Chapter 008 – Nappa Attacks
Vegeta smirked, "Well this one's eager," he mused.
"Yeah right," Nappa chortled, "Eager to die!"
Yamcha stepped forward, as did another Saibaman who'd been nominated by Nappa.
"Good luck Yamcha!" Chaozu called.
Corset gulped; she'd managed to regain some of her composure since the attention had been taken off her. Now she stood nervously waiting to see what her mother's former boyfriend was capable of. Corset had never seen Yamcha train but had been aware he used to fight alongside her mother's other friends.
Yamcha stopped and faced the green monster in front of him, lowering himself into a defensive stance.
The ex-bandit charged forward at his opponent, practically vanishing from view; the Saibaman doing the same. The disappearance of the two fighters completely took Gohan and Corset by surprise.
"They vanished!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Nonsense! They're just moving at super speed," Piccolo snapped. "Everyone can see them but you two."
"Wow, really?" Corset gasped in awe of the others. "How can you see?"
"Don't try to see with your eyes; sense their ki and look for the light their bodies give off," Piccolo instructed. "Don't try to focus on one particular spot; take in your whole surroundings and listen out for them."
The two pint-sized warriors tried to do what Piccolo had told them, unfocused their eyes and listened out for anything, anything at all... not that they were sure what to be listening out for! For a while there was nothing...
"... Hey, I can hear them," Gohan mumbled.
"You can?" Corset frowned, feeling a little inferior and discouraged; she hadn't been able to pick up anything yet.
"Gohan, focus slightly more; you should soon be able to pick up on the light their bodies are emitting," Piccolo ordered. "Corset, stop focusing on other things and focus on the task at hand. If Gohan can do it than so can you."
"Ok..." Corset gulped, a little upset Piccolo had raised his voice to her. She never had liked being yelled at. She too tried to hear their movement, trying to keep her head free of distractions and other thoughts. It took a while but she finally began to pick up upon the sounds of fists clashing. A small slapping sound slowly began to register in her mind.
Corset gasped as flashes of colour began to appear in her vision.
"I can see them Mr Piccolo!" Gohan smiled, he too had done it.
Corset watched as Yamcha and the Saibaman duelled, each turning the tables on more than one occasion. A bright light from Yamcha's cupped hands ended the fight as the Saibaman was stuck into the ground, something Piccolo would have referred to as a ki attack.
"Alright!" Chaozu cheered with a grin.
"Way to go Yamcha!" Krillin grinned.
Corset smiled. Yamcha was strong too. That was two of the six Saibamen down – then again there were four left. It did look like the seven of them would be able to handle the remaining green men no problem.
"It looks like this time it is you who has underestimated your opponent."
It all happened so fast.
The Saibaman latched onto Yamcha, wrapping its arms and legs around him. Within a couple of powerless seconds its body began to glow white.
There was an ear-piercing explosion accompanied by blinding light. Corset choked and struggled to stand her ground as the thick dust and wind battered her. The distortion of her senses left her clueless as to what had just happened.
Luckily the wind died down pretty quickly.
"... It self-destructed..." Piccolo mumbled shocked.
Corset opened her eyes and looked over to where Yamcha and the Saibaman had been. Her eyes widened in horror.
The carnage was clear.
The ground looked scorched and dry; the grass had been burned away. In the centre of the dent in the ground was Yamcha, on the ground and looking as if he'd taken heavy damage.
He wasn't moving.
She knew why. The reality scared her; her belief that all six Saibamen could be beaten by the seven of them was now severely shaken. Someone had just died. Yamcha had just died. Yamcha, her mother's ex-boyfriend, was dead.
"YAMCHA!" Krillin had dashed forward. Corset watched as the bald man stayed by his friend's side, leaning down beside him.
"...Is he... is he?" Gohan asked fearfully.
No one answered him.
For quite a while Krillin seemed to be mumbling to himself; Corset not sure what he was saying. She didn't know how to react. Her first instinct was to scream and run, then to collapse and cry. Piccolo had taught her better. Still it was Yamcha. Her mother would be heartbroken if she ever found out Yamcha had died. Corset's heart sunk.
Krillin slowly got to his feet.
"What a pointless act to do; of course he's dead!" Nappa snapped. "Get over it; you'll all be joining him soon anyway!"
"Calm down Nappa," Vegeta smirked. "Give them time to clear this trash of the battlefield."
Corset'd never seen such a furious look before as Krillin glared over towards the Saiyans.
"How dare you!" he growled in a low, aggressive voice. Quickly glancing over to his friends, Krillin shouted, "You guys stay out of this!" He drew his hands back and began to charge up an energy attack.
"Go ahead runt, knock yourself out!" Nappa spat.
Krillin tossed the energy he'd gathered forward straight for their enemies.
The power behind it scared Corset; she'd be caught up in the blast if that thing went off! She took a couple of steps back, quickly turing on her heels and following Gohan as he too began to back off. She had no idea what was going on until she turned; Krillin's attack had swooped over the top of the Saiyan's heads; the remaining Saibamen jumping out of the way. With a sudden change in form it broke off into six separate energy attacks.
It was a succession of explosions. Each attack appeared to strike its target, engulfing the entire area in light and dust, baffling Corset's senses and sending her into a state of confusion as to what was happening behind her.
The light quickly faded, closely followed by the deep rumbling. It took a lot longer for the dust to even begin to thin out.
"He did it," Tenshinhan smiled, clutching one fist in triumph. "Good job, Krillin!"
"I missed one," Krillin huffed.
Corset opened her eyes and gasped. There was nothing left, save a large cloud of dust that hadn't dispersed yet. There was no sign of any of the enemy.
"Wow," Gohan smiled, "Wow Krillin-"
A high-pitched shriek made Corset jump in horror; she spotted something green heading straight for Gohan. No. Gohan couldn't...!
In an instant, Piccolo held the Saibaman firmly by his arm.
"Die," the demon simply snarled.
With little effort he drove his fist into the defenceless Saibaman's stomach before tossing it up into the air. Piccolo opened his mouth, firing a blast out at the Saibaman, obliterating it in a matter of seconds as the heat melted its flesh leaving nothing left.
Corset's heart thumped in her ribs. That had been too close. She stared in utter horror at the point where she'd seen the Saibaman melt away. She felt so weak and unprepared for all of this!
Gohan had approached his mentor with a smile on his face, "Thank you for saving me."
Piccolo glared at the small boy from the corner of his eye and grunted. "Don't think I did it to save you! Keep your guard up because next time you'd better be prepared to save yourself... besides... I needed a warm up for the great fight that's about to begin."
"I hope it will be a great battle," one of the Saiyan's voices came from within the smoke.
The sound had shocked all the fighters.
Indeed both Saiyans were alive and what's worse, both were unscathed from Krillin's attack!
"They must have taken Krillin's attack head-on," Corset heard Tenshinhan mutter.
"... No way... I used my full power in that attack... So this is what a Saiyan is?" Krillin was gobsmacked.
Vegeta and Nappa stepped forwards, both covered in dust but both wearing malicious grins on their faces. "You did say you wanted the games to end, right Namek?" Vegeta smirked. "Well now it's time for the real fight to begin."
"... Too strong... they're just too strong!" Corset quivered.
"Hey Vegeta, let me take care of these wimps. I'll kill them all in a flash."
"Fine, have it your way then," Vegeta replied, his confident smirk unchanging. "Just be sure to not kill the Namek."
Corset gulped nervously; the taller Saiyan was making his way towards them. He was a behemoth; how on earth had he survived Krillin's attack? How had either of them managed to take that head-on without being scathed?
"You fools are gonna regret ever opposing us! You should already know that you're all going to die!" Nappa snarled.
The ground began to tremble underneath their feet as Nappa began to power up, electricity popping around him. From the corner of her eye Corset saw Gohan fall as he lost his balance.
Corset found herself frozen to the ground, unable to take her eyes off the Saiyan. This guy was terrifyingly strong and his fighting ki was rising still! Corset'd never sensed anything like it; it was a horrible evil power, filling her stomach with knots and sending adrenaline pumping through her body. It made her feel sick.
"Gohan, stand up!" Piccolo barked. "Don't let him overwhelm you!"
"R-Right," Gohan responded.
There were cracks beginning to form below his feet as shards of rock and dirt began to float in the air; a white glow beginning to surround the Saiyan as he continued to power up.
"Tenshinhan, my powers aren't working!" Chaozu's voice was barely heard over the howling of the wind. Corset was sure she heard more people talk but was unable to make out what they said.
"He's more powerful than I ever imagined," Piccolo's voice was barely audible.
With a yell, Nappa completed his power-up, his body surrounded by a pale yellow crackle of electricity. "Now... Who wants to be first?" The Saiyan's eyes scanned over his seven opponents, picking out which one he wanted to kill first...
Corset clamped her eyes shut; she knew it was going to be her...
"I chose you!"
She flinched, then grew startled as her eyes snapped open. There'd been a loud clap and a scream. She hurriedly turned and gasped horrified – Tenshinhan's arm had been severed.
"TENSHINHAN!" Chaozu screamed.
Corset felt a lump threatening to choke her; she couldn't look at the amputated limb, it made her feel sick. She could have sworn she could feel something trying to gush up her throat and desperately fought to keep it down.
"Looks like it's over already!" Nappa raised his left hand.
Tenshinhan suddenly jumped up into the air, surprising Corset as he seemed to do it with ease. Surely the pain he would have been in would have floored him – he'd just lost a limb! Yet he continued to fight, taking his other hand and lifting it above him.
In a flash, Corset watched as Nappa suddenly appeared behind Tenshinhan and kicked him down to the ground; Tenshinhan crashing to the floor with a large crack.
"Get up Mr. Tenshinhan!" Gohan cried; he sounded just as nervous as Corset felt. Her heart thumped wildly in her ribcage. She had to get out of here; she'd be killed if she stayed! Piccolo was wrong. She had no powers, she wouldn't be of any use. She'd only die and that would be it.
Krillin's scream startled the small girl. He'd made a dash forward and been attacked; a strong blast of wind knocked her off her feet forcing her to roll a couple of times head-over-heels before managing to stop herself. She braced as the wind and loose fragments of dirt hit her, quaking and wishing she was with her mother...
It was a while before she even dared to open her eyes.
"Hey, where's Chaozu? Was he caught in the blast?" Krillin's cried from far away.
Corset looked around, spotting Nappa up in the air... Something small was closing in on him.
"Nappa, behind you!" Vegeta barked loudly.
Corset gasped: it was!
Nappa didn't seem to react in time as Chaozu clamped onto his back. Despite his friends yelling at him to get to safety, Chaozu declined and stuck to the big Saiyan's back. Nappa reacted and slammed his back into several cliff faces, injuring Chaozu with every hit.
"Don't take your eyes off of them! Watch them, Gohan!" Piccolo bellowed. "Honour his bravery. He's willing to risk his life in battle. Don't turn away and shame him – keep your eyes on him and acknowledge the sacrifice he is making!"
Corset listened to her mentor's words and watched, finding it hard to believe it. The little warrior was taking a beating and yet he hadn't given up. She had to admit she felt respect for him; her pounding heart began to slow a little.
There was a strange blue grow surrounding his body...
Chaozu's ki ruptured – at the same time, he and the Saiyan were engulfed in the middle of an explosion as the tiny warrior used his remaining life force as a bomb. The deafening roar echoed through the plains, the light from the explosion making it too painful for anyone to look too long at the spot the explosion had occurred. All the Earth's Special Forces looked in horror, wincing from the blinding light in pure shock as they each felt their comrade's ki vanish almost instantly.
"CHAOZU!" Tenshinhan screamed, slamming his clenched fist to the ground.
The smoke began to clear...
"He self-destructed to take out his opponent," Piccolo sneered. "He's earned my respect... This just goes to show you Gohan that size alone doesn't matter – you have to have heart and cunning."
Heart and cunning? Was that all you had to have to be a fighter? Corset wasn't sure – power seemed to be a big help!
"... No way!" The tone of Krillin's voice filled Corset with dread and she reluctantly looked up to the ball of smoke. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The Saiyan was alive! He looked as if he'd taken no damage – save for the parts of armour that had been destroyed.
"That's impossible!" Krillin gawked, "There isn't even a scratch on him… Chaozu's sacrifice was for nothing?"
"... Damn you," Tenshinhan was shaking with rage. "We can't even bring Chaozu back with the Dragonballs; he's gone for good!"
Corset double-took. So Chaozu couldn't be wished back with the Dragonballs? Yet why could Gohan's dad be wished back? She didn't understand it. That would be a question she'd have to ask her mother... providing she could survive this seemingly impossible battle.
Tenshinhan and Nappa had begun to fight again; it looked horrifically one-sided as Nappa slowly wore his opponent down. It felt as if the fear had permanently made a home inside her stomach and Corset began to feel hopelessness. They didn't stand a chance against this brute. She feared everyone around her would end up dying, including herself.
"That's it - I'm going in!" Krillin snapped.
"Wait Krillin – I have an idea." Piccolo grabbed Krillin by his shirt. Corset looked up at her mentor curiously. "In a moment, the Saiyan Nappa is going to attack Tenshinhan, when he does his guard will momentarily be down," Piccolo explained. "We use that instance in order to launch a surprise attack on him."
"... I see." Krillin nodded. "Right, I'll follow your lead."
Piccolo looked down at the two children beside him, "Gohan, Corset; you both have a part in this plan too. Don't be scared of him; just attack!"
"Good plan, I hope for your sake, it works."
Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan and Corset all blinked in unison, all four shocked by the additional input to the conversation. Piccolo turned around to face the Saiyan standing behind them, too speechless and shocked to respond. It'd been a novice mistake, announcing their strategy for the enemy to hear. A mistake Piccolo would never have considered himself stupid enough to do.
"Don't look at me..." Vegeta smirked, "... you'll miss your opportunity."
"Such confidence you have... I can't wait to see the look on your face when Son Goku gets here." Piccolo retaliated.
"Oh?" Vegeta perked up, "Goku eh? Who's that supposed to be; your secret weapon?"
Nappa's loud bellow caught their attention.
"NOW!" Piccolo cried.
"Let's go!" Krillin yelled; he and Piccolo suddenly vanishing from view, leaving a terrified Gohan and a shocked Corset on the ground.