Chapter Forty-Six: You're Going Down

"Because I'm hyped up, outta control
If it's a fight I'm ready to go
I wouldn't put my money on the other guy
If you know what I already know
It's been a long time comin'
And the table's turned around
'Cause one of us is goin'
One of us is goin' down"
You're Going Down-Sick Puppies

DBZ

Vegeta grimaced and irritably kicked the lifeless body of one Frieza's men from where he'd landed atop him. He winced and clutched his bare and bleeding shoulder, giving it a glance to see the blackened and broiled flesh of a lifeless limb. He grimaced in disgust and slowly, painfully, climbed to his feet. He staggered sideways and he unfurled his tail for extra balance, barely maintaining his footing.

Clutching his hand over the wound in his useless right arm he stumbled forward through the darkness of Frieza's wrecked ship, sparks dancing across busted consoles and from exposed wires in the ceiling being his only source of navigating light. Despite the situation he couldn't help but think of what Leta would have to say once she saw the state of his school uniform. The pants were ragged and his jacket shredded. At least he still had those; his tie didn't seem to have survived the explosion.

He paused in a doorway leading to the outer corridors of the ship and peered cautiously first to his left and then to his right, seeing nothing but darkness to his left and flashes of blue across the curved wall to his right. So he went to his right.

"That stupid girl," he muttered under his breath as he trudged weakly forward. "Why the hell are humans so weak?" he demanded of the darkness in frustration.

He had snuck aboard Frieza's ship in an attempt to catch the tyrant by surprise and deliver a fatal blow, but that had been cut short by a literal surprise attack from out of nowhere. When he had recovered from the side effects of that shock he had found this human girl shaking him to awaken him. He grimaced at the memory of that embarrassment; him, Prince Vegeta, being awoken by some pitiful human child.

He remembered jumping to his feet to berate her when some of Frieza's men barged in. They were quickly dispatched but then that light had shone through the windows and...He paused again. He knew power when he saw it and he knew that attack would have killed the girl. So he had thrown himself in front of her without thinking and...He looked down at his arm again. He had paid a steep price for it, yet he wasn't...He wasn't angered by that.

Really he felt more calm than anything. He frowned and looked forward again, moving slowly down the curving corridor towards the source of the couldn't explain it. He should have been irritated that he, the Prince of all Saiyans, had allowed himself to be injured on behalf of a lowly human. He scowled and glanced through an open doorway to his right into an empty room, save for the dead and the unconscious among Frieza's army. He had clearly grown soft living among these frail beings.

He moved on with a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head. He would have to do something about that when all of this was over. But first he had to find that girl and get away from the battlefield. Even he knew when he was outclassed.

A banging from his left made him stop and he brought his good hand up as he slid into a defensive posture, turning to face what appeared to be a hatch. Dim outside light shone around a sudden fist that burst between the two halves of the door and he quickly ducked into the empty room he had just passed. He watched as the door was forced open and a Flazerian female stepped aboard the ship followed soon by a beautiful silver-striped golden woman, a silver and gold tail wrapped snugly about her slender waist.

He frowned in confusion and tried to shrink into the shadows. Whatever treaty the Galactic Band had with the Flazerians he still couldn't bring himself to trust a Flazerian, but he knew their entire race despised the Ice-jins so he didn't immediately see her as an enemy. The new lady was another story.

Luminescent green eyes turned to him and he stiffened against his will. The strange woman offered him a smile and nodded her head reassuringly. Her face turned completely towards him, he couldn't help but feel that she was somehow familiar. He had definitely seen her somewhere before.

"It is alright, Vegeta. We are here to help."

He hesitated for a moment but reluctantly stepped out of the shadows, returning his hand to his still bleeding shoulder. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Lady Aurah."

Lady Aurah?! He knew the name and he had heard the stories of how Aurah had one day become Leta and Surah. He had not believed it then, not completely, but as he looked at her he couldn't help but to see traces of Surah and Leta in her appearance and demeanor.

His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "Lady Aurah. Leta and Surah?" he demanded rudely.

Aurah nodded her head in confirmation. "I am they. We are one," she said, her voice altering briefly to sound as if two women were talking in sync. "Ancient magic created the form you see before you, but we still exist. Only now as one," she finished, her voice returning to normal.

"Such a thing...is possible?" he asked, eyeing her form warily.

She nodded again. "Indeed it is, Prince Vegeta. Now, make haste. We must evacuate the area. Go with Lerayo, she will see you to safety. I will retrieve the human girl-"

"No!" he interrupted firmly, his voice rising harshly. He gave Aurah a steady glare and shook his head. "I will leave when she leaves. A Prince does not run ahead of the weak."

Aurah blinked but smiled with no small amount of pride in her gaze. "As you say. Lerayo, let us find the human girl. Her ki is faint but she is nearby. No doubt unconscious."

"Yes Matron Aurah," Lerayo replied with a salute before stepping away into the darkness to begin the search.

Aurah held Vegeta's young gaze for a few more moments before turning to follow. She stopped, though, when Lerayo almost immediately returned cradling the unconscious blue-haired girl.

"She lives," Lerayo said in reply to Vegeta's questioning glance. "Her pulse is steady and strong."

Vegeta barely stifled a sigh and nodded. "Good. Then let us leave." He ignored Aurah's grin as he staggered forward to the open door.

I am growing soft. Pitiful humans.

DBZ

Bardock and Amotto rocketed side-by-side, both transformed and their golden auras raging as they raced to the battlefield. They were almost halfway there when they had felt Falmer's power wink out of existence. Though the last few minutes had been easy on their senses, they knew the storm was still raging even if Frieza had not been active during that time. Bardock glanced at Amotto and scowled. "So any bright ideas when we get there?"

She returned his glance with an arched eyebrow. "You're seriously asking me? I thought you didn't recognize my authority?"

He snorted and looked ahead. "I recognize no authority. But I also have no plan other than look at the moon, so I was kinda hopin' you might've had somethin' up your sleeve."

She rolled her eyes and looked forward as well. "I'm really hoping whatever Falmer did there at the end left a lasting mark. Especially since Frieza hasn't flared his ki in the last few minutes."

"Yeah," Bardock agreed sullenly. If they failed now then that was it; Frieza would win. They were banking their last attack on being able to become Super Saiyan Oozarus, and that didn't really sit too well with him. He liked the idea of it, but what if it ended up being just an idea? How would they take Frieza down otherwise?

And even if they were able to push their transformations to those heights, would that even be enough? Or would Frieza tank their powers like he had tanked everything else thrown at him?

"I know it's a new concept for you, but we'll have to hope for the best here."

He looked around at her again but remained silent. She was right he knew, but it was still a foreign concept. He understood controlling situations or manipulating them to suit his own desires. Flying headlong into a battle where he had no clear schematic for the way it would play out was not his ideal way to start off.

"I suppose we should try and trust Mejai then."

"I do trust Mejai," she said firmly meeting his gaze. "He lies about nothing," she added with a grimace. "He just...hides...things." She sighed and looked ahead. "I don't know. But I do trust his judgement and his tactics, at least. As...haphazard...as they may be."

Bardock scowled again and looked ahead as well.

DBZ

And he was flying through an endless black void. He came to a stop and looked around sharply.

"What the hell is this? Not now!" He couldn't afford to be lost in visions right now. He thought he had them under control now, not having had one since his last shortly before his ascension.

"It had to happen, Bardock."

The familiar voice of the Kanassan sent a chill up and down his spine, but the appearance of the blackened and burnt body of said Kanassan hovering before him made his blood run cold.

The Kanassan smiled at the look upon his face. "Shocking, is it not?"

"You...went silent. I thought you were a hallucination."

"If only it were that simple. The situation is...more complicated than I am able to detail here and now."

"Then spit it out! Where were you and why are you here now?" Bardock demanded harshly. This was no vision and he knew it. This was...something else. Something like his experience with Turles' foretold death that never came to pass. "Is my mind playin' tricks on me?"

"No, and it never was," the Kanassan said softly. Almost gently. "Your time is nearly come, Bardock. Your destiny unfolds this day. I...have seen it." He lowered his gaze reflectively. "Your path to now...it cannot be altered. Your future is written in stone as you have seen, but you continue to break the stone to suit your desires."

Bardock scowled. "Well what the hell does that mean?"

The Kanassan sighed and looked up at the Saiyan slowly. "Through our shared existence I have come to understand and even mildly respect you, Bardock. You are not the monster my people died believing you to be. So I take no joy in what is to come.

"So I tell you now: fight. Fight til you can fight no more. Do the impossible and break the unbreakable; destroy Frieza and create your own destiny as you have continuously done until now." The Kanassan stared intently at Bardock, almost as if he were pleading with him.

Bardock did not understand what was happening right now. And he said as much which drew a laugh from the Kanassan.

"I can imagine you do not, but you do not need to. Just fight for your life and for your future. That is all you must do now."

"Then why tell me at all?"

"You deserve a word of warning at the very least and beyond that...I can say no more, unfortunately."

Bardock's confused scowl deepened. "And why the hell not?"

"If I say anymore I will draw...undesired attention to you. I have...made some discoveries in my absence. Discoveries of events that are directly responsible for my absence. So trust in my words, Bardock. You have before. So please...trust me this last time."

DBZ

He opened his mouth to respond but faltered as he spotted the massive smoldering crater rolling up from the horizon. He closed his mouth and growled low in his throat. That about figures. Black me out then throw me back just in time for the bull shit to start. Asshole!

Beside him Amotto lifted a hand to point to the darkening sky above them. She clearly hadn't noticed his mental absence. "I can just see the moon behind the clouds. I'll distract Frieza while you clear the cloud cover and transform. Once you've transformed, that'll no doubt take his attention from me to you leaving me able to transform, as well. What do you think?" She let her arm return to her side and glanced over at him again.

He met her gaze as he considered the plan. Seemed sound enough, albeit simple. At least it wasn't needlessly complicated. "Yeah, good plan. It could actually work. Think you can manage to distract the lizard that long?"

Their auras vanished as they both came to a stop above the center of the crater. Amotto glanced towards the demolished palace before replying. "I think I can try. Just don't take your time up there." She frowned. "I can't sense anyone; maybe they all escaped?"

Bardock ignored that last comment as Seluri flew up to meet them. "What's Frieza doin'?"

Seluri shook her head and glanced around. "I do not know. I cannot imagine that last attack had any effect on him considering his power."

"Yeah, he's been holdin' back," Bardock murmured irritably as he looked down to where he could feel Frieza's roiling ki. "The way his ki spiked higher each time y'all went against him...ain't no tellin' just how strong he really is."

"It doesn't matter. We have a plan and we need to stick to it, Bardock." Amotto gave him a firm glare.

He gave her a sour glance. If she only knew...but if he told her then she would try and make him leave the battle, which he was not about to do. Still looking at her, he spoke to Seluri, "Any idea what triggered the nanites into workin'?" Only when Amotto looked to Seluri anxiously did he look away from her.

Seluri shook her head. "None, I am afraid. I assume Berik did not figure out the problem?"

Amotto shrugged. "Last we heard before we left was him saying something about not factoring in one calculation or another. If they're active for you, they should be active for us now."

They all looked down at the same time as Frieza's ki finally swelled up and he burst from beneath the rubble gathered low in the crater. He zipped up and leveled off with them, his beady red eyes glaring pure murder at them. He made a show of batting dust from his shoulders as he regarded them in momentary silence.

"Two down. And two more to fill their spaces." He eyed Amotto and Bardock curiously, looking from their spikey golden hair to their golden tails wrapped tight about their waists. "I see. You must be these so-called Super Saiyans." He smirked as his gaze lingered on Bardock. "I recognize you from Jynn-jin 13. Bardock was it? And you must be the Saiyan female that gave my brother so much trouble," he said, looking to Amotto.

She forced a smile and gave a mock-sheepish shrug. "I tried."

Frieza chuckled. "It is quite unfortunate that you did not kill my brother. It certainly would have saved me the trouble of doing it myself."

"What? Bad blood?"

"You could say that." He paused and looked between the three of them. "That, however, is the least of your worries. I am in a rather sour mood at the moment so your deaths are guaranteed. When you die...well, that has not yet been decided," he finished with a wicked grin.

"All deaths are guaranteed," Bardock acknowledged grimly, thinking of what the Kanassan had said. "But not how we die."

Frieza eyed Bardock in amusement. "Eloquently put for a monkey. You are right, though. I have not decided how you will die just yet."

Amotto's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists at her sides and Bardock could sense her summoning her ki, her aura bursting to life and her power skyrocketing in preparation for the upcoming fight. Bardock cast her a glance of admiration. Her control of the transformation was still admittedly far and away better than what he had achieved since his ascension. While his raw power may have been higher than hers, she knew how to better regulate her ki to preserve her stamina for a greater length of time.

He had years of ki control at his disposal, but she'd had far more time and had done far more to master the state than he had been able to do in just a few days. He couldn't help but smile despite himself. It was yet another thing to strive for once Frieza was dealt with.

"You don't actually get to decide that, Frieza!" Amotto cried defiantly. "But you're welcome to try!"

Frieza chuckled and lifted a hand to point his index finger at her. "60% of my power is all it took to kill your Gylderian friend. To keep it fair I shall give you the same chance I gave him and start out at 15% of my power. So I suggest you take full advantage of the handicap."

Amotto appeared in front of him and drove her fist into his wide-open cheek, sending him sailing backwards from the force of the strike. "Duly noted!" she cried as she shot after him to drive a knee into his exposed stomach.

Bardock was already ascending to the clouds, Seluri calling after him in confusion. "The moon is full. We need to clear the cover," he said in reply to her questions.

KRA-BOOM!

He grimaced and glanced around just in time to see Amotto hit the ground at an angle and dig a trench several dozen yards before immediately rocketing back at Frieza, the ground exploding in her wake, for another strike on him; a strike he parried. She dove into a full-frontal assault that he either deflected or blocked all-too easily.

"Damn it!" Bardock cursed as he poured on the speed and looked to the clouds. He raised both hands above him and flared his ki in a wide spread to dissipate the rolling cloud banks. He watched as a ripple cut through the roiling mounds, the seas of gray and black shifting and tumbling around an invisible wall of his ki. He focused more power into his palms and flared his ki again, an even more incredible ripple tearing through the banks and immediately shredding the turbulent mounds into dissipation.

A pale light rapidly made itself known and he looked upon the full moon as it came into full view, the clouds recently obscuring it from view now rushing away as wisps and tendrils of white and gray.

He slowed his ascension to a full stop as he heard Seluri cry out in frustration, a cry that became deep and guttural fairly quickly. He smirked as his gaze began to unfocus. His heart began to race, and he felt his muscles contract and he heard the sickening sound of his bones crunching away as they grew and changed shape. His chest heaved and bulged as his ribs thickened and expanded audibly, and he felt an odd sensation in his mouth as it extended forward into what would become a snout, his teeth rearranging themselves with a grind as they thickened and elongated into vicious canines.

He felt as his skull shifted and changed shape, his ears sliding up and stretching upwards as his whole body began to itch with the appearance of golden fur. His aura cracked to life as he rapidly grew in size and power, his tail unfurling from his waist as his whole equilibrium changed.

His power...it was unreal. His mental clarity even more so. As his transformation came to a completion, he was surprised to still have control over his sanity. He had not lost himself to the primal urges this time around. He turned in midair, the first Super Saiyan Oozaru in millennia, and turned his glowing red eyes upon the still form of Frieza.

The tyrant had apparently spotted him and lost all interest in Amotto, his eyes wide in what could almost be mistaken as something close to fear. Bardock grinned ferociously and killed his power to drop thunderously to the ground below, reverberations trembling the very air as he straightened up to tower over where Frieza stood.

"LET'S SEE HOW WELL YOU DO AGAINST THIS POWER, FRIEZA," Bardock's rumbling voice echoed all around the devastated field. He sneered down at the tyrant as Amotto's aura alighted and she took to the sky to transform for herself.

Frieza visibly swallowed and narrowed his eyes. "This is most unexpected, however it shall not make a difference on the outcome. I will still-" he was cut off as Bardock's massive fist materialized over him in a downward punch, and he barely leapt backwards out of the way as it cratered the ground where he'd just been standing.

Bardock's speed was nothing to scoff at as he blurred after Frieza sweeping his leg around in a massive kick that flattened the lizard across his shin and sent him streaking down into the ground, which exploded impressively from the force of the strike.

Bardock chuckled low in his throat and glanced up to see a descending base form Oozaru that he knew had to be Seluri. "ARE YOU UNDER CONTROL?"

She twisted her snout into a scowl as she touched down beside him. "OF COURSE I AM. I HAVE DONE CONSIDERABLE TRAINING AS AN OOZARU. ALL CLERICS HAD TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT." She paused and turned her glowing red eyes skyward to where Amotto's transformation was just now underway. "THE REAL QUESTION IS WHETHER OR NOT SHE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTROL OOZARU AS A SUPER SAIYAN." She looked at Bardock again. "THOUGH IF YOU ARE ABLE, THEN SHE SHOULD BE AS WELL."

Bardock cast her a glare. "THANKS FOR THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE." He barely felt Frieza's ki spike before the tyrant was appearing shrouded in black and red to drive a vicious taloned kick into the side of Seluri's snout, snapping her head around and sending her violently to the ground with an earth-shattering crash.

Bardock looked at Frieza just as the tyrant threw his head back and screamed a protest as his muscles bulged and his power rose to impossible heights. His eyes were wide as Frieza's ki washed over his, easily overpowering in its malevolence. The sky above them flashed and churned heavily with the weight of the two titanic powers, a fierce gale whipping from nowhere and tugging at Bardock's fur as Frieza's aura raged an inferno around his power-engorged body.

"FULL POWER MONKEYS!" Frieza cried as he turned his murderous glare upon Bardock's golden form. "I WILL KILL YOU ALL RIGHT NOW!" He launched himself forward as a black and red blur to drive a vicious uppercut into the underside of Bardock's snout, snapping his massive head back with sonic-boom force and making him stagger backwards in a daze.

Reflexively his arm shot out and he managed to bat Frieza down to the ground, allowing himself to regain his footing and try to clear his head as he slid into a defensive posture. He had thought for sure his transformation had pushed him to heights not even Frieza was capable of, but that brief exchange had been enough to put him back on his guard. The lizard was still as dangerous as ever.

A boom from above him drew his gaze upwards to see Amotto's massive golden frame trembling while her aura raged unstably all around her, wildly pulsing with an eerie viridescent quality. He frowned in confusion as she clamped both gloved hands to the sides of her head, her shoulders shuddering as her already massive power spiked dangerously higher.

Bardock didn't have long to ponder the situation as Frieza materialized before him and drove a fist square into the center of his nose, unbelievable pain exploding from the point of impact, as well as twin geysers of blood, as he was thrown backwards viciously. He stepped back to maintain his stance and ducked his head under Frieza's sweeping kick. He drove his fist upwards in retaliation, catching Frieza full across his body and sending him flying into the sky past where Amotto was now thrashing her head from side to side as the eerie glow had become a steady green sheen across her fur and armor.

"AMOTTO!" Bardock cried up to her, her body stiffening at the sound of his voice. The green light seemed to dim a bit. "CONTROL! MAINTAIN YOUR FOCUS! REMEMBER THAT FRIEZA IS YOUR ENEMY!"

She lifted her massive head, her hands still held to her golden temples, and opened her glowing eyes slowly. She looked up to where Frieza had been sent to see the tyrant diving down towards her. Her aura pulsed and the green seemed to seep into her fur as it took on the sickly shade, her muscles bulging to twice their normal size with a popping crunch.

"HHHWWWAAAOOORRRRRGGGHHH!" she roared thunderously before firing a massive golden blast from the back of her throat straight up at the descending lizard.

He swung around the beam almost effortlessly and swooped in to double-punch her in the forehead which sent her incredible bulk rocketing down to the ground. Showing more agility than her massive frame should have allowed, she flared her ki and flipped around to land on bended knee with an explosion of dirt and debris, the earth shuddering and the air moaning under her crushing weight. She swung her head up to see Frieza racing after her and she exploded into the air with a flash of green and gold, her hands swinging around like lightning to clap Frieza between her palms, a massive shockwave issued from the stunning strike.

She lowered her arms and Frieza, a pained expression twisting his features, dropped towards the ground. She kicked her leg out and booted him down into the ground with a thunderous boom and a tremendous shower of debris. Her jowls twisted spasmodically as her aura raged on around her, though her muscles returned to normal Oozaru proportions.

"F-FRIEZA…"she growled out in a low tone. "C-CONTROL...MUST...MAINTAIN."

Bardock let out a breath as her aura began to stabilize and shifted completely to gold, all traces of green now gone, before fading away completely. He didn't know what that had meant, but her ki felt more stable now than it had during that violent display. He had almost begun to think she was going to turn on him at any moment. Her power had felt as primal and as vicious as Falmer's had when he had become whatever had given him his extraordinary power, though hers had held a distinctive feral quality to it.

"ARE YOU IN CONTROL?" Bardock asked as he ascended to her level.

She turned glowing red eyes on him and narrowed her gaze almost menacingly with a low snarl. "BARELY. MY POWER...FEELS LIKE IT'S WANTING TO OVERFLOW. I CAN BARELY CONTAIN IT."

Bardock frowned. "YOU'VE GOTTA STAY FOCUSED, AMOTTO. YOU HAVE TO CONTROL THE POWER."

She growled and snapped her jaws at him. "I KNOW THAT!" She roared, one fist raising threateningly. "I AM IN CONTROL!" Her aura burst back to life as her power surged up around her, the green radiance instantly outshining the gold. Her red eyes dimmed, darkening to a glossy black as her muscles bulged ridiculously, threatening to tear the already strained fabric of her underarmor. Hurricane-level winds swirled into existence, the very air slicing chunks out of the earth beneath her as if she were manifesting invisible blades.

Bardock raised his fists defensively; he was certain she was about to attack him at any second and the power he was feeling from her had far and away outclassed his own, as well as Frieza's.

A thin purple beam exploded against the side of her snout, the explosion forcing her head around violently and completely burning away a section of fur around the edge of her mouth leaving behind scorched flesh. She roared in agony and rage, spinning around to immediately charge at the tyrant hovering across from her, her golden fur having completely taken on the sickly green tinge of whatever was corrupting her mind.

Frieza wasted no time in firing off a rapid barrage of death beams at her, but she displayed incredible speed as she managed to maneuver her massive body between the beams, giving the impression of there being multiples of her. All the while the ground exploded around her from every death beam that missed hitting her.

Bardock watched as she dashed like a blur between Frieza's deadly attacks, a zig-zagging trail of explosions dotting her wake, before phasing her incredible bulk directly overhead the Ice-jin tyrant in the blink of an eye. Frieza jerked his attention up, his arms lifting defensively just as a massive golden ball of ki erupted from the back of Amotto's throat and slammed explosively down on top of him, the ground disintegrating beneath the lizard tyrant as the blast instantly detonated in a blinding flash of light, throwing him viciously backwards from the force.

Frieza flipped immediately around to charge back towards Amotto, but was as surprised as Bardock was to find her bearing down on him, practically already on top of him. Her fist lanced around in a lightning-flash punch and the tyrant was sent flying back from a crushing blow not even he had seen coming.

Bardock could not believe what he was witnessing as he felt Frieza's ki drop steeply from that strike and Amotto's surge even higher. It was unreal. He watched Amotto charge after the ragdoll form of Frieza and knew that she would beat the tyrant and then turn her aggressions on anyone who got in her way afterwards.

He grimaced and summoned all of his power at once, charging his oversized body to its most powerful, his golden aura raging around him as a massive radiant tornado. Maybe Amotto would calm down a bit after she killed Frieza, then he wouldn't have to try and face her down. Her power just kept growing with each strike she gave Frieza, and it was clear that the tyrant was feeling every blow with a vengeance. His reflexes had slowed greatly and he was having trouble dodging her blows.

Bardock watched the ki-charged tyrant zip over and under Amotto's too-fast punches and kicks, the desperation in his movements clearly evident. Even he knew he was at the end of his rope, his black and red aura flickering as he struggled to keep his incredible ki stabilized. His power had dropped considerably and his speed was beginning to visibly suffer as Amotto's strikes drew nearer and nearer to connecting.

Bardock shifted his stance and launched himself towards the fray with a ferocious roar. "HYAAARRGGHHH!" he bellowed as he raced through the sky.

Amotto paused mid-punch and spun to easily backhand him to the ground, his massive bulk sinking into the ground as it rolled like water around his crushing ki-charged weight. He grimaced with his pain and closed his eyes as his head spun in circles from the strike.

"DON'T INTERFERE!" He heard Amotto command, her voice raspy and feral. "THIS BUG IS MINE!"

"Ugh...YOU GOT IT," Bardock relented, not too reluctantly. Her strike had completely floored him. His head was still spinning, but he heard Frieza when he yelled.

"You monkey trash! I'll send you to hell with this!"

Bardock opened his eyes just in time to see Frieza conjure a violet disk of super-charged ki above his head. He blinked as Amotto turned, too slow, just as Frieza reared back and threw it at her. It sliced through the air as a rapid glare of light, cutting through the distance separating him and Amotto in an instant. She saw the attack and phased out of its path with only millimeters to spare as it left a nick in her armor at her waist.

But as Bardock watched, Frieza suddenly brought his fist up and the disk's direction changed instantly to curve around and slice through her greenish-gold tail, severing more than three-quarters of its length and causing her body to go rigid.

"I got you!" Frieza cried, his voice nearly cracking into hysterics. He watched Amotto's tail drop uselessly to the ground and give a spasmodic jerk before going still. He looked back at the oddly-shaded Saiyan as her form began to shrink in on itself. He flashed her a demonic grin as she stiffly turned her head to look at him. Within seconds she was just a normal Super Saiyan, her chest heaving as the rigidness finally left her.

"Asshole!" she seethed breathlessly as she spun around to face him, her emerald eyes narrowing in contempt.

Frieza just grinned in response, his right hand lifting slowly with his fingers splayed apart.

Bardock pushed himself into a sitting position and spotted Frieza's disk circling in a wide arc around towards Amotto's exposed back.

"SHIT, AMOTTO!" He bellowed as he flared his aura and leapt to his feet. "BEHIND YOU!"

She looked around at him and scowled. "What are you-"

Frieza snapped his fingers together and jerked his arm around viciously, the disk flashing and suddenly zipping in to slice into the back of her neck.

"GODS DAMN IT, NO!" Bardock roared as Amotto's body dropped from the sky, her golden hair darkening to green as her head fell after it; Frieza's attack zipped away before fading into nothing.

"Three!" the tyrant cried triumphantly, his features twisted maniacally as he cackled his pleasure.

Bardock heard what was left of Amotto hit the ground but he refused to look in that direction. He turned his gaze upon Frieza and scowled as he charged his ki to its highest, the ground trembling beneath his feet.

"ALRIGHT FRIEZA. IT'S JUST YOU AND ME NOW…"

DBZ

Mejai felt his stomach drop and his knees grow weak as Amotto's ki abruptly vanished. He gripped the console beside him as he heard Seripa let out a cry of anguish. He closed his eyes and steeled himself against the tsunami of grief and rage that boiled through him. He let out a breath and looked around to find the Kami of Earth staring at him curiously.

Seripa rounded on him, her eyes bright with tears. "Frieza just…"

Mejai nodded solemnly and glanced towards Diamond where she was still seated quietly, bent forward and her head hanging low. She had been like that since Falmer had died, and was seemingly oblivious to anything else going on around her.

"Amotto has died." The words tasted foul on his tongue and he swallowed back a lump that suddenly lodged itself in his throat. "It's only Bardock and Seluri left at this point, but the good news is Frieza lost a large percentage of his ki. It's a more level playing field now."

He looked back at Seripa to see her staring at him in disgust. He raised his eyebrows questioningly as he asked, "What?"

"Amotto just died. Don't you even care?" she demanded so caustically that Mejai was left dumbfounded and blinking for a moment.

"Seripa we need to focus on what's relevant-"

"Relevant!" she cut in seethingly, her eyes wide in shocked anger. "Relevant!" she repeated with venom in her tone. "Amotto's death was irrelevant?!"

Mejai frowned and shook his head. "No, of course it wasn't," he replied with more hurt in his tone than he would have liked. He had to maintain his indifference no matter what his personal feelings were. He knew that was something they would never accept about him no matter what he said or did. At least not without revealing everything they didn't know.

"Amotto is not, and never will be, irrelevant," he continued, his tone hardening as he tried to keep it even.

"Then what the hell is more relevant than her?! Or Zether and Falmer?!" Diamond twitched as Seripa cried the name, but otherwise remained still.

Mejai was silent as he stared at her intently, his gaze slowly hardening almost dangerously. Enough so that Seripa's stern gaze faltered and she blinked, suddenly ashamed of herself. She glanced away from Mejai's sudden piercing gaze and he knew she was struggling to understand just why she was backing down so readily.

They would never understand. Not without seeing.

Finally he spoke. "While Frieza lives he takes relevance. So we must ensure that no one else meets the same fate as Amotto, and to do that we need to keep our wits and not devolve into hysterics when someone dies. We all knew this was a possibility going into it. Zether, Falmer, and Amotto all knew the risks." He paused and stared at Seripa for a moment.

"The risks...were discussed. We all knew what to expect going into this, and we all agreed to see it through to the end. So that's what we are going to do."

He paused with a sigh and shook his head slowly. "We must see it through." He lifted his head to meet her gaze steadily. "And now it's your turn if you are still set on fighting."

She blinked in surprise and frowned at him. "I...thought you were against that?"

He nodded. "I am. But I'm for freedom of choice, and this is your decision to make."

"And if we fail?" she asked tremulously, but with a hint of her usual steel.

Mejai was silent as he regarded her with an unreadable expression. Finally he shook his head. "You won't fail. Go." He stared at her a moment longer before turning away, facing towards the console.

They would never understand until they saw for themselves.

Seripa remained in place for a moment before taking a breath and turning to leave.

Mejai sighed and glanced over to Kami. "It never gets easier."

"No," Kami agreed. "I do not believe it does."

DBZ

Bardock stared down at Frieza as the tyrant's chest heaved and he continued his eerie chuckling; he had not been silent a moment since Bardock had last spoken and it had already gone past disturbing him. He clenched his fists and squared his shoulders. Amotto's onslaught must have broken the lizard's sanity, it was the only explanation. But if it had broken his focus somehow, maybe there was still a chance he could beat him.

After all it was all up to him now. He was the only remaining Super Saiyan and Seluri had not returned from being struck down. He hadn't seen her massive form lying anywhere, so she was more than likely out cold, or worse, and had returned to normal.

Frieza's chuckling ceased and he took a deep breath as he looked up at the towering Saiyan.

"Do forgive me. I do not usually lose my composure like that." He grinned and rolled his shoulder, his joints popping audibly. "I have not had a fight like this in...well...ever, to be perfectly honest. It is almost refreshing." His grin slowly faded at that. "Almost. Mostly it has been infuriating how you insects keep coming from out of nowhere, stronger than the last. I had not thought Saiyans to be capable of this kind of power."

"IT'S A NEW WORLD, FRIEZA. WE SAIYANS WILL NO LONGER COWER BENEATH YOUR FEET." Bardock's raging aura pulsed, but he remained rooted in place. He had to play this right otherwise Frieza would end it in one strike like with Amotto. He grimaced at the thought of her. What had happened to her? Where had that tremendous power come from? It hadn't been anything like what his power had become when he transformed. Hers had seemed...almost tainted. He couldn't make himself forget how similar it had felt to what Falmer had generated. Like it was something wholly primordial.

"No, you are actually right," Frieza consented with a hint of a smile. "No Saiyans shall serve under me ever again, for tonight you shall all die. I imagine you are not the only Saiyan left alive, but none will survive my wrath. I will hunt down every last member of your pathetic race and eradicate them from this universe."

"ONLY IF YOU SURVIVE ME."

Frieza's grin returned. "We shall see!" he crowed, blurring forward with incredible speed despite his beating. His ki had fallen considerably, but he was still far too dangerous to take lightly. One slip up and Bardock would be dead, too.

He ducked to the side, the ground cracking under his weight as he touched down several dozens of yards away. He spun to face Frieza as the tyrant curved around and zipped at him like lightning, his fist driving forward in a power punch. Bardock's arm shot up and he blocked it, grimacing as he was sure a bone fractured under the strike. His arm shot forward in his own punch, but Frieza phased above it and fired a volley of ki blasts into his open chest, the rapid-fire explosions driving Bardock to stagger backwards as chunks of his armor went flying, barely managing to keep his balance against the force. He flared his ki and forced himself out of the line of fire, phasing away as a blur.

He rounded on Frieza in time to see the tyrannical lizard dashing at him full speed, both fists extended outwards ready to strike any open area they could find. Bardock grimaced and flared his ki again to phase away, putting as much distance between him and Frieza as he could manage in such a quick burst. He glanced back to see Frieza curving around and blasting after him again, this time enshrouded in a dome of violet ki. He spun to face him and thrust both massive hands forward to fire off his own volley of ki blasts that, unfortunately, just seemed to glance off of Frieza's ki dome. But he refused to relent, pouring more ki into each blast hoping that one would knock Frieza off his path.

The tyrant's speed nearly doubled and he was suddenly imbedded in Bardock's gut with an explosive shower of armor, doubling his massive girth over and lifting him from his feet to throw him backwards with incredible force.

Bardock forced himself to suck air into his lungs and flared his ki to flip around, his mass churning the air and kicking up dust devils all around him as his feet hit the ground with thunderous force, cracks splintering the planet's surface. He gasped painfully for air as he lifted his red eyes to see where Frieza had gone to.

The tyrant was hovering directing in front of him, his arms folded across his chest as his black and red aura raged around his once-pristine, but now scuffed and scraped, form.

"You are the first beings since my brother to push me to 100% of my full power. You should take pride in that before I end your miserable existence."

Bardock chuckled low in his throat. "WELL...AT LEAST WE MADE YOU SWEAT."

Frieza chuckled. "Yes, and then some." He unfolded his arms and held them above his head, a small sphere of black and red ki crackling to life between his palms. "Now is the time to end it, though. I have had my enjoyment, and now I grow weary of these games. No one can stand against Lord Frieza."

Bardock grinned ferociously. As Frieza spoke, he had felt a sudden shift in his power. His ki had begun to rise again, and the pain of his injuries rapidly faded. The nanites were finally kicking in for him.

"THE GAME IS ONLY BEGINNING," Bardock said before throwing open his mouth and firing a massive golden beam straight into Frieza's face, catching the tyrant full on and slamming him violently into the ground. The beam continued onward, tearing across the ground and carrying Frieza every inch of the way until Bardock released the beam and it detonated, sending the lizard spiraling into the air.

Bardock smirked and fired his aura, shooting into the sky once more feeling his power surge through him as he shot above Frieza and jackhammered him back down into the ground, debris flying up from his vicious strike. He could hold out a little longer at this rate. Maybe even long enough to finish Frieza-

A black and red sphere of ki rocketed up at him and he phased to his left, glancing after the attack as it shot by him. His eyes went wide as he spotted it racing up at the full moon.

"SHIT!" He threw his arm out to fire a blast after it, barely detonating it before it escaped his range.

Frieza appeared beside his head and he looked at him in wide-eyed surprise as the tyrant delivered a vicious roundhouse to his temple, the blow sending him tumbling end over end and into the ground, his mass displacing several tons of debris and rubble with explosive force.

He clambered to his feet as debris clattered to the ground around him; his feet were suddenly swept from beneath him and a blow to his stomach sank him into a perfect outline of his body. He grimaced and swung his arm out blindly, surprising himself by striking Frieza and sending the tyrant flying across the battlefield. He took a moment to take a deep breath trying to slow his racing heart and fill half-collapsed lungs, before climbing heavily to his feet. By the time he was standing his aches had begun to dull which made him grin despite the situation. The nanites were probably working overtime to keep him going, but they were definitely doing their job.

He looked around to see Frieza dashing back towards him. He flared his aura and dashed forward, phasing away at the last moment and flailing his leg out in a kick that flattened Frieza against his oversized boot before flinging him viciously down into the ground. The lizard was evidently losing his focus-or had, as the ground exploded when the tyrant propelled himself like lightning back towards the hovering Super Saiyan Oozaru before he had a chance to react, swinging around at the last possible moment to drive both feet square into Bardock's chest.

A shockwave and an explosion of armor erupted from the impact as Bardock found himself being thrown into the devastated ground yet again. But what caught his attention more than the pain of what was more than likely a cracked sternum, was that Frieza's ki had dropped almost as much as his had from that strike. Was Frieza losing power the longer he used his ki? Bardock sure hoped that was the case.

Because Frieza's next strike was a double-taloned kick right into his left side, which sent him crashing through the ground as a golden-furred bulldozer, pieces of his armor flying into the air; his body eventually gaining traction and spinning up into the air to come crashing down like thunder.

Though that last strike had been delivered with tremendous power, Bardock couldn't help but note that it hadn't hurt as much as the previous one. He allowed himself a toothy grin as he climbed back to his feet and flared his massive aura again. He found Frieza hovering in the air at his eye-level, his chest heaving from his exertion and his black and red aura pulsing unstably around him.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE TRYING TO KILL ME, FRIEZA?" Bardock said mockingly. "THOSE FELT MORE LIKE LOVE TAPS."

"Shut your filthy mouth you insufferable mangy creature!" Frieza cried furiously, veins bulging against the flesh at his temples and neck. He clenched his fists at his sides and his aura flared into violence as he launched himself back at the Saiyan.

He launched in with a flurry of punches and kicks that Bardock found himself blocking all-too easily. He kept his senses open and he felt as Frieza's ki dropped little by little with each and every strike. He grinned as he danced his mass easily out of range of a sudden sweeping kick, Frieza's eyes wide and bloodshot in his dismay.

"AIN'T TOO FUN, IS IT LIZARD?" Bardock crowed as Frieza stared at him in dumbfounded disbelief.

"This is impossible," he replied, his tone almost whining as he stared unblinking up at the Saiyan. "I am LORD Frieza! No one should be able to challenge me outside of my family. No one!" His face screwed up in his fury as his eyes narrowed murderously. "NO ONE!" he all-but shrieked, both hands flying above his head to conjure two more of those energy disks that had killed Amotto.

Bardock stepped back defensively, but before he'd gone two steps the disks split in two and suddenly there were four of them orbiting dangerously above the lizard's head.

"OH SHIT…" Bardock muttered as Frieza spun around and threw all four of them at once.

Bardock leapt into the air and raced away as they zipped around where he'd been standing and shot up after him.

"THIS IS BULLSHIT!" he yelled as he glanced back at the disks chasing after him as he zigged and zagged through the empty air, twisting around as one got too close and sliced red across his thigh. The disks were too fast and maneuverable for him to avoid them for too long.

He flared his ki and phased high into the air, thrusting both hands down to fire off a volley of ki blasts trying to detonate the disks. His attacks exploded against them, but they were unfazed, slicing through the smoke and dust from the explosions and on up towards him. He grimaced and flared his aura to race away again. His Super Saiyan Oozaru form was surprisingly agile, but the disks were even moreso and they were cutting closer and closer to his furred flesh.

A silver blur streaked past him and he glanced after it just in time to see Frieza conjure another disk that cut through his tail as he shot by.

Fire raced the length of his spine and his body went rigid, his ki cutting out and only his momentum carrying him forward as his body rapidly shrank in on itself; which proved to be the only thing that saved him as the four original disks cut by him with only inches to spare all around, vanishing into nothing seconds later. He began to drop out of the air, his fur vanishing into his flesh and his snout flattening back into his normal scar-faced appearance as he returned to his normal size.

His paralysis passed and he flared his ki to stop his fall, twisting around rapidly to find Frieza grinning at him and still holding his last disk.

"C-coward," Bardock seethed as his chest heaved. He'd lost more than half his ki and stamina just then, and even with the nanites working to reverse that it was a hefty loss without the boost from being an Oozaru. His power had dropped far beneath Frieza's, even if the lizard had lost a considerable amount before.

And was still losing power, Bardock realized suddenly. He frowned and opened his senses completely to be sure, but there was no denying it. Frieza's ki was dropping by the second and he didn't seem the least bit aware of that fact.

Bardock allowed himself a grin and summoned his ki, his aura flaring up around him with a crack. With the nanites on his side all he had to do was hold out just long enough and Frieza would end the fight for him. He could do that. Wouldn't be the first time he'd had to outlast a stronger opponent. Tettuce had saw to that in his youth.

Trainin's finally payin' off, old man.

DBZ

(Earlier…)

Zether stared at the shaggy-haired Saiyan staring him down against a backdrop of fluffy yellow clouds and pink skies. He glanced over his shoulder and through an open doorway in the side of a massive building to where he could plainly see a giant red ogre sitting behind a large wooden desk stamping paperwork monotonously, while a line of...cloudpuffs shifted steadily past his desk in time to his stamping. He blinked his golden eyes at the sight and turned to look back at the man now smirking at him. He lifted his gaze slightly to the golden ring hovering serenely over the man's head.

"What the hell is that thing?" he demanded, pointing up at it.

Tettuce grinned at his rival. "Not the souls, not the giant ogre, not the fact that you're dead...You have to ask about the halo?"

Zether grimaced. "That's a halo? That's so damn cliche. This has to be a dream."

The Saiyan chuckled and shook his head. "Afraid not, kiddo." Zether scowled at the word. "This is the Afterlife."

"You sure I'm not dreaming?" Zether asked as he looked around at the yellow clouds surrounding the platform they both stood on.

"Yep. And like me you got to keep your body."

The Gylderian looked at him questioningly. "You mean this isn't normal?"

"No. Long story short you kicked ass while you were alive so you get to keep your body as a reward." Tettuce lifted his arm and pointed towards a distant curving trail snaking through the clouds. "Another long story short, we've gotta head in that direction. There's someone who would like to speak with you."

Zether frowned and looked in the direction Tettuce was pointing. "Dead barely five minutes and someone already wants to talk to me? Damn, I must have one hell of a reputation even here." He grinned and glanced at his old friend.

Tettuce smirked in response and flared his red aura, immediately blasting away and above the clouds. Zether chuckled and shot after him in an explosion of gold.

DBZ

(Yes, that was a reference to Gurren Lagaan you read up there. Don't hate. lol)