--- Disturbance, Book 2: Divergence ---
Chapter D02-B - Instruments of Destruction
Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.
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-Iron birds of fortune-
The two rivals stared each other down, each pushing forward with their raised knee in the hope of forcing their opponent to yield; a fruitless endeavour. Breaking apart with a burst of energy, the two floated backwards for a few feet before charging forward again, each throwing a right punch, one after the other, that their opponent caught in his left hand. Again they struggled to force their enemy to yield, and when that didn't work, they began trading knees.
-Adrift above the skies-
Vegeta grit his teeth as the pair slowly floated backwards; well, from his perspective they were floating forwards. He would attack with his right knee, and Kakarott would raise his own right to block, then, the reverse would happen. All in all, it was remarkably frustrating for the already irate prince. Quickly getting the shits with the stalemate Vegeta reared back, dragging Kakarott forwards and headbutting him.
The two released each other, Goku floating backwards holding his head, but before he could recover Vegeta sped forward, delivering a sequence of punishing punches to his torso. Forcing himself to recover, Goku caught both of Vegeta's fists, before striking him twice under the chin with his knees. As Vegeta recoiled backwards Goku released on of his arms, swinging the Saiyan Prince around, before kneeing him again in the side of the head, and sending him flying into a nearby cliff.
-Cloudy revelations-
Growling slightly in pain, Vegeta barked, "That's more like it." With a shout, he threw his arms backward and vaporised the rock surrounding him with a burst of energy, floating forward until there was barely a foot between him and his most hated rival. As the pair began focusing their energy, a massive golden flame burst into life around the pair of them, the two so close together their aura's merged into one.
-Unseen by naked eyes-
Drawing in their power, the two spared the time to smirk at one another before, with a pair of shouts and a release of energy, they began trading blows at faster-than-light speeds. As they flew through the air, Goku was quite quickly being forced backwards in his efforts to dodge Vegeta's attacks. Finally, the two threw a punch simultaneously, Vegeta's arm going over Goku's as they each struck the other in the face.
With a roar, Vegeta lunged at Goku, driving his fists into his midsection repeatedly, drawing in more and more of his energy as he did so. His aura flaring into life again, Vegeta continued to drive his fist into Goku's stomach at faster and faster speeds, until a single slick of blood escaped his mouth. Satisfied, for now, Vegeta's swung his leg up to strike the side of Goku's head, before driving his opposite knee into his battered stomach, and driving his elbow into the back of his neck.
-Flying tools of torment-
Babidi cackled amusedly. "Good, keep it up Vegeta! Ooh, hit him again, hit him again, ooh, ye-es! Ooh, nice shot. Very nice." Looking over at Buu's energy meter, and seeing it finally start to increase he added, "Look Dabura, at this rate Majin Buu will be at full power in no time." His cackles returning, he turned back to his crystal ball. "The only thing we have to do now is decide how we're going to exterminate the Supreme Kai."
"Yes Master," Dabura replied with a short nod.
-Will penetrate the sphere-
Cackling again, Babidi sand, "Oh what a hap-py da-ay! I haven't laughed this much in years!"
"Come Master, we must begin preparations," Dabura noted, "The Kai and his friend will be here any minute now."
Quickly sobering, Babidi agreed, "You're right Dabura. We wouldn't want them to feel unwelcome." (1)
-Erupt the rock of ages-
The two again traded blows at high speed, only this time is was Goku who was leaning forwards on the attack, and Vegeta the one being forced backwards. Jumping back a bit, Goku dove forward and drove his foot into Vegeta's stomach, a smirk on his face as he reared back for a mighty punch. Before it could hit, however, Vegeta phased out, reappearing behind him. As Goku turned to face him Vegeta smirked, throwing his hands forward towards his rival's midsection and charging a blast, firing it at point blank range.
-Bringing final fear-
The following explosion caused a massive sphere of golden energy to appear around Vegeta, as Goku was sent plummeting into the side of a nearby mountain, kicking up a massive cloud of dust. As the dust cleared, Vegeta stared into the wide hole, unblinking, just waiting for the moment Kakarott revealed himself again, and he was not disappointed. As a small golden light flared into existence moments before the beam was fired Vegeta forced back a gasp, charging and firing his own blast, and the two golden beams sped towards one another.
As the gold beams collided, a massive sphere of warring energy formed, half Goku's, half Vegeta's; the energy bleed was so great, visible rings of energy would be seen echoing away from where the two beams met. The two Saiyans grit their teeth, Goku pushing forward as he started floating towards his self-proclaimed rival, until all that separated them was the sphere of energy, now compressed into an ovoid.
-Instruments of destruction-
As lightning danced off the colliding energy, Vegeta growled out, "You're not going to win; not this time!" With a roar, he forced more energy into the blast, forcing Goku to do the same lest he be washed away. The massive ovoid kept expanding outwards, as more and more energy was being forced into a compressed space; already the two halves were no less than four times as tall as either fighter, and at least as wide as each fighter was tall.
-Tools of power plays-
Throwing his other hand forward, Vegeta began forcing more energy into the blast, and like before Goku was forced to do the same; by this stage, each had invested enough energy to wipe out the planet three times over into this single, powerful blast. Unable to handle the compression anymore the sphere expanded dramatically, forcing the two Saiyans away from each other as they strained to keep their energy controlled.
They failed.
-It's a violent eruption-
Nearly a full minute after the massive energy struggle self-destructed, gouging out a massive valley, a beaten and battered Goku forced his eyes open painfully, his wrist somehow managed to unconsciously snag the edge of the cliff he now hung from. "Don't know why I'm surprised," he mused to himself, "He has been training for the last seven years straight."
-Existence drips away-
Suddenly, he released that he wasn't hanging from the cliff anymore, despite what his arm was telling him. He discovered this the hard way, when he was lifted up by said arm to see a crouching Vegeta clenching his wrist tightly; with blood flow cut off, his hand was still transmitting the last signal it sent. Looking just as beaten and bloody as Goku, the prince smirked as he lifted Kakarott clear above the cliff, before throwing him away from it.
With a cry of pain Goku's body was driven into a rock wall by the force of the throw, arms and legs splayed. Before he could recover, Vegeta raised one hand to point at him, the first two fingers extended, and fired off five ki rings, one for each limb, and the final for his neck, securing the Low-Class Saiyan to the wall. Phasing to stand before him, Vegeta taunted, "What's the matter? Not winning as easily as you thought?"
-What's it really matter-
Forcing his words past the ki ring restricting his windpipe, Goku replied, "I never said it would be easy."
Vegeta smirked to himself, commenting, "You won't be winning at all," before calmly slapping him twice, once on each side. When Goku growled at him he shouted, "What clown? Are you feeling angry, humiliated; is that it?" He drove his knee into Kakarott's stomach. "Fool, you don't know what humiliation is!" As is to drive his point home he punched him in the face several times during his remark, before launching into a series of punches to the face, punches to the stomach, and knees to the stomach.
-When nothing really counts-
As Goku began coughing up blood, Vegeta ceased his assault, stating, "Don't worry, I will teach you it's bitter taste just as you have taught me." Clenching his fists, he continued, "Me! A Warrior Elite! In my fingertips I hold the power to destroy entire worlds. I am a Saiyan of Royal blood, the last of my kind, and on my shoulders rests the glory of a borderline extinct warrior race. Whole civilizations once trembled at the sound of my name."
-Grave eternal darkness when you're-
"But you didn't, did you Kakarott?" Vegeta spat, "And at your hands, your common hands, my honour and my pride, the foundations upon which I have always stood, began to crumble at my feet. It was at your hands that I suffered my first great humiliation, toppled by a piece of low-level trash! Imagine my added shame when it was you, and not me who avenged out people by defeating Frieza; you, who were the first to achieve the pinnacle of our race. The first in a thousand years to take a place among the Super Saiyans of legend, a place that I had been raised to believe was my Royal birthright!"
-Drained of every ounce-
His fist twitching a little, he continued, "And imagine the disgrace I suffered when the strength I worked my whole life to acquire was surpassed by a mere child. Your half-breed son succeeded where I, the Prince of all Saiyans, had failed." His face began twitching from barely repressed emotions as he finished, "It is time to take back what is mine! I will not live my life as your second. That time is over; every breath you take is an assault to my honour. But no more Kakarott! By my hands, you will be cut down inch by inch, the way you have cut down my pride!"
-And when the nightmare's over-
Goku didn't reply, having spent the time Vegeta used talking to gather and regain his strength. Clenching his fists, he began pulling at the rings that bound his arms, focusing his strength with a rising shout as his aura returned, and with one final shout, and a declaration of shock from Vegeta, Goku freed his legs and his neck with a burst of energy, but used that same burst to carve out the rock around the rings binding his arms; for the briefest of moments, with the halo above his head, the rocks bound to his arms, and golden light radiating from him, he looked like an angel.
-The final from the storm-
That moment ended the second he sped forward with a shout and slammed first one rock, then the other into Vegeta's head, racing forward and punching the dazed prince in the stomach until he almost keeled over, before kneeing him in the face. The force of this final blow sent Vegeta careening uncontrollably into a mountain, and through the side of it into the cave within.
-Dust of all creation-
Flying into the hole after him, Goku calmly stood in the centre of the shaft of light, hunting for Vegeta's ki signature. 'Focus!' he thought to himself, 'I know you're here Vegeta; I'll sense where you're hiding.' The sound of rocks falling behind him drew the younger Saiyan's attention, as a golden energy blast forced it's way through the rocks towards him. Quickly throwing his hands up to block, Goku strained against the blast for a short moment before managing to throw it out the hole.
-To ashes we transform-
"I'm here fool!" Vegeta shouted, phasing in behind him and grabbing him under the arms. Leaning back to force Goku off his feet, Vegeta shot upwards, intent on driving Kakarott bodily through a nearby stalactite. Goku had other plans however, forcing the pair to a standstill before forcing Vegeta backwards with a burst of energy. Spinning to face his opponent, Goku cupped his hands, focusing energy, and Vegeta placed his hands before him, touching at the wrist. As they fired their respective attacks, two cries rang out throughout the range.
-Instruments of destruction-
"Kamehameha!"
"Gallick Gun!"
The mountain disappeared in a pillar of golden light.
-Tools of power plays-
Erecting a Magic Shield, Babidi spared a glance at the meter next to Buu's ball, noticing the needle wavering around just after the three-quarters mark. Smiling gleefully as the ball itself stopped pulsing pink, and instead, a pulsing light seemed to emanate from inside, Babidi turned back to the Supreme Kai, who was at that moment trying to force his way through the shield with a ki beam. "You hear that Kai?" the wizard taunted, "That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound of your death."
"Not if I can help it wizard!" Shin shouted back.
"You don't get it do you?" Babidi retorted. "You can't stop it! It's already too late; in thirty seconds, Majin Buu will be at full power!"
-It's a violent eruption-
Goku charged his opponent, aura blazing, but it was quickly snuffed out as he was sent rocketing backwards by a punch to the face. Vegeta gave charge, aiming to bisect Kakarott with his leg, but Goku flared his aura back into life, decking Vegeta; like Goku before him, Vegeta's aura burnt out for a second before he reignited it. Electricity dancing around their forms as they fought at the peak of Super Saiyan Two, the two fighters traded powerful blows, each capable of punching a hole through a blast door.
-Existence drips away-
As the pair drifted across the sky, their auras combined into a single translucent sphere of golden light, blue electricity dancing from the edges. With one final burst of energy from a connecting attack, a blinding light erupted from the pair, the sonic shock from the strike crumbling a mountain spire before Goku dove upwards to avoid another of Vegeta's attacks.
Gazing up at his rival, Vegeta commented, "So, you've still got plenty of fight left? Impressive. I didn't think you'd last this long."
-Instruments of destruction-
"Really? I could say the same about you Vegeta," Goku retorted, "You've learned a few new tricks while I've been away." Barking a laugh Vegeta phased in behind him with a kick, and Goku quickly leant out of the way, retaliating with an elbow of his own; Vegeta merely dropped down to ground level to avoid the strike. As soon as Goku's feet touched the dirt Vegeta unleashed a ki beam upon him, leaping into the air the moment his attention was no longer required to maintain it, and Goku waited until the last minute before taking off after him, dodging the blast and using the dust cloud kicked up by the explosion to cover his approach.
-Tools of power plays-
The two brawling Saiyans flew sideways across the plain, crashing into, and burrowing through, a mountain purely because it was in their way. Goku blasted out of the dust first, flying out backwards, and Vegeta was hot on his tail, firing blasts upwards at the retreating Saiyan. The first one he dodged, the second he cut in half, the third, fourth and fifth were also dodged, and the sixth and final also cut in half, the explosions creating a smoke cloud.
Vegeta used this ki smoke as cover, as it blocked both Kakarott's sight and ki sense from tracking him. Swooping down behind him Vegeta swung his leg around and drove it into Kakarott's stomach, before grabbing the stunned Saiyan around the neck. Flaring his aura, Vegeta aimed the pair of them towards the ground, plummeting at high speeds as he barked, "What's the matter clown?"
-It's a violent eruption-
With a massive cloud of dust Vegeta drove Goku bodily into the dirt, and, as soon as the younger Saiyan had climbed to his feet, sent him sprawling again with a variant of the Son Headbutt; a full body torpedo tackle where one strikes with the forehead. Quickly landing on his feet, Vegeta sent a blast after the sprawling Goku that the deceased fighter only just managed to dive out of the way of. Changing his aim to the new resting place of his rival, Vegeta fired a second blast, before tearing forward as it hit, shouting, "DIE!"
-Existence drips away-
When he arrived, however, the dust cloud faded to reveal Goku's absence. "As I was saying Vegeta," a voice announced from behind him, "You've learned a few new tricks while I've been away. But then, so have I." Before Vegeta had a chance to put up a defence Goku teleported directly in front of him using his Instant Transmission technique, laying into the egotistical prince and sending him stumbling back, before driving his elbow into his back and drop kicking him.
Flying uncontrollably, Vegeta crashed into another of the many mountains around, dislodging a few rocks as he plummeted tot he ground, and a few well-aimed ki blasts by Goku caused the rest of the mountain to come down around him. The deceased warrior cried out in shock as a blast shot out of the dust cloud towards him. Leaping over the approaching blast, Goku raced towards its origin, and began trading blows with Vegeta once more.
-Instruments of destruction-
The second the dust cloud cleared Vegeta sent Goku flying with a right cross, blasting off in pursuit and catching up with him over a lake. With a shout, Vegeta dropped Kakarott with a double axe handle, causing him to splash down in the icy waters. Aiming a hand at the lake, Vegeta waiting until the moment Goku's head crested the waves kicked up by their energy before charging his attack, firing it with a shout of, "Big Bang Attack!" Goku threw up his hands to catch the attack and was driven back into the lake, the water turning gold as the blast lit it up, before the massive explosion vaporised the entire thing, leaving just a smoking hole in the ground.
-Tools of power plays-
It was out of this smoking hole that Goku calmly floated up to Vegeta's level. Vegeta smirked. "You've become quite the escape artist."
Goku smirked back, "Maybe you just need some better finishing moves."
"I doubt that." Flaring his aura, Vegeta dropped down to ground level, and Goku quickly followed him, where the two stared each other down, panting to catch their breath.
-It's a violent eruption-
"I'm amazed Vegeta," Goku commented, breaking the silence, "These past seven years in Otherworld I've been through the most intense training sessions, but we're still completely even. I guess all this time you've been pushing yourself even harder than I have."
-Existence drips away-
"That may be true," Vegeta replied conversationally, "I've pushed myself to the edge of my limits and beyond, but you've been born with a natural talent far beyond my own; no amount of training could have closed the gap between us. I realise that now; it was made painfully obvious to me today as I watched your fight with Babidi's monster." Turning introspective, he continued, "Imagine my shock to see the undeniable proof to discover that no matter how hard I tried I would never be able to catch you; a warrior prince forever living in the shadow of a low-level clown!" Clenching his fist, he smirked, "So that's when I secretly made up my mind."
Realisation dawning, Goku gaped at him in shock. "You... mean you...? You fool! You deliberately let yourself fall under Babidi's spell."
-Instruments of destruction!-
Vegeta's smirk widened. "Yes. I saw the power of Babidi's magic. At the World Martial Arts Tournament those two henchmen he sent. The people who had seen those fighters in the previous tournament couldn't understand how they'd become so powerful, but you and I know, don't we? It was Babidi's magic, and I knew that what his magic had done for those fighters it could also do for me. I knew that if I allowed myself to fall under his control the difference in our power would disappear!" He smiled coldly. "I'm quite pleased with the results, even if they do come at a price. I'd say the end more than justifies the means!"
-Tools of power plays!-
"Vegeta, I don't understand, you've never allowed anyone to help you before in your life; why start now? Why Babidi?" Goku asked hurriedly.
Clenching his fists until they began to shake, Vegeta replied in a strained voice, "Because I wanted him to reawaken the evil in my heart. I wanted him to return me to the way I was BEFORE!" He punctuated his statement with a massive surge of energy, the gale-force winds kicking up dust clouds. "I was the perfect warrior; cold and ruthless, I lived by my strength alone, uninhibited by foolish emotion!"
-It's a violent eruption!-
The winds dying, he continued, "But slowly, over the years, I became one of you, my quest for greatness gradually giving way to this life of mediocrity. I awoke one day to find that I had settled down, formed a family... I had even grown quite fond of them. Would you believe I almost started to think the Earth was a nice place to live? Do you understand now Kakarott? That's why I needed Babidi: to set me free. By releasing the evil in my heart, he has freed me of these petty attachments." Closing his eyes for a moment a smile came to his face as he made one final comment, "And I have to say it feels pretty good."
"Do you really believe what you're saying?" Goku asked rhetorically, as silence returned to the valley, broken only by the wind.
-Existence drips away!-
To be continued...
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Author's notes:
Ah, the long awaited showdown between Goku and Vegeta. Always fun to watch.
(1) - Do note that this scene technically takes place, chronologically speaking, during D01, while Shin and Gohan are descending the final drop into the ship. However, as D02-A, -B, and -C are in non-synchronous parallel (as in, they're happening side by side, but not at a uniform time) events can happen late in one that were actually early in another.
Confused? Think of the time line this way:
Start of D01----------------Start of D02-B----End of D01/Start of D02-A---------------------End of D02-A/-B
I don't plan on having too many scenes that would suggest these parallel chapters interlace, but the two scenes I included in this one were ones I wanted to use in the other chapters, but didn't find a place for.