Dragon Ball Z

Gohan: Protector of Earth

Chapter 22

The battle for dominance had stopped at the height of the action. Both sides, saiyan and changeling, let down their guard and stared in awe. He was back from the dead, in plain sight, for them all to see. The other realm was an impenetrable dimension that nobody could cross. Spirits were a fictitious creation meant to entertain the whimsical child. This was not supernatural, this was not imaginary, this was real life. So how is it possible is what they wondered. How could he be alive? The hearts of the saiyans filled with an indescribable hope that none of them had ever experienced before. The changelings, arrogant by nature, heartless by trait, were suddenly humbled by his presence. The most powerful, vicious, and fearless warriors in the history of the universe stood in battle, yet none could muster the strength to move. That is what his presence meant.

It had only been a week since his disappearance. Similar to now, the changelings had surprised the saiyans, arriving on their home planet in the thousands. Forced to react, the saiyans battled the changelings in full on war for survival. Their unspoken leader led them into battle, laying waste to any changeling in his path. That is, until the general stepped out from the sidelines and entered the battle. The two battled for all to see, a spectacle of might. But the saiyan never had the advantage, or a real chance of victory. Once the general showed his true power, he dominated the saiyan, beating him to within an inch of his life. In a grand spectacle, he tossed the saiyan into the air and killed him with a single death beam. Without him, the saiyan's planet was quickly conquered. Most were killed in battle while the weaker ones were kept as prisoners. But the general was not satisfied. He knew the saiyan was still alive. He could sense a faint power level a moment before the saiyan teleported away from battle and to safety; a cowardly move for a saiyan.

Once again the stage was set, the battle for survival hinged on him once more. This time, the saiyan could not afford to lose or it would truly mean the end of the saiyan race.

For what seemed like an eternity, everyone continued to look at him, while he only returned the stare of one. Unlike Celero, there was not the slightest sense of trepidation in his gaze; it was filled with pure hatred and nothing else. Without breaking his stare, the saiyan kicked the lifeless body of Lair off the ship where it swiftly tumbled to the ground. In a gruff tone, the saiyan uttered his first words since making his presence known. His voice sounded as if death himself spoke the words.

"Where is my son?"

Everyone looked around in shock, having forgotten about the saiyan's child amidst the heat of battle. Far in the distance however, a saiyan woman walked out from behind a boulder and raised her hand slowly, making herself known. She had avoided battle in order to look after his son. With his wife over his shoulder, the saiyan appeared next to the woman in an instant, appearing out of thin air without anyone seeing his path to her. Instead of taking his son, he placed his wife on the ground next to the woman. She was unconscious and beaten, but alive nonetheless.

"Please look after my wife as well. I will be back shortly for them."

The woman nodded nervously and sat down next to the wife and child, far away from where the battle had taken place.

The saiyan slowly walked towards him, his eyes not diverting for anything. Now that his wife and child were safe, he could focus his attention solely on him. Every saiyan and changeling cleared out of his path as he walked towards him. The general looked on in anger, his once cocky demeanor dissipated as soon as he felt his arrival. His goal was to find him, to track him down to the ends of the universe. Little did he expect the saiyan to track him down, like he was the one running, like he was the prey.

The saiyan walked to within five feet of the general and stopped. Next to him, lying on the ground was Celero barely clinging to life after the hellacious beating he had just received. With all his strength, Celero turned towards the saiyan and muttered only loud enough for the saiyan to hear.

"We do not need your f***** help. We do not need a coward to aid us in battle."

The saiyan did not respond to Celero, but continued to stare at the general. Sill not diverting his gaze, the saiyan kicked the body of Celero into the air and then proceeded to throw the body behind him in the direction of a group of saiyans. One of the saiyans caught the body, and placed it on the ground. Like his wife, Celero was barely clinging to life. At this point, the warriors started to surround the saiyan and the general in a giant circle.. Every saiyan and changeling gathered to watch what would happen. Their individual battles mattered little. The outcome of this war would solely depend on what would happen between those two.

The general was the first to break the silence.

"All this time, all this effort I placed in finding you and you are the one to find me. So you have decided to end your life as well, and what better place than the final resting place of the saiyan race!" The general raised in arms in the air in premature celebration, rediscovering his arrogant personality from earlier. Following his lead, every changeling threw their arms into the air in support of their leader, their confidence returning as well.

"Everything you have done, every despicable action you have committed, just your very existence is an insult to my pride. You used my race, forced us into your service because you were stronger and we could not stop you. And then we became to powerful, and you became scared. You feared our potential. You feared what we would do to you. And most of all you feared me. You took my wife and child hostage, tortured them, and almost killed them; all because you feared me. But seeing you here, it is hard for me to hate you. Because you are nothing, you are nothing compared to me. And it is impossible to hate nothing."

The general's smile turned to a scowl instantly. He gritted his teeth in anger at the saiyans disrespect.

"Nothing! I am the strongest fighter in the universe. I killed you once and I can do it again. This time I will make sure every single molecule in your pathetic body is destroyed.

Without warning, the general sprung from the ground and charged full speed at the saiyan, the ground shattering from the sheer impact of his takeoff. In defense, the saiyan lifted his arm to his head, blocking the punch. The power let off from this collision swept over the planet and dissipated into space. Saiyans and changelings alike powered up just to keep from flying off due to the immense power ripple. The one saiyan woman held onto the child frantically, keeping him from flying off and protecting him from the planet's debris.

There was no doubt as to who the two strongest warriors in the universe were. The fate of this war depended only on the outcome of their battle. Everyone just watched from a distance, rooting for their respective champion, not intending to interfere.

Frustrated by the saiyan's block of his punch, the general continued to punch away at his face one after another. Each punch was methodically blocked by the saiyan who continued to fight defensively. Every punch and kick by the general forced him back slightly but with little effort the saiyan continued to defend against the barrage. Eventually, the general leaped back, breaking the action. Despite the display, the general was not in the least bit winded, showing off his endurance to the saiyan. Once again the general charged at the saiyan who disappeared right as the general approached, reappearing behind him with a kick to the back. The general flew into the ground but quickly jumped backed at the saiyan knocking him into the air. The general and the saiyan now both charged simultaneously, their kicks colliding with each other. They both attacked full force, each dodging and landing punch after punch. The general launched a hail mary punch at the saiyan's head. He lowered his head under the punch and given the opening rammed his shoulder into the abdomen of the changeling. The changeling, hunched over, put his hands together and punched the back of the saiyan. He continued to punch at the saiyans back, knocking him to the ground. But just like the changeling earlier, the saiyan jumped from the ground quickly. They looked at each other once more, neither willing to give off any hint of fatigue or disadvantage to the other.

"Enough of this charade," yelled the changeling from the sky. "The difference between our power levels is immeasurable and I will prove it to you right now. Your death is imminent."

"You cannot kill me. Like I said, you are nothing."

The ground exploded once more as the general started to power up. The purple aura of the changeling exploded upwards like a rocket heading towards the sun while his body bulked up to twice its normal size. The once powerful warriors were now just spectators, standing miles in the distance and away from the heart of battle. The general's purple aura contracted to normal, but his power continued to rise seemingly without end.

In an instant, the general halted his power up and charged at the saiyan once more. He could not react in time however and the general's fist collided squarely with his abdomen. From there, the general punched away at the saiyan, each one hitting him squarely. With a final roundhouse the general knocked the saiyan into the air, then beat him to his path and knocked him to the ground once more. The saiyan slowly rose to his feat, visibly bruised from the last attack. The changelings looked on cheerfully, the saiyans nervously. Once to his feet, the saiyan charged at the general leading with his right fist. The general put up his hand at the last moment and caught the saiyan's fist. The saiyan punched with his other hand, which was also caught by the changeling. Unable to attack, the saiyan's body was left open, and the general capitalized by kicking the saiyan in the abdomen repeatedly, all the while holding him in place. The general eventually let go of the saiyan's hands, but immediately head butted him, knocking him once more to the ground. The changeling lowered himself to the point of impact and waited to see if the saiyan would be able to get up. Upon reaching the crater, the changeling noticed the absence of the saiyan's body. He put his arm up behind his head, blocking a surprise attack from the saiyan. The saiyan continued to kick away at the changeling, who blocked every attack with his arm without even turning around. The saiyan retreated back, giving himself a break from the action. The changeling turned around and smiled at him, maniacally.

"Déjà vu is it not; my superior power trumping your pathetic saiyan abilities. Continue to fight if you must, but you know the outcome. Just save me some time and stay still while I blast you to the other dimension. But this time, I will not give you the chance to teleport away."

The changeling extended his arm and pointed his index finger at the saiyan's heart. But the saiyan did not move. For the first time since his appearance only a short time ago, the saiyan's face demonstrated an emotion other than hate. Instead of showing fear or anger, the saiyan just smiled. The changeling, looking confused, held off on his blast.

"You are right. This is just like last time," responded the saiyan, who seemed to be on the brink of laughter. You are the same exact strength, exactly the same."

"Enough of you!" yelled the changeling before unleashing a death beam aimed for the heart of the saiyan. The saiyan flipped his hand calmly at the beam, knocking it off course and towards one of the changeling ships, destroying it on impact.

Infuriated, the general unleashed a consecutive series of blasts at the saiyan from only a short distance away. Each blast was casually swatted away by the saiyan, who seemed to be exerting minimal effort. Once the blasts stopped, the saiyan started walking towards the changeling. The general threw a round house that was blocked by the saiyan's elbow. The general continued the attack but was easily thwarted by the saiyan whose uninterested facial expression infuriated the general even more. After blocking one final punch to the head, the saiyan turned quickly and landed a roundhouse to the head of the changeling knocking him back a thousand feet and firmly to the ground. With the general momentarily knocked out, the saiyan finally started to show his true power. His long golden air extended even farther down almost touching the ground while his aura exploded high up into the sky. The changelings looked on in shock, all floating higher into space and farther away from the battle. With their ability to breath without oxygen, there was little motivation for them to remain on the planet, especially with this turn of events. As the saiyan continued to power up, shaking the planet wildly and forcing the withdrawal of many of the changelings, the saiyans looked on with hope but also with some worry.

"We have to get out of here. The planet will be destroyed soon at this rate," yelled one of the saiyans.

"We can't just leave now; our fates will be decided in this battle. We must see this through," responded another.

"Staying on this planet will not benefit him. All we would be doing would be getting in his way at this point," said Celero.

Everyone looked at Celero surprised to see him on his feet once more, albeit barely.

"Everyone, get to any available ship and get out of here," he yelled. "Any nearby planet will suffice, just hurry."

"But what about you?"

"I will stay, I owe it to him to look after his wife and child."

"But you are in no shape to look after them. You can barely…"

"I am fine! I will protect them with my life. I will make sure nothing happens to his wife and son, to my nephew. Now get out of here!

Most of the changelings had already left the planet. The saiyans were now quick to follow suit. The planet, once a battlefield for the thousands, now only featured two warriors. Far in the distance, Celero sat next to his sister – in – law and nephew and looked on, as his brother battled for their lives.

The general jumped to his feet once more, battered from the saiyan's last attack. The advantage clearly lied with the saiyan, to the ire of the changeling.

"How, how is this possible? I killed you before. How did you get so strong? Tell me how!"

"I am a saiyan! Every battle I have fought has made me stronger, my power is limitless. By failing to kill me in our last battle, you sealed your own death."

"No! You will not kill me. I will kill us both before I let that happen."

The general jumped into the air and flew high into the atmosphere. Once high above the planet, he placed both hands in the air and started to gather all the energy he had left. The size of the energy ball, only a foot in diameter to start, continued to grow without bounds. The saiyan looked on, unaffected by the changelings display, waiting for his opportunity. Overtaking the size of the mothership, the energy ball continued to grow until it seemed as if another planet had spawned off of this one.

"See you in hell monkey!"

The general threw both hands down forcing the planet sized energy ball to heads towards the surface. It moved slowly because of its sheer size giving the saiyan time to react. While in his offensive stance, the saiyan moved both hands to his side and started to gather energy quickly. The energy ball continued to move towards the surface but the saiyan remained still, in the process of gathering energy. The energy ball continued its path until it reached the saiyan. He waited until he could feel the burning inferno on his skin before unleashing his blast. With all his might, the saiyan forced his beam upwards, pushing the planet sized energy ball back towards the changeling. A look of shock overcame the changeling's face. This blast represented everything he had, and the saiyan was able to move this destroyer of planets.

"I am not done yet!"

The changeling flew down to the blast and started to push it back towards the saiyan. The energy ball remained in a state of limbo, both warriors using every last shred of energy to push it towards the other. The planet continued to shake under the shear force of the blast, breaking apart in segments. The planet was crumbling under the intense outpour of energy. It would not last much longer under these circumstances. The saiyan knew that. With his family still on the planet, he could not let this continue.

"Why won't you die saiyan," screamed the general who continued to pour energy into the blast.

"I am not a saiyan. I am kakkarot, the saiyan of legend. The one foretold to be the strongest in the universe. Your reign is over changeling!"

His golden aura exploded around him, his power level surged. With his limitless power, kakkarot powered up his blast and forced the energy ball back towards the general. No matter how much he tried, the general had nothing left to give. The energy ball continued towards the changeling, who was too weak to push it back and too late to escape its clutches.

"Impossible! I cannot die from my own blast."

"Right! Only I can kill you."

Kakkarot's blast pierced through the energy ball right before it met the general continuing through it and through the changeling. The energy ball exploded, turning the changeling to ashes and causing a shockwave to pulsate through the galaxy. He was dead, there was nothing left. Exhausted, Kakkarot fell back to the ground. The planet was nearly deserted, most of the changelings and saiyans left in order to avoid a certain demise.

Meanwhile, far away on the other side of the galaxy stood another changeling, free from battle and looking forward towards a series of computer monitors. A group of scientists worked frantically while the changeling sat back smiling. One of the scientists turned back from his work to address the changeling.

"Sir, the opening will not last much longer. We must alert the general right away."

"The general is not important."

"But sir."

"Listen to me dammit before I blast your head off."

"Yes sir."

"Alert all of the troops, non changeling only, and all of the saiyans that we have captured. There should be about a thousand of the weaker ones in our control. Ready the fleet and we shall head towards the rapture immediately. The only changelings I want aboard are myself and my son. Say it is by orders of the general."

"But sir, that goes against the orders of the general."

"Do not worry about a mere general, for now you have a king. From this day forward, I shall be addressed as King Cold!"

Back on the nearly destroyed desert planet, the saiyan once again got to his feet. Only a few had remained on the planet, his family amongst them. He flew to where he had placed them but they were not there. Off in the distance, though, he could make out their presence. His wife was sitting in a small crater, huddled over with her baby in her arms. Relieved, Kakkarot flew over to them and next to his wife. His wife only turned and smiled, still in disbelief over what had occurred. All was done, and they were safe. As the saiyan got up to look for a ship, he felt something strange. Before he could turn around, a thin beam of energy pierced through his stomach. He fell to the ground quickly as his wife shouted, and his child cried. The saiyan looked up from the ground and saw him. It was not a saiyan, it was not a changeling, it could only be described as Monster.

But the events of this day continued, the horrifying details left for another time. In this vision Gohan witnessed the perpetrator, the truth, and the sign of things to come. Everything is clear, nothing is hidden. The Earth is not safe. Nobody is safe.