Chapter IX: The Tables Turn
Boxer watched in utter amazement as the fiery inferno disappeared and an enormous cloud of dust took its place. Watching from a distance, he saw a humanoid figure fall to the ground. "Who is it?" he asked himself, trying to make it out. "It's Piccolo!" he finally discerned, and went running forward.
A severely battered Piccolo fell to the ground and landed on the grass without much sound as Boxer came over his lifeless body. "Piccolo!" he cried. "Are you all right?"
There was a peaceful expression on the Namek's face. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "I just wore myself out… I put everything I had into that last attack." Boxer leaned down to help him up. Piccolo was able to walk, even though he rested heavily on Boxer's shoulder for support.
The Namekian warrior was breathing heavily, but it was nothing that a Senzu Bean and some rest couldn't solve. "What happened to Nappa and Raditz?" Boxer asked.
"Dead… I guess…" Piccolo answered, gasping for air. "Just… put me down, Boxer… I'll be fine. I need to regain my strength." Boxer set Piccolo down on the ground and he lay there, breathing heavily.
The owner of Capsule Corporation then flew over to 18 to check her condition. She was doing well. The android was still unconscious, but not badly wounded, and seemed to be breathing normally.
"Well, guess I'll wait for my partners to recover and then we'll be heading out," Boxer said out loud.
"Actually, why don't we send you out sooner?" a new voice called. "To another dimension!!!"
Boxer turned around to see the horrible image of Nappa and Raditz standing right behind me. "You!" he cried. "But Piccolo killed you! It's not possible!" Boxer began backing up, but the Super Saiyan Nappa appeared behind him without so much as a breath of air passing Boxer.
"Piccolo didn't do so much as scratch us!" Raditz declared, noticing that all of his armor had been destroyed, leaving him stripped down to his thigh armor. He was full of scratches, bruises, and bleeding from many different areas. Nappa looked about the same.
"OK, fine, maybe I lied," Raditz corrected, "We may be weakened, but you're still no match for us. You will perish at our hands… but first…" He smiled. "First, we'll kill the Green Man. Grab him, Nappa!"
Without so much as a word, Boxer found himself locked in Nappa's arms. Nappa laughed vilely as he forced Boxer to watch as Raditz picked up Piccolo. The Super Saiyan held Piccolo by the top of his shirt and drew his arm back. "Lights out, Green Man." With that, he clobbered Piccolo, directly into the face. Piccolo was still alive, but he would not be for much longer.
Raditz continued to land blow after blow on the now-defenseless warrior as Boxer watched in pain and anger. "Get off him…" he whined, trying to look away."
"No can do, little guy!" Nappa responded. "He had his chance to live, but now it's gone!" The two Super Saiyans laughed as Raditz raised his hand to land the final blow on Boxer's mentor…
"NOOOOO!!!!" Boxer exploded with rage and, lifting his legs, he kicked Nappa's legs so hard that they gave out from under him, making the burly Saiyan release his stronghold on Boxer.
The blue-haired warrior charged towards Raditz, screaming with fury. Completely unprepared, Raditz went flying as Boxer landed a heavy blow on his face. Immediately, he turned around and blocked a blow that Nappa sent, proceeding to attack with a Kamehameha Wave, which blasted Nappa back in a different direction.
Boxer stood there, using his peripheral vision to see the two Super Saiyans come flying at him from both directions. At the last second, he ducked down and jumped into the air, leaving the two Super Saiyans to smash into each other.
As they flew upward to catch Boxer, the young warrior caught a glimpse of Piccolo. He lay there battered and bleeding, his face nothing less than mutilated. He may have been alive, but if so, he was hanging on by a thread. Tears of rage filled Boxer's eyes, and looked downward to the two Super Saiyans flying at him.
"You beasts!" he cried, nimbly dodging their attack. "You were going to kill my mentor… you have no right to take innocent lives! Now, face the wrath of the power of justice, instilled within every living thing with a heart!"
The two Super Saiyans stopped after this inspiring speech, but they then fired two amazingly powerful energy blasts at Boxer. They were about to hit when… a shield? They were absorbed by some kind of shield surrounding the young warrior.
Boxer walked on air towards the two Saiyans, his blue hair standing on end. "Now," he began. "I'm going to finish what Piccolo started!" The shield around him exploded with mighty energy, pushing the two Super Saiyans backwards. They gazed on in horror as Boxer let out a roar of sheer frenzy. His irises seemed to disappear as his hair turned a blinding gold color. With that, his irises reappeared, but now seemed to be a pale green instead of the previous brown.
The tears were gone from Boxer's eyes. He wore a stern expression and stared at the two other Super Saiyans. Raditz laughed and then spoke, "Well, well! Vegeta would be proud! His spirit lives in you, kid! That much is obvious. Still… Vegeta grew soft, and that is what you are."
Boxer took another step towards them. "Tell me," he said. "What is this transformation called?" His expression of consternation did not once change. "Why are you so surprised that it happened to me?"
Raditz stared back at him. "I'll explain," he agreed. "The transformation is called Super Saiyan. It is a legendary transformation that only happens to the most powerful and devoted Saiyan warriors. It is strange that it is possible for you to become like this because your blood is so diluted with human blood from the numerous generations… Nappa and I are pure Saiyans, you see."
Boxer nodded. "Thank you, Raditz. Now, I'm sorry, but I must destroy you."
Nappa laughed. "Fat chance, kid! Your transformation is impressive, but Raditz and I are Super Saiyan 2!" He held up two fingers to reinforce his point. "While there's probably not a considerable power difference between you and us, we can alter our skills at will, while your speed, power, and defense are set in stone!"
"I don't care," Boxer replied. "I'm not going down… period." No sooner said that done, Boxer dashed towards Raditz and nailed him in the stomach once again. His now bloodstained chest received another helping of blood.
Without further ado, Boxer turned to Nappa and did a back flip as he kicked Nappa's face upwards. The Saiyan warrior was confused by this sudden increase in power and confidence. A minute ago, Boxer had been fighting on sheer rage alone… now he had concentrated his rage into immeasurable power. A Super Saiyan standing his own against two Super Saiyan 2s? It seemed unfathomable and yet it was happening.
Raditz spit out a mouthful of blood. "Well Nappa," he said, "I think we've let our cocky friend here have a little too much fun. What say we finish him off?"
Nappa wiped the blood from under his nose. "That sounds about right."
Boxer merely stared at them and replied with three bold words.
"Bring it on."
***
Vegeta smashed the Fighter Kai towards Gohan who bashed him down to the ground once more. Bleeding and bruised, the Fighter Kai got up once more to face Gohan and Vegeta.
"Why must you fight me?" he asked. "I pose no threat to you, and if you kill me, it will be very hard for me to get back… to get to the mortal realm and lend a hand where help is needed."
"I understand your intentions," said Gohan, "But that is why Garuda went. Garuda said that he would help 18 and Piccolo so there's really no reason to worry."
The Fighter Kai shook his head. "You don't understand. 18 and Piccolo are out cold! They were knocked down in battle, and they really gave it their all… granted, their loss was only due to bad timing on 18's part, but Garuda alone will not be enough to stop them, even in their weakened state. You know that you can't return there to help them… so I must! Listen to me!"
"Enough!" Vegeta shouted and darted towards the Fighter Kai, kneeing him in the stomach. The Saiyan Prince back flipped and smashed the Fighter Kai in the face, proceeding to then launch a relentless assault of punches directly into the Kai's stomach.
The Fighter Kai kneeled down, clutching his stomach in pain. "Please, Vegeta…" he pleaded. "I am stronger than you can possibly imagine, but I don't want to hurt your pride…"
"My pride?" asked Vegeta. "How would you know about my pride?"
"Trust me," the Kai responded, "I know… and if I powered up more than this, it might bring back… painful memories…"
With that, the Fighter Kai suddenly yanked Vegeta by the shirt collar and brought him down to his level. Vegeta's mind was filled with horrible thoughts and memories… and finally…
Vegeta stood up and turned to Gohan. "Gohan… let him go. He's… not worth our time. Let's not insult his ineptitude too badly!" Vegeta's smirk returned from his previously shocked expression.
The Fighter Kai took a Senzu Bean out of his pocket and munched it quickly, rejuvenating him entirely. He bowed to the two Saiyan warriors. "I thank you for your right of passage. Vegeta, your deeds are truly inspiring, and Gohan…" he said, pausing to look at the half-Saiyan, "You never cease to make your father proud."
Like a flash, the Fighter Kai took off into the temple as Gohan tried to fly after him. "Wait!" he cried. "What do you mean 'I make my father proud'? What about my father? Where is he?"
Gohan raced into the temple to find that Shenron had already been summoned, but the Fighter Kai had yet to make his wish. "Kai!" he called, running up right next to him, "What about my father? Do you know him? Where is he?"
The Fighter Kai turned around to face him. "I am the Fighter Kai," he explained. "It is a pleasure to see you, Gohan. I cannot tell you much about your father, but…"
"But you know about him!" Gohan complained. "You must tell me! I have sought him for so long…"
"Seek," the Fighter Kai began, "And you shall find. That's all there is to it. I'll see you again, Gohan, I promise. Then maybe we can talk more."
He turned up to face Shenron. "Dragon! Grant my wish! Take me to the mortal plane."
Shenron's eyes turned an ember-red. "Your wish has been granted." The Fighter Kai waved at the wide-eyed Gohan as he disappeared to the mortal realm. Shenron's eyes darkened and he was absorbed once more into the Dragonballs.
Vegeta came rushing in soon after. "Gohan!" he commanded. "What did the Kai say about Kakarot?"
Gohan shook his head. "Nothing useful. Vegeta, we should continue our quest. We're not going to find my father or the Fountain of Revival for that matter if we sit around here. I don't care what Garuda said; the answer now is closer than ever, and we have to seek it… if we seek, we will find, so says the Fighter Kai."
Vegeta bellowed a hearty laugh. "That's the spirit, Gohan! Sometimes you have to be a little selfish… and besides, I know just the way to get around this mess."
And so it was settled that Trunks, Goten, Chi-Chi and Krillin would stay behind to guard the temple as Vegeta, Gohan, Bulma, and Videl continued on their way. Before they left, though, they had a meeting with Shenron.
"What dost thou seek?" it asked Gohan, who was standing on the pedestal with Videl standing right behind him, holding his shoulder. "What dost thou wish to know, Gohan of Earth?"
"Mighty Shenron, keeper of secrets!" he addressed the dragon, "Show me the way to the Fountain of Revival! My company and I must partake in the sacred water, should there remain any!"
Shenron's eyes glowed as he contemplated the question. "Thy question is reasonable and within the bounds of My knowledge. Follow the path towards the light but dive into darkness unending. Therein lies the gateway that will lead you to a world unknown and strange. As you stumble along in the darkness, be wary of the surroundings you are in, and the path to the fiery depths of the Earth itself will open before you, to the place where I was conceived. Be warned: this is not the mortal plane and rules of the afterlife still apply. Once you believe you can find the place wherein the Fountain lies, drinketh the water there, and if thou art believing, thou shalt find thou seeketh. That is all I can tell thee… fare thee well, until we meet again, Gohan son of Goku." With that, he evanesced to within the sacred stones.
Gohan turned to face Videl, his loyal wife throughout the years. She too was shaped by the wisdom of age, but like Chi-Chi, retained her youthful twinkle in her eye. "Videl," Gohan said, "This is not going to be easy. Our quest is going to be dangerous, and we may never return. If the going gets tough, we cannot even count on death to save us from pain. If you want to remain here with everyone else, I understand. If I ever come back, I will bring water for you; you have my word."
Videl looked at him and frowned. "You really think that I'd miss this opportunity? Gohan, you've always been too protective of me. You've never let me come on any of your big adventures or partake in your epic battles. Just once, because you are my husband, I want to come with you and see what you live… or die for. And Gohan," she said, taking a step towards him, "You know that I never want to leave your side."
They embraced for a few minutes. "Thank you, Videl," Gohan said softly. "I knew I could count on you to stand by me."
"What else would I marry you for?" she asked, winking.
The situation with Vegeta and his wife, however, was a rather different story.
"Get in the airship, woman!" Vegeta called. "We haven't got all day! As soon as Gohan is done in that temple, we're going to find that blasted water or we're going to wind up in eternal torture trying!"
Bulma tried to lug the heavy supplies back towards the ship. "Well excuse me Mr. High-and-mighty-prince! I'm not your slave! If you're the big strong Saiyan warrior, why don't you come here and give me a hand with these supplies?"
"Maybe," he glared at her angrily, "Because I'm a PRINCE and not a servant woman!!!"
Bulma threw down the supply bag and they ran towards each other, practically foaming at the mouths. They stared into each others' eyes, growling as Krillin and Goten watched in wonder.
"I wonder how those two stand to live with each other," Krillin remarked. "They're both too used to getting their way." Goten nodded.
"Love is a strange thing, I guess," Goten responded.
"If love means violent outbursts, I guess…" Krillin agreed. Vegeta and Bulma were still yelling at each other when Gohan and Videl finally emerged from the Temple, and floating, made a soft landing in front of the warring couple.
"Vegeta," Gohan said, making the Saiyan prince turn to face him, "We have our instructions. It is time to set sail once again."
Vegeta turned back towards Bulma. "I'll deal with you later, woman. All right, crew, let's head out!"
The four of the boarded the airship as the four remaining waved hearty goodbyes. With that, the remainder of the fellowship had set sail for what would certainly be a long and drawn out quest in which they would face many hardships, endure long tortures, and come out with the greatest treasure known to man; eternal youth. Gohan couldn't wait.
