Chapter 19: Ornichi's Demise?
"Aha! There it is!" Vegeta exclaimed as he reached the tower of Korin, the maker of the Sensu beans… He quickly entered it and frantically started searching for them, but couldn't find any…
"Damn it! Where can a cat hide some goddamn beans?" He shouted, now angered, the nerves of his forehead popping out, as he continued the search for them.
"By god if I don't find them some one is going to pay…" He broke off in between as he saw a small crack on the wall in front of, which shone like gold.
"What is it?" He thought and moved towards it, slowly, and as he reached it something strange happened…
His body felt like it was being crushed under tones of weight. He had never experienced such pain before, not even during his fight with Ornichi! He was slowly being sucked into the small crevice. He felt like his body was going to explode into a thousand pieces. He wanted to shout, but he couldn't...
"What has happened to you Prince?"
Vegeta on hearing a familiar voice suddenly opened his eyes but the bright white light that filled the room forced him to quickly close them again... He could make out from the outline of the figure and the hooded dress that he was talking to an old friend of his...
"Asban! Asban is that you?" He asked hesitantly...
"Yes it is me" The reply came. Asban gave his hand to Vegeta who was still lying on the ground and helped him up. "But is this you?" He said...
"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked half amused half confused. Amused on seeing his best friend once again and confused as to how was he seeing him?
"Just look at you... You the Prince of the mightiest race ever to be in existence is living so pathetically on a planet with Humans and has befriended lower class Saiyans who don't even realize their true heritage!"
"What are you talking about Asban? The Saiyans you refer to, one of them is my own son...And Kakarot is the strongest Saiyan in existence...even stronger than me" He said with a hesitance, "And the other two are his kids who also are Super Saiyans. How can you call them low class and the humans..." He was cut – off in between by the Protector of Vegeta...
"Look at yourself, making excuses for people who should be bowing to you... You are a pathetic excuse for a Prince!" Asban said looking Vegeta dead in his eyes and though he could have killed him in an instant, something stopped him, perhaps the inner kindness that had been evoked in him since the time he lived on earth or the fact that the person he was talking to was already dead...
"You know when you were young, the last time I and your Father, the King, were taking a stroll out in the palace gardens, we talked about you being a great Successor. He always said that you would do him proud, be a better ruler than himself, and that the day he decides to retire he will be honored to give you the title of the King... But now I am afraid to say, even he's ashamed of you..."
"Huh... What? Father? You... you... have you met him? Where... Where is he? Is he here?"
"No he's not. He refused to come... He couldn't see his son running errands for some down class Saiyan, when he should be the one commanding..."
"But... but..." Vegeta couldn't manage to find any words to finish – off his sentence with; he fell on his knees...
Asban walked towards him and knelt besides him... He looked him in his eyes and said, "You still have a chance Prince... Do your father proud, fulfill his last dream. Turn into your old self again, Proud, Ruthless, Arrogant, Powerful..." The last word made Vegeta look back at his old friend; he got up along with him.
"Here you go Prince, your father send this for you..."
"What... what is it?" He asked taking the packet from Asban's hand and didn't care or wait for the reply to come, he quickly tore it open. It was a Saiyan Uniform bearing the Royal Mark, the kind of which his dad wore when he himself went out on "Business Meetings"... He quickly without any second thoughts put it on, and as he did he felt something stir within him... Something that he had forgotten for the past many years, something that made everyone who saw him for the first time shake in fear, including Goku...
"That's more like it. Go ahead now Prince, show the universe why we the Saiyan's are the most fearsome of all the races... Show them the power that lies in your Royal Blood..."
Vegeta didn't say anything, he couldn't. He felt the same force gripping him he did minutes ago... His body felt like it was being crushed... He couldn't handle the pressure any longer, it felt as if he would explode any moment now... And suddenly his eyes opened...
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"It's time Goku... They should be here any moment now..." Piccolo said excitedly. Goku didn't respond he too had sensed it... The three Kids, Gohan, Trunks and Goten, along with Jenna had returned in this plain and with any hope this fight could be over sooner than expected...
Vegeta stood there, looking at the body that lay below. He knew that no matter what he did, he only made his foe stronger than the last time... But this time he wanted him to get stronger, on purpose... He wanted to see what was beyond Super Saiyan four, could he transform into anything else? Or was that the height of the Saiyan Power?
Goku flew down to where Vegeta was standing, followed by Piccolo, but instead of the proud and arrogant Prince he went towards Krillin who still felt some pain in his now partially repaired ribs... Chiaotsu was helping him sit up straight...
"Hey thanks Piccol...o" Krillin managed to say as he finally gave up and lay down again.
"Don't mention it... I am sorry, I needed the other half..."
Krillin didn't say anything but just gave him an 'I Understand' look... Piccolo then got up and went to where the two pure – breed Saiyans were standing transformed into their normal form, in complete silence...
"You think there's a higher level, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked breaking the silence for the first time in the past several minutes...
"I... I don't know... But if there is we better start powering up now before it's too late..."
Vegeta didn't reply and Goku also didn't say anything more. There was complete silence till a huge shout came from above the sky breaking it, "Dad... We are back!" It was Goten.
He quickly landed near Goku and gave him a tight hug, "I missed you!" He said and planted a big kiss on his cheek. Goku returned it back, "Hey you have grown really strong, I can feel it" He said putting Goten down who now ran towards Krillin to see how bad the damage was...
"I see the fight has ended! Nice work guys" Gohan said as he landed next to Trunks and Jenna who also ran towards her husband...
"We don't know yet" Piccolo said, "This is the fourth time he has fallen down. The last three times he transformed into a higher level"
"Oh boy, he's a tough one eh?" Trunks said looking towards his dad. He too felt what Goku and Piccolo had, he was about to ask Goku about the Saiyan Uniform but he got a quick reply from his eyes that he too was clueless...
"You think he will get up again?" Gohan asked and started moving towards the pile of rocks and stones underneath which lay the level four Super Saiyan...
"Careful, don't get too close. We have already made that mistake, twice!" Piccolo said slightly mockingly but Gohan didn't listen... And this could have proven to be the gravest mistake he made in his entire life...
He moved closer, slowly, trying not to make any noise... As he closed in he bent down to examine Ornichi's face. He examined the curves and cuts which resembled slightly, he felt, to those of Supreme Kai... And as he moved closer he got the shock of his life, Ornichi opened his eyes...
He quickly sprang up to grab Gohan's neck but he was quick enough to dodge back... He hurriedly got up on his feet and charged up his Kamehameha... But it went unused as the eyes closed once again...
Complete silence filled the now calm battle area. After a long while Gohan looked up, "I think he's dead..." He exclaimed and came back towards where the other "Real Saiyans" stood.