Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or Zoids. I do own Lorren.
A/N: Welcome to the NINTH chapter of Abnormal Ⅽhildhood where our heroes continue their struggle against the powerful Vegeta. So without further ado, I turn it over to Lorren.
Gohan and I landed in front of Vegeta who appeared to be having a hard time of finding us.
"Someone's coming," the giant ape murmured aloud, cocking his head to the side as he glanced around him. "Who is it?! Show yourself. I know you're out there! Where are you?!"
"Over here!" shouted Gohan causing Vegeta to finally stare down at us. "You put my dad down right now!"
The saiyan burst out laughing. "Oh no! It's you two. Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything you say. I'll put the boy's father down if you want. It might be one piece at a time but I'll definitely put him down! Now which piece would you like first?"
"You better not hurt him!" warned Gohan, starting forward.
I grabbed his arm, holding him back. "Easy, Gohan. Remember the plan."
Gohan looked at me for a moment before nodding. "…I know."
"Say goodbye to your father, boy," Vegeta advised him, placing his paw on Goku's head. "You should be proud of him. It's rare I have to transform to win a battle. What a waste. It's a shame that the two of us can't see eye to eye."
The ape then began to crush Goku's head in making him cry out in pain as Krillin finally released his Destructo Disc which Vegeta dodged by simply jumping out of the way.
"How did he know?!" demanded Krillin.
Vegeta smirked as he turned to face the bald warrior. "Did you really think you could sneak up on me, little man? Did you really think that you could fool me with such a simple ruse? I can't believe for a second Kakarrot's son and the witty girl came back to fight me on their own! I knew from the instant I saw them that they were merely trying to distract me.
"You'll have to do better next time except there won't be a next time. You're all finished," he continued, returning to his task. "As soon as I'm done squeezing the life from Kakarrot, you're next. Take a good look! This is what you're in for when I get my hands on you!"
"Stop it! Let go!" ordered Gohan as he took a fighting stance. "I said, let go!"
"Sorry, kid, but you're in no position to be giving me orders," Vegeta told him as he strode over to us. "No more orders? How about last requests?"
That's when something incredible happened; Yajirobe came up from behind Vegeta and cut off his tail with his sword.
"I can't believe it," I murmured. "That coward actually helped."
"Impossible. Who, who did this to me? Where did he come from? You fools! You don't know what you've done!" fumed Vegeta as he released Goku and reverted back to his original form. "Those little pests! How could I be so careless? You're all going to pay! You've disgraced me for the first and final time!"
"I thought cutting his tail would stop him," said Gohan, glancing questioningly at me.
I shook my head. "That was just to get rid of his ape mode. We still have to find a way to take him down once and for all."
"You're going to know a new meaning for the word pain. You will all suffer!" declared Vegeta as he made for Gohan and I.
"Gohan! Lorren! Get out of there!" yelled Krillin but Vegeta bowled us over before we even got the chance.
"Gee, if I didn't know any better I'd say you were mad," I noted, rising to my feet.
Vegeta ignored me and turned his focus to a shaking Gohan who he punched in the stomach. "What's wrong? You seem scared. A brave saiyan like yourself shouldn't be scared. It's not becoming."
I tried to attack him from the side but Vegeta saw me coming and grabbed me by my neck, cutting my oxygen off.
"You, on the other hand, know what it means to be a true warrior," he told me as I fought to breathe. "You revel in battle. It's a shame you won't join me."
Vegeta then kicked me in the stomach and tossed me aside. Krillin tried to land a hit but was kicked aside as well.
"Up, you brat! I'm not through with you just yet," Vegeta commanded Gohan as he stood on his head before grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him off the ground. "Defend yourself! I thought you were a saiyan! So fight me. Show me what you're made of."
He head butted my friend causing him to scream in anguish. "You're a low-class saiyan just like your father."
"Gohan," I whispered from where I lay.
"I think it's time I threw you out with the rest of the trashed. You're all used up," Vegeta informed him before throwing Gohan down by his father. "I hate to say I told you so but you really should have joined me, Kakarrot. Now it's too late! You had your chance. Now you, your son, the girl, and the bald guy are history and let's not forget about the sneaking coward who cut off my tail."
"Son, don't be scared of him," urged Goku. "You're a lot stronger than you think. Piccolo trained you very well. You have to have faith in him. You can win and look, you're not alone. You still have Krillin and Lorren to lend you a hand."
"I can't move!" replied Gohan. "I don't think I can do it, Dad."
"Yes, you can!" Goku assured him. "I know it and so did Piccolo. He believed in you. That's why he gave his life to save yours. I believe in you too, son."
They struggled to reach each other but Vegeta kneed Goku in the stomach. "Being a good fiend is like being a photographer. You have to wait for the right moment."
"G-Gohan," grunted Goku as Vegeta kicked him away and stomped on him. "Father/son time is over."
"I said stop!" yelled Gohan, standing up. "You heard me! Let's go."
"Sure, kid. Why not?" said Vegeta, turning towards him. "I'm game."
"You're not in this alone, Gohan!" I informed him as I managed to make it to his side. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
"You brats!" spat Vegeta, knocking us to the ground.
We got back up only to be knocked back down but we continued to fight the jerk.
"I've got to hand it to you two. Your strength is surprising," Vegeta admitted. "You should be proud. You've fought well but unfortunately for you two, it wasn't well enough. It's time we put an end to this."
He shot a volley of energy blasts at us which we narrowly evaded. "You can't run forever!"
One of his blasts pushed us back into a mountain causing it to collapse. We burst from the rubble. Vegeta rushed over to meet us but paused when he heard Yajirobe yell at Krillin to throw what looked like a glowing orb of energy.
"What is that thing?" demanded Vegeta as Krillin threw it. The saiyan dodged it and the orb headed for us instead.
"Bounce it back," advised Goku inside our minds. "The ball won't hurt you if there's no evil in your hearts. "You two have to bounce it back."
Gohan and I glanced at each other and nodded. Gohan held out his hands and I placed mine over his. Together we bounced the ball back at Vegeta who was shot into the stratosphere.
"Gohan, we did it," I breathed with wide eyes. "We really did it!"
We hugged before heading down to Goku and the others.
"Dad, are you going to be okay?" inquired Gohan.
"Yeah, but I'll probably be sore for a while," he replied.
"I'll admit, I have seen you look better," said Krillin, smiling slightly.
"Maybe so, but it could be a lot worse," Goku pointed out.
"Yeah, you could be that alien," agreed Krillin as we all laughed; that is until Vegeta came crashing back down to Earth.
"There's no way. How did he survive that huge blast of energy?" I wondered aloud.
"Maybe now he's harmless," mused Krillin as he headed over to the fallen villain. "He looks finished, alright. I guess that blast really did him in. Good thing because he was bad to the core. At least now we won't have to look at his ugly face anymore."
"Whose face is ugly?!" inquired Vegeta as he woke up and struggled to stand, scaring the living daylights out of us. "I suppose you think you're very clever, don't you? Well here's a piece of advice, if you're going to shoot someone in the back, make sure to finish them off. It's going to be my greatest pleasure wiping you and your worthless friends off the face of this planet."
He then neck chopped Krillin and made his way towards us. "How does it feel knowing you had one chance to save your precious Earth and everyone on it only to fail miserably? This is it, Kakarrot. No more tricks. No more games. No more chances for you and your friends to escape. I'm done toying with you. I'm gonna do now what I should have done from the very beginning, I'm going to blast all of you insolent pests into oblivion!"
"Run, you two!" ordered Goku.
"We can't just leave you," I argued.
"Run, now!" he shouted as Vegeta powered up and caused a huge explosion separating us.
"This is pathetic. How could I be reduced to this? I don't have enough energy to complete the attack. They're still alive," noted Vegeta angrily and made for Gohan; the saiyan's face paled in shock. "It can't be! He has, he has a tail!"
"What timing," I breathed. "It grew back when we needed it the most."
Vegeta grabbed Gohan's tail before remembering the artificial moon he had created. "I can't allow this brat to transform. I can't!"
Vegeta summoned energy but Yajirobe came from behind and slashed the back of Vegeta's armor. Unfortunately his brave attack was not enough. Vegeta beat Yajirobe savagely before remembering Gohan who had already begun to turn.
"It's too late!" He realized, hitting Gohan in frustration. "No! Stop changing! Stop it!"
I smirked as Gohan's transformation finished. "Like you said, it's too late. Get him, Gohan."
Gohan hit Vegeta then went berserk. I flew up to him. "Gohan, please stop! It's me, Lorren. I'm your friend, remember? Don't attack your friends. Get the other guy! Get Vegeta!"
"Listen to her, Gohan," urged Goku. "Get him now!"
"Smash him, Gohan!" yelled Krillin.
Gohan turned his attention to Vegeta who was actually able to hold his own.
"It really is too bad he's not on our side," I mused aloud as Vegeta blasted Gohan who thankfully emerged unscathed.
"Okay, furball. Take this!" challenged Vegeta as he used his energy and cut off Gohan's tail. What the evil saiyan hadn't anticipated, however, was that the ape would fall on top of him before reverting back to a child.
Vegeta reached into his pocket, pulled out a remote, and punched a few buttons. A few moments later his space ship arrived and landed near him.
"He's running away," I pointed out unnecessarily as Vegeta struggled to climb in but Krillin was there with Yajirobe's sword in hand.
"Hey, saiyan! You think you can just slither out of here after what you've done?!" he demanded as he prepared to strike. "Well, think again!"
"Krillin, stop," Goku ordered him causing his childhood friend to stare at him in confusion. "Listen, just let him go. Show him what it means to be merciful."
"Merciful?!" repeated Krillin in disbelief. "But Goku, he's…"
"I know what he is but believe me, I know what I'm doing," Goku assured him.
"But this is the guy who threatened all the people here on Earth," Krillin reminded him unnecessarily. "Surely he'll come back to destroy us again! I just don't think it's a good idea to let him escape now that we have a chance to stop him for good!"
"By doing this, we're showing him that there's another way, a better way," Goku explained.
"Goku, I don't think this is the kind of guy that can learn a lesson like that," argued Krillin. "He'll just think we're weak! It won't change him at all."
"Don't be so sure about that, Krillin," Goku advised his friend. "It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened. Think about it. When Piccolo first came to us, he was just as evil as his father. He nearly destroyed not only me but the entire planet and now…"
"And now he's one of us," finished Krillin.
"Right. So if someone as evil as Piccolo can change, I think anyone can," said Goku. "Vegeta deserves to have that same chance. By showing him that the people of this planet have compassion and can show mercy, maybe he can learn to show some of his own. Piccolo learned and not only is he our ally, he's also a good friend. He even took care of Gohan while I was gone and traded his own life to protect him. Who knows, Vegeta might do the same thing for one of us someday."
Vegeta collapsed making Krillin return his attention to him. It was clear how much the Z warrior wanted to strike as his eyes began to fill with tears.
"Krillin, please!" begged Goku. "I know this is the right thing to do. Got to trust me."
"But the saiyans killed Yamcha and Tien!" Krillin shouted bitterly. "I can't let him get away!"
"Don't do it, Krillin," murmured Goku. "I know it seems like justice but it's not right. If you strike him down, you'll only show that we aren't any better than he is. It means that they won no matter what. Be strong! Don't forget, Krillin. I'm a saiyan just like he is."
Krillin dropped the sword.
"Thanks, Krillin," said Goku. "That took a lot of strength and courage. I'm proud of you."
"Goku, I sure hope you're right about all of this," replied Krillin. "I hate to think of what might happen if he comes back to try this again but if he does, we'll be ready for him and we'll stop him again."
"You bet," agreed Goku.
I smiled as Vegeta finally managed to get into his ship.
"When I come back to this planet, you're all going to suffer and when you beg me for mercy, I'll stare into your eyes and crush the life out of them," he proclaimed, laughing as the door closed and his ship took off into space.
"We'll see," I murmured as I breathed in relief and pride. I had gotten through my first major battle and helped save the world. I was finally on my way to becoming a Z warrior.
A/N: And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed! And for any who are wondering about Gohan and Lorren, they are going to remain friends for quite a while so please be patient and no posting reviews about this story on my other stories. I love all of my stories and girls dearly. They all deserve their own time to be updated. So please remain patient. I hope you all enjoyed. Until next time, read review and show the love!