Chapter 011 - Goku Arrives
Gohan fell to his knees, breathing hard as his body began to demand a chance to recover. "I'm sorry Mr Piccolo... I failed you..."
Nappa sneered as he approached Gohan. "It looks like you used up all of your power. I've gotta hand it to you kid, you did a great job not running away this time."
'No...' Corset quivered, standing a reasonable distance away from the two as Gohan was approached by the towering Saiyan.
"Well, it's time I finished your miserable life. I can't wait to see the look on Kakarrot's face when he sees his son's head squashed like a bug!"
'No!' She repeated more frantically, still frozen to the spot as her body refused to move.
Nappa raised his foot up above Gohan's head.
'NO!' Corset screamed inside, clamping her eyes shut.
There was a loud crack as something struck the ground.
"... What's this?"
Corset opened one eye reluctantly, shocked to find Gohan was gone. Nappa's foot stood firmly on a patch of ground which had cracked under the force. Where was Gohan? She began to hurriedly look around her spotting him behind Nappa on a strange looking cloud.
The bulky Saiyan looked around, eyes finally spotting the boy riding the yellow cloud. "H-Hey, how'd you do that, kid?"
"What is that thing?" Corset asked more to herself than anyone else. "Is that a real cloud? Why's it yellow? How come he's sitting on top of it?" So many questions buzzed around her head.
"It's Goku... he's finally here!" Krillin's voice could barely be heard.
Goku? That was Gohan's dad's name! Corset looked around and spotted him. She tilted her head for the briefest moments and smiled in relief.
"Well if it isn't Kakarrot; we meet at last. We've been expecting you." Vegeta interrupted; Corset looked over to him. She was growing more and more suspicious of him now. What Piccolo and Krillin had been saying was still buzzing around her head. Which one of these two was her father? The tall guy was incredibly strong and scary. The shorter Saiyan hadn't done much yet but he seemed to be the boss of the two. Plus the taller Saiyan seemed to be scared of him.
Goku's movement took her back out of her thoughts and she watched as he walked over to Piccolo. The reminder he was gone made her feel sad. If only he'd lived for a couple more minutes, maybe he'd have lived long enough for Goku to save him.
"H-He died trying to protect me," Gohan sniffed explaining to his dad. Corset wasn't sure what she'd missed.
Goku stood back up and looked around the surrounding area. Corset assumed he was looking at all the other people who'd died, how would he be feeling seeing so many of his friends dead before him?
"What? Don't tell me you're upset to see all of these weaklings dead? What did you think would happen?" Nappa snorted. "Needless to say they all begged for mercy before I crushed them. Oh and for the record, that little clown-looking shrimp also died. He thought blowing himself up would save the rest of these fools!"
Corset glared angrily at the taller Saiyan. None of them were fools! How dare he say something mean about her mother's friends, about her teacher!
Goku began to approach Nappa.
"What? Don't like facing the truth?" Nappa sneered, "Then how about I show you what you're really up against! HYAA!"
Nappa's fist looked like a blur but then again so did Goku! The Saiyan's attack had missed and Goku was walking Gohan towards Krillin. Corset had no idea how Goku had managed to move so fast; she hadn't seen any of it. '... He's fast...' she mumbled to herself.
"Gohan, Corset, over here," Goku called.
Corset did as she was told and followed Goku and Gohan over to Krillin. He looked pretty torn up; it made Corset feel sad to look at him. She didn't like any of this; why did it have to be this way? Everyone had gotten hurt or worse, strong men had been tossed around as if they were helpless babies. Corset was far younger and far less experienced, even with Piccolo's training. What chance had she or Gohan ever had against these brutes? What had Piccolo seen in them?
"Hey Krillin, how are you feeling?" Goku asked, kneeling down by his friend.
"Not too good," Krillin smiled back weakly.
"Don't worry, I'll fix you right up," Goku reached into his shirt and pulled out a small object Corset didn't recognise. "It's gonna be tricky but I'm gonna break it into three parts so you can all gain back your strength."
"No, you keep it Goku; you'll need it," Krillin shook his head.
"Don't worry, I already had one," Goku smiled. "This one is for you three."
"Trust me Goku, even if we take this senzu bean... we'll just get beaten down again," Krillin insisted.
Senzu bean? Was that tiny thing a senzu bean? What was a senzu bean? Corset didn't understand.
"I don't need this senzu bean," Goku was just as persistent, "if you guys don't take it then I'm gonna throw it away."
"... Well... in that case..." Krillin sighed, "Alright, we'll have it."
"What's a senzu bean?" Corset asked.
"I was wondering the same thing," Gohan replied.
They both watched as Goku fed Krillin part of the tiny bean, then turning to Gohan.
"Take this, Gohan," Goku instructed. "Eat it." He handed a small fragment of the bean to his son before handing the last piece to Corset. "It'll make you feel better."
Corset looked at the small thing she'd been handed. She didn't know if she wanted to eat it, it was a strange colour... Deciding to trust Goku she put it in her mouth, almost retching from the taste. It was awful! Begrudgingly she swallowed the bean as quickly as she could.
Krillin rose to his feet, much to the children's shock.
Gohan gasped, looking himself over. "Hey my power's back!"
Corset was startled to find her body suddenly felt like it was pumping with energy! "I don't hurt anymore!" She exclaimed in surprise. "Was that medicine? It tasted awful, so it was wasn't it?"
"It's a senzu bean; eating one restores your energy and body back to normal," Krillin explained, "it also keeps you full for ten days... Then again knowing Goku's appetite..." He turned to face Goku. "Hey, I'm not sure what your plan is but I think it's best if we all attack together; that way we might be lucky enough to take down the big guy."
Goku looked over towards Nappa with a serious and focused look on his face. "No, I'm going to fight him by myself. You three find a safe spot."
"What?" Krillin gasped in shock.
"Don't do it daddy; that guy's really powerful!" Gohan pleaded fearfully.
After a moment or so, Goku stepped up and began to walk towards the two Saiyans.
"No!" Gohan reached out and started after him; Krillin holding him back. "Krillin let go, my dad needs our help!"
"Don't worry Gohan; your dad's got this all under control," Krillin growled.
Gohan frowned, "but I wanna help."
"Listen you two, we all need to back off and give Goku his space," Krillin ordered. "I've never seen him so angry before; he looks really determined to fight this one alone. Knowing Goku, he's probably got a strategy or a few tricks up his sleeve."
Goku had approached Nappa, both stood before each other.
"So it's finally come down to this. You should have stayed in hiding you fool; now you're gonna have to face the wrath of the Saiyan elites!" Nappa spoke.
"You're going to pay for what you've done. I'll make you pay for every single life you destroyed." Goku yelled, the ferocity in his voice made Corset shake. Something told her she wouldn't want to be in Nappa's shoes right about now. Goku seemed to be angry; or at least that was Corset's take on it. She watched nervously as he and the taller Saiyan stood off, both making small-talk that she couldn't hear.
Then the ground began to tremble beneath her feet, threatening to throw her off balance. Goku's ki was climbing rapidly, surpassing the magnitude of ki she'd felt from the others in an instant and rising to meet that of the bulky Saiyan.
The ground began to break apart, thousands of tiny fragments of dirt rising up into the air. Corset's jaw dropped; was that really Goku causing all this to happen?
"Come on!" Krillin called to the stunned kids, ushering them to the side.
"W-wow, is that your daddy making the ground shake?" Corset asked as she and Gohan were escorted by Krillin quickly towards a large boulder, both children clinging to the wall for balance.
"I t-think so," Gohan nodded; he seemed as nervous as Corset was, maybe even more so since it was his dad fighting.
Goku's cry stopped, his power finally stopped. The granules of dirt rained down onto the ground around them all.
"Vegeta, what does the scouter say about his power level?" Nappa called over to the other Saiyan.
"... Eight-thousand!" Vegeta had snatched the strange device off his face and crushed it; he didn't look too pleased at all.
'What do all these numbers they keep talking about mean?' Corset wondered, her eyes looking down at the crushed device. She'd never seen anything like it, even in her mama and grandpa's workshop... 'It must be a space-gadget!' She concluded.
"That can't be right! Your scouter has to be broken!" Corset missed half of what Nappa had screamed but he seemed to be shocked. Was eight-thousand a big reading? It was a big number! She couldn't help but think to herself, 'Of course it's broken – that man just broke it in his hand!'
"Don't worry," Goku mumbled, he seemed a lot calmer than before. "I won't use the Kaio-ken on you just yet."
"Use whatever you want!" Nappa bellowed back. "There's no way you can beat an elite fighter like me, Kakarrot!"
The fight had started. Corset saw the blur; it looked like Nappa had hit Goku... yet Nappa had ended up on the ground; Goku standing behind him! What had just happened?
"Wow, dad got him..." Gohan mumbled in disbelief.
"He floored him," Krillin exhaled in awe, eyes wide with surprise. "Goku just floored him with only a single attack!"
Sadly it wasn't permanent.
Nappa twitched and groaned, slowly rising to a kneeling position, tenderly rubbing the throbbing area of the back of his head. "How did he just do that?" He glared over his shoulder; Goku stood to one side glaring back at his opponent. "Listen you dirty little reject; I'm the second strongest Saiyan around! You're no match for an elite like me!"
"Maybe; I'd say you're the third strongest though," Goku replied coolly. "You can't beat me, I know it. Just go back to wherever it is you two came from and no harm will come to you."
"Oh, you 'just know it' do you?" Nappa snarled agitated. "There is no way I'm going to lose to you!"
It all began to go downhill for the Saiyan brute from here-on. Goku continued to strike blow after blow, Nappa making much contact back with the nimble fighter. Corset watched as best as she could, taking in as much movement from both fighters as her eyes would let her. She was in awe of how strong Gohan's father was. Here they'd all been struggling against this brute and now the Saiyan looked like he was losing. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes, tears of relief and sadness that this moment hadn't come sooner, too late to save Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu and Piccolo… and still she was somehow alive.
"Hey Krillin, did you see any of my dad's or that guy's movements?" Gohan asked.
"No. It all just looked like a blur to me," Krillin shook his head in shock.
At one point Goku charged in towards Nappa, vanished and ended up standing on top of his head! Corset desperately tried to suppress a laugh, having to cover her mouth with her hand.
Nappa roared and slapped both hands up above his head, Goku suddenly stood in front of him, his fist lodged into Nappa's solar plexus.
The blow had completely caught the Saiyan off-guard.
"That was for Piccolo." Goku spoke, voice sounding sterner than before.
Corset blinked in shock as the tall strong Saiyan fell to his knees; he seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. She still couldn't get her head around Gohan's dad being able to cause this much hurt to the Saiyan!
Nappa went on the attack trying to catch Goku off-guard; the two began to blur again. The rapid movement became one-sided once more as Goku continued to own the fight, announcing one of the deceased's names every time he made a powerful strike; Chaozu, Tenshinhan and Yamcha.
"It's incredible; your dad's got this guy on the ropes," Krillin mumbled.
Nappa dished out everything he could; each feat Goku made just helped to build up the admiration the little girl had for him. Nappa tossed out an energy attack that earlier had beaten Krillin down; Goku took it head on and received no injuries. She'd been sure at the time Gohan's father had been taken down yet he'd emerged unscathed! Within a couple more exchanges, Nappa had been sent into yet another boulder, vanishing under the rubble.
"... Is this a dream?" Krillin mumbled to himself.
Corset wondered the same thing.
Nappa emerged with a bang, screaming at the top of his lungs in frustration. The two began to have a heated discussion.
"Listen, you can't beat me. You waste so much energy in your movements." Goku was heard saying.
"I don't want or need a lecture from a little traitor like you, Kakarrot! I was the head of the elite guards on planet Vegeta - a low-level Saiyan like you is nothing!"
"We'll see."
"Oh you really have no idea you little bastard! I'm going to tear you limb from limb!"
"NAPPA! Calm down!" Again the shorter Saiyan had interrupted; although not as angry-looking and crazy as the taller Saiyan, the look in his eye gave Corset the chills. Furthermore his smirk had gone. "Get a hold of yourself!" Vegeta bellowed furiously. "If you keep blowing your top then Kakarrot is going to beat you! Keep your cool and maybe then you won't show such an embarrassing display of fighting! If you keep your head then you can beat him! Now calm down!"
Corset gulped. If that big bully was able to calm himself down, would he really be able to turn the tables on Goku?
"... You're right, Vegeta. I wasn't thinking! Thanks for that!"
The Saiyan now looked a lot calmer, much to Corset's discomfort. Now she was nervous, yet Goku didn't seem to be. Was he really not bothered by the Saiyan?
"Alright then Kakarrot, I may have just gotten a little worked up but now I'm gonna show you what I'm really capable of."
"Sounds good," Goku smiled, "you definitely look calmer now; your fighting skills should get better."
"It sounds 'good' to you, does it?" Nappa smirked. "I'd be worried if I were you. I can't wait to wipe that smug look of your face."
Corset gulped. She wasn't so sure now that Gohan's dad knew what he was getting himself into. Nappa seemed to be confident, she didn't like that!
She found herself clinging to the cliff wall beside Gohan as Nappa began to power up his ki, the ground shaking once more. Her nerves were beginning to get to her; was this the end? No, it couldn't be. Gohan's daddy had been doing so well; she didn't want them to lose.
"Watch out Goku." Krillin yelled at the top of his lungs.
The ground before the trio suddenly erupted; it was the same attack that had caught Krillin from rescuing Tenshinhan earlier! Corset could barely contain her scream, although it wasn't heard over the howling wind and explosion. Thankfully the dust and wind cleared.
"Hey, that's the move he used against Tenshinhan!" Krillin's voice made Corset open her eyes; Nappa and Goku were just two blurs up in the sky.
"Oh no! He's going to hurt my daddy!" Gohan wailed in despair.
"... Maybe not," Krillin shook his head. "Goku's dodging most of the attacks but he's blocking some too; it looks like he really has gotten stronger. When Tenshinhan tried to block, that big buffoon managed to cause severe damage to him and Tenshinhan lost an arm; on the other hand your dad doesn't appear to be taking on any damage at all!"
"Is Gohan's daddy stronger than Piccolo?" Corset asked.
"Yeah," Krillin nodded, "Piccolo's no pushover either though; the Saiyan he fought just happened to be that good! Let's just hope that Goku can do what Piccolo and the rest of us couldn't!"