Summary: If Baby briefly took over Goku, instead of Trunks, during the Black Star Dragon Ball hunt (episode 24 of GT).
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"No more body snatching, Baby!" Trunks shouted, confident that the three Saiyans had the upper hand.
Appearing in front of the retreating neo-machine mutant, he fired off a blast point-blank, sending the parasite flying backwards, partly knocking it out of its solid state. Trying to stand up, Baby looked up to see a quarter-Saiyan girl looking down in loathing.
"You can never be forgiven for what you did to those innocent people!" Pan declared before launching forth a powerful kick.
The Tuffle crashed across the walls and ceiling of the medical chamber like a rubber ball before landing on the floor, crumpled and trembling in pain from the force of the Saiyan girl's kick. Beneath this pain, there was also a new feeling, one that it had only ever inflicted on others in the short time it had been alive: Fear. And it was fear of an imminent death. Gathering what little strength was left, it tried to lift itself up to stand. Its face was showing hatred and rage, desperately trying to hide the realization that the three Saiyans' power easily outmatched it, in its current state. Serious about ensuring not a single cell would be left this time, the trio readied themselves for the final blow from all sides, leaving no chance to flee.
"You can't go on doing the evil you did on that spaceship!" shouted Goku with an anger that was rarely ever heard from him before. "You spared nobody, NOT EVEN THE CHILDREN!" he screamed again with a mix of disgust and rage, preparing a Ki blast to destroy the neo-machine mutant.
Three flashes of light lit up the chamber as Ki beams charged in each Goku, Pan and Trunks' hands, ready to wipe out the parasite for good. Then something set off within him. It was there only for a second, and came from deep within, inside the DNA of the Tuffle King that was apart of the creature. An unyielding rage quickly grew in him, an aggressive denial that the Saiyans would wipe out the Tuffles again. It was almost like a desperate cry that awakened both a survival instinct and desire for revenge that made his Ki increase rapidly. Baby let out a shrill cry, not of fear but of hatred and determination from his reason to live. To avenge the Tuffle race. To kill all of the Saiyans.
Suddenly a fourth flash of light burst across the whole room, as Baby began emanating energy so strong that it caught the trio off guard. A magenta bubble of energy enveloped him as his screams rang across the room. The Saiyans' prepared attacks dissipated as they were overwhelmed by the massive buildup of both pressure in the room and in the Tuffle's power. Being the strongest and oldest, Goku tried the hardest to focus and attack, even daring to step closer as sparks of energy were bursting out at him, leaving many sharp burning pains up and down his body. The almost electrical feeling of tension grew and built up, like an elastic band being pulled and pulled beyond its limits.
And it then snapped.
An explosive shock-wave sent the Saiyans flying back like rag-dolls, coating them in searing pain. They each landed across the room, none of them finding the strength to immediately stand right back up. Even before the smoke began to clear Baby looked up, reinvigorated at the second chance at life he gave himself, but also aware that he needed to act immediately.
His plan was to steal one of the Saiyan's bodies and take their power for himself, and he knew this small window was now his only chance. He looked towards the girl as she tried to bring herself to stand, trying to find a cut or scratch that would let him infect her. The machine-mutant couldn't see any immediate opening. Disappointed, he then turned towards Trunks, who seemed to be having more trouble standing up than the girl as he leaned himself against the wall. The parasite's fear began to quickly return as he again saw no scarlet lining on him either, and could sense that the daze he had left them all in was starting to wither. With greater desperation than before he looked over at Goku, who seemed to be more dazed and distracted than the other two. The realization then hit Baby when he saw, clear as day, a streak of shiny red glistening on the Saiyan's right forearm, almost calling out to him. The parasite wasted no time leaping into the air as his body collapsed into a mercury-like liquid, heading straight toward the elder Son.
Goku lifted his head up as he tried to gather his senses, almost dumbfounded that Baby could unleash such power out of nowhere. The Saiyan put his weight on his right arm to support himself as he sat back up, and felt a stinging sensation shoot up his arm. He clutched the limb, wincing in response to the pain, and was surprised to see a large cut stretching down the outside of his forearm.
'Damn it...Where did all that energy come from? He could barely stand up seconds ago...' he thought to himself.
Then, a flash of silver in the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. When Goku looked towards it, shock rushed through him as the liquefied machine mutant pounced at him like a predator catching its prey.
Baby landed directly on his open wound. Goku reeled back, whipping his arm about desperately to shake himself free, without success. He then froze, first in half-confusion, then in terrified realization at what was happening. He felt immense pressure placed on his wound, reaching down inside his arm with an icy sting.
As the metallic liquid around his limb drained away inside him, a painful swelling went straight up his arm, disappearing past his shoulder. Goku could only stand there shaking, staring blankly ahead as Trunks and Pan looked on at what Baby had just done, panic etched across both their faces. A short second where nothing seemingly happened then gave way to immense pain shooting up his spine, as if a knife was being carved along his vertebrae from the inside, heading straight for his skull. When it reached its destination he felt an even more painful pressure build within his head, as if his brain was swelling up and crushing against the inside of his skull. The swelling was followed by the feeling of needles stabbing deep into his head. He tried to move his body but his limbs stiffened, refusing to obey.
The last thing Goku could do as himself was scream at the pain he felt, and even that was lost as he felt his lungs stop breathing, taking away his voice. His survival instincts tried desperately to save his body as his peripheral vision vanished, closing around the center of his sight like a curtain. The last thing he heard as everything went dark was Pan crying out to him.
"GRANDPA!"
She was the last thing he could think to himself as his consciousness fell away.
'Pan...'
As Goku came to, he struggled to remember what he had done to feel like he did now. He felt as though he had been asleep for days, yet still felt exhausted enough to fall back asleep without even opening his eyes. But at the same time the Saiyan could not feel the warmth of a bed beneath him, or any sort of ground or floor. He tried to feel something beneath him, but realized he couldn't even feel his own body, just a numb sensation all around him. He tried opening his eyes, then closing them again, then opening them once more, unable to feel the sensation of doing it. Nothing in his vision changed, there was an absence of any shape or color, not even a black void, as if his own body denied him his own sense of sight. Like the remnants of a fever dream, he began to piece together his memories from before ending up like this. Then he remembered what happened to him, and panic rushed through him.
"Baby...no...PAN! TRUNKS!"
Goku shouted without sound, desperate for his friends to hear him, but all he could he make sense of was a muffled echo, unable to tell if it was his own voice or a response to him. He tried calling out to them again, but every shout and scream only felt like an inner thought. He attempted to move his limbs, but couldn't even feel their shape in this numbness, as though he had never been born with them. He continued trying to regain control of his body, and didn't know how long he struggled, feeling like he was at it for both hours and seconds at the same time. His efforts were then interrupted when he felt himself become stronger.
For short moments the elder Son could feel the shape of his body again before losing it, then regaining it. He could distinguish three different sounds repeating, before hearing nothing again. Even his sight could at times see the muted glow of colors, mainly yellow blue and magenta. Despite the progress he was making, he couldn't enjoy his success. Despite everything he didn't presently know, he did know one thing; whatever gave him that strength wasn't his own doing, and it filled him with a fear that it made Baby stronger as well.
Time continued to pass both quickly and slowly in unison as Goku attempted to regain control of his body. As he made and lost and re-made progress, he felt his motivation become less about himself, and more about Trunks and Pan. He was racked with fear from not knowing their fate. Even though being turned into a small child sent his Ki, strength and fighting capabilities into flux, he knew that he was still able to be much stronger than both the two Saiyans combined, and he was scared of not knowing how much of his own strength Baby was able to bring out of him. As he continued to fight being imprisoned within himself, he again felt another surge of power, even greater than the last one. Now, he began to feel his senses more thoroughly than before, and this time he was able to hold onto them. He could see a haze of different colors, though no identifiable shapes or environments. He could feel the tips of his fingers, and even the softest wind in his face.
'Am I outside?' he asked himself.
Suddenly the Saiyan could hear muffled screams. His horror grew and nearly caused him to lose all control of himself again in shock when he continued to feel more of his body, and then felt the all too familiar feeling of a Saiyan's greatest addiction; the adrenaline of battle.
'Oh no...'
Goku began frantically trying to do anything to take back control of his body from the parasite inside him. He didn't need his senses to know that Trunks and Pan were hurt. Now, it was only a question of trying to stop Baby before they were killed.
The progress he made was too slow to satisfy himself. The only new sign that brought him back to the real world was being able to ever so faintly sense the Ki signatures of the younger Saiyans, who seemed to be constantly in close proximity to him. Time went on at an unknowable pace as he continued fighting inside. But it wasn't enough for him. Baby was still in control, still using him to hurt and destroy. He began to feel the tide turn on him. He felt his struggling began to fade. He knew that he needed a sign to spark a final drive within him. Just then, immediately cutting through all the silence, darkness and numbness, ringing through his head as clear as day was the voice of his granddaughter, her voice battered and fearful in a panicked cry.
"GRANDPA NOOO!"
The younger Saiyans could only look on in horror as the metallic fluid surrounding Goku's limb flowed out of sight into the cut on his arm. The moment it was all gone, Goku screamed in agony as his head jerked back and up. His cries then began weakening and dying.
"NO! GOKU!" shouted Trunks.
"GRANDPA!" shrieked Pan.
The elder Saiyan's weak gasps faltered. All three were as still as statues, the younger two almost unsure and fearful of what would immediately happen next. And for a brief tense second, a deadly silence permeated the medical chamber. The weak gasps returned, getting faster and faster and more intense until they became a malicious cackle that grew in intensity. 'Goku' brought his head back down, looking ahead rather than at either of the Saiyans to his left and right, his eyes showing only one emotion: madness.
"This body...its...its power..." came a dual voice. One sounded like Goku, but had none of the intoned mannerisms of a pure heart. Only hate. Spoken in unison was the true voice speaking with Goku's body. "So much power..." spoke the voice in awe of the strength it now had access to.
"Pan! RUN!" Trunks quickly told the raven haired Saiyan across from him, his voice more serious than it ever had been in this entire journey.
They had both seen first hand Goku's fighting potential multiple times, even when reverted to a child. He knew the danger they were now both in. Pan could only manage one step back, almost in confusion, before the mad eyes instantly locked onto Trunks. The madness gave way to gleeful venom and determination. As quickly as 'Goku' turned his head, a Ki blast shot straight towards the boy. Trunks brought his arms crossed up instinctively in defense, the impact sent him back, flying straight into the chamber walls, wincing in pain as the structure crumpled inwards behind him.
"TRUNKS!" Pan yelled in shock.
Her short focus on the other Saiyan cost her. Almost too fast for her to see coming, a powerful blow collided with her, sending her smashing through the doors and into the hallway she entered the room from. Staggered, she brought her head up from the floor and looked back as red poured from the corner of her lip. She saw her 'Grandfather' walking through the destroyed doorway towards her, wearing a smile rife with cruelty.
"This body alone has more than enough of the Saiyan power I desire..." spoke the dual voice as he stopped in front of her, stretching out his arm as a ball of Ki began to glow from his palm. "I certainly don't need weak creatures like you two in my plans anymore," he continued as his attacked charged up.
An energy beam struck him from behind, sending him flying over Pan into the wall at the opposite end of the hallway.
"Glad to be a hindrance then," came a voice from the source of the blast.
Pan looked, relieved to see Trunks standing at the doorway, breathing heavily, looking past her in a fighting stance. Standing back up she looked back to the other end of the hall. She could sense her grandfather's Ki but her vision was obstructed by dust and smoke.
"Pan, listen to me," Trunks spoke to her with as much authority he could muster. "Take Giru and the Dragon Balls as get as far away from here as you can."
"Wait, what about Grandpa? What about you?" she responded with worry.
Before Trunks could respond, a blast of energy shot down the hallway at them. Both leaping to the side and avoiding it, the beam collided with the microscope behind them, destroying the chamber behind them. They felt the whole building shake to its foundations from the explosion. Turning back to the source they saw 'Goku' walking towards them, only this time, the maniacal smile was gone, replaced with a scowl.
"You'll pay dearly for that," came the dual voice.
The cold tone and hate-filled stare coming from her grandfather triggered a flood of upset and anger in the youngest Saiyan. She scowled with gritted teeth as tension grew up her arms.
"You get out of Grandpa's body right now, you monster!" Pan shouted angrily, her hands glowing at her side as she prepared an energy blast of her own.
The only response to her demand was a silent, evil smirk. Taking the initiative, the Tuffle quickly raised his hand, firing a blast of his own straight at her. Her instincts led the way as she unconsciously raised her hands together, launching her own Ki beam. She almost faltered when she realized just how over her head she had just been by taking on such a powerful attack. But instead of being quickly overwhelmed by her Grandfather's power, something strange to all three of them happened. The beams met in the middle and struggled against each other. Although it tore apart the hallway the result was clear, Baby did not use anything close to Goku's full power.
"What?" Baby spoke aloud in confusion, seeing his attack meeting its match from a much weaker opponent.
He tried to increased his focus on firing the Ki beam, and the attack began pushing further back and started overpowering Pan's. His success was cut short when in the ar in front of him appeared Trunks, firing an attack of his own point blank at Goku's body. The blast sent him cascading through multiple walls of the building, and was quickly pursued and struck by the beam Pan had been firing, setting off another explosion. Trunks could only look on and wonder. Baby wouldn't have restrained himself like that, and he wasn't sure if Goku would be able to resist being controlled from the inside so quickly.
'Not even father could fight being mind-controlled that fast, and he was a fully grown adult…' Trunks reflected
It then dawned on the boy.
'Goku's not an adult anymore. Of course! His Ki must be completely off kilter, no wonder Baby wasn't using even a fraction of Goku's power,' he thought to himself.
"I think we might have a chance to save him," Trunks observed with renewed hope.
"What happened to running away?" asked Pan, sounding slightly unsure about staying after that experience.
"I think being a child and not an adult is stopping Baby from exploiting Goku's full power," he responded. "We have the advantage for now, so we can't waste time in freeing him."
His plan gave her a small optimistic boost. Leaping through the makeshift tunnel, the two Saiyans landed in an atrium, with 'Goku' lying in a crater in the center, sitting himself up as chunks of debris fell off of him. He stared down at his hands.
"What is this?" Baby asked in irritation. "I've never felt energy like this before, it's right at my fingertips, yet I can't reach it now. I had it a moment ago."
"Harnessing Ki isn't so easy when you're a grown man turned into a kid, is it?" Pan gloated, taking her own turn to smirk. "Now do what I said earlier and get out of his body or we'll blast you out," readying into a fighting stance.
The Tuffle merely cocked Goku's head in curiosity at her first statement, not sure whether to fully believe the Saiyan's words. He then launched himself at them on the attack. Although he had difficulty with Ki, Baby knew that Goku was physically stronger than the other two. His rapid punches overwhelmed his granddaughter's lesser fighting experience. The Tuffle's advantage was short-lived as Trunks jumped into the fight, sending 'Goku' flying into a nearby wall with a strong kick to his side.
The parasite wasted no time leaping back out, blasting energy at them. As Trunks jumped out of the way from the explosions they caused, he saw 'Goku' heading straight for him, rage flaring in his eyes. He moved back in the air with his arms raised blocking the brunt of strong hits being thrown at him. The aggression of the strikes was unlike any sparring session, feeling the muscles in his forearms getting tenderized. The hail of strikes was then cut short as 'Goku' cried when a flash of light struck his back. Trunks didn't bother to see who or where the attack came from, knowing it was Pan, as he delivered a hard punch to his foe's stomach, then clasping his hands together before hammering them down on his friend's head, sending him shooting the floor. Pan stopped the impact with a kick that turned Baby's trajectory from down to across, crashing him through another wall into the hospital's garden.
Doctors and patients were nearby in the middle of a hastily made evacuation effort. Even Giru who fled the initial chaos was carrying out patients. The Saiyans looked to see 'Goku' lying face down in the dirt. It sent a pang of guilt through both of them. A part of Trunks hated that he had to hurt his friend, but he also knew that it wasn't Goku doing this. He gave a quick glance over at Pan, knowing that she'd be feeling even worse at being attacked by her own Grandfather. Her face looked resolute and ready to continue fighting, but her eyes were glazed over with a layer of wetness in distress.
Baby struggled to stand Goku up from the ground, he looked back at the hole he exited from, seeing both Saiyans standing at the ready, but showing concern at him still being in control. He grimaced, knowing that, in his current state, going after one would leave him exposed to the other. The sounds of panic behind him grabbed his attention as he looked behind him to see medical crews and patients fleeing the building. His mouth turned a twisted smile as the sight gave him an idea.
Dread overcame both Trunks and Pan as 'Goku' looked away from them to the planet's inhabitants. Taking flight, Baby dove into the crowd of civilians, and shot straight up with one in each hand, a nurse and the boy they had rescued back from the shipwreck. As quickly as he was in the air he spun around several times and flung the nurse far off into the distance out of sight, then using the momentum of his throw, launched the boy in the opposite direction.
"NO!" Trunks screamed, horrified at seeing Goku be used to do such an act.
Pan was already airborne before he finished the word. And before he could follow to help a powerful force collided with his ribs. The boy rolled across the ground as he was knocked back into the atrium, crashing into one of its walls. Standing back up he teetered slightly, surprised at the force of the punch that hit him. He started to worry that Baby was learning how to use more of Goku's inner power. His concentration was broken by a Ki beam heading straight for him. He fired off his own blast towards it, creating an explosion in front of him. 'Goku' then burst through the fresh smoke cloud straight at him, his arm drawn back ready to throw another punch. The anger Trunks felt at the dirty tactic outside gave him the push he needed. He no longer felt so careful about the welfare of his friend.
A flash of yellow light engulfed the room before the blow struck, Baby felt the punch stopped in its tracks. He looked to see Goku's fist being held firm by Trunks with one hand. His hair had turned from lavender to a bright, fiery gold, now spiked-up. His eyes went from a determined sapphire to an unmerciful teal; and his power seemed to multiply dramatically. Baby was bewildered at what happened to the boy, struggling to free his hand from the tight grip.
Almost without seeing it, the Tuffle felt a fist collide with Goku's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, followed by a Ki blast that sent him flying. Before he could make contact with the wall another blow sent him in another direction. Instinctively sensing it would happen again, the parasite turned and fired a Ki blast in the direction he was heading, the force slowing him down and knocking Trunks back before the latter could react. Gathering his wits in the brief second he had, the Tuffle used it's advanced, intelligent mind to search Goku's memories, looking for every technique there was, especially ones he could learn to use on the spot.
He then promptly dodged a blast of energy so powerful he felt it burn the gi Goku wore at the close distance it missed him. He looked up to see Trunks flying straight for him. The punches and kicks he dealt out were much stronger and faster than before, much more up to match with the full blooded Saiyan's strength and speed. But the near equal match was short-lived as 'Goku' soon dodged a punch in an unexpected direction, using the opening to strike Trunks directly in the sternum. Flying back, Trunks attempted to focus away from the pain, seeing 'Goku' again heading straight for him. He raised his hands in defense from the coming blow, but it never came, instead 'Goku' phased through him like an apparition.
Trunks didn't have the chance to be surprised when at the moment the image of Goku disappeared he felt a Ki blast hit him from behind and beneath, sending him breaking through a corner of the atrium's ceiling and back outside. He almost fell out of Super Saiyan and back to his base form, both in pain from that unexpectedly powerful blast and in fear. Fear at the realization that his worry was coming true: Baby was becoming stronger in Goku's body, that they were losing the initiative of their chance to save him.
'Can that thing even be taken out from Goku by simply fighting him?' he thought.
Then in front of him appeared 'Goku', his hands readying another powerful Ki blast that shined brighter than his previous ones. But his attack was cut short by pale arms wrapping around his neck and head, putting him in a choke-hold. As 'Goku' reached to pry the arms off him, Trunks quickly grabbed his arms and held them to his side firmly. Trunks looked towards Pan, who simply nodded back to him, confirming that the nurse and boy were safe. Despite that he could see the emotional toll on her face more than before. He then turned his attention to her grandfather.
"Fight it Goku!" Trunks begged to his face, desperately hoping his friend would hear his voice instead of the parasite controlling him.
It seemed to be in vain as 'Goku' continued to struggle against the two Saiyans while they pinned him, his small stature preventing his desperate kicks from reaching either of them.
"Grandpa you've got to be in there somewhere! You've got to free yourself from Baby's control! Please!" Pan's voice cracked in anguish at everything that had happened so far as she pleaded for her Grandfather to hear him.
The thrashing between them began to calm as the older Saiyan's eyes closed, his expression turning from a violent grimace to to a more firm and stoic look. The other two Saiyans held their grip just as strongly, but softened emotionally.
"G-...Grandpa?" Pan asked with curiosity, hope slowly seeping into her voice, wanting desperately for his real voice and mannerisms to speak out, to comfort her.
Goku's eyes opened again. What Trunk saw sent a wave of fear shooting through him. The normally dark pupils had turned teal, and both Saiyans felt his power rise fiercely. Before either could properly react, an explosion of gold light burst out of 'Goku', sending the two Saiyans flying back in opposite directions. Steadying themselves, they looked back and saw Goku's hair stood on end as it turned the same gold as the aura now surrounding his body.
Trunks did his best to ignore the paralyzing terror in him and flew right at him. He wasn't sure if this would work, but he put the little faith he had on attacking Baby before he could fully understand and control the power he had just drawn out of Goku. He didn't know what else he could do right now. In the reverse of moments earlier, his punch was blocked by a single hand from 'Goku' seizing his wrist, wearing a smirk filled with hubris. Trunks' panic was overtaken by pain as he felt that wrist loudly crush in the Tuffle's grip like paper. He could only howl out in pain and try to pull his hand free to no avail.
Behind him, Pan could only hover and watch, now frozen in fear at what would happen next. Trunks then felt a punch collide with his rib cage with a force unlike anything he had felt in his life. Red droplets spattered out with his nearly breathless gasping. Another blow followed, this time colliding with his jaw. He felt everything spinning before finding himself in a crater on the ground.
"TRUNKS NO!" Pan screamed, only able to watch as the boy was flung past her towards the ground.
A soft cackling stole her attention from him. She turned away from where he landed, feeling pair of eyes on her, trembling with dread. She saw her Grandfather in his Super Saiyan form, he had closed his eyes with a look of inner concentration. Suddenly his whole body flashed again, yet there was no apparent physical changes, except that his hair stood up even firmer, and a fountain of sparks burst around his aura. But she felt his strength amplified even further, just being near such power overwhelmed her. She then saw his eyes open, gleaming with hatred and sadism.
"Grandpa..." Pan sobbed out, tears now running down her face.
She was almost hoping that this whole day had been a nightmare, that any second now she would wake up in her hammock-turned-bed on the spaceship. However, all that happened was her 'Grandfather' sending a ball of energy straight at her. She brought her arms up to her face protectively, curling up as the blast impacted her, she felt like she was being burned alive as the blast consumed her, the explosion and impact sent her tumbling to the ground. But before making contact, 'Goku' had appeared in front of her path. She felt a strong kick to her chest that sent her flying straight for the hospital, smashing through the top of the building's walls and over its roof, only to head straight towards another prepared Ki blast by Baby, who smiled with joy at the suffering he was causing the two Saiyans.
Before the energy made contact with the dazed girl, she saw a silhouette appear between her and the blast. The explosion's powerful shock-wave violently rippled through their bodies. The protection did little to help as the overwhelming power sent both of them crashing down into the now burnt up meadow. Bringing her head up, she looked to see Trunks lying in front of her, trying to lift himself up with his remaining strength, his hair returning back to lavender. They both knew they were now unable to overpower Baby, unable to help Goku, and unable to even flee. They weren't even denied a magnanimous chance to absorb this realization when the possessed Saiyan appeared before them, preparing another Ki blast aimed directly at them.
"Goodbye," spoke the twisted dual voice as the energy ball grew larger. "I'll take note of your own mistake from before, and make sure to wipe out every single cell."
The only thing Trunks did with his remaining willpower was weakly shuffle back and put himself between that attack and Pan as much as possible. He knew it wouldn't do anything to save her, but he felt that he couldn't let this end so helplessly.
Pan, meanwhile, was completely paralyzed in fear. She didn't know if the fast painful throbbing between her ears was from one of the blows she took or her heart beating louder than ever. She fell into a state of denial at the impending doom facing her, she didn't want to believe that her own family would not just try to kill her, but smile and take joy in doing it. Not holding in her terrified crying, she screamed out to him one last time to reach him, to beg him to stop the Tuffle controlling him.
"GRANDPA NOOO!"
The two words of her familiar voice ignited everything inside him, and he was almost overwhelmed in his senses as he quickly felt everything return at once. He could tell that he was no longer a struggling dormant conscious, even if for a few seconds. He could feel his own body, feel himself hovering off the ground. He could hear the crackling of burning trees, smell the suffocating dryness of ash and smoke. But the first thing he saw made him feel like he had woken up into a nightmare.
Emanating from him was the golden aura and blue electric sparks of Super Saiyan Two. His hands were outstretched as a Ki ball glowed from them, ready to fire any moment now. And it was aimed point blank at Trunks. He sat on burnt ground with what little strength he had left, his face showing pain and terror. Goku then saw that the boy had Pan—in just as bad a state and her face stained with tears—crouched behind him on all fours. It was clear he was desperately trying to use himself to shield her, but likely knowing the attack would kill both of them with ease.
The full blooded Saiyan didn't think, he knew he didn't have time to think. He simply put all his strength into stopping that blast from hitting them. He didn't know if he had control of his body or was only able to be a helpless bystander to his own actions. He simply put every ounce of strength he could muster into moving his arms away from them, not even knowing if it would work.
The next thing Goku saw was the cloud of an explosion. But it was in far away from him, and against the backdrop of a blue sky rather than a charred meadow. And he sensed the two Saiyans' Kis behind him rather than in front. His moment of relief was ended as he looked down at his hands. It wasn't him who looked at them, so he knew that he had to let his presence be known.
"What happened?!" cried the dual voice of Goku and Baby
'I happened,' replied Goku internally, not with the young raspy child's voice of his current body, but with the aged, determined growl of an old, wise veteran.
"What? Who are you? How are you stopping me from using this body? I-" the controlling Tuffle demanded to be answered before stopping mid-sentence, recalling what he had learned earlier about the person he inhabited.
"No, you shouldn't be able to talk! I should be in complete control of this body, it's mind and all of its functions!" cried the parasite as it tried to reassert control over the Saiyan, grabbing himself everywhere, as if it would find a physical source of Goku's resistance.
The Saiyan saw the initiative and took it, he halted the Tuffle's motions, clenching his fists as his body stopped moving. He continued to push his resistance as he usurped even more physical control. His power rose dramatically, and the blue sparks from his Super Saiyan Two form burst forth with even more frequency, his whole body trembled violently. He spoke again directly to Baby, making sure it was his voice aloud and not just an intrusive thought.
"You won't take my body from me! You won't ever use me to hurt my friends! Or my family!" roared Goku as his power continued to rise.
He pushed himself back in the air, higher away from the two wounded Saiyans below. He felt Baby focus on trying to suppress him again, and felt the Tuffle grow stronger. He realized Baby was feeding off his own rising strength. He knew he had to expel him now or risk losing control again. His limbs shook violently as the two minds fought over the powerful body.
"GET OUT OF ME!" shouted Goku, still trembling with both resistance in controlling himself, and his now highly unstable power.
'HOW...CAN YOU STILL...RESIST ME?' Baby violently strained inwardly, more to himself than to Goku.
The Saiyan knew from the Tuffle's voice being a mere thought that he now had the upper hand, but he knew he needed to go beyond his current power now to flush the parasite out, or risk slipping away again forever.
"GET OUT OF ME NOOOOOWW!"
Goku let out a scream, unleashing all the strength he had as he felt his power rise at a faster rate than ever before. He didn't have a choice, this was his only chance left. Back on the ground, Trunks was struck by a familiar wave of energy from Goku that he hadn't felt since he was a child. In his weakened state that alone was almost enough to knock him out cold.
"He's...he's really doing it." He thought out loud.
"W-what's happening?" Pan weakly asked, in a mixture of confusion and awe at the huge energy she felt from her grandfather.
Trunks didn't respond as the ground began shaking violently beneath them. He was overjoyed that Goku was still in there fighting, but he also wasn't sure if being a child made what he was doing more dangerous. Powerful winds whipped around where Goku remained as he continued to scream and increase his Ki. The whole planet quaked with enough force to fell the nearby forests. The man-turned-boy became enveloped in blinding flashes of gold light, and their intensity and frequency increased until it was as if a second sun appeared in the sky. Inside that miniature star, the Saiyan's golden hair grew down to his ankles and his eyebrows bleached themselves away. He felt the parasite's control over his body completely disappear, and could even feel the Tufffle's panic at the realization that he had lost.
The swollen pressure he had been feeling in his skull ripped itself away and shot back down his spine with the same cutting pain. Although it hurt even more, he knew he had to endure it all to free himself. He felt his upper arm under his flesh swell up like a balloon, which shot down past his elbow, before bursting out through the same cut in his right forearm, tearing open the wound even more. And out from the orb of light and power was spat out a puddle of silver liquid. The light faded, and descending to the ground, not in triumph but exhaustion, stood Goku, and Goku alone.
His last ditch plan of reaching Super Saiyan Three worked. However, his underdeveloped body had other ideas as he quickly flashed and turned back to his base form the moment he touched the ground, collapsing onto one knee, panting for air as his lungs struggled to start working again naturally. Their moment of triumph was stopped by the nearby presence of Baby behind charred stone, speaking to himself in fear.
"I wasn't strong enough?...I need much more power to be able to fully control a Saiyan…"
The parasite looked straight at Goku, not fully aware of him yet.
"That Goku...that bottomless power he has..." he said aloud, looking on at the three battered Saiyans, bewildered at the strength of the foes he was up against.
Fear overcame him as they then noticed him hiding behind a nearby rock.
"This ends now, Baby!" Goku shouted, doing his best to conceal his own breathlessness.
But before he could continue the fight, a white light came from the Tuffle's eyes, blinding all three of them.
"Baby is escaping!" cried the familiar robotic voice of Giru, having returned to the others when the danger subsided.
"NO!" shouted Goku trying to see past the blinding light "We have to finish him now!"
Despite trying his best to see through the Solar Flare, by the time the flash had ended, Baby was nowhere to be seen, his Ki being hidden. In the moment of stillness they stayed alert, almost expecting the Tuffle to leap back out and try to possess one of them again. The moment went on, the soft sound of the wind and birds gradually returned to cover up the haunting silence of the battlefield.
"Where is he?" asked Goku, determined to make the Tuffle pay for using his body to nearly kill his Granddaughter and friend.
"I...I don't think he's here, Goku." Trunks feebly spoke to him as he tried to stand.
The elder Saiyan didn't reply or look back at him, focused on finding Baby. He attempted to step forward, but his leg immediately gave out under him from exhaustion. Nearly collapsing down, his strength not fully returned, the full-blooded warrior relented as he looked towards the other two Saiyans, both leaning on each other for support and both barely successfully standing.
With part of his mind still set on going after the parasite, he then looked back towards the hospital, where smoke billowed from gaping holes in the building, as paramedics and firefighters tended to the scene after the immediate danger had ended. He felt a pang of guilt at what he saw, even if it wasn't his own doing. Behind the hospital, and a much greater distance away stood a spaceport where a steady stream of ships took off into the atmosphere.
"I bet he'll be using one of the passengers to smuggle himself off the planet..." Trunks guessed, looking in the same direction.
"How..." spoke Pan, pausing to catch her breath. "How are we supposed to find him among so many people?"
Goku didn't respond.
"Grandpa?" she weakly asked with concern.
The elder Son simply looked on as ship after ship took off in orderly succession. His fists clenched in anger and frustration. He knew that Baby was likely heading towards one of those ships leaving the planet, and he knew what fate awaited the innocent people onboard when the ship would be alone in space.
He focus was interrupted when behind him came the thud of a body hitting the ground and a painful groan. When he quickly turned around to see what happened, he stopped thinking about Baby entirely. Pan had collapsed, out cold. In doing so she also brought down her mutual makeshift support post, Trunks, who clutched the side of his torso he landed on.
"PAN!" Goku cried out, rushing over to her.
"HEART RATE DROPPING! BLOOD PRESSURE FALLING! PAN IN DANGER—GIRU—TRUNKS' INTERNAL INJURIES SEVERE—GIRU!" blared Giru like a siren as he scanned and analyzed the state of them.
The closest thing to a response Goku got as he lifted Pan's head up was faint, weak breathing. He looked between her and Trunks, scared, not knowing what to do to help either of them. And here he saw his own strength from the battle laid bare before him. Their clothes were tattered, torn and singed. Where he would normally see skin was covered in lacerations, bruising and burns in a spectrum of crimson, purple and pink in all shapes and sizes. All he could do was lay Pan gently back down and stand back in shock. He was brought out of his catatonic state briefly by Vegeta's son.
"G-Goku..." coughed out Trunks, redness on the corners of his lips. Goku barely turned his head to look at him. "Get...medics..." he panted out to him before his face cringed in pain and he curled up even further.
"GIRU—GET MEDICAL HELP! GET MEDICAL HELP!" the robot blurted out, grabbing at Goku's gi and pulling him towards the hospital.
The Saiyan shook his head to escape the daze he was in. He looked back to the hospital as Giru pulled him towards it, seeing the paramedics outside tending to the wounded. Still in shock, he didn't think. The only thing his mind focused on was the state Pan and Trunks were left in. They were the center of his thoughts when, for the first time in his entire life, Goku ran straight to the nearest doctor for help.