Kami's eyelids squish shut, sloshing tears from their canals. His hand slaps against his chest. It clenches hard as if trying to rip out his heart. The fingers gripping his staff slide down the uneven surface as he drops to his knees.
"Who was it Kami?" asks Mr. Popo. "Who did we lose?"
"It was Chiaotzu. Sweet, little Chiaotzu."
The image of his pupil stands before him in his mind. He reaches out, but the image retreats and fades away.
###
Vegeta seethes saliva back and forth through his gritted teeth, as he lurches towards Goku. His scouter flashes some numbers, and he stops to click the button.
"Nappa, Nappa come in."
Static buzzes in his ear.
"Damn it Nappa. I told you to be careful and not let these fools get the jump on you. And speaking of fools."
He turns his attention to Goku.
"I'll bail your ass out just as soon as I finish with Kakarot. So you better not do anything stupid until I get there."
Goku braces as Vegeta moves in with predatory purpose.
###
Raditz stares in awe where a light flickers out near the horizon.
"I can't believe it. Nappa's power level has been nearly cut in half, and it's still dropping. Did he actually sustain a fatal injury?"
His scouter beeps as two more numbers adjust.
"Unreal. Even the mystery fighter is taking chunks out of Vegeta's battle power. Is that really you Kakarot?"
Movement above him draws his attention from the other battles. He finds Tien rising into the air.
Tien's eyes glare with laser focus intently upon Raditz. Tears stream down his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose as all three cry.
"You're going to pay dearly for the loss of Chiaotzu," Tien says.
"What's that you bug eyed freak?" says Raditz. "I can't quite hear you while you're running away."
Tien claps his four hands together, one pair above his head and one at his chest. With just the index fingers extended, he summons ki from the deepest reaches of his being. Every passing second scrapes out more of his insides to fuel the technique. Stormy gray auras swirl around his hands as lightning dances between the clouds. Raditz's scouter chirps in response.
"This guy too!" says Raditz. "His power has risen beyond a 1,000, and it's still going. I don't have the stamina to block that. But I should be able to dodge with how far away he is."
The number on the scouter continues to ascend with Tien's aerial climb.
Tien separates his hands so the fingers and thumbs form a diamond shape. He drops his upper arms while raising the lower ones. The two shapes align in front of his face. He steadies the trembling power amassed within them and fights off the sickening nausea challenging his focus. He centers Raditz in the opening of his hands.
"Holy shit," says Yamcha. "Is he going to fire a double barrel Kikoho?"
Yamcha backs away knowing he cannot stop what is about to happen.
"I'm going to end you!" says Tien.
Raditz raises a hand and slings it forward to point at Tien.
"Give it your best shot! Show me what you got!"
"Ki. Ko. Ho!"
Thunder deafens Raditz. He sees the tell tale flash of the attack and dashes in a random direction. But there is nowhere to escape under the rapidly expanding mass of energy. The impact flattens him instantly. His breath escapes him as the force presses harder. It would crush him completely if not for the earth beneath him giving way. Four walls stretch high above as the ground swallows him. The pulverizing pressure releases, and he gasps for air. Then the second wave smashes across him and everything goes dark.
Tien surveys the pit he left with his technique. His vision swims too much for him to see whether or not the target survived. His eyes close, and he drops from the sky.
Yamcha flies up to catch him. The frailness of his figure hangs in his arms as one would hold window curtains. All of Tien's muscle tissue must have been converted to energy because only meager skin and bones are left.
"I know you like to show off and one up me," says Yamcha.
His feet land, and he lays Tien gently on the ground.
"But you better not die before giving me the chance to get you back or else you're a real jerk. You know that right?"
###
Krillin stares into the black, flaming smoke high above where he lies. There are no signs of Chiaotzu's ki. Ashes drift down like feathers. Chiaotzu's hat parachutes to the ground. Hidden amongst the carnage, Nappa's power still lingers.
Krillin grabs hold of a dirt clod as he picks up his battered form. His eyes never leave the dispersing cloud. Nappa's huge shape becomes more visible by the second.
"Why didn't you run Chiaotzu?"
Krillin squeezes the earthen clod.
"He didn't know you were here. You could have escaped. I should be the one who…"
The dirt crumbles between his fingers and blows away in the wind.
A cold drop of sweat rolls down the back of his neck. Raw anger from the enemy strikes him like lightning. He dare not move for fear of bringing its wrath upon him. The drop in power from Chiaotzu's sacrifice does nothing to encourage him.
Nappa descends.
He is bare chested now with his armor completely blown away. Burn marks scorch the edges of his frame. His eyes smolder with intense hatred. They pierce straight through Krillin's heart.
I … I can't beat this guy, Krillin thinks.
Nappa's feet touch the ground and begin walking towards him. Krillin does not move.
Chiaotzu gave everything and still couldn't stop him.
Krillin waits for an enraged scream to break his paralysis but none comes. Silent fury approaches.
Nappa stops just inches away and stands tall over him, but still Krillin does not move. Nappa does not speak as he pinches Krillin's throat between the thumb and index finger of his left hand. Krillin gags as the hand lifts him from the ground. The noose tightens.
Nappa raises him to eye level. Krillin's mind runs blank, and his eyes stare unfocused into the distance. Nappa's fingers sinch tighter every second. He allows the pressure to mount wondering what will happen first, suffocation or the neck snapping. A grin sprouts as he grips harder. Krillin's face develops a bluish tint.
Survival instincts take hold. Krillin's hands fly to the side of his face with two fingers pointing at his eyebrows. He sputters a single word.
"Taiyoken."
Harsh light stings Nappa's eyes. He raises a forearm but the damage is already done. His grip loosens from the shock. Krillin kicks a foot into Nappa's chin and breaks the hold.
As soon as his neck is free, he shoots off as fast as he can. He flies off blindly with his eyes still closed to avoid his own technique. When he escapes the flash radius, he looks back without slowing. Nappa cups his eyes and staggers about.
Now is his chance. He will cover as much distance as he can, and his opponent cannot find him without his scouter.
I'm sorry Chiaotzu. But you must have known we couldn't win. So how did you find the courage?
Krillin slows to a stop.
"You left the rest of us a fighting chance against him, but I don't have the same bravery you do to finish the job."
A wry smile hooks up a corner of his mouth. He turns to face Nappa.
"But maybe I've got enough stupidity to make up for it. I don't know what good it'll do, but I'm right behind you buddy."
He balls his shaking hands and clenches his chattering his teeth.
"I won't let you die in vain!"
He raises a hand above his head, palm to the sky. The ki inside him swirls. Every breath calms his nerves. Every thought of saving each friend bolsters his energy. It manifests as a spinning ring around his right shoulder. The rotating circlet rises up his arm until it rests in his hand. It expands into a disc wider than his torso. A white, serrated ring outlines the yellow saucer. He wills it to flatten even more. It tempers down to a sharp, whirring edge.
He takes two running steps and enters flight to close the gap between him and his target.
The splotches of white dissipate from Nappa's eyes. He blinks and notices a black dot moving about. It is not a trick of the light as it grows bigger and closer. He squints and sees his enemy zipping along the surface with the energy attack from earlier.
"No more games," he says.
He drops his jaw. It lowers like a snake to consume its victim. Energy wells up between his teeth as it funnels up his throat from his core. A white hot blister bubbles past his lips.
Krillin hocks back his arm and jams it ahead. The Kienzan releases, splitting the air before it. It drives directly at Nappa.
Nappa stomps forward and leans his chest. A beam erupts from his mouth. It pounds through the air to meet Krillin's attack. Krillin's momentum sends him towards the monstrous blast. Its size and speed leave no room or time to dodge. Such power will easily vaporize him. He watches the Kienzan disappear into the wall of light as he follows quickly behind. His left arm flicks outward as he meets the wave head-on.
Nappa watches his enemy disappear into the veil. However, the last attack seems to cut straight through his own. It sends sparks in all directions as its whirling edge slices against the energy around it. He pumps one last burst to slow it down.
The disk wobbles off its axis. It comes in sideways, and Nappa finishes firing his beam while flinching from the anticipation of being sliced again. Instead, the saucer seems to vanish before him as a phantom.
He examines his body for any indication of damage but finds none. There are no signs of his enemy escaping the blast either.
A cacophony of collapsing rocks causes him to flip around in a start.
He sees a huge stone formation with a clean cut at a steep angle. The top half of it slid to the ground and lies in a crumbled mess.
Blood violently pukes forth from his mouth. His left arm drops from his shoulder. Suddenly his vision shifts sideways despite not trying to move any part of himself. The top half of his torso slides free of his body and plops on the ground. From his new perspective, he watches his lower half buckle at the knees.
Blood and intestines spill out of both halves of his severed abdomen along with his remaining life force.
###
Vegeta stops. He gawks at his scouter as the number representing Nappa's power level rapidly counts down to zero. When it finishes, it simply disappears from the tiny screen. He presses the button on the side of the device again and again.
"Nappa!"
Static.
"Nappa come in!"
Static.
"NAPPA!"
Vegeta lowers his head. His eyes vanish into shadows. His fingers cycle through clenching and releasing.
A sensation of rage wafts over the battlefield. Goku shivers as the oppressive ki proliferates the grounds. Vegeta's head snaps up. Goku jerks back.
"I'm going to eradicate you weaklings once and for all!"
An aura bursts around Vegeta, and he rockets into the sky high above.
"Dodge this if you can Kakarot. But know that if you do, the Earth will be destroyed."
Vegeta pulls one hand down his side while the other cups it so the palm nearly touches the fingers of the first. His aura blazes with a fierce white outlined by a vicious violet. Electrical arcs jolt from its fringes.
"He's lost his mind," says Goku. "He doesn't even care that he could hurt himself or his other comrades with such a devastating blast."
He grits his teeth and bends his knees. An agonizing scream breaks from his lungs as his aura erupts with the red hue of the Kaioken.
"No choice but to use another double. I hope my body holds up."
The crimson flames peel from his skin as they lap the air. Heat and pain permeate his body. Injuries from overuse double in agony as new ones form alongside them. He cups his hands at his side.
"Kah. Meh."
His aura bursts wider than its ever been.
"Hah. Meh."
Vegeta's aura surges as he shoves both hands down upon Goku.
"Gyarikku Ho!"
Goku holds a second longer.
"Hah!"
Goku thrusts his arms and his wave races upward to meet the opposing one. They clash in a display of fireworks. Blue and purple fight for dominance. The constant concussive collisions spill thunder in every direction that shakes anything the disturbance ripples through.
The Gyarikku Ho presses into the Kamehameha, splattering it outward. Then it begins to push through the resistance.
Goku feels the weight of the two beams deforming his shoulders, twisting them farther than they can go. His locked elbows threaten to snap the wrong way. He eases them into a safe bend, but the mass bearing down on him takes advantage of it. His hands slowly work their way down to his face.
He tries to fight it, but the huge energy wave leaving his body pulls massive amounts of stamina every second. He feels like a lake with a hole punched in the bottom of it to an endless cavern below. A cave ready to take everything from him without hesitation.
Sweat sizzles off his skin before it even gets time to form droplets. His body overloads on heat. If he does not run out of energy first, his body will surely burn up.
"I knew you couldn't handle my full power Kakarot. And when my attack finally obliterates you, it will reduce this place to ash and cover your planet in a cloud of darkness. It's too bad you won't be here to slowly freeze to death alongside everyone else. Now say goodbye to everything you know!"
Goku's elbows jab into his abdomen as he takes a knee. Their spiky shapes dig in deep and begin to cut along the surface as the force slides them down his sides. He closes his eyes from the blinding light right in his face. His wrists nearly press against his stomach. Any further and his Kamehameha will disperse leaving him to take the full attack.
"King Kai told me not to go above a double, but I'm going to need at least a triple to match this attack. And I've never been able to do that in perfect health. So how can I do it in this condition?"
His eyes peek open and find their way to Gohan. His son stares straight up at the light of destruction. Terror covers his face as tears stream down his cheeks.
Gohan will never get to grow up. Chichi will never be able to hold him again. All because he was not strong enough or brave enough to face this threat. He sets his jaw and squints his eyes as he looks up.
"Kaioken…"
His hands push upward away from his body.
"Times…"
Ki beyond anything he imagined breaks from his core and stretches his body.
"Three!"
The Kamehameha bubbles before him. He wrestles control of it and focuses it upward. The bulge pulses along the beam and crashes against the Gyarikku Ho. The surge evens out the lengths of the dueling beams.
The immense power bashes Goku's insides five times a second as it leaves his body. The vibrations tenderize his muscles and soften his bones. His teeth creep out of their snug positions in his gums. The clobbering relentlessly beats his organs.
Vegeta drifts back as Goku's technique stabilizes.
Damn you Kakarot! he thinks. Why do you continue to defy your superior?
He shouts over the thundering battle.
"Just because you can match my power, doesn't mean you can outlast it. Now prepare for oblivion. Haaahhh!"
The impetus from above Goku drives down with ferocious intent. He knows he only delays the inevitable. His arms and legs begin to sink once more.
A pair of green arms slide under his own so he can rest on their biceps for support. The hands that belong to them unfold on either side of his own. The forearms glow in an orange light.
"Come on Goku. You can't give up now."
Goku looks over his shoulder with a half closed eye. Piccolo stands resolute behind him.
"I'm not," says Goku. "But I don't have anything left to give."
"That's why I'm here. I've been preparing that special technique I told you about."
"Well don't keep me in suspense."
Piccolo nods and releases his ki so it floods the Kamehameha.
"Makankosappo!"
A twisting ray of orange with a purple tint fires from each arm. They form a helix as they spiral along Goku's wave. They tighten the beam they travel, preventing any excess energy loss. The union of the two techniques funnels everything in a singular direction.
When the twisting streaks reach the apex of the beam, they break open the Gyarikku Ho. Violet stripes spray down the sides of the Kamehameha as it splits the opposing attack down the middle. Sensing the advantage, Goku and Piccolo straighten their legs and fully outstretch their arms. The merged ki blasts shove Vegeta's back. For the first time, the Kamehameha takes the lead.
"What's going on?" says Vegeta. "I've never heard of anyone being able to meld their power together. If anything, their blasts should become unstable and rip apart."
"Okay Goku. Give it everything you have left!"
"Right!"
"Aaarrrggghhh!"
They both scream as they pull on the last of their reserves and expel it from their bodies. The beams they fire flare before their hands. The enlarged mass shoots up their attack and slams into Vegeta's. The force punches through and leads the rest of their wave to the target.
Vegeta screams as his attack is eaten away. A meteoric impact flattens him on the surface of the energy as it ascends like a rocket. The mass carries him away with a series of concussive forces slamming his entire body with each hit.
Goku and Piccolo watch the tail of their attack until it disappears into the distance with a twinkle. They fall on their butts with heaving chests. The gasps slowly give way to exhausted laughs until they are chuckling uncontrollably.
Gohan runs over and jumps on his dad. Goku cries in pain but hugs through it.
"You two did it!" says Gohan.
"No, not yet," says Piccolo.
Gohan looks at his solemn face before turning to Goku. His father nods with an equally serious expression.
"We've bought ourselves some time," says Goku. "Hopefully he's injured enough for us to finish off."
Gohan looks in the direction their enemy traveled in and awaits for Vegeta's ki signature to return.
###
Bulma, Chichi, and Yajirobe watch the numbers and graphs shift with the rhythm of the battle across three separate monitors. They see Chiaotzu's number peak and disappear to knock down the Saiyan's he and Krillin fight. Tien's responds by empowering and unleashing it all on his and Yamcha's opponent resulting in both fading away. Then Krillin's notation makes a final stand before dropping below the measurable threshold and being followed by Nappa's.
Chichi watches Goku's battle the closest. The back and forth rends her nerves. Finally with the help of Piccolo, her husband drives back the monster leaving both parties drained but alive.
"I can't believe it," says Bulma. "Are two of the Saiyans really gone? And what about Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu? Can you guys sense them at all?"
"I can't," says Yajirobe. "But I never really got the hang of it either."
"We need to head out now," says Chichi. "Yamcha is the closest. We can finish off his opponent if necessary and then do the same for Krillin. Then all of us can go back up Goku and Gohan."
"Are you mad?" says Yajirobe. "Even if the first two Saiyans are dead, the last guy is still way out of our league. I don't care how injured he is. Those numbers don't lie."
"Are you serious Yajirobe?" says Bulma, over her shoulder. "Three of our friends could be dead. We have to throw everything we have left at this or no one will make it."
"Speak for yourself. You're not the one doing the fighting."
Bulma turns to him. He expects anger but finds only tears.
"Please Yajirobe. Yamcha is all alone out there, and I'm not strong enough to do anything."
Chichi doesn't wait for an answer. She heads straight for the exit.
Yajirobe hesitates a moment and then follows. By the time he catches up, Chichi has strapped the Power Pole to her back and watches her Flying Zephyr come in. He tosses a Capsule which summons his hover car. He takes off after her as she rushes to the nearest battlefield.
###
Master Roshi stands in front of his sister's residence. A golden cloud races down to him.
"You don't honestly think you'll be able to ride that old thing do you?" says Baba.
She approaches him from behind on her crystal ball. Roshi's arms move behind his back so his knuckles touch.
"I know I haven't been able to in many years," he says, "but I think today will be different."
The cloud arrives in front of him. He squats and jumps upon it. His feet touch the feathery surface, sink in, but do not fall through.
"Well would you look at that," says Baba. "I guess people really can change."
"Baba."
She looks up at her brother.
"Thank you for everything."
She nods.
Roshi crosses his ankles and drops to a sitting position. He lights a pipe, blows a ring of smoke, and then the Flying Nimbus takes off into the vast sky beyond.
"Be careful you old coot," says Baba.
###
A cold terror rips through Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan. A blood chilling battlecry echoes in from a far. A raging arua spirals in with Vegeta completely obscured within. When it stops high above them, it bursts open to reveal the enraged opponent.
"You paupers have pissed me off for the last time!"
He holds up a palm with a white sphere popping out of it. It swirls with ghostly wisps rather than intent to harm.
"I hope you're all proud of yourselves because I only ever use this technique to level entire planets, not on a handful of fools."
His hand rears back, and he throws the luminous ball skyward. It explodes with a shower of sparks that weep in an umbrella shape. A pale, circular body hovers high like an orbiting body. Its appearance is that of a moon pulsating with a heartbeat.
"One of you was clever enough to rid yourselves of this planet's moon. I bet you all thought you were safe from our Saiyan transformation."
Vegeta does not look at them while he speaks. He stares directly into the pale light. His teeth sharpen and enlarge. He grabs his scouter off his ear and tosses it aside.
"But we have found ways around needing that. With this technique, we can mimic a full moon's natural light. This artificial source excites the same body chemistry we need to enact the transformation."
He trails off in a fit of laughter that turns to a roar. The front of his face bulges out as an animalistic snout forms. His ears sharpen and point up. Fur sprouts from his entire neck. His body grows to the height of a skyscraper. Miraculously, his armor and blue jumpsuit stretch with his enlarging size.
Before their eyes, a giant ape materializes and drops to the earth before them. The tremor the landing causes bumps them off the ground for a moment. None of them even come up to the monster's ankles.
A giant foot stomps towards them. Goku grabs his son and takes off after Piccolo.
###
Raditz stares up from the dark hole he finds himself in. His entire body aches. Other than a fidget of the fingers and toes, nothing moves. Most of him is covered in rubble he lacks the strength to clear. Only a patchwork of black jumpsuit covers his torso and upper legs after his armor and scouter were destroyed by the last attack.
He sees a bright light flare into the sky. He begins a dry laugh.
"So it's really come to that huh? That's fine. I could use a little mindless rampage to forget the day I've had."
Yamcha watches the spectacle in the sky. A loud roar draws his eyes to the hole made by Tien. A giant hand reaches out and slaps down on the edge. Another follows. A humongous ape pulls itself free of the hole.
Flashbacks to Goku's transformations as a child freeze him in place. He remembers Tien is helpless at his feet as the monster sets its sights on him. He knows he cannot carry his friend and move fast enough, assuming he is even fast enough at all. He sprints perpendicular to Tien and waves his arms and shouts. The ape follows the display. Every step quakes the ground.
"I've got to get to his tail but don't have much strength left to do it. Sorry Bulma. I might not make it out of this one after all."
Author's Note 04/03/21: Our heroes have given everything to push back the Saiyan threat, and yet Vegeta and Raditz have returned stronger than before. How can Goku and his friends possibly win against the terrifying transformations they now face? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dragon Ball Ki, In the Shadows of Titans.
And as always, thank you all so much for reading.