All around the infirmary, heads snapped up in shock at the presence of an enormous amount of chi that had seemed to come out of nowhere. Goku stepped quickly away from the others into the center of the room.
"The battle! I almost forgot." Angry with himself for neglecting his fellow fighters when they needed him, he placed his fingers into position. He must not waste any more time.
"Hold on, Goku!" Krillen called, hopping out of bed and hurrying over to him. "I'm coming, too."
"Krillen, you can't—" Goku began to protest, but his friend interrupted him.
"Don't worry about me; I'm as good as new now, thanks to Dende." The bald little warrior flashed a grateful smile at the young Namekian.
"We're going with you," Tien announced, stepping up to them with Chao-tsu behind him. "And don't try to talk us out of it," he added firmly. "We've already been out of the running for too long. They need us down there." Goku nodded in resigned agreement.
"All right, then—but Trunks stays here," he ordered, determined to get his way at least in part. The teenage Saiyan grinned wryly from his bed.
"Don't worry about me, Goku. I'm not going anywhere." The words had barely left his mouth when the four fighters vanished from view.
The enormous sphere of light was fading as the power diffused into the atmosphere. As the wind died down, Gohan felt the protective grip of Piccolo slacken and release him. He stared in awe at the colossal gouge which had been branded into the rocky ground.
"Gosh . . ." was all he could think of to say. Piccolo was more direct.
"Is it dead?" he asked bluntly. Gohan watched as his former mentor raked his eyes back and forth, scanning for an energy signal that would mean their enemy still lived.
"Don't waste your time," Vegeta advised him with a scowl. "It didn't survive."
At that moment, a collection of warriors appeared with a shik. Gohan's face lit up when he saw them.
"Daddy—and Tien and Chao-tsu! And Krillen! You're all okay!" He raced over to them and threw his arms around Krillen, who laughed and ruffled his black hair.
"Yep. I made a speedy recovery once Dende showed up."
"What happened?" Goku demanded to know, his face strained with anxiety. "We felt the energy surge all the way from the Lookout. Is anyone hurt?"
"We're fine," Piccolo informed him tersely. He had abandoned his search for the creature and was picking up his cape and turban.
"So, what happened?" Goku repeated in obvious confusion. It was Vegeta who answered his question.
"The alien is dead," he replied bluntly. His statement was met with gasps of shock and exclamations of surprise.
"My energy blast finished it off," Vegeta continued in a smug tone. "The idiot didn't see the attack coming until it was too late." He shot Gohan an appraising glance and added unexpectedly, "The kid's power was the perfect distraction. He's the only one of you who's not completely worthless in a fight."
Goku stepped toward him. "Thank you, Vegeta," he said seriously. "Earth owes you a great debt for what you did today." The Saiyan prince blinked in disbelief before letting out a harsh bark of laughter.
"Ha! You think I did it for this pathetic planet?" he scoffed. "I wanted to experience the thrill of battle again; that's all. And I was getting tired of looking at its ugly face." He clenched his fists and powered up in a burst of white light. "We'll meet again soon, Kacarot," he growled in an undertone. Then he took off and vanished beyond the horizon within seconds.