Sorry this is taking so long. I am writing and rewriting these next few chapters to get
things to what I feel is right. I have come this far and don't want to let the quality of the
work I have done slide, just to finish the story. I have read too many other stories, both
fan-fiction and published authors that do that, and I hate it.
So here is the next chapter too keep you going. Read, enjoy and review.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lord Jarod stood on his podium and looked down at the warriors in the arena below him.
His smile grew as he contemplated the power that he would soon enjoy. And even with
the small number of warriors before him now they would represent as huge increase in
his power base. And if things works out right, he could even use some of them to expand
his powers to beyond this single planet and take his rule to the peoples of the worlds
around his.
As his finger fell upon the button that activated the trap, he felt no fear. Years of planning
went into this single moment and he was certain none of the warriors would be able to
resist, most would not even know what happened. As the gravity slammed down he
called out, "Your powers will now be mine!" and then activated the energy draining
crystals. He watched with delight as all the warriors were pulled to the ground with
surprise as over 200 gravities pulled at their bodies. He could see the straining as several
of them tried to move under the intense pressures but he knew that time would quickly
make him the victor.
"Traitor! You attack us with a coward's weapon! Why don't you come down here and
fight us like a true warrior?"
Jarod's smile grew at the taunt from Vegeta. "Why do I need to fight? I have already
won!"
"If you won't come to me, I will take this to you." And with those words Vegeta rolled
over and pushed himself to his feet much to Jarod's surprise.
"How? The gravity there is over 200 times normal. You should not even be able to
move!"
Vegeta smiled up at him while Gohan climbed to his feet next to Vegeta. "Fool! I train in
gravity stronger than this on a daily basis." He glanced over at Gohan who was also
getting to his feet, "You look to the others, I will take care of our host."
Gohan nodded and turned to walk to the nearest group, The Brothers Itrick. He could see
that Coombra was pulling himself to his feet and the Ga-nich had all managed to roll
themselves over and were crawling towards the wall, apparently hoping to escape. As he
stopped by the brothers he could see they were all alive and mostly unharmed but unable
to move much.
One of them focused on him for a moment and then said slowly, "We will survive for a
while but stop the gravity, it is too strong for us."
Gohan nodded and moved on to where the Quazar Quartet was. Coombra was moving
around helping his fellows roll over onto their backs so they were in more comfortable
positions. "Are you going to be alright?"
Yardra looked up at him. "Yes, the gravity is a bit much for the rest of us but Coombra
should be able to help you fight."
Gohan smiled, "I don't think Vegeta is going to need or want our help. But let's see if we
can do something about this gravity." Then he moved over to where the Feathered Follies
were laying. He noted with worry that they all were laying in odd positions and he could
see a couple spots were broken bones were poking out of their skin. As he got closer he
realized he could not feel any energy from them and after a couple minutes determined
that they were all dead. He went back to Yardra and Coombra to tell them.
Yardra nodded, "They were bird like in nature, so their bones and bodies were lighter to
make them able to fly. I think they got a lot of their physical strength from the armor they
wore during the fights. But we need to think of ourselves first. Have you noticed that
your energy is being drained?"
Gohan nodded and opened his mouth to respond when there was a bright yellow flash
and an intense spike of energy from Vegeta.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After Vegeta told Gohan to check on the others he focused his concentration on Lord
Jarod once again. He let go of the limiting control over his powers and felt his muscles
swell with the infusion of energy. He spent a moment regarding Jarod trying to get a
sense of his power level. "Hmm, he is fairly strong, at least 25 million and has some in
reserve, but how much? Looks like I will get to have some fun after all." Then he took to
the air with a smooth motion and headed for Lord Jarod to begin the battle, but his
advance was stopped short by some invisible barrier. He recovered his concentration
before falling back to the ground and put his hand up to see what had stopped him.
Jarod smiled when Vegeta crashed into the shield. "As you can see I was prepared. I
thought maybe a couple of you would be able to move around in that gravity, so I added a
shield that will keep you trapped in there until the energy drain makes you too weak to
try and escape."
Vegeta did not bother to answer with words. Instead, he focused his power and a blue-
white aura of power appeared around him. Then he moved back into contact with the
shield and began to push. He could see out of the corners of his eyes that wisps of energy
were streaming from his aura and flowing in the red crystals that were surrounding the
arena, but that meant little to him. His focus was on breaking through the shield and he
kept pumping up his power until he was at his maximum for his normal form. He could
feel the shield giving a little, but he also noticed that every time he increased power the
shield would give a little and then stiffen as it responded to his power increase.
Vegeta decided it was time to change tactics a little and dropped back to the ground
breathing heavily. Then he straightened up and brought both his hands up in front of him.
A moment later a bright ball of energy appeared in his hands and then was launched
towards the shield. There was a tremendous explosion but Vegeta was able to tell the
blast had not broken through the shield. He decided it was time to pull out all the stops
and focused his power internally to begin his transformation. A moment later he felt the
familiar surge as his body responded to his will and accepted the new demands and
adapted to control the power.
As the dust around Vegeta kicked up into a swirl, his eyes and hair changed color and
then with a burst his powers were augmented by the Super-Sayian transformation. A
golden flash of light announced that Vegeta was ready to fight again and he quickly
launched himself at the shield. Focusing power in his fist he charged the shield like a ram
intent on smashing his way through before it could adapt to his new power.
Like a golden lightning bolt, Vegeta easily smashed his way through the shield and then
pulled himself to a stop over 100 above the floor of the arena. At that height he was free
of the effects of the gravity below and his muscles relaxed. He smiled down at Lord
Jarod, "I am disappointed, I hope that won't be my biggest challenge for the day."
Jarod frowned for a moment then shrugged. "Very well. It seems I will have to get my
hands dirty after all. Just as well, I haven't had a good fight in several years now. I could
be getting a little rusty." With that he calmly floated up into air to a position across from
Vegeta and then pulled off his cloak and tunic leaving his upper body bare. Vegeta lazily
noted the general muscle tone and several scars that were displayed now. The center of
his chest displayed an unusual 'Y' shaped scar but otherwise he looked to be in good
shape. Jarod then began his power-up and watched Vegeta for any reaction as his power
started to climb rapidly.
Vegeta's Ki sensing skills had continued to improve over the years and he watched Jarod
closely to see if he could find a weakness in the warrior. He was curious about how Jarod
powered up, unlike most other fighters where their power increased in the whole body at
once, Jarod's power seemed to start at a point in the center of his chest and flow outwards
to fill his whole body. And once the power had filled Jarod's whole body, it did not
increase any more, so Vegeta was able to estimate the power level at somewhere around
100 million.
Once Jarod was finished, Vegeta smiled. "Not bad for a old man. But let me show you
what a warrior in the prime of his life can do." With that Vegeta leaned his head back and
with a shout brought out his true power. His muscles started to bulge as power started to
swell in them. A globe of golden fire formed around Vegeta and started to swirl rapidly
as Vegeta's power climbed. Jarod's face momentarily lost its calm resolve as the speaker
in Jarod's ear was announcing the scanner readings of Vegeta's power. But after a
moment his confidence returned and once Vegeta finished his power-up Jarod was almost
ecstatic. The scanners in the arena below him determined that Vegeta's power level was a
little over 150 million now and Jarod could not believe his luck. "Vegeta, you surprise
me, I did not expect you be quite this strong. You will make an excellent addition to my
power supply."
Vegeta frowned for a moment at the confidence Lord Jarod was showing, but then he
decided the poor fool just did not know what he was getting himself into. He allowed a
smirk to grace his lips, "You cannot win, but let's fight. At least you can die with honor."
Then the two of them launched themselves at each other and the battle was joined.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yardra and Coombra were watching Vegeta in surprise as his power level dramatically
increased twice. Gohan smiled at the stunned looks on their faces as he bent over to make
sure that the twins of Trace and Pace were not in any danger. Yardra started to ask where
all of Vegeta's power was coming from when Gohan cut him short. "We need to worry
about ourselves first. You have any ideas for getting out of here?"
Yardra pulled his attention back to Gohan, "Well, first let's see if we can do something
about the power drain, that will weaken us the quickest. Those crystals around the arena
look like the same thing in that room for the test of power, so they must the source of the
power drain."
Gohan nodded, "Well, I don't think we can blast them. It was tried before, so I guess we
will have to break them out."
Coombra grinned, "Leave that to me." And he jumped up into the air and floated over to
where one of the crystals were but as he got close he found his power was being drained
faster and could not keep himself in the air to make the attack. He dropped to the ground
under the crystal and almost passed out, but was able to keep himself going and backed
away. Once he got some distance the drain lessened a little and he was able to catch his
breath. He moved back over to where the others were and told them what happened.
Meanwhile the fight overhead had gotten started and the fighters still on the ground were
both impressed and scared by the power being displayed by the 2 warriors. All except for
Gohan, his mind was focused on the task of getting them out of trouble. He had a thought
and decided to try it out. He lowered his Ki as far as he go without letting the strength
fade from his muscles to keep him moving in this intense gravity. Then with a careful
stride he started to walk over to under one of the crystals. He got to directly under the
crystal and then realized there was no way of him being able to reach it without standing
on something or flying. But with his Ki suspressed, he was not suffering as badly from
the energy drain that Coombra had been. "Maybe it will be enough." He thought, "Only
one way to know for sure." With that, he pushed some extra Ki into his legs and jumped
into the air to try and reach the crystal. But he didn't provide enough power and came up
short. He was able to tell that he didn't want to try any harder because the crystal would
just drain more of his power and he knew even he only had so much to work with.
So he took a look around the arena to see if could find something to stand on, but except
for the people lying around, the arena was bare. But when his eyes fell on Coombra he
got an idea and started to walk back. He had not noticed the Yardra had been watching
him the whole time and figured it out as well. By the time Gohan got back Yardra had
explained the whole time to Coombra and the big guy was ready to try. After a moment
of discussion to see if they really were thinking of the same thing the two of them walked
back over to a crystal and put their plan in action.
Coombra braced himself against the wall and then lowered his Ki as low as he could
safely take it. Then Gohan began his part, he started to climb the 7 foot tall human
mountain. Working slowly in the heavy gravity he climbed until his feet were resting on
Coombra's shoulders. The red sphere of crystal was now just above his head and Gohan
was working out how to hit it hard enough when he heard Coombra grunt, "Wait a
minute." Gohan looked down to see Coombra lift his arms and put his hands under
Gohan's feet. Then displaying great strength he pushed Gohan straight up until the crystal
was even with Gohan's shoulders.
Gohan smiled, "Perfect!" Then he focused his strength and threw a punch at the crystal,
but he was unable to damage it. He tried a couple more times but still was unsuccessful.
And with the close proximity of the crystal and every time he touched it, he could feel his
power being drained further. He glanced down at Coombra who was focused on holding
Gohan up there with a lot of strain showing on his face. "One more try, hang in there."
Coombra nodded but did not say anything.
Gohan looked at the crystal once again and prepared for one last punch. Gohan pulled his
arm back and then with a sharp momentary surge of power he flooded his arm and fist
with Ki and punched as hard and fast as he could. "Haiii!"
The force of the punch was enough to knock Gohan clean off Coombra's hands and even
tipped the big guy over. They both landed harshly but the blow finally had its intended
affect. The crystal shattered under the impact and threw little pieces all over the place.
The remaining pieces fell out of the setting that had held it in place and they could see
some type of power lead that had been plugged into the back to the crystal. Yardra and
the others had also noticed that when the crystal had been destroyed, the gravity pulling
them down had been lessened. They shouted encouragement to Gohan and Coombra
letting them know they had figured it out.
Meanwhile the two of them had pulled themselves back to their feet and headed for the
next crystal. Gohan walked behind Coombra and was flexing and shaking his arm. The
crystal had drained most of the Ki on impact and Gohan had to spend a moment fighting
the cold lifeless feeling his arm had. Once Coombra was in position again Gohan climbed
back up and was pushed into a position to strike once again. This time Gohan didn't
waste any time but struck full strength right into the crystal. Again the force knocked him
off Coombra's support and he landed heavily on the ground.
Coombra turned around to see Gohan pulling himself to his feet but his right arm was
hanging limply. "Are you alright kid?"
Gohan nodded, "Yea, just landed a little hard and my arm is numb, it is fine." Then he
managed to flex it to show Coombra it was working fine. "Let's keep going. I don't think
we have much time." Then he nodded to the other side of the arena. Coombra turned to
look and saw the Ga-Nich. They were apparently trying to do their fusion trick, but too
much of their energy was getting sucked away and they collapsed to the ground unable to
move.
So Gohan and Coombra moved on. By the time they had made it halfway around the
arena they had worked it out to a pattern, Gohan wasn't even loosing his balance any
more. So he stood there on Coombra's shoulders while he moved to the next crystal.
However each hit had continued to drain power from Gohan and he was getting worried
if he was going to have the power to finish the rest off.
Coombra grunted to himself, "Six down, six to go. Hang in there kid." He had also felt
the drain of power from Gohan through each contact and was trying to help out as he
could by letting some his power flow back into Gohan while they were moving to the
next crystal but his energy reserves were already getting low. The only positive thing so
far was with each crystal destroyed the energy drain was slowing a little and the gravity
was decreasing.
About then The Brothers Itrick made their own move, they headed for another one of the
crystals and built a pyramid so that they could take out a couple crystals on their own.
But luck was against them, just as they were ready to make their attack a number of
guards ran out into the upper tiers of the stadium and opened fire on the fighters below.
The Itrick on top was hit by a blast unexpectedly and lost his balance. He leaned forward
and put his hands out to stop his fall. But his hands landed on the surface of the crystal
and a steady, solid contact was all the crystal needed to drain most of the power the
Brothers had. It didn't take but a few seconds for the Brothers to loose consciousness and
fall to the ground. At least that broke the contact with the crystal so that they didn't end
up getting the last of their life's energy drained away.
As soon as the Brothers fell, the guards shifted their fire towards the other threat, Gohan
and Coombra. As soon as the shots started to fall near them, help arrived. The other
members of the Quazar Quartet jumped into the action. Yardra summoned some of his
considerable mental talents and blurred the area around Gohan and Coombra to make
harder targets to hit. The twins of Trace and Pace took a more direct approach, they first
tried to attack the guards directly but discovered the force field was still in place. So they
moved into the target area and took it upon themselves to block or deflect as many of the
incoming blasts as they could.
Gohan and Coombra had hesitated for a moment trying to decide if they should help to
take out the guards somehow, when a voice stopped them. "Hurry, we can't keep this for
long." Coombra nodded, not sure which twin had even spoken but with a powerful leap
landed himself and Gohan in front of the next crystal. Gohan felt a surge of energy as his
adrenalin responded to the increased needs of the moment and he quickly struck out
smashing the next crystal.
Before the pieces had even stopped falling, Coombra was moving to the next crystal and
they covered the ground around the rest of the arena quickly. Finally there was only one
crystal left, the largest one that was entered over the alcove where Lord Jarod had sat. It
was out of reach for them from the ground and they took a moment to consider their
options. Gohan closed his eyes and took a calming breath and reached for the last of his
deep power reserves. "Coombra, on my signal throw me directly at the crystal."
Coombra gave Gohan a surprised look but quickly dropped Gohan down some and got a
better grip on him to make the throw.
Gohan opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the crystal, "Throw me as hard as you can,
okay? Ready? Now!"
With a grunt Coombra flung Gohan right at the crystal. As they had hoped the force of
Coombra's throw was enough to force Gohan through the force field and carry him the
rest of the way to the crystal. It took less than a half a second for Gohan to cover the
distance, but it was enough for him to bring out the last of his power and focus it into his
fist. With a powerful blow, the crystal shattered. Gohan continued his flight a few more
feet until he ran into the stone wall the crystal had been embedded in.
With a crunch, Gohan came to a stop and then his body dropped out of the impact hole
and fell to the ground. As soon as the last crystal was broken, the force field, energy drain
and increased gravity all disappeared and the twins of Trace and Pace found enough
energy to go after the guards. Their speed enabled them to avoid the shots coming at
them and quickly disable all the guards shooting at them.
Coombra and Yardra had jumped over the rubble to find Gohan. When Yardra got there
he found Gohan barely conscious and Coombra trying to stop the blood flowing from
head wound. Gohan mumbled, "Bean… belt pocket… eat…." Yardra was not certain he
had heard right but did a quick search anyway. He found a small green bean and looked
at it for a moment, then with a shrug placed it in Gohan's mouth. Gohan weakly bit down
a couple times and then with an effort swallowed the bean.
Coombra and Yardra looked on in surprise as the blood stopped flowing from Gohan's
wounds and the other scrapes and bruises he had healed over. Gohan's face relaxed and
he opened his eyes. "Thank you." Then his eyes drifted back closed and Gohan's body
relaxed into sleep.
things to what I feel is right. I have come this far and don't want to let the quality of the
work I have done slide, just to finish the story. I have read too many other stories, both
fan-fiction and published authors that do that, and I hate it.
So here is the next chapter too keep you going. Read, enjoy and review.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lord Jarod stood on his podium and looked down at the warriors in the arena below him.
His smile grew as he contemplated the power that he would soon enjoy. And even with
the small number of warriors before him now they would represent as huge increase in
his power base. And if things works out right, he could even use some of them to expand
his powers to beyond this single planet and take his rule to the peoples of the worlds
around his.
As his finger fell upon the button that activated the trap, he felt no fear. Years of planning
went into this single moment and he was certain none of the warriors would be able to
resist, most would not even know what happened. As the gravity slammed down he
called out, "Your powers will now be mine!" and then activated the energy draining
crystals. He watched with delight as all the warriors were pulled to the ground with
surprise as over 200 gravities pulled at their bodies. He could see the straining as several
of them tried to move under the intense pressures but he knew that time would quickly
make him the victor.
"Traitor! You attack us with a coward's weapon! Why don't you come down here and
fight us like a true warrior?"
Jarod's smile grew at the taunt from Vegeta. "Why do I need to fight? I have already
won!"
"If you won't come to me, I will take this to you." And with those words Vegeta rolled
over and pushed himself to his feet much to Jarod's surprise.
"How? The gravity there is over 200 times normal. You should not even be able to
move!"
Vegeta smiled up at him while Gohan climbed to his feet next to Vegeta. "Fool! I train in
gravity stronger than this on a daily basis." He glanced over at Gohan who was also
getting to his feet, "You look to the others, I will take care of our host."
Gohan nodded and turned to walk to the nearest group, The Brothers Itrick. He could see
that Coombra was pulling himself to his feet and the Ga-nich had all managed to roll
themselves over and were crawling towards the wall, apparently hoping to escape. As he
stopped by the brothers he could see they were all alive and mostly unharmed but unable
to move much.
One of them focused on him for a moment and then said slowly, "We will survive for a
while but stop the gravity, it is too strong for us."
Gohan nodded and moved on to where the Quazar Quartet was. Coombra was moving
around helping his fellows roll over onto their backs so they were in more comfortable
positions. "Are you going to be alright?"
Yardra looked up at him. "Yes, the gravity is a bit much for the rest of us but Coombra
should be able to help you fight."
Gohan smiled, "I don't think Vegeta is going to need or want our help. But let's see if we
can do something about this gravity." Then he moved over to where the Feathered Follies
were laying. He noted with worry that they all were laying in odd positions and he could
see a couple spots were broken bones were poking out of their skin. As he got closer he
realized he could not feel any energy from them and after a couple minutes determined
that they were all dead. He went back to Yardra and Coombra to tell them.
Yardra nodded, "They were bird like in nature, so their bones and bodies were lighter to
make them able to fly. I think they got a lot of their physical strength from the armor they
wore during the fights. But we need to think of ourselves first. Have you noticed that
your energy is being drained?"
Gohan nodded and opened his mouth to respond when there was a bright yellow flash
and an intense spike of energy from Vegeta.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After Vegeta told Gohan to check on the others he focused his concentration on Lord
Jarod once again. He let go of the limiting control over his powers and felt his muscles
swell with the infusion of energy. He spent a moment regarding Jarod trying to get a
sense of his power level. "Hmm, he is fairly strong, at least 25 million and has some in
reserve, but how much? Looks like I will get to have some fun after all." Then he took to
the air with a smooth motion and headed for Lord Jarod to begin the battle, but his
advance was stopped short by some invisible barrier. He recovered his concentration
before falling back to the ground and put his hand up to see what had stopped him.
Jarod smiled when Vegeta crashed into the shield. "As you can see I was prepared. I
thought maybe a couple of you would be able to move around in that gravity, so I added a
shield that will keep you trapped in there until the energy drain makes you too weak to
try and escape."
Vegeta did not bother to answer with words. Instead, he focused his power and a blue-
white aura of power appeared around him. Then he moved back into contact with the
shield and began to push. He could see out of the corners of his eyes that wisps of energy
were streaming from his aura and flowing in the red crystals that were surrounding the
arena, but that meant little to him. His focus was on breaking through the shield and he
kept pumping up his power until he was at his maximum for his normal form. He could
feel the shield giving a little, but he also noticed that every time he increased power the
shield would give a little and then stiffen as it responded to his power increase.
Vegeta decided it was time to change tactics a little and dropped back to the ground
breathing heavily. Then he straightened up and brought both his hands up in front of him.
A moment later a bright ball of energy appeared in his hands and then was launched
towards the shield. There was a tremendous explosion but Vegeta was able to tell the
blast had not broken through the shield. He decided it was time to pull out all the stops
and focused his power internally to begin his transformation. A moment later he felt the
familiar surge as his body responded to his will and accepted the new demands and
adapted to control the power.
As the dust around Vegeta kicked up into a swirl, his eyes and hair changed color and
then with a burst his powers were augmented by the Super-Sayian transformation. A
golden flash of light announced that Vegeta was ready to fight again and he quickly
launched himself at the shield. Focusing power in his fist he charged the shield like a ram
intent on smashing his way through before it could adapt to his new power.
Like a golden lightning bolt, Vegeta easily smashed his way through the shield and then
pulled himself to a stop over 100 above the floor of the arena. At that height he was free
of the effects of the gravity below and his muscles relaxed. He smiled down at Lord
Jarod, "I am disappointed, I hope that won't be my biggest challenge for the day."
Jarod frowned for a moment then shrugged. "Very well. It seems I will have to get my
hands dirty after all. Just as well, I haven't had a good fight in several years now. I could
be getting a little rusty." With that he calmly floated up into air to a position across from
Vegeta and then pulled off his cloak and tunic leaving his upper body bare. Vegeta lazily
noted the general muscle tone and several scars that were displayed now. The center of
his chest displayed an unusual 'Y' shaped scar but otherwise he looked to be in good
shape. Jarod then began his power-up and watched Vegeta for any reaction as his power
started to climb rapidly.
Vegeta's Ki sensing skills had continued to improve over the years and he watched Jarod
closely to see if he could find a weakness in the warrior. He was curious about how Jarod
powered up, unlike most other fighters where their power increased in the whole body at
once, Jarod's power seemed to start at a point in the center of his chest and flow outwards
to fill his whole body. And once the power had filled Jarod's whole body, it did not
increase any more, so Vegeta was able to estimate the power level at somewhere around
100 million.
Once Jarod was finished, Vegeta smiled. "Not bad for a old man. But let me show you
what a warrior in the prime of his life can do." With that Vegeta leaned his head back and
with a shout brought out his true power. His muscles started to bulge as power started to
swell in them. A globe of golden fire formed around Vegeta and started to swirl rapidly
as Vegeta's power climbed. Jarod's face momentarily lost its calm resolve as the speaker
in Jarod's ear was announcing the scanner readings of Vegeta's power. But after a
moment his confidence returned and once Vegeta finished his power-up Jarod was almost
ecstatic. The scanners in the arena below him determined that Vegeta's power level was a
little over 150 million now and Jarod could not believe his luck. "Vegeta, you surprise
me, I did not expect you be quite this strong. You will make an excellent addition to my
power supply."
Vegeta frowned for a moment at the confidence Lord Jarod was showing, but then he
decided the poor fool just did not know what he was getting himself into. He allowed a
smirk to grace his lips, "You cannot win, but let's fight. At least you can die with honor."
Then the two of them launched themselves at each other and the battle was joined.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Yardra and Coombra were watching Vegeta in surprise as his power level dramatically
increased twice. Gohan smiled at the stunned looks on their faces as he bent over to make
sure that the twins of Trace and Pace were not in any danger. Yardra started to ask where
all of Vegeta's power was coming from when Gohan cut him short. "We need to worry
about ourselves first. You have any ideas for getting out of here?"
Yardra pulled his attention back to Gohan, "Well, first let's see if we can do something
about the power drain, that will weaken us the quickest. Those crystals around the arena
look like the same thing in that room for the test of power, so they must the source of the
power drain."
Gohan nodded, "Well, I don't think we can blast them. It was tried before, so I guess we
will have to break them out."
Coombra grinned, "Leave that to me." And he jumped up into the air and floated over to
where one of the crystals were but as he got close he found his power was being drained
faster and could not keep himself in the air to make the attack. He dropped to the ground
under the crystal and almost passed out, but was able to keep himself going and backed
away. Once he got some distance the drain lessened a little and he was able to catch his
breath. He moved back over to where the others were and told them what happened.
Meanwhile the fight overhead had gotten started and the fighters still on the ground were
both impressed and scared by the power being displayed by the 2 warriors. All except for
Gohan, his mind was focused on the task of getting them out of trouble. He had a thought
and decided to try it out. He lowered his Ki as far as he go without letting the strength
fade from his muscles to keep him moving in this intense gravity. Then with a careful
stride he started to walk over to under one of the crystals. He got to directly under the
crystal and then realized there was no way of him being able to reach it without standing
on something or flying. But with his Ki suspressed, he was not suffering as badly from
the energy drain that Coombra had been. "Maybe it will be enough." He thought, "Only
one way to know for sure." With that, he pushed some extra Ki into his legs and jumped
into the air to try and reach the crystal. But he didn't provide enough power and came up
short. He was able to tell that he didn't want to try any harder because the crystal would
just drain more of his power and he knew even he only had so much to work with.
So he took a look around the arena to see if could find something to stand on, but except
for the people lying around, the arena was bare. But when his eyes fell on Coombra he
got an idea and started to walk back. He had not noticed the Yardra had been watching
him the whole time and figured it out as well. By the time Gohan got back Yardra had
explained the whole time to Coombra and the big guy was ready to try. After a moment
of discussion to see if they really were thinking of the same thing the two of them walked
back over to a crystal and put their plan in action.
Coombra braced himself against the wall and then lowered his Ki as low as he could
safely take it. Then Gohan began his part, he started to climb the 7 foot tall human
mountain. Working slowly in the heavy gravity he climbed until his feet were resting on
Coombra's shoulders. The red sphere of crystal was now just above his head and Gohan
was working out how to hit it hard enough when he heard Coombra grunt, "Wait a
minute." Gohan looked down to see Coombra lift his arms and put his hands under
Gohan's feet. Then displaying great strength he pushed Gohan straight up until the crystal
was even with Gohan's shoulders.
Gohan smiled, "Perfect!" Then he focused his strength and threw a punch at the crystal,
but he was unable to damage it. He tried a couple more times but still was unsuccessful.
And with the close proximity of the crystal and every time he touched it, he could feel his
power being drained further. He glanced down at Coombra who was focused on holding
Gohan up there with a lot of strain showing on his face. "One more try, hang in there."
Coombra nodded but did not say anything.
Gohan looked at the crystal once again and prepared for one last punch. Gohan pulled his
arm back and then with a sharp momentary surge of power he flooded his arm and fist
with Ki and punched as hard and fast as he could. "Haiii!"
The force of the punch was enough to knock Gohan clean off Coombra's hands and even
tipped the big guy over. They both landed harshly but the blow finally had its intended
affect. The crystal shattered under the impact and threw little pieces all over the place.
The remaining pieces fell out of the setting that had held it in place and they could see
some type of power lead that had been plugged into the back to the crystal. Yardra and
the others had also noticed that when the crystal had been destroyed, the gravity pulling
them down had been lessened. They shouted encouragement to Gohan and Coombra
letting them know they had figured it out.
Meanwhile the two of them had pulled themselves back to their feet and headed for the
next crystal. Gohan walked behind Coombra and was flexing and shaking his arm. The
crystal had drained most of the Ki on impact and Gohan had to spend a moment fighting
the cold lifeless feeling his arm had. Once Coombra was in position again Gohan climbed
back up and was pushed into a position to strike once again. This time Gohan didn't
waste any time but struck full strength right into the crystal. Again the force knocked him
off Coombra's support and he landed heavily on the ground.
Coombra turned around to see Gohan pulling himself to his feet but his right arm was
hanging limply. "Are you alright kid?"
Gohan nodded, "Yea, just landed a little hard and my arm is numb, it is fine." Then he
managed to flex it to show Coombra it was working fine. "Let's keep going. I don't think
we have much time." Then he nodded to the other side of the arena. Coombra turned to
look and saw the Ga-Nich. They were apparently trying to do their fusion trick, but too
much of their energy was getting sucked away and they collapsed to the ground unable to
move.
So Gohan and Coombra moved on. By the time they had made it halfway around the
arena they had worked it out to a pattern, Gohan wasn't even loosing his balance any
more. So he stood there on Coombra's shoulders while he moved to the next crystal.
However each hit had continued to drain power from Gohan and he was getting worried
if he was going to have the power to finish the rest off.
Coombra grunted to himself, "Six down, six to go. Hang in there kid." He had also felt
the drain of power from Gohan through each contact and was trying to help out as he
could by letting some his power flow back into Gohan while they were moving to the
next crystal but his energy reserves were already getting low. The only positive thing so
far was with each crystal destroyed the energy drain was slowing a little and the gravity
was decreasing.
About then The Brothers Itrick made their own move, they headed for another one of the
crystals and built a pyramid so that they could take out a couple crystals on their own.
But luck was against them, just as they were ready to make their attack a number of
guards ran out into the upper tiers of the stadium and opened fire on the fighters below.
The Itrick on top was hit by a blast unexpectedly and lost his balance. He leaned forward
and put his hands out to stop his fall. But his hands landed on the surface of the crystal
and a steady, solid contact was all the crystal needed to drain most of the power the
Brothers had. It didn't take but a few seconds for the Brothers to loose consciousness and
fall to the ground. At least that broke the contact with the crystal so that they didn't end
up getting the last of their life's energy drained away.
As soon as the Brothers fell, the guards shifted their fire towards the other threat, Gohan
and Coombra. As soon as the shots started to fall near them, help arrived. The other
members of the Quazar Quartet jumped into the action. Yardra summoned some of his
considerable mental talents and blurred the area around Gohan and Coombra to make
harder targets to hit. The twins of Trace and Pace took a more direct approach, they first
tried to attack the guards directly but discovered the force field was still in place. So they
moved into the target area and took it upon themselves to block or deflect as many of the
incoming blasts as they could.
Gohan and Coombra had hesitated for a moment trying to decide if they should help to
take out the guards somehow, when a voice stopped them. "Hurry, we can't keep this for
long." Coombra nodded, not sure which twin had even spoken but with a powerful leap
landed himself and Gohan in front of the next crystal. Gohan felt a surge of energy as his
adrenalin responded to the increased needs of the moment and he quickly struck out
smashing the next crystal.
Before the pieces had even stopped falling, Coombra was moving to the next crystal and
they covered the ground around the rest of the arena quickly. Finally there was only one
crystal left, the largest one that was entered over the alcove where Lord Jarod had sat. It
was out of reach for them from the ground and they took a moment to consider their
options. Gohan closed his eyes and took a calming breath and reached for the last of his
deep power reserves. "Coombra, on my signal throw me directly at the crystal."
Coombra gave Gohan a surprised look but quickly dropped Gohan down some and got a
better grip on him to make the throw.
Gohan opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the crystal, "Throw me as hard as you can,
okay? Ready? Now!"
With a grunt Coombra flung Gohan right at the crystal. As they had hoped the force of
Coombra's throw was enough to force Gohan through the force field and carry him the
rest of the way to the crystal. It took less than a half a second for Gohan to cover the
distance, but it was enough for him to bring out the last of his power and focus it into his
fist. With a powerful blow, the crystal shattered. Gohan continued his flight a few more
feet until he ran into the stone wall the crystal had been embedded in.
With a crunch, Gohan came to a stop and then his body dropped out of the impact hole
and fell to the ground. As soon as the last crystal was broken, the force field, energy drain
and increased gravity all disappeared and the twins of Trace and Pace found enough
energy to go after the guards. Their speed enabled them to avoid the shots coming at
them and quickly disable all the guards shooting at them.
Coombra and Yardra had jumped over the rubble to find Gohan. When Yardra got there
he found Gohan barely conscious and Coombra trying to stop the blood flowing from
head wound. Gohan mumbled, "Bean… belt pocket… eat…." Yardra was not certain he
had heard right but did a quick search anyway. He found a small green bean and looked
at it for a moment, then with a shrug placed it in Gohan's mouth. Gohan weakly bit down
a couple times and then with an effort swallowed the bean.
Coombra and Yardra looked on in surprise as the blood stopped flowing from Gohan's
wounds and the other scrapes and bruises he had healed over. Gohan's face relaxed and
he opened his eyes. "Thank you." Then his eyes drifted back closed and Gohan's body
relaxed into sleep.