XVIII
Goku and Gohan floated from the building where they found Packer, Gohan still unable to believe that nothing had come from the confrontation. But they had already put it behind them, moving on to more important matters. For one, they couldn't sense Vegeta, Pikkon's or Tien's energy. And Piccolo's was approaching them fast. Whatever was happening, the rest of the Z Warriors definitely weren't having as much luck as they had had.
"I know, Gohan. Something isn't right. Packer said that no one else was in this city, not even his own men. I don't sense anyone else besides us either, I just don't understand," Goku stated, looking through the sky as they drifted upwards searching for whoever was causing the disturbances.
"Maybe it's someone like Packer? I didn't sense any ki from him either, so maybe they use their minds for weapons too. If they did that, then we wouldn't be able to sense them after all," Gohan responded, letting his body drift farther from his father. They had barely managed to gain a few hundred feet above the capitol buildings before they felt an energy flicker violently, then calm again. It had been distracting enough to get their attention drawn to the other ki's of their friends.
"I don't know, Gohan. But I don't think Packer was very frightening. Sure, he might have had enough mental power to destroy a planet, but I don't think he'd be much of a threat against Tien, and definitely not against Vegeta. Something else is going on, and I'm planning on seeing what it is."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, dad. Let's go."
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"Tien! Are you alright?" Trunks asked the fading warrior at his feet. It was obvious that he was in bad shape, and Trunks was surprised that he hadn't drowned in a pool of his own blood from all the injuries littering his body. The triclops looked at Trunks and smiled, then closed his eyes. "No! Tien, you can't go to sleep! Wake up Tien! I don't have enough time to play with now, so get up!"
"Chout-zu..." Tien whispered just before Trunks' palm came flying at him, slapping the human back to consciousness. His eyes snapped open and he let out a moan of pain, but he was awake. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn't put much force into the slap, but he was afraid that in his weakened condition Tien might not be able to take it. Trunks carefully gathered Tien in his arms, cradling him carefully. Then he sought out the ki of the Grand Kai in Other World, desperately reaching through the voids of space to lock onto his energy. With the Grand Kai's help he might be able to heal Tien, after all, the Grand Kai was the closest that Other World had to a doctor. After locking onto the ki, he was tempted to go back and get his father but thought better of it. Vegeta could last a few more hours by himself before he needed direct attention, so Tien goes first.
"Don't you die on me, Tien!" Trunks shouted into his friends ear just before they both disappeared from the ground, traveling beyond the speed of light and entering an entire different dimension.
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Goten's yellow aura diminished as he watched Pikkon flounder on the ground, unable to feel even the slightest pity. The once proud man now lay on the ground, unable to muster himself to his own feet. Unable to even control his own feet.
"Now do you see, Pikkon?" Goten asked, never faltering his stone cold stare. Even now, Goten's fists were still clenched, full of fury ready to explode. "You never had a chance. Your power may have been enough to defeat Tien, Yamcha or even Krillin, but against me it was nothing. You're a fool, Pikkon. You had your entire existence to live out; you didn't have to do this. And you didn't have to help Piccolo Diamao fuse with Piccolo. Now it's all over. I'll do to you just what you did to Tien."
With that, Goten brought up a single palm and faced it flat out towards Pikkon. He looked straight at the half-human and felt the fear enter his entire being. Pikkon hoisted himself up on his ki, floating at eye level with his conqueror. But even at this, he refused to allow it to end. A blue ball already shone around Goten's hand, drawing ki in from its creator. It shivered and shuddered in the dark night sky, the energy massing in it too massive to be held together much longer. Pikkon felt his time was growing near. When his spine was snapped, one of his lungs had been punctured; it was getting hard for him to breathe. He didn't have the ki to try to counter the attack; he was nearly drained as it was. Now it was over.
"Goten... Don't. You... you..." Pikkon started before erupting into a coughing fit. His position wavered slightly as he was unable to hold himself steady. When he got control of himself, he tried to finish, "You don't... you don't have the right, Goten. Don't do it. Don... Don't you do it."
"Don't do it? Don't do it!" Goten asked, screaming at the alien scum before him. His aura ignited again, "What right do you have to tell me that? You tried to erase us! Who knows what you did to Tien! You would have done the same to Krillin and Yamcha if I hadn't shown up. You deserve no pity, you ruthless bastard!"
"But... It's not right..." Pikkon sputtered, wincing in pain.
"And what if I let you live? What would you do then? You'd come back and you'd hunt us again. Only next time we might not be so lucky. It's over."
At that, Goten stopped holding back his attack. He let the ball explode, sending a wave of ki energy straight into Pikkon. The blue energy scorched his skin, leaving black marks running through it seconds before it burned through, melting it away. His muscles shook violently as the heat overtook them, forcing them to sink away from their once firm position into a relative pool of jelly. Pikkon's eyes bulged as this happened, then they... Goten closed his eyes, unable to stand watching the scene any more. All he heard was the roar of his blast, and Pikkon's overwhelming screams of agony.
When he looked again, there was nothing left but ash.
Goku and Gohan floated from the building where they found Packer, Gohan still unable to believe that nothing had come from the confrontation. But they had already put it behind them, moving on to more important matters. For one, they couldn't sense Vegeta, Pikkon's or Tien's energy. And Piccolo's was approaching them fast. Whatever was happening, the rest of the Z Warriors definitely weren't having as much luck as they had had.
"I know, Gohan. Something isn't right. Packer said that no one else was in this city, not even his own men. I don't sense anyone else besides us either, I just don't understand," Goku stated, looking through the sky as they drifted upwards searching for whoever was causing the disturbances.
"Maybe it's someone like Packer? I didn't sense any ki from him either, so maybe they use their minds for weapons too. If they did that, then we wouldn't be able to sense them after all," Gohan responded, letting his body drift farther from his father. They had barely managed to gain a few hundred feet above the capitol buildings before they felt an energy flicker violently, then calm again. It had been distracting enough to get their attention drawn to the other ki's of their friends.
"I don't know, Gohan. But I don't think Packer was very frightening. Sure, he might have had enough mental power to destroy a planet, but I don't think he'd be much of a threat against Tien, and definitely not against Vegeta. Something else is going on, and I'm planning on seeing what it is."
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right, dad. Let's go."
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"Tien! Are you alright?" Trunks asked the fading warrior at his feet. It was obvious that he was in bad shape, and Trunks was surprised that he hadn't drowned in a pool of his own blood from all the injuries littering his body. The triclops looked at Trunks and smiled, then closed his eyes. "No! Tien, you can't go to sleep! Wake up Tien! I don't have enough time to play with now, so get up!"
"Chout-zu..." Tien whispered just before Trunks' palm came flying at him, slapping the human back to consciousness. His eyes snapped open and he let out a moan of pain, but he was awake. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, he hadn't put much force into the slap, but he was afraid that in his weakened condition Tien might not be able to take it. Trunks carefully gathered Tien in his arms, cradling him carefully. Then he sought out the ki of the Grand Kai in Other World, desperately reaching through the voids of space to lock onto his energy. With the Grand Kai's help he might be able to heal Tien, after all, the Grand Kai was the closest that Other World had to a doctor. After locking onto the ki, he was tempted to go back and get his father but thought better of it. Vegeta could last a few more hours by himself before he needed direct attention, so Tien goes first.
"Don't you die on me, Tien!" Trunks shouted into his friends ear just before they both disappeared from the ground, traveling beyond the speed of light and entering an entire different dimension.
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Goten's yellow aura diminished as he watched Pikkon flounder on the ground, unable to feel even the slightest pity. The once proud man now lay on the ground, unable to muster himself to his own feet. Unable to even control his own feet.
"Now do you see, Pikkon?" Goten asked, never faltering his stone cold stare. Even now, Goten's fists were still clenched, full of fury ready to explode. "You never had a chance. Your power may have been enough to defeat Tien, Yamcha or even Krillin, but against me it was nothing. You're a fool, Pikkon. You had your entire existence to live out; you didn't have to do this. And you didn't have to help Piccolo Diamao fuse with Piccolo. Now it's all over. I'll do to you just what you did to Tien."
With that, Goten brought up a single palm and faced it flat out towards Pikkon. He looked straight at the half-human and felt the fear enter his entire being. Pikkon hoisted himself up on his ki, floating at eye level with his conqueror. But even at this, he refused to allow it to end. A blue ball already shone around Goten's hand, drawing ki in from its creator. It shivered and shuddered in the dark night sky, the energy massing in it too massive to be held together much longer. Pikkon felt his time was growing near. When his spine was snapped, one of his lungs had been punctured; it was getting hard for him to breathe. He didn't have the ki to try to counter the attack; he was nearly drained as it was. Now it was over.
"Goten... Don't. You... you..." Pikkon started before erupting into a coughing fit. His position wavered slightly as he was unable to hold himself steady. When he got control of himself, he tried to finish, "You don't... you don't have the right, Goten. Don't do it. Don... Don't you do it."
"Don't do it? Don't do it!" Goten asked, screaming at the alien scum before him. His aura ignited again, "What right do you have to tell me that? You tried to erase us! Who knows what you did to Tien! You would have done the same to Krillin and Yamcha if I hadn't shown up. You deserve no pity, you ruthless bastard!"
"But... It's not right..." Pikkon sputtered, wincing in pain.
"And what if I let you live? What would you do then? You'd come back and you'd hunt us again. Only next time we might not be so lucky. It's over."
At that, Goten stopped holding back his attack. He let the ball explode, sending a wave of ki energy straight into Pikkon. The blue energy scorched his skin, leaving black marks running through it seconds before it burned through, melting it away. His muscles shook violently as the heat overtook them, forcing them to sink away from their once firm position into a relative pool of jelly. Pikkon's eyes bulged as this happened, then they... Goten closed his eyes, unable to stand watching the scene any more. All he heard was the roar of his blast, and Pikkon's overwhelming screams of agony.
When he looked again, there was nothing left but ash.