Chapter 9- Final Showdown
Goku, still powered up to Super Saiyan, glared at Tarian. "You really think you can beat me? Even if you are superior in strength, you have no defense against my powers." "I don't care about that," said Goku, who was now facing Tarian completely, "You are going to pay." Goku charged towards Tarian and landed a couple punches before Tarian dodged him and caught him in a psychic hold. Goku struggled, frozen in midair. "The more you struggle, the more energy will be drained from you." Goku's energy significantly drained and he could no longer maintain his Super Saiyan form. "Now, the playing field is leveled. We can finally have a fair fight." Tarian let Goku go from the hold, and Goku fell back to the ground, out of breath. Without saying a word, Goku charged Tarian and started sending a volley of furious punches and kicks. Having all his energy drained, Goku couldn't keep up with Tarian and he was dodging all of Goku's blows. The Namek started using him as a punching bag. He couldn't do anything but try to withstand the blows. Goku jumped backwards and stood in his stance, staring at the Namek. "How am I going to beat him? My energy is gone. I can't fight like this.", Goku thought to himself, "There's only one thing I can do." Goku summoned all the energy he had left and brought it out. Tarian saw him put his hands together at the waist and charge. The Namek smiled at this puny attempt. "KAAAAAMEEEEEHAAAAAMEEEEE-", Goku yelled, charging up the last of his energy, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Goku released the blast, and Tarian didn't move. He stood there, welcoming the wave. Then, the explosion hit, a flash of light, and Goku waited for the dust to clear.
There was dust and debris everywhere. Goku stood, waiting for the dust to clear. Had the Kamehameha wave done anything? He had used all of his energy, and was finding it difficult to even stand. The giant cloud of dust that was in front of him slowly cleared, and Goku saw a horrifying sight. Tarian stood there, smiling at Goku. "Nice one. You managed to tickle me a little.", laughed the Namek. Goku also saw that Vegeta had woken up and was walking towards Tarian. "Ah, Vegeta," Tarian said, without even looking at the prince, "I'm bored. Take care of this vermin for me." "I don't think so.", Vegeta said. Lightning fast, Vegeta punched Tarian through the stomach. "Ugh.", gasped the Namek, grasping his stomach. Blood was pouring out the wound, and Tarian began to cough up blood. Goku looked and saw that Vegeta no longer was possessed. The Kamehameha must've been enough to disrupt the mental link between the two. "N-NO! You are my slave!", yelled Tarian, looking up from his wound. Vegeta looked down at the Namek in hate. "I am a Saiyan Prince. I am no one's slave.", Vegeta said. With that, he put his hand to Tarian's face, charging up his Ki. "N-N-NO!", Tarian yelled as Vegeta let the energy go. The blast was incredibly bright, but Goku saw that it cleanly took Tarian's head off. The headless corpse fell to the ground and Vegeta stood there, cradling his broken arm, glaring at the body. "Thanks Vegeta. I thought I was a goner.", said Goku, smiling. Vegeta stood and looked at Goku. "I didn't do it for you. No one can do that to a Saiyan Prince and live to tell about it. But…I'm…", Vegeta looked as if he was trying to say something hard, he said quickly, "I-I'm sorry about your son." Vegeta looked at Goku in the eyes and saw that he didn't show any signs of mourning. Goku smiled at Vegeta. "Wh-Why are you smiling?", Vegeta asked in shock. Goku just chuckled. Vegeta got angry. "Your son is dead!", Vegeta said, pointing to the edge. "So is the Namek!" Vegeta looked back to where Piccolo had fallen and saw that he wasn't there. "Wha-? Where did he go?", Vegeta yelled. "See for yourself.", Goku said, pointing to the edge of the cliff. Just then, Piccolo appeared, hovering upwards, holding an unconscious Gohan. "YOU! But Tarian-", Vegeta exclaimed. Piccolo cut him off, "Yes. He did. But he underestimated me. After he left me for dead, I saw what he was making Gohan do, so I flew around and saved him. That's why you didn't see me. Good job finishing him off." Vegeta glared at him, "I don't need nor want your praise, Namek. Let's go. This planet is horrible." Just as Vegeta said that, they all noticed that the environment around them was changing. Like an illusion, the dark clouds were disappearing and the ground was changing back to the green color it used to be. The red, rocky surrounding were no more, and the tropical paradise called New Namek returned to normal. "His mental control over this planet is gone. The scenery is back to normal, and the Nameks should be themselves again.", said Goku. "Let's get back to the ship.", Piccolo said, carrying the passed-out Gohan and flying back. Goku looked back at Vegeta, smiled and took off. Vegeta grunted at him and followed them back to the ship.
As they flew back to the ship, the group saw the Nameks and stopped. The Nameks noticed the group walking towards the village and instantly recognized them. The small Dende ran out of a hut and was the first to greet them. "Gohan! Is he alright, Piccolo?", Dende said, when he saw the boy in Piccolo's arms. "He's fine, Dende. Just exhausted." Dende nodded, "When he wakes up, tell him I said hi." "Of course.", Piccolo said. The village Elder walked briskly towards them. He spoke with authority and gratitude in his voice. "Thank you for saving us from Tarian. Without you, we would have been his slaves forever." "Aw. It's no problem. He was hurting Gohan, too.", said Goku, nodding towards his son, who was still passed-out in Piccolo's arms. "Well. We ought to be going.", said Piccolo. After saying their goodbyes, the group headed back to the ship. The Nameks seemed to be sad about their departure, but Goku didn't have a doubt in his mind; they would see the Nameks again someday.
Gohan awoke in his bed, back on the ship. He heard voices outside his room, and walked outside. Goku, who had been speaking with Piccolo, looked up and smiled. "Hey bud! You're awake!", said Goku, who was sitting on a trunk. Piccolo stood next to him. "Yeah. Dad, is it over?", he asked. "Yeah! Vegeta saved our lives!", Goku said, beaming at Vegeta, who was sitting in the corner. Gohan looked at the Saiyan and smiled. "Thanks Vegeta!", he said with a laugh. Vegeta wasn't looking at him and grunted again, stood and went to his room. "He hasn't changed.", said Piccolo, "Goku, what do you say we get out of here?" Goku nodded, stood and sat back down in front of the control panel. He pressed a small, red button and the computerized voice chimed in again. "Please say coordinates of next destination." Gohan walked over to his father and stood next to him. The boy said to the computer, "Take us back to Earth. Take us home."