Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragonball Z characters or anything in
that universe. I also do not own any of the Marvel Universe characters. I
do not profit in any way from this story.
The Prince and the Phoenix - Chapter 21
The group of X-men plus Bulma and Krillin were on the beach of the island of the final Dragonball discussing strategy. The after-burner rockets were still smoking from their recent use, but it hadn't bought them much extra time.
"What about senzu beans?" Bulma excitedly asked as the thought occurred to her.
"I don't think we have time to get them from Korrin." Krillin glumly replied. The magical healing beans would have come in handy for sure. "I don't even think we can contact Yajirobe to bring us some. He wouldn't have enough time either."
"None us have enough time, Bub," Wolverine said through clenched teeth. The situation was not looking good, and unless something dramatic happened, it was certainly looking unwinnable. "Where's Chuck when you really need him?"
Storm frowned. "Lying on a lab table lost in his mind, Logan. We are all that stand before Jean and her coveted Dragonball. We must form a strategy now! While there is still time!"
"Um, could we bury it?" Bulma said, hopefully. "At least it'll buy us some time while she digs for it."
"The Dark Phoenix won't be stopped by a few feet of sand." Cyclops said harshly. "Look, we've got limited options here. We've.."
Krillin finished his sentence. "Run out of time. Look!" He pointed at a glowing patch of sky coming towards the island as the Dark Phoenix approached. They all began to brace themselves, and Krillin powered up. Suddenly, a huge glowing ball hit the Phoenix, and she plummeted into the water.
"What the hell was that?!" Cyclops and Wolverine both cried simultaneously.
"That, my friends, is our resident Saiyan Prince, Vegeta." Krillin replied. He glanced at Bulma who he noticed was puffing up with pride. When she caught his look, she scowled and turned back to the arial battle. There was no time for celebratory joy because the Phoenix burst from the water in a matter of moments. The team watched the energy duel with determined fascination although only Krillin seemed to follow the exchange with ease. The two combatants were coming nearer to the island as they tossed energy blasts at each other, and Cyclops yelled for Bulma to take cover, which she promptly did. Peeping through her patch of bushes and weeds she saw the two duelists stop to exchange some small conversation. Then, Vegeta launched a massive attack. All of them heard her scream his name when the Dark Phoenix repelled it and sent the Prince crashing into the ground.
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"Kame, kame, kame, kame, oh kame, please don't let him be dead!" Bulma cried as she scrabbled among the sand dunes to Vegeta's landing site. She skidded to her knees next to his body, and then was suddenly thrown on top of him as the Phoenix's first blast hit the rest of her friends. As she righted herself, terrified she had injured him further, she saw dimly, out of the corner of her eye, flashes of red beams and the thunder of lightning, even the occasional ki blast of Krillin's.
Despite the explosions and shaking of the island, Bulma tenderly wiped sand off of Vegeta's face. "Vegeta! It's Bulma. You've got to listen to me. Get UP! She's coming, and you're our only hope! Please, Vegeta!"
In her urgency, Bulma grabbed his hand and held it fast. Through the tears slipping down her face, she saw how scorched his uniform was and the scrape marks from impacting the sand. She had no clue if he was internally injured, but she didn't think so. She'd seen him do ten times worse to himself whenever he blew up the Gravity Room. A blast that threatened to sink the entire island again threw Bulma on top of Vegeta, but this time she braced her other arm across his body to shelter him. It was in this position and as a result of the earth shaking that Vegeta opened his eyes and saw her.
"Wha...? Bulma?" Another blast and through his blurry vision and dizzy head, he felt her tense again seeming to protect him with whatever small shield her body would make. Bulma looked down at his groggy expression and a wave of relief washed over her.
"Vegeta! You've got to get up! The X-men are being beaten up pretty bad out there and Krillin looks like he can't last much longer!"
"I'm trying to, woman! It's amazing I survived considering it WAS my own attack!"
"And what would have happened if you hadn't?! Hmmm, mighty Prince?! We'd be shit out of luck, that's what! NOW GET UP! I've seen you take way worse than this."
Vegeta managed to prop himself up for a few moments, but only with Bulma furiously tugging on him to stand. He was intensely disgusted with himself for being so momentarily weak, but he really WAS glad he'd survived. He flopped back down as his body gave in.
"Bulma. Bulma!" Vegeta pulled a little back on his hand, sending her to her knees next to him. "Enough! I have to rest and power up and when I do I'll be stronger than before!"
"Stronger! We can't wait, Vegeta! She's down to just Wolverine! Right now, they're just talking, but he's definitely not as powerful as you! If she summons that Dragon.." Her voice trailed off, and she was definitely on the edge of hysterics.
"Hey! Hey, stop that!" Vegeta cried, but she was suddenly on him crying her eyes out. He put an arm around her in an effort to calm her. She quieted quickly and pushed back away from him. For an instant, he loathed letting her go.
"I'm going to buy you the time you need, Vegeta. I just remembered one of my 'special projects.' Let's just hope it works because I've never actually tested it." Bulma reached into her pocket for her collection of emergency capsules. She backed off about fifteen yards as Vegeta curiously watched. But, what emerged shocked him so much he thought his eyes would bug out of his head. It was an enormous cannon mounted on a swiveling base with a seat and console to aim it. The size of it was incredible as it reached almost the entire width of the island.
"Bulma, what the hell is that thing?!"
Bulma turned to him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. She winked at him. "It's the Bulma Briefs version of the Gallik Gun! Let's just see how the bitch handles this!"
The Gallik Gun was, at this stage in his life, his most powerful energy attack, usually reserved for vaporizing planets. Vegeta's mouth moved, but no sound came out.
The Prince and the Phoenix - Chapter 21
The group of X-men plus Bulma and Krillin were on the beach of the island of the final Dragonball discussing strategy. The after-burner rockets were still smoking from their recent use, but it hadn't bought them much extra time.
"What about senzu beans?" Bulma excitedly asked as the thought occurred to her.
"I don't think we have time to get them from Korrin." Krillin glumly replied. The magical healing beans would have come in handy for sure. "I don't even think we can contact Yajirobe to bring us some. He wouldn't have enough time either."
"None us have enough time, Bub," Wolverine said through clenched teeth. The situation was not looking good, and unless something dramatic happened, it was certainly looking unwinnable. "Where's Chuck when you really need him?"
Storm frowned. "Lying on a lab table lost in his mind, Logan. We are all that stand before Jean and her coveted Dragonball. We must form a strategy now! While there is still time!"
"Um, could we bury it?" Bulma said, hopefully. "At least it'll buy us some time while she digs for it."
"The Dark Phoenix won't be stopped by a few feet of sand." Cyclops said harshly. "Look, we've got limited options here. We've.."
Krillin finished his sentence. "Run out of time. Look!" He pointed at a glowing patch of sky coming towards the island as the Dark Phoenix approached. They all began to brace themselves, and Krillin powered up. Suddenly, a huge glowing ball hit the Phoenix, and she plummeted into the water.
"What the hell was that?!" Cyclops and Wolverine both cried simultaneously.
"That, my friends, is our resident Saiyan Prince, Vegeta." Krillin replied. He glanced at Bulma who he noticed was puffing up with pride. When she caught his look, she scowled and turned back to the arial battle. There was no time for celebratory joy because the Phoenix burst from the water in a matter of moments. The team watched the energy duel with determined fascination although only Krillin seemed to follow the exchange with ease. The two combatants were coming nearer to the island as they tossed energy blasts at each other, and Cyclops yelled for Bulma to take cover, which she promptly did. Peeping through her patch of bushes and weeds she saw the two duelists stop to exchange some small conversation. Then, Vegeta launched a massive attack. All of them heard her scream his name when the Dark Phoenix repelled it and sent the Prince crashing into the ground.
#####################################################################
"Kame, kame, kame, kame, oh kame, please don't let him be dead!" Bulma cried as she scrabbled among the sand dunes to Vegeta's landing site. She skidded to her knees next to his body, and then was suddenly thrown on top of him as the Phoenix's first blast hit the rest of her friends. As she righted herself, terrified she had injured him further, she saw dimly, out of the corner of her eye, flashes of red beams and the thunder of lightning, even the occasional ki blast of Krillin's.
Despite the explosions and shaking of the island, Bulma tenderly wiped sand off of Vegeta's face. "Vegeta! It's Bulma. You've got to listen to me. Get UP! She's coming, and you're our only hope! Please, Vegeta!"
In her urgency, Bulma grabbed his hand and held it fast. Through the tears slipping down her face, she saw how scorched his uniform was and the scrape marks from impacting the sand. She had no clue if he was internally injured, but she didn't think so. She'd seen him do ten times worse to himself whenever he blew up the Gravity Room. A blast that threatened to sink the entire island again threw Bulma on top of Vegeta, but this time she braced her other arm across his body to shelter him. It was in this position and as a result of the earth shaking that Vegeta opened his eyes and saw her.
"Wha...? Bulma?" Another blast and through his blurry vision and dizzy head, he felt her tense again seeming to protect him with whatever small shield her body would make. Bulma looked down at his groggy expression and a wave of relief washed over her.
"Vegeta! You've got to get up! The X-men are being beaten up pretty bad out there and Krillin looks like he can't last much longer!"
"I'm trying to, woman! It's amazing I survived considering it WAS my own attack!"
"And what would have happened if you hadn't?! Hmmm, mighty Prince?! We'd be shit out of luck, that's what! NOW GET UP! I've seen you take way worse than this."
Vegeta managed to prop himself up for a few moments, but only with Bulma furiously tugging on him to stand. He was intensely disgusted with himself for being so momentarily weak, but he really WAS glad he'd survived. He flopped back down as his body gave in.
"Bulma. Bulma!" Vegeta pulled a little back on his hand, sending her to her knees next to him. "Enough! I have to rest and power up and when I do I'll be stronger than before!"
"Stronger! We can't wait, Vegeta! She's down to just Wolverine! Right now, they're just talking, but he's definitely not as powerful as you! If she summons that Dragon.." Her voice trailed off, and she was definitely on the edge of hysterics.
"Hey! Hey, stop that!" Vegeta cried, but she was suddenly on him crying her eyes out. He put an arm around her in an effort to calm her. She quieted quickly and pushed back away from him. For an instant, he loathed letting her go.
"I'm going to buy you the time you need, Vegeta. I just remembered one of my 'special projects.' Let's just hope it works because I've never actually tested it." Bulma reached into her pocket for her collection of emergency capsules. She backed off about fifteen yards as Vegeta curiously watched. But, what emerged shocked him so much he thought his eyes would bug out of his head. It was an enormous cannon mounted on a swiveling base with a seat and console to aim it. The size of it was incredible as it reached almost the entire width of the island.
"Bulma, what the hell is that thing?!"
Bulma turned to him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. She winked at him. "It's the Bulma Briefs version of the Gallik Gun! Let's just see how the bitch handles this!"
The Gallik Gun was, at this stage in his life, his most powerful energy attack, usually reserved for vaporizing planets. Vegeta's mouth moved, but no sound came out.