Gohan's Hidden Depths of Power - Chapter 4.
Nothing Gohan had ever seen before in his life was as brutal as the scene that played before him right now. Vegeta was being tossed around in the air like a rag-doll by Frieza's onslaught, blood splattering from his mouth as every hit connected until Vegeta was nothing but a broken mess on the ground, it didn't stop there, though.
The cold tyrant casually walked over to the downed Saiyan Prince like it was just another day for him and coiled his tail around Vegeta's neck, lifting him up off the ground so that his back was to him "I hate to do this Vegeta, if only you would submit to me, this pain could all end right now." Frieza offered, Vegeta merely kept quiet which promted Frieza to continue "Well then, I guess you'll die today, Vegeta." Frieza said coldly as he began to jab his fists into the small of Vegeta's back. Gohan could hardly watch as blood came streaming down Vegeta's jaw from the damage done to his innards, Frieza turned his head to the fighters from Earth "Don't worry... Everyone gets a turn." He taunted, causing Gohan to cringe.
"That's enough, Frieza!" Goku yelled as he clenched his fists, causing Frieza to turn his head. Frieza began to smirk as he turned back to Vegeta and began jabbing him in the back again "I said that's enough!" Goku shouted with anger as a red aura burst to life around Goku as he lunged in catching the space tyrant off guard with a kick to the head, forcing Frieza to release Vegeta.
Goku charged again when Frieza got back up, punching him in the head sending him rolling across the ground.
Goku was about to punch him again when it was blocked "You miserable insect! How dare you!" Frieza yelled using his energy to force the Saiyan back. Goku thinking quickly fired an energy blast at Frieza scoring a direct hit kicking up dust, he took to the air followed soon by the Icy Tyrant as he shot out of the dust cloud. The two began to trade punches with Frieza still looking as if he held the lead.
'The Kaioken, how does dad do it? If I had that technique I could be more helpful in a fight, right?' Gohan thought as he studied his fathers Ki flow during the Kaioken. He felt completely helpless as he watched the fight from the sidelines.
"Goku can't keep this up for long. His body is going to give out soon." Piccolo concluded as he watched on.
"I have had enough of this! Die!" Frieza yelled as he charged Goku, punching him square in the jaw with a left hook sending him flying and with with right hand he pointed at Goku's form, blasting him with his Death Beam faster than anyone could see straight through the chest.
"Father!" Gohan shouted as his father's body came flying towards the ground, landing with a thud, Gohan raced over to his fathers body to check on him "Oh no, dad! Please be okay!" Goku looked to holding on enough but would soon die if not healed
"That's what you get for flying too close to the sun." Frieza mocked as he began chuckling.
Gohan clenched his fists over his fathers chest "You..." Gohan muttered out as he stared down Frieza.
~Listen to me Gohan, if you want to save your father you must get him to Dende, I will try to distract Frieza for as long as possible. This may prove to be a blessing in disguise if Goku's power increases like it did with Vegeta.~ Came Piccolo's voice inside Gohan's head. Gohan began to try and calm his mind as he heeded Piccolo's words, picking up his fathers body with his tiny hands he began to back away with him.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Frieza smirked as he raised his hand again and pointed it at Gohan.
"Your fight is with me now." Piccolo flew forward getting in front of Frieza. Piccolo removed his weighted turban and shoulder pads, his power increasing along with it.
Piccolo crossed his hands over his forehead as yellow spots of energy began gathering in his palms "Masenko!" He called out before throwing his hands forward "HA!" A bright yellow beam of energy shot out front from his extended arms.
As expected, Frieza dodged the blast, prompting Piccolo to end the attack quickly and try to get the jump on Frieza by appearing behind the space tyrant and dealing a hammer blow to his back. Surprising Frieza, he scored a direct blow to his back, Frieza turned around to throw a fist at the Namekian, this being closely but deftly dodged by Piccolo. It was obvious that Frieza had underestimated the Namekian.
Piccolo didn't let up and went to capitalise on the Icy Tyrant's underestimation of his skill, he scored a direct hit with a kick to Frieza's abdomen and then followed through with several punches to his face. Frieza's body floated there for a moment before he brought his head up with a smirk "Hmph. Should've figured I'd do no damage." Piccolo said.
Frieza began to chuckle "But you did manage to surprise me, Namekian. Yours is at least smarter in battle than those filthy monkeys called Saiyans." He commented snidely "But still nowhere near my superior intellect." Frieza quipped before disappearing and slamming his tail into Piccolo's side, causing him to crash into the ground, destroying a plateau on the way down and flicking up dust.
"They just keep coming back for more, only to be beaten down once again... I must say I'm quite enjoying myself, but he won't be getting up again, unfortunately." Frieza chuckled "What say you, Earthling?" He turned to Krillin, causing said Earthling to panic and quake with fear, going blue in the face "Are you enjoying yourself? No? That's too bad, because you're next." Frieza smirked menacingly.
"Scattershot!" Piccolo appeared from amongst the dust and rubble with scratches and blood all over his body and two yellow orbs of light within his palms before pushing his hands forward rapidly, releasing the blasts towards Frieza. The first two came close but Frieza simply dodged them. Piccolo shot more of the balls of light at the Icy Tyrant, only for them to be dodged as well.
Charging them again he fired another volley at the Space Tyrant "I don't think I need to tell you. But you keep missing." Frieza quipped, dodging in between the volleys. Piccolo kept shooting the balls of light regardless "This is becoming annoying." Frieza readied to charge at the assaulting Namekian, only to realise there were yellow balls of energy surrounding him entirely "What-"
"Hellzone Grenade!" Piccolo called out with a swipe of his arm, turning the yellow balls of energy red as they begun to encircle Frieza. Frieza crossed his arms over his body as they began to converge on him. A huge explosion rocked the surface of Namek as it burnt the very air itself, creating smoke and ash as it died down.
As the smoke cleared, it revealed Frieza to be scratched, but no worse for wear. Piccolo grit his teeth "Figures..."
"... Well, I cannot blame you for trying your luck at ridding the universe of the greatest ruler it has ever known. But you failed, and so will the rest of you." Frieza taunted, pointing his finger at Piccolo, he fired his finishing move, the Death Beam. The Death beam came to within a couple of metres of Piccolo, only to be deflected by the orange and blue blur of Son Goku, his hand out stretched, swatting the beam away "What?!" Frieza stared down at the Saiyan in shock "How?! You're supposed to be dead!"
Goku smirked as he stared down the Icy Tyrant "Perhaps you're just getting a little rusty."
Piccolo chuckled "... Never thought I'd be saying this... Thanks, Goku." Piccolo thanked genuinely, causing Goku to chuckle himself.
Frieza clenched his fist 'No... There's no way... He doesn't even have a scratch on-' Frieza paused in his thought process 'The Namekians possess a clan that can learn the ability to heal... But this "Piccolo" looks like more of the Warrior type- The blasted, Namekian brat!' Frieza scanned the ground until he spotted the small figure of Dende running out from his hiding spot to try and heal the mortally wounded Vegeta. Frieza fired a ball of energy at the Saiyan from Earth and Namekian Warrior, forcing them to guard against it. Turning to his side, Frieza fired two Death Beams at the unsuspecting Vegeta and Dende.
"Damn it! Dende! Move!" Goku called out as he sped towards them, but it was too late, the beams had pierced both of them through.
"Hehehe... Hahaha! Splendid!" Frieza cackled madly as Dende's body rolled a couple of metres from Vegeta
Goku clenched his fist in anger "Frieza!" He shouted through grit teeth.
"Dende~!" Came the shout of Goku's young son, Gohan as he ran to check on his friend.
"K-K-Kakarot... Listen to me." Vegeta said hoarsely.
"Stop, Vegeta, save your strength." Goku replied.
"No... You have to listen to me. You have to forget about your soft heartedness. It'll get you killed Kakarot, there's no stinking honour in any of this. He destroyed our home planet... It's true... It was him... Your father, your mother, and mine." Tears began to well up in his eyes and then slide down his face, stunning the Z-Fighters "He was scared of us, scared that a Super Saiyan, would be born to overthrow him... He took me from my parents when I was just a little boy and said that if I didn't work for him he would kill my family... We worked so hard for him but he did it anyway... He made me what I am... Please... Don't let him... Do it to... Anyone else." Vegeta begged from his helpless state as the last of his life left him, his tears ceasing to flow any longer.
Frieza folded his arms "It's about time. There's no such thing as a 'Super Saiyan', let alone the so-called 'Saiyan of Prophesy', it's just stories to get ones hopes up in defeating me, but it's just not going to happen."
Goku stood there in silence 'I'm the last one left... You weren't grieving over the loss of your people, or your home, you were grieving because you never had a chance to be anyone else... You weren't as bad of a person as you made yourself out to be. I swear it right now, Vegeta, I will get revenge for you. I may not know much about our people, the Saiyans, but they will get justice.' Goku then turned to Piccolo "Piccolo! Leave the rest to me!" Goku called out to him.
Piccolo sized Goku up scrutinisingly "Are you sure you gained enough power to beat him?" He questioned.
"Yes." Goku said simply, but with a seriousness only becoming of him during a battle "Take Gohan and Krillin to a safe distance from here. Give Vegeta a proper burial, for me. He saved my son's life before and fought with us, he deserves at least that." Goku stated with a finality to it that demanded no argument.
Piccolo remained for a moment before nodding his head in acceptance before flying over to Gohan and Krillin "Gohan! Krillin! We need to leave! Now!" He called for them.
"B-But! What about my father?!" Gohan replied in worry.
"He'll be fine. He knows what he's doing... I can sense his power and he's a lot stronger than before. But he's a lot more vulnerable with you around." Piccolo retorted.
Piccolo was loathe to follow Goku's orders and bury Vegeta, but he saw no reason not to, he'll give him his wish. Gohan and Krillin nodded in response as they left with the Namekian Warrior.
Frieza stood across from Goku with a smirk on his face "You're really going to go through with this, aren't you?" Frieza questioned with a chuckle, his tail whipping behind him in anticipation.
Goku had a look of seriousness on his face "Yes. This is for all the people you've destroyed..." Goku clenched his fist "I will be the one to finish you!"
"Such tough words for someone who was on the brink of death only moments before."
Goku steeled himself by crouching into a stance before starting the fight with a quick lunge.
Gohan, Krillin and Piccolo landed on a plateau off in the distance to watch the fight that was already underway. Piccolo dropped Vegeta's body on the ground next to them and turned to Gohan "You bury him, kid... He's of your kind, after all." Piccolo told him in a non-condescending way before he took off and went to find a place to bury Dende, obviously not wanting to bury him anywhere near the Saiyan Prince.
Gohan looked up at Piccolo's disappearing form for a moment longer before nodding his head in understanding and began to dig out a burial for the Saiyan Prince. Whilst he was doing so, he thought on Vegeta's last words that felt as if they were tattooed in his mind.
He didn't know much about the bloodline he shared from his fathers side, at all really, he only heard of them to be cold and ruthless warriors that conquered planets for their selfish desires.
At least, that was what he had gathered from when his uncle arrived on Earth and tried to kidnap him, and then two more Saiyans appeared to conquer Earth and use the Dragon Balls. But when he thought of how his father acts and how Vegeta did at the moment of his death, the Saiyans couldn't have all been as bad as they were made out to be. Humans themselves have their fair share of despicable characters, that with power such as the Saiyans have, could easily do just as evil.
Gohan figured that as a warrior race, they would naturally get excitement out of fighting, but that can't be all that bad, his father has a love of fighting and he's the nicest guy you could ever meet. He even found himself enjoying the training he had done with Piccolo and the progress he had made with it, there was just an excitement to it that he couldn't place. It must have been this 'Planet Trade Organisation' and Frieza enslaving them to do his dirty work that gave the impression that they were all evil.
He began to picture them in a different light. If given the chance, they could have been a much more noble people, they just wound up being overpowered by an organisation that wanted to use their power for evil. Vegeta's quest for immortality was simply a tool to gain freedom and doing it in the only way he knew how, through strength. Gohan did feel bad for him, even if he had done very terrible things. He at least began to have a newfound respect for his Saiyan heritage, which he most certainly didn't have before.
As for 'Super Saiyan' or the 'Saiyan of Prophesy', he had absolutely no clue of what they were, Vegeta was certainly convinced of the Legendary Super Saiyan. Gohan finished digging out the burial for Vegeta and placed him inside of it and then covered him up with the dirt he had dug out. He turned his attention back to the fight, which he could feel going on while he was occupied - His father's Pure Good and Warm energy conflicting with that of the Pure Evil and Sickening energy of Frieza.
Piccolo had come back during the time Gohan was digging the burial and was now watching the fight. Gohan could literally see the shockwaves reverberating through the air as the fight dragged on, which felt like it could last an eternity. Krillin finally spoke up as he watched in awe of the fight "Man... I can't see a thing. Piccolo, are you following this?"
Piccolo shook his head "No. All I can say right now is that these two are way beyond what anyone would think possible." He replied.
He decided to push his thoughts aside in the meantime and focus on the ensuing battle between his father and the Icy Tyrant, Frieza. From what he could see, it seemed to be a stalemate, not one had gained the upper-hand yet as the two power-titans fought for dominance.
Frieza began to chuckle as he floated above the ground from where Goku stood across from him. Slowly Frieza lowered himself to the ground.
"What's so funny?" Goku pressed.
"Funny? Yes, that's one word that could describe it." Frieza began "The funny thing is, up until now I've only been using some of my power in this form, I haven't even begun to use my real power." He continued, chuckling sinisterly.
Goku held his composure and then smirked "I think you're bluffing. Besides... I have a few reserves left of my own."
"Yes, I see, we both know you've been holding back a bit. But it pales in comparison to how much I have been. Humph... Half... Yes, fifty percent of my power, just a paltry half, should suffice to deal with the likes of you." Frieza informed before he took a stance, one foot in front of the other and his hands just inches from his waist, fingers spread out with his palms facing forward.
Goku waited, wondering what to expect next when a lone lightning bolt shot down from the sky and hit Frieza's form. Small sparks littered his entire body for a few moments until they faded. Goku kept waiting for a few moments more, anticipating what would happen next, when it hit him like a ton of bricks. Goku could feel the pressure of Frieza's power as it flooded his senses "King Vegeta and his son, both so head-strong, both came up much too short. The Saiyans were an interesting species while they lasted, you should feel privileged that it ends with your coming demise."
Goku's mouth went agape 'He... He wasn't bluffing...' Goku thought in disbelief. Before he even knew what hit him he was stumbling back after a hard hit to his face, Frieza appearing with his elbow where Goku's head used to be.
Frieza landed with his back turned to Goku "Hmmm. Such a shame... I wouldn't even need half of my true power to finish you. How anti-climactic." Frieza said as he whipped his tail on the dirt, daring Goku to attack.
Goku grit his teeth and lunged at the tyrant only to create several afterimages before going in for a strike. Frieza had anticipated his every move, though, and subsequently hit Goku in the face with the back-side of his fist. Goku stumbled back from the blow with his hands covering his face, a trickle of blood flowing down from his mouth.
Frieza disappeared from view before appearing in front of Goku, finally facing him "Now do you see how completely hopeless this was? Your filthy kind could never compare to the likes of me in power." Frieza stated with finality before punching Goku in the stomach, doubling him over. Goku tried a quick recovery and powered up his Kaioken to get a punch in on the Icy Tyrant, only for him to be face-planted on the dirt by a sharp elbow to the upper back.
"Yes, you definitely are a Saiyan, such a stubborn lot. Much like Vegeta, but he too, ate the dirt." Frieza spat out before kicking Goku in the side where he lay, sending the Saiyan raised on Earth sprawling along the ground for several metres.
Goku gathered his energy to stop himself from tumbling into the ocean of Namek, struggling to his feet 'Darn it! I can't even lay a finger on him! But... I can't lose here, I just can't! If I can't beat him here... Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan... They're helpless against him!' Goku thought as he grit his teeth and clenched his muscles "Frieza! I don't care if you're a hundred times stronger than me! For the Saiyans, the Namekians, and all the countless, helpless people you mercilessly killed! I will defeat you!"
"Heh heh heh... HAH HAH HAH!" Frieza began to laugh maniacally "Would you look at this? The monkey still believes he has a chance to defeat me?! Lord Frieza?!" He continued to chuckle for a few moments longer before silence rang out across the land. Frieza brought his right hand across his chest with his index and middle fingers outstretched. A small ball of energy began to crackle at the end of his outstretched fingers before muttering a single word "Fool."
Frieza brought his hand down and then brought it up again in a quick, fluid motion causing a blade of light to approach Goku at such a speed that he barely had time to do anything but cross his arms over his face at the brightness of the attack. Goku slowly dropped his guard as it became quiet, wondering what had happened, all he saw was Frieza there with a smirk planted firmly on his face. Goku looked around him trying to find what Frieza had done until his eyes began following a long cut embedded deep into Namek's crust that ran along the ground and oceans as far as the eyes could see, merely a foot from where he stood 'Did he just... No way...'
Frieza began to chuckle at Goku's reaction to his display of power, taking a special delight in toying with what he thought was the last monkey in existence "So... How do you like my handiwork, Monkey? Please, save your praises until after the show, I'm barely getting started. If you're a good boy I might give you a banana on your trip to the afterlife for such a splendid effort." Frieza cackled as Goku had a look of disbelief on his face, still in too much shock "No, don't thank me, that's just the kind of guy I am." Frieza gave him a mock bow.
Krillin and Gohan watched on in horror at what they had just witnessed. Piccolo could only muse at the hopelessness of it all, if Goku couldn't beat him now, there was nothing to stop Frieza from continuing his reign of terror over the universe, beginning with them "Frieza just cut the planet in half..." Piccolo murmured.
Krillin gulped "But that's just... Not possible..."
The three focussed back on the now one-sided fight between Good and Evil. Frieza and Goku exchanged punches and kicks, but it was clear who had the advantage as Goku couldn't land a single hit. Frieza had Goku flying through the air over Namek's vast waters before he flew directly above him and landed a kick to his stomach, sending Goku straight into the water.
Frieza chuckled as he hovered over the waters, sending an energy blast at the water wherever Goku reared his head, causing him to dive back down "It's true what they say... Monkeys really don't like the water." Goku popped his head back up one more time for air only for Frieza to put his foot on top of his head, holding him under the water "Make sure you get in behind your ears! Hahaha!"
Gohan clenched his tiny fists "We have to help him!" He said in a wave of panic.
Piccolo put his hand out in front of him, stopping him from making a rash decision "No, Gohan! We can't just rush down there!" He scolded.
"But that's my father down there! I can't watch him die!" Gohan protested.
"Just wait, Gohan!" Piccolo reaffirmed. Gohan knew Piccolo was trying to look out for him, but he just couldn't stand idle.
Gohan's energy was spiking wildly, but several moments later Frieza was thrown off of Goku, a massive torrent of water spouting up from the waters "What now?!" Frieza questioned in surprise and anger.
Goku leapt from the water into the air "For Gohan, Chianni, Chi Chi and all of the inhabitants of Earth... I don't care if you're a thousand times stronger than me! ... Frieza! I will defeat you!" Goku powered up his Kaioken, his power-level increasing twenty times over.
"Ka-me... Ha-me... HAAAAAAH!" Goku chanted, bringing his hands forward he released the wave at Frieza, a bright blue beam heading straight for him. Frieza stuck his palm out to guard himself from the blast as it overwhelmed him, exploding and causing Gohan to shield himself from the shockwave and high winds.