The Final Battle

            Gotenks thundered to the ground with a sickening sound and with such force that the two young saiyans defused and scraped across the floor, unconscious or possibly worse.  Dalron lowered himself to the ground, his fist still outstretched from the attack.  Without missing a beat, he dragged his foot across the floor, digging up loose rock and dirt.  His foot connected square across Goku's midsection, forcing all of the air out of his lungs.  As Goku's limp body fell to the ground Dalron grabbed his face with his left hand and shoved him into the wall repeatedly.  After the tenth time he unceremoniously threw him across the room.  With cat-like grace Goku flipped as he flew through the air and landed on his feet.  He immediately blurred to super speed leaving a small dust trail in his wake.  Thunderclaps and shockwaves of air were the only indication that Dalron was taking damage from Goku's continuous barrage. 

            The mountain was already unstable, and huge chunks of rock crashed to the ground creating new hazards for our heroes.  Videl and Vegeta used their auras to deflect the brunt of the falling rock and used their ki attacks to stop the rest before it became a problem around them.  Krillin and Piccolo did the same on their end.  Gohan sped over to where Trunks and Goten lay, gathered them up, and delivered them over to Dende to get some much-needed healing before reappearing next to Videl and Vegeta.  The remaining forces of Dalron ran for their lives as the mountain continued its slow, inexorable demise.  Most were crushed under the great weight of the rock or turned on themselves in the race to escape.  Those that survived the initial barrage of rock still had to contend with more and the added threat of the Z Warriors.  Goku and Dalron were the only ones too preoccupied to notice the vast destruction around them.

            The initial shock of Dalron's transformation had finally worn off as the battle dragged on between the two mighty warriors but the situation was getting even more desperate as each moment passed.  Goku was clearly outmatched by Dalron; only his ferocity was keeping him at bay, but only barely.  It would only be a matter of time before Goku's reckless attacks caused him to slip up, then Dalron would be able to capitalize on it and kill him.

            "You're good," Dalron grunted through clenched teeth as he strained against Goku's strength.  "You're even stronger than Brolly, maybe even stronger than me."

If he was looking for a reaction in Goku to his words, he didn't find any.  "But your strength comes at a price!"

            With a roar, he heaved Goku aside and struck out with his hand like a spear.  He caught Goku's shoulder and his extended fingers pierced through flesh and bone like they were butter!  Goku screamed in rage and pain.  Dalron twisted his hand sideways, aggravating the wound further. 

            "You let your rage blind you," he remarked casually.  "Your instincts are good, but you'll need more than that to beat me!"  He twisted his arm again, sending Goku to whole new realms of pain and agony.  Abruptly, Goku de-powered under the strain.

            "Father!"

            Gohan appeared next to his father and sent a powerful combination of punches at Dalron's face that caused him to lose his grip on his opponent.  Goku fell to the ground in a heap, blood still pouring out from the grievous wound.  Gohan's anger flared, as did his aura.  He felt the subtle connection to himself begin to slip as his power raged higher and higher.  He kept up the pressure, making Dalron a believer in the power of his mystic form!

            Both Vegeta and Videl appeared next to Goku's limp body and carried him off to safety as Gohan pressed on, gathering his power as the seconds passed by.

            "Oh no!  Goku's down," Krillin cried.  He gathered his energy and prepared to leap into the fray, but Piccolo's raised arm stopped him.

            "No!  There's nothing we can do for him now.  Freeing the others is our top priority; the others will have to handle it."

            "But what if they can't?" Krillin shot back. 

            "Then we're dead."

            Krillin held his head in defeat and sighed.  He lifted his head back up and looked hard at Piccolo.  "What's the plan then?"

            The Grand Kai moved closer to listen in.  Piccolo regarded the door in silence for a moment then closed his eyes.  "The door is resistant against all conventional attacks as well as our energy attacks.  We could theorize that the same resistant material would surround the entire chamber that imprisons our friends so digging under the door wouldn't be an option either."

            "So how do we get in then?" asked the Grand Kai.

            Piccolo's eyes opened as he spoke, "I'll go through it."

            A second of relative silence passed before Krillin spoke up as he cleaned out his ears.  "Huh?"

            Dende and the Grand Kai also gave Piccolo quizzical looks.  His expression didn't change, "Right on through."

            "How the f." the Grand Kai couldn't finish his question due to a large rock that landed square on his head. 

            Piccolo turned to face the other three.  "I will attempt to make myself intangible and walk on through as if the door wasn't there," he explained.  "I've only attempted this technique one other time and I failed with near disastrous consequences.  The process requires massive amounts of energy, more than I can generate alone.  I'll need your energy to help me complete the transformation.  Any questions?"

            The other three shook their heads no.  "Good, now join hands and raise your power levels as high as they can go."

            The complied with Piccolo's wishes and began powering up.

            Videl could only look on in horror at Goku's bleeding wounds as Vegeta lent him some of his energy to keep him stable until Dende was finished helping out Piccolo.  The steady stream of energy given off by Vegeta wouldn't last because of Goku's wound.  Blood poured freely from the gaping hole in his shoulder and his breathing was hollow and very faint.

            "Videl!  VIDEL!" Vegeta bellowed.

            She jerked with a start at the urgency of his voice.  "Huh?  What is it?"

            "Put your hands here and apply pressure; we need to close this wound," he commanded.

            She gingerly moved her hands over the wound and closed her eyes as she pressed down over the grisly wound.  The slickness of his blood, combined with his natural heat and the smell of sweat nearly made her wretch, but she applied as much pressure as she could.  The bleeding slowed but not completely.  She turned away from the sight only to see Gohan take a roundhouse kick from Dalron.  The force of the blow knocked him back, but he didn't seem to acknowledge the damage.  Vegeta's training took over her mind as she sized up the opponents.  That's when it hit her; there was something different about Gohan.  He maxed out his power level, which was close to Dalron's but there was enough of a gap between the two levels to make it a short fight.  However he didn't show any sign of fatigue from the hits.  He was bruising over but his movements were calculated and sure.  It was as if.he was holding back?  But that didn't make sense!  Then she noted another thing that confused her further: when you take damage your power level drops a bit.  It last for a brief millisecond before it climbs back up, but prolonged fights also cause fatigue damage to where the power level of the fighter who gets the worst of a battle starts seeing his power level drop at a steady rate.  Gohan was definitely getting the worst out of the battle but he wasn't registering any fatigue damage.  His power level wasn't dropping at all!  It was as steady and level as if he hasn't even started combat.  None of this made sense to her.

            "You sense it too," Vegeta stated as he continued giving his life energy to Goku.

            She turned to him with an incredulous expression, "What's going on here?  It doesn't make any sense!"

            "I don't understand it either.  I just hope he lasts long enough for Dende to get here!"

            Gohan's stare never left Dalron's.  At first he was confused.  Dalron should've wiped the floor with him by now, but he was still holding his own, getting beaten like a rag doll, but he was still standing.  He felt Videl's presence behind him and instead of getting angrier he found himself overcome with a peace and calmness that he had rarely felt before.  In fact, the only other times he could recall feeling that way was the final moments of his battles between Cell and Bojack; those last few seconds when he was able to dig down deep inside himself and muster the power to help his friends and defeat the enemy.  Now that same feeling was on him again and even though Dalron was stronger and his technique was greater it didn't matter to him.  He defended when he could, and dodged when necessary.  The force of Dalron's blows was powerful indeed, but a part of him wouldn't let the pain register.  Gohan decided to switch tactics.  Instead of using his power to augment his strength he used it to augment his speed.  The results were nearly instantaneous.  Dalron's attacks now seemed slower than before and much easier to block and dodge.  Even though Dalron's fighting techniques were top notch, they appeared.clumsy and non-focused now.  For a moment Gohan was astonished at the abrupt change of pace in the battle and Dalron used that moment to capitalize by smashing him to the ground and kicking him across the floor.  Gohan flipped up and assumed a defensive position.  Now THAT hurt!  He'd still have to be careful, Dalron was still capable of doing massive damage and then it would be all over.

            Conflicting emotions coursed through Vegeta body like a fire.  It was obvious to him that whatever Gohan had done to even out the stakes didn't work.  He turned to Goku.  He wouldn't last much longer no matter how much life energy he gave him.  He looked back at Piccolo and saw that they weren't finished with whatever they were doing yet.  Anger welled up inside him and his super saiyan aura flared to life involuntarily.  Videl noticed but there wasn't anything she could do if she wanted to.  She was giving Goku a few more precious moments of life by slowing the bleeding, if that was worth anything anyway.  What is worth all this, he asked himself.  I started this, and I was going to end it!  Blast you Kakarot!  Your rage could be the undoing of us all!  You stupid, idiotic, no-good, son-of-a-bitch!  You deserve to die!  After everything we went through together over the years you had to make the most bone-headed decision of your life and doomed us all.  Where were your high-minded decrees?  All your talk of peace, your love and zest for life, where has it gone, Kakarot?  The power of Dalron's mind control was too much for you.  Your baser saiyan instincts were brought to the forefront and you reveled in them.  You weren't strong enough Kakarot.  For that I cannot forgive you, and I hope you die.  Damn you for not being there when we needed you the most!  I would let you rot here and let your fate be sealed, but the others don't deserve that!  I can't let it end this way!  As King of the Saiyan race it is my duty to protect those that are left and the ones they care about.  It was a hard lesson to learn especially since I learned it from you Kakarot.  Besides, what other choice do I have?

            Vegeta took his hand off of Goku's should and stood up to his full height.  Videl looked at him quizzically.  "Vegeta?  What are you doing?"

            "Give him what life energy you can spare.  I'm going to finish this once and for all."

            Her next question was drowned out by his scream as he went third level and beyond.

            "Hmm," Master Roshi muttered as he stroked his beard.  "Things aren't going too well out there I'm afraid."

            Chi-Chi's look was distant in her cell.  "No, not again."  Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her connection to Goku begin to diminish.

            "They'd better hurry up out there or we'll be buried alive in here," Oolong exclaimed, beginning to panic.  The cells began to shake as shockwaves rumbled through from the battle going on outside the area, adding another exclamation point to Oolong's outburst.

            "He's leaving me again," Chi-Chi whimpered, lines of tears streaming down her face.  "Hold on Goku!"

            Dende was the first to max out his power, followed by Krillin, then Piccolo and finally the Grand Kai.  Their auras burned bright white with power and purpose, and their auras combined to form one glowing outline.  Piccolo gripped the Grand Kai's arm tighter and Krillin's, signaling that he was ready to accept their energy.  The outline around Piccolo began to glow brighter while the others' began to diminish as their energy ran through him.  Piccolo's body slowly started to become transparent, one body part at a time.  Sweat poured off of all four of them as they concentrated.  Finally the process was complete as the aura faded around the others and finally Piccolo.  Piccolo was now completely transparent.

            "I hope this works," remarked Krillin.

            "It's got to, man," the Grand Kai replied.

            "Dende," Piccolo said.  Dende looked up at him, "Yeah?"

            "Go help Goku.  I'll have to handle the rest from here."

            "Krillin and I will go find the dragonballs while Bad Ass is occupied," the Grand Kai said.  Krillin and the others nodded in agreement.

            "Be careful," Piccolo warned.

            "You bet," came Krillin's reply.

            The group dispersed with their new goals, leaving Piccolo to stare at the closed door.  He took a step forward.

            Gohan ducked under a sword slash that came out of nowhere, and was forced to leap away from the next assault.  He didn't know how Dalron was able to create weapons out of thin air, but he knew that they were lethal.  He was cut and bleeding in several places, and his clothes were mostly rags now.  He dodged to the right to avoid one strike only to take a deep cut to his side by another.  His confidence was shaken and he could tell that his power level was beginning to drop from the damage.  The golden aura flared around Dalron's menacing figure and showed no sign of any appreciable power loss.  Dalron came at him again, blades flashing and hissing as he twirled them around for the next attack.  Instead of backing off Gohan flew at him as he charged up his power.  The two combatants met and Dalron's blades swung down from either side, attempting to cut Gohan into four distinct pieces.  Gohan screamed as he unleashed his ki blast right at the point of impact where the blades came down.  His bellow echoed across the remains of the cavern as the two fighters became enveloped in a bright ball of blue energy from Gohan's attack.  The energy held for a second and then exploded with great force.  Dalron flew back from the force of the blast, his blades shattered into slivers of energy.  Gohan stood his ground with his arms outstretched, breathing heavily.  He drew his hands back to his side and began the Kamehameha Wave as Dalron stood up slowly.  A small blue ball formed between his hands and began to grow as Gohan continued the Wave.  Dalron's aura spiked in irritation and he blurred to super speed.  Gohan felt him reappear behind him but kept enough presence of mind to hold on to his attack as Dalron's fist struck him repeatedly in the back.  As Dalron's fists came down Gohan let the momentum of the attack send him downward, but he was still able to keep his balance.  As he went down he brought his hands up and spread his legs outward, doing a split.  He released the Kamehameha Wave full into Dalron's face, the beam overwhelming him and continued on, disintegrating more sections of the mountain and continued on into space.  Dalron fell backward onto the ground, screaming in pain and clutching his face.  Gohan slowly brought his legs up from the split into a standing position and brought his hands down.  He turned to the writhing body of Dalron and was somewhat taken aback by what he saw: Dalron's face was bleeding profusely and he was clutching the place where his right eye once was.  Not wanting to waste time Gohan charged up another Kamehameha Wave.  He released it with all the force he held.  In an act of desperation Dalron shot out his finger and screamed in rage and pain.  A ray of white light shot forth from his finger, aimed directly at the center of the Kamehameha Wave.  The ray hit the Wave, causing it to detonate before impact.  The white beam continued on.  Gohan's eyes went wide as he realized what was about to happen.  The beam struck Gohan and continued through him, narrowly missing his heart by mere centimeters!  Gohan's world exploded into pain as he fell to the ground.

            Videl watched her love fall to the ground in slow motion.  She tried to yell out his name but no voice came from her mouth.  Every nerve in her body screamed at her to go save him and she would have if Goku didn't need her immediate attention.  She didn't even notice Dende come up from behind her.

            "I'll take over here," he said urgently.  "Get Gohan over here.quickly!"

            Dende's voice shook her out of it and she nodded.

            Piccolo stepped through the large doors as if they weren't there.  So far so good, he thought.  A wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm him.  Using all of that energy to transform into something that was between this reality and.somewhere else had a tendency to create unusual side effects.  Moving through solid matter nearly broke his concentration, and that was the key to his past failure and would have killed him if it hadn't been for his regeneration ability.  And in a flash the nausea passed as he completed his journey through the door.  Just in time too, because he became tangible again.

            "Piccolo!" The prisoners cried out in unison.

            Piccolo nodded and quickly scanned the room looking for any sign of guards or other protective measures.  Satisfied, he turned to Bulma's cell.  "How do I get you out of there?"

            Bulma stood up from her kneeling position and regarded the door.  "It's keyed somehow to a specific energy wave.  If any other type of energy wave hits it it's rigged to explode.  At least, that's what I'm guessing at.  All my equipment was taken when we were captured.  I don't know the proper wavelength to deactivate the cell."

            "We can't use our power either," Master Roshi explained.  "They must have some kind of dampening field in here too."

            "How're things going out there?" Yaumcha asked, his eyes getting bright with hope.

            "How's Krillin?" 18 asked wishfully.

            "Don't worry about that right now," Piccolo commanded, "we have more important things to worry about."

            The hope drained from both Yaumcha's and 18's eyes, and they fell back to silence.  Chi-Chi's eyes were still downcast; her thoughts were still on her dying husband.

            "Help me out here Bulma, this is your area of expertise."

            "I don't know how I can help, Piccolo!  I'd need my equipment!"

            "We don't have the means or the time!" he barked back.  "You're going to have to do this without your instruments."

            Bulma stared long and hard at the blinking control panels around each cell.  "Well," she began, "for starters, each cell is keyed to the same wavelength so that should save us some trouble.  It'll take me some time to do the calculations in my head."

            "I'll assist," 18 said.

            "Good," Piccolo said as he nodded, "now get to work."

            Krillin and the Grand Kai flew threw the crumbling tunnels of the mountain, the seven dragonballs were their goal.  Rubble came down around them as the mountain was loosing its stability.  Most of the rooms were choked full of robot parts and dead bodies, but there still wasn't any sign of the dragonballs.  Time was running out and they sped up their search.

            Dalron stood over the unconscious body of Gohan, still clutching his face.  What features were visible told of the damage that he had endured.  His face was a burned mess and charred horribly.  His blood-matted hair still smoked from Gohan's attack.  His body was also scarred and burned.  He slowly shuffled back a few paces, favoring his left leg.  "Still.alive, are you?" he rasped as blood dripped from his face. 

            "Yes," was Vegeta's reply from behind him.

            Dalron turned slowly to face him as he spoke.  "You.you have decided.to finally.fight?"  Dalron's good eye bore a hole through Vegeta's cold demeanor.  Vegeta didn't change.

            "If I must to protect my family and my way of life, yes."  His tone was low but surprisingly without malice.

            "And what of mine?" he spat back.  "What choice did we have?"

            "None, of course," Vegeta replied solemnly. 

            "You.you're race.is an abomination!  The bane of all that is good and pure in.in the universe!  We had to protect ourselves from you and your kind.  Butchers!  Butchers one and all!"

            "And how low you have sunk," Vegeta shot back.  "Using those who preach peace to cause destruction!  A true warrior never stabs an enemy in the back!  He faces his foe with honor on the battlefield!"

            "Hollow words coming from you!"

            Vegeta lowered his head a little," I.I have learned the errors of my ways a long time ago.  It was.Kakarot who taught me."

            "Another saiyan," he growled with derision.  "Your people are all alike.  His true nature was suppressed; I only brought it out.  In the end, he was just like the rest."

            Dalron removed his hand from his wounded face and clenched his fists in anger.  "There were millions of others like Kaltara, full of beauty and grace.  You took their lives from them!  Where is the honor in that?"

            "I do not have the answers to give you for my past sins.  If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I."

            "Spare me your words, murderer!  You and your kind have poisoned the galaxy long enough!  I am the last of my kind, while you claim to be the King of your entire race.  Let us see, once and for all, which one of us is stronger!"

            Vegeta's cold expression still did not change, "As you wish."

            Their aura's flared to life and they struck each other as one.  The resulting thunderclap and shockwave of the hits shook the entire mountain!  Vegeta immediately went on the defensive, wasting precious seconds to size up his opponent.  Even though Dalron was injured, his power level hadn't dropped significantly enough.  Vegeta knew the dangerous position he was in; his time was running out, he couldn't stay in his current fighting form indefinitely.

            Videl saw her chance as Vegeta led Dalron away from Gohan.  She immediately blurred to super speed next to him.  She gingerly picked him up, trying not to put him in a position to where he would lose more blood.  She blurred back to where Dende and Goku were and gently laid him down.  Her insides were all knotted up as she checked his breathing.  She turned to Dende who was hard at work healing Goku.

            "Do you have enough energy left to help him?"

            "I don't know," he replied through gritted teeth.  "I'm having a difficult time keeping Goku stable, but I'll try."

            "Thank you," she said.  She turned back to Gohan and stroked his brow soothingly.  "Hold on, Gohan!"

            The Grand Kai and Krillin exploded through the rubble and dead bodies.  Most of the mountain had fallen and signs of death were all around them as they blasted through one corridor after another.  The pair was cut and bruised from the flying shards of rock but they continued on with their search, both trying not to gag at the ghastly sights around them.  After many agonizing moments they blasted through a large chunk of rubble and saw the remains of a room beyond it.  Destroyed druids and crushed bodies greeted them as they entered.  Large computers and shattered glass covered what was left of the floor.  Electrical discharges sparked from open conduits and wires.  Small fires burned at various places and the stench of ozone was thick in the air.

            "This looks like the control center," Krillin remarked as he looked around.  The Grand Kai nodded as he continued his search.  "Maybe the dragonballs are here somewhere."

            "I hope so," the old Kai answered back, "this is the only room left."

            They rummaged through the shattered machines, desperately searching for the dragonballs.  Minutes passed and still they found nothing. 

            "It's not here," Krillin cried.  "Where the hell are they?"

            Krill began a frantic search of the room again, smashing everything in his path.  The Grand Kai sighed and then his eye caught Dalron's throne.  He stoked his beard thoughtfully and walked over to it.  The throne was in the corner of the room and was relatively unscathed.  The thing that caught his eye was a glowing light on one of the armrests.  The light flashed red as he walked up to it. 

            "Krillin!  I may have found our answer!"

            Krillin stopped and flew over to where the Grand Kai was and studied the throne along with the old Kai.

            "What is it?  What did you find?"

            "Look at this," he said pointing at the flashing light.

            Krillin reached out his hand and touched the light.  The light pressed down and a slight clicking sound resounded around them.  The ground shook momentarily and the wall behind the throne began to give way.  A bright orange glow emanated from the secret room behind the throne.  The light bathed the two warrior's smiling faces.

            "Alright!" Krillin exclaimed, jumping with joy.

            "Who's the man?" the Grand Kai yelled as they high-fived each other.

            Piccolo was getting angrier by the second.  There wasn't anything he could do until Bulma and 18 came up with the right calculations.  If the energy wave wasn't keyed right.well.he didn't want to dwell on that. 

            "Are you two done yet?

            "I think so," Bulma answered.  "It's still a stab in the dark, but our calculations support us."

            "Good, what do I have to do?"

            Bulma and 18 pointed over at the control panel on the cell.  "See that control panel?  There's a series of buttons ranging from green to yellow to blue.  Those buttons need to be pressed in a certain sequence to deactivate the cell."  Piccolo nodded in understanding as he looked over the control panel.  "You'll only get one chance, so let's hope our calculations are correct.  Press the top left button twice."

            Piccolo did as commanded and then he waited.  Seconds passed but nothing happened.  "Well, what's next," he asked impatiently.

            "Sorry Piccolo," Bulma replied, "I was just waiting to see if the cell exploded.  I guess we were right after all!"

            A large sweatdrop formed over Piccolo's brow and he growled in displeasure.  "Next?"

            18 spoke up, "Fourth column down, three from the right, press the button once."

            He did and the low hum disappeared, but the energy still surrounded the cage.

            "That wasn't supposed to happen," Bulma said in alarm.

            "What wasn't supposed to happen?" Piccolo growled.

            "Don't worry about it," 18 said.  "Next, fifth column from the left, two over to the right.  Press the button twice."

            And so, the slow, agonizing process continued.

            Vegeta recoiled from Dalron's powerful punch.  Several teeth were knocked out from the force, but he was able to maintain his balance and he brought his arm up in time to block Dalron's sweeping kick.  He backed away and caught Dalron's next kick and twisted his leg as hard as he could.  Dalron flipped into the twist to keep his leg from snapping off and kicked out with his other leg knocking Vegeta away.  As Vegeta backed up, he shot his hands out and fired wave after wave of powerful ki blasts.  Dalron barely had time to dodge as he tried to keep his balance.  The blasts thundered around him and struck from all sides, knocking him around like a rag doll.  Vegeta moved into the blasts, hitting Dalron from point-blank range.  He poured as much power into his attacks as he could, not caring how quickly he was burning himself out.  He stopped the blasts when he was right next to him and immediately began a flurry of kicks and punches.  He wasn't giving Dalron time to recoup himself, and the blows he landed began to take their toll on Dalron.  Vegeta kicked upward with all his strength, connecting squarely with Dalron's chin.  Dalron became airborne, but Vegeta blurred above him and brought his massive fists down on him, crushing him back to the ground.  He brought his hands in front of him, aiming downward at Dalron.  Lightning danced across his body as his Final Flash attack formed.  He screamed as he let the attack go.  Dalron saw the attack coming and raised his hands above him in an attempt to catch the attack and stop it, or to try to dissipate the attack.  The Final Flash slammed into Dalron but his great strength held the energy at bay, he gritted his teeth as he strained to push back the attack.  The long sleeves of Dalron's tattered shirt disintegrated from the close proximity of the Final Flash, as did his gloves.  Dalron grunted and strained, veins popped out from his arms and head as he slowly started forcing the attack back.  He took a step forward, then another.

            "I'm not through yet!" Vegeta yelled as his aura flared brighter.  He tapped all of the energy he was holding in reserve and poured it on.  The Final Flash grew bigger and the weight of the attack caused Dalron's feet to drill into the ground.

            The ends of Dalron's long hair caught fire and disappeared from the closeness of the attack.  He screamed as he struggled and finally shoved the Final Flash to his side, escaping the majority of the blast.  He leapt at Vegeta with insane speed and brought his knee up, aiming at his midsection.  Vegeta saw it coming but he wasn't able to block it.  The sound of the impact thundered through the remains of the mountain as Dalron connected.  All of the air was forced out of Vegeta's lungs and he heard the sickening snap as several of his ribs broke from the impact.  To make matters worse, his lung was also punctured.  Dalron held the attack in place for a second, intent on inflicting as much damage as he could, but Vegeta retaliated by bringing his fists up over his head and brought them down on the small of Dalron's back.  There was another thunderclap from the impact and both combatants sailed to the ground.  The ground shook from Dalron's impact.  Vegeta landed on one knee clutching his side.  Blood dripped from his mouth and he coughed up more of the same.  It was getting more and more difficult for him to breathe. 

            Dalron got up slowly, clearing showing the pain that he felt.  His power was dropping steadily, but Vegeta's was dropping faster.  Dalron started walking toward Vegeta, murder intent in his good eye.  Vegeta struggle to stand, and finally did right as Dalron got up to him.  Vegeta was rocked by a powerful haymaker punch from Dalron, but he didn't fall.  Vegeta returned the sentiment with one of his own.  Strategy and technique was thrown out the window.  Both warriors resolved to be the only one left standing and used raw power to try to bring the other down.  Vegeta didn't bother with blocking anymore.  This is what he used to live for!  He felt his nose break from another powerful punch, and he returned the favor by punching Dalron right in the kidney area.  With his other fist he punched upward like a boxer, uppercutting Dalron.  Dalron rocked backward but turned to his side and brought his leg up as he turned.  The roundhouse kick landed in Vegeta's injured side, causing him to double over in pain.  Dalron completed his turn and brought his fists down repeatedly on Vegeta's head.  Vegeta forced his legs to continue working and shot straight up, using the back of his head like a battering ram.  The tactic worked, and Dalron backed away a step.  Vegeta grabbed the sides of Dalron's face and head butted him, causing Dalron to spin backward, reeling in pain.  Vegeta's head exploded in pain from the impact and for a second his body refused to work.  His legs buckled and he fell to his knees.  He was able to get one leg to work, but the other stubbornly refused.  His breathing was quick, and blood pored from his injured side.  He could dimly see Dalron's hazy figure step up to him, preparing to crush him with his raised fists.  He kicked out one of Dalron's legs with his working leg, but the other still refused to work.  Vegeta hit the floor, as did Dalron.

            Vegeta's power level was dropping to dangerous limits; soon he would de-power and that would be the end of it.  He used his energy to raise himself from the ground slightly and to move his dead leg into position so he could stand.  The plan worked somewhat.  His dead leg locked in place keeping him balanced, but the downside was that he couldn't move. 

            I've got enough power for one last shot, Vegeta thought; I'd better make it count!  He brought his hands together in front of him and gathered what remaining energy he had left as Dalron stood up.  Vegeta's aura flared brightly, spiking and peaking like never before!  Lightning danced around his body, starting at his head and working down towards his hands where the blue ball of energy was forming.  Dalron snapped his hand out reflexively, and a blade of red glowing energy surrounded it.  He crouched down preparing to slice Vegeta in two.

            The final outcome of the battle was not lost on Videl.  Vegeta's energy was dropping at an alarming rate but so was Dalron's.  Dalron still had more energy in reserve, not much, but that was enough.  She saw in Vegeta's eyes that he knew it too.  Her heart sank as she saw him break into a smile as he stole a quick look in her direction.  He was resigned to his fate; the fate that eventually befalls all true warriors: death at the hands of a more powerful foe. 

            Her energy spiked for a brief second.  Videl was taken aback from the sudden surge of energy; she didn't do anything to raise her power on her own.  The energy wasn't her own, but it felt familiar.  She turned to Dende and was surprised to see Goku's eyes boring through her. 

"Goku." she started.

            He gripped her arm with his good hand and squeezed it.  "Videl." he winced through the pain, "you.you have to.finish this.  You can.do it!"

            Videl felt a steady surge of energy as Goku's hand glowed.  He was giving her his energy. 

            "Don't do this Goku," Dende screamed.  "You don't have the energy to spare!  You'll die!"

            Goku smiled and tried to laugh through the pain.  Videl noted how hauntingly similar the smile was to Vegeta's.  "If I don't, none of us will get out of here alive."

            Goku shrugged off Dende's healing powers, "I'll be fine.  Help out Gohan."

            Dende started to protest, but Goku silenced him as he shouted, "Do it!"

            Dende did as he was commanded, focusing all of his remaining power on Gohan.

Videl's energy surged from the small amount of energy that Goku gave her.  "Do you really think I have a chance?"

            Goku nodded through his concentration.  "Vegeta will do what he.needs to," he said.  "It should be.enough."

            The steady stream of energy began to abate as Goku's grip on her arm began to weaken.  The aura around his hand was dimmer than before and continued to diminish until finally, it was no more.  Goku's hand dropped from her arm as he slipped into unconsciousness.

            Dalron struck first.  He leapt at Vegeta as he screamed in rage.  He sliced Vegeta's midsection and cut deeply.  Vegeta struck back at point-blank range.  The energy that he held was released fully into Dalron.  Blue waves of energy ripped through Dalron, disintegrating the remaining stumps of his wings and took his one useless arm.  Dalron pressed against the force of the attack intent on surviving by sheer force of will alone.  He sliced at Vegeta again through the waves of energy and scored another hit.  Vegeta dropped to one knee as he angled the attack upward, finally blowing Dalron away from him.  Then, his energy spent, he involuntarily powered down and slipped into unconsciousness.  Dalron landed on one knee, his face a bloody mess and most of his hair was burned away.  He painfully brought his head up and looked at the still form of Vegeta on the ground.

            "I.still.stand!"         

            The sound of the lock coming loose was music to Piccolo's ears.  Bulma jumped out of her cell and hugged Piccolo.

"You did it!"

"Great," 18 exclaimed, "now get us out of here!"

With Bulma's help Piccolo started on 18's cell door.

Videl look back from Goku over to Vegeta and then to Dalron.  His reserves were depleted and he could barely stand.  She on the other hand felt invigorated and ready for the fight.  Her eyes glanced over at Dende who was hard at work trying to keep her beloved, Gohan, stable.  Sweat poured from his brow as he strained to keep Gohan alive.  Dende's eyes were clamped shut in concentration and she could tell that he wouldn't be able to keep up much longer.  Everyone tried so hard to get to this point, and she wasn't going to let it end now.  She calmly stepped forward in Dalron's direction as she began to raise her ki.

Dalron felt her power signature and turned toward her.  "Stand down, child.  Your efforts will be in vain."

She heard him but she wasn't listening.  Images of her friends falling in battle flashed through her mind, culminating with the lone image of Gohan dying just a few yards away from her.  Her anger flared as did her power.  Her aura sparked to life around her, casting the rubble around her in an eerie silver light.  Sparks danced across her eyes and electrical discharges pulsed through her hair.  She met his hard glare with her own.

"So be it," he nodded. 

Dalron extended his good arm and the wicked, curved sword flashed into existence in his hand.  He crouched in an offensive position as his aura exploded into life.  He blurred and attacked.

Videl caught the blade between her hands and strained against the powerful warrior.  Even though he only had one arm he was still very strong.  She slapped the blade away and leapt back as he swung the sword out in a wide arc.  The tip of the blade sliced through the ends of her hair on her forehead.  She landed and lunged forward with an outstretched fist.  Dalron quickly brought the sword to him and her fist smashed into the sword's guard right above the hilt.  The force of the blow knocked him back a few feet but he stood his ground and the tracks in the dirt from his boots were evidence of her power.  She slowly recoiled her fist and waited for the next attack.  He came in low, thrusting the sword down between her legs and slashed upwards, intent on cutting her in two.  She jumped forward and flipped over him as he sliced upward with his sword.  The moment she felt her feet touch the ground she leaned back and sent both elbows into Dalron's ribcage, causing him to stumble forward.  She leapt backward, somersaulting over him and was right in front of him as he stumbled into her.  She locked her arms under his as he fell into her and she arched her back, using his momentum against him.  She heaved and lifted him off the ground.  As she arched back she released him throwing him across the room.  Dalron tumbled through the air but was able to keep his balance enough for him to land on his feet.barely.

Videl ran over to Dalron and jumped, kicking him twice before he brought his sword up to block.  As she landed she followed through with a flurry of punches.  Dalron ducked and blocked the blows but Videl was able to tell that his movements weren't as fluid and as sure as before.  Her fast jabs quickly got under his defenses and landed telling blows on his body.  Dalron was forced to back off from her furious assault. 

"You.have been trained.well," Dalron huffed.  "Your power is great, and I can see that Vegeta had a hand in your training."

"Correct," she stated in an emotionless tone.

"But it's not enough," he snarled as he attacked.

            He moved with blinding speed, as he brought his blade to bear in a wide arc across Videl's face.  The blade hissed and hummed as it sliced through the air.  Videl ducked under the powerful attack and sidestepped the follow-through.  The blade appeared everywhere around her as she dodged and blocked.  Several cuts broke through her defenses but the cuts were only superficial.  Dalron swung down with all of his power and the blade slammed deep into the ground a split-second after Videl moved.  She thrust out with an open palm, aiming for the direct center of the sword.  The impact of the blow shattered the blade as if it were made of glass.  Small shards of metal whizzed through the air, slicing both Dalron and Videl alike.  She advanced while Dalron protected his face from the flying scraps of metal with his only arm.  Videl punched him in the gut, forcing the air out of his lungs.  He lurched forward from the impact, and received a boot across the face, which sent him sprawling to the floor.  She leaped into the air and sent a volley of ki blasts down on Dalron. 

            Dalron brought his arm up and deflected every blast that came at him.  He took his time getting up, shifting most of his weight on his left leg.  Videl hovered above him taunting him to attack.  Dalron screamed in rage and leapt toward her.  The ground where he stood exploded in reaction to his power!  Videl shifter her aura and collected it where she gauged Dalron would strike.  Her power shimmered and convalesced in front of her chest.  Dalron punched straight out, intending to skewer her.  The sound of the impact was almost deafening, but her shield held. 

            "It's not enough huh?" she asked without emotion.

            Dalron gritted his broken teeth and was going to use his remaining strength to blast his way through but her boot crashed into his stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs.  She followed suit with a vicious backhand that sent him crashing to the ground.

            "When will you people learn?  Why can't you just leave us alone?"

            Dalron blurred to safety a split second before the crater he laid in exploded.  He tried to outmaneuver her in the space between seconds, but she matched his every move and attacked, keeping Dalron off balance.  She low kicked his bad knee causing him to slow down and stumble to the ground.  He skid across the ground, smashing through several protrusions of rock before stopping.  Videl leapt to the air and came down with all her power concentrated in her right heel that was zeroed in on Dalron's face.   Dalron caught her foot with his hand and strained.  It was a test of pure strength against raw power.  Both Videl and Dalron grunted against each other's efforts. 

            Dalron screamed as he twisted Videl's leg quick and hard.  Now it was Videl's turn to scream.  She heard as well as felt the sickening snap of her foot; there was pain and then it went numb.  She fell to the ground screaming and clutching her broken foot.

            "It's my turn," he growled.

Part II continues...