One Hell of a Trip
"This isn't working!" Gohan yelled, wiping sweat from his brow. Even at their strongest, King Dust didn't seem to care that they just threw their most powerful attacks at him, or that they were completely wiped from having to dodge every second in case some radioactive loogie got chucked at them. It was nonsense, really. Gohan was sure if he could just land one stupid, weak little punch, he could stop this monster no problem.
But of course, nothing in this world was ever that easy, was it?
"Well, you have a better plan?!" Piccolo shouted back at him, frustration evident on the Namekian's face.
"This isn't fun anymore..." Goten pouted, sticking close to Gohan's side, thankfully listening to his older brother and Piccolo when they both warned against just 'going up there and punching the lights out of it.'.
King Dust growled, swatting at the warriors hovering around him as one would swat a fly. He missed, of course. Those pesky fools were a lot faster than he gave them credit for. But he was not to be bested; this planet was rich in water...if anything, he could dilute himself to gain more mass, if he grew desperate enough.
"You can't touch me, your blasts can't hurt me," The monarch hissed, beady eyes narrowing as they focused on the three floating in the sky, "You have no hope, fools."
"Yeah, well my daddy's gonna kick your butt!" Goten spat, tongue waggling in between his pursed lips.
King Dust boiled, then eased into a rich laughter. "You impudent little boy, I admire your spirit. But of course, even that will not save you."
"Kill us then, if you're so all-powerful!" Piccolo yelled, eyes narrowed and blazing. "If you're as half as strong as you say you are, why haven't you hit us yet?!"
"I don't need to." He said simply, a cruel, hard look twisting across his slimy features. "Why go out of my way to kill you, when your strongest fell beneath me?"
Gohan felt a cold chill sweep across him. King Dust turned, stared at them all in turn, and chuckled.
"No, you lot aren't worth it." King Dust said coldly, his face void, "If this what this planet has to offer, then I'm sorely disappointed."
"Why are you doing this?!" Gohan shouted, chest heaving.
King Dust shrugged, his dark gaze suddenly focusing heavily on Goten, who duck behind his brother's legs the moment the villain turned his attention to him. "Because I can..." He murmured, tilting his head. "...just like I can do this."
It happened before he could blink. All Gohan could sense was the flying presence of King Dust flying towards him; his gut instinct kicked him, blasting him safely out of harm's way.
But then he heard the scream.
Goten stood frozen, hunched over in the last spot he'd been in before. Gohan's blood chilled, and slowly, the realization of the moment came crushing over him. He had dodged the blow, quicker than he could think...but Goten hadn't been so lucky.
The young child gasped weakly, clutching the tendril of darkness embedded in his stomach. Blood began oozing down, dripping from his lips and the wound. Instantly, his pallor changed, turning more pale and translucent as King Dust's poison pumped through him.
"Goten!" Gohan screamed, anger ripping through him. "No!"
With a loud sucking noise, King Dust ripped his arm free, and stood staring with a bitterly cold expression on his face. "I am not just a monster. I am not just a man. I am a disease. I have no feeling. I will infect this planet, feeding off your flesh and your blood until all of me is all of you. You cannot escape me, because I will invade this planet from the very core of it's being, until you are all so sick and weary that you cannot help but embrace death. I will make you all suffer, just in the way my own homeland suffered. "
Goten staggered in the air, glancing over helplessly at Gohan, dark eyes wide and wet with tears. "G-go...han..." He breathed, slowly slipping down through the air, one childish, chubby hand reached out to his sibling. "...h-help..."
Gohan felt tears rising, felt a hot lump form in his throat. He swept to the ground, catching the child's body in his arms before he hit the ground. Fat, hot tears dripped down Goten's face, mingling with the blood soaking in his brother's uniform as he buried his face into his chest.
"I w-want...m-mommy...and...dad-ddy..." He stammered, his voice growing weaker.
"You...sick monster!" Piccolo voice echoed above them, reverberating with an unholy anger. "He was a child!"
"So?" King Dust scoffed.
Gohan's chest heaved. His vision was going red, muscles growing taut at the white-hot fury coursing through his veins. He had to struggle with all his might not to rip free into his Super Saiyan form, to claw at some semblance of self-control.
"I'll...I'll...kill you!" The half-blood seethed, veins pulsing in his neck as he strained to keep himself from exploding his power out.
"G-gohan..." Goten whispered, bright crimson staining his lips, dribbling down his chin.
Piccolo dropped down beside Gohan, face pained and drawn in anger as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Gohan, forget him! Goten won't make it long."
Gohan didn't respond, but the furious expulsion of his power was enough for Piccolo. The Namekian tugged at his former pupil, insistent.
"Would you rather both of you die?!" He snarled, fists drawn. "I'm just as pissed as you. But fighting him now is suicide. Goten needs help."
King Dust shrugged, watching the spectacle with a passing interest. "Live or die, I care not. I'll get you all eventually, one way or another. You can't escape me." He hissed.
Gohan swiped viciously at the tears streaking his face. He glared up at the villain above him, and savored the hatred brewing in his heart. "You're a f**king bastard! And I will kill you, if it's the last thing I f**king do!" The half-Saiyan seethed, clutching his dying brother closer to him with an angry sob.
"Come on!" Piccolo persisted, watching Goten's face drain more and more as the seconds passed. The poor boy was as white as sheet now, eyes slowly losing their focus.
Gohan obeyed, but hesitantly; Piccolo was right, no matter how hard it was to admit. His brother needed help...as soon as possible. If he died...no.
He wouldn't think of that.
"It's done!" Bulma shrieked proudly from further in the building, no sooner than Goku and Vegeta had reached the doors to the outside.
"Wow." Goku said, impressed. "It really did only take her a few minutes."
"How convenient." Vegeta growled, crossing his arms stubbornly across his chest.
"Guys!" She panted, struggling to hold the bundle of latex material in her arms as she sprinted around the corner. "It's done!"
"We heard you the first time." Vegeta snapped, impatiently watching as his mate ran towards them.
"It should hold, oh god excuse me, I haven't run like that in a while-" Bulma heaved, shoving the giant condom into Goku's hands. "It should hold against King Dust's venom and keep him trapped until I think of something better."
"Great, how humiliating." Vegeta muttered, rolling his eyes. "To gain victory through an enlarged human birth control device."
Suddenly, the air around them charged with tension; Goku's hands tightened, his eyes growing wild and wide, and the latex bundle slipped from his fingers.
"Hey!" Bulma shouted, hands on her hips as she ripped it from the ground. "Be careful with that, okay?" The woman froze instantly, gazing with foreboding into Goku's stricken face. Even Vegeta looked mournful, as she gazed towards him.
"Guys..?" She murmured, uneasy with the thick tension forming. "What's wrong?"
"Kakarot..." Vegeta warned, though his hands tightened.
Goku didn't seem to hear them, as he whipped his head around toward the direction of the city, a cold sweat working down his back. "God in heaven...no..." He whispered, with such desperation Bulma couldn't help but raising her hand to her mouth.
"Do you guys feel something..?" She said quietly, knowing they weren't listening. "Is someone...dying?"
A second of silence passed, charged with an intense burning of passionate emotions, such that Bulma couldn't help but stare worriedly into the city, her plan forgotten. Was it Gohan, Piccolo...? Or, oh...god...no, not...
"Oh my god," Bulma whispered violently, tears forming in her eyes at the sick realization. "No...no.."
Goku winced, as if physically hit; his face was pale, drawn back tight with fear and anger. He glanced at Vegeta once, who seemed resigned. A look passed between them, one they both seemed to understand, save for Bulma.
In a powerful rush of ki, Goku flew off , stirring the air on the ground as he shot off in the direction of the city. Vegeta shook his head once, a dark look in his eyes, then half-heartedly picked up the latex laying on the ground.
He glanced at Bulma, and murmured softly, "Please...stay inside."
Then, as quick as Goku, he was off.
To Be Continued and Yes the Author Knows She's an Awful Person