Alright, another celebratory announcement! I would like to thank everyone that has Favorited this story so far because since my last update The Earthling Chronicles passed the 100 Favorites mark! This is a HUGE accomplishment and something I didn't even think possible when I first started writing this story. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your outstanding support of me and my story. It's a real honor seeing that so many people enjoy my work! Thanks guys, you all are the absolute best! Now on to the Chapter!
Chapter 33
Edited by: Ness Frost
Stunned into silence by the bizarre turn of events, Goku could only gawk as the pair of Ginyu Force members blinked in surprise as they each stared at themselves through the other's eyes. It was somewhat hard to process for the simple-minded warrior since only seconds before he had believed that it would be him staring at his own body once again. Fortunately for him, though, his son had acted quickly and saved him from that fate. Now it was Captain Ginyu's turn to finally get a taste of his own medicine now that he was forced into a body that was even weaker than the one he had started out with.
"Guldo, you bumbling idiot!" shouted the rough voice of the Captain from the green toad-like body that he was now trapped inside of. "You were supposed to hold him still until the beam had made contact you moron!"
"Don't blame me, Captain!" squeaked the shrill voice of Guldo from the bulky, purple-skinned body. "That kid jumped in the way and pushed him out of the way! There was nothing I could do!"
A growl erupted from the lips of the fat green alien as Ginyu's eyes darted over to where both Goku and Gohan were getting up from the ground. After dusting off his fighting gi, the wild-haired warrior looked up and his eyes met with his opponent's. While the size, shape, and even the number of eyes had all changed drastically, the look that was piercing through him hadn't changed at all. Inside of that short, fat body was Captain Ginyu, one of the most cunning, powerful, creative, and - last but not least - dangerous opponents that he had ever faced before.
Yet, even with all of the terrible and deceitful tactics that the alien fighter had employed during their battle, Goku couldn't help but feel that it had been possibly the most exhilarating moment in his entire life. Their battle had easily been the most challenging fight that he had participated in to date. It was strange, but Goku could honestly say that he was a little disappointed to see the battle coming to an end. Though Ginyu and Guldo weren't physically incapable of fighting anymore, it seemed that they were mentally drained. Not to mention that their underhanded techniques wouldn't work anymore. No, this was really the end, and Goku was sad to see this challenging opponent be reduced to such a low level.
It seemed to the pure-hearted warrior, though, that maybe Ginyu had been able to see the pity that Goku had felt for him,because the four eyes he now possessed seemed to narrow in anger before he turned to Guldo and almost screamed, "Guldo! Get ready! We're going to switch back now, we're not out of this fight yet!"
"Yes Captain!" exclaimed Guldo with a salute of his officer's purple arm. "I'm ready when…"
The loyal subordinate was never able to finish addressing his Captain, though, as a seemingly all-encompassing ki wave suddenly engulfed the form of the purple-skinned alien. Goku heard a high-pitched shriek as Ginyu's former body was consumed by the blue energy wave and was completely incinerated. When the smoke cleared, not even a molecule was left of the unfortunate soldier and his commander's previous body.
Shocked by the surprise attack, Goku turned to follow the trail of smoke back to the origin of the attack. He wasn't startled when his search yielded a rather expected result. To the right of where Guldo had been standing only moments before, Vegeta stood with a sadistic smirk plastered across his face as the smoke emitting from his palm was whisked away by a guest of wind.
"Vegeta…" said the stunned warrior as he stared at the Saiyan Prince, unable to understand what would cause a "warrior" to simply execute an opponent in such an undignified manner. Was this really what the Saiyans stood for? Blasting your enemy while his back was turned? "Why?"
"You ask why, Kakarot?" stated Vegeta as he let his arm fall to his side and the smirk that adorned his face disappeared. "I was making sure that they would be unable to simply switch back bodies with each other, allowing them access to their full powers once again. Besides, they've been beaten, this battle's over. It's time to finish it once and for all, which means that it's time for these scoundrels' lives to end as well."
Letting his gaze drift away from the out-of-control Saiyan for a moment, Goku was able to see all four of Ginyu's new eyes widen as Vegeta began to slowly raise his arm and point it at the short, green alien. A purple sphere of ki formed in the palm of the flame-haired Saiyan and his patented smirk once again formed across his face as he prepared to annihilate the final member of the Ginyu Force.
"Mercy… mercy…" stammered Ginyu as the fat form that he now possessed began to shake in terror. His words only seemed to spur the Saiyan on ever further, though, as the purple orb doubled in size and his sadistic grin grew even larger. Goku was surprised by the sudden show of fear in the Captain's demeanor. Up until now, he had been completely unflappable. Now, though, the only emotion that the body-snatcher seemed to be able to feel was panic and horror at his upcoming fate. It seemed he had finally realized that this was truly the end; there was no way for him to win this fight anymore.
"MERCY!" screamed Ginyu before attempting to turn away and flee from his doom, which resided in the palm of Vegeta's gloved hand. However, the alien was still unaccustomed to this new body and he clumsily tripped on his own feet, sending his fat body tumbling to the ground. As Ginyu lifted his now abnormally large head to resume his retreat, he found that the powerful sphere of energy was now only centimeters away from his face. Even from where he stood, Goku see the drenching streams of sweat that were pouring from the fallen Captain's face as he stared directly into the face of death.
"Mercy?" spat Vegeta, his eyes seeming to bore holes into his victim's skull as Ginyu faced the Saiyan's most outraged stare. "You have the audacity to ask ME for mercy, you coward! Where's your pride as a warrior now, Captain? How many times have you heard the same plea from your own victims as you prepared to slaughter them? Two, maybe three, million times! What was it that you said earlier? Oh yes, 'The world we live in is a kill or be killed world, and you have to do whatever it takes to be the killer and not the victim.' That's what you said to the brat, and now I'm just following your own advice. But now that you're the victim in that scenario you don't want to play along with that anymore. Well tough luck, Ginyu. You were a fool for trying to challenge me; you could never hope to match the power of the Prince of All Saiyans!"
Placing emphasis on the final word of his speech, Vegeta prepared to fire his attack while Ginyu simply squeezed shut all four of his eyes, unable to watch his own destruction. To the changeling's surprise, though, he never felt the searing pain of the Saiyan's blast atomizing his body. Slowly cracking his eyes open, Ginyu was shocked to see a stunned expression on Vegeta's face as a pale hand had wrapped around his wrist, causing his energy to dissipate harmlessly into the wind.
The unwavering resolve of Goku was not deterred one but as the Saiyan Prince turned his head slightly and gave the younger warrior his best death stare before snarling, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Kakarot."
Releasing his grip on the elder Saiyan and allowing him to stagger backwards some, the noble-minded warrior simply stared at the fuming Vegeta with a determined expression unusual for the normally care-free Goku. His demeanor was borderline stoic as he and the other Saiyan engaged in an unseen battle of wills as they simply stared at each other, seeing who would break the silence first. In the end, the Saiyan from Earth finally felt the need to explain his actions.
"He asked for mercy."
Vegeta scoffed as the lower-class Saiyan's explanation entered his ears. "You can't be serious! Simply because he asked for mercy you're willing to give it to him? Don't be a fool, Kakarot! This… creature would kill you, me, and your brat without a second thought. If he were in our position he wouldn't hesitate to deliver the finishing blow! Why would you wish to spare this wretch's life? Not two minutes ago he was attempting to kill you and now you're saving him?"
"Everyone deserves a chance to change, Vegeta!" retorted Goku with surprising anger behind his words. "Who says that any of us have the right to say that this person deserves to live and that person deserves to die? No one should have that privilege since every person in this universe deserves to have life and be given the chance to change for the better. You would be surprised how people change when shown kindness, Vegeta. Many people have never known that feeling before. That's the reason that you and him both feel like you need to simply kill anyone that could potentially be a threat. You and he have lived in a cruel world for far too long and maybe it will only take this small act of compassion and mercy to cause Ginyu to change his wicked ways and become one of the good guys. If he doesn't, he at least deserves the opportunity to change. He'll never get that chance if you simply kill him!"
"That's the point you fool!" snapped the Saiyan Prince. "You buffoon! This decrepit being won't simply change because you allow him to keep his pitiful life! He'll simply come back even stronger than before and try to kill you once again. You don't let your enemies live to fight another day so that they can come back to haunt you in the future! Finish them off while you can, it's the only way to ensure your survival! I don't know what fantasy world you live in clown, but this is reality. You can't show that kind of weakness if you hope to defeat your enemies!"
"Weakness?" questioned Goku. "You claim that showing compassion and mercy is a weakness? No, those things that you claim make us weak are what give us strength. It is much more difficult to show your enemy compassion than it is to simply let hate drive you to kill them. Besides, he's no longer a threat to us anymore. He's been defeated and he knows that there isn't anything he can do to beat us now. There's no point in killing him, especially when he's not even fighting back."
"You really are a fool, Kakarot!" bellowed Vegeta. "I won't let your idiocy hamper me though, so whether you like it or not I'm ending this right now!"
After finishing his tirade, the flame-haired Saiyan sprung towards the cowering form of Ginyu with a mad gleam in his eye. Even though his toad-like target was only a few feet away, Vegeta never managed to reach him.
For Goku, the elder Saiyan seemed to be moving in slow motion as he leapt towards the helpless Captain with intending to kill the defeated warrior. He had breathed a sigh of disappointment at Vegeta's decision to insist on following through with his bloodlust. The kind-spirited fighter had really hoped that it wouldn't come down to him being forced to use physical force against his newly acquired ally, but it seemed like he had no choice now.
Moving faster than even the Saiyan Prince could follow, Goku swiftly moved so that he was positioned directly behind Vegeta. Before the other warrior even knew what hit him, the Saiyan from Earth delivered a swift, but powerful, karate chop to the man's neck. Vegeta's brain didn't have time to register the pain before his body had crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Another sigh escaped from Goku as he looked down at the limp form of Vegeta below him with sadness in his eyes. It really should have never come to this, but it seemed that the Prince was even more stubborn than Chi-Chi when she insisted that Gohan study. However, in this case he was actually able to put a stop to the destructive path that Vegeta's stubbornness was leading him down. Goku didn't think that taking a similar approach with his wife would be a very wise decision though.
After letting his eyes linger on the incapacitated form of Vegeta for a few more seconds, Goku shifted his gaze over to look at the short, green body that Ginyu now possessed. The alien was still on all fours and was gazing up at him in awe. It was a strange look to see on a former enemy, one of complete disbelief with a hint of gratitude. Goku doubted that the Captain had ever been really "saved" before or if even anyone had really ever shown him even the slightest hint of compassion before in his entire life.
"I suggest that you leave this planet now," said Goku to the stunned alien below him. "You might not get another chance after this."
The leader of Frieza's most powerful fighting force simply nodded his head, seemingly lost for words. The wild-haired warrior gave one last look at the green being beneath him before turning away and walking back towards his son. As soon as Goku's eyes had left him, Ginyu quickly scurried away as he hastily fled to his pod before his enemy had the chance to reconsider allowing him to live.
The Saiyan from Earth paid the man no mind, though, as he arrived back where his son stood gawking at the scene that had just unfolded before him. Though he agreed with his dad's decision, Gohan was still shocked that his father had dealt with Vegeta in such a swift and decisive manner. It was the first time since the battle against the Saiyan brute Nappa that Gohan had seen his daddy act in such an aggressive way. Goku seemed to be all business now, conveying to his offspring that the situation was deadly serious.
"You can come out now, Dende," declared Goku as he turned his head to look at a large boulder several yards away from their position. "It's safe now."
The round, gleaming head of the young Namekian suddenly became visible as Dende poked his head from out behind his hiding spot and dared a glance at his surroundings. The kind-hearted warrior stifled a chuckle as he watched the young green alien. He looked so much like Piccolo that it was scary, but the two's attitudes were nearly polar opposites. It amused Goku to no end to imagine his former rival as a small Namekian boy fearlessly attempting to fight the enemies they had met so far on Namek.
"Thank you very much Mr. Son," said Dende respectfully as he performed a small bow to the older man.
"I should be the one thanking you," exclaimed Goku as he brought his hand behind his head and ruffled his hair. "If it wasn't for you, I might have been a goner back there!"
The small, green alien just bowed his head again with a small smile adorning his face. After let loose another chuckle, again because of trying to imagine Piccolo ever smiling about something, the cheerful martial artist suddenly became somber as he stared down at the two children before him.
"Ok you two, I'm going to have to ask you both to do something really important for me. Do you think you can handle it?"
Dende simply nodded while Gohan clenched his fist and said, "Yes daddy, we can do it!"
Goku smiled as he bent down so that he was eye level with the two boys before putting a hand on each of their shoulders and saying, "That's good to hear, I knew that I would be able to count on you two. Now, I'm going to need you to find the Dragon Balls that are somewhere around here and summon the dragon so that we can wish Krillin, Piccolo, and the others back all right."
"Yeah sure daddy, but aren't you going to look for them with us?" questioned Gohan, already half-knowing the answer to his own question.
Sighing before he lifted himself to his full height, Goku answered, "No, I can sense Frieza heading this way. So I'm going to go fight him while you two summon the dragon."
A loud rumbling suddenly interrupted his speech, and the trio turned their heads just in time to see one of the metallic spheres with the Ginyu Force insignia on it blast off through the atmosphere. Goku continued to watch the space pod until it had disappeared from sight before turning back to his son and new friend.
"I'm off! I'll buy you as much time as I can so that you can wish back the others."
After finishing giving his instructions to the two children, Goku kicked off into the air and he could hear his son's voice hollering from behind him.
"Be careful Dad!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o
"Finally," muttered Tien as the spire that bore the home of the Eldest Namek, Guru, came into view on the horizon. Slightly shifting the unconscious Namekian on his back to ensure that he wasn't going to fall, the human fighter redoubled his efforts and a sonic boom echoed in the emerald sky as he shot towards the tower-like mountain.
The crimson aura that encased the man's body dissipated as his feet touched down onto the peak of the spire and Tien moved swiftly towards the entrance. If there was anyone that would be able to help Nail now, it was going to be Guru and the other Namekian Elders. Rushing through the porthole, the three eyed warrior was met by the sight of three muscular Namekians seemingly standing guard there. The sentries' eyes all widened in shock and horror as they rested upon the broken form of the strongest Namek slung over Tien's shoulder.
"Nail!" they all cried in unison as they rushed towards their most esteemed warrior brother. Tien allowed them to take the green alien's body off of his shoulder, and the trio of Nameks gently laid Nail on the floor. Upon seeing the full extent of the warrior's gruesome injuries, the group of Namekians let out a gasp and began to attempt to bandage the still bleeding wounds by tearing off their own clothes.
"Is thereany way that he can be helped further?" inquired Tien as he watched the green aliens work on his friend.
"You need to go see Elder Moori and the Grand Elder," stated one of the Namekians from the group that was hunched over Nail. Tien was unable to distinguish which one had spoken, though, since they were so absorbed in their attempts to help their brother that none of them were looking at him.
"Piccolo." Tien jumped slightly at the mention of the former Demon King's name, but he was surprised when he heard a slight rumbling behind him. Turning his head to look, the triclops was surprised to see a circular pad descending down from the ceiling above. After only a few seconds, it had gently touched down onto the floor below.
"That pad will take you to the upper level where the Elders are at," explained one of the warriors. Tien simply nodded his understanding to no one in particular before stepping onto the section of the ceiling. After both of his feet were planted on the surface of the platform, the device sprung back to life with a small hitch before smoothly floating up back to its original position.
After the flotation device had firmly settled back into it the grooves of its docking station, Tien casually stepped forward as his eyes scanned the room before him. There were only two people in this part of the home: Guru, who was still sitting in his gigantic chair, and Moori, who was standing at the Grand Elder's side.
"Ah Tien, I see you have returned to us," said Guru in his deep, booming voice. "I wish that it was under better circumstances, but I thank you nonetheless for bringing Nail back here to us."
"Is there anything else that you can do for him?" asked Tien, with a hint of desperation in his voice. He didn't want to lose yet another friend. "Is there anyone else that has the sort of restorative powers that Dende possesses?"
"Unfortunately no," responded Moori with a small sigh. "Dende's abilities are unique in every way and according to his brother, he ran off to help you. Is he all right?"
"He's fine," assured Tien. "He's with Son Goku, one of the most powerful warriors that I've ever met. Rest assured, no harm will come to him with Goku watching out for him."
"Well if you trust him, than so do I," said Moori. "As for Nail, I will do what I can for him. Hopefully that will be enough to save his life. Excuse me."
As the Namek Elder walked past Tien and moved towards the lift, the human warrior found himself transfixed on the form of the gigantic Namekian before him. Guru had remained relatively silent and it seemed to the Earthling that he was consumed with a deep sorrow. Tien couldn't help but feel empathetic for the alien as he recognized the look that was displayed across the being's face: one of helplessness.
Tien had felt it himself several times before, and he imagined that Guru was feeling the same way as he had. It was not an easy thing, to watch the ones you care about die before your very eyes with the knowledge that there was nothing you could do to help them. It doesn't stop your burning desire to save them, though; it only makes it worse. He had felt the same feeling that he now saw in Guru's face back when King Piccolo had been running rampant around Earth. It had been unbearable to watch as the Demon King had slaughtered both his best friend and the man that had helped him turn to the path of good. Chiaotzu had paralyzed him so that he would be saved from the fiend's wrath, but even if he had been able to move, Tien realized that there was nothing he could have done to stop what had happened. He had been helpless…
Now he could see the same feeling radiating off of the Grand Elder of the Nameks. While his children died around him, he was unable to help him them. He must feel like there was nothing he could do to help his people fight against the defilers of his home, and it seemed like it was eating him up on the inside. Guru seemed to put up a tough front when in front of the other Namekians, and Tien thought that he realized that the others looked to him for their strength and courage, but soon after Moori had left the being's giant shoulders slumped and his face immediately appeared to be downtrodden.
The three eyed human knew the feeling very well, as he himself had been racked with guilt for a very long time now. In his vast experience, there seemed to be only one real way to help someone overcome their feelings of depression. It wasn't to coddle them and simply tell them everything would work out in the end. It wasn't just to leave them completely isolated to brood on their feelings either. No, while Tien believed that in the end it was up to the person to resolve their feelings on their own, there was only really one way to help another work through something like this: to make them feel useful again.
"Guru," said Tien as he addressed the leader of the Namekians. "There is one other reason that I came here besides simply bringing Nail along with me."
"Yes Tien, what is that you require of me?" asked the Grand Elder as he slightly perked up in his seat.
"I would like it if you would unlock the hidden potential inside of me so that I will be able to better combat the monster that has done this to your people, and my friends," Tien said with conviction.
"Is that right?" said Guru as he looked over the human before him. "I thought that you stated before that you didn't wish for me to do so since you only wanted to rely on your own strength."
"I realized that my friend's safety and revival was more important than my own pride," responded Tien. "I also finally understood that if he was really going to succeed here, I couldn't have both my pride and bring back my friends. One of them was going to have to bend, and I chose to bend my pride instead of risk not getting my friends back. So I'm asking you: please lend me your help. You're the only one that might be able to grant me the power to win this fight, so I'm begging you to help me."
"There is no need to beg, Tien," quickly answered Guru before a smile began to form on his face. "I am happy to help you; it is always nice to lend a hand to others' efforts since I have been sentenced to wait out this cataclysm in the confines of my home. Now come closer, time is of the essence."
Accommodating the Elder's wishes, Tien quickly moved towards the throne to feel firsthand Guru's unique ability. As the rough and calloused hand of the Namekian touched down upon the human's smooth head, Tien felt as if a bolt of electricity had suddenly struck him. His clear aura sprung to life around him as his power suddenly skyrocketed to an even higher level than the human warrior had originally imagined. The sudden injection of strength and energy was incredible and the sheer amount of it that had suddenly been drawn out of his body was so immense that Tien felt like he couldn't even move because of it.
As quickly as the feeling that had suddenly overwhelmed had come, though, it was gone. It had only lasted a split second, but it had felt like hours to Tien as Guru had drawn out his hidden power. Now that the technique was over, though, the feeling of strength and rejuvenation still remained. The former Crane Student hadn't felt this good in his entire life!
With a mere thought, Tien summoned up the crimson-red aura of the Kaio-Ken around his body and felt the power pulse through his veins. This was incredible! Dissipating the technique with only the flick of his wrist, Tien turned his head and nodded at the Grand Elder.
"Thank you Guru. With your help, I might be able to end this nightmare once and for all."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
The wind whipped against Son Goku's face, but even through the harsh treatment it was receiving the warrior's expression never changed. Goku just couldn't wipe the grin off of his face; he was far too excited! He knew that anticipation for his upcoming fight wasn't the right emotion someone who was on a collision course with the most feared tyrant in the universe was supposed to feel, but Goku couldn't help himself. The thought of him having the chance to go against a fighter that was considered the Strongest in the Universe was simply to exhilarating for him to compose himself and reflect on the gravity of the situation.
For as long as he could remember, Goku had always loved fighting. It had never been about the spoils of victory that went along with battling for him. No, it was the feeling of complete euphoria that consumed his being while in the heat of battle. For a long time, Goku had only fought for the thrill of battle itself and the challenge that it presented to him. Back then, it hadn't mattered to him whether he actually won or lost the fight, only if it challenged him and if it was "fun".
Lately though, things had taken a much more serious tone when he entered into a battle. The days of simply friendly competition at the World Martial Arts Tournament where gone. In their place were demons attempting to conquer the world and aliens wanting to destroy his home. The stakes had undeniably heightened as he had grown older, but even when everything was riding on his victory, Goku still felt the same giddy feeling in his stomach that he felt when he was 13 years old in his first World Martial Arts Tournament. As the stakes got higher though, that feeling grew along with it and now that he was about to face his most challenging opponent yet, Goku felt like he was about to crawl out of his skin. He couldn't wait to fight this Frieza guy!
He would not have to wait long though, as Goku could already feel the tyrant's immense energy signature. Now that he was much closer to it, the dark ki felt like it completely enveloped him and surrounded him on all sides. It was truly immense, completely dwarfing any other power that the pure-hearted warrior had ever sensed before. The completely black, evil nature, devoid of even a scrap of goodness along with the sheer size of the ki made it unlike anything that Goku had ever felt before.
It was then that the wild-haired fighter caught his first glimpse of the terrible fiend that was responsible for the destruction of hundreds of civilizations. Frieza was as monstrous as Goku had imagined when he had heard of him and his evil deeds for the first time. His skin seemed to be comprised of a slimly looking, pink material that seemed to be covered by white and purple armor in certain spots. His black horns and gigantic size served to put the final detail onto what Goku imagined the Devil looked like. This was the being that he was about to go up against, and he couldn't have been any more excited!
Within seconds, the two were upon each other. Dispelling his aura with ease, Goku halted to a stop as the Frost Demon mirrored his actions and stopped only a few feet away. Now that he was closer to the alien overlord, the pure-hearted warrior could see that his newest adversary was frowning at him.
"I'm not sure exactly who you are, and I don't really care to be perfectly honest," remarked the gigantic monster in his rumbling voice. "I'm somewhat in a hurry at the moment, so while I would usually indulge your rudeness by playing with you for a while, I'm afraid I have no time for such pedestrian affairs. Goodbye."
Raising his muscular arm, Frieza fired a slender beam of purple ki from the fingertip of his index finger aimed directly for the heart of Goku. To the tyrant's surprise however, the orange clad warrior simply raised his own hand and effortlessly swatted the beam away. The Arcosian's eyebrows raised in surprise as his attack was sent flying through into the air until it collided with a distant mountain where it leveled the entire horizon.
"Now you've got me intrigued," admitted Frieza as the light from his beam's explosion finally faded away. "Who exactly are you and what business do you have with me?"
"My name is Goku," proclaimed the former Turtle School student as he crouched down into his fighting stance, "and I'm here to fight you!"
"Fight me?" said the horned devil with a chuckle, raising his hand to cover his mouth as he mocked the man before him. "Surely you must be joking? Don't get too cocky simply because you deflected my weakest blast."
"I'm not joking; I'm here to take you down Frieza! I can't allow you to have the Dragon Balls, not when my friends' fates are on the line," declared Goku with a fierce determination rarely seen in the normally jovial man. His serious expression faltered somewhat though when he noticed that his opponent was staring at him with a confused look on his face.
"This is strange," commented the tyrant as his eyes narrowed and Goku felt as if the creature's blood red eyes were scrutinizing every inch of his body. "I swear that we've met before, but I can't quite place where. You know about the Dragon Balls, so you must be with that annoying, bald insect or Vegeta. I guess it doesn't matter now, you'll simply be destroyed before I have time to figure it out anyways. As I said before, I'm sort of in a rush so I'm going to make this unpleasant encounter short."
"You can go ahead and try," said Goku as a confident smile began to ease itself onto his face. "But I'm not going to let you past that easily."
"Is that right?" questioned Frieza before flexing his muscles somewhat, his body tensing like a snake's posed to strike.
"Yeah, it is," answered the naïve warrior.
The tension in Frieza's muscles somewhat subsided as he cocked an eyebrow at his opponent before allowing a sigh to escape from his lips. Goku was about to open his mouth and ask if there was anything wrong, but he never was able to voice his opinion as the monstrous form of the demon suddenly lunged at him with his fist pulled back. He quickly dodged the oncoming punch by sidestepping the rocketing limb before exploiting the opening that Frieza had left him by overextending himself in his assault. Bringing up his knee, the Saiyan from Earth buried his knee into the space overlord's stomach.
The massive body of his enemy doubled over in pain, as Goku removed his knee from Frieza's gut. Following up his knee strike, the wild-haired fighter brought back his arm and attempted to deliver a powerful karate-chop to the alien's exposed neck. To Goku's surprise though, his hand simply passed through a mirage and his eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly sensed the Frost Demon behind him.
A loud roar rang throughout the emerald sky as Frieza brought back his leg and then hurled it towards the black-haired man's head, aiming to remove it from its owner's body. Not having enough time to dodge the attack, all Goku could do was lift his fore-arm to block the kick. A shockwave with an accompanying boom reverberated through the sky and the force of the collision between the two titans sent both Goku and Frieza flying from the epicenter of their clash.
Goku forced himself to a halt, his arm still raised into the air from where he had blocked his enemy's flying kick. Bringing it down now, the carefree fighter could see that already a fairly large sized bruise was forming where Frieza's foot had connected with his arm. It seemed that this guy was really strong after all, and Goku could already feel his blood boiling with excitement!
"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily!" bellowed Frieza and Goku turned his head just in time to see a large, pink energy wave racing towards him. Goku's eyes widened in horror as he realized that if that attack hit him, he would be severely injured, potentially even killed. Luckily for him, the blast was moving fairly slow and even though it seemed like the attack was already upon him, Goku was able to phase out of the way of the sneak attack just in time to avoid being consumed by it.
An explosion the size of which the Saiyan from Earth had never witnessed before suddenly rocked the terrain below him as Frieza's energy attack crashed into the ground. As soon as the blast made contact with the ground, hurricane force winds suddenly erupted for miles around and even Goku was moved slightly by the sheer force behind them. The explosion from the ki wave took the shape of a pink dome of energy that continued to expand outwards, consuming everything that was unfortunate enough to come across its destructive path. Miles upon miles were incinerated immediately by the discharge of energy and the top of the dome towered several hundred stories high into the sky.
It was truly an awe-inspiring sight to behold and for the first time, Goku began to fully understand the full extent of the power his opponent possessed. There was no doubt in his mind that energy attack was nowhere near the full power that Frieza could control in a blast, that it was simply the tip of the iceberg. Even that though was unlike anything that Goku had ever seen, much less, faced before! If he wasn't careful, this battle could easily tear Planet Namek apart and put everyone on it at risk!
"So it seems that you've been stunned into silence by that meager display of my power," commented the baritone voice of Frieza as he casually descended in front of Goku. The pure-hearted warrior could see a smug smirk outlined across the fiend's face as the Arcosian observed him with amusement. "Do you now realize that there's no way that you can possibly defeat me?"
In response to his opponent's question, Goku simply raised his head and gave the tyrant his patented Son grin. He watched as the confused dictator's expression transformed from one of sadistic delight, to a frown, to finally a scowl of annoyance as Frieza failed to comprehend what could possibly make the goofy man in front of him grin happily after witnessing such a display of his awe-inspiring power!
"What's so funny, idiot!" demanded Frieza as he grinded his teeth together in frustration. This moron was infuriating!
"Oh nothing, I'm just realizing how fun this fight is going to be!" declared Goku as he brought his hand behind his head before letting out a jovial laugh. "I'm just tingling with excitement!"
"You must be joking," said Frieza in disbelief. All he got as a reply was another round of laughter from his opponent before Goku settled back into his fighting stance, still with his infamous grin plastered on his face. The Arcosian prince could feel his eye starting to twitch as his hatred for this imbecile continued to grow exponentially with every passing second.
"I promise you," Frieza seethed as he too dropped into a fighting stance. "By the end of this battle, I'm going to have wiped that idiotic smile from your face before I stomp the life out of you."
"You can try," replied Goku, his grin never wavering, "but I can tell you now that it won't be that easy."
"We'll see," growled Frieza. With that, the two powerful entities once again charged each other, both with their fists cocked back and primed for combat. Simultaneously, the two threw their punches and their fist collided in mid-air with a loud explosion of sound. The energy emitted from the duo's punches was so great that actual light beams were suddenly emitted from the point of contact and it obscured the two from sight as they disengaged from each other before rushing each other once again for another go around of combat.
0o0o0o0o0o
"Gravity Machine: Deactivated." Chi-Chi breathed a sigh of relief as the heavy burden of 50 times Earth's normal gravity was suddenly lifted off of her petite shoulders in response to the metallic voice that controlled the function of the gravity chamber. Rolling her shoulders slightly in an attempt to work out some of the knots that had formed in her muscles, the brunette's hand quickly grabbed hold of the towel that she had left on the surface of the console. Raising the towel to her face, Chi-Chi wiped her face clean of sweat with the red hand-cloth. She always hated the sticky feeling of sweat; it was why she always made Goku take a bath after he got home from training.
Another sigh escaped from the woman's lips as the thought of her husband entered into her mind. It had been over a week now since he had blasted off into space to go help their son on Namek. She had tried to push the thought of both her baby boy and her husband being in mortal danger on an alien planet to the back of her mind, but she just couldn't help it. The anxiety about their well-being was always the front-most thought in her mind. Even throwing herself completely into her intense gravity training hadn't helped her forget it about them. It was just impossible for her to do.
Now, Chi-Chi simply wished that she had pressed harder for being allowed to go with Goku to Namek. She had given up far too easily, but she never could resist her husband's smile. Whenever he told her that everything was going to be alright, she always believed him. Though she sometimes didn't show it, Chi-Chi had immense confidence in her Goku and if there was anyone that could really protect their son, it was him. Besides, she had made a promise to protect the Earth while Tien was away and she never went back on her word.
It was difficult for Chi-Chi to admit, but it was her husband- not her- that could really keep Gohan safe. That was the thing that was always the toughest thing to swallow for her after having a child with the strongest man on the planet. No matter how much she wanted to be the one there for her son, shielding him from harm and being the one that was always there to comfort him, it was always Goku that Gohan looked towards for that. Goku had always been the strongest, the one truly capable of protecting their child.
That's why when the opportunity for her to be able to train with the other warriors arose she gladly accepted it. It was the chance she had been looking for to be able to rekindle her own love for martial arts that she had lost when she had become pregnant with Gohan. After that, she had been thrown into full-time motherly duties that consumed all of her time. It was her that had to take care of the baby Gohan while Goku went off to train every day while she was stuck at home. The housewife had understood how important it was for her husband to continue growing stronger with Piccolo still on the loose, but she had resented the fact that her training had to end and his remained unaffected by the birth of their son.
Her bitterness about her own martial arts career being cut short was one of the underlying reasons that she had pushed Gohan so hard to become a scholar. There were the other reasons as well, but they all pretty much stemmed from her wanting their son to be completely different than his father. If she was going to be stuck at home while Goku was off training, she was at least going to have company while there. That was why she always wanted Gohan to never train with her husband; Chi-Chi simply didn't want to be left alone and forgotten by the most important person in her life.
Chi-Chi chest heaved heavily as the breath she had been holding in unconsciously was finally released. A small smile graced her face as the brunette tossed the towel she had been using back onto the console before walking to the exit to the gravity training. All of this time by herself while the others were all off in space was really making her far too self-reflective for her liking. Besides, it was time for her and Mrs. Briefs to cook dinner together and the brunette didn't want to keep her blonde friend waiting for her.
The door slid open with an almost silent swooshing noise as Chi-Chi exited the gravity chamber and began to make her way back to the main compound. Dr. Briefs had created gravity chamber that she used for her training in the basement of the main laboratory of Capsule Corporation so it was a fairly decent walk for her to return back to the building where the Briefs actually resided. They had been nice enough to provide her accommodations while Goku was in the hospital and they had allowed her to stay after her husband had left for Namek so she would close by for updates. It was rare to find as nice of people as the Briefs family; Chi-Chi was glad that they were friends. There were far too few people with that kind of attitude in the world.
As a matter of fact, there simply seemed to be a lack of people all together in the compound as the housewife made her way through the underground lab. Usually the place was buzzing with activity as the countless number of scientists worked on various projects for the Capsule Corporation. Today, the place was empty though, completely devoid of life.
While it was a little discomforting to the female warrior, she didn't let it get to her too much. Perhaps she had just gotten so wrapped up in her training that she had lost track of time and they had all simply gone home already because it was late. Still though, Chi-Chi had an eerie feeling as she entered into the lift that would take her up to the main floor of the building. The slow creak of the gears as the elevator slowly moved upwards made her skin crawl as her feelings of uneasiness continued to increase with every passing second.
Her heart was beating an alarming pace as the doors to the lift finally slid open and Chi-Chi almost ran out of the elevator and into the lobby area. Now she was really beginning to grow paranoid about the situation. Just like in the lab below, there was not a soul in site in the reception area which was bizarre because there was always at least one secretary manning the front desk. This situation was getting stranger and stranger and with her hands beginning to tremble, Chi-Chi reached towards the handle to the sound-proof door that served as the entrance/exit to the compound. After taking a deep breath, the brunette pushed the door open and stepped outside.
A sudden overloud of sound completely overwhelmed Chi-Chi as she walked out of the compound. The eerie silence that had hung over the compound had been replaced by an amalgamation of sounds of destruction and chaos. Screams, sirens, the sound of cars crashing, and finally the sound of something burning filled the air as completely anarchy ruled the streets of West City.
Chi-Chi was stunned by the sight of the city burning before her. What had caused it? What was going on? These and other questions raced through her mind as she approached a group of people that seemed to be fleeing from the destruction. As she drew closer to them though, the housewife realized that these people weren't running away from the desolation that was occurring; they were the ones causing it!
These people seemed more like ravenous animals than actual human beings. Their eyes were a brilliant, glowing purple color and their teeth protruded like fangs. Besides their bestial appearance, their actions were animalistic in nature as well. Everything in their path was ripped to shreds, as if they were consumed by a need to simply destroy.
The brunette was forced to choke back tears as the pack of these…creatures turned towards her as they noticed her presence for the first time. Every single one of them were people that she had grown to know over these past few weeks of staying at Capsule Corps. The majority of them were the scientist that she had seen down in the compound and who she had passing conversations with whenever she could. The others were the secretaries and custodians that she was the most familiar with as she would often talk to them about things that she herself had knowledge of like housework and cleaning. Lastly, at the very front of the group, was the blonde haired form of her friend Mrs. Brief and the blue-haired figure that was her husband. All of the kindness that usually lit up their eyes was now simply consumed by a seemingly insatiable hunger for desolation and chaos.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks now as the horde of mindless beings charged towards Chi-Chi with howls of rage. All she could feel was numbness and because of it her body refused to move even though her instincts were screaming at her to do so. The housewife's body was telling her to fight against these beasts or to run away from them, but Chi-Chi couldn't seem to force herself to do anything as the swarm closed in around her. Her mind was simply a numbed to a point where she couldn't even comprehend was going on as the people she grown to care for deeply this past month closed in on her, prepared to tear her body to shreds.
Just as it seemed that the horde was about to bury the female fighter underneath them as they ripped into her, Chi-Chi felt herself suddenly yanked upwards and out of the kill zone. Chi-Chi was stunned as she watched the drove of zombie-like people fall onto each other at the spot where only moments before she had been standing. Slowly, the housewife turned her head to look up at her savior who had a tight grip onto one of her wrist. When she finally set eyes upon the person that had rescued her, Chi-Chi's jaw dropped at the sight that met her.
"Yajirobe?" she muttered in disbelief as the fat samurai flew over the city with her dangling behind him.
"Man, why couldn't you have saved yourself," the dark-haired man complained as he stopped his flight and allowed Chi-Chi to regain her balance. "It's a real pain in the ass to come all the way down here to find you, you know!"
Wow! A scene that actually takes place on Earth in the Earthling Chronicles! It's a miracle! All joking aside, it was nice to finally get back to what's going on back on Earth and it was great to write Chi-Chi again. I really feel that if you look beneath the surface of her, she really is a complex character with a lot of emotions swirling around inside. I hope I was able to show that accurately in this chapter! I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter of the Earthling Chronicles and once again thanks for getting this story over 100 favorites! That's a really big accomplishment and I'm glad so many of you like my story that much! No new power levels this chapter, so nothing much else to say except thanks for reading and I hope to see you next chapter!