Chapter 6: Marron Attacks!
It was a week later. Capsule Corps. had been rebuilt by the professionals that Bulma had called in after the wall collapsed. Vegeta was finally healed, and would be allowed to re-start his training later that day. Best of all, there had been no attacks by Krillin. Bulma was beginning to relax. Vegeta, however, was still suspicious.
He pondered the future as he aimlessly wandered Capsule Corps. It seemed entirely too bright and, warrior that he was, he didn't trust it. Bright futures too often turned to an unprepared battle, and a quick death.
'Bright futures, and overconfidence,' Vegeta thought, as he absentmindedly touched his chest, where Frieza had blasted him. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts, he didn't notice Marron until he bumped into her.
The young girl looked up at him with curious eyes. Vegeta, startled, regained control of himself in an instant.
"Why are you here!" he snarled. Marron blinked, smiled, and head butted Vegeta in the stomach. As Vegeta collapsed forward, she kicked him in the chin, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall, then leapt back onto his feet. Angry, Vegeta powered up into SSJ2, but Marron jumped, punched him in the back of the head and sent him into the other wall.
Vegeta's face hit the concrete and he spat out blood. 'Where is Kakarotto when you need him! Kakarotto!'
Goku straightened, putting down his food and immediately becoming serious. 'Vegeta?'
'Kakarotto, I'm being attacked.'
'Ok, I'll be right over.' Goku stood up. "Goten, Trunks? Vegeta's in trouble. Let's go help."
Trunks immediately put his food down and walked over to Goku. Goten sighed, shoved the rest of his food in his mouth, and followed.
Vegeta, weak from Marron's attacks, slumped on the floor. Marron stood over him, readying her power for a killing blow.
Goku took everything in in a moment. Trunks ran forward, but was thrown back by a kick.
As Marron readied her ki for a death blow, Goku snatched Vegeta from under her grasp. Marron turned, furious, to see Trunks and Goten zooming towards her. The double-kick sent her flying, but she instantly jumped to her feet, countering with a double blast that almost chopped their feet off, and a blinding flash.
Trunks, unprepared for the flash, caught it full-on, but Goten, who'd been watching the ki blasts, avoided it. He shot a returning ki blast at Marron, then pulled Trunks out of the way as Marron fired another blast at them.
Goku laid Vegeta down on the floor, then turned back to the battle.
Trunks recovered, punched out at Marron; she avoided it, but was hit in the face by a jump-kick from Goten. Pushed back, she did an easy flip, landing neatly in front of them. A quick kick sent Trunks flying into the wall, and a punch sent Goten after him.
Rising unsteadily, Goten looked around for Trunks. "Trunks, where are you?"
"You're sitting on me, idiot," Trunks grumbled. Goten quickly jumped off, allowing Trunks to sit up. "What do we do now?"
"Uh…get more to eat?" Goten asked with a huge grin.
Trunks sighed. "I mean to fight Marron…wait, where is she?"
Goku immediately switched his focus, searching for Marron. It was only as he looked around that he realized Vegeta had disappeared too.
Vegeta stirred. His arm ached. His warrior's sense told him to remain still, so he took the time to assess his situation. His body tinged with pain, so he'd probably been in a fight. That same pain told him he had lost. Which planet had it been? He couldn't remember. With that realization came fear Frieza would kill him for this.
Vegeta forced himself to concentrate. Frieza was dead. Killed, at least 10 years ago. By the boy that turned out to be his son. He focussed, ignoring the injuries that would slow him down for over a week. Frieza was dead. Cell was dead. Buu was dead – then who had he been fighting?
The realization hit him in a flash. Krillin. Him and that stupid android wife of his…
Vegeta searched for a ki but couldn't find one. He swore under his breath. What had happened to Kakarotto? Surely he couldn't be dead? He stifled a groan. If Kakarotto was dead, Chi-chi would kill him.
But, he realized, Marron wouldn't kill Kakarotto. Krillin, her so-called father wouldn't let her. So Kakarotto must be alive, and Vegeta couldn't sense him, he must be…
Somewhere else, where his ki-sensing abilities couldn't reach.
Or, he realized suddenly Marron had given him a laxative. That would account for the initial drowsiness, and the inability to sense ki. And the ache in his arm. Certain he'd figured it out, Vegeta opened his eyes.
To see a brick wall.
Okay, no longer in Capsule Corps. He sat up, to find himself facing the dead end of an alley. Hopefully, he was still in the same city, as he had no idea about Earth cities beyond that.
His eyes darted about, searching for Marron. When he didn't find her, he cautiously stood up, leaning on the wall for support. Okay, no Marron, but no Kakarotto either. He wasn't that far from Capsule Corps., he could see it down the street, but Marron might have laid a trap…he shook himself. Before, he'd never worried about traps, always sure of his own abilities. However, since his arrival on Earth…you mean since I met Kakarotto, he'd been less certain, unconfident. A lack of confidence lead to a lack of life.
Shaking himself, he glared towards the alley mouth The most likely place for an ambush.
But why should he be afraid of a trap? He was the saiya-jin prince, after his father's death, the uncrowned king. His father had never feared a trap: why should he?
Squaring his shoulders, he walked towards the alley mouth.
And banged into an invisible ki-wall. He blinked, then pushed forward. His hands touched the ki wall, sending a small ki-shock up his arm. Startled, he jumped back, dropping into a fighting stance. When he saw no other danger, he relaxed slightly, then jumped upwards.
To bang into another ki-wall, He fell back to the ground, but recovered before he made contact. No way out.
Suddenly calm, he sat, crossing his legs. He couldn't get out, so he would wait until someone came and got him.
Goku frowned. Marron and Vegeta couldn't have vanished into thin air. That meant they must be somewhere, probably close.
Trunks frowned. "Hey Goku? Where's Marron… and where's otousan!" he asked, noticing Vegeta's absence. Goten looked around, confused.
"I don't know. I'll try to find Vegeta." Goku placed two fingers on his forehead and concentrated. After a minute, he removed them. "I can sense Vegeta's ki, but I can't teleport to it. Something's stopping me. We'll have to hurry."
Goten and Trunks nodded, then raced after Goku. They ran down the corridors of Capsule Corps., but hit s dead end. Swallowing anxiety, Trunks quickly lead the way outside, then they followed Goku down the road.
Trunks saw Vegeta, sitting not 10 metres away from them. "Otousan!" he yelled, rushing towards him. Only to slam into the same invisible wall.
"Vegeta!" Goku shouted, running up to where Trunks was trying to push his way through the wall.
Vegeta stood, turning. "Kakarotto, it's a trap."
"What! Goku shouted, then jumped out of the way of Marron's punch. Powering up, he flicked a ki blast at her, then zoomed close and kicked her.
Marron pushed off the wall and sailed over Goku's head. As she fell, she sent small ki-blasts at Goku and Trunks. Then Goten jumped, landing on her head and pushing it down into the concrete, before bounding off and landing, in a fighting position, next to Trunks.
Marron jumped up again, kicking out at Goten. He was flung into a building, and she turned her attention to Goku and Trunks. A quick blast-punch combination sent Goku crashing to the ground. An easy kick threw Trunks face-first into a wall. Finished, she turned to Vegeta.
Vegeta sighed, watching Marron walk towards him. 'Here we go again…' He powered up, as much as he was able, and prepared to die.
Goku looked up, saw Marron advancing. Saw the blankness in Vegeta's eyes. Saw Trunks running towards them.
Trunks jump-kicked Marron into the ground, leapt between her and Vegeta, and focussed his energy.
Marron turned, to see a ki blast headed right for her, With no time to move, she froze as it shot towards her, and blew her into a thousand fragments.
Trunks, gasping for breath, walked through the now-dissipated ki wall to his father, and collapsed at his feet.
Vegeta picked Trunks up gently, and carried him over to where Goku was helping Goten up. "Can we go home now?" Goten asked, yawning.
"Okay," Goku said gently. "Let's go. "He turned to Vegeta and Trunks. "You coming?"
Vegeta shook his head. "I'll take him home. It's about time he saw his new room, anyway." Goku teleported himself and Goten back home. Vegeta carried Trunks back inside Capsule Corps., and up to his (Trunks's) room. He laid Trunks on the bed, and tucked him up. Trunks stirred, opening his eyes slightly. "Did I do good?"
Vegeta smiled slightly. "Yeah," he said gently, "you did good."
Trunks sighed, and fell asleep. Vegeta lingered for a while, then strode out.
Krillin stormed into the room. "What happened to Marron!" he yelled at Juu-hachi-gou.
Juu-hachi-gou pushed back from the computer. "She was destroyed," she said matter-of-factly. "We didn't count on Goku, Goten and Trunks showing up."
Krillin slammed his hand on the desk. "We can't lose! Vegeta must die!"
"Yes, and if you leave me alone, I can finish the programming." Juu-hachi-gou frowned at him, then turned back to her computer.
Krillin glared at her, then stomped out. "Soon, Vegeta!" he snarled. "Soon, I'll have my vengeance!"