A flash of red light erupted amidst a scream of "Kaioken… times three!" beside Gohan, causing the boy to throw up his energized arms before his face, his feet scuttling backward several feet before planting themselves – and thus the shocked boy – in place. The ground shattered beneath Goku's black-booted feet, pressing downward to create a small crater at the midst of which Goku stood.
Vegeta's glowing white self-projectile hurtled toward the father-son pair; the prince's scouter bleeped a static "24,000" before the aggressor grabbed the device and let it fall to the ground that raced beneath him. He would not rely so easily on mere numbers – that had been Nappa's downfall.
Gohan leapt backwards and to his right as Vegeta's fist collided with his father's prepared fist, followed by a fierce right elbow that should have taken off Goku's head – had the boy's father not thrown up his other arm to catch the attack at his elbow, grunting with effort, his body aflame in red.
Vegeta snarled and, planting both of his white-covered boots into Kakarot's low-level, straining face, blasted into the air, spinning himself about and gathering his ki into an enclosed right fist. Many meters to the south, Krillin stood open-eyed and shocked, barely catching the fight that was occurring so quickly before him.
"Nifty trick there, Kakarot, but can you handle this?" Vegeta laughed, launching his arm out and bracing it with his left hand, an orb of bluish-white ki blasting down at the man below.
Goku clenched his teeth and forced himself to maintain the Kaioken technique – it was wearing on him quickly, his body felt ready to explode from the onslaught of power he was drawing out – so that he might reach up and deflect the shot with his arm, accompanied by a vicious "Ha!" He couldn't keep up the Kaioken this long; he knew he should have saved it!
Floating in the air, Vegeta gawked for a moment as he watched Kakarot throw his full-power ki assault into the sky, where it arced and came crashing into the ground a quarter-mile away. A flickering white explosion ensued, throwing a cloud of dust, debris, and black smoke into the air; Vegeta scowled distastefully.
Beneath Gohan's feet, the boy felt the tremors of the earth at the shaking of the explosion; his body was frozen still, face knotted in a desperate yet shocked posture. His father had suddenly gained so much power, as had Vegeta, leaving the boy to the dirt where he stood, a helpless feeling grabbing hold of him.
The bright flash of the distant explosion from Vegeta's deflected blast triggered a flash of equally bright memory – Piccolo leaping in the way of Nappa's energy attack, a flash of an explosion before and all around Gohan as he screamed in isolated fear – Piccolo laying dead on the ground before vanishing – Gohan allowing his anger to consume him, to defeat Nappa –
Gohan's ki flared, his body floating into the air as it gained a blanket of white power; the boy had very little experience flying, honing his ki to carry his body, yet suddenly it came so naturally – as did the now familiar anger and vengeance – to him, his face solidifying with determination. He could feel his father already beginning to falter…
Goku called off his Kaioken technique as he landed on a tall spire of stone, propelling himself to another pillar to dodge a quick flash of ki that Vegeta had hurtled toward him; the attack took off the cap of the stone Goku had just been standing on, causing the prince to curse under his breath, which was already growing staggered.
"Damnit, how could he be so strong already?" Vegeta snarled quietly, gathering himself and flying forward; Goku had suddenly lost the queer reddish glow of power, and Vegeta, now grinning again, sensed an opportunity to attack him where he stood, upon another tall spire of rock, his body planting itself where it stood. It was no matter – whatever Kakarot did to increase his ki likewise drained him incredibly; already the low-level was wearing the signs of fatigue, his base power level feeling lesser than previous to this spar.
Vegeta grinned as he flashed forward, appearing before Kakarot and slapping out a fist – only rather than catch Kakarot in the face as he had intended, he found his hand enveloped by two smaller hands connected to the Saiyan brat, Gohan, whose face strained with effort, his muscles bulging with said force.
Goku took the spare second to scream another "Kaioken!" and flash behind the prince, who slapped out his other hand square into Gohan's face, knocking him backward into the air; Vegeta found himself following Gohan in the wake of his departure, a surge of pain in his lower back as the result of the dirty Saiyan Kakarot's knee connecting with the base of his tail.
Goku grunted and landed on the tall stone pillar a half-second, long enough to propel himself into the sky after Vegeta, who was already spinning about and regaining control of his fall. Gohan flared bright white in the distance, likewise catching himself and throwing his body at the Saiyan prince – the Saiyan prince who was now becoming quite angry.
The damned low-level Kakarot had been in his sight, powered down, and then that brat – Vegeta forced a handle onto his developing temper, flaring his ki and blasting into the sky above the pair that raced toward him. Very well then, he would swap tactics to psychology; these Earthlings showed a remarkable sense of loyalty that Vegeta doubted would betray them.
The prince laughed as he stopped above, gathering his energy and focusing it down his right arm, planting his left hand unto his right wrist for support; below him, Kakarot and his son stopped and look up at him.
Were Kakarot or his son any normal sentient, they would run from an attack that threatened the entire planet. Were they true Saiyans, their personal honor would hold them to the spot to die fighting. However, were they the sentimental beings he found them to be…
"Well, Kakarot!" Vegeta began, projecting his voice tactfully downward at the desert that gleamed below, two figures floating roughly fifty meters from his pose; the prince continued to gather his ki, an orb of energy growing betwixt his fingertips. "I'll give you a chance to join me and your Saiyan heritage; power down and promise your surrender," Vegeta snorted; Kakarot did not seem the type to give up; "Or watch this planet be blown to space debris!"
Goku snarled and turned to grab his son by the wrist; Gohan yelped as he felt himself pulled to the solid dusty ground below, his father's face suddenly turned to his.
"Gohan, take Krillin and get away from here right now!" Goku stated, his expression suddenly very calm; his desperate face flickered into the smile Gohan had grown up to know so very well, though only for an instant. "I'm proud of you son, but I need you to save Krillin and go."
Gohan's heart panged; his mind, even his heart, told him to obey his father, to grab Krillin where he hid helplessly nearby and leave; but another part of him, deep inside the core of anger and powerful vengeful nature he had summoned in part previously, struggled against him, willing to stay until Vegeta had been beaten.
This sudden attack within the boy snapped him to another level of consciousness; he wanted so much to see Vegeta sniveling at his feet, begging for his life, only to have it taken away at Gohan's hands – Gohan shut his eyes to the horrible vision he had just concocted, opened them to find his caring father in its place. Suddenly the boy wanted very much to listen to his father, to shun the dark thoughts that had been coming to him that day, ever since Piccolo had died; since Vegeta had spoken to him…
Swallowing, Gohan nodded once and then flared his energy with clenched fists, flying like a blast of ki to where he vaguely sensed Krillin to be. Behind him, Gohan felt his father's ki begin to grow again.
"Sending the boy away again? Afraid to let him watch his father die again?" Vegeta laughed, the energy in his arm reaching a climax; he could force out no more.
Goku set his face and brought his hands almost habitually to his right side, focusing his power.
"Whatever you do, Vegeta, I will not let you destroy the Earth!" Goku yelled up to the glowing figure above him.
"Very well; so be it!
"Gallic Gun!" the Saiyan prince screamed, thrusting his arm forward and allowing a massive beam of white-blue light fly from his hand, forcing itself out with every ounce of ki Vegeta could spare; the prince prepared to watch Kakarot blown once again into the next dimension.
Goku's eyes became slits, his mind suddenly clearing as he felt his ki, pressed it faithfully into his cupped palms.
"Ka…me…ha…me…"
~*~*~
Korrin stared wisely from his spot atop the neck of the Lookout, his whiskers twitching nervously; beside him, the oaf Yajirobe ignorantly swallowed another bite of his sub sandwich.
"Yajirobe, why did you train with the Z-Senshi?" Korrin turned his head only slightly, breaking his focus from the engaging battle far away.
"I dunno; I suppose I did so I could help out somehow, but those guys are way too strong for me." The man paused, staring at the white cat's back.
Korrin's fur bristled; he had to do something, though already Goku had the only Senzu beans that were ripe and ready; the next batch wouldn't be harvested for at least a month. And as the cat was no fighter, but Yajirobe had in his possession a rather sharp and useful sword…
"However weak you are, why don't you get your lazy butt up and into our car so you may join the battle?" Korrin stated through pursed lips, his body spinning about.
Yajirobe blanched, turning white.
"No way man! Uh-uh!"
Korrin flicked out his claws and narrowed his already squinted eyes.
"Go-help-them-now." The cat-god snarled, his hair standing out and giving him a larger look; Yajirobe dropped his sandwich and sweat-dropped, blinking with a very frightened expression – though whether frightened at the cat or at the prospect of joining the foray that exploded far away, Korrin did not know.
"F-fine then!" Yajirobe muttered, spinning about and throwing out the capsule that contained his car. "If I end up dead, I'm going to haunt you!" the fat man added as he leapt into the driver's seat; with that said, Yajirobe's vehicle blasted off into the eerily clear blue sky.
"I wouldn't be so worried about your death as I would be worried about the fate of the planet…" Korrin muttered, turning to cast his vigilant gaze once again outward.
~*~*~
Vegeta's ki attack glowed awesomely, halfway between the two warriors already; Gohan felt the heat and power from it as he landed beside Krillin, the short bald man glancing at him and then nodding silently as he kicked off of the ground and into the air.
Goku felt his son's presence growing further away, and with a grunt of satisfaction allowed himself to wear his game-face, turning off his outward sensing abilities to keep his focus where it was needed.
'This one is for whatever you did to my son…' Goku waged grimly, engaging the Kaioken and then its consecutive second level. Vegeta would not cause his son his innocence, nor destroy the inhabitants on Earth.
"HA!"