The explosion caused by Vegeta was so intense, it had shaken much of the surrounding landscape. Earth's remaining fighters had taken to the sky to ensure they weren't caught in the crossfire. Goku had been forced to support Piccolo who was too weak to fly. After the dust had cleared, Vegeta spotted them in the sky above. From the look on his face, it was clear he was eager for the real fight between him and Goku to begin.
"I can't believe it. He killed his own teammate," stated a shocked Piccolo.
"They're just as ruthless as King Kai said," replied Gohan.
Goku knew it was best he continue this fight alone. Piccolo had done all he could to defend the Earth and while Gohan had made easy work of Nappa, Goku knew Vegeta was on another level and he was the only one who stood a chance in defeating him.
"Gohan, go home to your mother. Keep her safe," ordered Goku.
"But Dad I want to help," stated Gohan.
"No, I'll be more vulnerable if you stay," said Goku.
"But Dad."
"Listen to your father," interjected Piccolo. "Take it from someone who's fought your father, he's better off taking this Saiyan by himself."
"Fine, but if I sense you're starting to lose I'm coming right back to kick his sorry butt," declared Gohan.
"Fine, let's just hope I've weakened him enough should that happen," said Goku, before turning to Piccolo. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I just need to rest for a bit," answered Piccolo.
"I hope I'm not going to have to deal with you after this," stated Goku.
"Don't worry about me Goku. I no longer have any intention of taking over the planet," said Piccolo.
"Wait, really?" asked Goku.
"What made you change your mind?" asked Gohan.
"You know how I said Krillin sacrificed himself to save me?" asked Piccolo.
"Yeah, but I just thought that was because the Dragon Balls would disappear if you died," stated Goku.
"I thought that as well at first. Turns out Krillin saved my life because he considers me his friend!" explained Piccolo. "I know it sounds insane, considering a year ago you and I were mortal enemies, but Krillin and I decided to train together to better prepare for the Saiyan's."
"And you bonded during that time?" asked Goku.
"More or less. I appreciated the kindness he showed me. I never had a sparring partner before and I kind of liked it," stated Piccolo. "After he saved my life, I knew the friendship we formed was real."
"And that's what made you decide to give up on your plans for world domination?" asked Gohan.
"Yes, because although it's what my father would want, it's not what Krillin would want," answered Piccolo.
It was clear to Goku that Piccolo had changed for the better over the past year.
"Take it from me Piccolo, you couldn't have asked for a better friend than Krillin," stated Goku.
"Thanks, but I wish I could've done more to honour his sacrifice," said Piccolo.
"The best way you can honour him is by surviving," said Goku, revealing a small green bean.
"A senzu bean?" asked Piccolo.
"I think Krillin would want you to have this," said Goku. "Korrin only had two left when we arrived back on Earth. Gohan and I split one to recover from our trip back from Other World. We felt it was important to keep the last one for someone who needed it."
"Are you sure you want me to have this?" asked Piccolo.
"As I said, I think it's what Krillin would want," said Goku.
"Thank you," said Piccolo taking the bean.
"QUIT STALLING," yelled Vetgeta from the ground. "You're just delaying the inevitable."
Goku knew he had to start this fight.
"You know it's too bad we have to fight," stated Goku. "You would've been a great sparring partner."
They hovered down and Goku prepared to face Vegeta.
"Goku, before you go, there's something you should know," said Piccolo.
"What's that?" asked Goku.
"Grabbing his tail won't work. Krillin and I tried it on the big one and it had no effect. I nearly died because of it," answered Piccolo.
"Well, looks like I'll have to rely on skill and strength to win this fight," said Goku.
"I know you can win Dad. Kick his butt," declared Gohan.
"I'll do my best. In the meantime, why don't you head over to Master Roshi's? I have a feeling your mum will be there and I'm sure she could use a big hug," stated Goku.
"I'll make sure I do that," answered Gohan, as they landed on the ground.
"So Kakarot, shall we?" asked Vegeta.
"Sure, but not here. I have a better place we can fight," said Goku.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter where we fight. You're still going to die," declared Vegeta. "Just lead the way."
Goku and Vegeta took off to start the battle that would determine the fate of the Earth.
Piccolo was about to eat the senzu bean when he saw Gohan starting to head after them.
"Where are you going?" asked Piccolo. "I'm pretty sure that's not the way to the house of the Turtle Hermit."
"I'm going after them," stated Gohan.
"Didn't you hear what your father said?" asked Piccolo. "He'll be more vulnerable if you're there with him."
"Perhaps, but there's also a chance that Dad could lose this fight. Should that happen I want to make sure I'm there to finish the Saiyan before he can kill Dad," declared Gohan.
Piccolo smiled.
"You got guts kid, but I'm not letting you go alone."
"What can you do exactly?" asked Gohan. "You couldn't even stand up to the weak one."
"Maybe not, but something tells me that if he defeats Goku, you'll need all the help you can get to finish him," stated Piccolo.
"Good point," replied Gohan. "We'd better get going so we're not too far behind."
Gohan took to the sky.
"You coming?" asked Gohan.
"Yes, I just need to eat the Senzu Bean," said Piccolo.
Piccolo was about to consume the entire bean when he remembered something Goku had said. Korrin had only two beans, the first of which was split between Goku and Gohan. Maybe it would be better to keep half a Senzu Bean just in case someone was injured in the ensuing fight. Piccolo split the bean in half and consumed one of the pieces. With his strength restored, Piccolo was ready to assist.
"Well let's go," said Gohan impatiently.
"Wait!" called Piccolo.
"What now?" asked Gohan.
"It'll be better if we go on foot, we won't be detected that way," stated Piccolo.
"We don't have to worry about being detected, the Saiyan destroyed his scanner thing," said Gohan.
"He's not the one we need to avoid detection from, Goku is. To win this fight Goku's going to need to have his full attention on the fight," stated Piccolo. "The last thing he needs is a distraction."
"Good point," said Gohan returning to the ground. "But we don't take it slow, we move as fast as we can."
"Sounds good to me," said Piccolo.
"Only problem is, I'm going to have to slow down so you can keep up," boasted Gohan.
"I think you need to remember your father's warning about not getting arrogant," retorted Piccolo.
Goku and Vegeta soured across the planet, with Goku leading the way to a more ideal battle ground. Goku knew this would be the toughest battle of his life. The last Saiyan who had murdered the majority of the Earth's fighters was a weakling compared to Vegeta.
Goku and Vegeta kept flying until Goku found what he believed would be the perfect place to fight. It was in the middle of the desert, surrounded by rocky hills, there were no life forms they might accidentally kill. Goku landed, surprising Vegeta who followed suit. They both landed on hills with Vegeta landing on the higher one. He looked down at Goku with crossed arms.
"Alright there are no life forms here and no distractions. This is where we'll fight," declared Goku.
"Doesn't matter to me whether there are life forms or not, because you'll all be dead soon anyway," stated Vegeta.
"I won't let that happen," declared Goku taking a fighting stance.
Goku was about to charge before Vegeta spoke up.
"Hold on Kakarot, before we begin, I have a proposition for you. Nappa clearly wasn't strong enough to fight alongside me and with him gone, I could use a strong, trustworthy ally on my side to help with missions across the galaxy. What do you say? Think of what we could accomplish together? No one could stop us. We could be the most feared fighters in the universe."
"Thanks, but no thanks," retorted Goku. "I have everything I could ever want or need right here on Earth. Besides considering how quickly you'll kill your own teammate doesn't make you a very trustworthy ally."
Vegeta laughed.
"Very well. I gave you a chance to join me and now you must suffer the consequences."
Vegeta took his own fighting stance. For a few seconds they stared at each other. It was Goku who charged first. He threw a punch at Vegeta who blocked it with ease. Goku followed up with a powerful kick, but Vegeta jumped into the air to avoid the attack. Goku charged at Vegeta and started throwing a barrage of punches. He attacked as quickly as he could, but Vegeta managed to block each attack. Vegeta didn't even appear to be trying. He had an evil grin on his face that made Goku believe he was toying with him.
"Not bad Kakarot," said Vegeta blocking attacks, before going on the offence. "For a low level."
Using both hands, Vegeta hit Goku from above who crashed to the ground below.
Vegeta landed on a nearby hill having not broken a sweat.
"What's wrong Kakarot you can do better than that," he mocked.
Goku jumped up and looked towards Vegeta. This was going to be tougher than he thought. It was clear to him that Vegeta was far from showing his full strength. Despite how bad the situation was, Goku laughed.
"You know, it's funny. Despite how bad things are, I'm having the time of my life," stated Goku.
"You won't be having the time of your life for very long. I'll make sure of that," said Vegeta.
Goku had a small stretch before continuing.
"Well, if I'm going to have a chance at winning this, I'm going to have to take this up a notch," said Goku getting ready to charge. "KAIO-KEN!"
"Kaio-ken?" asked a confused Vegeta.
Goku's entire bodily glowed with crimson red energy. Had Vegeta been able to sense energy he would've realised that Goku had gotten much stronger and faster.
Goku charged at with Vegeta with unexpected speed, which caught Vegeta by surprise, Goku punched him in the face. Vegeta went flying and before he knew it Goku had caught up to him and attacked him again. This went on for a while, but before long Goku couldn't retain the form and the attack ceased.
"Hmph not bad," said Vegeta wiping blood from his lip. "What was that?"
"That was the Kaio-ken. It's an attack that multiplies my speed, strength and all my senses!" explained Goku.
"Well, that would explain the sudden increase in power," stated Vegeta. "Had you or your brat used that against Nappa he would've been taken out in an instant."
"We considered that, but we only wanted to use this move if we had to," stated Goku.
"What do you mean?" asked Vegeta.
"Using this technique puts a strain on the body and we can only use it for a limited time," confirmed Goku.
Vegeta laughed.
"You shouldn't have told me that, because now I know your usage of that technique is limited."
"Which means I'm going to have to end this quickly," stated Goku. "Which is a shame because I was hoping we could fight for a little longer."
"Oh, don't you worry Kakarot, we will," said Vegeta.
"KAIO-KEN," yelled Goku, glowing crimson.
Goku charged at Vegeta, but the evil Saiyan was ready for him this time. Vegeta jumped out of the way just before Goku could hit him. Goku landed and charged at Vegeta again. Vegeta managed to block the punch Goku threw. This went back and forth, with Vegeta giving noticeably more effort than before. Goku started to tire which allowed Vegeta to gain an easy advantage. He punched Goku away sending Earth's greatest defender flying. Goku tried to recover, but Vegeta appeared behind him and kicked him into a nearby hill.
Out of breath Goku powered down.
"How?" gasped Goku.
"I'll admit that Kaio-ken is a nice trick, but it's not the first time I've seen a technique like that," stated Vegeta.
"What?" asked Goku.
"Don't tell me it's the best you've got, because if so, I'm more then disappointed," sighed Vegeta.
Little did Vegeta know it wasn't all Goku had. In addition to normal Kaio-ken, Goku could make the technique stronger through higher multiplications. He'd been warned by King Kai however, that this was dangerous, as the stronger you made the technique, the greater harm it did to the user's body. King Kai had advised Goku to take the technique no higher than Kaio-ken times two. Unfortunately, Goku saw no other option. It was the only chance he had of defeating Vegeta.
Goku was about to use Kaio-ken times two when he remembered something he and Gohan had discussed while crossing Snake Way.
"Hey Dad, remember that weird eye thing the Saiyan guy had?" asked Gohan.
"Yeah, why?" asked Goku.
"I don't remember much of it because I was so angry, but he used that thing to scan our fighting power, right?" questioned Gohan.
"I think so. Guess he couldn't sense energy like we can. Hopefully that'll put us at an advantage for the upcoming fight," suggested Goku.
"Maybe, but I think it would be kinda useful to know their fighting strength. That way we'd know how much we need to improve by," stated Gohan.
It occurred to Goku that maybe it was best he learnt what Vegeta's fighter strength was. Maybe then he could use the Kaio-ken to increase his strength by the right amount to defeat Vegeta.
"Before we continue, there's something I need to ask," said Goku
"What?" demanded Vegeta.
"What did you say my fighting strength was?" asked Goku.
"Over eleven thousand," answered Vegeta, annoyed at having to repeat himself.
"What's your fighting strength?" asked Goku.
"Eighteen thousand. That's how I know you don't stand a chance against me," stated Vegeta.
"Eighteen thousand? So that means you're…" Goku attempted to count the power difference with his fingers.
"It means my power level is seven thousand points higher than yours. Did no one ever teach you to count?" smirked Vegeta.
"They did, I'm just not very good at it," answered Goku.
"Clearly," groaned Vegeta.
"So, are you twice as strong as me?" clarified Goku.
"No you idiot, if I was twice as strong as you my power level would be twenty-two thousand. But it doesn't matter, I'm still far stronger than you, so I know you can't win this fight," declared Vegeta.
"So, his power is less than double mine?" thought Goku. "If that's the case then hopefully the Kaio-ken times two will be enough."
"Thank you, you've given me all the information I need to win this fight," said Goku.
"Hmm?" questioned Vegeta.
"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO," yelled Goku.
"Times two?" cried Vegeta.
The crimson energy around Goku glowed with even more intensity signifying a greater increase in strength. Goku made the first move. Although Vegeta was ready, he couldn't keep up with Goku this time. Goku attacked with such great speed and power that Vegeta was helpless as a barrage of attacks were thrown this way. Vegeta realised Goku's strength was greater than his, and this was infuriating.
Goku kicked Vegeta into a nearby hill, creating a large hole in the process. The Saiyan from Earth then powered down to catch his breath.
"Great, if I just keep using the Kaio-ken times two, I'll win for sure," thought Goku confidently.
Vegeta however, was not going down so easily. The fact that he was losing to a low classed Saiyan warrior, made him angrier than he had ever been. Using a combination of power and anger Vegeta exploded the hill around him. Overcome with anger, Vegeta charged at Goku.
"KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO," yelled Goku.
Vegeta threw a punch that Goku blocked with ease. Goku attacked back, proving once again that he was the superior fighter. Vegeta threw as many attacks as he could, but no matter what he did, Goku was able to counter and retaliate. Before long Vegteta was once again being kicked around the battlefield. If he didn't do something soon, Goku would win. It was at this point, Vegeta decided that if he couldn't win this fight, then no one would.
Eventually Goku had to take another beak, but not before kicking Vegeta a significant distance. While Goku knew he was winning, he hoped he had enough stamina to keep this up.
Meanwhile, Vegeta landed with a thud. He stood up and stared furiously at Goku.
"That fool, who does he think he is?" demanded Vegeta. "He shouldn't be able to stand up to me. I am the prince of all Saiyan's, he should be nothing more than an insect to me."
Goku got prepared for Vegeta's next attack. It was clear that the evil Saiyan wasn't ready to give up yet. Goku would soon learn that Vegeta would sooner die then lose to him.
"THAT'S IT, YOU'VE SEALED YOUR FATE KAKAROT," yelled Vegeta who glowed bright purple. "I'M GOING TO DESTROY THIS ENTIRE PLANET."
"WHAT?" asked Goku.
"DODGE THIS NEXT ATTACK IF YOU CAN. BUT KNOW THAT IF YOU DO THIS WHOLE PLANET WILL BE DESTROYED," yelled Vegeta before jumping to the sky.
Vegeta put his hands above his head, preparing to charge a planet destroying beam.
"Oh no, I've got to do something and quick," thought Goku. "KAIO-KEN TIMES TWO." He yelled.
Goku once again glowed with crimson red energy, after which he placed his hands to his side.
"Let's see how he likes a Kamehameha wave."
Vegeta and Goku each put as much energy as they could into their respective attacks. One would be used to destroy the planet, while the other would be used in to defend it.
This increase in power hadn't gone unnoticed by the others in the planet. It was so intense that Piccolo and Gohan stopped dead in their tracks.
"Do you feel that?" asked Gohan.
"Yes, it's insane. I've never felt such power," stated Piccolo. "If they're not careful they'll destroy the entire planet."
"Then let's hurry, maybe we'll be able to add more energy to Dad's attack," said Gohan, as he and Piccolo continued on their way to assist Goku.
Unfortunately, they wouldn't arrive quick enough to help.
Vegeta and Goku had finished charging their attacks. What happened next would determine the fate of the entire planet.
"GALICK GUN FIRE," yelled Vegeta launching a bright purple energy beam.
"KAMEHAMEHA," yelled Goku countering with a bright blue energy beam.
I feel that was a bit of a bad place to end this chapter? If so please let me know and I might make the chapter a little longer. I must confess though I kind of like how I've made Goku stronger because of this scenario as I feel it makes the fight between them a little more even.
As always thanks for reading and feel free to provide feedback if you think there are ways the story could be improved. See you soon.