR THE LAST TIME! BY MY HONOR AS THE TUFFLE'S GREATEST WARRIOR, I WILL KILL YOU AT ALL COSTS!"
All of the mages watching were truly frightened by Rancor's outburst. "Is it just me or are things starting to get really scary?!" Lucy asked fearfully.
"Oh man, looks like Gohan might be in some serious trouble!" Gray commented.
"And yet, he shows no sign of worry or fear, only… excitement," Erza muttered.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" a concerned Wendy inquired.
"Let's hope so," Michelle said.
"Come on, Gohan! Take that monster down!" Happy shouted encouragingly.
"Show 'em what you got, bro!" Romeo cheered.
"Teach him a lesson for messing with Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled.
Even the Oracion Seis couldn't hide their uneasiness about their comrade's display of fury. "Looks like our dear Rancor has snapped! Now that boy's really in for a hot payoff!" Jackpot giggled.
"That freak's gone mad! He could very well take us all out just to get that kid!" Cobra exclaimed distastefully.
"What now, Brain?" Angel asked.
"Don't worry, even in his fit of rage, we still have full control of him and his powers," Midnight assured. "If worst comes to worst, we can retreat and leave Rancor to dispose of these insects, but for now, let's see what happens next!"
On Rancor's chest gem, four lines appeared, dividing it into four parts; each part started glowing as they changed color. The top right was white, the top left was green, the bottom right was black, and the bottom left was dark green. Then the entire chest circle started glowing dark green and Rancor's body suddenly started to expand until it grew about ten times its size; any bigger and it would have brought the whole place down on them. Rancor smirked as he glanced down at the Demi Saiyan. "BEHOLD, SAIYAN! WITHIN ME LIES NOT JUST THE GRUDGE, BUT ALSO THE ABILITIES OF THE WARRIORS YOUR FATHER HAS DEFEATED IN BATTLE… AND I'M GOING TO USE EVERY ONE OF THEM TO KILL HIS SON!" he shouted as he brought his gigantic fist down on his prey. Gohan easily dodged the attack and landed on his right while the blow smashed the ground and sent cracks to the ceiling.
"Missed me, big guy!" Gohan called. Rancor turned right and charged at the Saiyan again. The Z Fighter swiftly evaded the machine's blows while his friends watch in amazement.
"How did this thing get so much bigger?!" Mira questioned in shock.
"Isn't changing one's size a type of magic?" Levy pondered.
"I thought it couldn't use magic!" Lisanna said.
"Actually, this is magic, just a different kind. I've seen my mentor use this once," Gohan stated in between dodges, making his friends look at him in bewilderment. "I'll explain later."
"STOP RUNNING AND FIGHT, YOU PEST!" Rancor roared as he threw another fist at the half-breed.
"If you insist," Gohan replied. He stood his ground and faced the Tufflebot; he dodged Rancor's kick and punched it in the abdomen. The robot stumbled a bit before it attempted to swat him away. Gohan then jumped onto the machine's arm before kicking it in the chin; he flew away from it and hit it with a large golden beam. The blast pushed Rancor into a wall, and Gohan continued to pound with energy attacks. The ceaseless barrage of blasts consumed the machine in a large wall of fire; after a few seconds, the flames were blown away and the Tufflebot was shown in its original size. "You can't beat me using Lord Slug's techniques 'cause I was trained by a Super Namek myself!"
"Then how about this technique, Saiyan!" Rancor yelled. The gems on his wrist started glowing, forming two green wrist blades of energy. He then rushed at the Son of Goku and swung his Ki blades at him. Gohan simply bent backward to evade the slash before grabbing the blades with his hands. Rancor struggled to free himself but Gohan's strength surpassed his own. The Saiyan then kicked the machine the face with both feet, causing the blades to snap in half. Gohan smirked again, which angered Rancor even more. "I'm not finished with you yet, monkey!" he proclaimed as the chest gem started glowing white. He then opened his palms and two purple razor disks of energy appeared in his hands and were thrown at the Demi Saiyan.
Gohan calmly waited for the disks to get close to him before jumping over them. "There's no way you can defeat me with a pale imitation of my partner's technique!" he declared.
"You sure are a cocky Saiyan, brat!" Rancor retorted as he watched his razor disks swerve around and head straight for Gohan's back.
The Fairies watched worriedly as the buzz saws of Ki got closer to the seemingly unaware Demi Saiyan. "Gohan, look out behind you!" Wendy hoped to warn her friend, but to their surprise, Gohan disappeared, once again avoiding the energy disks. Rancor waved his arms around, directing the disks to chase after the Saiyan. Gohan swerved through the tomb with the disks right behind him. Everywhere Gohan jumped, the disks followed, and when he bounced off one of the stones, the disks sliced right through them. Gohan then changed direction and flew right toward the Tufflebot.
"Ha! Only a simple-minded simian could come up with a tactic so predictable," Rancor laughed. "You're attempting to lead the disks back to me, then pull up at the last second so I'll be the one cut to pieces, right?!" Gohan gave no answer as he came closer to his opponent. "Well that's not going to work on me, Saiyan!" Rancor declared as his chest gem started glowing green and he fired precise laser beams from his eyes at the Z Fighter.
Gohan quickly used his arms to block the beams; they exploded against his arms but didn't damage him in the slightest. However, that distraction gave time for the razor disks to catch up to him, and Rancor smirked as the disks closed in on the Saiyan. Gohan turned to the disks with a surprised expression just as they severed his body into three parts. The mages' eyes went wide at the Demi Saiyan's destruction until the image of Gohan shimmered and faded out of existence. Rancor frowned as he said, "Did you really think I would be fooled by optical illusions?!" He then looked up to see the Son of Goku hovering above him. "This time I'll cut you in half!" The war machine swung his arms, commanding the energy disks to advance on the Saiyan. Gohan froze as the disks sliced through his body, before once again disappearing to show that he was just an afterimage. Rancor growled as he turned around and saw the Super Saiyan 2 standing with his arms crossed.
"Like I said, you won't be able to defeat me with those disks, but why don't I make it easy for you?" Gohan offered as he shifted his feet. "See this spot? I won't move from it."
"Your overconfidence is going to lead to your death, Saiyan!" Rancor cried as he threw the energy disks at his foe; the disks cut through the ground as they got closer to the Demi Saiyan. Gohan lowered his arms as he revved up his fiery aura. When the disks were right before him, he raised his hands grabbed one in each hand, easily holding the razor disks without getting cut to pieces. He then closed his hands, shattering the disks into tiny shards of Ki. Gohan shook his hands and smirked at the Tufflebot again, while Rancor gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I'm gonna wipe that smug look off your face!" he vowed before rushing at Gohan again. The Saiyan easily blocked Rancor's fist before punching him in the face and double kicking him aside. The machine stood up and pointed his index finger at the boy. "Take this, Saiyan!" he yelled as he fired Frieza's finger beam attack. Gohan just moved to the left, dodging the beam with little effort. Rancor continued to fire multiple finger beams at the half Saiyan but he repeatedly evaded every single one of them. Rancor sneered at Gohan before an idea came to him; he pointed his finger at the mages and said, "This attack you can't dodge!" He fired the deadly beam at the wizards, shocking them and Gohan, who rushed to intercept the attack.
Dan held up his shield to hopefully reflect the attack, but Gohan got in front of them and swatted the beam aside with his right hand, but Rancor wasn't done yet. The war machine fired numerous beams at Gohan since he knew he couldn't dodge anymore if he wanted to keep his friends safe. One after another, piercing beams were launched at the Demi Saiyan, but he stood his ground and sent every single one of them flying into a different direction. When Rancor finally stopped, he was surprised and angry to see that Gohan wasn't wearing down at all. "He blocked all of those blasts with one hand, and he even directed away from the humans!"
Gohan then lowered his hand and sped over to Rancor, kicking him in the face. The machine got up and tried to punch the Saiyan hybrid but was elbow bashed instead. The Tuffle stood back up again, and opened his mouth wide; he fired a large green energy beam at the half Saiyan. Gohan crossed his arms and deflected the blast. "That was weak, let me show you how to do it properly!" Gohan said before opening his mouth and firing his own Ki attack. Rancor was struck in the chest and his center gem cracked as he was knocked onto his back. "You can't beat me, so why don't you surrender?" Rancor glared at the half Saiyan once he was back on his feet again, but then something peculiar caught the attention of his artificial eye. He spotted the mages watching the battle and suddenly started to smirk, which made Gohan raise an eyebrow. "What's with the smirk? Figured out some strategy to beat me?" he inquired.
"Something like that," Rancor answered before firing an energy blast at the Saiyan. Gohan simply blocked it, but in the process, blinded himself from seeing what Rancor was doing. With this chance, the war machine dashed toward the Saiyan, only to fly right past him and go straight for his friends. When the Z Fighter noticed this he rushed to stop the robot, but was blown into a pile of rubble by a surprise kiai attack from the Tufflebot. Gohan quickly got back up but was too late as the war machine had already grabbed one of the Fairy Tail mages. Gohan looked among the mages and saw which one was missing; a sudden shriek was heard, getting all who heard it to look up. At the top of the tomb was the Sky Dragon Slayer within the grasp of the Tufflebot. Wendy struggled to free her head from Rancor's hold but it was useless for her to fight against the machine's iron grip.
"Unhand her, you monstrosity!" Carla demanded furiously.
"Wendy, no!" Gohan cried.
"That's right, Saiyan, I've discovered your weakness!" Rancor gloated."Your feelings for these… pathetic humans. I wonder how much you would give in order to save this girl!"
"Let her go, Rancor!" Gohan demanded.
"I'm the one giving the orders here, Saiyan!" Rancor countered. "And unless you want this girl's head to spontaneously combust… you'll stand down now!"
"He said to give her back now!" Natsu shouted as he jumped at the Tufflebot with a flaming fist. Rancor easily swatted the Dragon Slayer aside, sending him back to the ground where he was caught by Gohan.
"I said to stand down Saiyan… now!" the machine repeated more firmly as the hand around Wendy's head started glowing with energy. Gohan growled as he gently placed Natsu back with the others.
"Damn it, what can I do now? He's too high for me to reach before he can do anything to Wendy. Even I'm not that fast!" Gohan thought as he clenched his fist.
"Well, what's it gonna be, Saiyan?" Rancor asked. Gohan glared at the Tufflebot, but complied as he powered down to his base form. The machine smirked. "That's more like it." He then aimed his hand at the Son of Goku and channeled energy into it. He fired the blast at the boy, hitting him right in the chest; Gohan cringed from the attack but stood tall. "Let's see how many of my attacks you can take before you pass out!" Rancor said as he prepared to fire another energy blast at Gohan, who showed no emotion as he glanced at the scared Sky Maiden in the Tufflebot's palm. Rancor fired multiple energy blasts at the Demi Saiyan; he took each one after another, his face expressed slight pain from the attacks but his mind refused to let his body give in. "You Saiyans truly are stubborn creatures, but even you have your limits!" Rancor stated. He fired another blast at the Saiyan.
"G-Gohan, don't w-worry about m-me! Just stop him!" Wendy shouted, getting Rancor to tighten his grip around her head.
"Don't try to act brave, child!" Rancor told her. He then glanced toward the Saiyan, who started shaking in anger. "Hmm, are you upset that you can't fight and save your friend, child? Too bad, there's no way for you to win now!"
"You're wrong! There's one way for me to win!" Gohan declared. He then raised his hand till it was aimed right at the Tufflebot before turning Super Saiyan.
"Don't try to bluff me, Saiyan, I know you don't have the strength to attack the both of us!" Rancor said as his hand started glowing again. "You'll only succeed in killing your friend faster!"
Gohan gave no response as he levitated to the war machine's level with his hand still aimed at him; he then powered up to Super Saiyan 2 and glanced at Wendy before muttering, "I'm sorry, Wendy." The Demi Saiyan's hand suddenly started glowing as he charged up an energy blast. Everyone stared at the Saiyan with wide eyes as he prepared to fire his attack.
"W-What's Gohan doing?" Lucy asked worriedly.
"He's not really going to attack Wendy, is he?" Gray questioned.
"I… don't know," Erza admitted.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, CHILD?!" Carla cried.
"Don't do it, Gohan!" Romeo yelled.
Gohan once again gave no answer, but just kept his neutral expression while still aiming his energy attack at the Tufflebot and the Sky Maiden. The blast in his hand began to expand. Rancor's face expressed fear as doubt began to control his judgment. "Cut the acting, Saiyan, you don't have the guts to…" Rancor started to say before Gohan glared intensely at him. Seeing that glare temporarily reminded him of the Saiyans from Planet Vegeta. His face expressed the same ruthlessness, coldness, and anger that theirs did during the battle between the Tuffles and the Saiyans. "No, you wouldn't…" he muttered, now unsure whether that was true. Gohan still had his hand charged with an energy blast before suddenly aiming and firing it at another target: the Infinity Clock. "NO!" Rancor screamed as the seal on his chest gem activated. He then released Wendy and flew toward the clock while Gohan dove to catch his friend. Rancor got in front of the clock and deflected the blast; in anger, he fired a massive energy attack at the Demi Saiyan and the Dragon Slayer. Gohan caught Wendy just as the blast collided with them, and the two were consumed by the explosion. "Wendy! Gohan!" the Fairies cried. When the explosion faded, Gohan was seen with his back smoking from taking the blast while Wendy was in his arms, unharmed.
"Wendy, are you ok?" Gohan asked his guildmate with concern.
"Y-Yes I'm fine, thank you, Gohan," Wendy replied.
The half Saiyan nodded as he descended back to the ground where the wizards were. He placed the Sky Maiden beside her exceed companion. "Oh Wendy, thank goodness you're alright!" Carla said as she embraced her friend. She then turned to the Son of Goku, looking very upset. "How could be so reckless, child?! What if your bluff didn't work?! Who knows what could've happened to Wendy!" Gohan turned away from her as she spoke.
"Carla, it's ok. Gohan saved me, so it's fine," Wendy said defensively.
"You're right, Carla," Gohan muttered, surprising his friends. "But don't worry; I'm going to end this… right now!" He then turned to the Tufflebot with an enraged expression on his face. "You're gonna regret using my friends against me, Rancor, 'cause now I'm mad! I'm really, really mad! And now, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" he shouted as his energy flared all around. The entire tomb shook as Gohan's anger rose. He then roared as he flew at Rancor and appeared behind him before kicking him in the back. He phased again, above the machine and elbow bashed him in the head. The Demi Saiyan repeatedly disappeared and reappeared around Rancor and brutally beat him up. He ended the assault by blasting Rancor deep into the ground before diving in after him to continue painfully pummeling him into a pulp. The tomb shook again as Gohan thrashed the Tufflebot from underground. An explosion stretched out to the surface just before Rancor jumped out.
"I'LL SEND YOU TO OBLIVION, SAIYAN!" Rancor roared. The Tuffle started firing numerous Ki blasts into the hole he escaped from; after he finished, there was a deep trench that was smoking from Rancor's attack but no sign of the Saiyan hybrid anywhere. "WHERE ARE YOU, SAIYAN?!" he screamed. Suddenly, a blast burst out of the ground, almost hitting Rancor in the process. Then numerous energy blasts were erupted from the dirt toward the war machine; Rancor barely managed to dodge every one of them before he shouted, "COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A WARRIOR, YOU MONKEY!" He continued to look around for his enemy when Gohan abruptly sprung from the ground with his hands cupped together.
"This ends now! Ka…me..." Gohan shouted as he gathered Ki in between his palms. Rancor's eyes grew wide when he sensed the amount of power the Son of Goku was putting into his next attack, so he quickly crossed his arms as he prepared to use his signature attack: the Revenge Cannon. "…ha…me…" Gohan continued to chant as the energy in his hands formed into a blue star of light. Rancor's wrist gems started to shine green but he was far from being finished charging his attack. "Damn it, I won't make it in time!" the Tufflebot thought as he stared at the half Saiyan in fear. "HAAAA!" Gohan roared as he thrust his hands at Rancor and his attack expanded into a giant blue sphere of energy; but just as it was about to consume Rancor, the attack dissipated instantly, confusing the Saiyan, the Tufflebot, and the wizards. For a moment, neither fighter made a move, but then Rancor's look of surprise quickly changed into one of triumph as he finished charging up his attack. "Revenge Cannon!" he shouted as he fired an emerald beam at the Demi Saiyan, blasting him right into the ground.
Gohan slowly got to his feet. His vision got blurry again, dark rings formed under his eyes, and his body became slightly numb. "What's wrong with me? Why's my body going numb?" Gohan wondered as he prepared to fight Rancor again.
The machine landed on the ground and noticed the half Saiyan's condition. "It seems it's finally taking effect," he noted. "My patience has been rewarded."
"What are you talking about?" Gohan questioned.
"What's happening to your body Saiyan is a result of one the Oracion Seis' attacks that you took," Rancor answered. "Specifically the one named Cobra. And I'm sure you can guess what he attacks with based on his name…"
It took a second for Gohan to figure it out. "Poison."
"It's more than that, he's known as the Poison Dragon Slayer," Rancor continued to explain. "And you took one of his attacks head-on. As a result, your body is being flooded with viruses, and eventually it will start to rot itself away if the poison stays in your body long enough."
"So that's what you were doing," Gohan said as he realized the truth. "You were just buying time for the poison in my body to spread."
"While you Saiyans rely on your brute strength to win your battles, we Tuffles use our keen intellect, and that never fails!" Rancor stated. "I knew if I fought with you long enough, the poison would spread to every bit of your body and affect you greatly. Even in your Super Saiyan form, I thought I could hold out long enough… but then you showed me your second Super Saiyan form. My current level of power was no match for yours, and you could've ended me before the poison started weakening you, but there were two things that I didn't count on to help me: your second form and your cockiness. Like every other Saiyan, your power makes you so proud that you disregard everything else, so you decided to play with me until you got extremely angry. But it was your first weakness that really let you down. In your Super Saiyan form, everything in your system accelerates, which means the moment you entered that form, the poison began spreading through your body at a faster rate!"
Gohan's eyes grew wider at Rancor's words. "But that means, when I went Super Super Saiyan…"
Rancor nodded. "That's right. I hadn't counted on you acquiring a second form, but once you used it, the poison began to spread even faster than I anticipated. You almost got me and won our fight, but my brain power was my true advantage and the key to my victory!" Rancor then fired a kiai that blew the Demi Saiyan onto the floor on his back; he then approached the boy slowly while smirking. Gohan gritted his teeth as he tried to stand. "Well now, your time has come to an end, Saiyan, and your fight is over!"
"No, Gohan's in trouble!" Wendy cried.
"We gotta do something!" Romeo insisted.
"FOR THE CRIMES COMMITTED AGAINST THE TUFFLES, IT IS MY HONOR AND DUTY TO SERVE JUSTICE!" Rancor proclaimed as he raised his left foot over Gohan's stomach; he then stomped hard on the half Saiyan's abdomen, making the boy cry out in pain. The Tufflebot repeated this action while laughing as he caused his enemy more and more pain. "Get away from him!" someone shouted to the machine, and he turned to see many of the Fairy Tail members rushing toward him to help their Saiyan friend. Rancor quickly channeled Ki into his right hand and swiped it across the air. A sudden shockwave stopped the mages in their tracks before they could get any closer. "That was a warning, you'd be wise to heed it or else the next shot won't miss!" Rancor said. "This battle is between me and the Saiyan!" The mages glared at the Tufflebot but remained still as the machine refocused his attention on the Demi Saiyan, who was slowly getting back on his feet.
"Heh, if that's what you call serving justice, then I feel sorry for you," Gohan said as he grasped his gut.
"Impossible, how are you still standing?" Rancor asked in disbelief.
"What can I say, I'm just very stubborn," Gohan replied.
"It matters little," the machine dismissed. "You can't fight the poison in your body for much longer, especially when you have to fight me in that secondary Super Saiyan form! It's only a matter of time!"
"Then I'll just have to take you down before I run out of juice!" Gohan declared as he powered up.
"Fight to the very end, huh? That's so like a Saiyan!" Rancor remarked distastefully as he charged up as well.
"Do you think Gohan can still win?" Lucy asked, scared.
"I guess we're about to find out," Gray answered.
"Come on, Gohan! Don't let that measly poison slow you down, take him out!" Natsu cheered.
Gohan took his fighting position as he prepared to fight Rancor again; he charged at the war machine to strike him, but ended up getting hit in the cheek by the machine's elbow. Gohan shook it off and the two warriors began throwing blows at each other. As the battle went on, the Son of Goku began to slow down; every blow he gave the Tufflebot, it gave three times the attack. Rancor separated from Gohan and flew through the tomb. Gohan flew after him, unaware of the machine's plan to wear him down by making him burn out his energy while resisting the poison in his system. He then disappeared from Gohan's eyesight; the half Saiyan could still sense where he would appear but his body could no longer keep up with the machine's speed. "What's the matter, Saiyan, you seem to be moving much slower than when we started!" Rancor taunted as he kicked Gohan in the back. Gohan grasped his back in pain as he turned to face Rancor but was struck with a punch to the face. The Tufflebot continuously beat the Z fighter up before finishing his assault with an energy blast that sent Gohan into the ground. Rancor then shot another one, hitting the side of the tomb and causing an explosion that buried Gohan under several pieces of rubble. "That didn't take as long as I thought," Rancor chuckled.
The mages stared at the pile of rubble with looks of horror on their faces. For a moment, they believed that the young Saiyan had just been killed by this fighting machine. "No, Gohan, it can't be," Wendy murmured.
Is it… really over?" Coco questioned, afraid to know the answer. "Is he… dead?"
Rancor then turned to the mages and smirked wickedly. "There's no need to grieve over the Saiyan child, I'll send you all to see him soon!" he declared. Some of the mages were shaking in terror while others were enraged. As Rancor took a step toward the humans, he sensed something and turned back to the rock pile where he buried the half-breed. Beams of light shot out of the rubble before it exploded, revealing the Demi Saiyan, injured and bruised but still alive.
All of the Fairies' faces, as well as Coco's, lit up with joy when they saw that their comrade hadn't kicked the bucket yet. "I knew it! I knew Gohan wasn't done yet!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Liar! You were just as upset as the rest of us!" Happy stated.
"Shut up, Happy!" Natsu barked.
Gohan walked slowly toward his opponent, still willing to fight despite his weakened state; he stopped a few feet away from the Tufflebot before taking his stance again. "So, still alive, Saiyan? That won't be for much longer though!" Rancor said. Gohan gave him no response, which confused him. "What's the matter, monkey, cat got you tongue?"
"Chatting unnecessarily with you won't do me any good," Gohan responded. "It'll only waste time, and as you can see, I don't have a lot of it to spare."
"Very well then, no more words!" Rancor agreed. "We'll just let our fists do the talking!" The Tufflebot then dashed toward the Saiyan and tried to punch him, but Gohan dodged the attack before he kicked Rancor in the face. Just like before, as the two were locked in combat, Gohan received more blows than he could give. Rancor elbow bashed the Son of Goku to the ground before phasing in front of him and kicking him in the face. Gohan caught himself and rubbed his face while glaring at his enemy. The Saiyan was breathing heavily as his arms and legs were shaking. He staggered a bit before flying at Rancor with his fist ready, but the robot merely sidestepped him before striking him in the stomach with an energy blast. Gohan went flying backward and crashed into the wall. Before he could recover, Rancor punched him in the gut, causing him to cough up blood as he knelt on the ground in pain and grasped his stomach. Rancor looked down at his weakened state and smirked. "How does it feel, Saiyan, to be so strong yet not strong enough? To be the one taking the pain instead of giving it? To know that soon your life will end and you'll have failed your loved ones?!" he asked. Gohan glared at him before he jumped up, punched Rancor's face, and sent him flying with an energy blast.
The red giant crashed into the wall, but when he emerged, he simply cracked his neck as if he barely felt the Saiyan's attacks. "Damn it, my attacks aren't having an effect on him now. This poison's really slowing me down. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up," Gohan thought. He then glanced at the Infinity Clock for a second before looking back at the Tufflebot. "I may not be able to beat Rancor, but I can at least put a stop to his masters' plans. Sorry Lucy, but this is the only way to end it!" The Demi Saiyan placed two fingers by his forehead and focused his Ki into them; when he finished, his fingertips were sparking with energy while his left hand was also glowing with Ki. "Try this! Scatter Shot!" he cried as he fired multiple energy blasts at the robot. Rancor easily dodged the barrage of Ki attacks, yet despite the fact that he was missing, Gohan continued to fire potshots at the Tufflebot.
"Man, Gohan's really missing this guy!" Natsu stated.
"The poison must be affecting his aim," Gray suggested.
"I don't think so. Look where those go after they miss," Levy pointed out.
Everyone could now see that the blasts were positioning themselves around Rancor, closing off any escape route he could use. "The blasts are surrounding him," Erza realized.
"Kid must have a plan for that," Gajeel said.
When Gohan finished firing, the energy blasts were stationed all around the machine; every direction Rancor turned, there were energy blasts preventing him from fleeing. "Take this! Hellzone Grenade!" Gohan shouted as he clenched his left hand. The numerous energy blasts surrounding Rancor suddenly flew toward him, simultaneously hitting him and combusting on contact. The Tufflebot was consumed in a massive explosion, which was what the Demi Saiyan was waiting for. "Now's my chance!" he thought as he jumped toward the infinity clock and aimed his two glowing fingers at it. "Special Beam Cannon!" The Son of Goku fired the spiraling beam attack straight at the ancient artifact; however, it never made contact as the beam suddenly stopped in front of the clock and launched itself back to the half Saiyan. Gohan quickly dodged it, but the beam struck his left arm, wounding him. He glared at the clock to see Cobra and Midnight standing on top of it, smirking.
"Nice try, kid, but I heard your plan a mile away!" Cobra snickered.
"And now, you're finished!" Brain II declared. "Dark Capriccio!" He fired his piercing beam of darkness at the half Saiyan, but Gohan simply deflected it with his right hand.
"Do you really think you can defeat me with some cheap imitation of my mentor's technique?!" Gohan asked the mages. He then sensed something behind him full of rage, and he turned to see Rancor with his fist raised above his head. The machine slammed his fist onto the Saiyan's head, sending him plummeting into the ground. Gohan landed on his hands and feet before rubbing his head; he looked up to see Rancor standing over him, still looking angry.
"I do not appreciate being made a fool of, Saiyan, Tuffles just hate being outsmarted!" Rancor sneered. "And for that… you will pay dearly!" The Tufflebot then started relentlessly beating up the Saiyan hybrid. Gohan barely had time to register any pain the machine was inflicting on him. His guildmates were all shaking in anger as they watched the robot show no mercy to a child. When he was finished, Rancor grabbed Gohan by the hair with his right hand and held the boy in front of his left hand; he then fired an energy blast into Gohan's face, sending him flying and making another crater in the ground. "It's over, Saiyan," Rancor muttered.
"S-Says w-who?" Gohan questioned as he crawled out of the hole. "You t-think I'm just g-gonna give up? N-Never!" The half Saiyan grasped his left arm as he slowly approached the fighting machine. "I-I am a Saiyan warrior! I-I refuse to l-lose to you, n-not when there's s-so much at s-stake! I WILL NOT LET YOU WIN!" Gohan roared as he charged at Rancor, yet the machine just smirked as its chest gem started glowing purple and it fired energy beams from its eyes. The beams struck the Saiyan in the chest, knocking him onto his back. Gohan's chest was smoking from the attack as it burned immensely. "T-That was… C-Cooler's death beam!" Gohan murmured as he tried to stand again.
"Another technique I've acquired from your father's foes," Rancor said. "But enough about that, it's time to finish you off, monkey!" The machine phased in front of Gohan and grabbed his shirt; he then pulled Gohan into a bear hug and started crushing the life out of him. Gohan screamed in agony as Rancor tightened his grip on him. "Does that hurt, Saiyan?" he asked. "Well it doesn't compare to what your kind did to my people, so your pain is just beginning!" The young boy coughed up more blood as Rancor continued to squeeze him. The Fairies watching had expressions twisted with anger and sorrow.
"No, Gohan," Wendy mumbled while on the verge of crying.
"What kind of monster would do this sort of thing to a child?!" Carla demanded.
"It's pretty clear that this thing has no intention of ending Gohan's suffering anytime soon," Lily spoke grimly.
"Come on, Gohan, you've gotta hang on," Happy muttered nervously.
Even the members of the Legion Platoon could not hide the horror on their faces from watching Gohan's torment. "This is truly a gruesome sight!" Dan stated. "It's so barbaric, so unbearable…"
"We can't just let this happen! We have to do something!" Coco yelled. She got up to try and aid the Saiyan but was stopped by her former leader. "Lord Byro, what are you doing?!"
"Don't interfere, Coco! This isn't our fight!" Byro told her. "Whatever happens to that boy is none of our concern, only to fulfill the Archbishop's mission!"
"That boy is not our enemy, he's not the one trying to stop us!" Coco argued. "We can't just let these demons kill him after they've manipulated all of us into fighting against each other!" She struggled to try and help the Demi Saiyan but the Legion leader refused to budge; in desperation, the athlete turned to the Fairy Tail mages. "Are you guys just gonna stand there and let Gohan die?! I thought you were his friends, and he needs your help! You have to save him!"
For a moment, no one made any move, but then Natsu stepped forward and said, "You're right. We should do something to help! I don't care if we don't stand a chance against that thing, I can't watch him hurt one of our guildmates!"
Gray then stood beside him. "I agree with flame brain! I can't stomach this anymore!"
"Gohan is one of us, and he needs our help!" Erza stated as she requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "We must do what we can to save him, that's the Fairy Tail way!" Pretty soon, every one of the members of Fairy Tail stood together as they prepared to aid the half Saiyan, who had just powered down from his Super Saiyan form but was still wailing in pain from Rancor's death grip. "Let's try hitting it from a distance! It would be best if we didn't approach the machine yet! All those who can use long range attacks, hit it with everything you've got! We have to save our comrade!" As instructed, those among the Fairies that could use long range attacks fired their strongest spells at the Tufflebot. The attacks flew through the tomb and struck Rancor right in the back, consuming him and Gohan in a massive explosion. When it died down, the machine was still holding the Saiyan as though nothing had happened; however, he dropped Gohan who was gasping for air and turned to face the mages.
"Gohan!" Wendy cried as she tried to rush to his side but was held back by Erza.
"Not yet! We still have the enemy to deal with," the Fairy Queen said.
"You mages are truly stubborn, almost as stubborn as the Saiyans," Rancor remarked. "And that annoys me to no end! It is clear that you pests must be exterminated at once!" The Tuffle's chest gem started to glow black as he clamped his hands together; a gold sphere of energy formed in between his palms and began to expand. "Saiyans and humans, you must all die if I am to avenge my people!" he declared as he held the energy ball above his head.
The Oracion Seis grew suspicious of what their machine ally was planning. "That doesn't look too good, Brain, Rancor's really serious now!" Cobra alerted his leader.
"Then it's about time we left this place, we have what we need after all," Midnight decided. "We'll have to finish these pests another time, though I doubt we'll see them after again today." The six demons suddenly vanished from the tomb, as did the Infinity Clock.
"Hey! Come back and face us, you cowards!" Natsu yelled furiously.
"Forget them, Natsu!" Romeo exclaimed.
"Yeah! We've got bigger problems to deal with in case you haven't noticed!" Lucy added.
Gohan began to stir awake as he sensed the massive increase in Rancor's Ki; he looked up to see the Tufflebot charging up an attack to toss at the mages.
"I think we should get out of here, guys!" Cana suggested.
"What about Gohan?! We can't just leave him here!" Wendy argued.
"I don't think we'll be able to get to him in time!" Gajeel stated.
"Don't bother trying to escape now!" Rancor said to the mages. "None of you will leave this tomb alive; this is the end for you!" The Zentopian tomb began to quake violently as Rancor condensed his attack.
"That's the same attack Turles tried to kill me with!" Gohan thought as he recognized what Rancor was doing. The Tufflebot then tossed the blast at the wizards, who were paralyzed in fear from the amount of power it emitted. Using the last of his strength, Gohan got to his feet and dashed to save his friends; he stood in front of him and spread out his arms while turning Super Saiyan again. "HAAAAH!" the Son of Goku screamed as he formed a blue energy barrier around him, his guild members, and the Legion Platoon. The blast collided with his shield and pushed against it, and Rancor smirked as he swiftly disappeared from the crumbling tomb. Gohan struggled to hold up the barrier as his friends waited anxiously. The shield suddenly started to crack and the Saiyan fell on one knee. "Damn it! I can't hold this much longer," he thought. He suddenly remembered the deaths of Goku and Mirai Trunks due to his failure to stop Cell, and that was enough to give him the strength he needed. "No! I won't let anyone die again!" The Demi Saiyan then charged up to Super Saiyan 2 and released more energy, expanding the shield and pushing the blast back. It exploded on impact, taking out the entire tomb as it expanded to the surface and into the sky.
On the surface in the desert, Mary Hughes, Samuel, and Sugarboy were trekking along the sandy dunes when a beam of light energy shot out of the ground and into the sky; the force created a gale force that blew a small sand wave toward the Zentopian warriors. They shielded their faces until it passed and gazed at the pillar of Ki expanding into the blood red sky. "Whoa! Like, what is that?!" Hughes inquired.
"NO!" Sugarboy shouted. "Looks like we got some serious double-trouble, baby!"
The gray Exceed examined the energy pillar as it faded away and smoke erupted from the ground "This is terrible, I had a bad feeling this might happen," he admitted.
"What do you mean?" Hughes asked the cat. "Wait a minute, are you trying to say that you calculated this? Spill it, cat!"
"No, my calculations were off," Samuel answered. "That's unusual for me. I believe that someone… manipulated them to be wrong."
"Sorry, but I don't follow you, man," the singer said.
"Yeah, you wanna explain a little more?" the conductor continued to ask.
"I'm shocked you can't feel it, the overwhelming presence of evil in this place," Samuel replied. "Along with… the tremendous amount of force coming from the tomb."
"Does this have anything to do with that Fairy Tail kid and that red giant that stole the clock pieces?" Hughes inquired.
"I believe it does. Those two are so powerful and unpredictable that they seem to far exceed my calculations, pardon the pun," Samuel revealed.
"Well, whatever it is, Lord Byro, Coco, and Dan trapped down there!" Mary Hughes exclaimed. "We have to do something to help them!" Suddenly, sand from the desert started rapidly sinking into the hole in the smoking tomb. "What's happening?!"
"The tomb seems to be caving in!" Samuel realized.
"But that means the others will be buried alive!" Hughes gasped. "What'll we do?!"
"I do not know, I didn't calculate this," Samuel confessed shamefully.
"Wait a second, folks, what the heck is that?" Sugarboy inquired as he pointed at the tomb. Multiple smaller beams of energy suddenly shot out of the ground before another explosion occurred. After it ended, an enormous blue sphere emerged from the ground; inside it, Gohan was channeling Ki from the top of the energy shield while the Fairies and the Legion Platoon were standing at the bottom. The Demi Saiyan carried the barrier above the tomb hole and placed it on the sand dunes. He then descended to the bottom before dropping the shield.
"Is everyone ok?" he asked as he turned to face the mages; they gasped when they saw his current condition. The Saiyan's forehead spilled blood over his right eye, his left arm had a bad wound on it as did his chest, and he was covered with bruises. Before anyone could answer his question, the Z fighter succumbed to his wounds and Cobra's poison, passing out and falling face first into the sand.
"Gohan!" Wendy cried. The Fairies quickly rushed to their friend's side. They checked on him and saw that he was still breathing.
"He's alive, but he needs medical attention right away!" Erza stated.
Coco then walked toward them, full of concern. "Will he be alright?" she asked worriedly.
Lucy smiled in a comforting way. "Don't worry, he's super strong. He'll pull through, and we'll make sure he recovers."
The athlete smiled sadly and said, "Tell him sorry for me, and thanks for saving me." She then left to rejoin her former comrades.
"We should get out of here right now," Gray decided.
"What about Gohan?" Romeo asked. "He won't make it in his condition!"
"And it'll take us too long to get the guild!" Levy said.
"Wait a minute, what's that up there?" Lily questioned as he pointed to the sky, and everyone looked up to see that a strange aircraft hovering above the desert was headed to their location. Some of the mages didn't recognize it, but Team Natsu and Lyon knew exactly what it was. "It's the Christina!" they announced.
A/N: Another chapter comes to an end! Sorry it took me so long to finish, I got sick for a few days and it was torture. The headache I got made it very difficult to think or remember what I wanted to write. Anyway, good guys have lost round one; now it's time to pick themselves up and get ready for the second round! This arc will only get more interesting, which you probably already know at this point! I also see that my number of followers and favorites for this story seems to be increasing by the day; that's great! Thank you to those who enjoy and support this fanfic! One more thing, I know some of the fight scenes are similar to the canon fights; no need to point that out to me if you recognize some. Catch you later, TTFN AntiHero out!