Vegeta tried to steady himself as he studied his opponent warily. The distortion from Brolly's ki was disconcerting. But that didn't bother the prince; he was a Super Saiyan now.
Brolly phased out of sight and reappeared directly in front of the small prince. He lashed out with a swift sidekick, which Vegeta effortlessly countered. A furious exchange of blows commenced with neither Saiyan fully having the advantage. Vegeta attacked mercilessly, his mind focused on one thing: defeating Brolly.
From a good distance away, Paragas struggled to his feet. Rubbing his head, he watched as his son faced off against the angry sovereign. Paragas growled angrily at the newly transformed Super Saiyan. The odds were no longer in favor of his son; he was going to make sure that changed.
Vegeta grunted as he was struck from behind. He swirled in mid-air to find Paragas levitating behind him. The prince growled at his new opponent and swung out at him. Preoccupied by the older Saiyan, Vegeta wasn't prepared for the blow he received from Brolly. Vegeta was thrown through the air directly into Paragas, who batted him away with a punch to the gut. Laughing wickedly, Brolly and Paragas began to ruthlessly beat the prince.
*****
Chibi no Gohan looked uncertainly from Trunks to Goten. The purple-haired boy stared back at him sternly; his spiky-haired "younger" brother grinned at him encouragingly.
"Do I hafta?" muttered Gohan miserably as he stared down at the plate in front of him.
"You want to be in our ultra-secret club, don't you?" drawled Trunks.
"Well...yeah..."replied the other boy.
"Then ya gotta eat it," stated the eldest boy, gesturing to the plate.
"It's not that bad, Gohan-kun," added Goten.
Gohan scrunched up his face and looked down at the plate before him. It was piled full of dirt. The dirt was filled with worms wiggling all through of it. Gohan was supposed to eat it, worms, dirt, and all. He was beginning to have second thoughts about joining Trunks and Goten's private club.
Gohan hesitantly picked up the fork and scooped up a load of dirt and worms. He closed his eyes and prepared to shove the bite into his mouth. Suddenly, Goten yelped in surprise. Gohan shouted and dropped his fork on Bulma's expensive pure-white tablecloth.
"Oh, no," whispered Trunks. "Dad."
At that moment Gohan became aware of two ki's warming up to battle. One he recognized as Prince Vegeta's. The other's was Brolly's distinct ki.
"We gotta go help him," ordered Trunks, not waiting for the two Sons to reply. He darted out of the room and shot into the sky.
"Hey Trunks! Wait up!" called Goten, taking off after him.
Gohan watched as the other two boys disappeared in the sky. He really had no choice. Taking one last look at the plate full of oozing night crawlers, Chibi no Gohan set out after his friends.
*****
Vegeta grunted as he was slammed into another rock column. The ancient structure crumbled on impact, toppling onto the beaten prince. That was number five. Or six. Vegeta had lost count.
The Prince of all Saiyans winced as he extricated himself from the rubble. He could feel his power draining considerably. He wouldn't be able to maintain the Super Saiyan level much longer.
Paragas laughed as he watched the sovereign stumble towards him and Brolly.
"I must admit, your Majesty. This is the best time I've had in a long time. You have my deepest thanks," taunted Paragas.
"You haven't done a thing," hissed Vegeta. "You're just taking the credit for your son's accomplishments. If it was just you and I, you would have been dead a long time ago."
Paragas snarled at the prince. He charged at Vegeta, driving his fists deep into the other Saiyan's stomach. Vegeta sputtered and coughed up blood. Paragas smirked at the weakening warrior.
"I'll finish him, Brolly," he stated, a cruel tone in his voice.
His son shrugged indifferently. Paragas smirked and raised his hands up, intending to bring them down full force on the prince's head and smashing in his skull. However, he was distracted by something pelting him on the back of the head.
"Back off!" shouted a familiar voice.
Paragas turned to see the lavender-haired boy from a few days ago. Behind him stood the two smaller boys that had been with him before. Paragas laughed cruelly.
"Trunks. Get out of here," hissed Prince Vegeta as he struggled to remain conscious.
Paragas spun around, striking the prince hard across the head. Vegeta grunted and then blacked-out. He crumpled to the ground and lay still.
"Dad!" shouted Trunks and rushed towards the prince. Paragas intercepted him and kicked the boy hard in the stomach. Trunks sputtered and bent over double.
"Leave him alone!" shouted Goten, rushing towards Paragas.
The older Saiyan shouted with surprise as the small boy struck him hard in the shoulder and sent him reeling. Goten advanced on him, striking before he had time to regain his balance. Paragas fell with a loud thud. With a yell, Goten gathered his ki into his palm and sent it flying at the fallen Saiyan. It struck the older Saiyan, slamming him once more into the ground.
Noticing that his father was under attack, Brolly advanced towards the spiky-haired youth. Chibi no Gohan appeared in front of him. Brolly effortlessly batted him aside, sending Gohan flying through the air.
Goten turned in time to block Brolly's initial attack. The boy hastily jumped to Super Saiyan level in order to keep the larger Saiyan at bay. Trunks and Gohan quickly came to his aid, attacking Brolly from behind. The Legendary Super Saiyan growled as he swung out at the children who kept moving in and out of reach. Brolly let out a frustrated shriek and sent out a wave of ki from his body. The energy smashed into the three boys and sent them scattering backwards. Trunks and Goten were the first to upright themselves. The two boys glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement.
Trunks darted past Brolly and joined Goten by his side. Immediately, he increased his ki until he was also a Super Saiyan. After a moment of adjusting his energy so that he was on the same level as Goten, Trunks turned to Brolly.
Brolly stared dully at the two boys as they began to do a strange sequence of moves. His limited grasp on reality only hindered his understanding of what the children were up to.
"FUSION-HA!" shouted Trunks and Goten as they touched fingers.
Brolly didn't even blink as the two boys were enveloped in golden ki. After the energy outburst subsided, there stood Gotenks. The haughty Super Saiyan placed his hands on his hips and smirked at Brolly. The other Saiyan responded by slipping into a fighting stance.
"Brolly!" interrupted Paragas, who had finally managed to stand after the beating he received from Goten. "We don't have time for this. We must return now!"
Paragas stared warily at Gotenks. He didn't know what kind of trick those two brats had done, but it made him very uneasy. He wanted to get as far away from the strange child before him as soon as possible.
Reluctantly, Brolly eased out of his stance. He nodded towards his father and the two attackers leapt up into the sky and sped off.
"Come back here, you coward!" yelled Gotenks, waving his hand about threateningly.
Turning, he saw Gohan leaning over Vegeta's unconscious body. Gotenks strode over and grasped the prince under the arms.
"Get his feet," he ordered.
Gohan nodded and obeyed. The two boys set out towards home with their unconscious passenger.
*****
Vegeta groaned as he began to awaken. He felt something cold and wet pressed against his forehead. Someone was gently dabbing at the deep cut there. Wincing in pain, Vegeta managed to open his eyes. Above him hovered Princess Bulma. She was busy fussing over his numerous wounds. Vegeta growled and waved away her hand.
"What happened?" he croaked, his throat sore and dry.
"You were knocked out by Paragas," explained Bulma as she helped him sit up. She reached over and picked up a glass of water. She carefully held the glass so he could take a sip.
"How did I get back here?" demanded the prince as Bulma set the glass aside once more.
"We saved you," spoke up a voice.
Vegeta peered down at the end of his bed where Trunks, Goten, and Gohan were all gathered. They watched him eagerly, similar expressions of worry stamped on their young faces. Vegeta grunted and nodded in response. Bulma turned towards their small guests and began to usher them towards the door.
"Vegeta needs his rest now. You can visit later," she informed them.
"'K. Bye Papa," called Trunks.
"Get better soon, Uncle Vegeta," added Goten.
Chibi Gohan waved shyly before following after his two older comrades. Bulma turned back around and once more settled on the edge of the bed that Vegeta was confined to. The prince shifted uncomfortably at her close proximity.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Bulma asked eagerly.
Vegeta tried to shake his head, but he was too sore to move. Bulma made a soft, sympathetic noise; before she realized what she was doing, she had reached out and began to gently stroke Vegeta's wild hair. She leaned down over him. Her hair fell down around him, tickling his face. Gingerly, he reached up and tucked the long blue locks behind her ears.
"The boys told me that you transformed into a Super Saiyan," murmured Bulma. "You made it before Goku."
"Naturally," replied Vegeta, his trademark arrogant smirk in place.
Bulma smiled and the same look that was on her face the night before returned. Her lips parted slightly, and Vegeta half hoped that it wasn't because there was something she wanted to say.
A loud clatter disrupted the moment. Bulma turned to see Mirai no Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa stumble out of the closet where they had been concealed moments before. Gohan was hastily trying to hide a camera behind his back. Bulma jumped to her feet and spun towards them.
"Out! Out! OUT!" she ordered, herding the three Saiyans from the room while they futilely tried to explain themselves. She watched as they hurried down the hall and around the corner, off to plan something else no doubt.
Bulma clucked her tongue and turned back towards Vegeta. He was clutching the edges of his blanket in anger. Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa were in luck that he was so injured. If not, they would have been very sorry. Bulma began to chuckle at the frustrated look on the prince's face.
"What's so funny, baka?" hissed Vegeta.
"Oh, nothing," replied Bulma. "I'll go now so you can get some rest."
She walked over to his side and smoothed the blanket over him. She paused for a moment, then resolutely she bent forward. Vegeta's eyes widened as Bulma's lips brushed his forehead in a feathery kiss.
"'Night, 'Geta," she whispered in his ear before turning and rushing out of the room.
Vegeta stared out at the empty hallway and tried to suppress the damned smile that was tugging at his lips.
Brolly phased out of sight and reappeared directly in front of the small prince. He lashed out with a swift sidekick, which Vegeta effortlessly countered. A furious exchange of blows commenced with neither Saiyan fully having the advantage. Vegeta attacked mercilessly, his mind focused on one thing: defeating Brolly.
From a good distance away, Paragas struggled to his feet. Rubbing his head, he watched as his son faced off against the angry sovereign. Paragas growled angrily at the newly transformed Super Saiyan. The odds were no longer in favor of his son; he was going to make sure that changed.
Vegeta grunted as he was struck from behind. He swirled in mid-air to find Paragas levitating behind him. The prince growled at his new opponent and swung out at him. Preoccupied by the older Saiyan, Vegeta wasn't prepared for the blow he received from Brolly. Vegeta was thrown through the air directly into Paragas, who batted him away with a punch to the gut. Laughing wickedly, Brolly and Paragas began to ruthlessly beat the prince.
*****
Chibi no Gohan looked uncertainly from Trunks to Goten. The purple-haired boy stared back at him sternly; his spiky-haired "younger" brother grinned at him encouragingly.
"Do I hafta?" muttered Gohan miserably as he stared down at the plate in front of him.
"You want to be in our ultra-secret club, don't you?" drawled Trunks.
"Well...yeah..."replied the other boy.
"Then ya gotta eat it," stated the eldest boy, gesturing to the plate.
"It's not that bad, Gohan-kun," added Goten.
Gohan scrunched up his face and looked down at the plate before him. It was piled full of dirt. The dirt was filled with worms wiggling all through of it. Gohan was supposed to eat it, worms, dirt, and all. He was beginning to have second thoughts about joining Trunks and Goten's private club.
Gohan hesitantly picked up the fork and scooped up a load of dirt and worms. He closed his eyes and prepared to shove the bite into his mouth. Suddenly, Goten yelped in surprise. Gohan shouted and dropped his fork on Bulma's expensive pure-white tablecloth.
"Oh, no," whispered Trunks. "Dad."
At that moment Gohan became aware of two ki's warming up to battle. One he recognized as Prince Vegeta's. The other's was Brolly's distinct ki.
"We gotta go help him," ordered Trunks, not waiting for the two Sons to reply. He darted out of the room and shot into the sky.
"Hey Trunks! Wait up!" called Goten, taking off after him.
Gohan watched as the other two boys disappeared in the sky. He really had no choice. Taking one last look at the plate full of oozing night crawlers, Chibi no Gohan set out after his friends.
*****
Vegeta grunted as he was slammed into another rock column. The ancient structure crumbled on impact, toppling onto the beaten prince. That was number five. Or six. Vegeta had lost count.
The Prince of all Saiyans winced as he extricated himself from the rubble. He could feel his power draining considerably. He wouldn't be able to maintain the Super Saiyan level much longer.
Paragas laughed as he watched the sovereign stumble towards him and Brolly.
"I must admit, your Majesty. This is the best time I've had in a long time. You have my deepest thanks," taunted Paragas.
"You haven't done a thing," hissed Vegeta. "You're just taking the credit for your son's accomplishments. If it was just you and I, you would have been dead a long time ago."
Paragas snarled at the prince. He charged at Vegeta, driving his fists deep into the other Saiyan's stomach. Vegeta sputtered and coughed up blood. Paragas smirked at the weakening warrior.
"I'll finish him, Brolly," he stated, a cruel tone in his voice.
His son shrugged indifferently. Paragas smirked and raised his hands up, intending to bring them down full force on the prince's head and smashing in his skull. However, he was distracted by something pelting him on the back of the head.
"Back off!" shouted a familiar voice.
Paragas turned to see the lavender-haired boy from a few days ago. Behind him stood the two smaller boys that had been with him before. Paragas laughed cruelly.
"Trunks. Get out of here," hissed Prince Vegeta as he struggled to remain conscious.
Paragas spun around, striking the prince hard across the head. Vegeta grunted and then blacked-out. He crumpled to the ground and lay still.
"Dad!" shouted Trunks and rushed towards the prince. Paragas intercepted him and kicked the boy hard in the stomach. Trunks sputtered and bent over double.
"Leave him alone!" shouted Goten, rushing towards Paragas.
The older Saiyan shouted with surprise as the small boy struck him hard in the shoulder and sent him reeling. Goten advanced on him, striking before he had time to regain his balance. Paragas fell with a loud thud. With a yell, Goten gathered his ki into his palm and sent it flying at the fallen Saiyan. It struck the older Saiyan, slamming him once more into the ground.
Noticing that his father was under attack, Brolly advanced towards the spiky-haired youth. Chibi no Gohan appeared in front of him. Brolly effortlessly batted him aside, sending Gohan flying through the air.
Goten turned in time to block Brolly's initial attack. The boy hastily jumped to Super Saiyan level in order to keep the larger Saiyan at bay. Trunks and Gohan quickly came to his aid, attacking Brolly from behind. The Legendary Super Saiyan growled as he swung out at the children who kept moving in and out of reach. Brolly let out a frustrated shriek and sent out a wave of ki from his body. The energy smashed into the three boys and sent them scattering backwards. Trunks and Goten were the first to upright themselves. The two boys glanced at each other and nodded in silent agreement.
Trunks darted past Brolly and joined Goten by his side. Immediately, he increased his ki until he was also a Super Saiyan. After a moment of adjusting his energy so that he was on the same level as Goten, Trunks turned to Brolly.
Brolly stared dully at the two boys as they began to do a strange sequence of moves. His limited grasp on reality only hindered his understanding of what the children were up to.
"FUSION-HA!" shouted Trunks and Goten as they touched fingers.
Brolly didn't even blink as the two boys were enveloped in golden ki. After the energy outburst subsided, there stood Gotenks. The haughty Super Saiyan placed his hands on his hips and smirked at Brolly. The other Saiyan responded by slipping into a fighting stance.
"Brolly!" interrupted Paragas, who had finally managed to stand after the beating he received from Goten. "We don't have time for this. We must return now!"
Paragas stared warily at Gotenks. He didn't know what kind of trick those two brats had done, but it made him very uneasy. He wanted to get as far away from the strange child before him as soon as possible.
Reluctantly, Brolly eased out of his stance. He nodded towards his father and the two attackers leapt up into the sky and sped off.
"Come back here, you coward!" yelled Gotenks, waving his hand about threateningly.
Turning, he saw Gohan leaning over Vegeta's unconscious body. Gotenks strode over and grasped the prince under the arms.
"Get his feet," he ordered.
Gohan nodded and obeyed. The two boys set out towards home with their unconscious passenger.
*****
Vegeta groaned as he began to awaken. He felt something cold and wet pressed against his forehead. Someone was gently dabbing at the deep cut there. Wincing in pain, Vegeta managed to open his eyes. Above him hovered Princess Bulma. She was busy fussing over his numerous wounds. Vegeta growled and waved away her hand.
"What happened?" he croaked, his throat sore and dry.
"You were knocked out by Paragas," explained Bulma as she helped him sit up. She reached over and picked up a glass of water. She carefully held the glass so he could take a sip.
"How did I get back here?" demanded the prince as Bulma set the glass aside once more.
"We saved you," spoke up a voice.
Vegeta peered down at the end of his bed where Trunks, Goten, and Gohan were all gathered. They watched him eagerly, similar expressions of worry stamped on their young faces. Vegeta grunted and nodded in response. Bulma turned towards their small guests and began to usher them towards the door.
"Vegeta needs his rest now. You can visit later," she informed them.
"'K. Bye Papa," called Trunks.
"Get better soon, Uncle Vegeta," added Goten.
Chibi Gohan waved shyly before following after his two older comrades. Bulma turned back around and once more settled on the edge of the bed that Vegeta was confined to. The prince shifted uncomfortably at her close proximity.
"Is there anything I can get you?" Bulma asked eagerly.
Vegeta tried to shake his head, but he was too sore to move. Bulma made a soft, sympathetic noise; before she realized what she was doing, she had reached out and began to gently stroke Vegeta's wild hair. She leaned down over him. Her hair fell down around him, tickling his face. Gingerly, he reached up and tucked the long blue locks behind her ears.
"The boys told me that you transformed into a Super Saiyan," murmured Bulma. "You made it before Goku."
"Naturally," replied Vegeta, his trademark arrogant smirk in place.
Bulma smiled and the same look that was on her face the night before returned. Her lips parted slightly, and Vegeta half hoped that it wasn't because there was something she wanted to say.
A loud clatter disrupted the moment. Bulma turned to see Mirai no Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa stumble out of the closet where they had been concealed moments before. Gohan was hastily trying to hide a camera behind his back. Bulma jumped to her feet and spun towards them.
"Out! Out! OUT!" she ordered, herding the three Saiyans from the room while they futilely tried to explain themselves. She watched as they hurried down the hall and around the corner, off to plan something else no doubt.
Bulma clucked her tongue and turned back towards Vegeta. He was clutching the edges of his blanket in anger. Gohan, Radditz, and Nappa were in luck that he was so injured. If not, they would have been very sorry. Bulma began to chuckle at the frustrated look on the prince's face.
"What's so funny, baka?" hissed Vegeta.
"Oh, nothing," replied Bulma. "I'll go now so you can get some rest."
She walked over to his side and smoothed the blanket over him. She paused for a moment, then resolutely she bent forward. Vegeta's eyes widened as Bulma's lips brushed his forehead in a feathery kiss.
"'Night, 'Geta," she whispered in his ear before turning and rushing out of the room.
Vegeta stared out at the empty hallway and tried to suppress the damned smile that was tugging at his lips.