His head rushing, his stomach in his chest, Goku placed a firm hand on Kaiosama's back, attempting to communicate with the Z Soldiers down on earth. Come on people, I know we can do this. He found himself silently talking to them, even though he knew they couldn't hear. I'm sorry Goken, but you've chosen this path. And that leaves me with no choice other than this. Goku pushed the secondary thoughts out of his mind, preparing for contact with the other Z Soldiers. They would take this one step at a time with him in the lead.
* * *
The message was clear. Not audible, but telepathic instead. The Z Soldiers listened not with their ears, but with their minds. They stood on the ground in a circle formation, surrounding the battle between Gohan and the Firebird, hundreds of feet above. A gust picked up, throwing choking clouds of dust at them, as if a higher force was attempting to thwart their efforts. But the Z Soldiers remained locked in concentration.
Okay everyone, said the distant voice of Goku, power up your ki. One by one - Piccolo, Yamcha, Vegeta, Juuhachi Gou and Kuririn - placed their palms in front of themselves at waist level. There was a moment of calm, complete concentration. But then, a small flicker of light appeared between each of their hands, a light that grew steadily and the seconds ticked by.
Each of the Z Soldiers developed a visible aura that emanated from their bodies. The aura glowed blue, wrapping their bodies in it's warmth, powered by the concentration of ki in their hands.
We need more, Goku said, Concentrate the ki into a single point. We're going to use it to destroy the Firebird.
* * *
Gohan started at his arm, panting as if there weren't enough air for him to breathe. He had stayed in focus for so long, shooting a massive, continuous energy beam at the Firebird with one good arm, and one broken arm. It surprised him that he hadn't given out yet, reaching the conclusion that he must've been running on pure adrenaline.
The thought lasted only a second, making way for the burning sensation in his arms. He'd been holding them up in front of himself for so long, Gohan swore they were about to break off by themselves. He cringed, enduring the suferring from the tiredness of his good arm, the pain of his broken arm, and his rapidly depleting source of ki. Can't give up … don't lose it, Gohan the entire world is depending on you.
At first, Gohan thought he must've been telling himself that to keep him going. But he thought something was out of place when the words repeated themselves again in his mind.
I know you can do this. Don't give up. The others are with you…
"Dad?" Gohan found himself saying out loud. But there was no physical response, only an invisible force wedged in his mind, not allowing him to give up. He mentally shrugged. I got the support, I got the ability, so let's do this! I'm not giving up!!
* * *
"Dad, I made a mistake and I know it," Goken said apologetically. Whatever was left on his consciousness communicated with Goku through Kaiosama. "So now, I'm some kind of … monster."
"People make lots of mistakes in their lives," Goku said in a steady, but gentle fatherly tone. "And that's okay. But people also get punished for their mistakes. And they need to accept responsibility and accept their punishment with their heads held high."
Goken nodded. "I know what I deserve and I -"
"Don't think about what you deserve now," Goku said, cutting him off. "That's not important right now. It's not too late to help us. We can't bring the people who've died because of the Firebird back to life, but we can help prevent any more deaths."
"How?"
"Help us, Goken. Help us destroy the Firebird. Do everything in your power to restrain him. You may not be able to complete make up for your mistake. But this is a good start."
* * *
Behind this own protective beam of ki, the Firebird was safe from Gohan's attack for the time being. But something tingled at the back of the Firebird's mind. He couldn't quite figure out what it was, like the vibrations of some kind of energy. It felt almost muffled as if someone was secretly having a conversation with the intention of keeping it unnoticed from him. Then it clicked - Telepathy.
"What's going on in that tiny head of yours Gohan?" the Firebird asked, also through telepathy. "You trying to keep a secret from me?" There was no response. Apparently the Saiyan boy had tuned him out. The Firebird shook his head to loosen in his concentration. It didn't matter. They would all die within the next hour anyway. The Firebird had the power to continue this fireball warfare for a long time, and he knew Gohan didn't. Let's see how long he can keep up this pathetic attempt -
Out of nowhere, the Firebird's entire body erupted with a massive wave of excruciating pain. The heat was so intense, it caught him completely by surprise. "Argh!!" he screamed as his muscles tensed, his fingers curled, and his skin began to peel away slowly.
He could see himself surrounded in some kind of a blue light. He looked below him to see the Z Soldiers he thought he'd defeated, all gathered in a circle with their hands held high in the air. Each one of them wore an expression of vented frustration and anger. This ki… It's from them!! Those bastards!! Oh shit -
Another wave of realization hit him when the Firebird noticed he'd taken his attention off Gohan, who's energy beam now collided with his body, killing him some more. The Firebird couldn't believe what was happening to him. The Z Soldiers had secretly recuperated and were now aiding the Saiyan boy. He'd underestimated them all. A mistake that could cost him his life.
But the Firebird refused to give up. There was still a lot of the Devotee's power left to destroy the Z Soldiers, the Saiyan boy, and the whole blasted planet. It didn't matter what happened to him physically, he knew he'd heal. But the Firebird's top priority was killing all who opposed him while he still could, otherwise, he'd be dead in a few seconds. He tapped into whatever potential ki he had stored inside of him and prepared to bring it out and combat the Z Soldier's ki with it.
But something resisted. A part of the Firebird's mind - or rather, a part of Goken's mind that hadn't fully merged with his stopped him. "What are you doing you blasted child? Can't you see I'm trying not to get us killed."
"I'd rather die here and now than continue living as a part of your … twisted mind," Goken replied.
You little fucking -
And that was the last thought that the Firebird's mind conceived before it was ripped into shreds and vaporized in the massive concentration of ki, along with his body - the body he took from Goken. The body of a little boy that was the son of Goku and Chichi and the younger brother of Gohan.