Chapter 3: Open Season

Goku and Raditz stood on a hillside together. Behind them, at the bottom of a crater, Gohan slept soundly in Raditz's space pod. The kid hadn't woken up since being knocked out, but had occasionally muttered a word or two about "mommy", much to Raditz's disgust. Now, however, Gohan was secured in the pod, and Goku wouldn't have to worry about him being in the way for what was next to come.

"The first step of clearing a planet," Raditz was explaining, "is to take out all the major cities. Anywhere where a large number of people all live in close proximity. Then take out any form of opposition that retaliates from the original attack. From there, its just a matter of search and destroy. Sometimes it can take years. For a planet of weaklings like this one, a week should be enough."

"Wow," Goku gasped, "just one week? There's supposed to be six billion people on the Earth though."

"Yes," Raditz agreed, "and all with the basic power level of 5. And I don't expect any kind of threat from the Earth technology either. They aren't that advanced. There's no better time then the present, so we should start the mission immediately. With my help we may even finish quite early."

Raditz began walking off as if to hop right too it, then he hesitated and turned back to Goku, "Oh and hey Kakarot," he asked, "are there any other powerful warriors on this world I should know about?"

"Nothing to worry about," Goku said grinning, "Krillin, Piccolo, and Master Roshie were the big threats, they're all gone now. There is a few more, a reformed thief named Yamcha, a three-eyed fighter named Tien, and his little buddy Chiaotzu. Of all of them, the only threat would be Tien, but I've fought him before; nothing I can't handle, not to mention he'd be no match for you."

"Disappointing," Raditz spoke, "I'd rather hoped there'd be at least some kind of challenge awaiting me." He walked to the edge of the hill and looked over his shoulder, "Ok Kakarot, prove once and for all you can be a Saiyan, we'll split up from here, I'll cover everything to the east of this point, you cover everything to the west of us, Got it?" Without waiting for an answer Raditz flew off.

Goku watched him go until he was out of sight, then took a deep breath.

"No turning back now," he muttered, then flew off to the west.

Goku realized his path of destruction would take him to West City, the headquarters of Capsule Corp. He also knew it would take him past his home. Goku realized he was expected to kill all humans, but murdering ChiChi would be awkward for him. As Goku flew on, he felt a gigantic power-force open up behind him.

"Oh man," Goku thought to himself, "what a power. Looks like my brother already reached his first target, what speed."

Determined to keep up, Goku flew on at full speed. Finally he could see the sky scrapers in the distance. West City, home to many memories for Goku. Memories he was dead-set on burning away.

Goku considered for a moment and decided the best way to destroy the entire city with one blast would be to use KameHameHa. When enough of his ki is used in that attack, the destructive force is unrivaled. Goku began powering up, he knew it wouldn't be easy. Strange, the city looked so calm, none of the people below expected what was to come.

"Ka...Me..." Goku began, making the famous stance, "Ha...Me..." The ball of ki formed in his hands and expanded. His entire body was throbbing. He was going to put everything he had into the blast. He would have to in order to wipe out the entire city.

"HA!" He screamed and unleashed the wave. His target was the center of the city. His KameHameHa Wave blasted out and rushed along its course. A few skyscrapers were knocked down by the blast as it zoomed to its target. It struck the ground and there was a bright flash of light. The ki exploded outward in a great blast.

Goku threw up his arms to fend off the bright light and heat. He didn't realize the explosion would be quite this big, it resembled a nuclear mushroom cloud. For a while Goku feared he had positioned himself too close to the blast, but in a few seconds the force subsided and he was O.K.

Goku slowly moved his arm down and took in the scene. The sky was hazed over with a red color, and the city below him was twisted rubble. Fires raged here and there, hot enough to melt the steel of the buildings.

"Woo!" Goku cooed, popping his knuckles, "I did it!"

He fanned his senses out looking for the ki of survivors, and wasn't too surprised to feel a few hundred. Not bad though, considering the population of West City was supposedly somewhere in the millions.

"Hmm, i guess a few regular blasts should be enough to take care of the others." Goku spoke to himself casually. Talking to himself was a habit he had developed after living years alone in the woods after his Grandfather had died.

Goku swooped down over the rubble and began carpet bombing the area with a barrage of ki attacks. Explosions shattered glass and concrete, and the battered survivors of the attack ran for their lives screaming. Many of their screams were cut short by what to them was a blazing flash of light, the sensation of intense heat, and then oblivion.

Then, suddenly, Goku heard the whine of fighter-jet engines in the background. He spun around to see a fleet of fighter craft rapidly approaching. Behind them, he saw, was what looked like a full military battalion. Tanks, soldiers, the works.

The jets closed in on him fast and began emptying their ammunition at the wild-haired warrior. Goku dodged and ducked but took a few shells here and there. They mostly just stung, bouncing off his tough body, but a few of them gave him minor cuts causing him to yell out "YEOUCH!"

Goku powered up and flew at the second wave of fighters swooping in on their attack run. He flew right through one of the jets blowing it up in his wake. The others circled back firing machine guns and missiles at him. Goku had taken down an entire army before, when he fought Red Ribbion, and this army would be no different.

Goku unleashed multiple bursts of ki and laid most of wave #2 to waste. The first wave had circled back once again and came screaming at Goku.

"They just don't learn do they?" he asked himself, and then: "KAMEHAME...HA!"

He fired the wave quickly, not charging up too much energy. The resulting attack blew up a vast majority of the jets, the others were sent spiraling towards the ground from the huge wind/pressure disturbance that Kamehameha caused. One of the jets recovered, the other two hit the ground pushing 600 miles per hour.

The last jet was flying back towards the approaching battalion, seemingly deciding that trying to take Goku out wasn't such a smart move after all. Goku flew after it and landed on top of it. He leaned down over the cock-pit window and gave his signature winking-salute to the pilot inside. The pilot, a fuzzy dog-man screamed aloud at seeing Goku standing calmly on his Jet. He banked into a hard dive trying to throw the Saiyan off his craft. Goku responded by shattering the glass and grabbing the pilot. He casually threw the pilot over his shoulders allowing him to plunge to his doom. Goku hopped off the jet just before it collided with the ground exploding violently.

Just at this time, the approaching ground forces had reached firing range, and a huge barrage of missile flew towards Goku. Goku happily dodged them all, allowing them to whiz past him and explode in the wrecked city more. "Hope that got a few more of the survivors," he laughed. Then turned his attention to the army.

"I better make this quick, there's a lot of work to be done today." Goku flew straight at the army, dodging bullets, shells, rockets, and grenades as he went. He slammed right into the first group of soldiers knocking them all down. He engaged a group of 100 men in hand to hand combat breaking necks and shattering ribcages here and there, all in a seemingly blind fury of attacks. A huge tank tried to run him down, but he picked it up and threw it into the other tanks.

Somewhere a commanding officer sounded a retreat, and the forces began running and driving away from Goku as fast as they could.

"Oh no you don't!" Goku said, and fired rapid-repeating ki blasts at them. There was explosion after explosion. Goku was getting exhausted. He had more then broken into a sweat, he was losing his breath from all the destruction. Panting and walking to keep up he focused more and more of his ki into each blast.

Finally he stopped. There was silence except for the crackling of fire. A gust of wind blew the black clouds of smoke away and Goku saw most of the soldiers had been reduced to skeletons wearing their fire-resistant armor. One soldier, bleeding horribly was crawling out of a wrecked tank. Goku walked over to him.

"Please don't...I'm...sorry." he was begging as he saw Goku approach him.

"Nothing personal," Goku panted, "it's just that I have a job to do."

Goku stepped over the soldier and picked him up by the neck. The soldier flinched when he saw Goku's face.

"You're...the man...that saved us...from King Piccolo..." He managed to say.

"Yep," Goku said cheerfully, "one in the same." Then he threw the man with all of his might. He watched as the poor fellow sailed into the distance actually vanishing from view. Then he patted his hands together and began brushing the dust off his shoulders.

West City lay in ruins, and a huge portion of the Royal Army was devastated. But Goku was feeling exhausted and hungry. It was time to pay his wife one final visit. Goku flew off towards his home. He knew this would be the last time to ever be here, and he felt remorse.

He landed and shouted "Is anyone here?" His house was eerily quiet.

Then from inside a scream, "Goku! Goku is it you?" It was ChiChi.

"GOKU!" She screamed bursting from the doors. She ran up to embrace Goku, but stopped dead in her tracks. Goku was battered, bloody, and beaten looking.

"What is going on Goku! I heard on the radio we're being attacked and...oh my GOD, where is Gohan?"

Goku looked down and closed his eyes. "ChiChi, I'm sorry. I promise to make the people who killed our son pay dearly for what they've done...but right now I need..."

However, Chichi interrupted him with shrieks and moans. She threw herself to the ground sobbing viciously. Goku felt embarrassed and resentful.

"Daddy was in West City shopping when it got hit!" She sobbed, "He's probably dead! And now Gohan...oh my God GOHAN!" She continued sobbing.

Goku kneeled down and embraced his wife, and spoke to her softly. "Please ChiChi, don't cry. I promise to make everything right with the Dragon Balls. But I already fought the monster responsible for this, and I know I could beat him...if only I could fight him with a full stomach."

At this ChiChi leapt to her feet. "Do you promise you can bring them all back...with the Dragon Balls right?" ChiChi demanded. Goku regretted to see the glazed over look in her eyes. He nodded and smiled. "I promise he said simply."

With that ChiChi ran into the house and began cooking up a storm. She was in a mad frenzy. The whole time Goku sat patiently at the table waiting for her to finish. An uneasy silence hung between them. Finally she began piling plates bearing mounds of food on the table.

"Thank you ChiChi!" Goku cried happily and began literally shoveling food into his mouth. As Goku ate, ChiChi paced back and forth, moaning and crying about her little baby having to die, and her father being in West City, which she heard had been annihilated on the radio.

Finally Goku rose. In about one full minute, he had eaten enough food to feed 6 families easily. He was rubbing his belly and licking his lips. "That was so good! Oh man, I hope I find someone else who can cook like you some day."

"Goku what do you mean som-" ChiChi began, but was cut short by Goku's ki blast. He found he couldn't look her in the face and instead had been looking away, firing the blast out behind him. ChiChi flew up against the wall of the kitchen and slowly slid down it leaving a trail of blood. In her chest was a bowling ball sized hole, and in the air hung the stench of burnt flesh.

Goku took a deep breath then finally looked over his wife's corpse. For a while he stood staring, and then:

"Hm...it's not nearly as bad as i thought it would be." Goku spoke slowly.

"Hell, just look at that expression, it's almost funny." Goku studied ChiChi's expression, a look of total shock. Her eyes and mouth were wide open in a silent expression of total and complete surprise.

"It actually is funny." Goku agreed with himself, and then actually began laughing. It started as quiet giggling, and ended with full out throw-your-head back maniacal laughter.

After the bout of laughing ended Goku went to his bedroom. He kept giggling now and again every time his dead wife's face expression rose to his mind. He changed into clean clothes, and grabbed a stack of clothes for Gohan. He tucked them into a plastic bag, and swung it over his shoulder.

"Time to go." he said cheerfully enough, "threes a lot of work to do. I don't want to disappoint big brother."

Goku left his house and flew away from it, not looking back. He was very anxious to get all this unpleasantness behind him, so he could meet the other Saiyans Raditz had mentioned earlier, and experience the true destiny of his life.

Goku knew somewhere out there he still had Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu to deal with, not to mention Mr. PoPo, Karin and Yajarobie. Kami wouldn't be a problem, as Goku knew he had died along with Piccolo, taking the Dragon Ball's with him. "What a shame" Goku thought, "the Dragon Balls might have come in handy. Oh well can't win it all."

With nothing but high hopes in his mind, Goku raced into the wild blue sky, looking for the next big city he should happen to come across.

[Wow, twisted huh? Chapter 4 will be coming soon...very soon, stay tuned. The Earth isn't finished yet!]