The Vicious Gods Wrath
Chapter 21: Round Two
Beerus' Temple
This is great!
Stop toying with me!
Are the thoughts of both Goku and Vegeta respectively as they once again mount a joint offensive against the caretaker of Beerus, the most powerful being in the universe: Whis for the second round of their first practice match with him. The mysterious being merely avoids or intercepts their blows with utter ease while the Saiyan's give it they're all, with heavy sweat covering them now after fighting for so long. As they usually do, the fighters approach their tactics differently.
Vegeta furiously strikes him with all his might, a grunt or growl escaping his lips with each one and his face stuck in a permanent scowl. Letting his anger at his inability to land a blow to Whis get the better of him. Goku comparatively takes a more relaxed approach, conserving more energy though not for any tactical reason, a child-like grin is ever present, enjoying the thrill of the fight and challenge to dictate his actions.
One too frustrated and the other too carefree. They've learned nothing from the advice I gave them an hour ago. Concludes Whis, mentally analyzing the two's personalities and approaches to combat without giving either any visible indication of this. Before he accepted their request to come and train here, he used the Oracle Fishes abilities to check their previous noteworthy battles. While none can deny that both of them are skilled and talented fighters, the finest ever produced by their species, both have failed to compensate for all of their personality flaws.
Wanting to prove his point, this time around, Whis decides to let their actions speak louder than his words and promptly smacks Vegeta in the face, sending the Saiyan Prince back to ground level, leaving only himself and Goku up in the air. The caretaker turns to Goku, catching his punch with a smirk. "Now the two of us can get down to the real training."
Goku gives him a puzzled look. "Uh, what about Vegeta?"
"A savage who can throw punches does not a true warrior make," Whis states non-nonchalantly, ensuring it's loud enough for the angry Prince to hear him as he pulls himself out of the crater. "Now come."
With his excited grin growing larger, Goku nods at his new master and powers up before charging at him. To both his and Vegeta's shock, Whis actually fights back. For every punch the Earth Saiyan throws, Whis responds in kind, though obviously without using even half of his full strength. Goku takes a more thoughtful, defensive approach, at first, to properly get a feel for the strength of Whis' attacks.
About on par with mine. He concludes then swats away a palm strike directed to his chest and takes the initiative. Feeling a rush of excitement he hasn't felt since fighting Beerus on Earth, he leaves himself vulnerable. His desire to escalate the conflict makes him rash, his punches losing some of their former precision, leaving him vulnerable to counter attack.
His uppercut misses entirely, allowing Whis to elbow him in the stomach as he failed to ready a plan B in case his punch missed. With a pained gasp, he momentarily stops from the quick and sudden pain before smirking and attacking once more. His high kick is dodged, earning him a palm strike to the face. Once again, he fails to notice his poorer performance and attacks once more, with more failed attacks and successful counter from Whis being the result.
Back on the ground, a kneeling Vegeta observes their battle, his fists clenched so tightly he would tear through his own flesh if not his gloves. Whis' words echo repeatedly in his mind, his blood boiling at being judged little more than a wild animal, instead of what he truly is, a proud warrior. Powering up, he fully gets back on his feet and draws his arms back, gathering energy into them.
Whis immediately takes notice of his rising power though Goku does not, his sense of reason lost in favor of his thrill for battle. A costly mistake as Vegeta, once gathering a satisfactory amount of ki, thrusts his palms forward and declares. "FINAL FLASH!"
Vanishing out of sight and Goku's kick, Whis appears behind him and gently nudges him forward before disappearing again. Puzzled, he looks around for Beerus' caretaker failing to take notice of Vegeta's attack, until it blasts him away and smashes him into one of the smaller worlds orbiting the temple.
Coughing up smoke, he lets out a half-hearted chuckle, his whole body aching from the attack leaving him to helplessly fall back to the planet below, leaving a crater upon landing on it. "I'm gonna... feel that tomorrow..."
"It serves you right for losing your focus!" Vegeta points an accusing finger at the downed Kakarot, feeling a vein at the side of his head pulsate. "Now stay out of my way and let a true Saiyan warrior show you how it's done."
"It's done by giving yourself a stomach ulcer?" Asks Whis, suddenly appearing behind the Prince who immediately leaps into the air and lands a few feet away from him, entering his fighting stance. "Well, I suppose with Goku done I'll have to settle for you."
The Princes left eye twitches in anger of the caretaker's refusal to acknowledge him as a proper fighter, especially after he just finished taking down Kakarot with but a single attack. Powering himself up, he shoots Whis a glare before charging at him, unleashing a strong gust of the wind in his wake. To his growing frustration, Whis only blocks or dodges, still not deeming him serious enough of a threat to even send a single attack his way.
And so it goes on for some time with Vegeta growling like a mad man after every punch and kick while Whis, appearing utterly disinterested given his bored expression and occasional yawn, merely keeps on avoiding him. As is the case with every warrior, this exercise quickly wears him out, leaving him sweating and panting heavily yet he stubbornly continues attacking. Oblivious or merely ignoring the fact his speed has dropped noticeably and his punches and kicks have lost a considerable amount of their power though his anger has done anything but.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Vegeta halts any further attacks and quickly realizes the folly of his actions once the adrenaline rush wears down. He doesn't even see the flicker of Whis' finger before it hits him upside the head, smashing him face first into the ground, leaving a trail of ruined grass nearly 10 feet long.
"You two really are a pair," Announces Whis, genuinely amazed that Vegeta actually managed to keep that up for as long as he did. "If you didn't let your glaring personality flaws get in the way so much, you'd be far better off for it."
Materializing his staff, Whis flourishes it in the direction of his two pupils, surrounding them both, in brief, green mists of energy. All damage done to their bodies vanishes in mere moments, restoring them to full help. "There, that should help you two out. Now, let us eat!"
He disappears for a split second then reappears the next, holding two trays of peculiar, alien looking food in each hand. One bowl with something resembling rice while the other a green colored, foot long, curled up slug. "It may look a bit strange to you, but believe me, the slug is simply to die for!"
Goku doesn't hesitate for an instant, taking the chops sticks without a care and chowing down with his usual ferocity. Vegeta, on the other hand, takes a moment to examine the slug, sniffing it before apprehensively taking a piece out of it. A rich, savory flavor immediately sends him into a frenzy, one rivaling Goku's. A minute after starting, both finish their meals and promptly ask for me. Half an hour later, their hunger finally relents with both of them sitting back down on the grassy floor of the temple with content smiles and full bellies.
"Now that you've both had a good chance to rest up, I think it's time we addressed the elephants in the room, as the Earthling saying goes," Whis draws his attention firstly to Vegeta. "Prince Vegeta, you are a capable fighter who's more than surpassed the limitations of your species, attaining heights no one thought possible. However, your lack of self-control and foul temper make you too rash in your actions. Accepting Goku's superiority over yourself is a great step in the right direction, an acceptance which must apply to other things, lest your anger results in your final death."
"The only reason I acted rashly is because you taunted me! Ignored all I am capable of, instead, you treated me as though I'm little more than a mad animal!" Vegeta furiously counters, his voice echoing throughout the area.
"This outburst right here is precisely what I wish to rid you of. How can you fight effectively if you're so quick to lose yourself in what you perceive is verbal or physical slights? Against a cunning enemy, your glaring personality flaw will be your downfall or perhaps even your friends here. What if you were in a true life or death battle with me? What if you actually put more effort into that Final Flash and killed Goku by accident? Leaving you without an ally and deprived of a great deal of energy?"
"I would-"
"You would die." He concludes with a cold, calculating voice leaving no room for argument. "And your world would suffer for it as it has twice already when your pride allowed the threats of both Buu and Cell to escalate when you could've finished them beforehand."
Instead of arguing, The Prince relents, falling silent and intentionally averting his gaze like a scolded child. Good, that means he is capable of listening, hopefully of learning as well.
"He's got a point Vegeta," Goku suddenly appears next to him, jabbing him in the side with a smirk that would define mischevious. "That much bent up aggressions bad for your health."
Knowing this will bode ill of his words finally sinking into the headstrong Prince, Whis swiftly smacks Goku upside the head, sending him reeling back like a yelping dog.
"Prince Vegeta isn't the only one at fault here Goku, you've much to learn as well. Your reckless love of fighting is what resulted in you getting hit by that Final Flash in the first place. I understand it's part of your Saiyan genes, but it has, along with your lack of common sense brought Earth quite a few times as well."
"King Kai says the same thing but I still don't see it."
"Really?" Whis asks in genuine surprise. "On Namek, you could've ended Freeza easily a number of times. Even after vowing to avenge the Saiyan's and the Namekian's and your best friend, you still let the desire for a good fight overturn your better judgment. Then he returned years later, nearly destroying your home world and loved ones were it not for the innervation of that time displaced Trunks. Then you foolishly sent your son against an enemy who's cruelty knew no bound, so confident in your plan it took Piccolo's words of reason for your common sense to kick in. Lets not even talk about your foolish decision not to kill the fat Majin Buu when you could've done so or you not bothering to get the likes of Gotenks or Gohan involved in your final battle against the child Buu, despite the fact their aid would've ended the fight easily and painlessly. You choose to fight him yourself for the thrill of it."
To Whis' relief, Goku's own bread of thickheadedness doesn't stop him from falling silent either, another good sign for their future growth. "Credit where credit is due, at least, you both performed the fusion dance for the purpose of defeating Beerus. But a handful of years ago, Vegeta especially wouldn't have agreed to such a move."
"A ridiculous technique that didn't even work," Interjects Vegeta, clearly embarrassed by his own willingness to do it only for it to fail spectacularly.
"It was likely destabilized by your vast individual strength levels. The Metomoran's are not a strong race by themselves, that is why the dance was created in the first place. However, it seems you've both become so strong alone fusion cannot even form itself properly before splitting you back up."
"Oh! That reminds me! Where is Lord Beerus anyway?" Questions Goku, his childlike enthusiasm immediately blasting through whatever introspection Whis prompted him to partake in. What a shame.
"Beerus is sleeping within the temple behind you," Whis nods towards the structure. "Usually, this amount of racket would've surely awoken him, but he was so intent on regaining his strength quickly he's placed himself in a very deep slumber."
"He needs to sleep to regain his strength?" Vegeta asks, not able to hide his surprise.
"It is a biological necessity installed in all of the Gods of Destruction when they were first created eons ago. As you both know, Lord Beerus returns to the universe at large in cycles of typically 50 years, give or take. Once he's properly rested up, he travels the cosmos, judging planets on their worth and destroying those he deems unfit to live, thus bringing a necessary balance to the universe. For if new life is to spring back up, some existing life must be extinguished."
Goku and Vegeta kneel closer to him, once again reminding him of eager children.
"However, as you've seen Beerus can be... temperamental. Were it not for this biological limit placed on him and his colleagues, their constant presence could potentially cause more harm than good to the balance. Thus, depending on how much power they spend, they all must eventually return to their homes such as this one, to slumber and reinvigorate themselves. For you see, worlds like this one are brimming with Godly Ki, rich energies the Gods subconsciously absorb into their beings while they sleep. Energy from the air, the trees, the small planets orbiting it, even the temple itself."
"Kind of like the Spirit Bomb..." Goku exclaims, earning an approving nod from Whis.
"Indeed, in fact, the Spirit Bomb itself is based on this process though far more weaponized obviously. Just like the Spirit Bomb technique, the Gods amount of activity while they sleep typically dictates how well they absorb the power. The deeper the sleep, the calmer their bodies are and thus, more energies enter's their body at a faster rate. Beerus usually has all sorts of dreams and nightmares, causing some inadvertent damage which is why his slumbering periods are usually longer than most of the other Gods of Destruction."
"When will he wake up?" Asks Vegeta.
"He could wake up right now if he wished, his energy reserves have been almost completely , he correctly guessed neither of you would match him in just a year, so he's decided to oversleep a bit and give you two more after this one. If my guess is correct, I think he'll be quite pleased with your result if you keep moving at this pace."
Despite the scolding he gave them earlier, the two Saiyan's smirk, noticeably glad at Whis' declaration of their progressing. Which the attendant can understand, they both hit slumps after the Majin Buu fiasco but Godly Ki has given them something new to strive towards.
Their brief moment of satisfaction cut short when all three present are suddenly contacted by someone they didn't expect to hear from today.
"Goku! Vegeta!"
Exchanging puzzled glances at the voice in their heads, they both ask. "King Kai?"
"YoubothhavetogetbacktoEarthimmeidately!Somethingterribleisgoingonandyouneedtogonow!" He blurts out at a speed so fast no one can make out even a fraction of what he said.
"What is that imbecile talking about?" Comments Vegeta, annoyed by his incomprehensible mess of a sentence.
"Slow down King Kai, just take a deep breath and tell us what's going on, okay?"
The old deity does as his pupil suggest, exhaling loudly before continuing. "New Namek is gone Goku! It exploded suddenly without warning and now it's gone along with everyone on the planet!"
"What?!" The two of them shout unitedly, leaping to their feet.
"After the incidents with Cell and Buu, I decided to keep closer tabs on the Namekian's in case you guys ever needed their help again. So I was just watering my plants when I felt it die, I sensed its explosion echo throughout the cosmos! The planet was perfectly stable yesterday and now it just blew up for no reason whatsoever!"
"Did you try contacting Dende or Piccolo?" Questions Goku.
"That's what's got me worried! The second it happened I immediately went to speak with them if they knew anything but I couldn't find them Goku! I can't sense anyone or anything on Earth! It's like the whole planet is just... gone!"
Both the Saiyan's fall gravely silent, trading worried glances with one another. Vegeta is the one who decides to ask the question hanging over their minds. "Did... did the Earth explode as well?"
"I don't think so, Earth is a lot easier for me to sense and I'm sure I'd have felt it blow up."
This momentarily relaxes them, but the news of New Namek's sudden demise quickly hangs over them again. Something Whis can understand, for the people there have been great allies to them, allies they may not afford to lose.
Goku takes a step back, placing his fingers on his forehead to focus his ki as necessary on performing the Instant Transmission. Both Whis and Vegeta look at him expectantly to see when or rather if he will displace to the planet.
"Well?!" Vegeta demands.
"King Kai's right," Goku gulps. "Earth... is gone."
"Wrong answer!" Vegeta's hand takes hold of Goku's gi and he hoists his fellow Saiyan off the ground. With his other fist raised and ready to punch him, of course. "Now try again."
Gulping in fear of the Princes legendary temper, Goku nods hastily and places his fingers back. He tries to sense the Earth again with no results at first but then, out of nowhere, he senses a fairly strong and familiar signature and immediately smiles. "I've found Piccolo!"
Vegeta eases up, putting him back gently on the ground. "And the others?"
"I can feel Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and... Chiaotzu but they're weak, really weak." His brief relief once again dies on the vine. "I... I can't find the boys."
The Saiyan Prince once again tenses up, his hands curling up into fists. "Get us home, now."
Nodding in agreement, he looks back to the caretaker before them and smiles while Vegeta places his hand on Goku's shoulder. "Sorry for leaving Master Whis, but we've got a problem back home."
"I can see that, don't let me keep you. After all, Earth is your primary responsibility."
Earth, West City
Goku didn't know what he or Vegeta expected when they returned back home. Certainly, something was wrong, New Namek exploding is proof enough. But the sight that greets them leaves both the experienced fighters speechless.
West City, what's left of it is a smoldering ruin. Where there were streets once are now miles upon miles of burned and charred ground. Broken buildings, what few are left, crumble all around them, the polished white shine of the city replaced by soot, dirt, and grime. The fires burning around blot out the setting sun, keeping the sky perpetually, forebodingly blackened above their heads.
What else litters the ground, in no better shape than anything else, is the dozens of dead Freeza Empire soldiers instantly recognizable even in this desolation.
"Trade Organization..." Vegeta venomously hisses at the sight of them. "Should've learned to stay away after Freeza's second failure."
"Look!" Goku exclaims, tapping Vegeta on the shoulder and pointing to a lone conscious figure amongst the dead, an unmistakable green-skinned being kneeling on the ground.
"Piccolo!" He calls out the Namekian warrior, yet receives no response or even a visible sign he heard him. Trading worried looks, the two of them fly towards him and notice the others lying on the ground next to him, but he makes no effort to help them.
Vegeta tends to the others while Goku turns to check on Piccolo. His blank, vacant stare sends a foreboding chill down Goku's spine. Even waving his hand in front of him fails to snap him out of it. "Piccolo? Hey! Piccolo?" He nudges him gently to no avail. "What could've done this to him?"
"The permanent extinction of one's race would shake anyone to their very core, even a warrior such as Piccolo."
For a few heartbeats worth of time, neither Goku nor Vegeta visibly react to the voice calling out to them from above, unable to process how he of all people is back again. They look away from their friends and sure enough, there he is, smirking at their shocked faces.
"Whats the matter? You look as if you've seen a ghost?" His laugh stirs another emotion in them: anger.
"Freeza..." Vegeta growls like a mad dog, entering his fighting stance and shaking in barely controlled anger. "You should've stayed dead, but I suppose getting obliterated twice by us wasn't quite enough for you."
The tyrant lets out another laugh, landing 20 feet away from them. "Only once actually, that little incident at the wedding was nothing more than a robotic decoy created to throw you off. Somewhat of a prototype Android, if you will."
Vegeta is the one who laughs now, a short, bitter thing. "Please, you know as well as I do you've not the skill or intellect to make an android, you couldn't even cobble yourself together properly after Namek."
"Oh but I do Vegeta, and its all thanks to you along with so, so many other wondrous things."
"What are you talking about?" Goku asks, not sure he actually wants to know.
"Your friend Piccolo over there wasn't wrong, you know. On the day he voiced his suspicions of someone besides you lot using the Dragon Balls, loyal subjects of my Empire's remnant gathered the wish granting orbs and restored me to life. For three years, three long years I've lived in secrecy, building up my strength and that of my Empire, making it stronger than ever. And for making all of that, "Freeza smiles at them, the kind to make any sensible person take a few steps back. But a smile with something approaching genuine sincerity to it. Then he does something neither of them expects, he bows to them. "I thank you!"
Those words reverberate through the empty city, the sincerity behind them knocks the wind out of their sails more than any attack possibly could. He rises, that sincere, horrible smile never leaving his face.
"Thanks to you, and your monumental incompetence and your slights against me, I and my Empire are more powerful than ever thought possible! Thanks to you, I along with my entire army have learned how to properly control and sense ki, from you, we've acquired the android technology from the computer belonging to a certain someone's wife, we've acquired the gravity machine to push us to our physical limits, fusion dances to make powerful soldiers of our weakest fighters but most importantly," He somehow smiles wider, "I learned of your spare set of Dragon Balls on New Namek, and thanks to you, not only am I and my organization infinitely more powerful than ever but we've successfully secured the only set of Dragon Balls left in the universe!"
"An empty threat!" Vegeta growls. "With our Dragon Balls, we can bring them all back! You've done nothing but waste your time!"
"Are you certain of that?" Freeza's eye's land on Goku and the Earth-raised Saiyan hates him so much for it.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Vegeta demands. "Tell me Kakarot! What the hell is he talking about?!"
"We..." Goku gulps, struggling to meet Vegeta's eyes. "We already used the Dragon Balls to wish them all back before Vegeta... When we first fought Freeza on Namek... We..." His voice falters. "We can't bring them back again."
"And it's all your fault, all because you didn't protect your precious Dragon Balls closely enough," Freeza bursts into a hearty fit of laughing, his sinister, chilling cackle echoing throughout the surrounding area.
For a few heartbeats, the two Saiyan's merely stand there, letting him have his laugh at their expense, for every bit of it fuels their rage, and they intend to let Freeza suffer all of it.
"You're gonna pay for this!" Goku's white aura explodes, blasting apart the ground beneath his feet.
"And this time, you'll stay dead! Even if I have to blast through the very depths of Hell itself I'll make sure you don't come back again!" Vegeta's aura bursts to life as well.
Instead of being frightened, Freeza rubs his hands in gleeful anticipation. "I certainly hope you intend on following through with your threats, because if you don't, your children's lives are forfeit."
Momentarily faltering at this proclamation, something primal snaps in the psyches of Goku and Vegeta. Forgetting about their wounded friends, the disaster Freeza has wrought this day and almost their very common sense itself, the two roar as only a pair of mighty Oozaru can blast towards the cackling tyrant, ready to rip him to shreds