Disclaimer: You know the drill…
Vegeita soared up to the edge of space after The One. He hadn't gotten very far. The One seemed to be waiting just outside the breathable atmosphere.
As Vegeita came close, The One gave him a psychic warning. I wouldn't come any closer, Vegeita. I've already defeated all your friends and family.
I know that, Vegeita thought back. And that is why I shall kill you…
The One only laughed. Amusing, especially since you can't even reach me out here. Your little lungs need air…
In response Vegeita screamed and then took in as much air as he could before launching himself out into the icy blackness of space.
What do you think you're doing? Asked The One as he easily spun around Vegeita's punch. If you just want to kill yourself there are less painful ways than attacking me.
He grabbed Vegeita in one massive hand, then released him. You are not worth absorbing, old man…
Vegeita had never been so angry. Angry that this beast had destroyed his friends and family, angry at being taunted and angry at the knowledge that he was not going to survive this battle.
But then, one last ray of hope glimmered. The One puffed out his chest and said Come on old man, I'll give you one free shot.
Vegeita quickly focused all his energy and soon felt more power coming in from somewhere else, somewhere outside his range of senses. He look at The One and realized that the power was coming from him. But why?
Just then a psychic message came in. It was Cryos! Vegeita, you are our last hope! We're working together inside The One, he's too distracted to control us al right now and we're sneaking you this message and some power.
But, if you're in there, how can I shoot The One? Vegeita thought.
Forget about us! Cryos shouted. We'll survive, or not, it doesn't matter anymore! We're nothing compared to the innumerable lives we will save by killing The One! Now, how much power can you take without getting burned by it?
It doesn't matter anymore. Vegeita thought. You're right, The One needs to be eliminated and this is our last chance. Give me it all!
Spoken like a true fool, but you're our fool. Came the response from Piccolo.
Namek? Is that you?
Good luck Vegeita, father… Responded Trunks.
My son…
You'd better get him or I'm gonna get you! Kentra.
Cryos's girl…
I know you can do it Vegeita! Zeethra.
Granddaughter…
Then a sleepy sounding voice came in. Vegeita? Has it really come to this?
Gohan!? I'm afraid so… There's no way around it now. Maybe I'll see you on the other side…
And then, one last voice. Dad? Is that really you?
Vegeita recognized that voice, and even if he didn't, only one person could ever get away with calling him Dad.
Articia, is it really you, after all these years?
Years? Has it been that long? Just do your best, Dad, we're all counting on you.
Vegeita felt a tear freeze to his cheek and with it his resolve crystallized as well.
What is going on here? Demanded The One. Where are you getting all that power!?
He tried to move out of Vegeita's line of fire but didn't even have enough left for that.
Vegeita could feel the power burning his body beyond anything he could ever hope to recover from, but it didn't matter anymore. He wasn't going to need his body after this.
He drained every last ounce of energy from his body into his hands, where it formed a ball larger than The One's entire planet-sized fortress. Then he fired.
The massive beam lanced straight at The One. He tried to catch it, but only slowed it down a bit. It pushed him back down towards the planet, where the orbiting asteroids crumbled as they approached.
The One was forced all the way down to the surface and didn't stop moving until his feet touched the ground.
Vegeita was struggling to keep the beam moving, but he was out of power. His end of the beam failed, leaving The One holding the most massive energy bomb the Multiverse had ever seen.
He tried to push it back before it exploded, but out in space, Vegeita raised his fist and made one last movement. He snapped his hand open and triggered the bomb.
The blast was so bright that he shut his eyes against it, but he never opened them again.
His last thought was, The One was wrong, this isn't too painful…
Cryos woke up in the morning sunlight with only a few shreds of clothing left on him. He pulled them around until he was covered up reasonably well and set out to find the others.
Zeathra was near him, and she was just waking up as well. She looked up at the rising sun as asked, "How long have we been out?"
"I don't know. That blast probably knocked this planet's orbit completely out of whack. So there's no way of knowing."
"Yes there is!" Came a pair of muffled voices in unison. "it has been exactly nine hours, twelve minutes and twenty-nine seconds since the blast that seemed to have destroyed The One."
Zeethra pulled Elfive out of her pocket and Cryos spotted Elfour on the ground by some rubble. He picked her up and just held her for now. Her chain was gone and he was kind of happy to see her, so he didn't want to put her into his pocket right now. Not that he had any pockets right now.
"Cryos!" Another voice shouted. He looked over and saw Jake, leader of the humans who called themselves the Animorphs. "You're all right! You have to come see this!"
"See what?" Asked Zeethra.
This. A psychic voice overhead made them look up and they saw Tobias, another one of the Animorphs who was trapped in morph as a hawk. He was visible only through one of the holes left in the ceiling from last night's fight. Over there! He called and swooped out of sight.
Cryos flew to follow him and was shocked by what he saw when he came up high enough to see around.
There were people scattered everywhere. Most were Kelbrid, some left over from the fight and were operating on their own without a Queen's guidance. But the vast majority of Kelbrid and the thousands of other beings were those that had been absorbed by The One.
Cryos even saw the blue horse-like alien that the Animorphs had come out to find.
He scanned the people, looking for one face, but she had already found him. Kentra tackled him from behind and pinned him to the ground with kisses.
Cryos laughed as he stood her back up and looked her over.
"I was so scared." He admitted. "I thought I'd never see you again. Are you alright?"
"Of course I am, silly." She giggled.
"No, I mean… everything…"
"Oh…." She put her hand over her stomach. "Yep, we're all ok here."
"Good, come on, let's see who else is out here."
"Cryos? Zeethra?" Came two voices. Cryos and his sister turned to see their parents.
"Mom, Dad!?" Cryos could barely believe it. "is that really you? You look exactly the same as when you left!"
Neither of them had aged a single day in the last thirty years. Cryos didn't know how it was possible until Gohan explained. "It was The One. He kept us alive and young inside him because if he lost us, he'd lose all his power. I don't think you two have gotten any older either."
"That's the dragon's power at work." Said Zeethra. "I'm so happy, what should we do now?"
"I say we go home." Said Piccolo as he walked out of the crowd of people all around them.
"I'll second that." Said Pahrac, also emerging from the crowd.
"Same here." Said Washu as Trunks flew her over the heads of some Kelbrid.
"I think I'd like to go home too…" Said Gohan. "I've had enough adventures for awhile."
"It's agreed then, we'll all go home and give ourselves a much needed vacation. Anyone who doesn't have their own home can come to ours." He added as he looked at Pahrac.
Suddenly, Zon came flying over the crowd. He had grown over the night, and was now back up to Cryos's shoulder. "Cryos! You must see this! At the exact center of the blast! It's The One! He's not dead!"
"What? But how?" Cryos demanded. "Everyone is out of him, he should be dead!"
"Yes, but you see," Cryos felt that Zon was smiling, even though that was impossible with insect mouthparts. "Well, it will be easier to show you. Come!"
Everyone there followed the giant bug across the sky to the exact center of the blast.
Cryos could see a huge circle of cheering people and two spots of blue and red at the center of the circle.
"Draco! What are you doing!?" He demanded.
""We're playing with this cool bug we found!"
Draca answered and Draco said "Look!" And tossed a tiny brown insect at Cryos's feet.
It bore a striking resemblance to one of the Cicada shells that the insects leave on the sides of trees in the spring. At least it did until it stood up on it's hind legs and shouted. "You'll pay for that! You'll all PAY! DO YOU HEAR ME!? I WILL GET YOU ALL BECAUSE I AM THE ONE! NO ONE CAN BEAT ME!"
"No one, huh?" Cryos asked and looked down at the bug. "looks like an old man beat you and now your outside shows what you are on the inside. Weak and ugly." And he kicked him back to Draco. "Draco, I think its dinnertime, and that looks like a tasty bug…"
"Yay! Food!" The lizard shouted and leapt at The One, but the insect rolled and spread tiny wings, trying to fly away. He got about two feet before Draca pounced on him.
All the fighters turned and walked away as Draco and Draca came in for the kill, and The One's last, lingering scream was drowned out by the roar of the happy crowd.
