This was insane, plain and simple.
According to reports Gero had just received, the Earth forces on Vegeta had done a planet wide surrender, returning control of it over to the saiyans.
On top of that was the fact that there were saiyan warriors on Earth.
If he needed any proof that saiyans were indeed in his backyard, the fact that he continued to feel the other chairs' power levels disappearing was evidence enough. And the problem was that it couldn't have come at a worse time.
After that unknown force had been routed by his defense forces, sightings of the Cold Empire were being confirmed. It didn't take a genius to know they were heading for Earth.
Everything was going to hell in a hand basket. Why was this happening now? Gero had no conclusive answer to this.
It was as if everyone had teamed up to eliminate him.
Well, they would have to earn that right. He would have his private ship prepared and launched before the Cold Family arrived or one of the saiyan warriors came calling for his head. He'd just have to start over from scratch that was all.
"Prepare my ship. I wanted it ready to launch within the hour," Gero ordered, a soldier saluting him and hurrying off.
Good, with that done, all he had to do was wait and he could start all over again.
Excitement was running through her veins. Almost nothing could stop Videl from feeling the thrill of finally meeting Gohan again. Yet for some reason, something had to keep raining on her parade.
Or to be more precise, someone.
Flying high over Central City, Videl carried Erasa as they flew through the air. With each passing moment, Videl could sense Gohan's ki signal getting closer and closer as they came into the city. However, Erasa was being a thorn in her side and wouldn't give in like she normally would. Taking Goten's order to find a ship way too seriously, that was all the blond would talk about, consistently nagging about it. It was like that girl didn't want to disobey the warrior, or get on Tien's bad side either. If things continued to go the way they were, there was no way Videl could justify going after her target.
So the easiest thing she could do was find a ship, dump the blond there, and then fly after Gohan as quickly as possible. It would shut Erasa up and ultimately get her out of her hair. She was pretty sure Tien or Goten would arrive soon enough so that her friend wasn't alone for very long.
"Videl, are you sure you're looking for a ship?" Erasa whined again, further frustrating the Satan girl. "You know that was our job, right?"
"Yes Erasa, I know that's our job. And now for the thousandth time, would you shut up about it?" Videl responded, trying to hold back the temptation to flat out drop the girl in her arms.
"Vi, I know you too well. You want to go after that saiyan guy instead of doing what we were told to do. But right now, we need to find a ship. It's very important we do this."
Videl just blew air out of her mouth. There was no sense arguing again. While Erasa was right, she still would have rather looked for Gohan, just as the blond had said. If only there was…
Hey, wait a minute; was that a launching site right there?
Slowly down to get a better look, Videl confirmed what she saw; a launching pad with several ships stationed nearby. What luck she had stumbled upon!
"Um, Videl? Why are you looking at the capital building?"
Rushing out of her reverie, Videl turned her attention to the structure a couple blocks away from the hanger, seeing the building that Erasa had spoken of.
The Satan girl's eyes widen. Was the hanger she was looking at belonging to the government?
"Erasa, you see the hanger down there?"
"What hanger are you…oh, that's what you were looking at. Hey, we got our ship!" the blond exclaimed.
"You bet we did," Videl said as she smirked. Not only had she found where they'd get their ship, but if her ki senses were right, Gohan seemed to be nearby, specifically in the capital building. This was just too perfect.
Eagerly, Videl flew straight for the hanger, landing on the ground and releasing Erasa. "Hey Erasa, do you think you could get a shuttle ready?" Videl asked.
"Huh? I don't know anything about ships. Why don't you do it?"
Videl growled. She didn't have time for this. The saiyan she was after was within spitting distance and she wasn't going to let him get away. Not this time.
"Sorry, but I need to go. Gohan's close by and I'm not letting him have the chance to escape me again." And with that said, Videl took off into the air, leaving Erasa with a bewildered look before she started shouting after the fleeing girl.
"Videl, you get back here right now! What about the ship! Videl!"
Landing before the steps of the large building, Gohan could feel his anticipation rise. If his ki sensing was right, the last of the strong kis was here, the others falling at the hands of the younger saiyans.
Taking a deep breath, the saiyan warrior rushed up the steps and into the building. Now was his chance to firmly cripple the parasite known as the human race.
And he wasn't going to let it get away.
Running through corridors, through large rooms, and odd passages, Gohan kept his focus on the task at hand. He was getting closer to his goal. Almost there…
Finally, he came bursting into a large room, one that was practically wide open. Just a big waste of space.
However, several yards away from the entrance the saiyan had used, an old man stared at him, surprised by his arrival. However, something was wrong about this old man. He didn't seem to be crippled by old age as most of the elderly were.
"Who are you," Gohan barked. "Don't make me tear you apart for the answer."
Recovering himself, the elderly gentleman replied "It should be the other way around. I am the sole ruler of Planet Earth, the Twentieth chair Gero. Now identify yourself or I will have you destroyed."
Gohan smirked. "Just the guy I was looking for. Prepare to meet your maker Gero cause you'll be seeing him very soon."
Gero snorted. "Once again, you are mistaken. Do not underestimate me young man because I will show you horrors that you have never seen before."
This time Gohan snorted. "Fine then old man, show me what you got."
Gero stood straight up, looking dead on at his opponent. Suddenly his eyes glowed and twin beams fired from them, racing towards the saiyan.
A little surprised, Gohan leapt into the air to dodge the attack. Fortunately, he kept his guard up because Gero had appeared right in front of him, throwing a punch at him. The saiyan easily caught the attack with one hand, using his other to grip onto Gero's forearm, and spun him around in the air, throwing him away.
Gero managed to recover himself in midair, looking back at the youth in front of him; surprised when he didn't see him there. It was then that he was rammed in his side by Gohan's shoulder, sending him flying across the room and into a wall.
Keeping himself in air still, Gero looked up to see his opponent charging him again. This time the old man raised his arm and fired a ki blast to defend himself. Gohan, in turn, continued charging, slapping the beam out of his way as he continued racing towards Gero.
Rolling on the wall, Gero narrowly dodged a devastating punch that left a huge dent where he had last been. Kicking with his legs, the old man felt he had landed a blow on the menace, looking to see what had happen to his opponent.
He was shocked to find that he hadn't caused any damage. Barely a couple feet away, Gohan stood, floating as he stared at the old man. "You're not very strong, are you?" he said as he finished examining the kick, almost sounding disappointed.
"Shut up!" Gero shouted. He would not take such disrespect from some hot head.
"I guess that's what happens when an old man fights a saiyan warrior," Gohan mused. "I should've known this wouldn't have been a good fight."
Gero's eyes widen. This was one of the saiyans that had landed on Earth? It was far too soon for him to have arrived here. Looking down towards Gohan's waist, he saw the last thing he wanted to see; a tail neatly wrapped around his waist. There just had to be something he could do…
As Gero fumbled in his chaotic thoughts, he unconsciously clinched his hand, a round object pressing into his curled fingers, reminding him of the energy absorber. That was when Gero came up with an idea. He would just steal the saiyan's energy. That would weaken him and strengthen himself at the same time. Looked like he didn't have to worry as much as he thought.
Lunging, Gero clamped his hand around Gohan's arm, rejoiced that his tactic had worked, and immediately began sucking in energy.
Gohan, however, immediately realized the sensation of his ki being stolen and slammed his fist into Gero's face; the old man releasing his grip on the saiyan. Floating back a few feet to put distance between them, the warrior checked to see how much ki he had lost and came to the conclusion he hadn't lost too much.
It still didn't sit well that he had allowed that trick to work though.
"So you like to steal energy huh?" Gohan said slightly peeved. "Well enjoy what ever you stole because that will be the last you will ever taste."
Gero smirked. "Don't be so cocky boy. I've weakened you and strengthened myself. I won't be going easy on you anymore."
Once again, the old man lunged at the saiyan, both hands wide open to reveal the small jewels in his palms. Gohan dodge the initial grab and kneed Gero in the gut, jackhammering towards the ground in a follow up attack.
Gero recovered himself somewhat in mid fall, landing on the ground on all fours. Immediately, he jerked his head up and fired his eyebeams again.
Gohan disappeared as the beams neared him, reappearing in front of the old man and slamming his foot on his opponents chin, causing him to fly off the ground and hover in front of the saiyan. Gohan immediately unleashed a barrage of punches, beating Gero senseless before nailing a hard right hook that sent the old man flying.
Gero, however, recovered more quickly than the saiyan had anticipated; flipping through the air and landing on his feet, firing a ki blast that landed at Gohan's feet. A screen of smoke and dust covered the saiyan warrior, leaving him blind as to the human's activity.
As soon as he felt Gero's ki signal disappear, Gohan knew he had to get out of that smokescreen. Otherwise, he was just a sitting duck waiting to get attack. Dashing out of the smoke, the saiyan found himself near a wall, his surroundings void of anything living. This was bad, especially since he couldn't sense his opponent.
It was the sound of someone taking a quick breath that alerted the saiyan to a presence behind him. Swinging himself around, Gohan used his left hand to grab the incoming attack, grabbing an arm with its hand wide open. Without hesitating, Gohan straightened his right hand, his thumb curled into his palm, and chopped off the appendage, separating it where the elbow and forearm connected.
Gero let out a scream of pain as he stumbled backwards, his back slamming into the wall, his arm squirting out blood with a few cut wires hanging out of the opening. Dropping the severed arm in his hand, Gohan stared at the spectacle.
"What the hell are wires doing in your arm?" the saiyan asked out loud, not expecting an answer.
Gero, however, bit back his pain and answered. "Those wires were what allowed me to drain you."
Gohan's eyes widen. "You're a cyborg?"
"I see you've finally caught on. No mere human can do the things I and the rest of my government can do."
Astonishment became prominent on the saiyan's face. "You're all cyborgs?"
"That is correct. Every single one of them accepted my offer for enhancements."
Gohan soon got his emotion back under control, schooling his features. It didn't matter what these humans had done to themselves to get stronger; he had defeated them and that was all that mattered. And right now, he just had to finish the job by ending this old man's life. Raising his hand and aiming it at the old man, the saiyan said "Then I hope you keep your 'enhancements.' You're gonna be needing them in hell."
As the saiyan warrior gathered his ki, the last person he had ever expected to see arrived. Barreling into the room, Videl came to a stop once she saw the scene before her; Gohan getting ready to end the life of the Earth's elected government leader.
Breathing heavily from running all over the building, the Satan girl said "Gohan…"
Jerking his head from the old man before him, Gohan's eyes widen once he saw the girl. What was she doing here?
It was that moment that Gero decided to attack. Straightening this only hand, the old man sprung at the distracted warrior, jabbing his hand at him. Barely catching the moment from the corner of his eye, Gohan tried to lean out of the way, failing as the hand pierced into his lower abdomen.
Gero let out an evil laugh. "I have you now saiyan, there's nowhere to run. Now I will drain you of all of your energy."
Gohan's wide eyes began to narrow. How could he have let his guard just drop like that? It was stupid of him to and now he had a hand in his gut with blood running down his leg and the old man's arm. Add to that the draining sensation as his ki started to leave him and the saiyan knew he was in a very bad place.
Videl could only look on it shock. Right before her eyes, the man she had been searching for was being killed slowly. Despite the cries in her head that told her she had to do something, she just felt paralyzed, as if there was nothing she could do.
As Gohan looked at the old man as he leered in triumph, he saw Gero's pleasure soon fade as his eyes began to widen. A large shadow soon encompassed the two as a large hand came from behind the saiyan and clamp down on Gero's arm. With a quick jerk, the hand was removed from Gohan's belly, a sharp jolt of pain running through him; yet he refused to succumb to it. He'd finish the old man off before he would even think about collapsing.
"You…you should be dead!" Gero exclaimed.
A monotone voice replied to the old man. "I thought you would know better than that Twentieth chair."
"You nuisance, what does it take to kill you Jericho?!"
Ignoring the conversation, Gohan raised his head to up to Gero's chest and fired a ki blast, the blast blowing a hole straight through the old man's body. With the sudden force of the attack, his body was thrown back to the wall, his other arm being ripped off as the man called Jericho still held on to it. Slamming into the wall and sliding down to the floor, a trail of blood decorating the surface above him, Gero took in huge gasps of air, whimpers of pain coming from him.
Taking a few steps forward, Gohan stood before the broken man. He wasn't done with him just yet.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the mysterious Jericho cried out, dropping the arm he held to the ground.
"Stay out of this," the warrior roared. "This man has taken almost everything from me and I'll be taking everything from him by taking what he finds more precious than any living being…his own life."
Jericho remained silent. While he could easily stop the warrior from carrying out his action, he had no reason to. There was nothing he could say or do that would justify saving the wounded man's life.
However, Gero didn't like Gohan's idea at all. "No…wait…we can…work…something out…just…don't…kill me…"
With his left hand covering his wound, the saiyan warrior raised his right hand before him. Bringing out the remaining bit of his ki, a bright, swirling ki ball appeared in his hand. "There's nothing to work out. You've felt like you could do what ever you like without consequence. You've taken so much from the people you've kill, the families you've destroyed, the societies you've crushed. Now here's one last thing you can take on your way to King Yemma. This technique has been passed down through my family for generations…"
"No! Please!" Gero begged.
Completely ignoring him, Gohan drew his back before crying out "Final Spirit Cannon!" throwing the attack at its target.
The only thing Gero could do was scream as the blast incinerated him and a large part of the wall and floor. An explosion blew all the remaining people off their feet, sending them across the room. When the smoke cleared, a large hole was the only evidence of Gero's last moments.
As Gohan laid on the floor, his hand still covering his wound, he gave out a hoarse cough, bits of blood flying out. That wasn't the result he had expected from his grandfather's technique, but at least it did what it was supposed to do.
Suddenly, he felt a presence next time, leaning over him. Looking up, he saw Videl looking down at him, worry dominating her features. "Gohan, are you okay?"
Of all the dumbest questions to ask him, that had to be the one. But right now, he didn't feel like causing a fight for once. "I've seen better days."
"We've got to get you out of here. The others should be waiting for us," the girl said, trying to lean the saiyan up. If it hadn't been for the shot of pain that flooded his system, he would've asked what she meant by others. But right now, he was content to biting his tongue so the pain would calm down.
"Can I be of assistance?"
Jerking her head around, Videl saw the mysterious man that had helped Gohan. Standing in black spandex with weird green armor, the giant man looked down at the two, his blue eyes studying them, his red Mohawk sitting on his head.
"Uhhh sure, do you think you could help me get him to the government ship hanger?" Videl asked unsure.
The giant smiled. "That I can do."
Kneeling down, Jericho picked Gohan off the ground and placed him on his shoulder like a sack of beans. Standing up, he looked at Videl, saying "Let's go.
Videl nodded and took off into the hallway, Jericho following right behind her.
To DragonGirl: Hopefully this last chapter satisfied your appitite for more G/V interaction.
To dbzfan952: I see I have a Trunks fan on my hands lol. Well, I'll let you think what you want, you'll find out very shortly.