Here's Chapter 32! Thanks to Red Chimera, Guest, Ali, Ryo-chan wolfgirl, icewolf, Gohandominates, Hoshi124, firelifeblizarrd and Person34 for all the reviews on chapter 31.
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!
…
Raychalla slowly opened her eyes and found that she was lying on the cold stone floor of the abandoned spaceport that Salsir had chosen to lure Turles to.
"He DIDN'T kill me? Even so, how dare Turles just manhandle me like that? All those years between us and… "the ivory-haired queen stopped her complaining as she noticed something hard and cool resting in her hands.
The pirate monarch remembered that the dark-skinned Saiyan had pushed something into her hands just before pressing the nerve in her neck that sent her slipping unconscious to the floor. After getting to her feet, Raychalla examined the item that Turles had given her. Her eyes went wide and she gasped in utter disbelief.
A perfect Arkalazian sapphire rested in her hand! The precious gem would pay for Turles's ship three times over and still leave a tidy sum of zeni. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"T-Turles planned t-to pay me after all and I sent that monster after him. B-But then he has that woman! Turles has NEVER allowed a female on his crew….EVER!"
Raychalla could hear the sounds of apparent combat coming from a short distance away.
"Turles STILL betrayed me. Whatever hand fate deals out to him so be it then!" the pirate queen huffed.
It was time to collect a payment far overdue, Raychalla smiled as she looked over the glittering jewel in her right hand. She was almost tempted to keep the deep blue exquisitely cut gem. Almost.
'The jewel merchants on planet Athigos will be ecstatic when they see my lovely treasure! I'll be able to name my price' the snow-haired female mused.
With that thought in mind, the queen dismissed Turles from her thoughts. After all, there was a fortune to be made…..
…
Turles's jaw dropped in amazement at the sight of Salsir's transformation. The monstrous red and green serpent could probably crush him with a single swipe of its tail. Its enormous mouth opened exposing hundreds of dagger-like teeth dripping with sickly green venom.
The dark-skinned Saiyan leapt out of the way as the great tail slammed into the floor missing him by a few inches.
"Why postpone the inevitable? You DIE this day Turles!" Salsir hissed.
'Great he's capable of speech and he can control his actions' Turles thought to himself.
"Dying's NOT on my to do list for today!" the pirate commander declared.
"DON'T MOCK ME YOU FILTHY APE!" the Sarhassan roared.
A series of handsprings took the Saiyan out of harm's way momentarily but he knew he would tire eventually.
Again and again the serpent's great tail thrashed about trying to crush the Saiyan pirate.
Turles reached at his waist pouch for the last piece of the Fruit from the Tree Of Might. He cursed aloud as the reptilian nightmare smacked it from his grasp. Only a sticky puddle of juice remained from the strength-inducing morsel.
"Were you depending on an increase in strength? Such a pity!" Salsir cackled.
The furious Saiyan slammed his fist into the great serpent. It was like hitting a metal wall!
Cruel laughter rang out from the serpentine being.
"Your poor Simian strength is nothing compared to the might of my transformation!" Salsir taunted.
Turles fought the urge to rub his throbbing fist. This didn't look good at all…
….
"Artruay, If I explained to this 'Turles' fellow that his mother is searching for him…" Bulma began.
"Bulma, I seriously doubt he would even care," Artruay interrupted.
"He would intentionally keep a child from his own mother?" Chi-Chi huffed indignantly.
"He has destroyed entire civilizations, entire planets, Chi-Chi. Do you think a single child is going to be of any importance to him?" the gray reptilian being scoffed.
"E-Entire p-planets?" the Ox-King's daughter squeaked.
Artruay nodded with a deep sigh," If your son has gained favor with the likes of Turles, then I can only surmise that he is willingly doing the Saiyan's bidding."
"NO! NOT MY GOHAN! He'd NEVER hurt anyone!" the brunette female of Earth protested.
"I don't know, Chi-Chi. When it comes to survival, people have been known to behave in ways they normally couldn't begin to conceive" the aqua-haired scientist added.
"MY SON IS NOT A MURDERER!" Chi-Chi bellowed.
"I would advise you to keep a distance from Turles, my dear Bulma," Artruay advised. "He has a penchant for very attractive women."
"Okay..Oh! That was a very lovely compliment, Artruay!" Bulma gushed.
"HMPH! I'M prettier than HER!" Chi-Chi snorted.
"WHAT? I'M FAR PRETTIER THAN YOU!" the former heiress of Capsule Corps shot back.
"Ladies, I just remembered I have an appointment …." Artruay announced as he rushed out of the room….
…..
Later that evening Bulma sympathetically patted a weeping Chi-Chi's shoulder.
"MY BABY'S GOING TO BE A MURDERER! MY POOR CORRUPTED GOHAN! WHY? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?" Chi-Chi moaned.
…
Turles fired a ki blast but it ricocheted off the armor-like hide of the great serpent he fought. He had to dodge his own blast.
'What the Hell am I supposed to do?" the Saiyan raged.
At that moment Daiz appeared and fired off a ki blast that did nothing to injure the scaly beast. The Kabochan prince was rewarded for his efforts by being dealt a severe blow from Salsir's tail. He fell to the floor motionless with a rivulet of blood beginning to seep across the floor.
'DAIZ! He has to be alright! He just HAS to be!' Gohan thought from his place of concealment. He began to feel very afraid.
Turles managed to inflict a serious wound to the Sarhassan with the next technique he employed –a fiery ring of ki, his signature Kill Driver.
"You'll PAY for that, Saiyan!" the Sarhassan snarled.
The Saiyan pirate phased in behind Salsir and prepared to fire a blast at the base of the snake-ling's hood. In a lightning fast move the great serpent had Turles ensnared in its massive coils. With a malicious laugh, the reptilian monstrosity began to squeeze the Saiyan warrior unmercifully.
"Now it's time for you to perish Saiyan!" Salsir chortled.
Turles grimaced as the tremendous pressure began to crush his armor.
"What? No witty comeback? Let me guess. Are you too busy..TRYING TO BREATHE?" the hellish creature mocked the Saiyan in its grip.
"It would be so easy to crush you like the insignificant insect you are. But I'll dispose of the brat first and allow you the privilege of watching me do so. Yessss! I know he is here!" Salsir declared.
The evil Sarhassan had immediately picked up Gohan's scent. He could hardly wait to hear the half-breed's dying screams.
"Get out of here Brat! THAT'S AN ORDER, GOHAN!" Turles shouted.
"SILENCE!" Salsir roared as he gave the pirate a particularly viscous squeeze.
The former leader of the Crusher Corps could feel the bones in his rib-cage began to give way….
…..
Gartoas snapped awake as the alarm signifying the end of treatment went off on the rejuvenation tank aboard Turles's ship.
'Just blasted great! Ahm stuck alone with tha wench!" the Kardangan grumbled.
He'd fervently hoped that the remainder of the crew would have returned before the completion of her treatment. With a sigh of disgust he went to open the door to the tank.
Zailora pounded furiously on the glass door of the tank. The Kabochan female ripped off her face mask and practically ran over the bearded pirate as she exited the tank. Next she fairly flew down the hall.
"Ya crazy wench! Get outta there! Ya got no business bein' in Master Turles's room!" Gartoas bellowed.
"How dare ya? Get yer hands outta tha commander's things!" the Kardanagan barked.
He grabbed her left arm and proceeded to pull her out of the Saiyan commander's private quarters. A well-placed kick from the female pirate sent the massive male to his knees.
"YA WITCH!" Gartoas groaned loudly.
Zailora gave him a smirk as she tore off with an armload of the fruit from the Tree Of Might….
…..
"GET OUT OF HERE GOHAN!" Turles shouted again.
Salsir slammed the Saiyan into the wall head-first dazing the now injured pirate. He unceremoniously dropped the Saiyan full-blood to the hard floor and began his hunt for the little demi-Saiyan. Turles sucked in his breath painfully and tried to stand. A great blow from the serpent's tail took him off his feet.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Gohan roared as he left his hiding place and floated just over the vile serpent.
"AH! The little vermin finally shows himself!" Salsir declared with amusement.
"Damned brat can't follow orders!"Turles growled
The Earth-raised Saiyan-halfling would be killed by the Sarhassan demon and Turles found that he actually felt regret at the thought.
His energy completely spent, Turles watched helplessly as it was now the seven-year-old's turn to try to evade Salsir's treacherous coils and venomous fangs.
Gohan was actually managing to stay just a step ahead of Salsir, much to the Sarhassan's fury.
"Be still and accept your fate! There's no escape for you!" the red and green gigantic serpent hissed.
The little-half-blood tried what should have been a devastating punch. It merely glanced off the great beast he fought leaving his right hand bruised and bleeding. A ki blast fired by the youngster ricocheted and it struck the boy instead.
Salsir's evil laughter rang out "You are finished! Despicable mixed-blood! Nowww shall I slowly crush you to death or watch you writhe in agony in your last moments of life as my venom courses through your veins? Which one? Which one will it be?"
"I can't decide! I suppose I'll have to DO BOTH!" Salsir snickered as he advanced on the unfortunate youth.
Gohan desperately wondered what to do then HE KNEW!
A white shimmering sphere of energy appeared in the young demi-Saiyan's hand.
'NO! He's not ready! 'Turles thought.
Gohan swung his arm back and cried out "Moon Blast explode!"
The shimmering sphere flew up into the air and burst forming a sizable ball of light.
"And just what do you hope to accomplish by…"Salsir never completed his statement as Gohan's eyes began to glow red…
…
As Raychalla had predicted, the jewel merchants of planet Athigos were absolutely entranced by the flawless rare sapphire she presented to them.
One of the Athigosian Merchant's Guild associates clapped his hands in delight as he viewed the exquisite gem "This gem is virtually priceless! A rare find indeed! And such perfect facets, a master's work! The stone-cutter was an absolute genius! I shall have its value tallied up in short order!" The slim blue-skinned green haired humanoid hurried off.
Raychalla sat in a comfortable chair in the seller's waiting area. Now all she had to do was collect her profits from the sapphire's sale.
Moments later,the slim humanoid blue skinned green-haired associate of the Athigosian Merchant's Guild came out to speak with her. His formerly bright smile was no longer in place, a deep frown darkened his countenance.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid that we cannot finance the sale of the Arkalazian sapphire," the guild member declared.
"And why ever not? You assured me that it was perfect , an extremely valuable rare find!" Raychalla protested.
"Your Majesty, you shall have to alert the source of where you procured the "gem' you brought to us that it is a fake! An absolutely stunning imitation gemstone, it must have taken a Master craftsman to create it!"
Raychalla balled up her fists in absolute fury. TURLES! The Saiyan pirate had purposely gifted her with a jewel that was absolutely worthless! He deserved his fate for this cruel deception!
…
A great roar echoed through the abandoned spaceport as Gohan completed his transformation into an Oozaru. Salsir was in stunned silence for a moment then he burst into laughter.
"Am I supposed to tremble in fear now? I know full well that the boy does not have the maturity to have control over his transformation. He's liable to crush you and Daiz before he even focuses on me!" Salsir chuckled evilly.
"THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, SALSIR!" the Great Ape snarled suddenly.
"This is impossible!" the Sarhassan screeched as the great simian slammed its mighty fists into him.
Blow after blow struck the now horrified serpent being. He could very well be slain by the over-sized ape!
'The brat can speak and control his actions. He truly took my lessons to heart' Turles realized. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Salsir was near panic. Suddenly he whirled about and bit down deep into the Great Ape's left shoulder. Surely his deadly venom would bring down the half-Saiyan!
Gohan grunted for a moment and then continued pummeling the Sarhassan causing numerous injuries.
"That light! Why didn't I think of it before? He draws his power from that artificial light!" Salsir mumbled to himself.
The Sarhassan fired off a mouth blast that obliterated Gohan's artificial moon.
As Gohan reverted back to his original form, he felt a horrible pain searing through his body. He bit back a scream and fought to stay on his feet.
Salsir could no longer contain his own transformation as he was totally exhausted. But he was sure he could summon up enough energy to dispose of the vile half-breed.
At that very moment, Zailora appeared in front of Turles holding out pieces of the fruit to him.
"You've been in my quarters, Woman! " Turles scolded but he seemed to be amused by the idea.
Turles rose to his feet after consuming several of the fruit and he headed for the two combatants.
Gohan fell to the floor moaning in agony. His body began to thrash about as the venom caused his muscles to spasm.
"This is the moment of your death, whelp!" Salsir declared.
"No, It's yours!" a chilling voice stated.
The Sarhassan looked down in shock at the black-gauntleted fist of Turles that protruded from his chest.
Salsir fell to the floor. Turles tossed the snake-being its own heart "I believe this is yours!"
A quick ki blast obliterated the Sarhassan.
Daiz was slowly getting to his feet. Zailora had given the former prince some of the fruit as well.
Gartoas was kneeling next to the little demi-Saiyan , his expression looked grave.
Blood was pouring from two massive holes in the seven-year-old's left shoulder. His eyes were glassy and his body was wracked with continuous spasms. Saliva ran from the child's mouth.
"Master Turles, Tha boy might be done fer!"
"Like Hell he is! He's a Saiyan! We're taking him to the Mertosan healing station!" Turles barked.
The Kardangan knew better than to argue. He scooped the boy up as gently as he could after Turles had dripped some of the fruit's juice into the youngster's mouth. Hopefully it would slow the venom.
"Hang on, Squirt! HANG ON!" Daiz called out.
….
It had been several hours since Turles and his crew had arrived at the Mertosan healing station.
Turles had finally allowed his own injuries to be treated after Gohan was rushed to the care of the medics. And this was only after Zailora had repeatedly berated him for not doing so when they first arrived.
"We sassed 'im like that we'd be dead men!" Gartoas huffed.
"Yep!" Daiz agreed. Somehow the feisty Kabochan female had gotten her way. Again.
Turles kept his eyes on the door leading from the waiting area to the medical wing.
Finally the door swung open, a short-statured yellow feline medic walked towards Turles and his crew. His head was bowed and he gave a great sigh before announcing "I'm sorry, truly I am...""
Zailora stifled a sob and buried her face into Daiz's shoulder. The dark green-haired male shook his head in disbelief.
'Sorry,Squirt!' he thought.
Gartoas gave a great sigh but Turles seemed frozen unable to react for a moment. His crew heard him take a great breath.
"The boy has expired then?" the pirate commander questioned.
The pirate crew snapped their heads up they hadn't missed the catch in the Saiyan's voice.
The medic shook his head "Not yet, but he most assuredly will. His body is somehow fighting the venom but he has lost so much blood! We have nothing that matches his unique type. His body rejected the synthetic forms we've tried…"
"The boy is half-Saiyan! I am a Saiyan. Could MY blood save him?" Turles offered.
A smile lit the yellow feline's face "It might! IT VERY WELL MIGHT!"
Turles's crew were speechless as their commander rushed into the medical wing with the medic.
…..
Gohan awoke with a throbbing head. It seemed as if he were in some sort of hospital…
He could sense someone else in the room the little half-blood looked up to see Turles standing over him. The dark-skinned Saiyan was smiling!...
...
So what did you think? Please let me know!
A/N: I took the 'Moon Blast' from the "Tree Of Might" as Turles uses that name for the powerball that transforms Gohan. Being trained by Turles, Gohan would use his term for the technique.