Ran Fuan. A sexy young woman who had come a long way from her less-than-stellar debut in the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, but still knew how to use her feminine charms to get an advantage in nearly any situation. She died saving a friend, and was now a smoking charred skeleton.
Chiaotzu. A former disciple of the evil Crane Hermit, and known for his awesome powers of telepathy and telekinesis. He died in vain, trying to stop a seemingly unstoppable foe, and was now literally everywhere, blown to smithereens.
Tein Shinhan. A proud fighter and another former disciple of the Crane Hermit, known for his unique fighting skills and the third eye on his forehead. He also died in vain, from a mix of depleted energy and blood loss, trying to defeat the same unstoppable foe.
Piccolo. A former foe of humanity, the emerald-hued archdemon (actually an alien) found common ground with his rival and stood by her and her friends against a powerful foe. He died when an abrupt and forceful show of chi caused his head to shatter.
Kami. The Guardian of the Earth, and the mentor of its greatest heroine, as well as the creator of the mystical treasures called the Dragon Balls, able to grant one wish to whoever summons the Eternal Dragon from them. He died when Piccolo died, their life forces connected... and as a result, the Dragon Balls ceased to be, becoming useless stones.
Five friends. One former enemy. A valued mentor. All gone forever at the hands of the Saiyans. And while she had already killed Nappa, Vegeta remained.
But if Teena had anything to say about it, that won't last long.
"Default Judgement Pt. 2"
By
Ken Blackwell
"... you..." Teena's clenched fists trembled, her rage at a boiling point, then charging at the battle-ready Vegeta at top speed. "YOU BASTARD!!!"
"TEENA, WAIT!!" Krillin shouted, and Teena skid to a halt, turning to face the former Orin Temple monk. "Fight somewhere else, Teena! Do you want our friends' bodies even MORE mangled when they come back to life...?"
"... Krillin, Piccolo just DIED," Teena reminded him rather bluntly. "Kami's gone with him and so are the Dragon Balls. No more extra lives. No cheat codes. Game over. Can I pound the Abuser of Hair Gel now?"
"No, there IS a way!" Krillin retorted. "I'll explain later! Just trust me... if you beat him!"
"What's keeping you, puppet?!" Vegeta shouted at Teena. "I thought machines CAN'T feel fear!!"
"Okay, you win..." Teena nodded to Krillin. "'Somewhere else' it is. Then I'll make him pay. Partly for that 'puppet' crack..."
"Teena...I'm sorry we have to leave it to you alone..." Krillin raised his hand towards Teena in a show of respect. "You'd better not die, babe."
Teena smirked. "Not today, Krillin..." and she gave Krillin a Roman handshake. Turning to Videl and Chi-Chi, she hugged the both of them, and also shook Weapon's hand. Then she turned towards Vegeta, walking towards him.
"You figured out it's useless to run?" boasted Vegeta.
"Ain't no point to that..." Teena replied. "... but we ain't fighting here."
Vegeta nodded. "Have it your way." And the two combatants rocketed away, leaving Videl, Chi-Chi, Krillin, and Weapon alone in the desert with their fallen friends.
"... Bulma, we're going to need a transport carrier..." Chi-Chi called out on her comm-link. "... to carry the bodies back to Capsule Corp..."
---
Teena landed at another part of the desert, in the Northern side. Vegeta followed closely behind, crossing his arms the moment he landed. "A worthy battleground..." he muttered. "A perfect place to put your grave as well!"
"..." Teena stared at Vegeta, her eyes cold and emotionless, at least on the outside. But deep down she was in pain, remembering her lost friends. The fun they had, the laughter they shared, a part of her even wished for another fight with Piccolo.
We can never go back to those days... Teena lamented. But there's no time now for crying.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're a woman," Vegeta taunted. "But then, you're not woman, are you? You're a machine..."
"Less talk, more shock..." Teena coldly retorted, dropping into her battle stance.
"Finally... something we can both agree on..." Vegeta went into his own stance, the two fighters waiting... biding their time for the right moment when either of them would begin their assault on one another.
Teena acted first, rushing at Vegeta and the two engaged each other in combat no human eye could follow; Vegeta blocking the first attacks from the cyborg heroine, dodging a kick and rocketing away. Teena hastily rocketed after Vegeta, but blinked as the Saiyan vaulted off a mountain ledge and struck her with an elbow. Quickly recovering she stopped herself in mid-air, pausing to see no sign of Vegeta. It didn't even take her a second for her to figure out he was behind her, and swerved around for a straight punch. He caught her fist however, and flung her into a mountain wall with all his strength. She hit the wall back-first, but seemed to show no signs of impact as Vegeta charged at her, throwing a punch that she blocked, but was still struck in the gut by a high knee, followed with a punch that sent her flying back, but she flipped over, landing to her feet. Vegeta followed her down to the ground, a confident smirk on his face.
"You got some serious skills, Vegeta..." Teena admitted. "Color me impressed."
"I don't need a puppet's praise," Vegeta spat.
"... okay, before we continue, I gotta say... this whole thing, 'puppet' this and 'wind-up toy' that... it's getting old so fast it's fossilized already," complained Teena. "I'm HUMAN. I was born just like you were, and only fifty percent of me is biomechanical. Get that through your Vidal Sassoon-soaked skull of yours."
"Hmph... you're holding back, though..." Vegeta noted. "I can tell, somehow. So show me the full extent of your power!"
"Pretty good insight," Teena smirked. "Okay, Veggie... you asked for it. Kaio-Ken."
And the surge of power rippled through Teena, her body shivering as she felt her energies become heightened. Abruptly she barrelled towards Vegeta, and the Saiyan quickly flew back from her. But she caught up with him and struck him viciously with a downward punch, a body punch, and a kick, all in one second. Teena charged in to follow up, but Vegeta stopped her with an axe kick. Teena flipped back down and floated to the ground before Vegeta, her energies crackling about her body as the Kaio-Ken began to dissipate.
"Heh..." Vegeta scoffed. "If that was your best, then I've seriously overestimated you."
"Don't beat yourself up over that," Teena replied. "Remember, that's my M.O."
"Feh..." Vegeta growled. "I just realized... I can't tell when or if you're injured."
"You should see me play cards. They say I got an unbeatable poker-face." Teena smiled, crossing her arms. "And I got a lot more tricks up my sleeve, Vegeta."
"Well, I say you've hit your limit already... so let me show you something before I send you to the scrap heap... the overwhelming power of an Elite Saiyan!"
"Does that include the tonnage of testosterone you're exuding?"
"Heh... I look forward to breaking that 'unbeatable' poker-face you spoke of." Vegeta began to concentrate, gathering his energies, and the whole Earth felt as if it was trembling. Nearby pillar of stone crumbled amidst Vegeta's power as winds picked up with all the force of a hurricane, with the Saiyan as its eye, Teena bracing herself as rubble and gusts blew past her. Vegeta finally let out a scream, and the vibrations stopped, all the cloud blown away by the Saiyan's sheer power alone.
"This is it..." Vegeta grinned evilly, speaking her name in a mocking tone. "'TEENA.'"
... This might actually suck... Teena managed to think a split second before Vegeta shot towards her with a headbutt, and sending her flying back, then down as the Saiyan Prince elbowed her in the chest. She quickly flipped back, landing on her feet, then swiftly turned on a heel to block a kick from Vegeta that still knocked her back a few feet, and Vegeta then threw a hand out towards her, firing an energy blast at Teena--
"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO!!"
--who barely side-stepped the blast as it grazed her chest.
"Hah... that's good. That's very good... you dodged well!" Vegeta praised, as Teena glanced down at herself; the right side of her shirt had been shredded, as well as her vest. Her black-laced bra remained intact on her chest thankfully, though even if a breast was exposed it wouldn't have made much of a difference to her; survival would supersede modesty any day, and Teena knew Vegeta wasn't interested in seeing his opponent topless.
Which made her wonder a little bit about him.
"... Even with the Kaio-Ken upped twice I can barely keep up...!" Teena said to herself.
"I made that blast easy to dodge on purpose..." continued Vegeta. "It would be boring if you died without suffering."
"... and here I was hoping for something in the non-suffering section... guess I gotta take what I can get..." Teena yanked the destroyed vest off, leaving her ruined shirt on as she looked to Vegeta. "But we're still holding back, you know."
"Is that so?" Vegeta smirked. "Don't be shy. Not if you want ANY chance at all..."
"Okay then..." Teena sighed softly. I've already conditioned my body to withstand prolonged Kaio-Ken boosts but I still hoped to avoid threepeating it just in case... my power core wasn't made for energy increases. Guess I never had a choice, but I'd better have a chance. "KAIO-KEN TIMES THREE!!!!"
And Teena shuddered, feeling three times the extra boost course through her body, energy crackling about her skin as she grit her teeth; she could feel her power core working overtime to compensate for the extra energy, and she smiled, seeing the surprised look on Vegeta's face.
About damn time... the 'Fear-Of-God' look looks good on him.
And Teena explode at Vegeta, faster than she had ever gone before, driving her head into Vegeta's, flipping back, she threw a kick that connected five times in one second into his jaw, threatening to break it, then a knee to the gut and the same side shotei that felled Nappa, knocking Vegeta away, and Teena caught him from behind abruptly, delivering a release German suplex that flung the Saiyan even further through one mountain and embedded him into another. Vegeta broke free of the mountain, causing it to collapse as he glared at the incoming Teena.
"DAMN YOU!!" Vegeta shouted, throwing a punch at his opponent, who afterimaged the attack, spinning around behind him, and grabbed his leg, flipping him around and seizing him by the waist while he was upside-down, then dropped into a sitting position, driving him head-first into the ground and causing a crater to shatter around them. It was then that Vegeta realized the impossible.
S-she surpassed me...!!
Teena pushed Vegeta to his back, and flew to a pillar, trembling slightly. Crap... triple Kaio-Ken's nearly had me on the ropes... she thought. Bionanos're easing the pain at least.. power core's recharging... but... damn, King Kai may've hit the nail on the head here... it may actually wear me out...!!
Vegeta slowly got to his feet, quaking in anger as he wiped his lips, glancing down at the crimson stain on his white glove. Blood... I-I shed my noble blood.. for this glorified doll...!! No... I cannot... I WILL not endure this knowledge!!
"TO HELL WITH THIS PLANET!!" Vegeta screamed. "YOU AND YOUR WORLD ARE BOTH ASHES!!!!"
Vegeta shot up from the ground, to the sky, bringing his hands back as he gathered all the energy he could muster. "Try dodging THIS one, toy!! Save yourself, and DOOM THE EARTH!!!!"
"... getting desperate, I see... crap..." Teena drew a hand back, standing ready. "Gotta chance it... KAIO-KEN THREE!!"
"HA! You'll NEVER block my Galick Gun!!" boasted Vegeta. "Prepare to die with the world you love!!"
And Vegeta fired off his Galick Gun, straight at Teena in the dark hopes of vaporizing her and shattering the Earth to pieces.
"POWER BLITZ!!!" But Teena fired her own Kaio-Ken-enhanced energy blast, intercepting the Galick Gun, blocking it from striking the Earth, and wasting no time, upped the level of power. "KAIO... TIMES FOUR!!!" And suddenly the Power Blitz engulfed the Galick Gun easily, and Vegeta screamed as Teena's blast took him, sending him upward in a blaze of energy.
"..." Teena trembled, then collapsed to her knees, wincing in pain. For the first time that she can remember, she was severely fatigued and in equally severe pain. "... ow..." But after a moment of rest, she slowly stood up, the bionanos in her bloodstream working overtime as her power core began to recharge.
Not done yet... she surmised. I can already tell... Veggie's a tough nut to crack. Just hope my body can recover before he does. Teena then cocked her head curiously. ... what the hell IS a Galick...?!
---
Vegeta neared the stratosphere as Teena's Power Blitz carried him past the clouds. But somehow, he had managed to force himself out of the attack's trap, and watched hatefully as it travelled past the atmosphere and dissipating into space itself.
"Damn you... DAMN YOU!!!" Vegeta screamed. "Why?! That biomech's power... greater than mine... DAMN HER!!!" Vegeta panted heavily, his anger seething over. Then he smirked in a dark realization. "Fine then... I'll make the transformation and crush her... my Giant Ape form is enough to terrify even me...!" He laughed as he glanced down to the ground where Teena was. "Her shock will be priceless!"
---
"I hope Teena's doing okay..." Krillin said, as he and the others flew side-by-side a Capsule Corp transport ship carrying their fallen friends to West City. "That Saiyan has some scary power. I hope she can handle it."
"This IS Teena we're talking about..." Chi-Chi reminded Krillin. "She can beat him... I just know it!"
"Oh, look... the Moon's out already..." Weapon pointed out. "It's a full one, too. At least it'll be a beautiful night out tonight--"
"... Oh NO!!" Videl stopped dead in her flight, eyes wide with dread as the transport ship continued its trek back to the city. "Teena's in danger!!"
"What?!" Krillin blinked. "Videl, what're you talkin' about?"
"Saiyans... they transform into Giant Apes whenever they look directly at the full moon! Celipa told me... something about green spectrum radiation or glands in the tails or 17 million zeno units or blutz waves or... or, oh I can't remember the exact discussion, but a Saiyan becomes even MORE powerful once transformed!!"
Almost as if on cue, the survivors felt a huge energy spike upward to even more outrageous levels.
"... oh God..." Krillin gasped. "... it's the Saiyan, isn't it? He's transforming, just like you said...!"
"... I'm going back..." Videl decided.
"No! Videl, you can't!" pleaded Chi-Chi.
"She's right! What can you do against that Saiyan?!" stated Weapon.
"... not sure..." Videl reluctantly answered. "But... screw it, I'm going!!" And Videl flew back towards the fight between Teena and Vegeta.
"No!! Videl!!" Krillin sighed. "She's crazy... I guess I am too..." And he flew after Videl. Chi-Chi also sighed, shrugging at Weapon with a sheepish smile, and quickly added herself in pursuit of the AWOL pre-teen.
"... I guess... it wouldn't matter where we are if the Saiyan wins..." Weapon realized. And she too broke off from the transport ship, flying towards the others.
"You got some kind of plan, I hope..." Krillin called out to Videl.
"A long shot of a plan..." explained Videl. "I just hope we can get close enough for it to work...!"
---
Vegeta had transformed. Before Teena's eyes, the Saiyan had shifted from his humanoid form to an over thirty foot tall ape-like creature, looming over her with pupiless and irisless ruby red eyes, a fanged grim on his face.
"HA!" he growled. "What do you think of THAT, puppet?!!"
"... okay, if it weren't for the whole 'threat to humanity' thing that'd be pretty cool..." Teena admitted. "Really ILMish."
"I'm glad you can appreciate the inevitability of your end!" Vegeta said with a laugh. "Any last words, biomech?!"
'Yeah, I got four of them..." Teena answered. "KAIO-KEN TIMES FIVE!!!!" And Teena let out a scream as more energy than she had ever felt before ruptured through her, giving her goose bumps as she grimaced.
---
"... times five..." King Kai blinked as he watched the fight from the safety of his planet. "... Teena... Goku, he... NEVER thought of going past times four! He just went directly to using the Spirit Bomb... this... this may be a huge mistake on Teena's part... not even HER body is strong enough for Kaio-Ken times five!!"
---
Teena swiftly dodged a punch from the now-gargantuan Vegeta, blocking a kick from the ape-like Saiyan that sent her hurtling back, skidding across the ground as her huge foe lunged at her. Teena flew upward to avoid him but Vegeta swiped his tail at her. Teena caught it, and with all her Kaio-Ken-enhanced-strength she flung the monstrous Vegeta over her shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground. But already the after-effects of a times five Kaio-Ken were catching up to her.
Screw this... she thought as Vegeta began to stand up. I gotta finish this. Right here and now. Gotta buy some time. Need him to look directly at me.
"Hey Vegeta!!" she shouted. "Big fat monkey, huh?! What's your ultimate attack now? Flinging hill-sized poo at your opponents?!!"
Vegeta glared up at Teena angrily. "You've mocked the Prince of Saiyans for the last--"
"TAIYO-KEN!!!" Tein's attack, while it did no permanent damage, was always useful for defensive strategies, and as Vegeta covered his eyes in temporary blindness, Teena smirked. "Dumbass." And she flew away as fast as she could, landing at a safe spot as she prepared to charge up the Spirit Bomb.
... wait a second... Teena paused, her biomechanically enhanced brain calculating the time ratios. Tein's Sun Fist isn't gonna last that much longer. It'll take me roughly thirty seconds for me to gather up enough energy to use the Spirit Bomb, but who's to say Vegeta won't dodge it? Gotta give the Ubergleek SOME credit... Teena lowered her arms, not charging for her ultimate attack. The course is clear. Wear Vegeta down, and when he's on the ropes, THEN clock him with the Spirit Bomb.
"I FOUND YOU!!" Vegeta bellowed, spotting Teena from afar. "Now... DIE!!!!" He projected a gargantuan energy blast from his muzzle, aimed directly at Teena.
"Barrier." But Teena was quick to use her own defensive measures, absorbing most of the attack but still staggering back. The smoke and dust cleared, and Teena saw Vegeta tower over her once more, grinning psychotically.
"You've got spunk, girl..." Vegeta growled. "But I'm willing to bet you're out of everything else, aren't you?"
"Oh, you know me..." Teena answered as she shrugged. "Slap a couple of bunny ears on my head, hand me a drum, I'll keep going and going ad nauseum."
"Hah!!" Vegeta lifted a foot to stomp on Teena, but she jumped back to avoid it, taking to the air only be swatted back down. She stopped in mid-air and charged head-long at Vegeta, dodging a punch--
"FINAL BLITZ!!"
--throwing an energy-enhanced shotei that actually staggered Vegeta. Angrily the Giant Ape struck down the cyborg, driving her to the ground. Before Teena could get up, Vegeta was quick to bring his foot down on her legs, and even her augmented biomechanical bones cracked under the intense strength and weight. Teena's eyes widened, and she screamed in excruciating agony.
"There... I finally grounded you!" Vegeta boasted. "No other opponent has EVER given me such trouble! I've left you alive long enough..." Vegeta raised a single finger as he approached the crippled Teena. "Better hope my aim is true, puppet... or would you rather watch Earth get destroyed--!!"
"Blah blah blah blah blah... would you just PLEASE hit 'mute' already!" Teena gasped. "You haven't won yet, Veggie... I'm still alive."
"Easily corrected!!" Vegeta drove the finger down, intending to impale Teena through the chest with the blunt piercing attack.
Teena caught it.
"W-what?!" Vegeta struggled, trying to push the finger down into Teena's body, but she kept it away, the tip mere inches from punching through her breastbone. "This... can't be!!"
"... laws of physics..." Teena smugly smiled. "Who needs 'em?"
"DAMN YOU--!!" Vegeta screamed. "Why don't you just die already?!!"
"Not on my 'to do' list..." Teena suddenly swatted the finger away and fired a Power Blitz, striking him directly in the right eye. Vegeta doubled back, screaming in pain as Teena smirked. "Goodbye, depth perception. Hello, pirate jokes."
"... impudent... BITCH!!!" Vegeta growled in outright hatred, glaring at Teena with his good left eye, then lunged forward to seize her. "YOU'VE SCARRED MY FACE!!!!" But Teena rolled out of the way, avoiding getting grabbed, and pushed herself off the ground with her arms, taking to the air as she fired off her Power Falling Star projectiles, throwing Vegeta off-kilter. "GRRAHH!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
"You know, you screwed yourselves over coming here..." Teena said, reaching down to grasp her broken legs, searching for the fractures in her bones. "... I told you and Nappa not to show up, but you did anyway... now Nappa's dead, the Dragon Balls you were jonesing for are gone, and now you need a parrot on your shoulder to complete he new look-- unngghh!!" Teena winced as she pushed the broken bones of her left leg back into place, resetting them by hand. "One last chance, Vegeta. Get the hell off of my planet now, or else you're gonna end up being a permanent resident of the six feet under variety. You read me, Veggie?!"
"NEVER!!!" Vegeta shrieked, drawing back his hands. "GALICK GUN!!!!" And he fired off the much larger version of his energy blast, just as Teena bent down to reset the bones in her other leg.
"Crap--!!" With no time to dodge Teena straightened up, preparing to block the attack.
"KAMEHAMEHAA!!!!" Suddenly a small figure dropped down with his own chi blast, intercepting Vegeta's Galick Gun but just barely slowing it down.
"K-KRILLIN?!!" Teena blinked twice in shock. "What th--?! What the hell's your damage?! Get outta there!!"
"... sorry, Teena... can't... oblige..." Krillin grimaced as he struggled vainly to hold back Vegeta's Galick Gun. "... needed a distraction... no time left, ask Chi-Chi about... Dragon Balls... Teena... I love--" Krillin had no time to finish his sentence as the Galick Gun dissolved his Kamehameha Wave, consuming the former Orin Temple monk within its own conflagration.
"... no..." Teena muttered in a hushed tone, dumbstruck as she watched Krillin's vaporization.
"... and another one bites the dust... or rather, becomes dust..." Vegeta snickered. "... at least I can count on sentimental worms like you jumping in at the last minute to throw your lives away trying to stop me! But where are the others--"
Vegeta suddenly gasped, feeling a numbing pain rush through his body; behind him Weapon had sliced his tail off with her arm-mounted laser scythes, and quickly she doubled back, flying to Chi-Chi and Videl, who were hiding behind a mountain.
"Yes!!" Videl cheered, hugging Weapon. "Great job, Mai! Now Vegeta's turning back to normal!"
"Yeah... but..." Weapon sighed, extinguishing her laser scythes. "... Krillin..."
"He did what he needed to be done... it was a noble sacrifice," Chi-Chi rationalized. "Besides, if what he said was true, then it'll only be short-term, all of it."
Vegeta was now back to his humanoid form, his tail severed from his body as he trembled in anger. "... suicidal... fools... do you know what it means to make me angry...?!"
Teena dropped to the ground, facing Vegeta with a stoic visage, yet her ice blue eyes betrayed her real emotions with brimming tears. "... doubt it compares to MY angry..." she hissed. "'Cause right now I'm a 10.0 on the Pissed-Off scale."
Vegeta flew straight at Teena, throwing a stiff body punch to her solarplexus. She staggered back, but weathered the blow with little registration of pain. Vegeta blinked, and grabbed the front of her shirt to headbutt her. Teena merely shoved Vegeta back, unfazed.
"Vegeta... I'll give you a free shot..." Teena raised her arms to her sides, leaning forward to stick out her chin. "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
"What?!" Vegeta snarled, and pounced at Teena, throwing a right cross that connected with a deafening impact, like a sonic boom.
Teena didn't even budge.
"... this... is impossible..." Vegeta gasped.
"Welcome to Fight Club." And Teena attacked, pummelling Vegeta with educated fists and feet, and while Vegeta attempted to fight back, connecting effortlessly with his own punches and kicks to Teena's face, chest, and stomach, she easily ignored them, wearing Vegeta down with ease.
"... she adapted...!" Videl exclaimed, watching on with a grin. "Vegeta's no match for her now! We've won this one!!"
Teena finished the barrage with a side kick that sent Vegeta through a plateau, then threw her hands up, preparing to defeat Vegeta once and for all. Thirty seconds... and Vegeta's one deep-fried monkey!
Vegeta exploded from the rubble with a scream battered and bloodied. "ENOUGH OF THIS!!!" he denied angrily. "YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN ME!! I WILL KILL YOU, YOU PIECE OF TRASH!!!"
"We gotta buy Teena time!" Videl rushed forward before Chi-Chi and Weapon could stop her, flying straight at Vegeta, but the Saiyan prince caught her approach in the corner of his good eye, kicking her viciously in the head, sending her skipping across the ground and bouncing off a pillar.
"Dammit, Videl...!" Chi-Chi came out of hiding, firing off her Ki Blast Cannon at Vegeta, who deflected it, charging at Chi-Chi and punching her in the gut, the princess coughing up blood as she doubled over, flashbacks of the encounter with Bardock's crew in her head as she collapsed, but this time, she swore she felt an organ or two rupture inside her.
Abruptly Vegeta was struck swiftly by the steel-encased fist of Weapon.
"FOOL!!" Vegeta struck back, shattering the entire left side of Weapon's helm, exposing her face partially. And as she staggered back, Vegeta thrust a kick out, striking her directly in the small of the back.
And Mai felt her spine snap.
"VEGETA!!!" Teena screamed. And Vegeta turned to see her, lowering her hands as a sphere of tremendous energies glowed in-between them. And it was then that huge phoenix-like wings unfurled from her back, a few feathers of light scattering around her, and the energy wings spread out, a full twenty-five foot span from wingtip to wingtip.
"... What...?! What is this?!" exclaimed Vegeta.
"... teena..." Mai smiled weakly, seeing her with the luminescent wings behind her. "... you're... so beautiful..." With that, she passed out.
---
"... wings...!" King Kai blinked as he watched the astonishing events unfold. "... that... that's not part of the Spirit Bomb..."
---
"ANGELIC SPIRIT NOVA!!!!"
The attack cascaded from Teena's hand, like a missile of pure energy borne on the hopes and dreams of an entire world, straight at Vegeta.
Who jumped over it.
"FOOL!!" Vegeta taunted. "IT'S HOPELESS!!!!"
"... nothing's ever hopeless..." Teena retorted, as the wings reared back, and flapped forward, releasing themselves as a spectacular huge beam of power that took Vegeta by surprise, knocking him back directly into the first half of the Angelic Spirit Nova. And the heavens seemed to split open as Vegeta screamed in a mix of protest and agony, the energies ripping through him, taking him up into the sky in a brilliantly wrathful upward spiral.
And things were quiet.
Teena sighed softly, dropping her arms to her sides as she relaxed.
"... is this what it feels like..." she muttered. "... to be tired... feels... familiar somehow..."
And Teena dropped to her knees, collapsing to her side. And laid still.
---
"VIDEL!! CHI-CHI, MAI!! ANYONE!! YOU BETTER NOT BE ALL DEAD!! C'MON, RESPOND! PLEASE RESPOND!!"
"Mnn...?" Videl opened her eyes, waking up to the sound of Bulma's frantic voice over the comm-link. "... Bulma...?"
"VIDEL!! Oh, thank God! Are you okay?!"
"Yeah... I--AHH--!!" Videl grasped her arm with a cry of pain, biting back tears as she quickly realized that it was broken. "Ow... I... ow... s... Senzu bean..." Videl reached into a built-in pocket in her boot, pulling out a small pouch of Senzu beans, opening it to take a single one and eating it. In a matter of seconds she was fully restored to health, and she quickly stood up, looking around at the aftermath before her. "What happened? Did we win?"
"Yeah, I think so..." Bulma answered. "Teena used some kind of ultimate attack, beat Vegeta with it, then passed out."
"... Teena passed out...?!" Videl exclaimed in shock.
"Don't worry... I think all that happened was that her power core used up too much energy. I'm sure she'll charge back up. But right now, get the Senzu to Chi-Chi and Mai! They're hurt badly!"
"Right..." Videl turned to the nearest one, being Mai. Then suddenly, a figure dropped from the sky. It was Vegeta, prone and defeated on the ground.
"He's dead..." Videl sighed softly, approaching him. "Vegeta... you may have been our enemy but you were brave at least... for that I respect you..." she turned away and walked towards Mai. "I promise you a decent funeral..."
"FOR YOURSELVES?!"
Videl gasped, then turned around to see Vegeta slowly get up to his feet. "... omiGod..."
"... you've given me quite a beating... I almost thought you had me on that last one... but I have enough strength left to finish you!!" Vegeta seized Videl by the throat, lifting the girl off her feet with ease. "... taxing my power... to the limit... actually hurting me... what hurts me most is my pride, for struggling with scum like you...!"
"Gkkt!!" Videl struggled vainly, her feet dangling off the ground.
"There IS something that puzzles me, however..." continued Vegeta. "How can a girl from a backwater frontier planet like Earth know so much... about the Saiyan race?! Before I kill you I must know... sate my curiosity, child...!"
Videl coughed, gasping for air, grasping Vegeta's hand feebly. "... c... c-celipa..."
"That's a Saiyan name... how do you know it, girl?! Tell me!!"
Vegeta was suddenly struck fiercely in the jaw, thrown backward and skidding across the ground, and in the process dropped Videl from his grasp. She dropped to her knees, gasping in fresh breaths of air. Vegeta quickly sat up, and at the same time he and Videl saw who had struck him, who had rescued her.
"How does she know it? Simple answer, Vegeta..." replied a halo-adorned Celipa, crossing her arms as she smirked. "Guess."
-- TO BE CONTINUED.