(This would have been out sooner had ff.net not disabled the document
manager for repairs. grrr!)
~*~*~*~
Goku, Gohan, and Goten found themselves in a strange land. There was no light other than what was being given off from the ground they were standing on, which was the same metallic blue texture that Tatsuo's skin was made of. The sky was non-existent in color. It was completely clear; the blackness of space and the yellow of stars being the only colors seen from the planet.
Gohan and Goku stood back to back as they scanned the new land for their foe, finding nothing. Goten on the other hand wasn't as cautious. He walked a ways away from his father and brother in complete awe. Nothing he had ever encountered could ever compare to this place. The ground seemed to be made up of some sort of energy. His foot dipped into it with every step, causing the "land" to stick to his foot like electricity would to a hand would when placed on an electricity ball. "Cool."
Gohan noticed his younger brother wandering away and frowned. "Don't go too far. We're on someone else's turf."
Goten returned a frown of his own. "I'm not a kid."
Goku pulled away from his son and knelt down to examine the land. He reached out and softly dabbed his finger down, but quickly pulled it back when he was shocked. "Nobody touch the ground."
Goten turned back to his father with a puzzled expression. "Huh? Why?" Being the impulsive thinker that he is, he reached down and placed his entire hand on the ground, causing an electrical shock to rush throughout his body.
Gohan rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "That's why, Einstein."
Goku stood up, ignoring his sons, especially Goten, which was something he had learned to do long ago. The guy may have been strong, but because he had only been through one major battle in his life he didn't really have a chance to learn proper fighting etiquette. And even in that one battle he hadn't exactly fought as he should have. "This stuff is pure energy. If our skin touches it."
Goten stood up, rubbing his arm in pain. "We're toast."
Goku nodded. "Exactly." He turned back to face his sons, both of which were on alert now. "Try to keep to the air when we find Tatsuo."
Gohan turned to his father and studied him carefully. He seemed to have calmed down a bit, which was for the better. A person with as much power as his father being as angry as he was couldn't have been a good thing. He had seen the results once before, and seeing them again wasn't something he wished to see again. "Speaking of the little devil, where do you think he is?"
Goku frowned as he darted a glance all around himself. "Feels like he's all around us."
"That's exactly what I was just thinking." Gohan looked downward at his feet and hoped up and down. "Think it's got something to do with the stuff we're standing on?"
Goku nodded. "Most likely." Goku glared back at his younger, more naïve son. "It's best to stay alert and not do anything foolish while we're here. We're on HIS turf now, not our own. As far as we're concerned, he's capable of doing anything."
Gohan nodded as he looked back toward his younger brother. "You'd do well to keep that in mind little bro."
Goten glared back as his brother, a little confused. "What? You're both acting like I'm gonna go off and do something really stupid to jeopardize the entire thing."
Goku grinned. He remembered very well what happened when the boy was fighting Buu. "Let's not forget how you and your buddy Trunks dropped the ball with Gotenks."
Goten frowned. "I was seven! I think I've grown up just a little bit since then." He declared sarcastically.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, back on earth, Chi-Chi was torn to shreds inside. So much was happening too fast, she didn't even know what to think anymore. Here was her daughter knocked out, her husband and sons were off who knows where fighting the same creature who had tried to turn everyone against Usagi, and now Hotaru. "Krillin." She asked solemnly as she placed her hands over her chest. "What's going on?"
Krillin wasn't exactly sure how he was meant to answer that. He wasn't even sure himself what was going on. All he knew was that there was a hurt girl on the sofa of his best friend's living room who needed medical attention immediately. "Chi-Chi, come on." He coaxed her over to his position, which was still at Usagi's side. "She looks a little better now." He explained as he gazed down at the child.
Chi-Chi painfully sighed as she slowly turned away from the door. She clenched her hands into two fists out of frustration. "I can't." She started.
"Huh?" Krillin looked up not knowing what to expect from the woman. He could see her pain deep within her eyes. There was no getting around it. She had already been weak from Usagi supposedly turning against everybody. Everything else was just the icing on the cake. "Chi-Chi." He stood up, careful not to bump into the girl next to him. "Are you alright? Do you need to sit down. need any water or anything?"
Chi-Chi hunched her shoulders over and looked down at the ground. "I can't take it anymore! This has been going on for too long! There are just too many surprises! All I want is a NORMAL family with NORMAL children who aren't anymore special than the other kids. well maybe smarter but that's it! I don't want all this fighting! I don't want the special powers! I just want NORMALCY! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK!?" Her breathing increase immensely as she glared down at Krillin. She hadn't meant to blow up like that, but trying to keep it in for the sake of her daughter wasn't working either. It was bound to come out anyway.
Chi-Chi's glare soon turned into a look of shame as she slightly lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Krillin. I shouldn't have lashed out at you. But God I just get so upset sometimes, you know? It seems like everyone else can deal with this CRAP just fine, but I can't. I've tried and tried for Usagi, but it's not happening. Somehow it just comes piling out."
"You seemed to be doing fine right up until Hotaru came here." Krillin said as he began to relax. He hadn't known what to think about Chi-Chi's little outburst, but luckily she had calmed herself down, a sure sign of 'reform'.
Chi-Chi sighed as she rubbed her forehead. She was beginning to shake from all the stress. "It's too much. way too much. I think I liked things better when I didn't know what happened until everyone was fixed." She looked back at the door, worried about Hotaru once again. "I'm not sure what to do anymore. It seems like everything's being taken out of my hands. I mean, Usagi's a Princess. Goku's off fighting. and now something's up with Hotaru. It's like I'm just a useless character in this game."
"Come on Chi-Chi, this isn't like you at all. What happened to that spunk you used to have? You're still needed here. Usagi needs you now."
A slight smile cracked upon the woman's lips, but inside she still felt useless. Even though Krillin had told her that Usagi was more her child than any old Queen's, she felt as though she wasn't. But even through these feelings, she also felt that her time for crying over her loses was up. Krillin was right. Usagi did need her now. So, she rolled up her sleeves and went back to cleaning the girl up. "No use wasting anymore time."
Krillin smiled as he grabbed his cloth and dipped it in the bowl of water. "So now you're cheery again." He mumbled under his breath.
~*~*~
Trunks and Mamoru made their way to Dende's as fast as they could, well, as fast as Mamoru could. Trunks had to slow himself down in order for Mamoru to keep up with him, but it didn't matter anyway. They hadn't started out too far from the lookout considering that Goku had originally been on his way to the same place. He hadn't been stopped but maybe about twenty miles away.
Trunks, feeling a bit on the mischievous side, turned back to his fellow fighter. "So tell me, Mamoru, buddy, what do you think of Usagi?"
Mamoru growled, as he looked downward, careful not to make any eye contact with the lavender haired fighter. "I don't."
Trunks grinned. "Oh really? I still say you're getting soft. Could it be that you're starting to think of Usagi as a friend? . or maybe even more than that?!"
Mamoru shot a hateful glare at Trunks, ready to lunge at him. "What the hell are you talking about!? I hate the brat! I only put up with her because I have to!" Blushing, he turned his face back down. The truth of the matter he was beginning to think of Usagi as his friend, but being the "tough" person that he was, he was a little embarrassed to admit it, especially after all that he had been through with her. "I already told you I was a little worried because of her being the Princess and all. But that's it. Otherwise I can't stand her."
Trunks chuckled. "You only need to say you don't like her once, bud. Otherwise you sound suspicious."
Mamoru found himself giving off a growl again as the two approached the lookout. "Just drop it." He could feel his father there and Usagi wasn't exactly the subject he wanted to talk about at the moment, especially what Trunks was implying.
The two did just that, dropped the subject. As soon as they landed they were more concerned with what they had set out to do, and that was to find out where Goku had gone, and if he was safe. Trunks immediately took over and did all the talking. He felt it was more of his duty as being the older of the two. He spotted Dende and Piccolo just staring off into space and figured that they were tracking Goku and the others' power. "Dende, Piccolo!"
The two Namekians quickly broke out of their "trance" and turned toward the calling voice to see Trunks and Mamoru running for them. Piccolo motioned for Dende to take the lead. "Trunks, Mamoru. what are you doing here? You should be down on earth, protecting it."
Mamoru; "There's no more danger now that Goku, Gohan, and Goten are gone."
Trunks nodded in agreement with his younger comrade. "That's actually what we came up here for. Where exactly did they go?"
Dende shrugged. "We have no idea. I can barely feel them as it is. They've been taken somewhere far away from here, and I'm sure that Tatsuo guy is behind it."
Mamoru snickered. "No doubt." Piccolo said nothing, but his glare he gave his son was deadly. Mamoru knew right then to tone it down. This was something serious, not to be taken lightly.
Dende; "Wherever they are I can feel a large buildup of whatever Tatsuo was made up of."
Trunks scratched his head on confusion. "What? If they're in a place that is the same energy as Tatsuo is made up of, then wouldn't that mean he could regenerate easily."
Piccolo frowned. "Damn. That's absolutely true. I hope he's already figured that out. This is like nothing we've fought before."
Trunks shook his head in contradiction of Piccolo. "It's sort of like Majin Buu."
Piccolo nodded, glancing at his son, who had no idea what was being talked about. He was still clueless as to who exactly his son was at this point. "True, but if this is the same energy as Tatsuo is and uses then it can also hurt them."
~*~*~
~~Tatsuo's World~~
Goku led the way through the darkened world, completely alert to anything that may happen. The only thing protecting him from the ground were his shoes. And the energy even seemed to be creeping up around the metal areas, which he was well aware of. But he was paying little attention to that. He kept his eye out for Tatsuo. His senses were pretty much useless at this point. All of the energy around him were fooling them, which meant he would have to rely on his eyes.
Goten was the last in line, and most vulnerable to an attack, but he knew that if anything happened he would be safe with his father and brother there with him. "See anything yet?" No answer came from either two of the other Saiyan fighters. They just kept their vision facing forward, not wanting to take their attention away from the suspended fight.
Little did the three men know that they were being followed, but by the conventional walking or flying ways. No. With this supposed planet of energy came special perks for Tatsuo. In his true form he could become one with the planet, and therefore traveled directly beneath the feet of his foes, watching their every step and for any weakness. So far he found that the youngest one was a bit naïve, perfect bait for his first kill. He would get back at Goku for not cooperating by killing off his sons first, making him watch. It didn't even matter that Goku was stronger than him now. Nothing mattered. There was absolutely nothing that he could do. "That's it. keep walking. you'll never find me until I want you to." He would be sure to savor the moment he went in for the kill, it would have to be absolutely perfect.
~*~*~
Hotaru's condition didn't seem to be getting much better as the girls flew her home. She seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, not even Amy could figure out what was wrong with the girl. Her temperature seemed normal to the touch, her heart rate seemed fine. But her breathing was much faster than normal, which worried her most. She wished that Chi-Chi would have told her what had happened before they had left. Maybe she would have known what was wrong with Hotaru that way. But maybe Chi-Chi was right. Hotaru needed to get home as soon as possible, especially since her condition was worsening. "Hurry you guys."
Makoto carried the child in her arms. "I'm going as fast as I can, Amy."
Rei looked down at the girl, who seemed to be struggling for breaths between moans of pain. "Hang on, Hotaru. We're almost at your house."
Minako rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Why don't we just teleport? We ARE allowed to do that, you know."
Makoto stopped short, feeling pretty stupid. "Duh! Why am I so stupid."
Minako grinned. "I was always the brains of the outfit."
Makoto frowned. "I was just worried, that's all."
Minako widened her grin. "Sure you were."
Rei frowned as she slapped Minako in the back of the head. "Come on. We all lost our thoughts back there. But lets just hurry up now, alright?" The rest of the group nodded as the prepared themselves for a teleport, and then they were off.
~*~*~
The girls teleported directly into Hotaru's front living room. They didn't want to waste any time with the door. They hadn't expected the Professor to be there. They had actually expected him to be out searching for her. But to their surprise, there he was, just sitting there reading the newspaper as if nothing had happened. Needless to say they all found this a little odd, but they were more concerned with the welfare of their friend rather than what her father was doing at the moment.
Makoto ran to Professor Tomoe and knelt before him in order to slide Hotaru out of her arms and into his lap. He seemed a little disgruntled with the fact that his reading was being interrupted. "Professor!" She shouted, not taking any notice to his reaction.
The Professor cocked his head to the side as he wrapped his arms around the gasping girl. He paid no attention to the girls, but did notice Kaori standing in the shadows. He motioned for her to follow him as he turned away, still ignoring the girls who had brought his daughter back. Kaori followed closely behind him as he began walking down the nearest hallway, which lead down into his lab.
Makoto couldn't believe what had just happened. Not even a single word of thanks had been muttered from that man's mouth. She turned back to her friend with a frown of anger. "What the heck was that?"
Amy observed the man and his assistant carefully, letting her friends to battle over the way they had just been treated. Something didn't seem right about them. They all seemed a bit different, including Hotaru. Could it have been that there was more than just one clone on earth? "Come on you guys."
Rei turned to the quietest of the group, shocked that she wouldn't have thought that the way they had been treated was just a little on the rude side. "Amy? Aren't you concerned about this?"
Amy turned to one of two of her hotheaded friends and nodded. "Yeah, but talking about it isn't going to solve anything. Maybe we're looking too much into this. Maybe he was just so worried about her that he forgot to thank us."
Makoto gave a quick hmph with her answer to that. "Yeah right."
Amy frowned. "Being pessimistic again, I see."
Makoto frowned back as she took one more look down the hallway. "Let's just go."
~*~*~
~~Professor Tomoe's Lab~~
Professor Tomoe carefully led Kaori Knight into the basement laboratory with Hotaru in his arms. "You nearly blew it, Kaori."
Kaori followed the Professor to a small metal table, where he lay Hotaru down. "I'm sorry Professor. She was too fast for me to catch. These damn powers of hers."
"Silence!" He shouted as he put his hand back to hush the woman. He paid full attention to the child on the table, she seemed in such pain, but he knew exactly how to cure that. "You've been a bad girl today, Hotaru." He said with a cackle.
~*~*~
The girls left the mansion not knowing what to think. They had never encountered anything quite like that before in their lives. But none of that really mattered once they remembered everything that had happened just before going to Usagi's. Goku, Gohan, and Goten were missing, and Chi-Chi was probably going nuts.
Minako started out for her destination before even confirming it with the others. But confirmation wasn't needed. They all knew where she was headed, where they needed to be heading as well. They needed to see how Usagi was doing, as well as Chi-Chi. They knew she had taken a big blow to her emotions that day.
~*~*~
~~Tatsuo's World~~
The fighters were still in their line, still on alert, and still unknowing of the danger that lie at their feet. Tatsuo couldn't help but let out his laughter, causing the Saiyans to go into a frenzy. Goten jumped backward, while his father and brother both jumped into the air. "What was that?!"
Goku scanned his surroundings carefully, paying special attention to the ground where he thought the laughter had come from. "Goten, get off the ground."
Goten looked down at his feet, confused. "Huh?" He looked back up at his father. "What are you talking about? We already figured out that this stuff doesn't hurt us unless our skin touches it."
Tatsuo quickly made his way to Goten, letting his laughter be heard loud and clear. "Your boy isn't very smart, is he Goku?"
Goten's eyes widened as he stared down at the ground, only to see a lump forming in front of his feet. In this lump were two eyes, the same dark metallic blue eyes of Tatsuo. "Holy shit man!" He tried to jump up, but Tatsuo was too fast. He emerged only enough to let his upper body be seen, but it was enough for what he wanted to do. He reached up and grabbed a hold of Goten's leg, causing him to yelp in pain.
Goku acted quickly as he powered up to Super Saiyan and rushed down, grabbing his younger son by the shoulders and ripping him away from Tatsuo's hold. He glared down at Tatsuo with a raging hatred. "THAT'S why you needed to get off the ground."
Goten stared down at Tatsuo, who submerged himself back into the ground to his head. "What the."
Once safely in the air where he knew it was safe, Goku let go of his son while he continued to glare down at the ground, where he found Tatsuo glaring back at him. "We're not going down that easily."
Tatsuo chuckled. "Your son's inexperience shows. It makes him weak."
Goku grinned. "He's anything BUT weak."
Goten nodded, feeling rather conceited. "Yeah! And there's no better way to get battle experience than to be in an actual battle."
Tatsuo smiled. "So welcome to my world."
Gohan frowned. "What?"
"Don't be stupid. You heard me. This is my planet, well, it's more like a ball of energy. MY energy. I made it myself. Do you like it?" Tatsuo asked like a small child. "If you touch it, you get hurt, but I see you've already figured that out. This energy. my energy. is like your electricity down on earth, sort of. It reacts with the water moisture in your skin, making for a most un-pleasurable jolt throughout your body. This is where we're having our little battle."
Goku glared down at the head of his enemy. "Enough talking already! Let's start this!."
Tatsuo smirked as he let his shoulders surface. "I'll be happy to start, but I must warn you. Now that we're on my little ball of energy." He paused to laugh for a moment. "Wait. make that my big ball of energy. anyway, now that we're here there's no way you'll beat me. It doesn't matter if you're stronger than me, I'll beat you no matter what."
Goku wasn't sure about that, but he wasn't going to disregard it as nothing. That had always been Vejita's mistake whenever he fought. He always figured that he was the stronger fighter no matter what. Goku had never fought that way. He had always believed that the other fighter was as stronger, or stronger than himself. The only reason why he had won was because of his motivation. He had a real reason to win, like he had a real reason to win this time. "Are you just going to keep running your mouth or are you going to fight?"
Tatsuo rose to his waist with a chuckle of confidence. "If you're so eager to die, I'll grant you your wish." He took his time rising out completely only to keep Goku waiting, which he hoped would cause him to become impatient and dive down. He knew that Goku wouldn't come down toward the energy unless he had to, the man was smart.
Goku didn't fall for Tatsuo's trick, if it could even be called that. He had been through enough fights to know that one needs patients in order to win. Facing Tatsuo, he turned his eyes to Goten. "Get back a bit."
Before Goten had any chance to say a word, Gohan interrupted. "What? You're not thinking of doing this alone, are you?"
Goku turned his vision back to Tatsuo, who was approaching his altitude. "Let me go first, alone."
Gohan wasn't exactly sure what his father had planned, but he knew better than to argue his decision. He had known his father long enough to know that the man usually had pretty good judgment about these things, especially during the Cell games. "Don't do anything stupid, dad."
Goku grinned. "Don't worry." He took one look at Tatsuo and thought about Usagi, what she had said the first time she told him about her encounter with him. He had been stronger. much stronger than her, and she was nearly as strong as a level two Super Saiyan. Keeping this in mind, he only powered up to as far as level two would take him, stopping just before reaching level three power. He wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he was up against before fighting at full power.
Tatsuo crossed his arms with a grin. "Is that all you're giving it, Goku? I would have expected more from you, seeing how angry you were when you tracked me down on earth."
Goku said nothing as he crouched into his fighting stance. He already knew a little how Tatsuo fought after the fight with him in the forest as his daughter. This time he wouldn't hold anything back. but the again, neither would Tatsuo. He was slightly worried that his foe was stronger, but his sons were there to watch his back if anything really bad were to happen. "Let's just go."
Tatsuo failed to prepare himself for the fight, causing Goku to become agitated. Tatsuo just chuckled with his arms crossed. "Who would you like to make the first move?"
Goku gave an angry grunt, though not letting his attack stance drop. "Who cares?"
Tatsuo could tell that he was getting to the Saiyan already, but he was enjoying himself. This was a game to him now. "I'd rather fight one of your boys."
Goku frowned as he glanced over his shoulder toward his sons, who were also prepared for a fight just in case they were needed. He looked back at Tatsuo, his eyes raging with hatred for the creature of energy. He had nothing to say as he glared forward.
Tatsuo uncrossed his arms and frowned that no one had responded to his request. He had expected the younger fighters to jump at the chance to try and tear him apart, but the only one that would have dealt out the punishment would have been him. He directed his attention away from Goku and back at Gohan and Goten. "Unless you two are scared." He paused as he stared back into Goku's eyes, "I can always go back to earth and finish off the younger brat. "
Goku's eyes widened with a greater fury as he concentrated a huge ball of energy around his fist. Before he knew what he was doing, he dashed for Tatsuo, planting his fist in the creature's face, causing him to fall to the ground and dip back into the energy. Goku cold feel himself breathing heavily from being so outraged. He knew he needed to calm himself down before he actually did do something stupid. Luckily he still had enough of his senses to know not to follow Tatsuo down to the ground. He rubbed his fist, which throbbed with a slight pain. Whatever Tatsuo was, his body was the same texture as what was on the ground, which meant physical attacks were only to be used where skin was not openly exposed to the power.
It was only a matter of seconds before Tatsuo came back out of the planet of energy, and he was still wearing his smirk. He totally disregarded Goku's attack and continued with what he was saying. "Then I would steal her broach and destroy your little planet and everyone on it. but very slowly for that little undeclared punch of yours, Goku."
Goten couldn't stand this anymore. His father wasn't acting quickly enough. If he had been in his father's place he would have already shown Tatsuo what's what. But he knew that only being able to power up to Super Saiyan one wouldn't allow him to get very far, even Usagi was stronger than him at full power. But there was one way he could become stronger than even his father at Super Saiyan three. "Dad, take me back to earth. I'll get Trunks. we can fuse to Gotenks and power up more than you."
Goku was caught off guard a bit by his son's request. That hadn't really crossed his mind yet, but it was a good idea. But leaving this planet would mean Tatsuo would go back to earth looking for trouble. most likely with Usagi and her broach. Tatsuo certainly wouldn't wait for him to get back, that would mean his demise. Endangering the people of earth as well as the planet was not something Goku wanted to do. "I'm not leaving Tatsuo alone."
"But dad." Goten pleaded, "We could win this."
Gohan frowned. "Dad's got a point."
Tatsuo smiled as he put his hands on the back of his head. "Ah. a family argument. under normal circumstances I'd love to observe, but I am on a time schedule here. You see, I'm supposed to have your asses kicked in about two hours. and then I have an appointment with a certain Moon Princess. So if we could get the show on the road I'd be much obliged."
Goku turned his head up toward his son with a certain mischievous look in his eyes, a look that Gohan knew very well from his childhood. Goten knew by his brothers reaction that they were planing something, and he had a very good feeling what that certain something was. Goku initiated the attack with a nod of his head. In a split second Goten and Gohan had powered up completely.
As soon as Goku turned around the three commenced with their attack, giving it their all. Tatsuo shot out a beam of energy to counter the attacks, but with their combined strength, the three Saiyans easily overpowered anything that Tatsuo had to offer in return. But the creature of energy didn't seem to be at all worried. He knew that together they were much stronger than him. His body was forced down into the energy once again. This time he took his time coming back out. He repositioned himself directly under Goku, who had carefully watched the movement of the energy.
Tatsuo popped out faster than the eye could pick up. But Goku was ready for him. He dodged just as Tatsuo was about to make contact with his lethal touch. Goten and Gohan were on the defensive side of things as they both fired a Kamehameha at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo's attention was pulled away from Goku as he turned to bat the stronger Kamehameha wave back to its owner with his arm, allowing the other to hit at full force. But the weaker attack had almost no effect on him. His arm, however, had remnants from Goku's attack in it, turning his dark, metallic blue skin slightly lighter to the shade of Gohan's attack. His eyes flared as he glared up at Gohan.
Goku stared down at Tatsuo in amazement. Tatsuo was hurt by Gohan's attack, which was stronger than the energy he was made of, but that wasn't the first attack that Gohan had hit him with. Why was it now that he was affected by it and not before?
Tatsuo growled as he fired his own energy attack back at Gohan, who put up his arms to block. The attack didn't seem strong enough to be of any concern to him. But Goku knew otherwise. There wasn't time to warn Gohan of the dangers. One attack could do even a little bit of damage even though Gohan was stronger. The type of energy was like no other they had seen before.
Goku flew for the energy attack and kicked it away, but some of it came back and hugged his metal boot like a magnet. Tatsuo narrowed his eyes and jumped up for Goku but found himself meeting thin air, for Goku had teleported away to trick Tatsuo. Tatsuo stopped himself short and turned up to Goku with a grin. "You're fast. but not fast enough."
"Huh?" Before Goku even knew that Tatsuo had disappeared he was being grabbed from behind. Tatsuo had his arms wrapped around the Saiyan fighter. Goku's body fell almost numb as the jolting energy surged through his body. He refused to let his pain be heard, so instead of yelling out he bit his lower lip.
Tatsuo smirked. "Didn't I tell you? Being almost completely energy has its pluses. I can teleport faster than you could ever wish."
Tatsuo was so preoccupied with holding Goku that he hadn't even realized that Gohan was creeping up from behind with a ball of energy of his own. "Watch out, Tatsuo!" And with that he fired his attack upon Tatsuo. But he was too close for Tatsuo to be able to do anything to try and get dodge. His attack hit full force, causing him to release his grip on Goku and fall back first into the pool of energy below.
~*~*~*~
Goku, Gohan, and Goten found themselves in a strange land. There was no light other than what was being given off from the ground they were standing on, which was the same metallic blue texture that Tatsuo's skin was made of. The sky was non-existent in color. It was completely clear; the blackness of space and the yellow of stars being the only colors seen from the planet.
Gohan and Goku stood back to back as they scanned the new land for their foe, finding nothing. Goten on the other hand wasn't as cautious. He walked a ways away from his father and brother in complete awe. Nothing he had ever encountered could ever compare to this place. The ground seemed to be made up of some sort of energy. His foot dipped into it with every step, causing the "land" to stick to his foot like electricity would to a hand would when placed on an electricity ball. "Cool."
Gohan noticed his younger brother wandering away and frowned. "Don't go too far. We're on someone else's turf."
Goten returned a frown of his own. "I'm not a kid."
Goku pulled away from his son and knelt down to examine the land. He reached out and softly dabbed his finger down, but quickly pulled it back when he was shocked. "Nobody touch the ground."
Goten turned back to his father with a puzzled expression. "Huh? Why?" Being the impulsive thinker that he is, he reached down and placed his entire hand on the ground, causing an electrical shock to rush throughout his body.
Gohan rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "That's why, Einstein."
Goku stood up, ignoring his sons, especially Goten, which was something he had learned to do long ago. The guy may have been strong, but because he had only been through one major battle in his life he didn't really have a chance to learn proper fighting etiquette. And even in that one battle he hadn't exactly fought as he should have. "This stuff is pure energy. If our skin touches it."
Goten stood up, rubbing his arm in pain. "We're toast."
Goku nodded. "Exactly." He turned back to face his sons, both of which were on alert now. "Try to keep to the air when we find Tatsuo."
Gohan turned to his father and studied him carefully. He seemed to have calmed down a bit, which was for the better. A person with as much power as his father being as angry as he was couldn't have been a good thing. He had seen the results once before, and seeing them again wasn't something he wished to see again. "Speaking of the little devil, where do you think he is?"
Goku frowned as he darted a glance all around himself. "Feels like he's all around us."
"That's exactly what I was just thinking." Gohan looked downward at his feet and hoped up and down. "Think it's got something to do with the stuff we're standing on?"
Goku nodded. "Most likely." Goku glared back at his younger, more naïve son. "It's best to stay alert and not do anything foolish while we're here. We're on HIS turf now, not our own. As far as we're concerned, he's capable of doing anything."
Gohan nodded as he looked back toward his younger brother. "You'd do well to keep that in mind little bro."
Goten glared back as his brother, a little confused. "What? You're both acting like I'm gonna go off and do something really stupid to jeopardize the entire thing."
Goku grinned. He remembered very well what happened when the boy was fighting Buu. "Let's not forget how you and your buddy Trunks dropped the ball with Gotenks."
Goten frowned. "I was seven! I think I've grown up just a little bit since then." He declared sarcastically.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, back on earth, Chi-Chi was torn to shreds inside. So much was happening too fast, she didn't even know what to think anymore. Here was her daughter knocked out, her husband and sons were off who knows where fighting the same creature who had tried to turn everyone against Usagi, and now Hotaru. "Krillin." She asked solemnly as she placed her hands over her chest. "What's going on?"
Krillin wasn't exactly sure how he was meant to answer that. He wasn't even sure himself what was going on. All he knew was that there was a hurt girl on the sofa of his best friend's living room who needed medical attention immediately. "Chi-Chi, come on." He coaxed her over to his position, which was still at Usagi's side. "She looks a little better now." He explained as he gazed down at the child.
Chi-Chi painfully sighed as she slowly turned away from the door. She clenched her hands into two fists out of frustration. "I can't." She started.
"Huh?" Krillin looked up not knowing what to expect from the woman. He could see her pain deep within her eyes. There was no getting around it. She had already been weak from Usagi supposedly turning against everybody. Everything else was just the icing on the cake. "Chi-Chi." He stood up, careful not to bump into the girl next to him. "Are you alright? Do you need to sit down. need any water or anything?"
Chi-Chi hunched her shoulders over and looked down at the ground. "I can't take it anymore! This has been going on for too long! There are just too many surprises! All I want is a NORMAL family with NORMAL children who aren't anymore special than the other kids. well maybe smarter but that's it! I don't want all this fighting! I don't want the special powers! I just want NORMALCY! IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK!?" Her breathing increase immensely as she glared down at Krillin. She hadn't meant to blow up like that, but trying to keep it in for the sake of her daughter wasn't working either. It was bound to come out anyway.
Chi-Chi's glare soon turned into a look of shame as she slightly lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Krillin. I shouldn't have lashed out at you. But God I just get so upset sometimes, you know? It seems like everyone else can deal with this CRAP just fine, but I can't. I've tried and tried for Usagi, but it's not happening. Somehow it just comes piling out."
"You seemed to be doing fine right up until Hotaru came here." Krillin said as he began to relax. He hadn't known what to think about Chi-Chi's little outburst, but luckily she had calmed herself down, a sure sign of 'reform'.
Chi-Chi sighed as she rubbed her forehead. She was beginning to shake from all the stress. "It's too much. way too much. I think I liked things better when I didn't know what happened until everyone was fixed." She looked back at the door, worried about Hotaru once again. "I'm not sure what to do anymore. It seems like everything's being taken out of my hands. I mean, Usagi's a Princess. Goku's off fighting. and now something's up with Hotaru. It's like I'm just a useless character in this game."
"Come on Chi-Chi, this isn't like you at all. What happened to that spunk you used to have? You're still needed here. Usagi needs you now."
A slight smile cracked upon the woman's lips, but inside she still felt useless. Even though Krillin had told her that Usagi was more her child than any old Queen's, she felt as though she wasn't. But even through these feelings, she also felt that her time for crying over her loses was up. Krillin was right. Usagi did need her now. So, she rolled up her sleeves and went back to cleaning the girl up. "No use wasting anymore time."
Krillin smiled as he grabbed his cloth and dipped it in the bowl of water. "So now you're cheery again." He mumbled under his breath.
~*~*~
Trunks and Mamoru made their way to Dende's as fast as they could, well, as fast as Mamoru could. Trunks had to slow himself down in order for Mamoru to keep up with him, but it didn't matter anyway. They hadn't started out too far from the lookout considering that Goku had originally been on his way to the same place. He hadn't been stopped but maybe about twenty miles away.
Trunks, feeling a bit on the mischievous side, turned back to his fellow fighter. "So tell me, Mamoru, buddy, what do you think of Usagi?"
Mamoru growled, as he looked downward, careful not to make any eye contact with the lavender haired fighter. "I don't."
Trunks grinned. "Oh really? I still say you're getting soft. Could it be that you're starting to think of Usagi as a friend? . or maybe even more than that?!"
Mamoru shot a hateful glare at Trunks, ready to lunge at him. "What the hell are you talking about!? I hate the brat! I only put up with her because I have to!" Blushing, he turned his face back down. The truth of the matter he was beginning to think of Usagi as his friend, but being the "tough" person that he was, he was a little embarrassed to admit it, especially after all that he had been through with her. "I already told you I was a little worried because of her being the Princess and all. But that's it. Otherwise I can't stand her."
Trunks chuckled. "You only need to say you don't like her once, bud. Otherwise you sound suspicious."
Mamoru found himself giving off a growl again as the two approached the lookout. "Just drop it." He could feel his father there and Usagi wasn't exactly the subject he wanted to talk about at the moment, especially what Trunks was implying.
The two did just that, dropped the subject. As soon as they landed they were more concerned with what they had set out to do, and that was to find out where Goku had gone, and if he was safe. Trunks immediately took over and did all the talking. He felt it was more of his duty as being the older of the two. He spotted Dende and Piccolo just staring off into space and figured that they were tracking Goku and the others' power. "Dende, Piccolo!"
The two Namekians quickly broke out of their "trance" and turned toward the calling voice to see Trunks and Mamoru running for them. Piccolo motioned for Dende to take the lead. "Trunks, Mamoru. what are you doing here? You should be down on earth, protecting it."
Mamoru; "There's no more danger now that Goku, Gohan, and Goten are gone."
Trunks nodded in agreement with his younger comrade. "That's actually what we came up here for. Where exactly did they go?"
Dende shrugged. "We have no idea. I can barely feel them as it is. They've been taken somewhere far away from here, and I'm sure that Tatsuo guy is behind it."
Mamoru snickered. "No doubt." Piccolo said nothing, but his glare he gave his son was deadly. Mamoru knew right then to tone it down. This was something serious, not to be taken lightly.
Dende; "Wherever they are I can feel a large buildup of whatever Tatsuo was made up of."
Trunks scratched his head on confusion. "What? If they're in a place that is the same energy as Tatsuo is made up of, then wouldn't that mean he could regenerate easily."
Piccolo frowned. "Damn. That's absolutely true. I hope he's already figured that out. This is like nothing we've fought before."
Trunks shook his head in contradiction of Piccolo. "It's sort of like Majin Buu."
Piccolo nodded, glancing at his son, who had no idea what was being talked about. He was still clueless as to who exactly his son was at this point. "True, but if this is the same energy as Tatsuo is and uses then it can also hurt them."
~*~*~
~~Tatsuo's World~~
Goku led the way through the darkened world, completely alert to anything that may happen. The only thing protecting him from the ground were his shoes. And the energy even seemed to be creeping up around the metal areas, which he was well aware of. But he was paying little attention to that. He kept his eye out for Tatsuo. His senses were pretty much useless at this point. All of the energy around him were fooling them, which meant he would have to rely on his eyes.
Goten was the last in line, and most vulnerable to an attack, but he knew that if anything happened he would be safe with his father and brother there with him. "See anything yet?" No answer came from either two of the other Saiyan fighters. They just kept their vision facing forward, not wanting to take their attention away from the suspended fight.
Little did the three men know that they were being followed, but by the conventional walking or flying ways. No. With this supposed planet of energy came special perks for Tatsuo. In his true form he could become one with the planet, and therefore traveled directly beneath the feet of his foes, watching their every step and for any weakness. So far he found that the youngest one was a bit naïve, perfect bait for his first kill. He would get back at Goku for not cooperating by killing off his sons first, making him watch. It didn't even matter that Goku was stronger than him now. Nothing mattered. There was absolutely nothing that he could do. "That's it. keep walking. you'll never find me until I want you to." He would be sure to savor the moment he went in for the kill, it would have to be absolutely perfect.
~*~*~
Hotaru's condition didn't seem to be getting much better as the girls flew her home. She seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, not even Amy could figure out what was wrong with the girl. Her temperature seemed normal to the touch, her heart rate seemed fine. But her breathing was much faster than normal, which worried her most. She wished that Chi-Chi would have told her what had happened before they had left. Maybe she would have known what was wrong with Hotaru that way. But maybe Chi-Chi was right. Hotaru needed to get home as soon as possible, especially since her condition was worsening. "Hurry you guys."
Makoto carried the child in her arms. "I'm going as fast as I can, Amy."
Rei looked down at the girl, who seemed to be struggling for breaths between moans of pain. "Hang on, Hotaru. We're almost at your house."
Minako rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Why don't we just teleport? We ARE allowed to do that, you know."
Makoto stopped short, feeling pretty stupid. "Duh! Why am I so stupid."
Minako grinned. "I was always the brains of the outfit."
Makoto frowned. "I was just worried, that's all."
Minako widened her grin. "Sure you were."
Rei frowned as she slapped Minako in the back of the head. "Come on. We all lost our thoughts back there. But lets just hurry up now, alright?" The rest of the group nodded as the prepared themselves for a teleport, and then they were off.
~*~*~
The girls teleported directly into Hotaru's front living room. They didn't want to waste any time with the door. They hadn't expected the Professor to be there. They had actually expected him to be out searching for her. But to their surprise, there he was, just sitting there reading the newspaper as if nothing had happened. Needless to say they all found this a little odd, but they were more concerned with the welfare of their friend rather than what her father was doing at the moment.
Makoto ran to Professor Tomoe and knelt before him in order to slide Hotaru out of her arms and into his lap. He seemed a little disgruntled with the fact that his reading was being interrupted. "Professor!" She shouted, not taking any notice to his reaction.
The Professor cocked his head to the side as he wrapped his arms around the gasping girl. He paid no attention to the girls, but did notice Kaori standing in the shadows. He motioned for her to follow him as he turned away, still ignoring the girls who had brought his daughter back. Kaori followed closely behind him as he began walking down the nearest hallway, which lead down into his lab.
Makoto couldn't believe what had just happened. Not even a single word of thanks had been muttered from that man's mouth. She turned back to her friend with a frown of anger. "What the heck was that?"
Amy observed the man and his assistant carefully, letting her friends to battle over the way they had just been treated. Something didn't seem right about them. They all seemed a bit different, including Hotaru. Could it have been that there was more than just one clone on earth? "Come on you guys."
Rei turned to the quietest of the group, shocked that she wouldn't have thought that the way they had been treated was just a little on the rude side. "Amy? Aren't you concerned about this?"
Amy turned to one of two of her hotheaded friends and nodded. "Yeah, but talking about it isn't going to solve anything. Maybe we're looking too much into this. Maybe he was just so worried about her that he forgot to thank us."
Makoto gave a quick hmph with her answer to that. "Yeah right."
Amy frowned. "Being pessimistic again, I see."
Makoto frowned back as she took one more look down the hallway. "Let's just go."
~*~*~
~~Professor Tomoe's Lab~~
Professor Tomoe carefully led Kaori Knight into the basement laboratory with Hotaru in his arms. "You nearly blew it, Kaori."
Kaori followed the Professor to a small metal table, where he lay Hotaru down. "I'm sorry Professor. She was too fast for me to catch. These damn powers of hers."
"Silence!" He shouted as he put his hand back to hush the woman. He paid full attention to the child on the table, she seemed in such pain, but he knew exactly how to cure that. "You've been a bad girl today, Hotaru." He said with a cackle.
~*~*~
The girls left the mansion not knowing what to think. They had never encountered anything quite like that before in their lives. But none of that really mattered once they remembered everything that had happened just before going to Usagi's. Goku, Gohan, and Goten were missing, and Chi-Chi was probably going nuts.
Minako started out for her destination before even confirming it with the others. But confirmation wasn't needed. They all knew where she was headed, where they needed to be heading as well. They needed to see how Usagi was doing, as well as Chi-Chi. They knew she had taken a big blow to her emotions that day.
~*~*~
~~Tatsuo's World~~
The fighters were still in their line, still on alert, and still unknowing of the danger that lie at their feet. Tatsuo couldn't help but let out his laughter, causing the Saiyans to go into a frenzy. Goten jumped backward, while his father and brother both jumped into the air. "What was that?!"
Goku scanned his surroundings carefully, paying special attention to the ground where he thought the laughter had come from. "Goten, get off the ground."
Goten looked down at his feet, confused. "Huh?" He looked back up at his father. "What are you talking about? We already figured out that this stuff doesn't hurt us unless our skin touches it."
Tatsuo quickly made his way to Goten, letting his laughter be heard loud and clear. "Your boy isn't very smart, is he Goku?"
Goten's eyes widened as he stared down at the ground, only to see a lump forming in front of his feet. In this lump were two eyes, the same dark metallic blue eyes of Tatsuo. "Holy shit man!" He tried to jump up, but Tatsuo was too fast. He emerged only enough to let his upper body be seen, but it was enough for what he wanted to do. He reached up and grabbed a hold of Goten's leg, causing him to yelp in pain.
Goku acted quickly as he powered up to Super Saiyan and rushed down, grabbing his younger son by the shoulders and ripping him away from Tatsuo's hold. He glared down at Tatsuo with a raging hatred. "THAT'S why you needed to get off the ground."
Goten stared down at Tatsuo, who submerged himself back into the ground to his head. "What the."
Once safely in the air where he knew it was safe, Goku let go of his son while he continued to glare down at the ground, where he found Tatsuo glaring back at him. "We're not going down that easily."
Tatsuo chuckled. "Your son's inexperience shows. It makes him weak."
Goku grinned. "He's anything BUT weak."
Goten nodded, feeling rather conceited. "Yeah! And there's no better way to get battle experience than to be in an actual battle."
Tatsuo smiled. "So welcome to my world."
Gohan frowned. "What?"
"Don't be stupid. You heard me. This is my planet, well, it's more like a ball of energy. MY energy. I made it myself. Do you like it?" Tatsuo asked like a small child. "If you touch it, you get hurt, but I see you've already figured that out. This energy. my energy. is like your electricity down on earth, sort of. It reacts with the water moisture in your skin, making for a most un-pleasurable jolt throughout your body. This is where we're having our little battle."
Goku glared down at the head of his enemy. "Enough talking already! Let's start this!."
Tatsuo smirked as he let his shoulders surface. "I'll be happy to start, but I must warn you. Now that we're on my little ball of energy." He paused to laugh for a moment. "Wait. make that my big ball of energy. anyway, now that we're here there's no way you'll beat me. It doesn't matter if you're stronger than me, I'll beat you no matter what."
Goku wasn't sure about that, but he wasn't going to disregard it as nothing. That had always been Vejita's mistake whenever he fought. He always figured that he was the stronger fighter no matter what. Goku had never fought that way. He had always believed that the other fighter was as stronger, or stronger than himself. The only reason why he had won was because of his motivation. He had a real reason to win, like he had a real reason to win this time. "Are you just going to keep running your mouth or are you going to fight?"
Tatsuo rose to his waist with a chuckle of confidence. "If you're so eager to die, I'll grant you your wish." He took his time rising out completely only to keep Goku waiting, which he hoped would cause him to become impatient and dive down. He knew that Goku wouldn't come down toward the energy unless he had to, the man was smart.
Goku didn't fall for Tatsuo's trick, if it could even be called that. He had been through enough fights to know that one needs patients in order to win. Facing Tatsuo, he turned his eyes to Goten. "Get back a bit."
Before Goten had any chance to say a word, Gohan interrupted. "What? You're not thinking of doing this alone, are you?"
Goku turned his vision back to Tatsuo, who was approaching his altitude. "Let me go first, alone."
Gohan wasn't exactly sure what his father had planned, but he knew better than to argue his decision. He had known his father long enough to know that the man usually had pretty good judgment about these things, especially during the Cell games. "Don't do anything stupid, dad."
Goku grinned. "Don't worry." He took one look at Tatsuo and thought about Usagi, what she had said the first time she told him about her encounter with him. He had been stronger. much stronger than her, and she was nearly as strong as a level two Super Saiyan. Keeping this in mind, he only powered up to as far as level two would take him, stopping just before reaching level three power. He wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he was up against before fighting at full power.
Tatsuo crossed his arms with a grin. "Is that all you're giving it, Goku? I would have expected more from you, seeing how angry you were when you tracked me down on earth."
Goku said nothing as he crouched into his fighting stance. He already knew a little how Tatsuo fought after the fight with him in the forest as his daughter. This time he wouldn't hold anything back. but the again, neither would Tatsuo. He was slightly worried that his foe was stronger, but his sons were there to watch his back if anything really bad were to happen. "Let's just go."
Tatsuo failed to prepare himself for the fight, causing Goku to become agitated. Tatsuo just chuckled with his arms crossed. "Who would you like to make the first move?"
Goku gave an angry grunt, though not letting his attack stance drop. "Who cares?"
Tatsuo could tell that he was getting to the Saiyan already, but he was enjoying himself. This was a game to him now. "I'd rather fight one of your boys."
Goku frowned as he glanced over his shoulder toward his sons, who were also prepared for a fight just in case they were needed. He looked back at Tatsuo, his eyes raging with hatred for the creature of energy. He had nothing to say as he glared forward.
Tatsuo uncrossed his arms and frowned that no one had responded to his request. He had expected the younger fighters to jump at the chance to try and tear him apart, but the only one that would have dealt out the punishment would have been him. He directed his attention away from Goku and back at Gohan and Goten. "Unless you two are scared." He paused as he stared back into Goku's eyes, "I can always go back to earth and finish off the younger brat. "
Goku's eyes widened with a greater fury as he concentrated a huge ball of energy around his fist. Before he knew what he was doing, he dashed for Tatsuo, planting his fist in the creature's face, causing him to fall to the ground and dip back into the energy. Goku cold feel himself breathing heavily from being so outraged. He knew he needed to calm himself down before he actually did do something stupid. Luckily he still had enough of his senses to know not to follow Tatsuo down to the ground. He rubbed his fist, which throbbed with a slight pain. Whatever Tatsuo was, his body was the same texture as what was on the ground, which meant physical attacks were only to be used where skin was not openly exposed to the power.
It was only a matter of seconds before Tatsuo came back out of the planet of energy, and he was still wearing his smirk. He totally disregarded Goku's attack and continued with what he was saying. "Then I would steal her broach and destroy your little planet and everyone on it. but very slowly for that little undeclared punch of yours, Goku."
Goten couldn't stand this anymore. His father wasn't acting quickly enough. If he had been in his father's place he would have already shown Tatsuo what's what. But he knew that only being able to power up to Super Saiyan one wouldn't allow him to get very far, even Usagi was stronger than him at full power. But there was one way he could become stronger than even his father at Super Saiyan three. "Dad, take me back to earth. I'll get Trunks. we can fuse to Gotenks and power up more than you."
Goku was caught off guard a bit by his son's request. That hadn't really crossed his mind yet, but it was a good idea. But leaving this planet would mean Tatsuo would go back to earth looking for trouble. most likely with Usagi and her broach. Tatsuo certainly wouldn't wait for him to get back, that would mean his demise. Endangering the people of earth as well as the planet was not something Goku wanted to do. "I'm not leaving Tatsuo alone."
"But dad." Goten pleaded, "We could win this."
Gohan frowned. "Dad's got a point."
Tatsuo smiled as he put his hands on the back of his head. "Ah. a family argument. under normal circumstances I'd love to observe, but I am on a time schedule here. You see, I'm supposed to have your asses kicked in about two hours. and then I have an appointment with a certain Moon Princess. So if we could get the show on the road I'd be much obliged."
Goku turned his head up toward his son with a certain mischievous look in his eyes, a look that Gohan knew very well from his childhood. Goten knew by his brothers reaction that they were planing something, and he had a very good feeling what that certain something was. Goku initiated the attack with a nod of his head. In a split second Goten and Gohan had powered up completely.
As soon as Goku turned around the three commenced with their attack, giving it their all. Tatsuo shot out a beam of energy to counter the attacks, but with their combined strength, the three Saiyans easily overpowered anything that Tatsuo had to offer in return. But the creature of energy didn't seem to be at all worried. He knew that together they were much stronger than him. His body was forced down into the energy once again. This time he took his time coming back out. He repositioned himself directly under Goku, who had carefully watched the movement of the energy.
Tatsuo popped out faster than the eye could pick up. But Goku was ready for him. He dodged just as Tatsuo was about to make contact with his lethal touch. Goten and Gohan were on the defensive side of things as they both fired a Kamehameha at Tatsuo.
Tatsuo's attention was pulled away from Goku as he turned to bat the stronger Kamehameha wave back to its owner with his arm, allowing the other to hit at full force. But the weaker attack had almost no effect on him. His arm, however, had remnants from Goku's attack in it, turning his dark, metallic blue skin slightly lighter to the shade of Gohan's attack. His eyes flared as he glared up at Gohan.
Goku stared down at Tatsuo in amazement. Tatsuo was hurt by Gohan's attack, which was stronger than the energy he was made of, but that wasn't the first attack that Gohan had hit him with. Why was it now that he was affected by it and not before?
Tatsuo growled as he fired his own energy attack back at Gohan, who put up his arms to block. The attack didn't seem strong enough to be of any concern to him. But Goku knew otherwise. There wasn't time to warn Gohan of the dangers. One attack could do even a little bit of damage even though Gohan was stronger. The type of energy was like no other they had seen before.
Goku flew for the energy attack and kicked it away, but some of it came back and hugged his metal boot like a magnet. Tatsuo narrowed his eyes and jumped up for Goku but found himself meeting thin air, for Goku had teleported away to trick Tatsuo. Tatsuo stopped himself short and turned up to Goku with a grin. "You're fast. but not fast enough."
"Huh?" Before Goku even knew that Tatsuo had disappeared he was being grabbed from behind. Tatsuo had his arms wrapped around the Saiyan fighter. Goku's body fell almost numb as the jolting energy surged through his body. He refused to let his pain be heard, so instead of yelling out he bit his lower lip.
Tatsuo smirked. "Didn't I tell you? Being almost completely energy has its pluses. I can teleport faster than you could ever wish."
Tatsuo was so preoccupied with holding Goku that he hadn't even realized that Gohan was creeping up from behind with a ball of energy of his own. "Watch out, Tatsuo!" And with that he fired his attack upon Tatsuo. But he was too close for Tatsuo to be able to do anything to try and get dodge. His attack hit full force, causing him to release his grip on Goku and fall back first into the pool of energy below.