Chapter 034 - Goku Vs Freeza
She couldn't think anymore. She didn't hear anything anyone said. As far as she was concerned, for the moment she and her dead father were the only ones there. All she could focus on was him; the cold, merciless Saiyan fighter who'd tried to kill her... and yet he wasn't as cold and as merciless as he liked to make out. He'd saved her life before and she'd done nothing to try and save him. The shame was unbearable; even more unbearable was her loss. Her father had died so horrifically; she never would have guessed in her wildest dreams she'd see him cry.
Goku took a couple of steps over and picked Vegeta up off the ground. Without saying a word Corset watched as Goku placed him into a small indent in the ground, gently placing dirt on top of him and speaking more to Vegeta than anyone else. "I never thought I'd see you cry, or beg for anything. I think I understand you now..."
Just like Krillin had promised on Earth. He was being given a proper burial.
"It wasn't just the Saiyans getting murdered..." Goku spoke as he continued to bury the prince. "It's because he used you. You didn't have a chance to be anything else... Well I still respect you. Thank you for saving my son and for buying us some extra time for me to heal. You were heartless but you had the pride of a Saiyan... Please share some of that with me."
He rose back to his full height, turning his attention to Freeza. "I'm a Saiyan but I was raised on Earth. For all the Saiyans you killed – and for the Namekians too – I'm going to destroy you!"
Corset once again became oblivious to her surroundings, still on her knees mourning her father.
Something suddenly snatched her from the ground.
Despite the supposed surprise she should have experienced she was too numb and saddened to react. Gohan was in the corner of her vision flying; unbeknownst to her Piccolo had grabbed her to get out of the way from the imminent fight. The four of them were retreating to a nearby island to give Goku the space he needed.
She wasn't entirely sure when she'd been placed down on the ground, it was just something she became aware of. Corset realised she had no clue how long the fight had been going on for, who was winning and when she'd even been moved! It was her own fault for not paying attention.
"What happened?" Krillin was asking. "Goku still hasn't come up!"
"It's ok, his ki didn't get any weaker," Gohan replied.
What were they talking about? Where exactly was Goku supposed to be?
Something shot up to the surface of the waters before them; a ki ball. Freeza dodged it, narrowly missing the other which had surfaced seconds after the first. The monster suddenly shot heavily across several islands passing through the shallow waters between them; Goku'd somehow appeared. He looked unscathed.
Freeza quickly emerged practically unscathed.
The fight continued on and Corset watched silently. Freeza apparently was also capable of making things float as he launched a barrage of rocks at Goku, catching him off-guard with some strange energy ball which seemed to have trapped Goku inside of it. With one swift move of Freeza's arms, the ball reacted to the movement. Goku was tossed down towards the ground. Upon contact the strange ball erupted with a terrific bang and blinding light, making the planet shake. The explosion knocked Corset onto her back forcing her to endure the wind and dust blowing over her. Everyone around her seemed alarmed.
"I can't believe it!" Krillin gawked as the rumble from the explosion started to fade.
"Freeza's only toying with him; he could destroy the whole planet if he wanted to!" Piccolo snarled.
"Wh-Where's my dad?" Gohan asked nervously.
"...There's no point in worrying." Piccolo smiled sounding slightly relieved, "Goku's not giving it his all either. Just look behind you."
Corset looked up behind her; Goku landed in front of her, slightly scathed but none-the-less alive and well. "That was a close one!" He exclaimed. "I'll have to watch out for that one!"
With that he took off and re-joined his opponent.
"... How did Goku do that?" Krillin asked clueless.
"He broke free of that paralysing light with super-speed the instant it exploded," Piccolo explained.
"He managed to do that so fast?" Gohan was in awe.
"He's almost god-like... then again so is Freeza," Piccolo muttered.
Corset sat up and watched from her sitting position again. How was this possible? Her father, Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan and herself had struggled to find any sort of upper-hand over Freeza! An attack like that would have been more than enough to kill any one of them. How was it Goku was different?
Goku was always different.
He'd had little trouble against Nappa, he'd taken most of her father's energy from him during their fight on Earth. He'd arrived on Namek far, far stronger than before and walked all over the Ginyu Force. He'd been the one to gain his body back and save Vegeta from that strange light. Now he'd come back renewed once more, suddenly he was able to take on Freeza in this manner...
Maybe what her late father had said really was true. Maybe Goku was this 'Super Saiyan' thing...
The fight led down to the ground; Goku took off the orange over-shirt and stretched. After a couple of minutes of talking - or what everyone assumed was talking - Goku went on the attack. Freeza didn't seem to be moving his arms for some reason. His strange behaviour didn't last for long; Goku seemed to have an advantage over his opponent, Freeza finally attacking with his forelimbs. The fight resumed as normal; this time Goku was being pushed back.
Once again the fighting stopped.
"Any idea of what they're doing down there?" Krillin asked.
Corset got to her feet. She felt a little calmer and more composed now.
"They're just staring at one another..." Krillin added.
"... They're probing for the right moment to attack," Piccolo answered. "It feels like their power alone is enough to crush me!"
"Dad can win, right?" Gohan asked.
"There's no way of telling," Piccolo responded, "their powers are beyond our realms of comprehension."
"... He'll win," Corset mumbled. "It's Goku; he'll win like he always does."
"... Do you really think so?" Gohan asked.
"Glad to see someone's finally back to reality," Krillin smiled, "although with a sentence like that I'm not so sure you are back to reality! This is Freeza we're talking about!"
Freeza suddenly had Goku on the ropes. The fight seemed to be turning in his favour. Corset wondered if she'd just jinxed Goku's chances of winning and mentally scolded herself as Goku was pushed around, taking attack after attack. One flash from Freeza's hand made her inadvertently flinch; it reminded her so much of that attack he'd kept on using earlier.
"... What happened?" Gohan asked.
"He sliced up the planet," Krillin growled.
"... How can...? How is that possible?" Corset was baffled.
"Well this is Freeza..." Krillin answered. "I just hope Goku's got some kind of plan. If it's as bad as it looks..."
"There is no plan! Freeza's power was greater than he or I ever imagined!" Piccolo snapped.
Goku's body began to glow red, his ki surged exponentially catching everyone all by surprise.
"What's going on? What is that light around Goku?" Piccolo stuttered.
"It's gotta be that Kaio-Ken technique he used against the Saiyans!" Krillin realised. "From what he said, using that technique can double or triple your powers."
"I get it," Piccolo nodded. "So he had one trick still up his sleeve…"
"I'm not so sure, as long as Goku's body can keep up with the improvements then everything should be ok," Krillin muttered. "If Goku uses it wrong then it can have serious consequences on his body!"
Goku'd knocked Freeza high into the sky and had drawn his hands back, firing off a terrifyingly powerful blue energy beam.
"It's a Kamehameha!" Krillin cried. "Get down!"
Heeding Krillin's order, Corset leapt down flat onto the ground, keeping her head and face covered as best as she could through the high-winds and deafening noise. The power she was sensing was mind-boggling; she couldn't see a thing even with her eyes open!
A shockwave passed over her almost knocking her dizzy. She heard sounds of an explosion. Her heart pounded and her body shook as she struggled to endure the onslaught of the attack...
The wind died down gradually and she could just about hear people moving over the ringing of her ears.
To everyone's shock, Freeza was very much alive, one hand held out before him. That one hand had been all he'd needed to cancel out Goku's powerful Kamehameha. One hand held more than enough power to destroy Goku's most powerful energy blast which had been enhanced further by the Kaio-Ken!
The truth was as clear as crystal.
"Y-You've gotta be kidding!" Krillin stuttered. "That Kamehameha should have packed a huge punch! Why doesn't Freeza show any damage?"
"Dad's ki... It shrank," Gohan noticed. He was right; Corset could sense a sizable decrease. Had that been Goku at full power? If so things weren't looking good.
"How can such a creature exist?" Krillin's words mirrored Corset's thoughts.
"... It's a total loss," Piccolo muttered, "Kaio warned us not to do this. Like he said we should never had tangled with Freeza no matter what."
Corset gulped, now beginning to grow fearful. Another one of their fighters was quickly becoming outclassed – and this one really was their best fighter!
Freeza bolted down to where Goku stood, Goku getting to his feet as he did so. The tyrant went on the offensive once more, battering the badly drained Saiyan. Goku continued to get back up only to be knocked down again. It was painful to watch.
"That's it!" Gohan cried. "I can't stand this, I'm going in!"
"Wh- Gohan don't!" Corset gasped.
"Hold on, Goku's doing something." Piccolo butted in.
Goku was holding both hands above his head. For the briefest of moments it had everyone at a loss until finally it clicked.
"That's the Genki Dama!"
Krillin's voice made everyone turn to face him.
"Genki Dama?" Piccolo repeated.
"It's the special attack Kaio taught him in the otherworld!" Krillin explained. "He gets all living things – the animals and plants on this planet – to give him a tiny bit of energy and he combines them all into an energy ball!"
"Will it work here?" Gohan asked nervously. "This planet doesn't have as much life as Earth."
"Goku knows that; there's nothing we can do about it," Krillin replied. "He's got to risk it."
"It didn't work on Daddy though. Why would it work on Freeza?" Corset mumbled quietly to herself.
A strange sensation came over her. Something felt like it was growing... Where and what was it?
"Up there!" Gohan gasped.
Corset spotted it and gawked in awe. There was a relatively large ball of energy above them and it was slowly growing bigger. So that was the Genki Dama? The last time she'd seen it was when Krillin had thrown it – though this one looked much, much larger! She'd never seen it forming before.
"So that huge thing is the Genki Dama?" She asked.
"It's getting bigger and bigger..." Krillin mumbled.
"... You mean that's it?" Piccolo didn't sound too impressed.
"It's just as big as when he used it on Earth," Gohan frowned.
"Nah, it's gotta be one-hundred-and-fifty feet across!" Krillin shook his head. "He must be calling for more energy from the nearby planets because there's no way this planet can produce that much energy!"
"Freeza hasn't noticed yet; why doesn't Goku just attack him with it?" Piccolo snorted.
Corset looked back down at the two fighters; both were still just standing there. (In all honestly she was dumbfounded that Freeza was just standing there letting Goku charge the attack up!) She prayed Goku would manage to get enough time to complete the bomb. Even if it was a long shot it was their only hope.
"... Goku needs to gather more ki or it won't be enough," Corset caught Krillin mid-sentence.
"Hurry dad, hurry!" Gohan cheered anxiously.
Freeza suddenly lunged forwards and kicked Goku down – Corset watched heart-pounding wildly. Had he just stopped Goku from controlling the Genki Dama? One quick shot up to the sky made her breathe a half-sigh of relief; it was still there.
"He figured it out!" Krillin cried.
"No, not yet," Piccolo shook his head. "Freeza hasn't seen it..."
Now things were growing tense. Just how much longer would Goku last before Freeza would figure out his plan? Corset watched nervously, each passing second feeling more like a minute.
"... Gohan, Corset, Krillin – give me all your remaining ki!"
Corset looked up at her mentor confused. Why did he need their ki?
"Do it now!" Piccolo barked.
Corset did as she was told and stood next to Gohan, releasing her ki outwards and into Piccolo's outstretched hand. It was such a strange feeling letting her ki go to someone else; she could feel it draining her body, her muscles growing more and more lax. Another strike to Goku's ki made her turn around; Goku'd fallen into the sea!
"Don't lose concentration Corset!" Piccolo snapped. "Focus! We don't have much time!"
"S-Sorry," Corset flustered and went back to focusing her ki. She was getting close to her last reserves now. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Goku emerge, grasping onto the edge of the island...
No, she had to focus. As difficult as it was not to worry about him, Corset had to look away from Goku. She kept her eyes on her own hands, watching as finally Piccolo took his hand away.
"Alright, that should be enough, leave some for yourselves!" The Namekian muttered. "Just in time; it looks like he's figured it out!"
Corset glanced over and gasped horrified; Freeza was looking directly at the Genki Dama. It was all over.
"You three stay here no matter what happens!" Piccolo barked before taking off, heading straight for the fight.
Goku'd pulled himself out of the water. Corset watched as he attempted to attack Freeza with a desperate punch; Freeza catching his fist and pointing a finger to his head-
Piccolo struck Freeza just in the nick of time sending him crashing through the water! Corset couldn't believe just how strong that kick had been and how completely off-guard Freeza had been!
He didn't stay down for long and most of Piccolo's ki had gone in that strike.
"Y-You guys, now while his attention's on the others!" Krillin ordered. "Charge up whatever ki you've got left!"
"R-Right," Corset and Gohan nodded.
With all the energy she had left Corset began to focus her ki into her hands, charging up a Kentoka Flash as fast as she could. The drain from Piccolo had taken its toll; she didn't have that much power left but regardless she powered up.
"Now!" Krillin yelled.
All three fighters shot off their attacks; all managing to strike Freeza, engulfing the tyrant in a plume of dark smoke.
She could barely use her powers now but even so she could sense Freeza'd barely taken any damage. This was bad. Now Corset was out of energy and tired, desperately trying to catch her breath back. Although their combined moves had caused quite an explosion, it had clearly been nothing to Freeza.
The tyrant was looking over to them, muttering something under his breath. With a sadistic smile he raised one hand above his head, extending one finger fully. His ki surged higher as a dark ball of ki formed; the feeling almost hitched the breath in her throat – it was intensely packed inside that small ball. There was no way he'd use that just to kill them... he was planning something bigger...
"THIS IS THE END!" Freeza cried. "I'LL DESTROY YOU ALONG WITH THE PLANET!"
"H-He can't!" Gohan choked.
"M-Mama doesn't know about this, Krillin!" Corset stammered frantically, "We've gotta tell Mama!"
"You dope, there's no time for that!" Krillin yelled.
"Now!"
Piccolo's voice was faint but heard. Corset looked down to see Goku toss his hands down to the ground.
Instinct made her look to the sky.
There it was heading straight for the planet. The Genki Dama had been fired.
"GET DOWN!" Krillin bellowed. "THAT THING'S GONNA MAKE A HUGE EXPLOSION WHEN IT HITS!"
She didn't need Krillin to tell her that; just sensing it terrified her! Corset leapt to the floor and braced herself, wondering if somehow she'd manage to survive this at such close range! Peering between the gap of her arms she could see Freeza was trying to stop the bomb from striking the ground, she could feel the strain in his energy.
He was overcome.
The Genki Dama struck the waters and detonated.
Corset screamed as she was ripped from the ground through the blinding light and deafening roar, tossed somewhere into the sky.