Chapter 7: A course of action

Goku materialised on Dende's land and carried Frodo over to the Namek.
"Dende. This little guy needs healing fast", he said.
Dende scowled at Goku. "Can't you deal with any problems by yourself Goku? This is the third time I've been asked to heal someone or repair something in the last two days!"
Goku looked confused. "Gee, I'm sorry Dende. I just thought that's what you did. You're a healer. We're all out doing our part to save the world. I just thought you might be eager to help".
Dende now looked guilty. "Sorry Goku", he said. "I guess I'm just a little mad cause I never get to leave this place or do anything interesting".
"I understand Dende". He didn't really, but time was of the essence and Goku couldn't afford to play psychiatrist at the moment. He put Frodo down and Dende eyed the wound. Placing his hands over the hobbit, he released his energy and closed the wound as the poison disintegrated.
"He should be fine in an hour or so", said Dende.
"Thanks Dende", replied Goku. "Is Mr.Popo about? I'm starving".
"Um…I don't think it would be a good idea to ask Popo for food right now Goku".
"Oh, okay. I'll go see how Videl is doing then. I can't leave till this little guy is feeling better".
"Who is he anyway?"
"I dunno. We found these guys who were fighting some monsters. We helped them out. I think they're on a mission too".
Something twigged in Dende's mind. "Did they have a ring with them Goku?" he asked.
"Maybe. I didn't see". He saw Dende was now deep in thought and took the opportunity to go find Videl.
'This isn't good', thought Dende. 'I had no idea the Ring had been found after all this time'.

Meanwhile In Moria, the remaining members of the two fellowships thought about what to do. The Fellowship of the balls were scared because they knew of Vegeta's terrible power. The Fellowship of the rings were scared because they knew of the Ring's terrible power. Piccolo and Gandalf had taken command of the team to decide a course of action.
"How powerful can the Ring make him?" asked Piccolo.
"Eternally powerful. It was forged from the power of Sauron; one more powerfu than I. I fear we shall all be destroyed if this Vegeta is truly as powerful as you say he is. If what you have told us is true, he is greater than the Dark Lord himself".
"Then our only hope is Goku. He's the only person stronger than Vegeta".
Sam moped in the corner. "This is all my fault", he said to himself, unaware that the others were listening. Merry and Pippin went to comfort him.
"Where is Goku now?" asked Boromir.
"He's the one that took your friend to be healed".
"And he's really more powerful than Vegeta?" asked Legolas.
"I hope so. Their powers kinda shift. However, Goku's capable of turning into what we call a Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta is only capable of turning Super Saiyan 2. It may be our only advantage; Level 3 is a lot more powerful than Level 2. Maybe even more powerful than Vegeta and the Ring combined."
Gandalf came to a decision at that moment. "Then we shall wait for Goku to return with Frodo", he said. "I think it best if you and I travel with him. He shall face Vegeta and try to defeat him."
Piccolo wasn't completely happy with this plan. "There's another way", he told the wizard. "The Dragonballs. We can use them to wish for the Ring to be destroyed".
The company gasped. "Can …can you do that?" asked Gimli. Sam looked up for the first time since he lost the Ring.
"I think so. Shenron can't destroy people, but I'm sure he can destroy objects".
"But the Ring can only be destroyed on Mount Doom, the site of its creation", interrupted Gandalf.
Piccolo remained confident. "Then Shenron will draw the Ring there", he said.
"How many dragonballs do you need to summon the dragon?" asked Aragorn.
"Seven", said Gohan, stepping in. "We have five just now. Vegeta has one and one more remains to be found".
"So Vegeta will still have to be confronted", said Gandalf, disappointed. "Still, there is hope in this plan", he continued. "Goku can distract Vegeta while we find his dragonball. The rest of the company can search for the seventh ball".
"Agreed", said Piccolo, and they all nodded. A plan was forming, but none of them were confident; a new fear swept across them all. It was the strange light that could be seen from the door. The sound of fire was becoming louder by the second, mixed with a terrifying thundering noise that shook the room. The Z-Fighters sensed a huge power approaching. Their eyes widened in amazement at the size of it. The Fellowship of the Ring did not have the ability to sense power levels, but it was Gandalf alone who knew the source.
"I feared this might happen", he told them. "A great and powerful Balrog lives in these mines".
"How powerful?" asked Piccolo anxiously.
"As powerful as I", replied the wizard.
"We gotta get out of here guys!" shouted Krillan, sounding very nervous.
"No", said Gandalf. "If we do, he will follow us until he finds us and destroys us all!"
Gohan and Piccolo made eye contact and nodded to each other. "I'll fight him", said the Saiyan. Trunks and Goten ran to him and begged to be allowed to fight the Balrog too. "I wanna see him!" they screamed, as Piccolo grew impatient. "We don't have time for this!" he yelled. "You two need to help us escape!"
Acting mature for once, Trunks grabbed hold of Merry and Pippin while Goten took Sam on his back. Piccolo grabbed Gandalf by the arm and Krillan took both Gimli and Legolas. Boromir held onto Yamcha who took Aragorn by his other hand. Taking one last look at Gohan, who stood in his fighting stance, looking confident as ever, the Z-fighters took to the sky, bringing their new allies with them. They flew through the hole Vegeta had made and headed for Dende's place.

Gohan's eyes were glued to the door. He didn't blink and spent his remaining moments of preparation controlling his breathing and putting himself in the right mental state. He could hear the Balrog now; it's terrible roar echoed throughout the mine and Gohan knew it was homing in on him. The fire grew brighter and the thunderous boom of the Balrog's steps grew louder as he approached the small room. It was then that Gohan realised how tiny the battlefield was. Spotting a back exit, he ran through another door and into a large hall. 'Much better', he thought as fire spread the room he had just left. His timing had been perfect, and through the door to the hall, he could make out a large shape in the fire. An enormous whip cracked into the hall, landing mere feet from where Gohan was standing. He jumped back. The Balrog put one giant foot through the door and cratered the wall as he stepped through. Letting out a mighty roar, he spread his wings and seemed to burst into flames. The hall shook and Gohan felt pieces of rock collapse from under him. The floor was thin and this was a dangerous place to fight. Not only would he have to deal with the Balrog, but he would have to keep an eye on the structure of the room also. The creature leaped over to him and for the first time, he could see its full size; he was at least five times Gohan's height and eight times his width. The room was at a very high temperature now and it seemed as if the Balrog definitely had the homefield advantage with regards to all aspects of the environment. Gohan sweated like a pig. The battle was on.
The Balrog cracked his whip again as Gohan jumped back, dodging the weapon. Another crack followed. He was fast by Gohan's standards even. The young Saiyan only just managed to avoid the sting of the whip and after landing on one foot, sprang into the air. He swung his foot into his opponent's head and quickly followed it with a spinning kick to the neck. The Balrog staggered back and roared loudly. Gohan didn't give it time to recover; he sprinted forward into the creature and rammed his fists into its midsection. The flames of the Balrog exploded once more and re-lit the room. Gohan somersaulted back and landed firmly on his feet. He powered up a masenka-ho and started to fire it. It was too late for the attack though; the Balrog had found his strength and threw the whip at Gohan. This time it hit and the Saiyan went flying into the back wall. A loud thud was heard as he made contact with the hard rock, and part of the wall collapsed upon him. All he could see was a giant flame approaching him. 'Is this the end?' he thought to himself. There was no energy left in his body and for the first time since the Cell Games, he felt completely drained. The whip was being readied for another strike as the Balrog neared him. Then he remembered there was one last hope; he still had two sensu beans. No sooner had he thought of the beans than he had swallowed one and zanzookened behind the Balrog. The creature was confused at the disappearance of his prey and looked around, but Gohan was hidden in its shadow. He jumped up and drove his fist hard into its back. It stumbled. Before it could turn, Gohan powered up another masenka-ho beam and waited. The Balrog had found him, but the Saiyan was ready this time. He released the beam and watched as the flame engulfed his opponent and sent him through the wall. The ball was in his court now.

Frodo was awake now and feeling much better. Dende had been waiting for him to recover anxiously as he had many questions that needed answered. He sat the hobbit down and explained the situation to him. "You were struck by a poisoned arrow in Moria", he told him. "Goku brought you here to be healed. You should be okay now".
"Thank you sir", said Frodo. He put his hand to his chest and panicked; the Ring was missing. Suddenly he felt terrified, but didn't let on as he was in the company of strangers. As he looked back at Dende, he wondered if these strange people had stolen the Ring.
"Why did you put your hand to your chest?" asked Dende.
"I don't know", replied Frodo. "I wanted to see if the wound had fully healed".
Dende eyed him suspiciously. "The wound was in your shoulder Frodo". There was a moment of silence then Dende spoke his mind: "You're the Ring-Bearer, aren't you?" he asked.
Frodo looked very nervous now.
"Don't worry", continued the Namek. "You're amongst friends here. I am an acquaintance of Elrond. He has spoken to me many times on this matter".
Frodo looked up. "So you know about the power of the Ring then?" he asked.
"Yes", replied Dende. "And I also know how urgent it is that it be destroyed. Do you know where it is now Frodo?"
"No", Frodo shook his head. "I had it on a chain around my neck before I fell unconscious".
"Then I fear Middle Earth may be in grave danger".
Goku was making his way towards them now, having seen that Frodo was conscious again. "Hey little guy. You ready to go?" he asked. Frodo nodded after a look of approval from Dende. He took the hobbit by the arm and prepared himself for instant translocation. "That's funny", he said suddenly. "I can only sense two powers in the mine now". Dende looked worried.
"Who are they?" he asked.
"One is definitely Gohan, but the other…I don't know. It's a great power though".
"What does this mean?" asked Frodo.
Goku let go of his arm and looked at Dende. "I'm going to go alone", he told the namek. "Something doesn't seem right".
He put his fingers to his head and disappeared in an instant. As he left, Dende contemplated contacting Elrond.

The hall shook as one wall collapsed completely. The hole the Balrog had made undermined the structure of the room and the ceiling decided to cave in. Bits of rock fell from all around Gohan and the floor was starting to join in on the action. It was no longer safe to remain there; the battle would have to be moved elsewhere. Looking through the wall, Gohan saw the Balrog lying on a large platform next to a narrow bridge. Many staircases surrounded the structure and the ceiling was high. Nothing looked stable here. The only light provided came from the creature himself and that wasn't strong enough to let Gohan see what lay at the bottom of the countless pits that covered the area. He stood by the falling wall as the ground beneath him trembled and powered up a kamehameha. Being careful not to overpower it, he released it with a loud scream and watched as it exploded on its target. The Balrog was thrown into the air and landed back on the platform as it started to crack. The hall was too dangerous to stay in now. Gohan flew down to his opponent as the last remaining rocks fell from the ceiling and destroyed the floor. This was his new battleground now, but he knew it probably wouldn't last much longer due to the last impact. He somersaulted into the air and landed his elbow into the Balrog. The floor cracked some more and Gohan jumped up once more, ready for another attack. He began to drive his foot into the Balrog, but this time it was ready was for him; it cracked its whip hard and fast right into the Saiyan's chest. He screamed in agony and skidded across the ground as he fell. The Balrog lifted its whip and used it once more. The sting was unbearable. Gohan knew his only option was to take his last sensu bean, but this meant he would have to be extremely careful from now on. He reached into his pocket and stopped. A dark figure was standing on the bridge near them. He couldn't see who it was, but he could sense the power well. The figure threw a ball of energy at the Balrog's back. It lit up once more and stumbled. Turning to see who it was, the creature cracked its whip at the figure, who jumped to the side and placed his hands together. The last thing the Balrog would ever see was a powerful kamehameha blast being fired at him. It penetrated its stomach and blasted through its back. The explosion could be felt throughout the entire mine as the Balrog disintegrated in a mess of flesh, bone and fire. The platform cracked completely before sinking into the pit below. Gohan quickly jumped off and hovered above it, watching the remains of his opponent fall into the unknown. When all was calm, he flew over to the bridge, landing beside the dark figure. 'Thanks dad' he said, and shook his hand.

Dende had decided to contact Elrond. The two friends were talking telepathically from the Lookout Point and Rivendell.
"So the Ring has been lost?" asked Elrond.
"It may have been. I'm not sure yet", replied Dende.
"Dammit! I should have known better than to send a bunch of hobbits to do a man's job".
"It's not your fault, and we don't know for sure it's lost. Even if it is, it may not be in the hands of the enemy. We cannot jump to conclusions Elrond".
"What is our situation?"
"The z-Fighters have teamed up with the Fellowship. They're working on a plan I think. Also, they may be heading here. Goku told me he could only sense two powers in Moria, so they may have escaped".
"Or they may be dead".
"I don't think so. Not yet anyway".
Elrond sighed. "This war will be fought by men, elves and dwarves alike….but it will be won by Saiyans".
"I have to go now Elrond", said Dende suddenly. "This is costing me".
"Telepathy costs?"
"It does when it's long distance. I'll speak to you later. Bye old friend!"
He broke the connection and went to find Mr Popo. It was at that moment Goku and Gohan arrived. They materialised where Dende had been standing and the Namek turned to greet them.
"Hello Goku. You're back I see!"
Gohan rolled his eyes at Dende's annoying habit of always stating the obvious.
"Yeah. We had to defeat some monster", said Goku.
"It was a Balrog dad".
"Whatever. Anyway, we were thinking maybe we could use this place as a base since we have a lot of work to do".
"Goku, you guys have used this place as a base in almost every saga. Do you even have to ask anymore?"
Goku thought for a second. "Well, this isn't really a saga Dende. It's a one-off special that won't even be televised".
"Well you can still use it anyway", said Dende, getting bored of the lack of intelligence in the conversation.
Frodo came running up to them having seen Goku's return. "Did you find my people?" he asked.
Goku shook his head.
"And what of the Ring?"
"No sign of that either I'm afraid", said Goku. The hobbit and the Namek both looked worried. Gohan on the other hand looked terrified; he had just remembered what had happened. "Oh no!" he shouted suddenly. "I forgot! Vegeta…"
"What about Vegeta, son?" interrupted Goku.
"He…he has the Ring!"
They all gasped in shock.
"This could have devastating consequences!" said Dende. "We have to act fast!"
"We can't do anything until the others turn up", said Goku.
"They should be here soon", said Gohan. "They left before I started my fight with the Balrog. They'll be slowed down from having to carry the others but I think they should be here in an hour or so".
Goku put on a serious expression. "We'll wait for them then. But until they get here….we eat!"

They waited ninety minutes before the others arrived. Goku had worked his way through a years supply of food. 'I wasn't that hungry' he explained to Dende who was looking at him through wide open eyes. The young Namek was thankful that Goku's son didn't share in his father's lust for eating. He ate some food and probably would have given Goku a run for his money, but he felt troubled by the recent events he had witnessed. He had known Vegeta most of his life and was well aware of what the terrible Saiyan was capable of; power ruled every moment of his existence. His only ambition was to be more powerful and this was his driving force; however powerful he was, he would keep going to increase his power, never happy with the level he was at. It was a vicious cycle that ruled his life and if evil is what it took to become more powerful, Gohan knew this wouldn't bother Vegeta a bit.
Frodo was the first to see the company arrive. Hobbits weren't known for having good eyesight; that was the elves' speciality, but he spotted a dot in the sky and ran to see if it was the Enemy. As it drew nearer, he made out the shape of Gandalf's pointed hat and smiled. Merry and Pippin were waving to him in the distance and he waved back. As soon as they landed, he went off with his hobbit friends, but not before Gandalf could greet him.
"I see you're looking much better now Frodo", he said.
Frodo nodded. "Yes Gandalf", then he remembered about the Ring. "My Ring. What happened to my Ring?" he asked. Gandalf was a bit concerned at the fact that Frodo referred to the Ring as being his, but ignored it as it was no longer an issue. Had he remained in possession of the object, it would probably have taken over his will soon. Now that Vegeta had the Ring, however, it was no longer a problem.
"Vegeta has it now", said Piccolo stepping in for Gandalf. Sam looked nervous standing beside his master.
"Then I suppose our task has ended in failure", Frodo said as he hung his head in shame.
"It's not your fault Frodo", came a new voice; that of Legolas.
"That's right", said Gimli, also comforting Frodo. "It was that runt Sam's fault!" The elf and the dwarf both agreed on this point. A tear rolled down the hobbit's face as Merry and Pippin stepped in to defend him. "You leave him alone!" they shouted. "It wasn't Sam's fault. Vegeta knocked him down. No hobbit could take on someone that size!".
As they argued with the stoner faction of the Fellowship of the Ring, Piccolo noticed for the first time how alike the two young hobbits were. Standing beside each other he could see they were almost identical in height. He senses their powers. They were low, but still almost identical. An idea popped into his head and he stopped the argument.
"You two are pretty strong", he said.
"Us?" asked Merry and Pippin in unison as they turned with a confused look on their faces.
"Yeah you", replied Piccolo. "There's a way you can become stronger though".
Piccolo had got the attention of everyone present now.
"Do you mean…" asked Goku.
"Yes. I think they should fuse", interrupted Piccolo. "They should be taught the fusion dance; alone they're weak, but as one hobbit, their strength will improve dramatically. We need to be as powerful as we can be to fight Vegeta. Merry, Pippin, do you want to learn the fusion technique?"
They looked at each other and then at Gandalf. The wizard gave no indication that they should or shouldn't do it. He wanted to leave the decision entirely up to them. So they looked at Legolas and Gimli. The elf and dwarf were still laughing at them and as if their minds were already one, they both pictured being strong enough to take the two on. "We'll do it!" they shouted.
"Then I'll stay here and teach you the technique", continued Piccolo. "Goten and Trunks can help as they already know it".
"And what of the plan?" asked Gandalf.
"You can go with Goku to retrieve the dragonball. Krillan will go with you just in case".
"In…incase of what?" asked Krillan sounding very nervous.
Piccolo grinned at the bald headed midget. "In case Vegeta kills one of the others", he said.
Krillan was genuinely scared now and sweat ran down his bald head. "Why doesn't Goku just use instant translocation?" he asked.
Goku fielded this one. "I can't sense his power", he answered. "It's fused with a far greater power as Galadriel told me it would be. The only way we can locate him is by using the dragon radar".
Krillan seemed happy with this response.
"And what of us?" asked Frodo.
"Gohan will stay here also and train you and Sam. Your fighting skills probably need touched up. As for the rest of you, that is Yamcha, Boromir, Aragorn", he sighed before the saying the final two names. "Legolas and Gimli. You will all go and search for the seventh dragonball. Any questions?"
Noone answered. They all agreed to Piccolo's plan, even Gandalf who was sceptical on most plans devised by other people. There was one last thing he needed to do though. He took hold of a small bird that was passing by and whispered in its ear before letting it go. "I have given it instructions to fetch Gwaihir, the Windlord", he told Piccolo. "He will be here shortly to bare me to our destination".
Piccolo nodded. "Very well", he said in a deep voice. "I'll go get started on teaching Merry and Pippin the fusion technique". He walked into Dende's palace, followed by Goten, Trunks and the two hobbits. "You're gonna love the fusion technique!" said the two saiyans enthusiastically as they walked off.
"We'd better get started too", said Gohan taking Frodo and Sam into the back of the palace.
Goku went to Yamcha and gave him the dragonball radar. "Use it well my friend", he told him.
Yamcha wasn't impressed. "You don't have to talk like these guys do, Goku", he said.
"I know. It kinda catches on though", he replied.
Yamcha took a capsule from his pocket and threw it to the ground. "Stand back", he told his small troop as it exploded in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, a helicopter stood in its place. The Fellowship of the Ring were amazed. "What…what is that?" they asked.
"I'll explain on the way", Yamcha told them. He showed them how to get into the aircraft and with one last wave to the remaining members of the company, took off.
Only Goku, Gandalf and Krillan were left.
"What about us?" asked Krillan. "When do we leave?"
"Gwaihir will be here shortly", Gandalf told him. "We shall depart upon his arrival".
Goku and Krillan both nodded and prepared themselves mentally for the task ahead. Theirs for the toughest of all the tasks that had been appointed, and they each knew they might never return. They stood in silence and waited for their epic journey to begin.

A plan has been devised to defeat Vegeta and regain the Ring, but will Vegeta succumb to its power? The battle continues in Chapter 8.