I wish I owned DBZ, but I don't. I own DVD's and tapes, but it just isn't the same. I also don't own the rights to any of the music pieces you see selected, just copies of merchandise, such a shame. The artists that created them are geniuses and we all must bow to them.
Chapter 92: Dark Tourney 15: The Final Blow
Verto watched on as Ranot and Gohan traded furious blows that expelled random bursts of purple and gold. For the initial minute or two of the renewed fight, Gohan had been all over Ranot with a clear cut advantage. He was hammering him with lightning quick strikes that would have leveled mountains with ease and Ranot could do almost nothing about it. That quickly faded though when Verto sensed a swift drop in Gohan's Super Saiyan ki right after Ranot started fighting back. The fight then broke down into what seemed like a barrage of sparring with the intensity cranked up. No blasts were being thrown, and both fighters looked like they were trying to block more hits than execute.
Verto frowned, Damn it, he's still not used to this, or that energy he absorbed wasn't enough. I guess I expected too much, but he should still be able to last longer than I did despite that. The island shook violently from the brawl, and Gohan was barely making any headway against Ranot. For every minor blow he landed, he received one as well. Had their power been even from the start, Gohan wouldn't have had to worry as much about it. Now he was on desperate reserves with essentially borrowed time. Ranot was wearing down too, shown by the fact that he was breathing just as hard after all that Verto had done to him, healed or not. The battle heated up again when Gohan suddenly used instant transmission to catch Ranot off balance with a kick to his side. Ranot responded with a hard spinning back fist that nearly took Gohan's head off. Blood leaked out of his mouth as Gohan drifted backwards, completely stunned by one unblocked shot of Ranot's physicality. Ranot didn't waste a moment in pressing the advantage and grabbing Gohan by the neck before relentlessly smashing his body with punch after punch. It went on until Gohan was able to deflect one and kick towards Ranot's midsection. He missed as Ranot glided back and let him go, allowing him a brief moment of reprieve. That moment didn't last long as Ranot's Dread Spike technique hurled towards Gohan at point blank range. Gohan was able to knock it aside and fire a return blast that Ranot also deflected.
Verto grimaced at what he was sensing, Leira was right, his energy reserves are absurd. He's not wearing down fast enough. Gohan can't rely on instant transmission to out maneuver him when it takes a bigger toll on his energy than Ranot's, even if it works. We're going to have to think of something else. His head turned slightly as Laysh dropped in next to him.
"So you couldn't beat him after all?" she asked.
Verto rolled his eyes at her greeting, "It's not like I didn't try. Did you know he could absorb energy from others directly?"
Laysh stammered noticeably, "Um…no. Why are you asking me?"
Verto caught the hesitation and gave her a mean stare, "Because I would think you might know. It's how he healed after I almost had him crippled. Can any of the others do this too?"
Laysh put her hands up in defense, "No! Not that I know of, I've never even heard of any technique like that."
"I've seen it before out of creatures that I'd rather forget. And if he's capable of it, you all are! So you have better not be lying to me!" Verto said sternly.
Laysh took it like an insult, "I'm not! Good god, you sure don't give anyone the benefit of the doubt do you?"
Verto turned back to see Ranot and Gohan still firing blasts at each other, "I used to. Speaking of which, where's Leira?"
"She went to check on that human kid that got killed. I swear she's nuts, she actually tried to tell me that he wasn't dead!" Laysh claimed.
Verto's eyebrow went up, "Who, Yusuke?"
"Whatever his name is."
Verto's lip twitched in thought, "She might know something about him that we don't, wouldn't be the first time."
"Can I ask you something? How did your clothes change back?"
Verto glanced down at what was left of his green uniform, "How should I know? Probably some kind of crazy magic in that weird shit she gave me."
"Oh," Laysh said, sounding disappointed. Verto then attempted to return his attention to the fight before him, though it wasn't long until Laysh interrupted that again.
"So, what did it feel like?" she asked.
"What?"
"What did it feel like to have all that power?"
Verto sighed heavily, "Nothing out of the ordinary, just a bit more to use really. Back home it might have felt weird, but nothing I couldn't handle."
"No, you were different, I could sense it. The way you moved, the way you acted. Something in that stuff changed you, because even now you don't feel the same either. I mean just look at this," Laysh claimed as she ran her hand through Verto's longer hair at the back of his head.
Verto gave her a warning glare that seemed to remove her hand automatically, "Doesn't matter now though, does it? Let's focus on taking him down first before we worry about cosmetic details." Above, Gohan panted heavily as he and Ranot mirrored each other's stare down. Ranot also appeared to be very winded from their short return bout.
Gohan felt defeat coming, I've got to end this as fast as possible, but this guy is so strong that it may not matter what I do. And I don't see him giving up any more large blasts of energy for me to absorb. He's just taking his time, conserving his energy while waiting for me to get too tired to fight back and then he's going to come at me hard.
Ranot smirked, "What's wrong, getting a little tired?" Gohan didn't answer as his breath continued to be short.
Ranot snorted at his silence, "It's not all that surprising really, there aren't many that can stand in the same vicinity with me, never mind survive a fight for this long. You both should be proud. Once you're all out of energy though, I will finish this promptly."
Gohan scowled, If only I hadn't used so much Psi energy before the recharge technique, I could have finished this already. Instant transmission with ki is too draining to use more than a few times. I guess it doesn't matter since I barely even have enough Psi for an energy sword now!
Ranot suddenly charged him, spearing Gohan's exhausted body to the ground with a full on tackle. Gohan took the full blow as he threw his arms out and fired a blast that struck Ranot immediately once he hit the ground, sending Ranot flying backwards into the air. Gohan got up quickly and despite the shortness of his breath, readied himself for another assault. He raised his hands above his forehead and crossed them as he charged golden ki into them.
"Masenko-HA!" he shouted as he fired.
The golden beam that followed raced towards Ranot, who didn't react until the very last moment. He quickly dove out of the way, but still got clipped by the deadly blast in the side of his face. The beam tore into the sky, while a noticeable gash wound had opened up on Ranot's left cheek. He wiped the blood that leaked out and stared at it on his hand. The sight of it seemed to anger him, despite how the battle had gone so far. He slowly turned as his whole face reddened with rage. Gohan stood his ground as Ranot raced towards him from above, ready to fight again. Ranot landed before him and rushed forward, punching straight into Gohan's blocking hands with all his might. Ranot's energy output increased as the two clashed with each other, causing his fist to glow the same purple hue as his aura. Gohan's arms buckled from the stress of the force behind the attack, and Ranot pushed through his guard. Gohan attempted to dodge aside, and Ranot's fist struck his shoulder. Gohan's body spun out of control as he dropped to the ground from the attack, and Ranot jumped into the air, coming down hard with both of his feet. He stepped on Gohan's legs to prevent him from getting up and then quickly grabbed a hold of both of Gohan's arms and pulled backwards, bending his back as well as his shoulders into a painful position while Gohan cried out.
Ranot laughed as he kept the pressure on Gohan, "Looks like I get to take you apart a piece at a time boy. Let's start with your left arm."
Ranot then turned and pulled hard until there was a distinct pop and the arm went limp. Gohan's scream of agony found new volume as Ranot let his dislocated arm fall to the ground and stomped on it. Gohan barely felt it break from the pain he already had in his shoulder, but it didn't stop his painful groaning any. Held up by only his right arm, Gohan cringed as he tried to figure a way out of the situation. Ranot was about to do the same with the other arm when Gohan suddenly got his legs loose underneath him. Almost instantly he came up strong with just his head, smacking into Ranot's in the process. Ranot fell backwards, stunned by the desperate counter attack. Gohan painfully worked his broken arm back into the correct position and made a few fists to make sure it was somewhat useable. Ranot held his bleeding forehead a bit as he glared daggers at Gohan, and both of them were gasping for air. Ranot's purple aura came back to life as he appeared to be powering up for a final assault while Gohan remained still.
Gohan held his injured arm, Great, he can take everything I throw at him and just come back mad. He's taking me apart slowly and all I've done is cut him a few times.
Verto picked up on Gohan's dilemma quickly, "You don't have enough to beat him do you?"
"Nope, I don't suppose you've got anything left?"
Verto let out another sigh, "Not enough to matter right now. I'll need at least a few minutes to even conjure up what's left. That weird transformation really took it out of me. If I thought I could use the Feedback technique, I would have awhile ago, but I haven't quite gotten my emotions under full control yet."
Gohan's eyes widened, "Oh of course! I completely forgot about that!"
"Well don't celebrate yet, I just told you it wouldn't work. I figured Piccolo would have explained that before. Plus you were there the night Lenz's demon came out and…" Verto reminded before he was cut off.
"No, that's not what I mean!" Gohan took a deep breath to relax himself before turning his palm up and filling it with white energy, donating every last ounce of Psi he had.
Verto's eyes went wide, Don't tell me he's gonna try it? Ah hell, never mind that, when did he learn it? I definitely never taught him!
"What's he doing? That level of attack is nothing!" Laysh pointed out.
"You'll see if it works," Verto replied. Ranot seemed intrigued as Gohan held the sparkling white blast in his hand.
"And just what is that pathetic attempt supposed to be?" Ranot asked.
"Feedback!" Gohan answered as he threw it. Ranot snorted as the white blast came at him quickly, and his energy barrier shot up to block it. The feedback ball struck the barrier and exploded in size before ripping through and covering Ranot in intense white lightning. Ranot cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, landing on his hands and knees.
"What the hell? How'd he do that?" Laysh asked in shock.
"I'll explain it later. Gohan, finish him!" Verto called out. Gohan was already powering up an incredibly big and blue Kamehameha wave as he lowered to the ground, making the island tremble well before it was ready to fire. Ranot's aura became randomly charged with purple, white and gold as he managed to get back to one knee.
Verto's eyes widened, Damn, just how strong is this guy? He's overcoming the Feedback technique even faster than Frost did! Gohan saw this and hurried his blast, making it fairly erratic at first before he regained control. Ranot's aura intensified just before all of the white Feedback energy was ejected from it, leaving Ranot breathing heavily. Gohan didn't wait another moment and fired his massive blue beam, which shredded the ground between them. Ranot growled slightly and held up his palm to fire his Bane Maelstrom to counter. Blue and purple beams met and struggled with each other for several moments before the purple one began to gain on the blue. The ground crumbled around the area as Verto and Laysh shielded themselves against the force of the clash. Verto scowled as Ranot's beam was slowly pushing Gohan's Kamehameha backwards.
"He's losing it!" Laysh shouted over the noise.
"Then we have to make sure he wins! I don't have much to help him directly, so it'll have to be you," Verto said as he stood up completely.
"What? I don't have nearly as much ki as you guys, and certainly not enough overall power to go up against the captain!" she argued.
"I know that, so here's what I want you to do. Go to Gohan and try your best to match his power output with your Psi energy when it gets low enough, and then combine energy waves with him. He'll know what you're trying to do even if you don't, so he can coach you if needs be. They're going to wear each other down this way, and the sudden boost will probably be enough to beat him once and for all," Verto explained briefly.
"Why can't I just donate my energy to you? I've seen you absorb it with your sword," Laysh suggested.
"I considered that, but we also need someone to get in the line of fire and distract Ranot if this is going to work. I'll do that, now go!" Verto ordered. His aura came to life as he took off towards Ranot's position, leaving Laysh bewildered.
She finally shrugged, "What the hell, might as well try it." As she flew around the battlefield, she spotted Verto flying straight at Ranot with his Psi sword held back.
What a crazy, dumb kid. There's no way he should be able to even get near the captain right now. Sure is brave though for trying. She landed next to Gohan, having to shield herself against the power he was putting out.
"Who are you? It's not safe here!" he claimed.
"Verto told me to help you with my Psionic energy, something about combining energy beams when you start dragging your feet. So is right now good?" Laysh asked.
Gohan looked perplexed at this until he got a good feel for her power signal, "Ah, I get it. Alright, get ready to push all of your energy into the blast. We'll know quickly if it works!"
On the other side of the huge ball of ki, Ranot grinned slightly as he enhanced his beam further. His eyes darted sideways just as Verto flew in and swung his sword. It clashed with Ranot's barrier immediately, pulling some of his attention.
"So you still have some power left? I think you should run away while you can," Ranot suggested.
Verto scoffed, "Since when do I do what you suggest?"
Ranot grabbed Verto's sword with his free, glowing hand, "You'll learn eventually!" Ranot then forced him away with his brute strength, and Verto landed dozens of feet away, still breathing heavily as he held his sword steady. Ranot's barrier use had taken some of his beam away, but not enough to have much impact just yet.
Damn it, there's got to be another way through that barrier of his. Body blows won't mean anything now, and I've lost too much strength to even consider it. My sword can't even cut through it at full power, unless… Verto glanced down at his blade and grinned slightly before he charged in again. Ranot was almost waiting for him, catching his blade swing without even looking.
"You're a pest, can't you see I'm busy here? Come back when you can stay out of your crib for longer than a few minutes!" Ranot said in annoyance.
Verto's hands turned slightly, "I thought I'd let you know that I found a way through this stupid barrier of yours, wanna see?" Just as he finished speaking, Ranot's golden barrier began draining into the blue sword, making it swell and sparkle with renewed energy. Ranot's eyes widened and he immediately stopped channeling his barrier, which was an equally big mistake. Verto pulled back, slashing through the middle of his bare hand. Ranot cringed in pain and released a large and broad burst of energy, blowing Verto backwards and further powering his beam. Verto fell back, barely managed to hold onto the extra energy he had stolen. He looked over and sensed Gohan weakening quickly while Laysh was powering up.
Shit, that wasn't enough to even deter him and I'm almost out of time. I'll have to fly in close and misdirect this one…unless I can sneak in. No, that won't work, there's too much energy around here to use stealth, and he'd probably expect it anyway. Screw it, I'm going for the win, one way or another! Verto rushed towards Ranot for the third time, but directly from behind instead of from the side. Ranot made no immediate move, nor did his barrier come back up. Verto's wasn't sure what to make of this, but felt he had to press the advantage now. He tilted his sword to stab Ranot directly in the chest from behind. At the very last second, Ranot turned, which threw off Verto's aim. When he did, he released his Dread Spike beam from his bleeding index finger. The blast ripped through Verto's right side, obliterating his whole arm in the process. Ranot grinned wickedly at the dismemberment, but quickly realized that he had his own pain to deal with. His potent blast had completely missed Verto's sword, which was now stuck a foot deep into his body before it faded. Both fighters coughed up blood, but only one was able to scamper away as Verto landed badly after being pushed back by the Dread Spike beam. He groaned loudly as he forced himself to ignore the pain and get to his feet in order to run.
Gohan's eyes widened as he sensed what happened, "Now!" Laysh hurried and pushed her power into Gohan's beam, barely hanging on when it changed to a vivid green and began to work. The Super Kamehameha re-intensified and smashed right through whatever was left of Ranot's counter push. Verto dove out of the way as it became clear that Ranot wasn't going to be able to stop the beam. Ranot himself froze in place as he watched the killer beam rush at him. Only the sounds of his screaming could be heard over the blast wave before it shot over the horizon and into space. Gohan and Laysh were both breathing hard, though in the formers' case it was much worse. His hair faded to black as he dropped to both knees, bracing himself with his hands to the ground.
"Is it over?" Laysh dared to ask as the smoke cleared.
"H-Hope so. Go check on Verto please, I didn't see what happened, but it wasn't good," Gohan rasped. Laysh nodded and flew over towards the body lying on the ground. She paused in surprise when she saw the pool of blood he was in, all of which was coming from his right side. Ranot's Dread Spike had only clipped his torso and shoulder, but his whole arm was gone. The shock of the attack, the explosion, and exhaustion had apparently knocked him out, but he was still breathing clearly. Laysh stripped off the arm sleeves of her jumpsuit and held them against Verto's large wound, which was spitting out more blood with every heartbeat.
"Damn it, come on kid. Stay with me!" she growled at him.
Gohan slowly limped up behind here, "I should have brought Senzu beans."
Laysh narrowed her eyes, "Those weird bean things that heal you, I remember him using those before. If we get him to our ship quickly, we can use the medical capsules!" Gohan nodded grimly before he noticed a cluster of new presences coming towards him. It was Yusuke's team running in, minus Yusuke for obvious reasons.
Kuwabara got their first, "Whoa, what happened to the kid?"
Hiei scowled as he came to a stop, "Fool, his arm got blown off!"
Kuwabara growled back, "I know that, shorty! I was asking how it happened!"
"It doesn't matter how, idiot!" Hiei snapped back.
Kurama interrupted both of them, "What does matter is that he gets treatment now, otherwise he could bleed out with that wound!" Kurama held out a small seed to Verto's shoulder, which sprouted into a vine mesh that covered the entire wound in conjunction with Laysh's attempt at bandages. The bleeding stopped almost immediately as the plant soaked up the red, and within a moment Verto's eyes opened to the cluster around him. He winced as he managed to look at the bloody stump where his arm had been.
He then glared at Gohan, "That better have worked, I don't get hazard pay for this!"
Gohan laughed, "Hehehe, you don't get paid at all. Maybe we should get Bulma to change that, you've earned it." Verto was helped to his feet by Laysh and Gohan, but he could barely stand upright.
"I'm afraid that there isn't much we can do about lost limbs," Kurama said in an apologetic tone.
"We've got that covered, what about your friend over there?" Gohan asked. All three of them looked down, answering the question before Verto did.
"He got killed right before you got here, and I don't think they have anything like the Dragonballs here," he said.
Kuwabara suddenly had a thought though, "Wait a sec, Urameshi died once before and Koenma let him come back to life! That's when he became Spirit Detective! Maybe he'll do it again this time!"
"What are you idiots talking about? He's dead, get over it!" Laysh said in frustration.
"Way to break the mood, Ice Queen," Verto muttered.
"I'm not an idiot! I aced all my tests!" Kuwabara declared.
Laysh snorted, "You are still an idiot. Knowledge without common sense is meaningless."
"Agreed!" Hiei added.
"Just shut up, all of you!" Kuwabara glowered.
Verto chuckled slightly, albeit painfully before glancing at Gohan, "So, what was the trouble at home you mentioned?"
"Well it's kinda hard to explain," Gohan said.
Verto sighed, "I'm in another dimension, fighting against other Saiyans while surrounded by demons. Try me."
"Good point, but we should wait till you're in better condition. It won't do any good if you pass out halfway through," Gohan stated.
Verto gave in to that logic, "Fine, let's go soak in the stupid tank." Just as he finished, a strong breeze suddenly blew through, nearly knocking them all over. With it came a noticeable power signal that the Saiyans picked up on quickly, though the two demons weren't far behind.
"Aw, hell," Verto muttered as soon as he recognized it.
"You're kidding me! That didn't work either?" Gohan asked.
Laysh stifled a laugh, "Figures, there's a reason he's never been beaten before now. Not to discredit you guys, but he's just too strong."
"Great, anyone got an idea for this?" Verto asked as he stumbled slightly to turn around.
Kuwabara was the first to step up, "I'll fight him, I ain't afraid!"
"This is no time to be stupid, fool. All of the bravado in the world won't mean anything against a power like that!" Hiei argued.
"A man doesn't stand by while a kid does all the fighting for him! It's against my code!" Kuwabara proclaimed. A distant golden light got closer and slowed before coming down to the ground. It was indeed Ranot, though he was badly torn up, covering in many cuts and bruises. The hand and forearm Verto had slashed through had been blown off completely, leaving only a bloodied stump. His whole right side was a different story, as a large crimson hole under his rubs squirted hello when he landed.
Verto's nostrils flared, He's weakened considerably, but with all of us too low on power, it doesn't matter. He could blow us all away and there isn't a damn thing we can do about it.
Ranot grinned a bloody smile as he panted hard, "So, surprised to see me?"
"No, the stench hasn't faded," Verto retorted quickly.
"Funny." Ranot flashed forward, driving his knee straight into Verto's face, knocking him flat. Gohan was quick to interject, only to receive an elbow that sent him flying. A sudden blast smashed into Ranot's wounded side, making him wince. Laysh shuddered in fear when he merely looked annoyed by it.
"Just for that, you go first my sweet," he said angrily. He stepped towards her, only to stop abruptly when a very long, orange energy sword blocked his path. Ranot scowled at Kuwabara, who looked defiant enough to remain in place despite the way his legs were trembling.
Ranot turned and spoke with an eerily calm tone, "Kuwabara, I suggest you get out of my way. Otherwise your funeral will start a few minutes early."
"No way, punk! It's against my honor as a man to allow you to hurt a lady! You've gotta beat me first!" he claimed.
Ranot's tone didn't change, "Is that so?" His barrier flashed on as he snatched Kuwabara's sword and pulled hard. This action flung the tall teenager in the other direction, putting him in the dirt.
"Pathetic. Are there any other objections, or can I just finish this?" Ranot asked. A long green vine hooked onto his remaining wrist, only to burn up into ash upon touching his barrier. Kurama's face fell before Hiei ran by him, holding the hilt of his broken metal sword.
A long, green and black flame extended out from it as he swung towards Ranot, "Sword of the Darkness Flame!" Ranot grinned and released a quick burst from just his aura, enough to send Hiei flying backwards instead.
Hiei landed near where he had been, flustered as his flowing sword faded, "Damn!"
Ranot laughed, "Did you three honestly think you could make any difference? You're all bugs for me to step on, nothing more!" Verto gritted his teeth slightly as he tried to stand up, only making it to his knees.
I can't even stand up, never mind gather enough strength to face him. Kaio-ken is out of the question too. Gohan is also too exhausted at this point, and Laysh doesn't have nearly enough energy to fight him alone. We're screwed. Just as Verto's thought finished, he sensed something strange coming their way. It felt like a demon's energy, but was far stronger than any he had met there thus far. Red light came from a short distance away until a figure appeared beneath it. As this person got closer, Verto began to feel slightly unnerved, mostly due to not knowing who it was, nor their intentions. Ranot quickly noticed this as well, but took it in stride.
"Is there another lamb I get to slaughter?" he asked in an oddly sweet tone. Dust and dirt started to blow around, obscuring their view.
"Who is that? Feels like a crazy strong demon!" Kuwabara pointed out.
"There can't be anyone with demon energy this strong in the Human World. They wouldn't be able to cross over from Demon World!" Hiei claimed. The figure emitting all of the red energy emerged from the dust clouds, wearing only his ripped blue pants and sneakers.
Everyone's eyes widened, but only Kuwabara was able to say anything initially, "Urameshi?"
Verto couldn't believe it either, Yusuke? How? I watched him die.
"He's still alive? How can that be, kid? Answer me!" Laysh shouted in Verto's ear.
Verto stared at her, "How should I know?"
Laysh looked annoyed and crossed her arms, "Maybe that woman did it. She's the one that told me that he was still breathing somehow, she must have done this!"
"Maybe, but I'm not so sure," Verto said.
"Urameshi! How can you still be standing? You were definitely dead! Your heart stopped, I double-checked!" Kuwabara stammered.
Yusuke looked rather unsure himself, "Yeah, I can't explain that. In fact my ticker still ain't ticking, guess I should be worried?" Hiei and Kurama promptly broke into uncharacteristic but hysterical laughter while Kuwabara remained stumped.
"You'll get used to that, demon hearts have a much different make up than a conventional human one," Kurama explained.
"Demon?" Kuwabara cried out.
"Yeah, Koenma explained it to me. I guess my ancestor was some Mazuku guy, a hybrid. So when I died, I could come back, but like him," Yusuke said vaguely.
"So you really are a demon? But you don't look any different!" Kuwabara pointed out.
Verto finally felt the need to interject, "It might all be below the surface. Example, I really don't look much different despite being partially alien now do I? Nor do your friends."
Hiei immediately took exception, "Whoever said I was his friend?"
Verto rolled his eyes, "Whichever."
"Ha, well I at least had no idea you were one of us, Detective. How does it feel to be so superior?" Hiei asked.
"I really don't feel any different, but I do have the sudden urge to tear this guy to pieces," Yusuke claimed as he smirked up at Ranot.
They locked eyes as Ranot returned the smirk, "Well if your skull session is over, I'd like to get this all over with. I can't say I've killed someone twice very often. It is all very intriguing, but ultimately, it still won't matter. Just for the hell of it, I'll fight you without any recuperation, and you'll see why you also should have run when you had the chance!"
"Ha, no way. I'm the hero of this gig, and I'm definitely not gonna let these guys or anyone else steal my thunder. A violent death or a few drops of demon blood mixed in doesn't change the fact that it's my job to kick the bad guy's ass! So I hope you're ready to feed some worms!" Yusuke declared.
Ranot's grin faded, "You'll regret those words in a few seconds." Ranot's purple aura filled the air, matching the erratic red mass that had engulfed Yusuke. Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara backed away, but Verto remained.
"You sure you can do this alone?" he asked.
Yusuke grinned back, "Dunno, but it's better than sitting on my ass. You, that chick and your brother over there have done your share. Besides, I'm not about to go up to the afterlife and listen to that old hag bitch at me about failure."
"First, he's my friend, not brother. Second, I'm sure she's extremely proud. Third, go kick his ass," Verto said. Yusuke nodded and returned his focus to Ranot as his demon energy surged around him. It became so intense that it literally lifted Yusuke right off the ground and propelled him towards his opponent. Ranot waited for him and the ground around them broke apart from the instability. Both fighters broke into a rapid pace of punching, much more than Yusuke could produce prior to this. Verto sensed that despite not being mentally able to fly, Yusuke's focus allowed his new energy to direct his moments, as if he were on autopilot. Within seconds, Verto detected Yusuke's unstable power starting to build up further, though this didn't appear to be due to any of his doing. It did however begin to randomly spark small, multi-colored bursts as it clashed with Ranot's aura. Yusuke can't control his new power. It's going to mix with Ranot's power and rip this place apart.
"Everyone give them some space, this will be a bit dicey!" Verto called out. The group didn't need to be told twice, though they strayed a bit away when Gohan and Laysh stood next to Verto after moving away.
"So who is this Yusuke guy? He's just as strong as Goten and Trunks, well, if he were in our dimension," Gohan pointed out.
"Stronger now I think. It's gotta be this demon blood that was hiding it all along. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Though I can't say I would have expected an increase like this. He's probably five or six times stronger now than he was an hour ago and much more than that when all this started. Just absurd potential," Verto commented.
Gohan chuckled, "Sounds more like you."
Verto grimaced, "Okay, why don't you go ape shit on Frieza if he's ever multiple times stronger than you again in the future?"
Gohan's eyebrow went up, "I take it Vegeta told you all about that?"
Verto quickly cleared his throat when he realized what he had just said, "It doesn't matter who did, back to the point. As strong as Yusuke is, I'm having serious doubts here. We need some sort of plan since this is a golden opportunity."
"So are you thinking a Spirit Bomb? I mean you said yourself that you were having problems with your control and all," Gohan reminded.
"No, actually I was thinking something more drastic if it comes to that. The only problem is that I'm too drained to use it right now, no matter how much this bastard deserves it. Maybe we'll get lucky and Leira will show up with another power boost from who knows where," Verto said.
"Hmph, relying on that woman won't get us anywhere," Laysh muttered.
"She's helped us a lot in the past few months," Gohan claimed.
"Ha, doesn't seem like it to me. I can't count the number of times we've caught her sabotaging our equipment. I don't see how you can trust her kid," Laysh said.
"In your position, I probably wouldn't at all," Verto replied.
Gohan grimaced slightly and changed the subject by sticking out his hand formally to Laysh, "By the way, I'm Gohan."
Laysh scowled as she looked him up and down, "Yeah, I heard your name earlier. I'm Laysh, and I see that you have an easy going attitude also. Are you as much of a pain as this brat is?"
"Get acquainted later, if we make it through this," Verto suggested. They both followed his lead and watched the battle in silence for the next few moments. The hyper-melee persisted during their talk, though it quickly slowed once Ranot got in a few solid hits. Yusuke was flung backwards from a few of these, skidding to a stop by shoving his feet down into the ground. Ranot charged in after him, prompting Yusuke to lift his right hand, bracing it with his left. An immense red blast burst forth, enough to give Ranot pause for effect. He barely dodged aside, merely grazing the blast before it sailed off into the sky.
Ranot allowed himself to smirk slightly, This kid really does have potential. If that would have hit me directly, this battle might have ended just now. I see now why Razil wanted him and the other brat out of the way. Yusuke was slightly stumped that he had missed, but shrugged it off.
"He's not used to his new power yet," Gohan noted.
"Relax, he's the type that learns on the fly. I doubt he'll miss again if there's another chance to hit that big bastard."
"Hmph, he better, or we're all dead," Laysh grumbled.
Gohan leaned over Verto's ear, "She's not much on optimism is she?"
Laysh's head snapped to her left, "I heard that!"
A loud crack drew their attention as Ranot had smashed Yusuke's face. Yusuke plowed into the ground and lay still momentarily before getting back up and wiping his bloodied mouth. Ranot landed in front of him with an evil smirk, but waited for the younger fighter to make another move. Yusuke rushed at him, missing on a wild swing. He spun around to kick instead, only to have it blocked by Ranot's injured stump of an arm.
Ranot kept his smirk, "Not good enough!"
"No one asked you!" Yusuke shouted back. Verto suddenly sensed Yusuke's energy fluctuating and shook his head.
"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.
"He's got the power currently needed, but he just can't sustain it. Even if he had only one day of training with it, he could do this. And even if he could figure it all out in the next five minutes, Ranot is going to bury him at this rate. He's already conserving his remaining energy and not really trying. This may not work," Verto said.
"But we're too low on energy to make any real difference," Gohan pointed out.
"Yeah I know. Let's give Yusuke his chance though. With the way his energy is bouncing around inside him, we might get lucky. Only thing left we can do anyway is channel all our power together and hope he sits still. Give me a few more minutes and I'll be ready to try that," Verto said.
"Might get lucky? Are you seriously relying on that human to get it right?" Laysh asked in a raised tone.
Verto frowned, "Let me know when you have a better plan that doesn't involve running away or giving up. Until then, shut up!"
"Why you little…" Laysh threatened.
Gohan cut them both off, "Hey, something's wrong with him!" Verto then noticed that Yusuke was frozen in place, as if something or someone had a hold of him. Ranot was standing nearby with his arm cocked like he was ready to fire a blast, but looked just as confused.
The entire battlefield became silent, so much that Verto could hear Yusuke whispering, "Who are you?"
Ranot laughed once he heard it, "Now I know I didn't hit you that hard. Have you already reached your limit and started talking to ghosts? How utterly dull, I shouldn't have expected anything more out of a mere human, part demon or not!" Yusuke's body was visibly trembling for a moment afterwards until he suddenly screamed and released a violent burst of bright blue energy. The light blinded everyone to what was happening, but Yusuke's constant screaming provided a hint. Due to the close proximity, even Ranot was forced to shield himself from the force of this new predicament.
"What the hell is going on?" Laysh asked first.
"Don't know, might be some sort of overload. Although, it could be something else we haven't seen yet," Verto replied. Small twisters formed around the ball of light for a few seconds before the screaming abruptly stopped. The bright light faded as a new figure stepped out from it. It was Yusuke, but he looked much different. His torso had tightened up with slightly larger muscles, but also featured strange tribal-like markings scattered about his upper body and arms. His face also had similar markings just below his eyes, which were now a pale yellow. The most noticeable change though was his hair, which had grown out just past his waist line. It was also a silver-gray shade and frizzed out like it had been too close to an electrical socket.
"He transformed, it must be his demon blood coming out in full," Verto stated in amazement.
Gohan looked grim, "It's not just that, get a feel for his energy."
Verto's eyes widened, "Chi waves, and his power has gone up by quite a bit."
"But there was so little ki, how did he manage to convert it?" Gohan asked.
"I'll tell you later," Verto said quickly.
"So what does this mean now?" Laysh asked.
"It means your captain is going to get his face bashed in. Yusuke's power is now higher than his weakened state," Verto pointed out.
"But something seems off, it doesn't seem like him at all. I can barely sense it, but there's another presence coming from his energy signal. It's like when you were in North City when you have the Over…I mean Chemical Z in you," Gohan said, catching himself mid-speech.
Verto's eyes narrowed in suspicion momentarily, "So, he's possessed now too, great." When Verto wasn't looking, Gohan sighed a bit with apparent relief. Behind them, Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara and Koenma walked up, each amazed by Yusuke's new form.
"That confirms it then, Yusuke really does have a demon ancestor. Oh boy, my father won't like this one bit," Koenma said as he fretted.
"Yes, this is obviously a sign that Yusuke's body has accepted the transformation into the Mazuku. Only a select few of Demon World's denizens can generate a power like this," Kurama added. Verto eyed Ranot's reactions as he stared down the demonized Yusuke, ignoring the conversation behind him. Ranot didn't appear to be in a panic, nor even concerned. Verto wasn't sure if it was just a brave front he was putting up, or if he had another ace up his sleeve. Ranot turned briefly to glance at the group and grinned slightly before turning back. Verto's eyes shot wide when he realized what was on the elder Saiyan's mind.
"Gohan, do me a favor," Verto started as he held out his hand.
Gohan looked down, puzzled, "Sure, what is it?"
Verto's energy leaked out erratically, making his palm glow in random shades of gold, white and blue, "Take the rest of my energy and be ready to put it to good use."
Gohan nervously stared at Verto's glowing left hand as he offered his power, "Can I ask you what your plan is?"
"It's not my plan, it's his. Remember how he healed himself? He'll do it again if he has to, and he'll pick the weakest target, which could be anyone here given the situation. You need to stop him when he tries it. I'm in no condition to do that, so take my power and boost your own," Verto ordered.
"Alright, but you shouldn't stay here and make yourself a target."
Verto gestured to Laysh by jolting his head in her direction, "That's what she's for."
"And what am I supposed to do? Haul your lazy ass around again?" she asked spitefully.
Verto grinned, "Something like that. But there is a point to this, and it's called take me to your ship cause I want my damn arm back."
Laysh looked exasperated, "About time you made some sense brat." Ranot briefly glanced over and locked eyes with Verto, curious as to what was going on. Verto gave him a knowing smirk before grabbing onto Gohan's hand. His body jerked slightly as he powered up, sending every ounce of energy he had into Gohan's grip.
"Do me a favor, don't hesitate. If he forces you to step in for any reason or gives you the opening, finish him off. You'll probably only have one good shot to do it. Blast him to pieces, teleport, cut his head off, I don't care, just end this. I'd rather not wake up and have to fight him again," Verto said.
Gohan nodded, "You got it." Both of them glowed blue and gold randomly before Verto promptly collapsed.
Gohan stared at his hands as he felt refreshed from the energy given to him, "Wow, he had this much left?"
Laysh scoffed as she tossed Verto's unconscious body over her shoulder, "Probably sandbagging again, maybe thought he didn't have enough time in the spotlight playing hero!"
Gohan shook his head, "No, Verto isn't quite like that, he's too impulsive for it. Reminds me of my dad actually, except if Verto sees a chance to end the fight quickly, he usually takes it. This guy was just too good and strong for him to do that. He probably used what time he's had to slowly build it up again, even though he was on fumes," Laysh was speechless for a moment before nodding and flying away with Verto in tow. Ranot turned and lifted off the ground, preparing to give chase. He didn't make it far before Yusuke suddenly plowed into him from the side.
Ranot landed, looking furious at the interference, "Out of my way, you little shit! I'll play with you in a few minutes!"
Yusuke clenched his fists tightly, "Play time is over!" Yusuke's yellow eyes glowed just before a dense blue aura erupted around him, sending his long hair into a frenzy above his head. Ranot cautiously backed into his stance, wary of the power he was sensing. With a mighty shout, Yusuke rushed at him with a fierce punch drawn back. Ranot blocked the attack with both arms, but was still forced back from the impact. Yusuke stayed on him, punching wildly enough that Ranot couldn't predict where each blow would land. Yusuke's fists broke open every bruise and wound with frightening accuracy, which gave much of Ranot's body a crimson mask. Yusuke then yanked Ranot by the leg and heaved him up into the air before following swiftly. Yusuke soared above him and came down with both feet, driving the Saiyan back down to the ground. Ranot landed on his stomach painfully, seemingly unaware of Yusuke falling right towards him. His eyes darted upwards and he managed to jump forward, causing Yusuke to only hit dirt. Yusuke snarled a bit as he tore his glowing fist out of the ground and gave chase. Ranot used his good hand to push and flip off the ground, preparing his bright purple finishing move as he did so.
"Bane Blaster!" Yusuke bull-rushed the blast, leaping over it by mere inches and continuing his charge. Ranot scowled and fired off his Dread Spike finger beam next. The attack struck Yusuke right on the jaw and stopped him in his tracks. Ranot however saw that it was only successful in stunning him, and he rushed in to press the advantage. He came in and slammed Yusuke with an over the head punch, driving the demon into the dirt. Ranot kicked Yusuke in the torso next, sending him into the air.
Ranot then held his palm up and charged up a huge ball of red ki as he grinned, "Say good night! Bane Bomber!" Yusuke recovered just in time to see the massive red ball racing towards him. Instead of dodging however, he lifted his right index finger and charged up his Spirit Gun to counter it. He fire quickly, forcing Ranot's attack to a halt as it clashed with pure blue Chi. Both attacks destabilized soon after and detonated, blinding everyone nearby. Once it cleared, Ranot was seen, clearly breathing harder at this point. Yusuke landed a dozen feet away, unaffected.
His dark, cryptic voice filled the air a moment later, "So, do you still think you can easily defeat me now?"
"Ha, do you think you can honestly last any longer than last time?" Ranot asked.
Yusuke smirked evilly, "There's no point in bluffing. Time has a funny way of running out when you least expect it." Yusuke flashed forward, driving a knee into Ranot's stomach, causing him to double over. He followed up by grabbing Ranot's head with both hands and ramming it into his own skull repeatedly. This brutal action nearly knocked Ranot completely out, but Yusuke wasn't finished. Both of his fists glowed blue as he began rapidly punching Ranot's body dozens and dozens of times. Nearby, Gohan and the others were quite astonished.
"His ancestor must have been a particularly strong and brutal warrior. A god of fighting skill. Ranot doesn't have a chance at this point," Kurama said.
Gohan's eyes narrowed a bit as he kept a close eye on Ranot's lack of movement, He's definitely weaker than before, but he should still be capable of fighting back even now. He must be waiting for some sort of opening. Yusuke hoisted Ranot's limp body up by the throat, starting the larger man eye to eye.
"Am I enough of a challenge for you yet?"
Ranot's pain filled face twisted back into his evil grin, "Nope." Yusuke scowled and lifted Ranot up higher in order to deliver more punishment. Ranot's eyes snapped open and he flung his good arm at Yusuke's face. Out of his hand came a cloud of dust and dirt, landing directly in Yusuke's open eyes. Yusuke's hands went to his face instinctively, releasing Ranot. He immediately phased out, reappearing next to Kuwabara and grabbing him by the face.
"You will do nicely," Ranot laughed. Kuwabara tried to struggle out of the hold, but Ranot held him firm. Kuwabara's body glowed blue along with Ranot's for a brief moment before a long, thick and green energy sword pierced Ranot's chest from behind. Blood erupted and Kuwabara fell backwards as he was freed from Ranot's grip.
Ranot coughed as he tried to tilt his head sideways, "You!"
There stood Super Mystic Gohan, his aura filled with sparking intensity, "That's enough of that, you're done!" Ranot snarled as he tried to spin around and counter attack, and Gohan swung the blade. Everything above Gohan's Chi sword was severed in a finely cut line. Ranot gasped as everything below that line went completely limp before it all fell away. The soon to be corpse quickly bled out, staining the dirt and filling the air with the smell of blood.
Ranot managed to cough and sputter despite this, "D-Damn you to hell boy! I'll g-get you for this, I'll get a-all of you! D-Death won't s-stop me…." His last breath hung in the mouth for a moment before he lost it. Ranot's remaining energy faded rapidly, and Gohan sighed heavily as his sword vanished.
Kuwabara walked up cautiously and nudged Ranot's body with his foot, "Is he gone? Or can he pull himself together too?"
"Fool, of course he's gone! You should feel thankful that someone else saved your poor excuse of a life again!" Hiei scolded. Gohan still felt uneasy as he glared down at the dead villain and powered down. Ranot's head, neck and shoulders had been sliced away from the rest of his body, there wasn't much else that could have been done at that point. Gohan held his broken arm protectively as he walked away.
Laysh finished stripping off Verto's shredding clothing and loaded his unconscious body into the rejuvenation tank around fifteen minutes later. It was a standard looking medical pod, 'borrowed' from the Kold Empire of course. Laysh strapped on the breath mask, pausing as she examined where Verto's right arm had been before being blown off. She ran a hand through his bloodied hair, feeling a rush of emotion run through her. She had already sensed the final power surge from Ranot die out and felt very relieved. At the same time, she felt an odd cloud of dread, as if the unknown horizon was now a threat.
I should be happy about this. The captain is finally gone from my life. And it's all thanks to this kid, who seems more fragile than an infant, and yet stronger than any Saiyan. I'm not sure how the others are going to take this, will they accept him or not? A footfall behind Laysh startled her and she whipped around like an angry mother protecting her young.
Gohan held his hands up, "Easy, we're still on the same side here." Laysh calmed herself and closed the large tank lid before pressing a few buttons. They both watched the synthetic fluid fill the tank before another word was said.
"So, how long do you think he needs to be in there?"
"Not sure, probably a full day or maybe more. He's just lucky that the injuries are fresh enough that he can be fixed up. You may not know this, but these treatment pods can't do much about dismemberment if the patient has been missing limbs for much more than a few days. By then it will treat any scar tissue as the injury and it won't grow back," Laysh explained.
"I've had to use one before myself, but I did not actually know that," Gohan admitted.
Laysh eyed his busted arm, "Well your injury won't take as long, but we only have one capsule to use."
Gohan waved it off, "It's okay, I'm going to get a fresh Senzu bean when we get home. I'll bear this until then."
Laysh shrugged, "Suit yourself."
"Thank you," Gohan said.
"For what?"
"For looking after him."
Laysh laughed, "It's me who should do all the thanking. You two helped get rid of someone who has terrorized everyone around him just for the fun of it. As Saiyans, we tend to get carried away with our own fun, but he was the worst of us. And as far as the kid goes, he can stand on his own two feet."
"True, but he's still at a point where he needs assistance from time to time. I suppose it doesn't help much when there's some sort of crisis every other day. What are you going to do?" Gohan asked, suddenly changing the subject.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean regarding the other Saiyans and wherever they all are. We need Verto on Earth right now, but you're welcome to stay there until things have settled down," Gohan offered.
"I'll have to return soon to give a report since no one else survived, but I'm not sure how they will react to all this. Some might even seek revenge for the captain…as fruitless as that will be with you two around," Laysh joked slightly.
"Tell you what, we'll discuss this with Vegeta and the others…as soon as we are able to," Gohan suggested.
"I suppose that's acceptable, I was ordered to return with him to your planet to begin with. I'm surprised though…" Laysh claimed.
"Why's that?" Gohan asked.
"Well, you didn't ask where the rest of us are located. And where we've all been since before Planet Vegita was destroyed. Chal said that he told Verto some of that when he was a prisoner at Frost's home base. But that doesn't mean he told any of you," Laysh said.
"Oh, well I wasn't the one who went to rescue him from that place, so I didn't know. He might have told Vegeta and he might not have. Verto wasn't home long before there were other…problems that required his attention. I figure you'll tell us when you're good and ready to," Gohan said nonchalantly.
Laysh shrugged and started to walk away, "Alright then, I'll prep the ship for launch. After we get through the rift, I'll need Earth's location on the star charts so I can plot a course."
Gohan paled, "Actually, we have a different mode of transportation waiting. And it's a lot faster, we'll leave as soon as he's healed."
Laysh turned around in surprise, "Unless you can somehow teleport through dimensions, what can be faster than one of these ships?"
"Funny you should ask…" Gohan started.
Laysh threw her hands up, "Forget I asked! I'm gonna clean up and get some sleep. All you weird people are driving me crazy!" She then walked off while Gohan watched, confused.
"As always, you're like your dad when it comes to explaining things."
Gohan turned towards the tank and leaned on it, "Aren't you supposed to be nearly dead?" Gohan spotted a tiny smirk work its way onto Verto's face under the breath mask.
"Nearly, but still here. Did you get him?" Verto asked.
"Yeah, you were right that he would try and heal off someone else again. I stopped him before he could do much, and it was the final blow. He's gone," Gohan thought back with reassurance. A burst of bubbles flooded out of the mask, though it was more of a sigh of relief than anything else.
"Well there's the good news. Now what's the bad news?"
"Pardon?"
Verto's hint of frustration carried over through his thoughts, "The mess we get to clean up at home."
"Oh that. We should probably wait until you're healed," Gohan suggested.
"Nice try, but I'm well on my way now. You could manage our time better and get it over with by explaining it all during the healing process. She said it would take a full day or more, so we obviously have the time," Verto said.
Gohan gave in, "Alright, if you insist. But this may be hard to explain."
Another burst of air bubbles blew out of the mask, followed by an agitated glare, "Don't even start with me, just because we won doesn't mean I'm in the mood for it. Begin from the day I left please."
Gohan managed a chuckle, "Right, I'll do my best. Before I do though, know that I had to hear about most of this once Bulma told us what had been going on. First off…"
PL
Gohan (SS2): 780,000 (drops quickly); Weakened Super Mystic (boosted by Verto's remaining power): 250,000
Ranot (slightly weakened): 760,000 (drops slowly); severely weakened: 350,000
Laysh: 250,000
Verto (weakened): 200,000
Yusuke (demon): 180,000; Transformed: 400,000
A/n: Some of you YYH fans probably saw some of that coming before that battle even got going, or at least wondered if I would incorporate the demon transformation from the very start. It was also set as an example of how timelines can change with one single action, which in this case was Ranot killing Yusuke before the final battle got going. I had the finish planned out in probably ten different ways before I settled on that one. As always, everything I do is for a reason. And since there's going to be a bit of a break here, I'll even leave a preview to start off the next arc since I left you all hanging.
Next Time on DBV: An ominous cloud hangs over Capsule Corporation in the wake of Verto's departure. Odd sounds and sights begin to happen all around. Lenz awakens from her ordeal and leaves with Bulma for personal needs while Vegeta and Trunks visit the Son household. Upon return, they discover that someone has broken in and torn the place apart, possibly looking for something…except nothing has been stolen. Who or what could be behind this, they're not sure. One thing is for certain, it is unnatural…
WDG: The end of Ranot…?
VB: Depends on if he was infected by a zombie or not…